226: Chapter 226 I'll Break Three of Your Ribs

The banquet hall was set with five tables.

The outer area was a lively scene where young scions clinked glasses and vied with one another.

Inside, however, was the true social circle for the key officials of Jiangnan Province.

There were only a dozen or so invited officials, but every one of them was a key figure holding real power within the Provincial Government system. With the addition of the Spark Class students, the entire inner hall barely filled five tables.

Such a banquet scale, for an engagement party, had already exceeded the scope of a union between two families.

This was a show, a grand event for the Zhou Faction to publicly declare its sphere of influence.

Governor Zhou Zhiwen did not make an appearance.

But Mrs. Zhou sat steadily at the head table. Beside her, the wife of Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua, the wife of Secretary Lei Zhen, and even the family of Executive Vice Governor Wu Jianguo were prominently seated.

The idle chatter of these few women, amidst the clinking of glasses, wove together an impenetrable network for the new power in Jiangnan Province.

He Mei was arranged at the very end of the head table.

According to traditional customs, the bride's mother should certainly not be sitting on the edge here. Yet, one could not find a trace of humiliation on her face; instead, it was overflowing with excitement.

Being able to share a table with the families of these Provincial Party Committee members was, for her, worth more than the price.

At another table, Deputy Director Liu Qiang of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission was chatting happily with several department-level officials.

This newly minted dignitary had shed the Li Faction's patronage and climbed up the high branch of Governor Zhou. With a few cups of aged wine in his belly and the spring breeze on his face, he had long forgotten the grace of their past cultivation.

Zhu Yuntong walked through the aisle and reached the middle section of the inner hall. His gaze happened to collide with the look cast by Liu Qiang.

Their eyes met.

The hand holding the wine glass paused for a fleeting moment.

He was originally a protégé promoted by Elder Li, relying on multifaceted mediation to achieve his current status. Now that he had changed his allegiance and betrayed his master, seeing his old master's grandson for the first time, the remnant of conscience in his heart instinctively surged up.

He turned his head, attempting to avoid this gaze.

However, the sweetness of power is the best at corrupting the human heart. Liu Qiang stiffened his neck and forcibly suppressed that trace of discomfort.

He turned his face back, meeting Zhu Yuntong's gaze, and lifted his glass with righteous indignation. Then he turned to the side to continue his high-minded talk with the Director of Finance beside him; the old favors and guilt vanished into thin air at this moment.

Zhu Yuntong withdrew his gaze.

Traitors who seek glory rarely have a good end since ancient times; this account would one day be settled.

He was led by the usher to the table at the very end of the hall. In contrast, Zhou Xu had long since taken his seat at the prominent guest table near the front.

Director Xu Jie followed from behind.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao stood beside Zhou Xu's table, about to pull out the empty chair beside him, putting on an obsequious posture.

Director Xu Jie ignored him, walking straight past Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao's fawning, and came to Zhu Yuntong's table, sitting down calmly beside Zhu Yuntong.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao's hand holding the back of the chair froze in mid-air, his face twitching, and the sinister look in his eyes deepened.

General Manager Zhou Shutong sat down next to Su Qinghan.

She was becoming increasingly interested in this female discipline inspection cadre from Linjiang City.

Shen Zhe came over from another table: "Secretary. The gathering tonight has been finalized; I will send you the location on your phone later."

Zhu Yuntong took out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment: "I'll treat this meal; I've transferred the money to you."

Shen Zhe was stunned and just about to decline.

Zhu Yuntong raised his eyes, a silent gaze pressing over.

Without needing to say more, Shen Zhe swallowed all the words of refusal and nodded, retreating.

A gentleman bestows favors; he does not allow his subordinates to refuse. This was the rule he had set.

The lights in the hall dimmed, and soothing symphonic music began. The emcee held the microphone and loudly announced the start of the engagement ceremony.

There were no cumbersome haute couture gowns. Liu Ruobing took the stage surrounded by a group of close friends, wearing a simply tailored red dress.

Beside her, Wang Lei wore a custom suit, but his tie was tied somewhat crookedly; the frivolity in his bones could not be hidden at all.

The two stood on the stage, listening to the emcee recite those auspicious words about a hundred years of harmony.

Liu Ruobing's expression was dull, like an exhibit waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

The essence of this ceremony was merely to publicly announce the legitimacy of this marriage to all parties; as for the joys and sorrows of the people on stage, no one cared.

Su Qinghan sat at the table, her right hand reaching into Zhu Yuntong's palm, her fingers curling up.

She had personally experienced the brutality of political infighting, where one traded their own flesh and blood for a future.

Liu Ruobing's today was her own yesterday that she had nearly stepped into.

Zhu Yuntong wrapped his hand around those slightly cool fingertips.

He turned his head, and their gazes met. A steady squeeze back, no words of comfort needed.

This narrow palm was the most solid fortress she had in this vanity fair.

The ceremony was complete, and the toast segment began.

Liu Ruobing held the wine tray, and Wang Lei carried the wine decanter, thanking guests one by one according to the seating order. Over at the head table, the big shots merely lifted their glasses to touch their lips, said a few words of encouragement, and then said no more.

When they arrived at the Spark Class tables, Wang Lei's true nature could no longer be suppressed.

Walking to Zhou Xu's table, Wang Lei held his wine glass with an extremely obedient attitude. He was a bully who feared the strong, knowing the methods of this true young master of the Zhou family; if Zhou Xu were truly angered, he could make him shed a layer of skin.

After toasting, Wang Lei intended to walk to the next table.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, however, approached with his wine glass and whispered a few words in his ear.

Wang Lei followed Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao's gaze, his eyes locking precisely onto Zhu Yuntong at the very end.

The obedience in his eyes faded, replaced by an arrogant haughtiness.

Carrying the wine decanter, Wang Lei strode toward the last table.

Liu Ruobing followed behind. When she saw clearly who was sitting at this table, her steps faltered, and her eyes instantly turned red.

The plea for help in the parking lot in the past was still in her ears; now she had become a bird in a cage.

Wang Lei rested his hands on the edge of the table, looking down condescendingly at Zhu Yuntong.

"Zhu Yuntong, I know you. The Li family's grandson, right?"

Wang Lei's words were flippant, "I heard you've been exiled to some poor backwater to be a Deputy Secretary? Coming all this way just to mooch a meal, that can't be easy, right?"

He reached out to wrap his arm around Liu Ruobing's waist, pulling her hard into his embrace to demonstrate his right of possession.

"But remember this. I don't care what you did before, but now, Liu Ruobing is my person."

This barrage of snide insults caused people at the surrounding tables to cast glances over.

Liu Qiang watched from afar, holding his tea without a word; Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao stood in the shadows, waiting for the show to begin.

Liu Ruobing's body stiffened; the humiliation made her almost unable to stand.

Zhu Yuntong sat calmly in his wooden chair, without rising.

He picked up the wet towel from the side and wiped his knuckles in a leisurely manner.

The Han Feizi says: Do not dispute the path with a mad dog.

After wiping his fingertips clean, Zhu Yuntong finally raised his eyes.

It was a level gaze that viewed him as mere grass.

"The person who can win at the wine table may not necessarily win at the poker table." Zhu Yuntong said clearly.

"Young Master Wang, you'd better hold this glass steady today. The game isn't over yet; don't reveal your hole cards too early, or you might bite your tongue."

With one sentence, he nailed Wang Lei's arrogance to the wall.

Wang Lei's face flushed purple.

Being publicly scolded by a township-level official at his own engagement party—how could he swallow this loss of face?

He straightened his back abruptly, about to lash out and say a few harsh words.

His gaze shifted, and the corner of his eye caught sight of the woman sitting quietly beside Zhu Yuntong.

Director Xu Jie.

At just this glance, the dirty words that had just surged to Wang Lei's throat were stuck in his windpipe as if struck by lightning.

His pupils dilated, and his breathing suddenly stopped.

The fear deep in his memory, carved into his marrow, surged out.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his legs actually trembling.

Changing from his previous arrogance, Wang Lei didn't even dare to leave a single pleasantry; he dropped his glass, grabbed Liu Ruobing's arm, and fled toward another table without looking back.

His steps were messy, like a stray dog.

Liu Ruobing was dragged stumbling; she looked back at Zhu Yuntong, tears finally swirling in her eyes, and then followed him away.

General Manager Zhou Shutong, at the same table, took in this scene entirely. She swirled her red wine glass, full of suspicion.

"Director Xu," General Manager Zhou Shutong lowered her voice, "How come this Young Master Wang, upon seeing you, is like a mouse seeing a cat, scared like this?"

Director Xu Jie picked up a napkin and wiped the corners of her lips.

"It's nothing major."

Director Xu Jie spoke simply and cleanly, "Back in The Capital, he drank too much and had a loose mouth. I dragged him into an alley, beat him half to death, and broke three of his ribs."

"Later, his elders brought gifts, personally brought him to my door, and knelt to apologize to me."

General Manager Zhou Shutong's hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air.