150: Chapter 150 Charity Gala (Part 1): The Seating Dispute

The air in the banquet hall seemed to have frozen.

Everyone stared at the white sheet of paper on the main table, where the name "Chen Fan" was written neatly in black marker.

The old man in the Tang suit turned liver-colored in the face, pointing a finger at Chen Muyang, his voice trembling: "You... do you know what you are doing?"

"Changing seats." Chen Muyang pushed up his glasses, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.

"Insolent!" The old man slapped the table. "This is the seat for the head of Beijing Chen Family! How dare a junior from out of town touch it?"

Chen Muyang ignored him and turned to wave at Zhang Guoqiang.

Zhang Guoqiang trotted over, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Remove the nameplates of the others at the main table and set up four new seats," Chen Muyang said.

"Yes!" Zhang Guoqiang immediately called the waiters over.

Several waiters rushed up, scrambling to collect the other nameplates and replace them with new tableware.

The banquet hall erupted in chaos.

"Is he crazy? Does he want to turn against the entire Capital?"

"The head of Beijing Chen Family hasn't arrived yet. When Chen Tianyou comes, he's going to be in for it!"

"I heard this kid is the son of the boss of Huihuang Group. No wonder he's so arrogant."

Chen Fan took Su Wanqing's hand, walked from the corner to the main table, and sat down in one of the newly arranged seats.

Su Wanqing held his arm, her face showing no signs of nervousness.

Chen Nianyao sat next to her mother, curiously observing the guests around them who wore ugly expressions.

Chen Muyang stood behind his father, hands in his pockets, scanning the room.

"If anyone has an objection, speak up now." His voice was not loud, but it was heard clearly throughout the entire banquet hall.

No one dared to make a sound.

Just then, the doors of the banquet hall were pushed open.

A middle-aged man wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit walked in, followed by seven or eight attendants in suits.

The man was in his fifties, his hair combed meticulously, his face bearing the majesty of someone who had held a high position for a long time.

"The head of Beijing Chen Family is here!"

The crowd automatically cleared a path.

Chen Tianyou walked to the main table and saw Chen Fan sitting in his seat; his expression darkened instantly.

"You are Chen Fan?" His voice was low, carrying a sense of oppression.

Chen Fan looked up and met his gaze.

"It is me."

"I don't care how capable you are elsewhere," Chen Tianyou took a step forward, "but in the Capital, in this banquet hall, there are rules that cannot be broken."

He pointed to the main table: "This seat is reserved for the head of Beijing Chen Family. You are from out of town; you have no right to sit here."

Chen Fan did not move.

Chen Muyang stood up and blocked his father.

"So you are the head of the family?" He took out his phone from his pocket, opened a file, and aimed the screen at Chen Tianyou.

"This is the debt transfer agreement for the Capital International Convention Center. Three days ago, Huihuang Group acquired all the debt of this building for four hundred million."

He paused, his voice colder.

"The actual controller of this building now is my father."

Chen Tianyou took the phone and looked at the agreement with the official seal on the screen; his face turned pale little by little.

"So," Chen Muyang took back the phone, "this building's surname is Chen, but it's not your Chen."

The banquet hall was deathly silent.

Chen Zihao squeezed out of the crowd, and seeing his father's livid face, his heart skipped a beat.

"Dad..."

"Shut up." Chen Tianyou interrupted him, took a deep breath, and looked at Chen Fan.

"President Chen, you have good methods." His tone softened slightly, but the anger in his eyes did not subside. "However, this gala is jointly hosted by the major families of the Capital; it is not for you alone to decide."

He turned and said to the guests in the banquet hall: "Everyone, today's gala is for charity and for the face of the Capital. If we let someone from out of town sit in the main seat, and it gets out, what face will we in the Capital have left?"

Voices of agreement rose from the crowd.

"The head of the family is right!"

"The rules cannot be broken!"

"Outsiders should follow the rules for outsiders!"

Chen Tianyou looked at Chen Fan, his voice carrying a threat: "President Chen, I advise you to be sensible. If you don't give up your seat today, all the families in the Capital will blacklist you."

Chen Fan finally spoke.

"Blacklist?" He smiled. "Then go ahead and list me."

He stood up and walked over to Chen Tianyou.

"I am sitting in this seat today. If you are not satisfied, you can leave."

Chen Tianyou's fists clenched, making a cracking sound.

Just as the atmosphere was tense, Chen Muyang suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh right, I almost forgot to mention." He looked at Chen Tianyou. "For tonight's charity donation segment, Huihuang Group will cover the entire amount."

The whole room was stunned.

"What does that mean?" someone asked.

"It means," Chen Muyang pushed up his glasses, "no matter how much you donate tonight, Huihuang Group will donate double."

He paused and added: "If you donate one hundred million, we will donate two hundred million. If you donate one billion, we will donate two billion."

A collective gasp of cold air filled the banquet hall.

Chen Tianyou's face turned completely black.

This was not a donation; it was a blatant humiliation.

Chen Muyang walked back to his father's side and whispered: "Dad, the real show is still to come."

Chen Fan nodded and sat back down.

The host finally reacted and walked onto the stage, biting the bullet.

"Distinguished guests, the gala now officially begins. First is the donation segment..."

Chen Zihao stood in the crowd, staring fixedly at Chen Fan's family at the main table, his eyes full of hatred.

He took out his phone and sent a message to his father: "Dad, that thing I prepared can be brought out now."

Chen Tianyou glanced at his phone and replied: "Wait until the donation segment; let them know what real heritage is."