What Wang Haoming said gave me the impression that he was nothing but arrogant. Here we were, surrounded by the elite of Huaxia, and he dared to speak like that. However, from Long Qingyang’s earlier words, I knew that the Wang Family was not simple; they were an Ancient Martial Family. Given how quiet it was now, it seemed these high-ranking individuals were aware of the forces backing Wang Haoming.
“Congratulations, Family Head Xia!” Suddenly, someone congratulated me. The others quickly chimed in, “Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Thank you!” I replied with a smile, but inwardly, I looked down on these people. At first, not a single one of them wanted to talk to me, and now that Wang Haoming mentioned an alliance with me, they were all eager to chat. Who had the time to entertain them?
At that moment, Lu Sen ran over to my side, smiled, and shouted, “Xia Tian is my boss! I represent the Lu Family of Jiangnan to ally with the Xia Family!”
The entire hall fell silent again. I was taken aback; could it be that Lu Sen’s identity was also impressive? Wang Haoming looked at Lu Sen with surprise and asked, “Little brother, are you from the Lu Family of Jiangnan?”
“Yeah!” Lu Sen replied with a grin at Wang Haoming. I looked at Wang Haoming, puzzled, and asked, “Is the Lu Family of Jiangnan that impressive?”
“The Lu Family of Jiangnan is the wealthiest family in Huaxia. However, since they are located in Jiangnan, they are rarely mentioned in the capital. Some say that if the Lu Family moved to the capital, they would become the fifth major family here!” Wang Haoming explained to me.
Wow! Lu Sen was actually from such a powerful family? Being the wealthiest in Huaxia was not a title just any family could claim. After all, in today’s society, having money was impressive, but you also needed the ability to protect that wealth. It seemed that Lu Sen’s family was indeed formidable.
But… damn! How stingy could his father be? He couldn’t even buy Lu Sen a notebook.
“Hey, if your family is so powerful, why didn’t you tell them about Zhao Gao kidnapping you?” I asked Lu Sen, who looked a bit confused.
Lu Sen gritted his teeth and replied, “I have a grudge against him. It’s my personal matter. If it involves the family, then things would get serious!”
At that moment, Diao Sinan also approached, his face slightly flushed as he quietly said, “Our Diao Group is also allying with the Xia Family!”
“The Diao Group?!” I exclaimed in surprise, as it seemed Diao Sinan’s family was quite impressive.
Wang Haoming immediately pulled Diao Sinan into a hug and said, “I say, little brother, you must be friends with my brother-in-law, right? Can you get some of that oral liquid from your family?”
“Not possible!” Diao Sinan quickly shook his head and ran over to my side.
“Brother-in-law, you are really impressive! First, the Wang Family, then the Lu Family of Jiangnan, and now even the most powerful pharmaceutical company in Huaxia is allying with you. The Xia Family goes without saying; the power of this alliance is already unmatched!” Wang Haoming said with exaggerated laughter.
After hearing this, I roughly understood what Diao Sinan’s family did—they were in the pharmaceutical business, and it seemed their products were quite remarkable.
At that moment, Sister Lin and the others also came over.
“Brother!” Wang Ziyuan called out to Wang Haoming but then linked her arm with mine.
Sister Lin smiled playfully and said, “I must say, Xia Tian, it seems your friends are quite impressive! But my family isn’t simple either. However, as a daughter, my words carry little weight, so I won’t add to the momentum!”
Xu Xin looked a bit disappointed and forced a smile as she said, “It seems I’m the only ordinary person here, an ordinary person to the point of being utterly mundane…”
I knew Xu Xin had feelings for me, but I didn’t know how to respond. My heart only belonged to Mei’er, and now that she was gone, I couldn’t betray her. So, I could only play dumb and say nothing.
Hao Shuai scratched his head and said, “Boss, as for our Hao Family, we won’t mention it. We’re just a medium-sized family in the capital, far too distant to compare with them!”
“You’re talking nonsense! We’re all brothers!” I said with a smile while looking at Hao Shuai.
Lu Sen nodded and added, “Yeah, we’re all brothers. Besides, even though the Lu Family is wealthy, my old man is really stingy!”
“Let’s go sit over there and have a good chat; standing is tiring!” With that, I found a spot and sat down.
A group of people chatted about various topics, and from time to time, members from different families and organizations came over to toast me. Although I wasn’t particularly keen on talking to these opportunistic people, I still responded to each one for the sake of appearances.
Despite being young and not very imposing like Lu Sen and the others, they all understood that I was now the Family Head of the Xia Family, and it was very likely that Lu Sen and the others would also become heirs of their respective families.
Looking at it this way, the Xia Family’s strength had already risen to an incredible height. The Zhao Family clearly didn’t regard the current Xia Family as a threat; otherwise, they wouldn’t have only sent Zhao Gao over.
I now suspected that the assassin was indeed sent by the Zhao Family! Because if I died, the Zhao Family would benefit the most!
As the event was nearing its end, the Old Man stood on the stage, with Qin Mengdie’s father beside him.
I instantly felt something was off; these two wouldn’t be announcing my relationship with Qin Mengdie, would they? However, Qin Mengdie’s expression was quite calm, seemingly unconcerned. I thought about it and realized that this news really had to be made known to everyone here; if it wasn’t announced, there would likely be many people trying to propose to the Qin Family.
“Before the banquet ends, I have an announcement to make!” The Old Man smiled, looking quite pleased. After a pause, he continued, “That is, my grandson Xia Tian is engaged to Qin Mengdie, the daughter of Qin Fusheng, the Family Head of the Qin Family!”
“Congratulations, Old Family Head Xia! Congratulations, Family Head Qin!”
“A match made in heaven; truly a golden boy and a jade girl!”
“Yes, congratulations!”
A crowd of people cheered below, while Qin Mengdie and I, the two parties involved, simply sipped our drinks, fully aware that it was all a facade and feeling no excitement.
However, what the Old Man said next left both Qin Mengdie and me stunned.
“Fusheng and I have decided that a few months from now, we will hold their wedding. We hope everyone will come to support them!” the Old Man said with a laugh.
“Pfft!” I spat out the drink I had just taken a sip of. What the hell! Are you kidding me? A wedding in a few months? This is just a joke!
Qin Mengdie, just like me, looked equally shocked. We exchanged glances and rushed up to the stage, speaking in unison, “A few months? Isn’t that too soon?”
“Hey, Old Man… Grandpa, we’re not even of marriageable age yet!” I quickly said.
Qin Mengdie nodded in agreement, saying, “Yeah, Dad, isn’t this too early?”
“Our Four Great Clans’ marriages are not bound by law. Once we pick an auspicious date, you two will get married!” the Old Man said, bursting into laughter.
Hey! Can you stop joking around? Qin Mengdie’s face turned icy as she suddenly linked her arm with mine.
Is this girl really that shocked?
Oh crap! I take back what I just said. D@mn it! It’s the Old Man and your dad forcing us; why are you pulling me like this!