Banquet, First Meeting with Dai Yueheng. (Seeking recommendations, seeking updates)

The steward led Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu through the courtyard and into the banquet hall of the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

The hall was brightly lit, with maids weaving through the crowd carrying trays. The distinguished guests invited by the White Tiger Duchess held wine glasses, chatting and laughing with one another.

The host of the banquet, Dai Yueheng, dressed in a white-gold formal suit, was surrounded by other young nobles from prominent families, all eager to ask him about his life at Shrek Academy.

Dai Yueheng answered every question with a smile, showing not the slightest hint of irritation.

"Does anyone else have any questions?"

No sooner had Dai Yueheng spoken these words, waiting for the crowd to pose further inquiries, than the heavy doors of the banquet hall swung open.

Every eye in the room was drawn to the entrance in an instant, causing the once-boisterous chatter to die down significantly.

The guests were deeply curious: who could be so bold as to disrespect the White Tiger Duke Mansion by arriving so late? When they saw that the newcomers were merely two children, their confusion only deepened.

As soon as he stepped inside, Liu Lin felt the weight of so many eyes upon him, and his social anxiety began to flare up.

What is this? Have they never seen a person before? Why are they all staring at me? Liu Lin couldn't help but grumble to himself as he met their gazes.

Xu Jiujiu, however, as a princess of the Star Luo Imperial family, was far more accustomed to such attention. She felt nothing of the sort, merely smiling gracefully at the crowd.

As the hostess of the event, the White Tiger Duchess had received word from the Star Luo royal family that afternoon, so she naturally knew exactly who the two guests were.

She immediately set down her wine glass and walked quickly toward them.

"Princess Xu, Viscount Liu. Welcome to this banquet," the White Tiger Duchess said, bowing respectfully to the pair.

Standing beside Liu Lin, Xu Jiujiu nodded and retrieved a box from her storage soul tool, handing it to the White Tiger Duchess.

"Rise. This is a gift from the Imperial family for the White Tiger Duke's son; please accept it, Duchess."

Hearing Xu Jiujiu's words, the White Tiger Duchess stood up and accepted the box.

"Then I shall thank you and Consort Liu on Yueheng's behalf. I hope you both enjoy yourselves; I have other matters to attend to."

"Very well." Xu Jiujiu nodded and led Liu Lin toward a corner of the banquet hall.

"Who is he?" Seeing his mother bow to Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu, Dai Yueheng was filled with confusion and asked the young noble standing next to him.

"Oh, Brother Dai, it's no surprise you don't know. That is the Viscount Zhongyong, ennobled by His Majesty two years ago, and he is also a royal consort." The young noble whispered an explanation to Dai Yueheng.

Dai Yueheng nodded. Indeed, ever since he had been admitted to Shrek Academy two years prior, he had paid little attention to the affairs of the Star Luo Empire, and he hadn't even known that the Emperor had taken on a consort.

"And why is this Liu Lin held in such high regard by His Majesty?"

"Brother Dai, I only know what my elders have told me. It is said that Viscount Liu is exceptionally gifted and the descendant of a martyr, which is why he has earned such favor. My elders also mentioned that Viscount Liu had already broken through to level 20 by the age of eight."

Hearing this, the young noble shared everything he knew with Dai Yueheng.

Dai Yueheng nodded, picked up his wine glass from a table, and walked toward Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu, intending to strike up a friendship.

On the other side, Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin were busy dealing with the young nobles coming to curry favor. Xu Jiujiu answered every greeting with a smile, perfectly embodying the upbringing of the Star Luo royal family.

Liu Lin, standing beside her, acted like a qualified mascot, smiling and nodding whenever someone addressed him.

Suddenly, a blond man in a white-gold suit approached with a wine glass, and the people standing near Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu cleared a path for him.

"Princess Xu, Viscount Liu, greetings. I am Dai Yueheng, the eldest son of Dai Hao of the White Tiger Duke Mansion. I am very pleased you could attend tonight's banquet."

"I toast to you both." With that, Dai Yueheng drained his glass in one go.

Seeing this, Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu nodded, picked up the glasses a maid had just brought over, and finished them as well.

Liu Lin couldn't help but frown as he drank; he wasn't a fan of alcohol, and the wine of the Star Luo Empire was not particularly pleasant.

"Haha, the Princess and the Viscount are both straightforward people. I am very glad to have met you."

Just as Dai Yueheng set down his glass and prepared to chat further, he saw the White Tiger Duchess stepping onto the stage.

"My apologies, you two. It seems we shall have to talk another time." Dai Yueheng offered a quick apology and hurried toward his mother.

The young nobles who had been near Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin dispersed as they saw the White Tiger Duchess prepare to give her speech.

After Dai Yueheng left, Xu Jiujiu set down her glass and picked up a piece of dessert from the table, popping it into Liu Lin's mouth.

"Eat this. You couldn't hide your expression when you drank just now. Next time, if you don't want to drink, don't. No one is forcing you."

Liu Lin swallowed the dessert and replied, "Alright."

"Good. Now, let's listen to what the White Tiger Duchess and Dai Yueheng have to say." Xu Jiujiu picked up another piece of dessert and fed it to him.

Liu Lin accepted the treat and nodded, turning his gaze toward the White Tiger Duchess.

The White Tiger Duchess stepped up to the podium to deliver her address. Dressed in deep purple finery, she stood on the stage, beaming with pride.

She first thanked everyone for coming, then began to speak at length, praising her eldest son, Dai Yueheng, for his extraordinary talent since childhood.

He had awakened his White Tiger martial soul at six, and now, at fourteen, he had been selected for the Shrek Preparatory Team.

As she spoke, her chin was held high, her tone filled with undisguised arrogance.

Once she finished, Dai Yueheng, the star of the banquet, walked up under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

He began his speech, but Liu Lin found his formulaic expressions of gratitude dull and turned away to grab another piece of dessert from the table.

As he did, he noticed a youth in a corner who looked seven parts like Dai Yueheng, his eyes filled with intense jealousy as he stared at the boy on stage.

That youth was the second young master of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, Dai Huabin.

Seeing the emotion in the young man's eyes, Liu Lin couldn't help but sigh that Dai Huabin was already so jealous of his brother at such a young age; it was no wonder he had said those things.

On the stage, Dai Yueheng finished what he had to say and bowed to the crowd below to express his gratitude.

Liu Lin noticed Dai Huabin set down his wine glass and slip away from a corner of the hall.

"Hm? Where are you going?" Xu Jiujiu noticed that after Liu Lin fed her the dessert he had just picked up, he set down his own glass and began walking in the direction Dai Yueheng had left.

"The wine is making me feel a bit unwell, I'm going to step out for a moment."

Hearing Liu Lin's words, Xu Jiujiu nodded.

"Alright, then I'll be off." Seeing Xu Jiujiu nod, Liu Lin quickly took his leave.