"So this is Second Master Shen's young fiancé? He's so pretty, like a doll!"
"Don't let Young Master Su's pretty face fool you. He has quite a temper, and he's a little drama queen too. Without Second Master Shen's abilities, you couldn't possibly tame him."
"Tch, isn't he just some nouveau riche's son? What does he have to be so stuck-up about? No class."
Discussion of Su Cimu went on incessantly in the crowd. A remark or two drifted to his ears, but he paid them no mind.
They only said that because they were jealous of me. They weren't as good-looking as me, and they hadn't found a fiancé as dependable as mine either!
"Aren't you angry?"
Shen Yannian had naturally heard their comments too. He had thought Su Cimu would certainly get angry, perhaps even confront them or get physical, but to his surprise, he remained completely unruffled.
"What's there to be angry about? It's just sour grapes. Besides, they aren't wrong. My family really is nouveau riche."
There was nothing wrong with admitting that. The Su Family had suddenly become wealthy in recent years, then established various companies that made up the Su Group, so the capital's old-established businesspeople looked down on them.
"I happen to like a nouveau riche's son. Don't mind what they say. If you don't like it, I'll have someone throw them straight out," Shen Yannian said, looking at Su Cimu with a smile.
Su Cimu rolled his eyes at him.
The two whispered to each other as they entered the venue.
Shen Chuannan was sitting on a sofa in the banquet hall, with Shen Zhongyuan and Shen Kezhou both seated to his right. As for Hao Mei, she could only stand behind Shen Zhongyuan.
After entering, Shen Yannian took Su Cimu straight over to greet Shen Chuannan, then had Su Cimu sit beside him on the old man's left.
"No manners. Sitting down before anyone invited you to? Hmph."
The old man tried to put Su Cimu in his place right from the start, but Su Cimu paid it no mind.
"Uncle, since when do you refuse a guest a seat after they arrive? Besides, Shen Yannian brought me. As the head of the Shen Family, does he not even have the authority to let me sit down?"
After saying that, Su Cimu gave Shen Yannian a reproachful look:
"Second Master Shen, you should have told me you were a figurehead with no real power. Then I wouldn't have gotten engaged to you or come home with you for the birthday celebration, only to make a fool of myself. Sigh-"
Seeing Su Cimu begin his performance, Shen Yannian watched him with an indulgent expression.
Shen Chuannan, however, bristled and glared. He had never expected Su Cimu to be such a formidable character, openly and subtly accusing him, an elder, of not knowing how to behave!
"Su Cimu, is that any way to speak to your elders?" Hao Mei demanded, shooting him a cold glance.
"Sorry, my standards of conduct are unspecified. I give as good as I get. However someone treats me, that's how I treat them. I'm so sorry I made you unhappy~~"
Su Cimu's tone did not sound remotely apologetic.
"You!"
"Sister-in-law, this is my fiancé. Please be more polite to him."
Shen Yannian looked up at Hao Mei, signaling her not to criticize his fiancé. At the very least, it was not her place to throw her weight around here.
Shen Kezhou simply ducked his head, not daring to spare Su Cimu a glance.
He had experienced Xiao Ci's sharp tongue firsthand. Even ten people might not be able to outargue him alone. Luckily, he had not gotten engaged to Xiao Ci back then, or Xiao Ci could have argued with his mother every day!
"Enough, all of you. With so many guests here, aren't you afraid of making a spectacle of yourselves?"
Shen Chuannan spoke up, putting a stop to the argument he himself had started, and discreetly glanced at Su Cimu several times.