After leaving the Jade Pavilion, Ye Chen didn't go straight home.
He wanted to give his wife a complete surprise on their wedding anniversary.
The surprise wasn't just a jade necklace. He also wanted to give his wife the romantic wedding they had missed.
Back then, at Old Master Xiao's insistence, Ye Chen and Xiao Churan had hurriedly registered their marriage. There had been no time to hold a wedding at all.
Old Master Xiao had intended to pick an auspicious day and hold a grand wedding afterward.
Unexpectedly, he had fallen gravely ill and been hospitalized not long after they registered their marriage, so the wedding had been postponed indefinitely.
Later, Old Master Xiao passed away, and no one in the Xiao Family thought much of Ye Chen, so there was even less chance of holding the wedding.
But now that he had money, Ye Chen felt he had to give his wife the grandest, most respectable wedding!
When he thought about holding a wedding, the first place that came to mind was the Hanging Garden at the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel!
The Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel was Jinling's finest hotel, bar none!
The hotel occupied a vast area and was decorated with extravagant luxury. It also housed a large, upscale shopping mall.
The Hanging Garden was located on the top floor inside the mall.
It was called the Hanging Garden because it was built entirely of crystal glass and had been personally designed by a top Italian designer. Adorned with an abundance of premium flowers freshly flown in from abroad, it looked from a distance like a magnificent garden suspended in the air.
It was also the grandest, most luxurious banquet hall in all of Jinling. Holding a wedding there would cost at least several million yuan, perhaps even more than ten million.
Ye Chen had money now, and a few million meant nothing to him. As long as he could make his wife happy, that was more important than anything.
So he came to the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel, hoping to book the entire Hanging Garden for their wedding anniversary.
What Ye Chen didn't know, however, was that the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel operated on a membership basis.
Whether one wanted to dine, stay, or hold a banquet there, one had to be a hotel member.
Moreover, different membership tiers offered different services.
Ordinary members could only dine in the main hall and stay in standard rooms;
Silver members could dine in private rooms and stay in high-end deluxe rooms;
Gold members could dine in luxury private rooms and stay in luxury suites;
Platinum members could dine in the Hanging Garden and stay in top-tier luxury suites.
And the highest tier was diamond membership.
Only diamond members were eligible to stay in the presidential suite, and only diamond members could book the entire Hanging Garden for a banquet.
Moreover, membership at the gold tier and above couldn't be obtained with money alone. One also needed sufficient social standing.
When Ye Chen arrived at the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel, several men in black stopped him before he could enter.
"Excuse me, sir. Please show us your membership card."
All of Ye Chen's clothes put together weren't worth two hundred yuan. Compared to the elegantly dressed guests who exuded wealth, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Ye Chen hurriedly said, "Gentlemen, I'd like to speak to your customer relations manager about booking a venue exclusively."
One of them said coldly, "Sorry, you can't enter without a membership card!"
Ye Chen said, "Then can I get a membership card now?"
The man shook his head. "Sorry, you can only obtain a membership card through a referral from a qualified introducer."
Ye Chen frowned, thinking the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel was far too much trouble.
Just as he was wondering what to do, he suddenly remembered that when Old Master Xiao had arranged for him to attend his senior year at Jinling University alongside his wife, a college classmate named Bi Lina seemed to work there!
He immediately took out his phone and called Bi Lina.
After he explained that he wanted to get a membership card, Bi Lina immediately said, "Class monitor Ye, leave it to me. I'll be right over!"
Ye Chen hurriedly thanked her.
It seemed that although he and Bi Lina had only been college classmates for a year, there was still some friendship between them. He would have to return the favor someday.
"Oh, class monitor Ye!"
A few minutes later, a woman's surprised cry suddenly came from inside the hotel.
Looking up, Ye Chen saw a woman in office attire, wearing heavy makeup and looking exceedingly alluring, sway her way out of the hotel.
Bi Lina? She had changed so much! He had hardly recognized her!
When the two black-clad security guards at the entrance saw the alluring woman, they hurriedly bowed and greeted her respectfully. "Team leader Bi."
Ye Chen said in surprise, "Bi Lina, it's only been a few years, and you're already a team leader at the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel. That's impressive!"
Bi Lina smiled. "You're too kind, class monitor. I'm really just a small team leader in the personnel department. At the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel, that only makes me a low- to mid-level supervisor."
Ye Chen said in genuine admiration, "That's still impressive. I've heard the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel has very high standards for its management. You're amazing!"
Bi Lina smiled somewhat smugly, then looked at the two black-clad security guards beside her and demanded coldly, "Were you two the ones who stopped my college class monitor at the door and refused to let him in?"
The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them hurriedly said, "Sorry, team leader Bi. I didn't know he was your college classmate. Besides, he doesn't have a membership card. I was only following hotel regulations..."
Bi Lina snorted coldly. "Rules are dead, but people are alive. Don't you understand that?"
Thinking Bi Lina was going to punish them over this, Ye Chen hurriedly said, "Bi Lina, don't make things difficult for them. They were only following the rules."
Bi Lina looked at Ye Chen and suddenly burst out laughing. At the same time, her expression changed, and she said mockingly, "Class monitor Ye, you think far too highly of yourself. Did you really think I'd make things difficult for my subordinates for your sake?"
Ye Chen frowned deeply. "Bi Lina, what do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" Bi Lina curled her lips into a smile. "Haven't I made myself clear enough? A stinking loser like you wants to enter the Buckingham Palace Grand Hotel? I'm telling you, don't even think about it in this lifetime!"
Ye Chen clenched his fists and demanded, "What exactly do you mean?"
"I'm messing with you!" Bi Lina laughed until she shook like a flower in the breeze. "I looked down on you back in college. You were a stinking loser who did nothing but study and couldn't even afford a meat dish in the cafeteria, yet you were class monitor? And you had the nerve to point fingers at my grades? Pah! Take a look at yourself!"
With a frosty expression, Ye Chen demanded, "Bi Lina! I don't believe I ever provoked you. Why do you keep mocking me again and again?"