He walked around the buffet table at the edge of the banquet hall, but the exquisitely plated cold dishes and bite-sized appetizers held no appeal for him.
Persistence pays off. He found a whole row of untouched desserts on a table in the far corner of the banquet hall, filled a large plate with them, and found a sofa in the corner to sit down.
Jiang Ye and Chi Xun for him for most of the way, and finally found him behind a huge foliage plant in the corner.
Her long legs were crossed and she leaned against the sofa armrest, her posture dignified and her aura cold.
Then... he forked a large piece of tiramisu and stuffed it into his mouth...
Chi Xun's temples throbbed twice. The scene was too disjointed; his eyes and brain were fighting each other.
Song Shi'an saw Chi Xun, he waved and said, "This is delicious, you should try it."
Chi Xun over, looking at him with exasperation. "The banquet will start soon, and lots of brand executives will be there. Make your name known now; you might even land a couple of endorsements."
Song Shi'an shoved a spoonful of cake into his mouth. "Let's skip the formalities for Old Pei's birthday party and eat as much as we want."
Chi Xun chewed it, and said, "Mmm~ It's really good, delicious."
He glanced down at the half-eaten crème brûlée left on his plate, then promptly sat down and filled a plate for himself as well.
Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, the noisy banquet hall suddenly fell silent.
Song Shi'an looked up curiously and saw a girl lying on the ground, looking at the person standing in front of her with accusatory eyes.
Isn't that his boss Shen Lingshu, across from him?! Song Shi'an, holding the plate, decisively stood up, moved two steps to the side, and found a corner with a better view.
Shen Lingshu looked down at the woman in front of her. "If your legs aren't good, you shouldn't be out wandering around."
Tang Manni's eyes reddened slightly. "I just greeted Brother Zhiyan, why did you deliberately trip me?"
Hearing the Pei Zhiyan frowned and walked over. " Tang Manni, what are you doing?"
Shen Lingshu's face remained expressionless. "You'll have to ask her."
Pei Zhiyan looked at Tang Manni on the ground. "Get up, go upstairs and tidy up, the banquet is about to begin."
Tang Manni, noticing the mocking looks from those around her, stood up and gripped her handbag tightly. "Brother Zhiyan, Shen Lingshu is keeping a minor celebrity as a mistress. You two have no feelings for each other at all, so why are you getting engaged!"
Pei Zhiyan's face darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting? Watch the occasion and apologize to Miss Shen."
Song Shi'an nudged Chi Xun next to him. "Such a melodramatic plot, what era are we living in that people still act in it?"
Chi Xun poked a piece of cake from his plate and stuffed it into his mouth, then began to explain, "This Tang Manni's family is in the luxury goods business. She grew up with Old Pei, and since her parents are abroad most of the time, she asked Old Pei's parents to take care of her. And that's how this trouble started..."
Song Shi'an suddenly realized. "So this Tang Manni fell in love with Old Pei, but couldn't have him, right?"
Chi Xun pushed up his glasses. "Pretty much. Ever since the Shen and Pei families announced their marriage a few years ago, Tang Manni has caused quite a bit of trouble. A big reason why we live on campus is because of her. She can't just barge into the boys' dormitory, can she?"
Tang Manni was almost in tears. It was Shen Lingshu was indecent and didn't deserve Zhiyan, so why was he still speaking up for her?
Her eyes swept across the crowd, landing on the man standing in the corner. Suddenly, she seemed to gain confidence. "Did I say something wrong? She brought that man along; isn't that a direct slap in your face?"
After she finished speaking, she pointed to Song Shi'an in the corner, and everyone's eyes turned to look in the direction she was pointing.
A young man stood next to a foliage plant, holding a dessert plate with his fork suspended in mid-air.
Song Shi'an never expected that someone would bring him up while he was just eating melon seeds. It was one thing to talk about him, but what did it mean to bring up the God of Wealth?
He silently placed the plate on the sideboard beside him, then looked up at Tang Manni: "Miss, you must take responsibility for your words. First, I am a guest attending the banquet; second, I am President Pei's classmate; third, Miss Shen is my direct supervisor. Your statement just now was baseless, based on conjecture, far-fetched, and fabricated out of thin air—utterly absurd. If you do not have solid evidence, I will sue you."
Tang Manni opened her mouth to retort, Shen Lingshu spoke up, "Ms. Tang, you've slapped such a label on my artist, shouldn't you give an explanation?"
Tang Manni was completely confused. "What explanation am I supposed to give!"
Shen Lingshu took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray and held it in her hand. "I heard your company, Serenoir, is short of an Asian spokesperson. I think this would be a good replacement."
Tang Manni felt like she was hallucinating. What were they saying? It was no different from outright robbery!
She looked at Pei Zhiyan with a helpless expression, hoping that her childhood friend, Zhiyan, could put in a good word for her.
Pei Zhiyan nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. I believe Uncle Tang would be happy to sign this spokesperson."
Tang Manni's anxiety finally died down. Did anyone even ask her about her decision? The spokesperson wasn't her choice; it was her father's company!
Moreover, it was clearly Shen Lingshu who made her fall, so how did it end up with her losing an endorsement deal?
One or two of them were just bullying her, so she refused to play with them anymore and stormed off in her high heels.
The farce ended just like that, inexplicably.
Song Shi'an was practically jumping for joy on the sidelines. No wonder they ended up as family; their thought processes were just different.
One immediately declared themselves a spokesperson, and the other readily obliged, their cooperation seamless. But wouldn't that make Old Pei his boss's wife? I really want to laugh, but I have to hold it in!!!
Pei Zhiyan turned to Song Shi'an and said, "Don't take her words to heart. She was spoiled growing up, so she might not know her own words."
Shen Lingshu chuckled lightly, "So, now that someone's gotten themselves into trouble, they're trying to distance themselves."
Seeing that something was wrong, Song Shi'an quickly glanced back and forth between the two of them and said hastily, "Um, is the banquet about to start? I think I heard the emcee testing the microphone."
Pei Zhiyan glanced at Shen Lingshu and left. Song Shi'an originally wanted to An'an a quiet meal, but unexpectedly a bunch of people came and handed him business cards and contact information.
Just kidding. An artist without any connections, even a top-tier one, is nothing special in their eyes.
But they had just seen the attitudes of the Shen and Pei families. If nothing unexpected happens, it won't be long before it becomes difficult to find someone to cooperate with him.
Song Shi'an's face was practically frozen from smiling. He was supposed to have a bite?! The steak on his plate was already cold, and the dessert next to it was untouched. He watched helplessly as the waiter took them away.