After this person's reminder, many guests at the scene turned their attention to this side.
Chu Tingnian and Fang Lanzhi, who had not been seen in public for a long time, were seen walking hand in hand towards the center of the venue.
"It really is President Chu! What brings President Chu to today's banquet?"
"I didn't expect Mrs. Chu to look so young; she's incredibly well-preserved."
"Looking at it this way, Chu Yu really did inherit the good genes of President Chu and Mrs. Chu."
Soon, Chu Tingnian and Fang Lanzhi were surrounded by the guests who rushed over.
Chu Yu, who was standing at the table eating a small cake, heard the murmurs of the crowd and subconsciously looked up and turned around.
The next second, a hint of surprise appeared on Chu Yu's face.
Why are Mom and Dad here?
Previously, Gu Jinhuai had only mentioned to her that he would clarify the rumors and gossip circulating online at today's banquet, but he hadn't mentioned anything else.
Chu Yu put down his wine glass and was about to turn around to go to Chu Tingnian's side when he looked up and saw Chu Chen and Lu Haoming walking out of the second-floor lounge.
Chu Yu paused in his steps.
Chu Chen and the other two have come too?
"Goddess! I'm here." A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
Chu Yu slowly turned around and, sure enough, saw Xu Mengying smiling and greeting him as she ran towards them.
??
How come everyone's here?
What exactly is going to happen at today's banquet?
A note from the author:
Family, it'll be finished soon! I'll also write a side story, don't worry, mua!
Chapter 78
Xu Mengying jogged over to Chu Yu's side, coughed shyly, and clasped her hands together awkwardly, looking every bit like a little fangirl.
Chu Yu quickly snapped out of his daze at how everyone had suddenly come to the banquet.
She looked at Xu Mengying with some confusion, "Why did you all come?"
Xu Mengying exchanged a knowing glance with Chu Chen, then quickly made up an excuse, "It's nothing, we just heard there was going to be a clarification today and came to join in the fun."
Chu Yu looked suspicious, sensing that something was off.
However, the banquet, which brought together half of Beijing's elite families, finally began in earnest.
With a "snap," all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly went out.
The venue was plunged into darkness in an instant.
The guests, who were eagerly anticipating the start of the banquet, were startled by this scene and began to look around warily.
"What's going on? Is there a power outage?"
"That can't be right. I remember this hotel has its own power supply system. Even if the whole city experiences a power outage, it shouldn't be affected here."
"Look!"
A loud shout drew everyone's attention to the large screen that suddenly lit up.
The large screen hanging above the banquet hall stage was flashing faintly, as if it was about to play something.
Wen Zhixin and Meng Fuyu, who were not far away, were also drawn to the scene.
Just as the two were wondering what was going on, the screen in front of them changed again, and a photo of the two slowly appeared.
The entire room fell silent.
All the guests held their breath, staring in disbelief at the intimate photo of Chu Yu and Gu Jinhuai on the big screen.
The two people in the photo are wearing their school uniforms and both look quite young.
Chu Yu had her hair styled with bangs and a ponytail, and a sweet smile appeared on her face, revealing adorable dimples.
Gu Jinhuai, standing beside her, had a handsome face with no expression, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay, yet he indulged the girl beside him in hugging and embracing him.
"Thank you all for attending the engagement banquet of the Gu Group and Chu Group today." Fang Lanzhi walked gracefully onto the stage and smiled slightly at the crowd.
The banquet invitations were sent out in Gu Jinhuai's name, so no one suspected it was an engagement party.
Upon hearing Fang Lanzhi's words, the shock in the eyes of all the guests became even more pronounced.
"Engaged? Are the Gu Group and Chu Group planning to disregard public opinion?"
"The public opinion outside is too intense right now, it will definitely affect the stock prices of both companies, and this forced engagement is not good for either side."
"But what's the deal with this photo of the two of them? I don't understand what they're trying to do?"
As the guests began to murmur amongst themselves, Chu Yu, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses.
Chu Yu grabbed Xu Mengying's hand, his sharp eyes sweeping over her expression. "What exactly happened? What engagement?"
Xu Mengying smiled awkwardly, "It seems we didn't coordinate well and accidentally brought forward the engagement ceremony."
Chu Yu:?
At this moment, Fang Lanzhi on the stage realized that she had accidentally revealed the news of her engagement.
Fang Lanzhi quickly shut her mouth, calmed herself down, and continued calmly as if nothing had happened, "Very well, now let's move on to the next step. Regarding the rumors circulating online that my daughter, Chu Yu, is a mistress who interfered in someone else's relationship, I will issue a clarification statement on behalf of the Chu Family."
Just as Fang Lanzhi was making her statement on the spot, all media accounts of the Gu Group and Chu Group on the internet simultaneously released lawyer's letters.
[ Gu Group V: We hereby solemnly declare that Gu Jinhuai, the current chairman of Gu Group, has not engaged in any extramarital affairs or other infidelity in his personal life. All the unfounded rumors and personal attacks made against us online recently have been screenshotted and collected as evidence, and have been sent to the police for processing.]
The reason why Gu Jinhuai and Chu Tingnian did not immediately issue a clarification statement was to collect more evidence for subsequent processing.
When the news broke on the first day, the online public opinion against the Gu Group and Chu Group was not particularly strong.
At that time, Gu Jinhuai wanted to deter the people behind the scenes, but he couldn't collect any evidence.