Wreaking Havoc at the Birthday Banquet, Lu Yuan's Dominance

"Heh, it's just a lousy old painting. So what if I tore it up? What can you do about it?" The greasy Director Yang looked utterly unconcerned. He still hadn't the slightest idea what he had just done.

Lu Yuan snorted coldly. "You're going to pay me for that painting."

Director Yang burst out laughing. "You want me to pay for a fake painting? Fine. You look like you haven't seen money in several lifetimes, so I'll pay you."

Director Yang pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, tossed it on the floor, and spat on it. He looked at Lu Yuan with a humiliating sneer. "Your painting's worth fifty yuan at most. Consider the extra fifty a handout from me. Well? Hurry up and pick it up."

Lu Yuan said in a low voice, "Fifty yuan wouldn't buy my painting. It's genuine. You owe me one billion."

"You fucking trying to scam me?" Director Yang flared up.

Just then, a stir swept through the crowd, and someone cried out, "It's Elder Meng from the Magic City Antiques Association! I never expected the Lu family's old master to have such extensive connections. He even managed to invite Elder Meng."

Lu Yuan followed everyone's gaze and saw a ruddy-faced old man in a long gown striding over with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

When Elder Meng reached The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, his expression gradually grew grave, and his breathing quickened. He picked up The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea from the floor, furious, and looked around in displeasure. "Who broke this painting in two? Who was it?"

Director Yang went up to him with a smile. "Elder Meng! I broke it!"

"You broke it? Do you know how much the painting you broke is worth today?" The fury in Elder Meng's eyes made it seem as though he wanted nothing more than to tear Director Yang apart on the spot.

Director Yang still hadn't realized how serious the matter was. He laughed it off. "Elder Meng, isn't it just an utterly ordinary fake?"

Elder Meng said angrily, "Who told you it was fake? It's the original Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, worth one billion."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Director Yang's forehead. His earlier air of triumph vanished, and he stammered, "E-Elder Meng, th-that can't be true, can it?"

"Heh, I, Meng Huixing, have appraised countless treasures in my life and have never been wrong. Are you questioning my eye?" Elder Meng's words moved everyone present. He truly was an expert in this field, with fiery eyes and golden pupils.

The entire room gasped in shock. "What? That painting was actually genuine?"

"No wonder it had such an antique charm."

"Director Yang's in deep trouble now. One billion! He couldn't afford to pay it back even if he worked another thirty years..."

"Who would have thought the grandson Old Master Lu had the least hopes for would give the most valuable birthday gift? Lu Yuan really is filial. He casually gave him an antique worth a billion, a treasure beyond price."

Lu Yuan walked up to Director Yang and said coldly, "Elder Meng says the painting is genuine. Isn't it time you paid me one billion?"

Hearing that, Elder Meng was deeply displeased with Director Yang as well. "What? The painting wasn't even yours? You broke someone else's painting to pieces? Didn't your family teach you how to behave?"

Director Yang's face flushed with embarrassment. He wanted to argue, but considering Elder Meng's influential position in upper-class circles, he could only hang his head and listen.

Elder Meng turned to Lu Yuan. "Young man, that's too low, too low. One billion was its price many years ago. By a conservative estimate, it's worth at least around three billion now. Just a little while ago, it was listed among the ten lost national treasures."

The corners of the Lu family's old master's mouth twitched, and he even felt the urge to kill Director Yang. That was an antique worth three billion, equal to three years of his family's business profits.

Lu Yuan thanked Elder Meng. "Thank you for telling me, Elder Meng."

Lu Yuan pulled a bank card from his pocket and held it out to Director Yang. "You heard him, didn't you? My painting is worth three billion now. You have five minutes. Hurry up and transfer the money, or bear the consequences."

Director Yang earned only around fifty million a year, and he liked to live extravagantly. Where was he supposed to find three billion? His face darkened. "My phone's dead. I can't transfer it."

Lu Shishi took a white power bank from her schoolbag and handed it to Director Yang. "It's okay, mister. I brought a power bank."

Cold sweat poured down Director Yang's face. He wished he could tear the little girl Lu Shishi apart, but he could only grit his teeth and say, "The charging cable isn't compatible... You have an Android phone, and mine's a Fruit Phone..."

At that, a guest stood up. "You have a Fruit Phone 12, right? Mine happens to be a Fruit Phone 12 too, and I brought a charging cable."

Lu Yuan looked at Director Yang with a radiant smile. "All right, now you have a power bank and a charging cable. What excuse are you going to come up with next? A friendly reminder: three minutes have already passed. You have two minutes left. If the money isn't transferred in two minutes, just you wait. You'll see how I deal with you."

His older cousin Lu Bingbing couldn't stand watching any longer. She stepped forward and spoke up for Director Yang. "Lu Yuan! What are you doing? He's your brother-in-law, and we're all family. There's no need to hound him over a painting, is there? What matters more, one billion or the bond between us?"

Hearing that, Lu Yuan grabbed a chair and smashed it into the Maserati beside him. The car's window was instantly ruined, and its door was dented.

Lu Bingbing was furious. "Lu Yuan! Fuck your mother! Do you know how much the car you smashed cost?"

Lu Yuan was deeply displeased by Lu Bingbing's abuse. With a flick of his hand, he slapped her across the face. "That's for your filthy mouth!"

"Besides, it's only a supercar worth three or four million. We're all family, cousin. By your own words, there's no need to hound me, Lu Yuan, over three or four million, is there? Could it be that our family ties aren't worth as much as a car? Weren't those your words just now?" Faced with his cousin's moral blackmail, Lu Yuan chose to turn her words right back on her.

Lu Bingbing was a little frightened. Her younger cousin Lu Yuan had never fought or competed for anything. In the past, even if his teeth had been knocked out, he would have swallowed them. He was a useless wretch anyone could trample on.

This was the first time Lu Bingbing had seen Lu Yuan behave so lawlessly. For a moment, she was left speechless. She wanted to say something to retort, but in the end, nothing came out.

The younger members of the Lu family also looked at Lu Yuan in surprise, thinking he had gone mad. The old master already had a poor impression of his family, and after this uproar, Lu Yuan's family would no longer receive a share of the Lu family's property.

Old Master Lu spoke up awkwardly. "Xiao Yuan, do Grandpa a favor and let it go!"

Even when the old master spoke, Lu Yuan still refused to indulge him. "Something worth three billion, and you want me to do you a favor and let it go? And just what the hell are you?"