Chapter 266: Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-Six: Attitude
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Just like in previous years, friends and family who knew about Madam Xi’s birthday banquet would send gifts in advance, and the Xi family would host a banquet to entertain these friends and family, making it a lively occasion.
Such family banquets weren’t only a platform for madams and young ladies to bond and compete with each other; they were also a tacit opportunity for business cooperation between the men. Therefore, every year, the scale of each wealthy family’s birthday banquet was large, and the standards high.
Not only would Shi Nian, Ye Kun, Liang Han, and Xi Cheng be hosts during their own family’s birthday banquets, but they would also play hosts during each other’s family banquets. Being close friends, the four buddies have accompanied each other to handle these social engagements since they were kids.
As the boys took on heavy responsibilities in their respective families, the closeness of the small group of four also increased the confidence and expectations of their elders, subordinates, investors, and shareholders. They were the hopes and future of their respective families; even if they weren’t the head—or future head—of their family, they would still be the backbone of their families. The four of them weren’t just good friends and buddies but also a community of shared benefits.
Fortunately, this was quite clear to the boys, and they’d accepted it, so it didn’t affect their relationship. With their high EQ the four had a tacit understanding to not involve anything else in their brotherhood. And every year, they unitedly collected rare treasures for their mothers’ birthday banquets to please the madams.
This year, the gift they gave Xi Cheng’s mother, Han Yuan, was also unique. It was an evening gown worn by a famous female star in a movie. The four boys had obtained it through Yun Nan. That movie was the female star’s classic work, and that female star was Han Yuan’s favorite actor. It was a gift that even money couldn’t buy! Han Yuan was so delighted by their gift that she told everyone she met about it.
“How DID you lugs think of such a special gift?” Lin Yu asked curiously. “Auntie is so happy about it.”
Xi Cheng was in a great mood today, and his tone was unusually excited as he answered, “I heard it was Ye Kun’s girlfriend who thought of it. Yun Nan also contributed a lot. She has quite the status in the entertainment industry and managed to help us get the gown. After all, this gift isn’t something that money can buy.”
Lin Yu didn’t bat an eyelid and lowered her eyes. ‘That Yun Nan again! That woman is so annoying,’ Lin Yu inwardly grumbled.
“Oh, right! Ye Kun will be bringing his girlfriend over today. I heard from Liang Han that Ye Kun has met his true love this time. He’s incredibly protective of his girlfriend and sticks to her every day. He’s even more henpecked than Shi Nian, who is married. Ah, Shi Nian and Yun Nan can’t come today; they can’t be discharged yet. We’ll visit them at the hospital when we’re free tomorrow,” Xi Cheng told Lin Yu with rare good humor. He even said more than usual.
Lin Yu was overjoyed, and her smile brightened. “Alright!” she replied. “I’ll go prepare some supplements and tonics as gifts!”
That took Xi Cheng slightly aback, and his tone cooled. “There’s no need for such formalities. We’re buddies; we don’t have to be so formal.”
“Alright. I got it,” Lin Yu said hurriedly.
Xi Cheng thought for a moment before uttering, “Let’s set a date and have a get-together when Shi Nian gets discharged. We can also introduce Liang Han to some girls; he’s the only one still single out of the four of us.”
Lin Yu was inwardly relieved that Xi Cheng didn’t get angry and chucklingly agreed, “Yeah, he is. Why don’t you try matchmaking him with Gu Man or Shi Gao? Those two are also looking for a good match; they’re not getting any younger, after all.”
Xi Cheng recalled the two times Liang Han had met those girls and commented, “Forget about them. If Liang Han was interested in them, he would’ve come and asked me long ago. He didn’t even mention them, so he definitely hasn’t taken a fancy to them. And don’t ask Gu Man out when Yun Nan and Shi Nian are around in the future. After what happened last time, I don’t even have the face to meet them anymore.”
Lin Yu saw that Xi Cheng’s tone was calm as he spoke and couldn’t help but feel relieved. She deliberately sighed and said, “Auntie really dotes on Gu Man; Gu Man’s her goddaughter, so Auntie’s very anxious about her marriage. If you know of any suitable young man, you should introduce them to your godsister.”
“I’m not a matchmaker,” Xi Cheng replied detachedly.
Lin Yu smiled and handed Xi Cheng his coat. “Neither am I, but I want to help relieve Auntie’s worries. If you know of a suitable candidate, it’s best to get Gu Man and them together as soon as possible. It’ll also stop her from always chasing after Shi Nian and making things difficult between us and him. Oh, speaking of my friends, Shi Gao doesn’t seem to like Shi Nian’s sister-in-law, Xiang Yang, for some reason. Could it be that she likes Big Brother Shi Ke?”
She’s giving Xi Cheng a heads-up so that if anything happened, at least Xi Cheng wouldn’t think it had anything to do with her.
Xi Cheng frowned. “Is she out of her mind? Shi Ke and Xiang Yang are a loving couple! What is she thinking?” Shi Ke was one of the boys’ most respected figures, and Shi Ke’s love for Xiang Yang had always been a role model for them.
“Yeah!” Lin Yu posited, “Those two girls are really… I can’t do anything about them. I’ll try to persuade them, but the best way is to quickly introduce a few young and talented men to them and marry them off!”
As Lin Yu finished speaking, she laughed..