Chapter 56: Young Master Zhang, Do You Really Want to Get Engaged?

"Dad, I don't know either. I've never seen this person before."

Chu Tiankuo was speechless, but such situations had happened before. Little Taozi was still young, so it was normal for her not to recognize people.

Yang Xuemi also wore a look of shock and bewilderment. She hurried over to Little Taozi, squatted down, and said gently, "Little Taozi, don't call people random things. He is not Daddy."

However, Little Taozi stubbornly turned her body away and said, "Grandma, he is Daddy. I won't recognize the wrong person."

Chu Mengyao crossed her arms and watched the spectacle from the side, thinking to herself: *Hmph, she certainly wasn't going to bail Zhao Qiang out of this mess.* He had made things difficult for her before, and now it was time for him to be put on the spot.

Zhang Zihao was hopping mad, pointing at Zhao Qiang and roaring, "Zhao Qiang, what on earth did you do to Little Taozi? How could she possibly call you Daddy?!"

Zhao Qiang spread his hands and said with an innocent expression, "I didn't do anything, and I don't know why the child is calling me that."

Then, hugging Little Taozi, he smiled and said, "President Zhang, it's probably because I'm quite handsome!"

With that, Zhao Qiang whispered a few words into Little Taozi's ear, and only then did she quiet down.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the grand hall grew increasingly tense, and everyone was waiting for the situation to develop further.

"Mengyao, do you know this man?" Elder Chu asked with a cold face, his gaze filled with majesty. If this wasn't handled properly, the Chu family would lose almost all of their prestige today.

"Grandpa, I don't know him. It's probably just that Little Taozi misses her dad and mistook him for someone else."

Chu Mengyao lifted Little Taozi out of Zhao Qiang's arms and shot him a sideways glance.

*So that's how it is!* That was what Zhang Zihao thought, too. It seemed she really had mistaken him for someone else; otherwise, how could this Zhao Qiang possibly be Little Taozi's father? He found it impossible just thinking about it; it was simply too absurd.

Only then did the crowd suddenly understand, shaking their heads with smiles, simply treating this scene as a small interlude in the proceedings.

The host took the microphone and began the ceremony, inviting the newlyweds, Chu Mengyao and Zhang Zihao, onto the stage.

The two of them were a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven, which instantly drew a wave of envy from the crowd.

Zhao Qiang sat quietly among the crowd, waiting for a signal.

Until a phone call came through—it was from Chu Siqi.

"Brother-in-law, I've already prepared everything. The rest depends on your performance."

Chu Siqi had hired several internet influencers and started a live broadcast of the entire engagement banquet between the Chu and Zhang families. This could be considered quite a lively alliance within Imperial City, and plenty of people were watching.

Zhao Qiang walked straight toward the front of the stage, but instantly, a few members of the Zhang family pushed him back. Fearing that he would cause trouble, Zhang Zihao had made preparations early on.

"Mengyao, will you marry me?"

"I will treat you well for the rest of my life!"

Zhang Zihao was seen kneeling on one knee, looking extremely devout as he presented the ring.

At this moment, the entire Chu family hall fell silent, and everyone looked toward Chu Mengyao.

Yet, completely unexpectedly, Chu Mengyao paid no attention to Zhang Zihao. She turned her head and glared fiercely at Zhao Qiang. Her eyes flashed with slight anger, as if she were asking: *Why aren't you starting to cause trouble at a time like this? Are you trying to worry me to death?!*

Seeing how anxious Chu Mengyao was, Zhao Qiang couldn't help the corners of his mouth curling upward.

He picked up a glass of red wine, and then gently let go of his hand.

Immediately after, the sound of shattering glass rang sharply through the crowd.

The originally tense atmosphere snapped back instantly as everyone turned their heads to look at Zhao Qiang. Who on earth was causing trouble at such a critical moment?

"Why is the food here today so terrible?"

"It doesn't fit my palate at all. What on earth is going on?"

Zhao Qiang muttered a couple of curses, then turned to meet Zhang Zihao's gaze, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.

"Zhao Qiang, what kind of trouble are you trying to stir up at our engagement banquet?" Zhang Zihao asked in a cold voice. This fellow really had come to cause trouble.

"I'm not causing trouble. I'm just speaking the truth."

"Zhang Zihao, didn't you say pretty much the same thing when you were holding my wife, Liu Ruyan, in your arms?!"

"How is it that now you want to be good to the eldest young lady of the Chu family? You really are full of universal love, aren't you?"

Zhao Qiang's words shocked all the guests of the Chu family. The scene that was originally watching a drama of a talented man and a beautiful woman instantly turned into a crowd of eager onlookers eating melons.

"Someone, throw him out!"

Zhang Zihao's face turned pale. For all his calculations, he had never expected that Zhao Qiang would actually find out the inside story. For so long, the man had truly been putting on an act with him.

"Wait a minute! Is what you said true?"

"Do you know the consequences of spouting nonsense?"

Chu Mengyao hurriedly interrupted Zhang Zihao. She gave a look to the Chu family servants, and Hu Biao led a group of men over to shield Zhao Qiang.

"I know. If even a single word of what I said is false, may my entire family die a horrible death!"

"Hurry up and throw him out!"

Zhang Zihao panicked; he didn't want to hear Zhao Qiang continue. Zhang Feiyang rushed forward anxiously, bringing a few men along with the intention of chasing Zhao Qiang out. He had never seen his older brother look so flustered before. Although this was the first time he was hearing about it, it certainly looked to be true.

To protect the face of the Zhang family, they had to shut Zhao Qiang's mouth no matter what.

"Get lost!"

"What? Afraid to let me finish?"

"Or are you scared? Is there some shameful underhanded deal you're hiding?"

Zhao Qiang kicked Zhang Feiyang away. Was a person like him even worthy of trying to block his path?

The guards of the Chu family and the guards of the Zhang family clashed, plunging the scene into absolute chaos for a moment.

"Enough!"

"Stop this right now!"

At Elder Chu's single command, the entire Chu family grew quiet. His expression was unimaginably ugly; if this wasn't explained clearly, the Chu family's reputation might be completely ruined today.

"Grandpa Chu, this person is clearly just here to cause trouble. We cannot let him continue spouting nonsense!" Zhang Zihao said anxiously.

"How do you know whether he's spouting nonsense or not?" Chu Mengyao scoffed. "Zhang Zihao, if you want me to marry you, shouldn't you make all these rumors vanish completely?"

"Grandpa Chu, how could I possibly do something that would let Mengyao down?"

Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Zihao's forehead as he maintained a tense expression. "This is a pure frame-up. He's intentionally trying to ruin our engagement banquet."

Taking the opportunity, Chu Mengyao said, "Zhang Zihao, if you don't make this clear today, you can forget about this engagement!"

Her gaze was filled with rage, though in her heart, she was already overjoyed. Fortunately, Zhao Qiang knew how to read the room and stepped forward at the critical moment to stir up this storm. Otherwise, Chu Mengyao truly wouldn't have known what to do at that moment!

"Uncle Chu, Zihao would absolutely never do such a thing. This person has a grudge against our family's Zihao and came here with the deliberate intent to cause trouble."

"You mustn't listen to rumors. You and my dad are close friends, and there are plenty of people who want to disrupt the alliance between our two families," Zhang Hongye said hastily. An alliance with the Chu family was a grand plan, and no carelessness could be afforded.

Beside them, Lin Meina also caught Zhang Zihao's eye. At this moment, she had to step forward and say a few words.

"Elder Chu, this Zhao Qiang and I work at the same company. Because of the Third Young Master, President Zhang offended him previously, and even promoted him."

"And now he's still not satisfied, coming all the way here to stir up trouble. A man's greed is as boundless as a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

At this moment, Lin Meina launched a frantic attack on Zhao Qiang. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; how could she possibly miss it?