Chapter 004: The Banquet at Hongmen—I'm Here to Tell a Story

Xu Ling was still a bit shaken. Hearing Song Kai’s words, she didn’t bother with how he addressed her, only nodding slightly.

The Audi roared away, leaving the unlucky scammers behind, fuming with rage.

After the car had driven several hundred meters, Xu Ling finally let out a soft sigh of relief. She glanced sideways with her beautiful eyes at Song Kai, “You… have you studied martial arts?”

“No, I just like watching Bruce Lee’s kung fu movies,” Song Kai replied with a smile. “Sister wife, do you like kung fu too?”

Xu Ling’s face darkened and she immediately straightened her expression, replying seriously, “Call me Xu Ling! I’ve said it before: although we’re engaged, who knows how it’ll end up. But… well, thank you for today.”

“It’s what I should do,” Song Kai replied, sitting in the passenger seat and chuckling. He hadn’t expected teasing Xu Ling to be so amusing.

Xu Ling exhaled quietly, driving straight toward the Greenhouse Hotel, thinking to herself: It seems this Song Kai isn’t entirely useless after all…

When they arrived at the hotel, a waiter led Xu Ling and Song Kai into an opulent private room.

The room wasn’t large, but it was exquisitely decorated. Several hostesses in cheongsams stood to the side, and in the center was a round table where six people were already seated. Besides Xu Ling’s grandfather and her parents, there was a family of three—clearly Xu Ling’s distant cousin’s family.

“Sorry I’m late,” Xu Ling said as she entered, addressing the people at the table.

“It’s fine, Xu Ling, we were just early,” the young man stood up at once—Xu Ling’s cousin, Xie Yu.

Xie Yu’s eyes lit up as he saw Xu Ling. It had been over two years since their last meeting, and he hadn’t expected her to be even more stunning than he remembered! Not only was she more graceful, but it seemed that after coming back from America, her figure had grown even more alluring.

Xie Yu swallowed, adjusted his glasses, and reached out to shake hands, saying, “Hello, Xu Ling. It’s been over two years, and you’ve become even more beautiful.”

Xu Ling only brushed his hand lightly, smiled politely, and walked to the side of the table.

Xie Yu felt a bit awkward—he hadn’t expected Xu Ling to still be so cold toward him. Looking over, he saw Song Kai, dressed in a high school uniform, looking every bit the loser.

Xie Yu knew this was Xu Ling’s fiancé, and thinking of it only fueled his irritation.

“Huh? Who let a trash picker in? Out, out, come back later if you want leftovers,” Xie Yu waved his hand dismissively. He knew today’s dinner was intended to humiliate Song Kai, so he decided to kick things off with a flourish.

Song Kai only chuckled. It was true, the old Song Kai was a good-for-nothing, weak and meek, but the Song Kai of today was anything but.

With perfect composure, Song Kai replied, “I’m not a trash picker. I’m Xu Ling’s fiancé, Song Kai.”

Xie Yu narrowed his eyes, then exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Oh, so you’re the Song Kai whose family went bankrupt. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

“It’s fine. Some people just look down on others, so it’s no surprise they make mistakes. I forgive you,” Song Kai said with an easy shrug, pushing past Xie Yu and walking inside.

Xie Yu froze, his face flushing red. That bastard had actually called him a dog!

Sitting at the table, Xu Ling was even more surprised by Song Kai’s behavior. He faced this obvious trap without a hint of fear or discomfort, calm and poised, even managing a forceful rebuttal. It seemed… the intelligence she’d gathered on him before was all wrong.

Xu Haitian, Xu Ling’s grandfather and the founder of Haitian Corporation, narrowed his eyes as well. He had suggested this dinner as an ambush. He had expected Song Kai to be timid and useless, but now, it seemed things might be more complicated…

Approaching the table, Song Kai noticed there were seven chairs for seven people—but none for him.

Xu Haitian waved a hand to the waiter, “Alright, serve the dishes.”

Seven people sat, making it obvious Song Kai wasn’t given a seat.

Seeing Song Kai standing, Xie Yu snickered, “What’s wrong, puppy? Why are you standing there? Dogs usually eat crouching, don’t they?”

Song Kai glanced at Xie Yu, completely ignoring the clown. He looked toward Xu Haitian and chuckled, “No worries, I didn’t come here for the meal—I came to tell a story.”

With that, Song Kai promptly sat himself on the round table, stretching out comfortably, “What story should I tell? Ah, the one Xu Ling and I heard on the radio on our way here—‘The Farmer and the Wolf.’ Once, a wolf was hunted by men. A kind farmer rescued it…”

“That’s enough!” Xu Haitian interrupted sharply.

Song Kai shrugged, “It seems the old master doesn’t like historical tales. Very well, I’ll tell a modern one—the story of Mr. Song and the White-Eyed Wolf. Once, there was a white-eyed wolf. The company ran into trouble. A kind Mr. Song found out, and he…”

“Enough!” Xu Haitian slammed the table, pointing at Song Kai, “Get down! What kind of disgraceful behavior is this!”

Song Kai hopped down, “It seems you don’t care for my stories, sir. My apologies.”

At this, Xu Ling waved for the waiter, “Waiter, bring another chair.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A chair was placed beside Xu Ling, and Song Kai sat down, appearing perfectly at ease as the dishes began to arrive.

Xu Haitian picked up a piece of Chinese sturgeon, eating as he spoke, “I, Xu Haitian, am no saint, but I am no villain either. It was your Mr. Song who acted despicably. Years ago, when Haitian Corporation was in trouble, only your Song family could save us. Ha! Your father seized the opportunity to threaten us, forcing Xu Ling into an engagement with you. That was the real villainy.”

“That’s business. You could have refused, sir,” Song Kai countered, eating lamb heartily.

Xu Haitian nodded, “Fine, call it business. But a person must know their place. Your family is bankrupt—what right do you have to sit here and discuss marriage with my granddaughter? She is my only granddaughter. My son is useless, obsessed with poetry and literature, neglecting real work. My granddaughter will inherit billions, run Haitian Group. And you, what do you have?”

Song Kai only laughed.

Xu Haitian continued, “My granddaughter graduated high school at fifteen, ranked among the top three in the province, entered Harvard, excelling every year. And you? You’re eighteen and still in your third year of high school. I hear you’re at the bottom of your class. Unbelievable. And on top of that, you indulge in vice, gambling and drinking, owing hundreds of thousands in debt. How can a man like you deserve my granddaughter?”

Song Kai remained unflustered, determined not to break off the engagement. Such a beautiful bride—no way would he let her go!

“Marriage is about a decent match!” At this, Xie Yu’s mother, Xu Lan, interjected.

Xu Lan smiled hypocritically, “Uncle, don’t be upset. Some people just don’t know their place. Let’s not bother with them. That’s why I brought our Xie Yu along. He’s in his second year of graduate school at Tsinghua Research Institute, participating in a national project. Oh, Xie Yu, didn’t you bring a gift for your great-uncle? Go on, present it.”

Xie Yu stood, producing a golden box. “Great-uncle, this jade Buddha is a top-quality glass-type piece I bought in Myanmar during a field project. I bought it from a local official for over a million yuan. They say it’s worth five million on the market. It’s not much, but I hope you’ll accept it.”

“So valuable?” Xu Haitian was momentarily stunned, glancing at Xu Ling.

Clearly, Xu Haitian hadn’t expected Xie Yu to bring such an extravagant gift. If he accepted, it would be hard not to marry Xu Ling off. If it were just a few thousand or tens of thousands, it’d be easy to accept, but this…

Xu Lan saw the hesitation and nudged her husband, Xie Guotian, impatiently, “Old Xie, what are you doing? We’ve come all this way, and you’re just eating! Say something!”

Though Xie Guotian was reluctant, he had no choice. Smiling at Xu Haitian, he said, “Uncle, it’s nothing special, really. Please accept it. Jade may have a price, but affection does not.”

Xu Haitian was clearly more courteous toward Xie Guotian, laughing heartily, “Since Director Xie says so, I’d be embarrassed not to accept it.”

From the side, Song Kai glanced at Xie Guotian, a cold smile flashing in his eyes as he began to plot his next move…