For a split second, the noise of the banquet hall seemed to dull around him as his gaze locked onto her figure unconsciously.

"Sergei?" Marianne called out softly beside him. "Don’t you think Calin and her fiancé are taking a bit too long?"

Sergei abruptly halted his steps, forcing his expression back into composure.

"Probably some trivial issue," he replied with a faint frown. "You know Calin. She’s most likely complaining about something again."

Marianne nodded understandingly.

Following his gaze curiously, she instinctively tried to look toward the direction he had been staring at but Sergei subtly stepped sideways, blocking her line of sight.

"Why don’t you call Calin for me?" he suggested smoothly. "Who knows what kind of chaos she’s causing this time."

Marianne smiled helplessly at his words before agreeing and moving to a quiet corner.

At the entrance, a commotion broke out as Yeri, her parents, and Jj arrived.

Yeri wore a seemingly simple beige dress, but it was from the same designer who had made her gown for the engagement banquet.

Immediately, the press crowded around them, showering her with camera flashes like a storm of artificial lightning.

"Yeri Zhi, who are you wearing? Where’s Shin Keir?"

"Can you tell us about your friendship with Calin Ricci?"

"Yeri Zhi, what can you say about the previous rumor that the two of you don’t get along because of Shin Keir?"

Yeri was stunned by the blatant questions and aggressive media.

For a moment, she thought they had come to the wrong event, but seeing other guests enthusiastically being interviewed, she simply offered congratulatory words for Bryce and Calin and stayed close to her parents.

"Master Zhi, as a third-tier family and now having a future son-in-law like Shin Keir, the future of the Zhi clan is immense and bright. What can you say about it?" one reporter asked.

Yeri was inwardly displeased. The question carried heavy implications, as if their family had simply won the lottery and elevated themselves through her relationship with Shin Keir.

However, her father showed no reaction. As a CEO accustomed to aggressive and provoking approaches, he merely dismissed the question calmly and stated that the matter was between his daughter and Shin Keir.

As her parents, they only wished for Yeri’s happiness and would naturally stand behind her as her greatest support.

"Jj Zhi, you’re an adopted son from a distant relative of the Zhi family. Has there ever been a time you developed feelings for your sister, Yeri?" one shameless reporter asked, shoving a phone toward Jj to record him.

Yeri felt all the blood rush to her head. Was this the reason Calin had insisted on her family attending, even repeatedly sending people over the past few days just to persuade them?

Jj, on the other hand, frowned but managed to hold himself back as he answered seriously, "I don’t have such shameful thoughts toward my sister, but I can assure you that, as her brother, I’ll protect her from malicious people who want to harm her."

"Then are you engaged? Is there someone here you’re hoping could become your partner? Will you take over the Zhi Corporation?" the same reporter pressed again.

Jj, "..."

"You probably don’t know this, but with the Zhi family rising in status and you being the only son, according to online data, you’re topping the list of the most eligible bachelors in your age group," the person added enthusiastically.

"No. I’m focusing on my studies," Jj replied politely.

Just as they thought the ordeal was over, they were led toward what appeared to be a red carpet area, where photographers were already giving instructions on how to pose. Even Madam Zhi could not help but frown in confusion.

If not for the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of eyes following their every movement, the family would have already exchanged bewildered looks on the spot.

This banquet no longer felt like an engagement celebration at all. It felt more like a chaotic entertainment gala where the media roamed freely like hungry wolves scenting fresh scandal.

Then someone approached them and politely invited them to another lounge, explaining that it was for an "exclusive interview" that Calin and Bryce would supposedly watch later.

However, noticing that not every guest had been given this so-called exclusive privilege, Master Zhi finally stopped holding back and asked calmly, "We are merely guests here like everyone else. Are other guests also scheduled for this interview?"

The person smiled politely, though the expression looked almost rehearsed. "It’s reserved for VIP guests only."

"We’re honored that the Ricci family regards us that way," Master Zhi replied evenly, "but on an occasion like this, all the attention should remain on the engaged couple."

The staff member maintained the same mechanical smile and insisted it would only take a short while.

"Brother Saeki!"

Yeri suddenly called out after spotting Saeki Jie in the distance.

Saeki’s eyes lit up as he hurried over. "Glad you made it, sis-in-law. Is big bro still not back yet?"

Yeri nodded.

Another reason they had initially declined the invitation was because Shin Keir had gone overseas for business.

"He said he’ll be back tonight," Yeri answered before casually asking, "By the way, are you done with your exclusive interview?"

Saeki frowned immediately. "Hm? What exclusive interview?"

Yeri slowly turned to look at the person beside them, who now showed the first crack in their composure.

"This person said VIP guests are being asked to do an exclusive interview for the couple to watch later," Yeri repeated innocently.

Saeki clearly had no idea what she was talking about and said dryly, "Well, I guess I’m not a VIP."

Yeri raised an eyebrow before muttering in deliberate confusion, "Brother Saeki comes from a noble family while we’re merely a third-tier family. How could you not be considered a VIP? Moreover, as the CEO of SJ Entertainment, you’re technically Miss Calin Ricci’s boss. Strange that you wouldn’t qualify."

Saeki looked baffled, while the staff member immediately scrambled for an explanation.

"Actually, we planned to interview President Jie later since he seemed occupied talking with other guests earlier."

Yeri did not even need to guess anymore.

This had to be one of Calin’s arrangements, deliberately taking advantage of the engagement banquet to corner them into a situation where refusal would make them appear rude and ungrateful.

Exclusive interview?

Yeri could already imagine the kind of trap questions and poisoned hooks beneath every sentence.

Later, Calin would probably twist their answers around and paint the Zhi family as malicious or disrespectful toward her.

Yeri would not have cared as much if Calin were only targeting her. But dragging her family into it as well?

With a cold expression, she turned toward the staff member and looked him straight in the eye.

"What a creative engagement activity," she said calmly. "I’d like to have something similar at my wedding someday. Tell me your name and planning company. I’ll ask my fiancé, Brother Shin, to hire your services too."

The person’s expression instantly turned ashen, his eyes darting around nervously like a rat suddenly realizing the cat had entered the room.

Indeed, no matter how powerful Calin Ricci believed herself to be, just the mention of Shin Keir still carried far greater fear in most people’s minds.

"Also, you wouldn’t mind if I record this too, right?" Yeri added as she casually took out her phone and pointed the camera toward him. "With all the media people buzzing around, privacy shouldn’t really be a concern."

The person instinctively covered his face.

"Ah, so I can’t film you?" Yeri asked sarcastically. "That’s strange. The other staff members didn’t seem bothered by all the cameras earlier."

The man immediately realized his mistake and awkwardly apologized, claiming he had simply overreacted.

At a loss, he hurried toward what appeared to be the team leader, who was busy setting up camera equipment nearby.

However, the moment Yeri repeated that she wanted to hire their services for her future wedding while continuing to record with her phone, the team leader’s expression also visibly stiffened.

Yeri’s parents’ expressions gradually darkened, while Jj and even Saeki began finding the entire situation suspicious.

Shouldn’t these people have been delighted that someone wanted to hire them?

Especially when the person asking was Yeri.

Forget the fact that she was Shin Keir’s fiancée. She also came from an upper-class family, so payment clearly would not be an issue.

More importantly, a wedding between her and Shin Keir, it would undoubtedly become one of the most anticipated events of the century.

"Why are you people acting so strangely?" Saeki asked bluntly. "I have time now. I can join them for this interview."

"Miss Zhi is simply too beautiful," the person replied awkwardly. "I got flustered for a moment."

"Right, right," the team leader hurriedly added. "We’re just easily intimidated around elite people. Please don’t mind our behavior."

Yeri no longer bothered dealing with them and simply led her family toward the banquet hall alongside Saeki.

Master Zhi gently patted her shoulder, his expression grim.

Yeri understood what her father meant even without him saying a word.

After all, he had been the one who convinced her to attend tonight. In the future, as Shin Keir’s wife, there would inevitably be occasions where she would need to appear on his behalf whether she liked it or not. It was a responsibility that naturally came with Shin’s status.

"Dad, it’s okay. It’s probably nothing," Yeri said softly. "Besides, you were right. This is something I should get used to."

Although Yeri had already told her parents that Calin had originally been the ideal fiancée the Keir family wanted, she had never mentioned what happened between herself and Calin during the economic forum.

"Stay close to your mother or Jj," Master Zhi said quietly, regret surfacing in his eyes.

He was not blind to the way they had been treated from the moment they arrived.

The reporters’ questions, the hidden mockery, the repeated emphasis on their "third-tier" status.

Every word carried the same underlying implication:

The only reason the Zhi family mattered enough to stand in this hall was because of Shin Keir.

--

Almost an hour later, just as the guests began stirring in curiosity over why Calin and Bryce still had not appeared, the massive LED screen suddenly lit up.

An aerial video began to play in real time.

A sleek red helicopter flew steadily through the night sky before slowly descending onto the hotel rooftop.

Not long after, hotel staff rushed forward to roll out a crimson carpet while flower petals were scattered dramatically across the ground like a scene straight out of an overfunded romance film.