Zhou Rong and her husband initially thought sneaking into the banquet would be easy, but found it wasn’t so simple when they actually tried.

The banquet was of high standards, and the waitstaff were professionally trained. Each waiter had a designated spot and was equipped with a number and a walkie-talkie, constantly reporting their location, leaving no chance for unknown people to sneak in.

Even the banquet cleaning was done by the hotel’s professional cleaning staff.

Invited guests entered with an invitation, eliminating the possibility of media, paparazzi, or ill-intentioned people getting in.

As guests streamed like water into the banquet hall, Zhou Rong was outside fretting in circles.

At this moment, she noticed a woman dressed like a noblewoman clutching her stomach, asking the parking security for a restroom.

Zhou Rong said to Rong Yuhe, "You wait here for me."

With that, she stealthily followed the woman from behind.

The woman possibly had an upset stomach from something she ate, so Zhou Rong pinched her voice and asked through the door, "Do you need tissue service?"

The woman replied in a muffled voice, "I do~"

Zhou Rong took the opportunity while handing the woman tissue to swiftly swipe the invitation from her handbag, jammed the door handle with a mop, and placed an out-of-service sign outside the restroom.

After finishing all this, she found Rong Yuhe, and boldly walked in with the invitation.

By this time, most of the guests had already arrived, and Zhou Rong was among the last group.

While handing over the invitation, she felt a bit guilty, kept her head down, and dared not look up.

As the staff was about to inspect the invitation carefully, a burst of exclamations broke out from the surroundings.

The staff looked up to see a young couple approaching together.

Chen Feng came out to greet them with a joyful face: "Miss Shen is here."

There was no need for an invitation at all; the two were personally ushered in by Chen Feng.

As the staff snapped out of admiration from the young couple’s outstanding appearance and demeanor, the duo standing before them had already vanished.

"Where are they?"

Zhou Rong appeared from behind a column and said, "Sorry, I took a call."

With that, her gaze followed in the direction the young couple had left.

Why would Rong Xianning come?

This was beyond her expectation.

What a close call, they almost ran into each other; luckily, she reacted quickly and pulled Rong Yuhe to hide in time.

The staff, still pondering whether the young couple were distinguished guests of the Gu family requiring Chen Feng’s personal reception, was distracted, allowing Zhou Rong and Rong Yuhe to successfully get in.

"Why would Rong Xianning come?" Rong Yuhe instinctively wished to light a cigarette.

Zhou Rong saw his demeanor and immediately knew his intention: "Do you even notice where we are? If you want to smoke, go outside to do it."

Rong Yuhe grumbled, "Alright, alright, don’t forget why we’re here."

Zhou Rong carried her designer handbag, lifted her head, straightened her back, and walked in with the grace of a noblewoman.

The bag was worth tens of thousands, and she was reluctant to buy it. However, Rong Xianning’s wardrobe had many branded bags that were either gifted or sponsored. Zhou Rong used Rong Xianning as bait and listed them on a certain second-hand market, and in no time, even with a high premium, the fans, described as brainless by many, snapped them up.

Because of this, Zhou Rong earned some money. Later, when Rong Xianning’s agency approached her, learning she was Rong Xianning’s mother, the matter was left unresolved.

Zhou Rong used the money to buy herself some outfits, at least enough to step out looking like a noblewoman.

Afraid the Gu family might recognize her, Zhou Rong specifically donned a wide-brimmed hat with a draping veil, obscuring most of her face.

She and Rong Yuhe hid among the crowd, watching from afar as Shen You’an greeted Madam Gu with birthday wishes.

The Soul Revival Pill personally crafted by Old Sir Leng drew gasps of admiration from the entire room.

Zhou Rong was, of course, tempted, staring at the pill for quite a while. But soon, her gaze naturally shifted past Rong Xianning to the young man beside Madam Gu.

Zhou Rong stared intently at the young man, reluctant to blink as if wanting to imprint every feature of his eyebrows and eyes deeply into her mind.

"Where is he?" Rong Yuhe looked around like a headless fly.

Zhou Rong lifted her chin towards Madam Gu’s direction: "The youth in the white suit to the right of the birthday lady."

Rong Yuhe focused his gaze, and upon seeing the young man’s face, he almost jumped out of excitement.

"No matter how precious, it’s worth it for you. It’s a token of affection from the younger generation, please don’t refuse anymore."

Madam Gu’s eyes glistened with warmth, and she nodded towards Chen Feng.

Chen Feng closed the box and carefully stored it away.

This was the most precious birthday gift of the night, and many covetous eyes were on it in secret.

Shen You’an took the young man’s hand forward: "Grandma, I’d like to introduce a friend to you."

Madam Gu smiled and nodded. When her gaze fell on the young man’s face, her smile deepened.

"It’s Xianning..."

Rong Xianning took a deep look at the old lady, quickly lowered his eyes, as if hiding some emotion.

"Wishing you prosperity as immense as the East Sea, longevity greater than the Southern Mountain, and health and happiness every day."

Rong Xianning presented his gifts with both hands.

Chen Feng received them joyfully: "When the old lady chases Brainstorm, her favorite is you and Miss Shen."

Madam Gu laughed heartily: "Today, this old lady has become a fan too."

Chen Feng glanced at the gift: "Is this a custom foot acupressure mat from Mingren Hall?"

Rong Xianning glanced at Madam Gu: "I heard from An’an that the old lady has chronic cold legs, especially severe during winter, so I had this custom acupressure mat made. Cold legs often relate to poor lower limb circulation, with a slot in the padding for moxibustion on the Yongquan acupoint, with insertions for custom aged moxa cakes, providing foot acupressure to dispel cold in the legs while also ensuring walking comfort."

The gift wasn’t the most expensive among the presented birthday presents, but what was priceless was this warmth of heart.

Madam Gu held Rong Xianning’s hand with loving eyes: "Such a good child, thoughtful, do come by the house sometime."

Rong Xianning’s clean, pure eyes seemed to connect directly with Madam Gu, inexplicably moving her heart, finding the child irresistibly likable.

Rong Xianning was tugged to sit beside Madam Gu, and from Rong Yuhe’s angle, completely blocked Gu Bichen. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Rong Yuhe almost felt the urge to rush over and shove Rong Xianning aside in his agitation.

Zhou Rong observed the intimacy between the grandmother and grandson, and unease surged in her heart.

Seeing Gu Bichen sidelined, an uncontainable flame of resentment flared within her.

"Back home, make sure he cuts ties with this family, under no circumstances should he appear in front of the Gu family again." Zhou Rong murmured in a low voice.

Rong Yuhe snorted: "Do we need to wait for later? I’ll take him away myself in a bit."

Gu Bichen felt uncomfortable with his grandmother getting close to Rong Xianning, deeply disliking Rong Xianning’s presence stealing all the limelight from him.

Looking at Shen You’an by Rong Xianning’s side, Gu Bichen smiled faintly: "An’an, when are Grandpa Yisen and Grandma Shen returning to the country? Grandma has been talking about them for so long, I want to see them too."

Shen You’an glanced at him and replied coolly: "By the end of the month, I suppose."

"That’s just right, your family can reunite for the New Year. It’s about time to talk to Grandpa Yisen about our engagement, it’ll surely please him."

Shen You’an squinted: "What engagement?"

The whole room was in an uproar, with discussions around the topic of their engagement.

Rong Xianning stiffened, slowly lifting his head, his cold gaze falling on Gu Bichen’s face.