This feeling was somewhat strange.
It seemed that ever since he returned and saw Shen Yuqing, his emotions had been in a constant state of peculiarity.
Shen Yuqing kept staring at him, as if waiting for his response. Pei Yiyan snapped out of his thoughts and gave a faint “Mm” in acknowledgment.
Only after receiving this reply did Shen Yuqing quickly turn around and leave to find Lin Sui.
Pei Yiyan watched his figure weave left and right through the crowd before disappearing entirely.
Su Geyue noticed Pei Yiyan’s gaze lingering in the direction Shen Yuqing had gone, his eyes unfocused. She reached out and patted his shoulder, reminding him, “Alright, he’s long gone.”
Pei Yiyan slowly withdrew his gaze. “Mm.”
He even sounded a little aggrieved.
Su Geyue couldn’t help but think that this short separation during their trip had somehow deepened their bond. Just look at Pei Yiyan’s pitiful expression compared to him, Shen Yuqing seemed as dense as a block of wood.
Though alphas were supposed to be stronger than the other two genders, they could also be surprisingly clingy in private. Clearly, Shen Yuqing hadn’t realized this at all. It seemed she’d have to find time to knock some sense into that thick-headed Shen Yuqing.
Shen “Thick-headed” Yuqing quickly found Lin Sui.
Lin Sui was holding a glass of champagne, dressed in formal attire for the evening, looking much more reliable than usual.
Lin Sui remarked, “So, Pei Yiyan didn’t come?”
“He did. He’s with my brother and sister-in-law,” Shen Yuqing replied. “Did you come alone?”
“With my sister.” Lin Sui tilted his chin, gesturing for Shen Yuqing to look to the side.
Following his direction, Shen Yuqing spotted a woman also dressed in formal wear, smiling warmly as she conversed with others.
He turned back and couldn’t help but study Lin Sui again.
Lin Sui frowned under his scrutiny. “What are you looking at?”
“You and your sister look alike,” Shen Yuqing said.
Lin Sui was puzzled. “It’s not like this is your first time seeing her—”
Before he could finish, Shen Yuqing added, “But why does your sister seem so much smarter?”
Lin Sui finally caught on and snorted in exasperation. “If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.”
Shen Yuqing burst into laughter.
Lin Sui craned his neck to look around, and Shen Yuqing explained, “Looking for Song Lejin? He’s greeting guests with his family right now.”
Lin Sui turned back. “Then I won’t disturb him.”
Just then, the hired host took the stage, marking the official start of the birthday banquet.
Though there were seating areas, the guests naturally gravitated closer to the stage, showing due respect to the Song family.
Shen Yuqing and Lin Sui had no intention of crowding forward. They found a spot at the edge, sipping their drinks while watching the proceedings.
The Song family’s speech, amplified by the speakers, was filled with the usual pleasantries thanking everyone for coming and so on.
Shen Yuqing took the opportunity to whisper to the system: [Keep an eye on Song Wangzhuo. I suspect the plot will start soon.]
Later, helping Song Wangzhuo would be secondary.
What he really wanted was to see who would be the one to crash into Song Wangzhuo so forcefully.
After some time, Lin Sui noticed Song Lejin stepping down from the stage, not staying with his family. He said, “I’m going to find Lejin. Are you coming?”
Shen Yuqing said, “No, I’m going to the restroom first, then I’ll find my brother and the others.”
Lin Sui nodded. “Alright, I’ll head off then. See you later.”
Shen Yuqing gave an OK hand sign. Once Lin Sui left, his gaze swept through the crowd. Not spotting Pei Yiyan among the people ahead, he figured he must have found a seat somewhere.
He wasn’t worried about Pei Yiyan being with Su Geyue. Shen Yuqing stood up and walked downstairs without looking back he’d noticed several important guests heading down as well.
Though the system hadn’t triggered any alerts yet, it was better to prepare early just in case. He also needed to secure a good vantage point for observation.
Pei Yiyan, sitting in a corner, watched Shen Yuqing scan the room before leaving the banquet hall. He pursed his lips slightly where was he off to now?
Descending the stairs, Shen Yuqing opened his communicator to message Song Wangzhuo:
[Are you on the first or second floor right now?]
No reply came likely busy at the moment.
Unfazed, Shen Yuqing activated his cheat:
[Which floor is Song Wangzhuo on first or second?] he asked the system.
[First floor, assisting with serving. The soup is still simmering.]
Meaning the critical moment hadn’t arrived.
Shen Yuqing acknowledged and followed the directions to the first floor. The area was already crowded, though most faces appeared around his age probably attendees who’d escaped upstairs formalities to socialize below.
His eyes traced the closed doors until a server emerged from a side entrance with a cart. Through the doorway, he glimpsed the kitchen.
Target located.
Coincidentally, nearby seating areas flanked by potted plants offered discreet observation spots. Shen Yuqing strode over and sat down. Within minutes, Song Wangzhuo and another server wheeled out a cart.
Despite the specialized mask obscuring his features, Shen Yuqing recognized him instantly.
A glance at the time: Lin Sui had mentioned dinner would begin at 7:30 PM. It was now past the hour, and guests were streaming through the main entrance.
“Xiao Song, assist in the back kitchen the soup’s almost ready,” crackled through the earpiece.
Song Wangzhuo pressed his comm. “Understood,” then informed his colleague before turning toward the kitchen.
At that moment, another server materialized from nowhere, earpiece in place, seamlessly taking Song Wangzhuo’s position.
Leaning back, Shen Yuqing checked the time again. The banquet hall grew livelier as more guests descended.
His frown deepened just as his communicator buzzed Shen Zhen calling.
“Brother,” Shen Yuqing answered.
“Where are you?” Shen Zhen’s voice cut through background chatter. “You’ve been gone forever.”
“Got bored. Came straight downstairs after the restroom,” Shen Yuqing lied smoothly. “Are you heading down now?”
“Soon. Ran into an acquaintance. Stay put and don’t wander off.” The line went dead before Shen Yuqing could reply.
Shen Yuqing lowered his arm, his gaze falling on the light brain. He needed to resolve this quickly he couldn’t drag Shen Zhen and the others into this, or things would get even messier.
As he was thinking this, he looked up just in time to see Song Wangzhuo carrying a tray, walking steadily toward a table at the edge of the room.
The tray held about ten white soup tureens, enough for one table.
Song Wangzhuo gripped the edges of the tray tightly, carefully maneuvering through the crowd with extreme caution.
To his left, two distinguished guests were chatting as they walked toward him.
After a brief hesitation, Song Wangzhuo took a step back with the tray, making way for them. It was safer to let them pass first before continuing.
The nearest guest glanced at him, pausing for a moment as a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes this man’s features bore an uncanny resemblance to the current head of the Song family.
But then the guest’s gaze dropped to his clothes and the tray he was carrying, and his expression returned to normal.
Similar-looking people weren’t uncommon in this world.
Song Wangzhuo noted the guest’s reaction, his thoughts briefly distracted.
Suddenly, he felt someone slam into him hard. Though he reacted instantly, tightening his grip on the tray and tilting it toward himself, he couldn’t stop one of the tureens from flying off.
The lid came loose, and steaming hot soup spilled out, splashing directly toward the two guests.
The guests seemed stunned by the sudden accident, frozen as they watched the soup hurtle toward them.
At the last second, they felt a strong pull backward someone yanked them out of harm’s way. They stumbled a few steps, narrowly avoiding the scalding liquid.
The tureen shattered on the floor with a sharp crash, drawing the attention of a few nearby guests.
Still shaken, the two guests exchanged glances before turning to see who had saved them.
Shen Yuqing smiled brightly. “Are you both alright?”
Thanks to his quick reflexes, the guests were merely startled, unharmed.
Shen Yuqing continued, “My apologies, I was in a hurry and accidentally bumped into him. If there are any issues, you can take it up with my brother, Shen Zhen, at the Shen Corporation.”
Ah, so this was the notoriously spoiled young master of the Shen family. Shen Yuqing rarely attended such events, so they hadn’t recognized him.
Any anger they’d been about to unleash dissipated instantly.
The guests waved it off politely. “No harm done. Are you alright?”
Shen Yuqing shook his head. “I’m fine. As long as you two are unharmed again, my apologies.”
With that, the matter was brushed aside.
Word of the incident quickly reached the event organizer, who rushed over as soon as the guests left. The sight of spilled soup at Shen Yuqing’s feet made his heart leap into his throat.
Today couldn’t afford any mistakes. Instinctively, he raised his hand to slap Song Wangzhuo first before apologizing to Shen Yuqing but before the blow could land, someone caught his wrist.
