novelraw Chapter 530 - 529 Who Is Petty (Part 1)
Chapter 530 - 529 Who Is Petty (Part 1)
As soon as Ji Rui and Old Sir Yang met, tensions were already high.Le Tong finally understood why Yang Sheng had hurried to meet them before they arrived at the banquet hall.
Old Master Yang was evidently agitated by Ji Rui’s nonchalant remark, glaring at him, wanting to say something, but Yang Sheng quickly pulled him aside, "Grandpa, the chairman of Lotte Group just sent over a congratulatory gift. He said he’s running a bit late but will be here shortly."
While he spoke, Le Tong received a wink from the corner of his eye, signaling her to quickly usher Ji Rui into the hall.
Grasping the hint, Le Tong pushed Ji Rui with one hand and tugged Baobao with the other, "Baobao, push your sister inside, be careful!"
"Got it!" Baobao cheerfully replied with a knowing look, waved at Yang Sheng, and then pushed the stroller carrying Nuonuo like a little horse, zipping into the hall.
Being pushed by Le Tong, Ji Rui had no choice but to let go of his standoff with Old Sir Yang. After all, even if he didn’t show the old man respect, he still had to give face to Yang Sheng.
Today’s banquet was not only to celebrate Old Master’s retirement but also to celebrate Yang Sheng’s appointment as the president of the Yang Group. Ji Rui remembered that very clearly.
Although the Old Master looked spirited, Le Tong calculated that he must be over eighty. "Ji Rui, why are you arguing with a septuagenarian?"
Once they were out of the sight range of Yang Sheng and Old Sir Yang, Le Tong whispered and blamed Ji Rui.
Ji Rui remained expressionless, "It’s not me being petty; it’s him being narrow-minded!"
Concerning Yang Sheng leaving the Yang family to join him, Ji Rui felt no guilt because he firmly believed that the one at fault was Old Sir Yang, and in the right were Ji Rui and Yang Sheng.
"Even if he’s narrow-minded, you have to consider the occasion today; the protagonist should be our senior fellow!"
Le Tong scolded Ji Rui with a huff, her fingers unable to resist giving a couple of pinches on his strong arm.
Ji Rui didn’t even flinch, letting Le Tong vent, his gaze unwaveringly following his beloved son’s figure.
At the main entrance reception, with few people around, Yang Sheng moved closer to the seemingly still angry Old Master.
"Grandpa, Rui is a guest today, please be courteous!"
While Yang Sheng often downplayed the old man in front of others, he still behaved rather obediently in front of him sometimes.
As they say, he who understands the times is a wise man. With his every move constrained by the Old Master, he naturally had to appear more well-behaved. Throwing a tantrum right under his nose would only backfire.
"He’s your guest, not mine!" the Old Master retorted grumpily.
Yang Sheng signaled the Old Master’s assistant to pick out the congratulatory gift sent by Ji Rui and opened it to show the Old Master.
"See, Grandpa, have a look!"
The Old Master glanced down, his previously sour expression softened slightly with a hint of surprise.
"This is a cherished piece from Chairman Ji’s collection, and Rui went out of his way to give it to you. So, please ease up a bit!"
The gift was a landscape painting by a well-known early 20th-century artist, naturally very pricey on the market. Moreover, the Old Master Yang had expressed years ago his willingness to buy it at any cost.
Later, after much inquiry, it was discovered that the painting was in the possession of Mr. Ji. There were even kind-hearted people who acted as intermediaries to introduce the two, but the negotiations ended poorly due to their mutual stubbornness.
Now, the painting, without costing a penny, ended up in Old Master Yang’s hands. To say he wasn’t pleased would obviously be false. However, with his famously stubborn and difficult-to-please nature, a mere little favor wasn’t enough to sway him.
"Rong, find out the market value of this painting and wire the money, ten percent above market price, to that boy from the Ji Family."
See, this was clearly not accepting the sentiment!
Yang Sheng couldn’t say much else, he just shrugged his shoulders and dropped the matter.
After all, the old man had plenty of money; if he wanted to send it, let him!
As Ji Rui and Le Tong walked into the hall, they were immediately surrounded by people who either knew Ji Rui or wanted to meet him.
Though Ji Rui seldom appeared in the northern upper circles, the nature of businessmen is to seize every opportunity. Who among the guests at the banquet doesn’t understand that apart from the host family, Yang family, it’s the Ji family next in terms of power and wealth?
Therefore, the couple, having only just entered, was quickly enveloped by numerous business and political figures, exchanging pleasantries and business cards.
Le Tong was a bit distracted because, besides acting as Ji Rui’s partner and secretary, she also had to keep an eye on Baobao and Nuonuo.
Fortunately, Baobao had been mingling at such events since he was very young, and he already knew how to take care of himself.
He would grab some food and drinks occasionally but always lingered within Le Tong’s line of sight, and sometimes turned back to give her a smile, signaling that he was fine and she shouldn’t worry.
Watching Baobao’s confident and composed figure, Le Tong felt gratified. Seeing him sometimes nibble on snacks, sometimes bending over to tease or adjust Nuonuo, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in seeing her child growing up.
"Mr. Ji, when will it be your turn to treat us to your wedding banquet?"
These people are all sharp, and most are aware that the woman acting as the secretary and special assistant beside the Ji Family CEO is the future president’s wife.
"Haha, there’s no rush for that; we ought to prepare thoroughly to do it justice, right?"
Ji Rui rarely let out a slight smile, responding to the question very graciously.
"Mr. Ji, very right. Miss Le is so beautiful and capable, you certainly need to prepare an extravagant blockbuster wedding to do her justice!"
Le Tong’s ears had long developed calluses from such flattery. Though pleasant sounding, it evoked no response in her whatsoever.
Finding it tedious in her heart, she noticed Baobao bending over the stroller, seemingly entertaining Nuonuo or perhaps arranging something for her. She smiled at the people beside her, pointing in Baobao’s direction.
"Excuse me, you go ahead and chat, I’ll just check if the kids need anything!"
Ji Rui lightly patted her hand and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Try to avoid Yang family’s people as much as possible, just be careful."
Le Tong nodded, elegantly sidestepping away.
The eyes of those surrounding Ji Rui couldn’t help but follow her.
"Mr. Ji, Miss Le has certainly aged well; she doesn’t look like a mother of two!"
It wasn’t one of the bootlicking few who said this but a man whose face bore a slight resemblance to Yang Sheng’s.
"She had Baobao when she was nineteen, that’s why she looks great!" Ji Rui calmly responded.