The Banquet
1116 Words
With the arrival of high-ranking officials and noble elites,
Came their families and heirs.
In a secluded section of the banquet,
The young heirs and noble ladies gathered.
Some sipped fine wine,
Others surveyed their surroundings,
Silently evaluating their competition.
They all knew one simple truth—
At least within Jiang City,
Only those present were qualified to stand among them.
Familiar faces gathered in small groups,
Discussing the latest imperial affairs.
Unlike their politically astute elders,
The youths preferred livelier topics.
The ladies whispered about luxury brands, fashion, and celebrity scandals.
The young men boasted about sports cars, horse racing, and beautiful women.
Occasionally—
A brave suitor would step forward,
Politely asking for a lady’s contact information.
Out of politeness,
They were never outright rejected.
But the lady’s level of enthusiasm afterward
Depended on the suitor’s family name, wealth, looks, and connections.
The Governor Appears
The grand doors of the mansion swung open.
A man with a square jaw and commanding presence stepped forward.
His calm yet imposing aura immediately silenced the crowd.
It was Su Mingshuo—
Governor of Jiang City.
The key figure behind the Su Family’s meteoric rise.
The moment he stepped into view,
All the gathered officials and aristocrats immediately stood and bowed slightly.
"Governor Su."
In Jiang City, his authority was absolute.
A ruthless strategist,
A man who had transformed Jiang City into the economic capital of the southeast.
The nobles and businessmen had all profited immensely under his leadership.
Naturally—
Their respect for him was genuine.
Flanking him on both sides were:
On his left, Su Changsha, Head of Jiang City’s Tax Bureau—
A man even more physically imposing than the Governor himself.
On his right, Su Xiao, the infamous young heir of the Su Family—
Known for being one of the city’s most notorious playboys.
A law unto himself,
Even his own father struggled to control him.
As Su Mingshuo entered,
The young aristocrats subtly shifted their attention—
Not toward him,
But toward the two women following behind him.
Su Mengning.
Su Qingying.
For many of them—
They had only come tonight for one reason.
To witness her beauty firsthand.
Some had even rushed back from the western provinces,
Chartering private jets to return in time.
To see her.
The angel of Jiang City.
The girl with a face sculpted by heaven itself.
Dressed in a pure white gown,
Her skin as flawless as white jade,
Su Mengning stood like a vision of celestial purity.
Beside her, Su Qingying, dressed in raven-black,
Was the epitome of temptation and danger.
Her voluptuous figure and sharp beauty
Were enough to make men shudder with desire and fear alike.
Two stunning contrasts.
One pure and divine.
One seductive and lethal.
The young aristocrats were completely mesmerized.
Some even forgot to blink.
But even among the enraptured,
There were those who dared not gaze too long at Su Qingying.
A moment of admiration,
Followed by a flicker of fear.
Su Qingying noticed it all.
Her lips curled into a cold smirk.
"Pathetic."
"Spineless, narrow-minded fools."
"Not even worth my time."
Only one man was worthy of her pursuit.
Only he.
The Atmosphere Shifts
With Governor Su’s arrival,
The banquet reached its peak.
The officials—no matter how high their rank—
All made sure to greet him personally,
Ensuring they were at least recognized.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the venue—
Su Xiao had barely entered before being swarmed.
"Xiao-ge! You disappeared last week! That club we went to—those race girls were amazing!"
"Yeah, Xiao-ge, you missed out! We even raced against those bastards from Qingdu!"
A group of well-dressed young men quickly gathered around him.
They lit cigarettes for him,
Their expressions filled with flattery and reverence.
For years, Su Xiao had been the king of Jiang City’s aristocratic youth circle.
With his backing—
No official dared touch them,
No law could truly restrict them.
With a lazy smirk,
Su Xiao accepted a cigarette,
Lighting it with an air of absolute confidence.
"I was busy."
That was all he said.
Then, one of his followers leaned in,
Voice hushed with curiosity—
"Xiao-ge… who exactly is the guest tonight?"
"Yeah, Xiao-ge, is it someone from the Imperial Capital?"
Despite their usual arrogance—
The mention of the capital made them instinctively lower their voices.
Because even the most reckless among them knew—
In front of the Imperial elite,
They were nothing.
Su Xiao glanced around,
Seeing all eyes locked on him,
Waiting for his answer.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
Then, leaning slightly forward,
His voice dropped to a whisper—
"Shen Chen."
The moment the words left his mouth—
The entire group froze.
The cigarettes in their hands almost slipped from their fingers.
Some even trembled uncontrollably.
Shen… Chen?!
A name they had grown up hearing.
A name etched into the empire itself.
The eldest son of Shen Fei.
The heir to the most powerful aristocratic family in the empire.
The man who would one day stand at the pinnacle of the Imperial Council.
A man so far above them,
That even in their wildest arrogance,
They never dared to dream of standing in his presence.
And yet—
He was coming here.
To Jiang City.
To this very banquet.
Su Xiao smirked, watching their reactions.
Though even he had been shocked at first,
Now, he wore the calm, untouchable demeanor of a true heir.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the banquet hall,
Governor Su toasted with his peers.
None of them dared ask questions.
They would wait.
Across the room,
Su Mengning and Su Qingying had also entered.
Immediately—
They were surrounded by familiar noblewomen.
Yet no matter how hard they tried to probe,
Su Qingying effortlessly deflected their questions.
Her expression unreadable.
Su Mengning, on the other hand,
Played her usual role—
The naïve, gentle, innocent beauty.
But deep within her eyes—
A dangerous glint flickered.
She was waiting too.
Waiting for him.
For her second chance.
- Writer
