However, when he arrived at the dressing room, Zhong Ning had already left, claiming to have urgent matters to attend to. He didn’t even take the payment for the styling he did today and didn’t bother to say goodbye to Fang Yandong. He simply told a servant and left.
Yan Tong felt even more frustrated by this sudden turn of events. He cursed Zhong Ning for his lack of professionalism. Now that Zhong Ning had suddenly left, where could he find another highly skilled stylist at such short notice? The banquet was about to begin!
Usually, even if a top stylist had a big name, they wouldn’t simply bail out halfway through a job. After all, even a top stylist needed to maintain their reputation. Offending these noble families would definitely harm their future work prospects. But Zhong Ning didn’t care. Being a stylist was just a hobby for him. If he lost his job, he could easily go home and be a stay-at-home partner. His husband would be more than willing to support him.
With Zhong Ning gone halfway, it was too late to find another stylist. Reluctantly, Yan Tong swallowed his anger and put on the accessories that Fang Ziyang had suggested earlier. He took a photo to confirm with Fang Yandong that there were no issues before returning to the banquet hall with a sense of frustration.
However, the previous incident had already caused an impact. When Yan Tong reappeared in front of everyone, their attitudes towards him were polite but tinged with disdain.
Yan Tong was furious. The situation was far from the glamorous and spectacular image he had envisioned. Fang Yandong’s mood wasn’t any better, filled with suppressed anger. However, he felt a bit better when he thought about changing the engagement to someone else later, no longer needing to worry about his youngest son causing trouble and jeopardizing the engagement.
As for Fang Qianhao, despite accepting the cruel reality of his beloved person becoming his younger brother, he couldn’t celebrate with joy. He sat in the corner, drinking alone, unable to recover from his despondency for the next two to three months.
Fang Ziyang, who no longer sought the limelight, also stood in the corner, avoiding unnecessary attention. His gaze fell on Wang Jiaojiao, who was wearing a gloating expression, and he smiled lightly while holding the champagne in his hand.
Excellent! All the pawns have played their roles diligently. Let the show begin.
At 8 p.m.
The banquet officially started.
As announced by the banquet, Fang Yandong exchanged a few pleasantries before publicly acknowledging Yan Tong as the third young master of the Fang family.
This time, Yan Tong didn’t embarrass himself again. When he stepped forward to speak to everyone, although he was a bit nervous, he didn’t make any major etiquette mistakes.
After introducing Yan Tong’s identity, the focus of the evening shifted to the most important eventāthe cancellation of the engagement between the Xie family and the Fang family.
“Once again, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to attend the banquet of our Fang family. Today’s event is not only about introducing my newly returned third son, but also an important announcement…”
Fang Yandong stood in front of the banquet hall, bathed in the white light. The attention of the audience was focused on him, making the 39-year-old man even more charming.
It must be said that while Fang Yandong’s character was not admirable, his appearance was truly outstanding. Whether in his youth or middle age, he was undeniably handsome.
Fang Ziyang finally realized why he felt a sense of familiarity and affinity when he first saw Tang Xun. It was because Tang Xun bore some resemblance to Fang Yandong.
But overall, the two brothers looked more like their mother.
At this moment, Fang Yandong was truly captivating. Regardless of his appearance or the upcoming announcement, the atmosphere in the room was quiet, and everyone held their breath, waiting for his words.
The news of Xie Wenxu breaking the engagement and proposing again had already spread throughout the banquet hall, thanks to the mouths of the wealthy young masters and ladies. Although it was cruel for Fang Ziyang as the party involved, the gossip-loving crowd enjoyed the spectacle. After all, the Fang family rarely made it into the gossip news. Everyone was envious and curious!
The entire banquet hall was quiet, but the atmosphere reached its climax.
Yan Tong couldn’t hide the triumph in his eyes as he turned to look at Fang Ziyang, filled with satisfaction and disdain.
Today, he would make Fang Ziyang fall from grace completely.
Today, Fang Ziyang would become a laughingstock in front of everyone.
Today, Yan Tong would officially begin his path to surpassing Fang Ziyang as the leading character.
Without his proud academic achievements, without his genius brother Tang Xun, without the affectionate Xie Wenxu, and without the golden finger… Fang Ziyang was just an ordinary person.
Yan Tong looked at Fang Ziyang with excitement in his eyes.
However, Fang Ziyang remained calm and unaffected by his gaze. After experiencing certain things multiple times, he had become indifferent to them.
Want to see him embarrassed? There would be no chance in this lifetime.
“Today, our Fang family has another important announcement to make. That is, I am breaking off the engagement with Xie Wenxu!” Fang Ziyang spoke up before anyone else, loudly and confidently. He then walked to the center of the banquet hall, taking the microphone from Fang Yandong.
The crowd was momentarily stunned.
Their attention shifted to Fang Ziyang, who suddenly appeared in the center. The young man, who had just come of age, stood tall with a noble bearing. Although he didn’t raise his chin, his crystal-clear eyes swept over everyone, giving them a sense of subservience.
Although it was the modern era, the young man’s presence made people feel as if they were facing a member of the aristocracy.
The inherent pride emanating from his bones and his indifference towards everything from the depths of his heart couldn’t be acquired through mere imitation.
Ignoring Fang Yandong’s stiff face, Fang Ziyang put on a faint, graceful smile and continued speaking.
“I believe most of you have heard about the unpleasant incident between Xie Wenxu and me some time ago. I won’t go into details about what happened, as it should be easy to understand the fickleness of human nature…”
Although everyone knew what had happened, no one expected Fang Ziyang to speak so directly and openly about it.
After all, regardless of the circumstances, the most embarrassing person in the incident was Fang Ziyang himself.
However, the reality was that Fang Ziyang spoke about it so easily, and he didn’t seem embarrassed at all. The onlookers couldn’t help but be amazed at his calmness. They had underestimated the young master of the Fang family.
In fact, Fang Ziyang not only didn’t feel embarrassed, but he also wanted the whole world to know about the situation. After all, he wasn’t the one at fault, so why should he feel ashamed?
“Xie Wenxu, as you all know, pursued me with great fanfare. It’s not surprising that anyone would be tempted by such grand gestures. I am also human, so I was no exception. I agreed to the engagement, but I also made it clear at that time that I have no tolerance for infidelity…”
“Now that Xie Wenxu has changed his mind, our Fang family may not be as prominent as the Xie family, but we still have our pride. We won’t engage in any entanglements. Therefore, after discussing it with my father, we have decided to announce today that I am breaking off the engagement with Xie Wenxu. In our eyes, the engagement is over, regardless of how the Xie family reacts.”
Since it was only an engagement and not a marriage, this verbal agreement didn’t have any legal effect, so announcing it would suffice.
Usually, for the sake of both families’ reputations, most wealthy families would announce the cancellation of the engagement together during a joint banquet. Fang Ziyang’s unilateral and impolite announcement was a clear sign of tearing up their relationship!
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
Fang Yandong turned pale.
He had intended to announce the cancellation of the engagement at the Fang family, but he didn’t expect Fang Ziyang to say it like this! This way of speaking would definitely offend the Xie family!
However, what made him even more shocked was what came next.
“Our Fang family may not be as prominent as the Xie family, but we are not driven by money. When we agreed to the engagement, the gifts that the Xie family presented to us were meant to be returned in full.”
“In addition, it was our Fang family that initiated to cancel the engagement. Therefore, my father has decided to donate the entire proceeds from the sale of two buildings in the Dongfeng Port new development project to the Hope Project in the name of the Xie family, as compensation and apology.”
“Our family has been in touch with the representatives of the Hope Project, and they will visit with the press tomorrow. Our Fang family keeps our word. If the Xie family is dissatisfied, we are open to negotiations…”
Fang Ziyang took out his phone, activated the projection function, and displayed a screenshot of a conversation.
Then, he proudly declared, “Therefore, from today onwards, I have no relationship with Xie Wenxu. I, Fang Ziyang, am single again.”
After speaking, he looked at Fang Yandong, his eyes filled with deep gratitude. “Father, thank you for your selfless love and support. I really enjoyed this banquet.”
The sympathetic gazes of the crowd turned to Fang Yandong.
His legs trembled.
The funds from the sale of the two buildings in the new development project, his relationship with the Xie family, the damage to the Xie family’s reputation, the upcoming meeting with the Xie family… it was all over for him!
Yan Tong’s face turned pale as he clenched his fists, roaring in his mind:
This was supposed to be his recognition and reunion banquet, not Fang Ziyang’s celebration of his single status! Damn it!
At that moment, several police officers in uniform suddenly entered the Fang family’s banquet hall, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Fang Yandong and Mr. Yan Tong? I am Captain Zhao Wu from the XX Police Station. Our police station has received a report on a serious case involving baby theft, child trafficking, and illegal seizure of others’ property…”
“Based on the testimonies of witnesses, this case is related to both of you. We would like both of you to come to the police station to give your statements. Thank you.”
The police officers wore solemn expressions as they spoke.
The room fell silent once again.
Fang Yandong trembled and looked bewildered. “Related to me?”
The police officer nodded gravely. “Yes, Mr. Fang. The victim of this case is your first son, the son of you and your deceased wife.”
What?
Fang Yandong’s first son with his deceased wife?
Then, what about Fang Qianhao?
All eyes in the room widened in astonishment.