The Lunar Lantern Festival arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Shao family mansion was filled with a festive atmosphere.
Ruan Tianxin was the first to arrive during the guest reception period.
She figured that if she came early enough, no one would know she was here.
Her face, however, felt a little sore.
After presenting her invitation card, Ruan Tianxin was led by a servant to the main seating area of the banquet hall.
Old Master Shao sat at the head of the table, accompanied by his daughter-in-law, Madam Shao, and female relatives from the Shao family's extended branches.
"Grandpa Shao, hello," Ruan Tianxin said with a well-behaved smile.
"Hello, you are..." Old Master Shao didn't recognize Ruan Tianxin, but Madam Shao and the female relatives from the extended family did.
Madam Shao had dined with Ruan Tianxin before. At that time, Ruan Tianxin was the only girlfriend Shao Chen had ever brought to see her, and the one he had dated for the longest.
When they were dating, her son had indirectly asked her, "If your grandson doesn't have the surname Shao and takes his mother's surname, will Grandpa be so angry he dies?"
She had been shocked then, not by the question of whose surname the grandson would take, but by the fact that her son was actually considering marriage and having children?!
It seemed her son was serious about Ruan Tianxin. However, before she could be happy for long, they broke up for reasons unknown.
Afterward, she felt her son had changed. He no longer spent his days indulging in debauchery, changing women like clothes, and had remained single ever since.
She even wondered if her son had been possessed, like in a novel.
For a while, she had even considered finding a shaman to examine him, but her husband, a staunch materialist, had dismissed the idea.
She was quite pleased to see Ruan Tianxin here today.
"My name is Ruan Tianxin, a friend of Shao Chen. Today is your birthday banquet, and I've prepared a birthday gift for you. I wish you a long life as enduring as the Southern Mountains and boundless fortune like the Eastern Sea," Ruan Tianxin said with a sweet smile, handing over the gift box.
Old Master Shao didn't recall inviting her and had no intention of accepting a gift.
Madam Shao quickly explained, "Father, Tianxin and A'Chen have a very good relationship. It's likely A'Chen invited her. After all, today is also A'Chen's big day. Please accept it."
Old Master Shao nodded then and gestured for Steward Shao to accept the gift.
Seeing this, the female relatives from the extended family leaned in to take a look, all curious to see what kind of gift this international celebrity, who had come uninvited, would bring.
They had all seen the gossip news when Ruan Tianxin was dating Shao Chen, and knew she was Shao Chen's ex-girlfriend.
Of course, knowing she was an ex-girlfriend wasn't the point. The main thing was that Old Master Shao accepted her gift.
It was known that Old Master Shao was always upright and principled, never easily accepting gifts from others, let alone bribes. It was very difficult for them to curry favor with him for their own benefit.
They could only use the occasion of the Old Master's birthday banquet to secretly compete with each other and win the Old Master's favor.
Steward Shao took the gift box, opened it, and presented it to Old Master Shao.
Inside the gift box were several exquisite small jade bottles, labeled with the words "Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills."
"Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills?" one of the female relatives said with disdain.
"You can get heaps of these at any pharmacy. Did Miss Ruan just pass by and buy something from a pharmacy because she didn't prepare a gift?"
"She probably didn't buy it. There's no brand name on it. I don't know if it's safe."
"Oh, there really is no brand name. Uncle, please don't just accept it. If something happens after taking it, it will be troublesome."
The female relatives spoke with veiled sarcasm, each adding a comment. Madam Shao felt very annoyed, knowing they were deliberately trying to cause trouble.
Ruan Tianxin was no stranger to such situations and remained unfazed, maintaining her smile:
"These are Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills specially made by my good best friend. She's a miracle doctor, so the quality is absolutely guaranteed. You can rest assured."
Upon hearing the words "miracle doctor," Madam Shao immediately thought of someone. "The miracle doctor you're referring to, could it be the Nameless Miracle Doctor?"
"Yes, that's her. We are good friends," Ruan Tianxin replied. "Grandpa Shao, at your age, you've probably seen through everything. Nothing is more important than good health, not gold or jade. These specially made Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills are not expensive, but they are very effective. I hope Grandpa Shao never has to use them, though."
Hearing this, Old Master Shao's eyes lit up. "Quick, bring them here for me to see."
After all, the pills from the Nameless Miracle Doctor were notoriously difficult to obtain.
When the female relatives from the extended family heard that the medicine was from the Nameless Miracle Doctor, one of them immediately changed her tune: "So it's from the Nameless Miracle Doctor. I was wondering why the appearance was so unusual and special."
The others chimed in with agreement, clearly believing that as long as they weren't embarrassed, the embarrassment would fall on others.
With these "Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills," Ruan Tianxin quickly integrated herself among these extended family members. They all flocked around Ruan Tianxin, their intentions obvious. Old Master Shao seemed to like her, and she was also the Nameless Miracle Doctor's best friend. Whichever one of them could get close to her first would gain more favor in Old Master Shao's eyes.
Madam Shao found their behavior unpleasant and deliberately led Ruan Tianxin away.
While fending them off, Ruan Tianxin kept an eye out for Shao Chen. However, as more and more guests arrived and the banquet was about to begin, she still hadn't seen him.
Not only her, but the Shao family members hadn't either.
"Madam, the auspicious hour is approaching, and the young master hasn't come down. His Lordship asked you to check on him," Steward Shao said to Madam Shao.
Seeing this, Ruan Tianxin took the initiative to ask, "Aunt, may I go with you?"
Madam Shao, who was quite fond of Ruan Tianxin, readily agreed and took her to Shao Chen's room.
Outside the room door, a servant held a set of men's formal wear, and a stylist alternately knocked on the door.
"Young Master, the banquet is about to start. If you don't get up for styling now, it will be too late."
But the only response was the unmoving, closed door. The servant and stylist were at a loss.
"Let me try," Madam Shao stepped forward.
Seeing Madam Shao arrive, the stylist sighed with relief and immediately made way for her.
Ruan Tianxin was curious what trick she would use to get the person inside to open the door, only to see Madam Shao calmly take a key from her pocket and insert it into the lock.
"..."
The door opened. Inside, the curtains were tightly drawn, casting the room in darkness. Madam Shao turned on the light, revealing wine bottles and cigarette butts scattered all over the floor, a scene of utter disarray.
"Are you bothering me?!" Shao Chen irritably threw off the covers and sat up in bed. The first person he saw as he opened his eyes was Ruan Tianxin, who had followed them in. He was momentarily stunned.
Ruan Tianxin was also taken aback by his appearance.
Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.
Ruan Tianxin rarely saw him like this: disheveled hair, a stubbled chin, dark circles under his eyes, and a slightly gaunt face. In just a few days, how could he have become so dejected?
He was about to get engaged, wasn't he supposed to be happy?
Shao Chen had absolutely not expected the woman who had vehemently told him that night, "I'd rather die than come," to appear in his room!