Chapter 182: Chapter 174: Qu Family Yongbo
Standing at the gate welcoming guests, Xia Liang and his cousins were most attentive to Xiao Lin’s cash gift. When the recipient first mentioned nine thousand, Xia Liang felt a bit favorable towards Xiao Lin; the young man was decent and knew his manners, no wonder Xia Xue invited him.
However, things completely took them by surprise when the amount reached nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, and the subsequent unit petrified them in an instant.
The entire hall fell silent, everyone near the entrance was agape, no one could close their mouths, seemingly stunned by this number.
In a flash, the atmosphere seemed to boil, everyone’s ears ringing with the amount stated by the gift-receiver, repeating endlessly, leaving them dazed for over five seconds, seemingly frozen in place; even those who were getting out of their cars paused midway.
Despite not being the top figures of high society in Yanjing, these attendees definitely had assets worth tens of millions or even billions, including a handful of billionaires. Still, none of them had witnessed such a spectacle where almost a billion Huaxia currency was thrown in for a birthday celebration—directly withdrawn via card.
These people weren’t strangers to money; on the contrary, they’ve seen a lot of money, thus understanding its importance, especially cash. Even those with billions in assets wouldn’t have over a hundred million in liquid cash, probably just four or five million, as they’d rather keep investing than waste a single cent.
Such a substantial cash amount was enough to make anyone at the scene feel shaken. After all, this was merely a birthday celebration—was there really a need to be so intimidating?
Xiao Lin seemed indifferent, yet soon noticed the originally noisy surroundings had quieted down, without exception, everyone was stupefied, unable to utter a single sound.
"Bunch of bumpkins, haven’t seen money before!" Xiao Lin muttered, embodying the aura of a nouveau riche. This remark made the gift-receiver feel acutely embarrassed; appearances can be deceiving—a young man dressed ordinarily, can you imagine someone like that giving away a billion in gifts that easily?
Liu Xuan blushed; undeniably, she initially thought Xiao Lin was an ordinary office worker. Apart from being Xia Xue’s friend, his looks—quite handsome—were the main reason she brought him along. Though she held a bit of disdain for Xiao Lin’s status or harbored a natural sense of superiority.
Yet at this moment, Liu Xuan could no longer remain calm, especially considering the previous mention of an engagement by Xiao Lin. Initially thought to be a joke or a slip of the tongue; now Liu Xuan dared not say that.
While it might not be overly difficult for Fatty Wang to put forward such an amount as a gift, it would require family high-level discussions first. It wouldn’t be easy for Fatty Wang alone to gather such a gift amount.
"Are you really Xia Xue’s fiancé?" Liu Xuan asked as he snapped out of it, now believing Xiao Lin’s statement around seventy or eighty percent. She knew Xia Xue’s situation best; although the Xia Family had declared that Xia Xue would get engaged to Fatty Wang during tonight’s grand birthday event, Liu Xuan could confidently say this wouldn’t happen. If Xia Xue had agreed, she would have done so years ago, not dragged it out until now.
"Let’s go first, I don’t want to be watched like a monkey as earlier!" Xiao Lin, with prior experience, was naturally unwilling to stay and let others watch him like a spectacle, unconsciously taking Liu Xuan’s hand and quickly moving forward.
At this time, others began to snap out of it, and many even let out cries of astonishment.
"My God, did I hear wrong? How much did the gift announcer mention the gift amount was? Nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-something thousand?"
"To be precise, nine eights, a symbol of longevity, this is long-lasting indeed!"
"Who is this Xiao Lin? How come I’ve never heard of such a figure in Yanjing?"
"I must have misheard, or the gift announcer made an error with the amount!"
Some couldn’t care about their status anymore, directly heading towards the gift reception area to inquire for clarity; it’s a massive gesture—sending out a billion in gift money, probably surpassing the combined gifts from everyone attending the event today.
Not only were other guests in disbelief, but even Xia Liang and the Xia Family members near the entrance couldn’t believe it. After snapping out of it, they exchanged glances and turned around, seeing Xiao Lin leading Liu Xuan toward the courtyard while the gift announcer stared blankly at Xiao Lin’s departing back.
Xia Liang and his cousins approached the announcer, asked tremulously, "Did you... did you read the gift amount wrong?" To this moment, he couldn’t comprehend how a seemingly ordinary office worker, dressed in cheap street clothes, could be so understated yet capable of giving away a billion.
Moreover, he was just a friend of Xia Xue’s. Since when did Xia Xue meet such an impressive friend? In Yanjing, it’s not uncommon for people to offer such extravagant gifts, but for someone visiting for the first time, this was truly shocking. Even Fatty Wang couldn’t possibly offer such a lavish gift.
"I didn’t read it wrong. I checked it twice, and the gift money has already been transferred to the designated account!" The gift receiver was rather calm, deserving of his professional background. He had seen large sums of money transfer hands before; to him, they were just numbers, but to others, it was not so simple.
Xia Liang still found it hard to believe and moved closer to take a look at the designated account for receiving gifts. Only after seeing the string of numbers and a row of nines did he finally confirm it.
"What kind of person is he? Why is he so generous with his money?" Xia Liang looked in the direction where Xiao Lin had disappeared into the crowd, now unsure of what to say, utterly stunned.
Other members of the Xia Family were even more at a loss for words. Were they shocked by Xiao Lin’s looks? His wealth? His boldness? In any case, with such a grand gesture, the few hundred bucks worth of street clothes Xiao Lin wore instantly seemed like genuine articles, perhaps even custom-made from a renowned designer. Clearly, they had misjudged before.
And those who were curious, the onlookers, all gathered around. Learning that the gift receiver hadn’t made a mistake with the numbers, they were deeply shocked internally. When did the Xia Family make the acquaintance of such a wealthy individual?
Even more so, middle-aged women in their forties and fifties began searching for Xiao Lin. Naturally, they were wondering if this young gentleman was still unmarried. Marrying into such wealth could bring prosperity.
At that moment, Xiao Lin had already entered the villa’s courtyard with Liu Xuan. It was brightly lit everywhere. On the lawn in front of the villa, nearly two hundred tables were set up. On the eastern side of the villa, a grand birthday stage was decorated extravagantly. Four tables were placed on the stage, and over a hundred waitstaff moved among the guests, each one stunning. They were probably borrowed from various top hotels.
The aroma of food wafted around, laughter echoed, creating an atmosphere of harmony.
The scene was new to Xiao Lin, and it was his first time attending such a grand event, so he couldn’t help but remark, "Hosting a birthday banquet like this must cost quite a bit!"
"It does cost a lot, but your gift alone could pay for ten such banquets with plenty left over!" Liu Xuan said with a mix of sarcasm and envy. She never expected Xiao Lin to be Xia Xue’s fiancé; he was handsome, wealthy, generous, and seemed to have a good temper. Where did Xia Xue find such a top-tier husband?
"The birthday and engagement gifts combined made me broke!" Xiao Lin humbly said.
"By the way, you said you’re Xia Xue’s fiancé, but I heard tonight is Xia Xue’s engagement with Fatty Wang. Are you planning to crash the wedding?" Liu Xuan was even more curious about what Xiao Lin planned to do next, given that the Wang Family was not easy to deal with and not something a gift worth billions could stop.
"Crash the wedding? That doesn’t apply here, does it? Xiaoxue hasn’t gotten engaged to Fatty Wang yet, so how could it be called crashing a wedding? At most, it’s just two families proposing to the Xia Family at the same time, and it’s up to the Xia Family which one they’ll accept!" Xiao Lin replied with a smile.
At this moment, Xia Yusheng emerged from the villa entrance, walking outside with several cousin brothers. People nearby greeted them and looked towards the distant gate, curious about who had arrived, prompting significant figures of the Xia Family to greet them.
At the villa entrance, Xia Liang warmly received a family of three. The visitors were none other than Qu Yongbo and his wife, along with their youngest son, Qu Haobo. The Xia Family hadn’t expected Qu Yongbo himself would come to wish the old man a happy birthday.
Given Qu Yongbo’s status, to personally come and celebrate the birthday of a businessman family’s elder, does this signify a particular trend?
For Qu Yongbo’s arrival, the Xia Family extended ample warmth to welcome him. Four elite members of the Xia Family’s second generation came, including Xia Yusheng, the leading figure of the Xia Family’s second generation.
"Secretary Qu’s grand visit brings light to our humble abode!" Xia Yusheng eagerly approached. In front of Qu Yongbo, he dared not put on any airs.
"As the younger generation, it’s only natural to personally wish the elder a happy birthday. Younger Brother Xia, there’s no need to address me as Secretary Qu. Perhaps, we may become in-laws!" Qu Yongbo wasn’t tall, being half a head shorter than Xia Yusheng, but his tone and presence were unmatched by Xia Yusheng, possessing an inherently strong aura.
The other brothers of the Xia Family were slightly taken aback. It seems the Qu Family also intended to propose to Xia Xue on this occasion. Whether this was a good or bad thing was yet unknown. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian () to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)