"Yes. Yes. I'll get out of here right away!" Shen Yunfeng scrambled away in a hurry.
Although they were all young masters from the direct lineage of Jiangcheng's eight great families, their status and position differed greatly.
Tian Wuji was the undisputed future heir of the Tian family, while Shen Yunfeng was different; he was merely one of the future heirs of his family, with several siblings who had a greater chance of becoming the future heir.
Moreover, the Tian family was considerably more powerful than the Shen family.
Before becoming the sole heir, how could Shen Yunfeng dare to provoke Tian Wuji?
If Tian Wuji were to become enraged, he would completely lose his chance of competing for the future heir.
Watching him scurry away dejectedly, Butler Zhao's face turned somewhat bitter. He hadn't expected Li Yang and his young master to be such close friends that his young master would directly kick Shen Yunfeng out based on Li Yang's one-sided account.
He himself had said quite a few unpleasant things just now.
Butler Zhao quickly said, "I apologize, Mr. Li. I was misled earlier and didn't know you were a friend of my young master. Otherwise, I would never have dared to disrespect you."
"I implore you to be magnanimous and not take offense at a small fry like me."
As he spoke, he slapped himself a few times.
Li Yang glanced at him and said, "Butler Zhao is upholding the dignity of the main family. Although his methods are a bit crude, his intentions are not bad."
"I have no enmity with you, so you don't need to slap yourself."
"Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Mr. Li, for your broad-mindedness," Butler Zhao said gratefully, but he continued to slap himself.
Was this something the other party said not to do, and he would truly stop?
Tian Wuji paid no attention to this and directly smiled at Li Yang and the other person, "Mr. Li, Miss Tang, you are most welcome."
"You're here to see my grandfather, right? I'll take you there."
"Thank you, Young Master Tian," Li Yang and Tang Xinyu said with smiles.
This Young Master Tian was truly of noble bearing, exceptional in his actions and demeanor. Unlike the dissolute Shen Yunfeng, who was a disgrace and shame to the so-called noble families.
Watching the few of them walk in, Butler Zhao finally stopped slapping himself and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this Mr. Li didn't intend to make things difficult for him. Otherwise, his old face would have been swollen and disfigured today.
Upon entering the villa, Li Yang immediately saw many guests in the corridors, by the streams, and in the pavilions. They were gathered in twos and threes, speaking in low voices. Some were at odds with each other, exchanging cold smiles.
However, regardless of their relationships, as soon as they saw Tian Wuji approaching, their faces immediately broke into ingratiating smiles, and they greeted him with flattering remarks.
Tian Wuji responded politely to all of them but maintained a certain distance, leading Li Yang and Tang Xinyu further inside.
Watching their retreating figures, many people wondered, "Who are that beautiful woman and handsome man to warrant such personal escort from Young Master Tian?"
"Their background must be quite significant, right?"
"It's really hard to tell. The beautiful woman is fine, but that man is dressed so ordinarily. How can he be a distinguished figure from a prominent family?"
"Exactly. But he's just low-key, what can you do about it?"
"Dad, hasn't Grandpa come out yet?"
Tian Wuji led the two into a Chinese-style building and asked a middle-aged man dressed exceptionally luxuriously.
This middle-aged man was even fatter than him, with one hand always resting on his large belly. His ears were very round and large, and when he smiled, he resembled a Maitreya Buddha, full of mirth.
He looked at Li Yang and the other person with suspicion, "Who are these two?"
"This is my friend, Mr. Li Yang, and this is Miss Tang Xinyu, the eldest daughter of the Tang family," Tian Wuji introduced immediately. "This is my father."
"Hello, Mr. Tian the Richest," Li Yang said with a smile.
Tang Xinyu held up the gift box, opened it, revealing a portion of imperial green jade, and then said, "Hello, Mr. Tian the Richest. I heard that the old master is celebrating his birthday today, so I've come especially to offer my birthday wishes."
"Miss Tang is very thoughtful. However, my grandfather is naturally indifferent and dislikes too much fanfare, so for this birthday celebration, we have only invited friends and family, not everyone."
Tian Feng smiled at her and said, "But since you are friends with Wuji, please find a seat."
"It's not too late to present your gift when the old master comes out later."
"Alright, Mr. Tian the Richest," Tang Xinyu nodded.
Tian Feng grunted and smiled, "Very well, find a seat yourself. I need to host the Treasure Gathering Basin Convention inside, so I won't be able to entertain you for now."
"Wuji, you must take good care of the friends you've brought."
"Understood, Father," Tian Wuji nodded and was about to arrange seats for the two to rest.
However, he saw Li Yang pat Tang Xinyu's small hand, whisper a few words to her, and then follow behind his father. Tian Wuji was momentarily stunned.
Tian Feng was about to enter the room specifically for the Treasure Gathering Basin Convention when he suddenly sensed someone following him. He instinctively turned his head and saw Li Yang, his brow furrowing.
Didn't he tell them to find seats and sit down? Why was this young man still following him?
But as Jiangcheng's richest man, he had a certain magnanimity. With a hint of confusion on his face, he asked, "Young man, do you need something else? Why are you following me?"
"Mr. Tian the Richest, I also want to attend the Treasure Gathering Basin Convention. It's on the way with you, so I'm following you," Li Yang said with a smile.
Tian Feng's brow furrowed. "Young man, you probably don't know about this convention. Not just anyone can participate."
"Participants must have an invitation. Do you have one?"
"I do," Li Yang replied with a smile.
Dishonest!
Tian Feng stared at him, already feeling somewhat displeased. Although the Treasure Gathering Basin Convention was ostensibly organized by experienced and reputable antique collectors within the circle, in recent years, it had been almost entirely funded by him, with others attending to show their support.
Therefore, he was well aware of who would be attending each time.
At least in his memory, there was only one person of Li Yang's age who could participate in the Treasure Gathering Basin Convention.
It was the daughter of Lou Dong, who had been abroad for many years.
But that girl was a heavenly prodigy, a genius among geniuses in the antique circle!
Many predicted that she would reach the level of a Treasure Appraising Grandmaster before the age of forty, competing with the older generation of experts.
But what was this kid to you?
"Heh heh," Tian Feng thought disdainfully, "Young man, the most important thing in life is honesty. To know what you know, and to know what you don't know."
"It's best not to claim what you don't have. Otherwise, not only will you not be highly regarded, but you will also be looked down upon. Do you understand?"