Old Nan Zhengde could feel his anger rising inside him. However, he kept the fire at bay, seeing that there was a guest present. Needless to say, his face looked irate.
Nan Zhiyuan was not an idiot either. He could sense that his old man was upset.
Therefore he dared not to speak of it anymore. The atmosphere was awkward for a while.
Fortunately, there was a little expert specialized in alleviating awkward situations and brightening up a situation. Behold, Erbao decided to butt in at that right moment. “Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma, come play with me?”
The Old Master’s blackened face suddenly burst into a smile, “Sure, but Great-Grandpa is too old to play along!”
“Great-Grandpa is not old! Great-Grandpa is still a young boy! Full of energy!” Erbao said with a serious look on her face.
Her words made everyone present laughed.
Like a cloud blown away by the wind, the awkward atmosphere cleared and became more relaxed.
“Chop-chop! Go take a shower and change into some fresh clothes. Tonight, you’ll be staying to dine with Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma!” Feng Wan brushed Erbao’s head lovingly.
Ever a glutton, Erbao burst out enthusiastically, “Yes! Off I’ll go then! I want to eat lots of delicious food later!”
“Don’t worry, my greedy kitten. Everything you want to eat will be made available for you.”
Meanwhile, Feng Jialing looked knowingly at Bai Hua, her seemingly suggestive stare conveying some sort of hint to her.
Perceiving her insinuation, Bai Hua stood up and asked, “Dad, why don’t you let Mrs. Ouyang stay for dinner too?”
Nan Zhengde became unhappy upon hearing that. Yet, since Bai Hua had brought it up, he had to agree no matter what.
He could not refuse others from staying for dinner. It would be too awkward and embarrassing on his part.
Feng Jialing pretended to refuse, “No, I can’t. Today Ouyang Duo is in town for a meeting. I’ll have to accompany him to dinner later.”
“In that case, invite Ouyang Duo to come as well. The more the merrier,” Nan Zhengde suggested.
Feng Jialing feigned her refusal, “Nah, it’s okay. We don’t want to impose upon you.”
“It won’t be a problem. After all, I have still yet to thank Ouyang Duo for hosting my birthday banquet. I have always wanted to thank him. Today is the perfect day to do that. I’ll prepare a little wine and have a drink with him later. Let me call him up personally. I’m sure he won’t reject my personal invitation. Let him come over for a gathering,” the old man reiterated.
“I don’t want to bother you. Let me just call him myself. Thanks for your sincere thought.” Feng Jialing was feeling elated.
The whole outcome was not a planned ploy. The opportunity arose because of Ouyang Qing’s fiasco. With that as the catalyst, Feng Jialing managed to get this far.
She wanted to cash in on this opportunity to put more pressure on the Nan family for one last time.
She had always wanted to push two things in one go, namely the joint venture project proposal in Vietnam, and secondly the marriage between Nan Chen and Ouyang Qing.
Sure, these two things were related to a certain extent, but also stood independently.
Regardless of what happened next, as long as one matter was resolved, it would be a great windfall to the Ouyang family.
Both of these were not only Ouyang Qing’s wishes, but also Ouyang Duo and his wife’s ambition.
They had been planning this for a long time and were adamant to achieve the result they longed for.
Tonight was the night to make it happen. I can feel it!
Later, Ouyang Duo arrived as expected.
Interestingly, Ouyang Qing was nowhere to be seen.
Since her marriage would be brought up as one of the agenda, Ouyang Qing deliberately avoided the dinner, so that those in the Ouyang family could bring up the matter conveniently and talk in a more relaxing manner.
The Nan family banquet was a lavish meal in its own right.
The table was laden lavishly with scrumptious gourmet delicacies made with ingredients sourced from the mountains to the deep seas. There were also traditional dishes lost over time completing the feast.
Erbao, being the glutton she was, was overjoyed seeing the delectable cuisines lined up before her.
Since there were VIPs present, children were not allowed at the table.
Of course, the matriarch would not neglect her good great-grandchildren. Almost every dish was reserved a small portion of them to be sent to Erbao and Dabao.
“Why not call the two adorable darlings to join us together for this meal? There are no outsiders here today,” suggested Feng Jialing eagerly.
She knew that both the patriarch and matriarch of the Nans simply adored the two great-grandchildren. If it were not for the presence of the Ouyang couple, Dabao and Erbao would definitely be joining the table.
“Don’t bother. Just let them have the small side table. There are dinner rules which are not to be broken.” Nan Zhengde explained.
“It’s okay. Let them join us. We love children as much as you do.” Feng Jialing tried again.
“I agree. Let’s eat together. I am fond of the two darlings too, so I don’t mind their presence.” Ouyang Duo chipped in as well.
“For children, it is important for them to learn to follow rules. Rules teach them both the permissible and the impermissible things in life. Let them be at the side.” Nan Zhengde insisted.
Dabao sensibly said, “Great-Grandpa, we don’t mind having our meal at the side.”
“Yes, Great-Grandpa. Me too. As long as the food is enough.” Erbao did not care if she could not sit with them, as long as she could taste the same dishes as the adults.
“It’ll be enough. More than enough for you.” Feng Wan assured with a laugh.
Once the children are settled, it was time for the adults to eat and drink freely.
However, the adults seemed restrained even with the mountain of delicacies on the table in front of them.
They were all very preoccupied with the respective plans. Each of them was just waiting for the right time and right opportunity to put forth their agenda.
“I know my fellow Ouyang Duo likes red wine. I have specially prepared this wine for you. Give it a taste.” Saying this, Nan Zhengde motioned to the servant to pour the wine.
Ouyang Duo was a wine connoisseur. He observed the color, whiffed the aroma, and proceeded to accurately state the name of the winery and the vintage year of the wine.
Nan Zhengde guffawed jovially and praised, “Truly an expert. I am not comparable to you at all.”
Ouyang Duo laughed as well. “Old master is too humble. I only know about red wines. Meanwhile, your good self is proficient in white wines, red wines, and all kinds of foreign wines.”
“Haha. I’m already old. My time has passed. Your time is now.” Nan Zhengde smiled wistfully.
“Truth be told, I’m getting old too. It’s actually Nan Chen’s time. By the way, I don’t see him around. Where is he?”
Ouyang Duo finally caught an opportunity to direct the topic on the desired track. He immediately clung to it tightly.
“Nan Chen has a meeting to attend. Maybe he’ll show up late tonight,” Nan Zhengde explained.
Truth be told, he had no idea where Nan Chen was and when he would appear.
“Is he really that busy? Is he still having a meeting until nighttime? Even missing dinner?” Ouyang Duo obviously did not believe the excuse.
“Yes. Chen has been hustling really hard. I have even advised him not to work like this, but he just won’t listen. There are just too many things to take care of in the corporation, and he has been handling them all alone. He is really tired.” The old man explained.
As he was speaking, Ouyang Duo was eyeing him intently, hoping to spot some tell-tale signs of pretension.
With his sharp observation, even a slight change in mood or the slightest twitch of the brow could not escape Ouyang Duo’s gaze.
However, he could not spot any suspicious signs. The old man’s eyes were placidly calm, and he seemed genuine.
“Nan Chen is indeed an outstanding example amongst the younger generation of businessmen of this era. His talent is dazzling to the eyes. His future is boundlessly bright. It’s a pity that the Vietnam project will probably have a certain negative impact on him. I don’t really want to see his future being affected by this matter, therefore I have given him an idea. I wonder if he has talked to you about it?” Ouyang Duo cunningly probed and prodded.
“That’s strange. He doesn’t say anything yet. Anyway, ever since handing over the corporation to him, I have not cared much about the business. Mayhap your idea is such a good one that Chen does not even need to consult me. He must’ve agreed on the spot, am I right?”
The old man, being the master among masters, continued to play the ignorance-feigning card.
Such was the difference of levels between both of them. One was a cunning fledgling, another a seasoned veteran. After the old man voiced his mind, Ouyang Duo was caught speechless, not knowing how to respond.
He could only stammer, trying to find the right excuse. “In fact, Nan Chen did not agree. Maybe he has some doubts about my suggestion…”
