ss, so your heart is experiencing bouts of sharp pain!""However! I have a way to kill the子蠱 inside your body. You won’t die, but the other person will. She might also be on her last legs. Why don’t I...Chapter 56 Chen Ying's Shock

Hearing his younger brother’s introduction, Xiao Yu couldn’t keep a sour face anymore. Besides, each of his brother’s friends had an impressive demeanor. Especially those two women; not only were they beautiful but also carried a kind of noble air that couldn’t be cultivated overnight in Xiao Yu's opinion. Thus, he smiled and said, "General Manager Chen, it is truly our honor to have you grace us with your presence at my child’s first birthday!"

"Sis, since you are Brother Xiao’s elder sister, I’ll address you as such. Don’t be too polite; Brother Xiao’s nephew is also my nephew!" Chen Ying said in a hearty manner. Seeing how Xiao Yu endured his sister’s behavior, he knew their relationship was close. As someone who had been through the trials of business for many years, Chen Ying naturally recognized this as an opportune moment to foster closer ties.

"Sis, this is Song Hushan, Brother Song; this is his wife, Sister Zhou Ruoying; this is Wan Hongguang, Brother Wan; and this is his wife, Sister Song Hualing!" Xiao Yu introduced each of them to Xiao Yu one by one.

“Ladies and gentlemen, little Yu will need your care in the future!”

Xiao Yu could tell from how her brother addressed Chen Ying as "General Manager" but referred to Song Hushan and others as "uncle" or "aunt," that these people were closer to him.

Chen Ying also noticed the difference in Xiao Yu's introductions, yet he didn’t mind. He had just met Xiao Yu; their relationship could deepen over time through mutual understanding.

"Little brother, you and your uncles and aunts can go sit up front!"

Xiao Yu naturally saw that these people were extraordinary and was worried about leaving them here to feel neglected, which might affect his relationship with his brother.

"Sis, it’s okay. We’re quite comfortable sitting here." Zhou Ruoying sensed something amiss but didn’t want to cause any trouble for Xiao Yu since they needed him now, so she quickly said.

"Little brother, please take good care of the幾位 big brothers and sisters for me!" Xiao Yu thought for a moment and saw that the others had no intention of going to the front. He then said this to Xiao Yong. After saying this, he returned to the main table because his son was crying there due to being overwhelmed by so many people.

Chen Ying appeared calm while sitting down, but inside, he felt like a huge wave had hit him. Earlier, Wan Hongguang wore glasses, and Chen Ying thought that he looked familiar but couldn't remember where they met. Hearing Xiao Yong mention his name made Chen Ying's head buzz loudly; he suddenly remembered where he saw this person before—it was at an entrepreneur聯誼meeting in the old city, where Wan Hongguang had given a speech during the opening ceremony.

This man is actually the Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Old City—a powerful and influential official in his forties with unlimited prospects. If Chen Ying wanted to get acquainted with Song Hushan because he was immensely influential, but that level was too distant for him. Wan Hongguang is different; as the top leader of the old city and its chief official, he would have a significant impact on Chen Ying. Especially since Chen Ying and his friends planned to enter the real estate industry—if they could get acquainted with Wan Hongguang… Chen Ying couldn't even imagine the benefits that might come from it.

After Xiao Yu left, Chen Ying's mind was no longer calm; he stood up and said to Wan Hongguang: "Secretary Wan……"

"Chairman Chen, there’s no need for such formalities today… We are all here to celebrate our nephew’s first birthday. Let’s not talk about anything else!" Wan Hongguang quickly waved his hand,示意Chen Ying to sit down.

Wan Hongguang came to ask Xiao Yu to treat his daughter's illness today; although he didn't know if it could be cured, he knew the characters of Song Hushan and Zhou Ruoying. If Xiao Yu hadn’t shown real skills, they wouldn’t have come from the old city, nor would they have deliberately or even lowered their status to make friends with Xiao Yu. Moreover, his wife's transformation before and after made him feel that this young man might actually be able to cure his daughter.

Therefore, when Chen Ying called out to him, he immediately stopped him; he didn’t want to miss the chance to treat his daughter just because of formalities.

"Yes… Yes! We are here today for our nephew’s first birthday. Let's not talk about anything else!"

Upon hearing what Wan Hongguang said, Chen Ying quickly agreed with him. Hearing the words that placed him on equal footing with Wan Hongguang made Chen Ying feel delighted; this was a good start.

The time had already reached twelve o'clock, but the banquet still hadn't started. Lu Guozhang occasionally looked outside as if waiting for someone. Suddenly, there were ripples at the door, and two middle-aged men walked in one after another. Lu Guozhang and a group of fat men sitting by the table who were drinking water welcomed them. These people spoke with their heads lowered and bowed deeply; most of the people in the main hall also stood up to look at these two men. Lu Guozhang then arranged for all of them to be seated in a small room next door.

After this man arrived, Song Hushan and the others didn't even glance in his direction but continued to sit there chatting among themselves. Chen Ying recognized him as Zhang Dapeng, the Secretary of the Municipal Committee from the same city. If it were any other day, Chen Ying would have certainly greeted him, but today he had several high-ranking officials sitting here with him. If he went over to greet Zhang Dapeng now, unless his head was made of iron, he wouldn't dare.

Once this person arrived, the banquet finally began, and Xiao Yu and Song Hushan continued their merry drinking and chatting.

In the small hall, Secretary Zhang Dapeng sat confidently in the main seat. To his left was Li Delu, the director of the county office, while to his right was Lu Guozhang, the deputy county magistrate. Lu Guozhang smiled as he sat there; it made him feel very honored that the Secretary himself had come to attend his grandson's first birthday banquet.

Zhang Dapeng picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip before saying, "Old Lu, your house is full of children. It makes us envious, especially when we still don't even know where our daughters-in-law are!"

It was uncommon for the Secretary to personally make jokes in most circumstances, especially among his subordinates, indicating how highly Zhang Dapeng regarded Lu Guozhang.

Hearing the Secretary's joke, those seated below responded with laughter, following the unwritten rules of officialdom where one must laugh even if a joke isn't funny. One also had to make sure that their smile wasn't forced or insincere.

Li Delu, the director of the municipal office and Zhang Dapeng's trusted aide, immediately responded with a chuckle: "Secretary Zhang has truly voiced our hearts; I don't have the luck to become a grandfather!"

Since Li Delu only had a daughter but no son, he made this comment. Although Lu Guozhang was an副市長 (deputy county magistrate), in Zhang Dapeng's eyes, Li Delu was his most trusted aide, so Lu Guozhang didn't put on airs as an official and responded with a smile: "Director Li, you're talking from the perspective of someone who doesn’t have to endure it. What’s good about having a son It’s much better to have a daughter! My son is always at his in-laws' place, barely ever coming back home! I raised him only for others to raise him!"

"Ha ha ha......"

Hearing Lu Guozhang's somewhat complaining remark, Zhang Dapeng, Li Delu, and the other heads from various departments and townships all burst into laughter.

"Old Lu, which family is your in-law’s We’ll have to meet them later, ha ha ha……" When Zhang Dapeng heard what Lu Guozhang said, he burst into laughter.

"My in-laws Ah, they’re just a poor household. My son got bewitched or something; I introduced him to several good families, but he refused and even went on hunger strike!" When talking about the daughter-in-law his son married, Lu Guozhang’s face turned gloomy.

"Old Lu, it's time to give a gift to your grandson!" At this moment, Lu Jianhong’s mother pushed open the door and entered with an apologetic smile directed at Zhang Dapeng.

“Ah, I’ll be right there! Secretary Zhang, Director Li, you two drink first, I’ll be back shortly!”

Lu Guozhang responded and apologized to both Zhang Dapeng and Li Delu.

"Old Lu, wait a moment. Let’s go together; I’ve also prepared a gift for the child!" Zhang Dapeng stopped Lu Guozhang who was about to leave and said.

Zhang Dapeng had only been in the city for one year and hadn’t yet grasped control of the entire situation in Tong City. Although Lu Guozhang appeared as an副市長 (deputy mayor), he represented a powerful local faction within Tong City. Therefore, Zhang Dapeng spared no effort to win over Lu Guozhang, not only attending the banquet but also preparing gifts.

Lu Guozhang already felt quite honored by Zhang Dapeng’s presence; he was even more surprised and excited when he learned that Zhang Dapeng had prepared a gift. With an agitated expression, he said, "Secretary Zhang, this really can’t be…”

"What is there to not permit Isn't your grandson also my grandson" Seeing Lu Guozhang’s highly emotional reaction, Zhang Dapeng felt that his objective was achieved: by securing the support of the local faction represented by Lu Guozhang, he could solidify his control over Tong City.

Seeing Zhang Dapeng and Lu Guozhang leave the small room together, everyone in the house naturally followed them out.nistration sent me here to guide their medical staff training!"After hearing this, Xiao Yu nodded; he had thought that Yunxi's initiative was very good at the time. Although five million could not buy...