In front of the banquet guests, Chu Wen-Fei was sprawled on the floor like a dog, while Ye Fan was standing straight up with his hands clasped behind his back. And the Shens were standing in front of the latter, facing him respectfully.
The Qius were dumbfounded, after witnessing the scene on the stage. It felt like they had just been slapped hard in the face.
The atmosphere in the dining hall turned heavy, and it grew so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The jeers from the Qius had vanished, to be replaced by untold shock and fear.
"What...What just happened?"
"What's going on now?”
Qiu Mu-Ying stared with her eyes wide opened. While her mother stood rooted to the floor, as if she had just been struck by lightning.
As for Master Qiu and the other Qius, their mouths were wide opened but, due to the shock, they could not get a single word out. Just then, they all looked like chickens which were being strangled.
Both Qiu Mu-Ying and her mother were hit especially hard by the turn of events.
The mother and daughter pair had been telling their relatives that Chu Wen-Fei was a dragon among men and unrivalled among his peers. But a moment afterward, Shen Jiu-Yi had kicked Chu Wen-Fei off the stage, before the latter had even finished his greeting. Now, Chu Wen-Fei was sprawled on the floor like a dog and moaning in pain.
The shock did not end there. After the Shens had so badly treated the Qiu's star son-in-law, they were now behaving respectfully toward their trashy son-in-law. And Shen Jiu-Yi even presented the painting to Ye Fan.
To the Qius, the huge twist in the plot felt like a kick in the stomach.
It was no longer just a slap in the face.
It was more like a kick in the face.
The Qius were completely flummoxed.
Their faces were flushed and they were dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, the same thought started to swirl around in the minds of the Qius.
Is Ye Fan the real Mr. Chu? The same Mr. Chu whom the Shens respect so much?
Have we made a mistake?
Everyone had their mouths wide opened, while they looked on in disbelief.
Master Qiu's body was trembling, as he stared in the direction of the stage. Inwardly, he was screaming over and over again. Could it be that he had been underestimating Ye Fan?
"Impossible, it's impossible?"
"Ye Fan is a country bumpkin and a useless piece of trash. He is not Mr. Chu." At that moment, Qiu Mu-Ying was panicking. She kept shaking her head and her heavily made-up face looked distraught.
To Qiu Mu-Ying, it felt like her world was collapsing.
And Wang Qiao-Yu was yelping like a dog as fear filled her eyes.
The Qius just could not accept the fact that they were now beneath the weakling they had always despised.
As for Qiu Mu-Cheng, her face had already turned pale. As she looked at the young man standing on the stage, she went into a daze and her mind blanked out.
Suddenly, a stream of memories came over her.
She remembered the dream-like light show on the night of her cousin's engagement party, the mysterious man at the auction and the way the Shens had revered Ye Fan at the hospital.
Could it be that Ye Fan was not as simple as he looked?
Silence continued to reign in the dining hall. And the silence was only broken after a long while, by the sound of sharp intakes of breath coming from the Qius. One could only imagine the impact the recent events had had on them.
"Mr. Chu, please accept the painting."
Shen Jiu-Yi repeated his request respectfully. But Ye Fan did not take the painting and only smiled indifferently. Then he asked, "Mr. Shen, may I know where the men's room is?"
Shen Jiu-Yi was stunned for a moment. He had no idea why Ye Fan suddenly wanted to know where the men's room was. But after hesitating briefly, he gave directions to Ye Fan. And soon, under everyone's gaze, Ye Fan left the hall.
And that frightened Shen Jiu-Yi. He did not know if Ye Fan had forgiven him or not, because the latter had not accepted the painting. So he turned to his son and asked, "Fei, do you think Mr. Chu dislikes this painting? Or has he not forgiven us yet?"
At that juncture, Ye Fan had suddenly declared his intention to use the men's room. So Shen Jiu-Yi could not help making speculations about Ye Fan's thoughts.
He was worried that Ye Fan was dissatisfied with the arrangements for the banquet.
But the truth was that Ye Fan had really needed to use the men's room.
However, Shen Fei was also uncertain. He scratched his head and guessed: "Dad, I think Mr. Chu has already forgiven us. Just now during the banquest, I offered him a toast and he accepted."
"Then why did he turn down our gift? And he even used going to the men's room as an excuse. Isn't it obvious that he doesn't want to accept the painting?" Shen Jiu-Yi had a heavy expression on his face.
Shen Fei considered his father's question and then replied in a low voice: "Dad, perhaps Mr. Chu wants to keep things low-key and his identity hidden? I have not told you this, but when I was toasting Mr. Chu earlier..."
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