Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 153

The third day of the Chinese New Year was his birthday. At daybreak, a servant knocked on the door and his companions came. An Yinong hurried downstairs and saw two boys wearing new shirts and trousers, with waxed hair. They looked like adults, and their brows could not hide their anger.

They both carefully sat on the sofa with their feet together, not daring to glance at each other.

An Yinong couldn’t help laughing: “Why are you dressed like this?” Are you going to a company for a job interview?

“My dad knew I was coming to the birthday party, so he made me look like this. Am I really old-fashioned?” Zhang Wei said with a sad face.

“No, it looks pretty good.” An Yinong said against his conscience.

Zhao Gang touched his styled hair and said, “My family is different. My sister does everything. This is my first time attending a birthday party. Is it like the ones on TV, where people walk around and dance in formal attire? And there are a lot of food on one side, lobsters, abalone, everything.”

“It’s not that exaggerated. We still sit at tables to eat.”

Even though he said this, the two did not relax. Zhang Wei asked, “Are we here too early?”

“I asked you to come early so that you can get ready.” An Yinong smiled, “You haven’t had breakfast yet? I eat at home, let’s have some food.”

“Isn’t it bad?” Zhang Wei put his hands on his knees, a little reserved.

Zhao Gang seemed to want to eat it, but was too embarrassed to ask for it.

“What’s wrong with that? Don’t you like home-cooked meals?”

“No, I just ate…” Before Zhang Wei could finish his sentence, his stomach started growling and his face turned red.

An Yinong pretended he didn’t hear anything: “Just think of it as eating with me. Otherwise, I’ll eat alone and it will be so embarrassing.” Since he said this, the two of them agreed.

The He family always has a rich breakfast, with both Chinese and Western food. The food was always kept hot in the pot and could be eaten anytime.

“Don’t be polite, take whatever you want to eat, there are no outsiders here.”

“Where are Tiantong’s parents?” Zhang Wei looked around. In such a big place, apart from An Yinong, there were only servants serving the dishes. Where were his parents?

“They’re not here. I live alone.” An Yinong put a soup dumpling on the spoon and carefully poked a hole with chopsticks, letting the soup flow out. “They’re divorced.”

“Ah? Sorry.”

“Hmm?” An Yinong looked up. “They divorced because of their disagreement. Why are you embarrassed? Don’t be like this. It’s not the first day you know that I’m the eldest son of a wealthy family.”

He called him “Young Master” using Zhang Wei’s tone, which made them both laugh.

After the meal, Zhang Wei and Zhao Gang slowly relaxed. When they got into the He family’s private car, they had completely returned to their normal selves. They even gestured with their hands: “The house is really big! I feel like the toilet is bigger than me and my sister’s room. Don’t we usually get lost when we walk around the house?”

“How could he get lost? Most of the rooms are locked up and not used.”

“Yes, but your house is really big, the rooms must be very big, right?” Zhang Wei said enviously, “My room is partitioned off, and my whole family can hear me talking in my sleep.”

“The house is big because we bought it when the price was still cheap.” An Yinong smiled and changed the subject.

The car drove all the way to a beauty salon, where Li Yufeng was already waiting.

When Zhang Wei and his partner saw An Yinong’s mother for the first time, they were amazed by her timeless beauty: “No wonder you looks so pretty, it turns out your mother is also beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” An Yinong smiled and looked at the dazzling Li Yufeng, “I think my mom is as beautiful as a fairy.”

Li Yufeng couldn’t help but smile, she was as beautiful as a blooming flower, radiant and gorgeous. She pushed the three boys into the beauty salon, asked them to change into bathrobes, and started a full beauty and skin care routine.

A group of pretty young ladies surrounded the three of them, and the fragrance was blowing in the air. Unfortunately, no one at the scene knew how to enjoy the good fortune, and they were all helpless little chicks. At this moment, An Yinong was extremely glad that he had dragged two people along, otherwise he would have been embarrassed alone?

In the evening, the classmates who came by tram or rickshaw arrived at the address written on the invitation one by one. They were all shocked, thinking it was just an ordinary hotel, but it turned out to be a magnificent manor. There was still a long way from the entrance to the actual banquet. Many reporters gathered at the entrance, holding cameras and trying to enter, but they were stopped.

“Is this the place? Have we gone the wrong way?” A girl said, holding the invitation, her voice trembled.

What she saw was a beautiful place like a palace. From afar she could see a three-tiered white marble fountain and some neatly shaped gardens. The security guard at the door was wearing a suit and white gloves, and expensive cars were coming in and out. They, the strangers, felt ashamed standing there.

“Hello, are you Mr. He’s friend?” A driver in uniform and white gloves came out of a black car and walked over to the front of them. “I’ll take you in.”

“Yes, it’s He Tiantong…” They stuttered and couldn’t speak.

“That’s him. Please follow me.”

Ji Sheng followed him nervously. The driver opened the door and made a ‘please’ gesture: “Please sit down.”

They sat inside, their bodies stiff and their backs straight, not daring to lean against the back of the seat. The car started and slowly drove into the manor. Through the glass windows, they could see the scenery on both sides, with various flowers, fountains and white sculptures, just like a dream.

Finally, someone couldn’t help it: “Mister, excuse me, who is He Tong? What does his family do?” How could such an overly luxurious place hold a birthday banquet?

“You don’t know?” The driver was a little surprised. “The young master is the boss the Daily.”

“The Daily?” The classmates looked at each other in bewilderment, “Is it the He family?” The He family was very well-known in Hong Kong. It was the He family that ran a newspaper and almost controlled half of the media industry. It could only be the He family.

“I couldn’t tell at all.” They thought about it carefully, but they couldn’t connect the friendly campus idol around them with the top wealthy family in the movies.vShouldn’t the son of a wealthy family go to an aristocratic private school?

The car slowly stopped in front of the magnificent, palatial building. Several people carefully got out of the car and stepped onto the expensive red carpet laid at the door.

In the direction of the red carpet, they could see sparkling crystal chandeliers and luxurious decorations. Beautiful hostesses who look like stars stood on both sides. They bowed slightly and say, “Welcome.”

Just when they were at a loss as to what to do, they looked up and saw An Yinong welcoming guests at the door.

He had his hair done today, and his already handsome face looked even better. He was also wearing a particularly nice navy blue suit. They didn’t know what it was made of, but it would shimmer when light shone on it. When he raised his hand inadvertently, a bright light flashed from his delicate watch and the sapphire cufflinks.

The guests who came in in suits talked to him with smiles. He had a perfect smile on his face. He was not like the wealthy people in TV dramas who were covered in gold. Instead, he was low-key and friendly. However, for some reason, even though he was not blessed with luxury goods and gems, he still felt unfamiliar to his regular classmates.

At this moment, they suddenly realized that the person next to them was actually a “Little Prince”.

They walked by, practicing the first words they would say when they opened their mouths. Unexpectedly, An Yinong came up to them when he saw them and said, “Are you tired from the journey? The banquet will start soon. Why don’t you take a rest first?”

The other people at the door looked over, and they noticed that among them were some people who often appeared in newspapers. They were so nervous that they couldn’t speak.

“Here……”

An Yinong knew what was going on when he touched their cold fingers. They were probably too nervous. He patted their shoulders and asked them to relax a little. Then he called a waiter to help take these people to their seats.

Although there were no signs on the table, it was already determined who should sit with whom. An Yinong’s classmates had deskmates, and their deskmates were seated closer to the side. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see them, but he was worried that they would be uncomfortable.

The students were led in by the waiter, and they were very careful, fearing that they would make a fool of themselves if they did something wrong. Others just looked at them casually, neither enthusiastic nor contemptuous, but indifferent. Putting aside other external factors, this banquet was actually not much different from the banquets in their village, with round tables and groups of people.

They saw many people along the way, many of whom had been mentioned in newspapers and magazines. There was also a large stage in the middle, where a newly debuted idol group was performing.

Even after sitting down at a round table, these students still had wooden faces and were unable to recover from their shock. Everything was so bizarre and like a dream.

Standing at the door with He Chengjue, An Yinong’s face was stiff with smile as he tried to remember these “uncles and aunts”. Socializing was really tiring, and remembering so many people’s names and positions in a short time was a test of memory.

He suddenly wanted to find an assistant who would stop doing anything else and help him identify people and tell who these people who were all dressed similarly were.

A luxury car stopped at the door, and the parking valet walked over and opened the door, and two mature women with great temperament came out. They were Li Yufeng’s sisters, and both were An Yinong’s aunts.

The original owner’s mother, Li Yufeng, was an orphan who was adopted by the owner of a drama troupe. That’s why her marriage to He Chengjue was called a fairy tale story of Cinderella and the prince.

“Third aunt, fourth aunt.” He came forward, and He Chengjue patted his nose and retreated to avoid being caught and scolded by these two sharp-tongued women.

“It’s only been a few days since I last saw you. Tiantong is already an adult now. I still remember you crying and calling for your mom in your pajamas. Right, Old Four?”

“Yes, he was afraid of thunder.” His third aunt played the role of an old man, so her voice was deeper.

Facing elders who knew about his dark history, An Yinong could only smile and send them into the hall: “Mom is already waiting for the third and fourth aunts inside, the other aunts can come in later.”

When they entered, they saw the table for relatives and friends. There were already quite a few people sitting there. Li Yufeng was entertaining some guests. She looked better after her divorce.

As soon as An Yinong entered, he was caught and his face and head were rubbed, and then he was asked about his occupation, hobbies, and girlfriend.

After being teased enough by everyone, he returned to the door, and the mouse He Chengjue, who was playing hide-and-seek, came over: “Third Aunt, she’s so mean, I don’t want to run into her.”

The two of them continued to stand at the door to enjoy the fresh air while they chatted and discussed current affairs with these guests whom they rarely saw on weekdays. Suddenly he heard other guests’ exclamations. He looked up and saw a row of five black cars driving in, looking particularly imposing.

He Chengjue’s expression changed slightly: “What a disgusting fellow.”

After a while, five cars stopped at the door. Before the valet driver came over, a burly man wearing sunglasses got out of the seat and opened the door of the back seat. A gentle and handsome man walked out from inside. He was wearing a black Tang suit and a emerald green jade ring on his finger.

“Thank you, Master Jiu.” He Chengjue walked up with a polite smile, “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come to my son’s coming-of-age ceremony. It brings honor to our humble home.”

Xie Jiu stretched out his hand and shook He Chengjue’s: “Your son is a man of great stature and manners. It’s really enviable to have such an outstanding child.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Tiantong, say hello.” He Chengjue said.

“Uncle Jiu.” An Yinong called him obediently, showing that he was honest. It was hard to tell how he had set fire to the old house while calling him “Brother Yu” a few days ago.

Xie Jiu pursed his lips.

“Here, this is Uncle Jiu’s birthday gift.” The man put a small box in his hand and said with a smile, “Open it later.”

An Yinong held the box and watched him walk in: If this wasn’t in public, he would have kissed him until he blushed.

After that, he continued to stay with He Chengjue and receive relatives, friends, and high-ranking officials.

Several well-known figures from the police and political circles showed up for the coming-of-age ceremony of a grandson who was not the heir. According to Zhang Wei and others, they were people who often appeared in the news, which showed the He family’s status in the wealthy circle.

But he was not at all arrogant, and he did not think that he had ascended to heaven overnight and became a celestial dragon. What celestial dragon would have to worry about not being able to hand in the drawings the next day at his own birthday party?

Help, why did he feel like he was in danger? He had an appointment with Editor Qian to hand in the manuscript of the new comic tomorrow? He did have the manuscript for the third book in the Monster City series, but he was still a few pages short of “Meeting the Dragon”, and the progress had been left for ten days.

He felt like he had just wasted a few days, so how come it was suddenly time to submit the manuscript?

“The Mystery of the Disappearance of Time”.

He would go back to work on the manuscript after the party was over, he thought painfully.