Chapter 58: Chapter 58: What’s happening over there?
Editor: Noodletown Translations
In one corner of the banquet hall stood a row of tables laden with various cheeses, biscuits, and fruits. Several tables were filled with exquisite pastries, along with two enormous cake towers standing five layers high. At this moment, two chefs were standing by with knives at the ready. Mu Fan gazed at the golden, fluffy texture of the cheesecake nearby and a pile of desserts he had never encountered before, let alone named: honeycomb cake, Miluo pudding, soft-centered jam bread…
Occasionally, someone would pass by and pick up a small, elegant portion to eat. These were pre-dinner desserts provided for the guests, available for casual sampling.
Mu Fan’s eyes widened; he had never in his life seen such delicious-looking food. It was like a mountain laid before him, free for the taking, yet surprisingly few people seemed interested in the vast array of desserts.
He couldn’t hold back his drool! With determined eyes, Mu Fan fixed his gaze on a plate of untouched butter bread and slowly edged his way over.
A dark, mocking voice came through his headset again, “Mu Fan, you never cease to amaze me…”
…
“Distinguished guests, thank you for attending this banquet aimed at promoting Loga Star’s commercial prosperity. I also hope to use your esteemed presence to encourage my son’s journey towards the Federation’s major exams. Tonight, everyone is encouraged to enjoy themselves. Guest rooms have been prepared within the villa, so feel free to have fun without worry of returning home. Without further ado, let the banquet begin!” A commanding middle-aged man appeared behind the second-floor railing, his magnetic voice resonating throughout the venue. As his announcement ended, a wave of applause erupted.
Wayne, the biological father of the chubby Harry, stood of average height, donned in a well-fitting black tailcoat. His bright eyes exuded an extraordinary aura, though it was unfortunate that his son’s physique did not inherit his father’s fitness. At that moment, music began to play, marking the clock striking six in the afternoon. “Let the banquet begin!” His perfectly timed words created an excellent opening.
Wayne took a glass of red wine from a nearby servant’s tray and descended the stairs, starting to greet and clink glasses with the guests in the hall.
The atmosphere inside the hall was quite lively. The smiles on the faces of the young men and women indicated they were more easily influenced by the ambiance; however, the representatives sent by various families mostly wore perfunctory smiles. Some older individuals had rather cautious expressions. They showed up partly to not lose face with Wayne, but also because Wayne’s sudden announcement of a banquet, even with an explanation, seemed too far-fetched. There was undoubtedly an unknown agenda behind this, and the merchant families, with their keen insight into human nature, had a distinct opportunism driving them to send representatives to feel out the whispers behind the banquet.
In a relatively quiet corner of the hall, several dozen meters away, about twenty people had gathered.
The chubby boy in the small suit was conspicuously among them. At the moment, he wore an obliging smile, despite the fact that those around him, even dressed in formal attire, couldn’t hide their youthful appearances. They were all peers.
The chubby boy wiped the sweat off his face, even though his father was hosting the banquet, this group of people gave him no face at all, mocking him verbally.
For example, there was Conroe, the son from the Minister of Finance of Loga Star. At this moment, he sat on a leather sofa with his legs crossed, commenting on the family’s banquet.
“I say, chubby, your family’s standard is still a bit lacking. There are too many people, and it’s a bit too mixed. When we attended the councilman’s gathering earlier, those present probably saw us from Loga Star as having the lowest status. By the way, Fleming, you were there too, your father took you to the side of the venue. You said that kind of atmosphere, that understated luxury, isn’t that something we should really learn from?” said a pale-skinned youth, his eyes slightly sunken, and a lascivious gaze. It was Conroe, Harry’s classmate.
As he finished speaking, he did not look at the chubby boy nor at the youth named Fleming, but casually glanced with slight eye movements, observing a place to his right where groups of girls were chatting quietly with one another. His gaze constantly shifted, trying to catch sight of a particular one among them.
A youth with squinty eyes next to him immediately puffed his chest when Conroe mentioned him and commented, “Yeah, Conroe indeed has broad experience. We had the privilege of attending, thanks to your father. That venue was set on a ghost ship interstellar cruise; the grandeur was simply immense, tsk tsk…”
Among this group, there were those who were just there to watch the spectacle or ingratiate themselves with someone, but they all shared one commonality: Harry’s status in this group was not particularly high.
Sigh, who knows where Mu Fan went. He didn’t even inform me when he arrived. Harry’s nature was somewhat timid, eternally the bullied one. Conroe’s status surpassed his own, and he dared not talk back, so he could only respond timidly.
Conroe, riding on his father’s coattails, regarded Harry’s family with contempt. He claimed to be attending for the sake of his classmate when, in truth, he was drawn by the rumor that a distant cousin had arrived. As for how distant, as Harry’s father put it, he left the Blue Capital Star when that cousin’s mother was still a child, with recent discussions considering reintegrating Loga into the family.
The cousin was considered a beauty sought after by thousands, but Harry had never seen her before. This time she arrived tasked to communicate alongside her father, a Deacon of the family.
Upon meeting her, indeed, she was stunning, her beauty immediately placing her above the standard of the inhabitants of Loga Star. But Harry and his father were unlikely to hold any fondness for her. The Fowen Consortium had risen and now sought to reclaim family ties, when they hadn’t bothered approaching for exchanges in the past.
Who knows how Conroe caught wind of this, but upon hearing that a great beauty from Blue Capital Star would attend the banquet, he, ever the lecherous one, hustled Harry into inviting him.
Wasn’t Conroe glancing in the cousin’s direction now?
With inner frustration, Harry continued wiping his sweat and smiling apologetically.
Sigh, truly none of this group could be called friends. Who knows where Mu Fan disappeared to without a word of arrival.
“Hey, chubby, you’re still smiling. Speak up! Mister Conroe asked you a question,” a youth beside him spoke up. He was from a medium-scale business family, always a lackey for Conroe.
“Huh? It was too noisy earlier, I didn’t catch that. What was it?” This time Harry genuinely hadn’t heard.
“I said, are you so fat that your earholes are clogged?” Inserting a note of sarcasm sparked laughter among many present.
“Harry, you’re having a great time chatting with your classmates, aren’t you?” Suddenly, Harry’s dad, holding a wine glass, approached. The boys stopped laughing, and even Conroe reined himself in a bit.
“Greet everyone for Harry, Master Conroe, please convey my regards to your father.” Wayne raised his glass with a smile.
Conroe did not overstep this time, replying obediently, “Certainly, thank you, Uncle Wayne.”
“Absolutely, enjoy the food and the fun, everyone. I need to talk about some matters in a room, farewell, young gentlemen,” Wayne, with a standard smile, waved a goodbye to the youths and proceeded with several others towards the VIP room.
The group of boys, “Goodbye.”
As Wayne and his entourage disappeared from view, laughter erupted once again.
“Hahaha! Chubby, we’re having a great time chatting, aren’t we?” A group of them mimicked the phrase.
“Chubby, if only you had half your dad’s abilities,” even Conroe adopted an old-fashioned attitude, lecturing Harry.
“Hehe, I eat twice as much,” Harry scratched his head, trying to lighten the mood.
Indeed, the atmosphere lifted with laughter, even the girls conversing nearby turned their gazes towards the commotion.
Noticing the girls’ attention, Conroe stood up, pretentiously adjusted his bow tie, and looked back towards them.
His nearby friends initially intended to follow their leader’s gaze, yet were caught by the sight of commotion at the opposite end of the hall, drawing several people there to turn and watch.
Observing the lackeys’ reactions, Conroe frowned, thinking they were tactless but cleared his throat and asked, “What’s happening over there?”
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