The hundred-day banquet was set at the Peninsula Hotel, one of the properties under the Shen family’s name.
Luxury cars lined the entrance, and Lauren Shaw trailed behind Mrs. Chen. Several ladies of high society noticed them and greeted them with warmth.
The banquet buzzed with excitement. Lauren Shaw had attended a few such gatherings with Mrs. Chen before, so the faces in the circle of wealthy women were mostly familiar now. She no longer found these events tiresome and dull as she once did.
"Mrs. Shen." Approaching them was Zhao Juan, the wife of Xue Wenchang.
Lauren Shaw remembered meeting her before at an art exhibition.
After greeting Mrs. Chen, Zhao Juan's gaze landed on Lauren Shaw. "Third Young Madam," she nodded politely.
Lauren Shaw returned the greeting with a smile. "Mrs. Xue."
She only had a passing acquaintance with Zhao Juan, but her impressions of the Snow family's second branch ran deeper.
"Did you come alone today?" Mrs. Chen asked with amiable interest. Perhaps it was that Zhao Juan was more easygoing—unlike the sharp and unreasonable couple from the Snow family's second branch.
It made sense, really; Sean Snow and Eva Snow were so different in temperament. Clearly, Zhao Juan was a smart woman.
Responding to Mrs. Chen, Zhao Juan nodded toward a table in the corner. "My family is all here."
Following her gaze, they noticed the whole Snow family seated at one table. Sean Snow gave them a wave in greeting.
The Eva Snow family, on the other hand, just cast them a cool glance before looking elsewhere.
After the scene at the Shen household that last time, the couple from the Xue branch had thoroughly offended Mrs. Chen. Now they didn’t even dare look directly at her, visibly guilty.
Lauren Shaw also noticed a man sitting next to Eva Snow—a stern-looking man, head bowed as if lost in thought.
Eva Snow shot Lauren Shaw a resentful look, a trace of hatred glinting in her eyes.
Lauren Shaw averted her gaze, choosing not to meet it.
After she and Mrs. Chen took their seats, Mrs. Chen suddenly remembered something. "I forgot the gift I prepared for the child."
"Where did you leave it?" Lauren Shaw asked immediately.
"It's in the car."
"I'll go get it." Lauren Shaw stood and headed outside.
She fetched the gift from the car and began walking back to the hotel.
Just upon entering the hotel lobby, there was a loud clang. She turned to see a celadon vase knocked to the ground in a corner—not broken, luckily.
A man in a wheelchair was awkwardly leaning over, struggling to retrieve it. His hands couldn’t quite reach, and it looked as though the wheelchair might tip at any moment.
Lauren Shaw hurried over, bent down, and set the vase upright.
"Thank you." The man looked up to thank her, and only then did she realize it was the same man who had been seated beside Eva Snow.
Seeing the thin blanket over his legs, Lauren Shaw felt a sudden pang of discomfort. She knew it was a bit impolite to stare at someone's legs this way.
She raised her head and met his gaze. "It’s nothing. Is there anything else I can help with?"
He shook his head, his eyes quietly assessing her. Now that she looked closer, his eyes were striking—deep, resilient—but the emotions hidden there were terribly complex.
"No, thank you."
Lauren Shaw withdrew her gaze, nodded with a faint smile, and stepped back inside.
Behind her, the man watched her retreating figure for a long while, until a security guard in a black suit and earpiece approached, handed him a phone, and said, "Young Master, your father’s on the line."
…
Lauren Shaw handed Mrs. Chen the gift and caught herself glancing again toward the Snow family table.
Xue Qiang and his wife looked distinctly uncomfortable—probably because of the man sitting next to Eva Snow earlier.
If she remembered right, Eva Snow’s wedding was scheduled for the end of this month, and her intended was, apparently, disabled. No wonder the couple seemed so troubled.
Tonight, Eva Snow herself looked thoroughly displeased. Although she clearly rejected this marriage, the Snow family followed the old patriarch’s word—she had little choice.
Mrs. Chen took the gift over to visit her friend’s chubby grandson, beaming with delight at the baby’s round cheeks.
Seeing Mrs. Chen so happy prompted a thought in Lauren Shaw—if she were to get pregnant, Mrs. Chen would overjoyed beyond measure.
Looking around, she recognized many of the guests—there were plenty of familiar faces at this gathering.
"Hugo Pierce," she called, unsure at first. Hugo Pierce turned around, confirming her guess.
"So it really is you! I thought I’d gotten the wrong person." She was understandably pleased to bump into a friend at such an event.
Hugo Pierce’s eyes lit up. "Lauren Shaw!"
"Are you here alone?" he asked, seeing her sitting by herself and assuming she’d come solo.
She shook her head. "No, and you?"
"It’s my friend’s kid’s hundred-day banquet today," he explained.
She glanced behind him, but didn’t see He Shuang anywhere.
"She didn’t come, I came alone," Hugo Pierce added, as if reading her thoughts.
Lauren Shaw nodded. "Your wedding to He Shuang is coming up soon, isn’t it? Don’t forget to invite me and Qingqing to your wedding feast!" she joked.
Hugo Pierce’s expression dimmed. "He Shuang and I have nothing to do with each other anymore."
Lauren Shaw was surprised. She’d met He Shuang before and knew that she liked Hugo Pierce very much. Hearing this news caught her off guard.
Just as she was about to say something, a voice interrupted from behind.
"Miss Li, what a coincidence—we meet again." Zhu Yurou had appeared at some point beside her. Her tone was light and flippant, making Lauren Shaw uncomfortable.
Lauren Shaw shot Zhu Yurou a cold look; lately, she’d found the woman increasingly annoying.
Zhu Yurou looked Lauren Shaw up and down, then turned her attention to Hugo Pierce, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You two know each other?"
"Does it matter if we do or don’t?" Lauren Shaw asked, puzzled.
Zhu Yurou just shrugged, feigning helplessness. "Let me introduce you—this is my younger brother. Of course I’d be concerned about my little brother. He grew up away from home and doesn’t understand many things, so I have to teach him how the world works."
Hugo Pierce is Zhu Yurou’s illegitimate half-brother? The revelation thoroughly stunned Lauren Shaw.
Hugo Pierce’s face, however, was tight with restraint. He didn’t respond to Zhu Yurou’s words.
Lauren Shaw knew what sort of person Zhu Yurou was—brimming with schemes and ambitions, with no scruples about using any means necessary to get what she wanted.
What good could Hugo Pierce expect to get from her?
Tonight had brought too many shocking revelations. Even gossip-loving Lauren Shaw felt almost overwhelmed.
"Dear little brother, Dad said plenty of business partners are attending tonight. He wants you to get familiar with them, since the company will be yours to manage in the future. Don’t forget how hard your sister’s worked for you," Zhu Yurou added with saccharine false affection, playing the sisterly card in a way that was both fake and infuriating, though it was impossible to openly take offense.