In the grand hall, all eyes turned towards Ye Cangtian.
Especially his uncle, Tang Yongchang, who couldn't help but feel a flicker of schadenfreude. Was the engagement contract fake? Had the old man not arranged this marriage back then?
He couldn't help but sternly question, "Ye Cangtian, tell us honestly, did you forge this marriage contract? Was your goal to latch onto our Tang family?"
Ye Cangtian remained silent for a long moment, then suddenly smiled.
He looked up at Old Master Tang and said, "Grandfather, I don't know if the marriage contract is real or fake. But the contract is just a formality. My love for Xin Wan cannot be replaced by a piece of paper!"
Old Master Tang did not speak, but Tang Yongchang sneered, "Dad, did you hear him? His words clearly indicate the contract is fake. I suspect this kid is after our Tang family's fortune!"
"I really don't fancy your Tang family's meager fortune!"
Ye Cangtian shrugged. What was the Tang family's asset value? His Death God squad could earn more than that in just one or two missions.
"Nonsense!" Tang Yongchang said with a mocking tone. While the Tang family wasn't a top-tier family, each of their operating companies was valued in the hundreds of millions.
Old Master Tang turned his gaze to Tang Xin Wan and asked, "Xin Wan, what do you say?"
Tang Xin Wan bit her lip and replied, "Grandfather, Ye Cangtian is right. Whether the contract is real or fake isn't important. What matters is our feelings for each other."
Old Master Tang nodded, then said, "Bring the marriage contract here. Let Grandpa see it!"
Tang Xin Wan nodded, took out the marriage contract, and handed it over.
Old Master Tang took the contract and looked at it, sighing deeply. He murmured, "I can't believe eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye! Ye Cangtian, has the Benefactor been well all these years?"
Benefactor?
Could he be referring to that old immortal?
Ye Cangtian's expression turned peculiar. Seeing Old Master Tang looking at him, he nodded, "That old fellow is in great spirits and travels around a lot. I haven't seen him in a long time!"
"The Benefactor is still the same as he was, traveling far and wide, upholding justice, and witnessing the myriad of life!"
Old Master Tang's eyes showed reminiscence. After a while, seeing everyone in the hall looking at him strangely, he waved his hand with a smile. "Everyone, you may leave. Your Grandfather and your prospective grandson have some private matters to discuss!"
Prospective grandson? The Tang family members were surprised. Judging by the Old Master's expression, it seemed the marriage contract was indeed real.
Mu Fangyuan was the first to stand up and leave with Xiao Yurong. He understood Old Master Tang's feelings better than anyone present, as the mysterious Senior Zhou had left a profound impression.
All the Tang family members followed suit. Tang Yongchang wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth, he dared not speak. He eventually gritted his teeth and retreated.
Soon, only Old Master Tang and Ye Cangtian remained in the hall.
Old Master Tang smiled and said, "Ye Cangtian, since you are my prospective grandson, you won't mind if I call you Xiao Ye, right? Do you know the origin of this marriage contract?"
"Please tell me, Grandfather!" Ye Cangtian nodded. He naturally didn't know. The old fellow kept everything from him, and he only found out about the marriage contract last month.
Old Master Tang sighed and then slowly recounted the events of the past.
Back then, their Tang family had encountered misfortune and moved their entire clan to Yangzhou, where they established themselves. However, their enemies relentlessly pursued them, and the Tang family was almost annihilated.
Finally, a powerful figure surnamed Zhou appeared and, with a wave of his hand, eliminated the perpetrators, allowing the Tang family to survive. Therefore, it was not an exaggeration for Old Master Tang to address him as Benefactor.
Later, that powerful figure surnamed Zhou rested at the Tang family's residence for a day. Upon seeing the young Tang Xin Wan, he jokingly proclaimed after having some drinks that he would grant the Tang family a great opportunity.
This opportunity was none other than this marriage contract!
Old Master Tang had initially believed this marriage contract to be a joke made by the Benefactor while drunk and did not take it seriously!
It wasn't that he was unwilling, but rather he felt the Tang family was not worthy of such a marriage!
Who would have thought that eighteen years later, the disciple of that powerful figure would indeed come seeking the contract?
"So, that old fellow made this marriage contract on a whim after getting drunk?" Ye Cangtian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "No wonder the old fellow arranged a marriage for me more than a decade ago."
"The Benefactor saved my Tang family back then, allowing us to survive! Now, Xiao Ye, you have saved this old man. It seems this is all destiny!" Old Master Tang sighed with emotion.
...
About half an hour later, the hall doors finally opened.
Ye Cangtian pushed Old Master Tang out from inside.
"Grandfather, the banquet is about to begin. I'll take Xin Wan to find a place to sit first!" Ye Cangtian said with a smile to Old Master Tang, then walked towards Tang Xin Wan.
Tang Xin Wan stared dumbfoundedly. Seeing Ye Cangtian approach her, she couldn't help but ask, "What did you just call my grandfather?"
"Grandfather!" Ye Cangtian replied as a matter of course.
Tang Xin Wan's expression was peculiar, and she looked at Ye Cangtian with a hint of displeasure. "Grandfather... he approves of you?"
Ye Cangtian grinned, a hint of pride in his voice, "Of course. The old man's judgment is even better than yours. He is very satisfied with me now."
Tang Xin Wan was somewhat speechless. What exactly had this fellow said to her grandfather? She could also tell that the Old Master was very pleased with Ye Cangtian, as his face had been beaming since they left the hall.
Seeing Ye Cangtian's smug demeanor, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and whisper, "Don't forget, we're only engaged by agreement. In a year, we..."
"In a year, we'll part ways amicably, and the engagement will be nullified. I know! I've heard it so many times it's made my ears calloused. Alright, the banquet is about to start, let's find a seat!" Ye Cangtian said helplessly.
Tang Xin Wan snorted. It's good that you know! I was just afraid you'd get carried away and forget our agreement!
The two quickly found seats among the Tang family members. The birthday banquet had sixty-six tables, filled not only with Tang family relatives and friends but also with distinguished families attending to offer their congratulations, as well as wealthy businessmen who had collaborated with the Tang family.
The birthday banquet soon commenced!
Some businessmen stepped forward to present gifts, and the highlight of the banquet began at this moment.
"Mr. Wang Sheng, General Manager of Zhao Group, presents a pair of jade bi!"
"Mr. Dong Sen, President of Fengyu Transportation Co., Ltd., presents a golden cicada!"
"Jintai Pharmaceuticals..."
One wealthy businessman after another had their gifts presented. Old Master Tang was well-connected in the business world, and these businessmen were showing him great respect on this occasion.
"Young Master He Chuan, heir of He Group, presents a genuine work by Ouyang Xun!"
Many were quite surprised to see that the young master of the He family had also come, and his gift was exceptionally generous. Presenting a genuine piece by the renowned calligrapher Ouyang Xun, a work valued at several million, was truly impressive.
Not far away, He Chuan looked pleased with himself and deliberately glanced in Ye Cangtian's direction.
Ye Cangtian remained unbothered, smiling and whispering in Tang Xin Wan's ear, "This Young Master He is quite wealthy! He gives away millions so casually, without even batting an eye."
Tang Xin Wan nodded. The He family was indeed very wealthy, involved in numerous industries, and held considerable sway in the business world.
Just then, it seemed someone else was presenting a gift.
"Ms. Liu Rumei, Mistress of Jinxiu Mountain Villa, presents ten stalks of hundred-year-old wild ginseng!"
The entire banquet suddenly fell silent!
Perhaps few people knew who Liu Rumei was, but almost everyone knew who the owner of Jinxiu Mountain Villa was.
That was the woman renowned in underground circles – the Black Widow!