DASFAM_CH 17
Dong—Dong—Dong—
The heavy chimes of the antique pendulum clock in the center of the banquet hall echoed, signaling the official start of the evening feast.
The attendees were long accustomed to such high-class gatherings. Following past experience, they each began searching for the seats marked with their family name.
Bai Xu withdrew his gaze from the second floor, standing still as he leisurely scanned the dining tables on both sides. However, he failed to spot any nameplate bearing the 'Shang' family name.
Coincidentally, Song Qiancheng was seated at the long dining table on the right. Noticing that Bai Xu had yet to find his seat, he sneered and exchanged a glance with a young master beside him—
Mess with him?
The other instantly understood and chuckled, "Leave it to me."
Turning slightly, he called out to Bai Xu, "Bai Xu, can't find your seat? Take my advice. Just have a servant add a chair at the end of the table. One more person at our table won't make a difference anyway."
His voice was loud enough to draw the attention of several guests.
"......"
Bai Xu searched his mind for these 'familiar' faces. Meeting their insincere gazes, he was about to react when a voice suddenly came from beside him.
“Mr. Bai.”
Bai Xu shifted his gaze and saw that it was the head assistant responsible for organizing the entire banquet.
In front of everyone, the assistant remained impeccably respectful, “Director Chun was unaware that you would be representing the Shang family tonight, so we neglected to make the proper arrangements. We sincerely apologize.”
With a polite gesture, he continued, “Your seat is in the front row at the main table.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of those around them shifted. Shock, surprise, disdain, and skepticism flickered across their faces.
The assistant, however, paid no attention to their reactions. He simply raised his hand again in invitation, “Please, follow me.”
“……”
Seeing this special treatment, Bai Xu understood the situation perfectly—
Sun Miaochun was giving the Shang family the status it deserved, and he was merely benefiting from the prestige by association.
He knew that in high-society banquets like this, flattery and social maneuvering were inevitable. Since he had been handed this opportunity to elevate his status, he accepted it without hesitation.
Turning the black ring on his finger, Bai Xu glanced meaningfully at Song Qiancheng and the others.
As he took his seat in the front row of the main table under the assistant’s guidance, the guests exchanged looks, whispering among themselves.
“Why is Bai Xu representing the Shang family? Is he really that close to Third Young Master Shang?”
“What else could it be? It’s already a done deal.”
“I bet the Shang family just doesn’t want to publicly announce this ‘marriage to ward off bad luck’. Who knows if Shang Yanxiao will ever wake up?”
“Bai Xu may look like he’s struck gold now, but who knows what his future will hold?”
“The Bai family is small and insignificant. Bai Xu only has the title of ‘young master’ in name. If it weren’t for Shang Yanxiao’s accident, there’d be a long line of noble families eager to arrange a marriage. He’d never have had a chance.”
The murmurs continued, with curious glances occasionally cast his way.
Yet, at the center of all this speculation, Bai Xu remained unfazed, sitting calmly in his seat as if he couldn’t hear a thing.
"......"
Song Qiancheng stared at Bai Xu’s back, recalling the faint disdain in his eyes just moments ago. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "F*ck, what are you pretending to be?
He just a nominal 'young master' in every previous banquet he attended, wasn’t he always just a joke to them? Now, riding on the Shang family’s coattails, did he really think he had become someone important?
Remembering the embarrassing incidents Bai Xu had caused in the past, Song Qiancheng finally felt a little better, “What about that waiter? He better not back out and ruin the fun.”
“Relax, didn’t we just ‘properly’ instruct him again? If he does what he’s told, he gets a tip. If not, he loses his job. Such an easy choice.”
His companion lowered his voice, still looking just as carefree, “All we have to do now is sit back and enjoy the show.”
Song Qiancheng felt a bit more at ease, “Yeah.”
Bai Xu was, at his core, nothing but a cowardly pushover. The more he tried to act impressive now, the more humiliating it would be when his true colors were exposed.
Just as he was thinking this, the head assistant stepped to the front of the banquet hall and announced, “Honored guests, before we officially begin, Director Chun has asked me to extend her apologies—”
“Due to a sudden physical discomfort, she will need to rest briefly before joining us. In the meantime, please enjoy your dinner.”
“……”
Bai Xu shifted his gaze toward the second floor, a trace of doubt rising in his mind.
He was certain that the person he had locked eyes with just now was Sun Miaochun. The way she observed everything from above, with an air of control and scrutiny, didn’t seem like someone suffering from a sudden physical ailment.
Besides, in the original novel, Sun Miaochun was described as 'both an ally and an enemy, both righteous and cunning'. Why did this banquet feel more like a carefully orchestrated test?
“Mr. Bai?”
The head assistant approached him, “What are you looking at?”
Bai Xu countered with a question, “Nothing. Is Director Chun alright?”
The head assistant remained perfectly composed, “I heard it’s just an old issue with heart palpitations. She just needs a moment to recover.”
“Is that so? Then she should get some proper rest.”
Bai Xu wasn’t entirely convinced, but his gaze shifted to the empty seat directly across from him. Casually, he asked, “Who is supposed to be sitting here? Why is it empty?”
Being placed at this table meant the person opposite him likely had a family background on par with the Shang family.
“Oh, that seat is reserved for the young master of the Zhang family. He should already be here... strange, where did he go?” The assistant glanced around before excusing himself, “Mr. Bai, please enjoy your meal. I’ll have someone look for Young Master Zhang.”
Hearing the name, Bai Xu’s eyes flickered with intrigue, “Alright.”
…
The banquet proceeded in an orderly manner, with uniformed waiters moving gracefully among the guests, continuously providing attentive services such as refilling wine and serving dishes.
Before long, a waiter approached Bai Xu’s side.
Bending down, he took away Bai Xu’s unfinished glass of red wine and replaced it with a new one from his tray, "Good evening, Mr. Bai, allow me to refresh your glass."
Such a practice, switching out red wine at the right time to maintain its optimal taste, was nothing out of the ordinary at a high-end banquet.
Bai Xu lifted his gaze without any visible reaction, an innate sense of control subtly emanating from him.
"......"
The waiter met his gaze and flinched for a moment, his hand unconsciously trembling as he set down the wine glass with slightly more force than intended.
Bai Xu keenly noticed, “Wait.”
The waiter swallowed nervously, “Huh?”
Now Bai Xu was even more certain something was off. Right in front of the waiter, he lifted the glass to his nose, his exposed wrist tilting it with an elegant motion, causing the liquid inside to swirl and shimmer under the light.
It should have been a captivating sight, but in the waiter's eyes, it was the prelude to disaster.
Bai Xu’s gaze turned slightly cold. He took a shallow sip, just enough to confirm his suspicion.
As expected, beneath the rich fruity aroma, there was a faint bitterness that didn’t belong. Subtle, but unmistakable.
In the real world, Bai Xu had never come from a poor background. He had attended numerous private banquets in the past, and after starting his own business, he had been to countless corporate events where fine wine flowed freely.
He knew how to drink, and more importantly, he knew how to taste.
Sensing something was wrong, Bai Xu decided to probe further, “Who told you to do this?”
His voice was calm, without causing alarm, yet it carried an undeniable pressure.
The waiter was panicking inside but forced himself to feign ignorance, “What?”
“Still pretending?” Bai Xu’s tone dropped another degree, his suspicion now confirmed. This reaction, so obviously guilty. The wine had clearly been tampered with.
He let out a cold chuckle, “If you don’t talk, all the blame falls on you.”
An ordinary waiter, just doing his job for a paycheck, would never take such a risky action, one that could cost him his livelihood, unless he was coerced or enticed by someone else.
The waiter hadn’t expected Bai Xu to catch on so quickly, and now he was inwardly panicking.
The wine had indeed been laced with a special 'enhancement' drug. The dosage wasn’t high, but it was enough to ensure the victim would lose control and embarrass themselves in public.
He hadn’t wanted to get involved in such a petty and malicious scheme, so as soon as Song Qiancheng gave the order, he reported it to the assistant. But the response he received was:
"Do as you're told. If anything happens, someone will take care of it."
Now, faced with Bai Xu’s interrogation, the waiter instinctively glanced toward the long table on his right, toward the true mastermind behind this. But he didn’t dare utter a word.
Bai Xu followed his line of sight, and in an instant, his target was confirmed.
So it was Song Qiancheng and his pack of clueless, spoiled rich brats playing their little games again, treating him as their source of entertainment.
Too bad for them. This time, they had completely miscalculated.
Even without the backing of the Shang family, Bai Xu had never been the type to let a grudge slide.
He poured a small amount of the tainted wine into an empty glass as evidence, then rose to his feet.
The heavy chair legs scraped softly against the carpet, not loud, but enough to draw the attention of those seated nearby.
Someone noticed him standing with the wine glass in hand and couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master Bai? What’s the matter?”
That question drew even more eyes to him.
Bai Xu didn’t answer. Instead, he walked straight toward the mastermind lurking behind the scenes and called him out directly.
“Young Master Song.”
Song Qiancheng, still reclining comfortably, glanced at the waiter who stood frozen in place. That single look told him that something had gone wrong with the wine.
Yet, he felt no guilt whatsoever. In fact, he didn’t even bother getting up to deal with the situation. Instead, he smirked lazily.
“Oh? What’s this about? I thought Young Master Bai had flown up the ranks like a phoenix, too high to care about us mere mortals.”
Bai Xu chuckled softly, his expression warm and gentle, but deep within his eyes, a chilling sharpness lurked.
"How could that be?"
Bai Xu's smile was gentle, but deep in his pupils lay a hidden coldness, "It's rare for Young Master Song to think so highly of me, even going so far as to send me such a grand gift on an occasion like this. I figured I should return the favor."
"......"
Song Qiancheng glanced quickly at his wine glass, momentarily at a loss for words. "Return the favor? I think that won’t be necessa—"
— Splash!
Bai Xu showed no regard for the occasion and flung the wine forcefully.
The liquid splattered all over Song Qiancheng’s face, soaking his suit and shirt. Gasps rippled through the crowd as many guests struggled to process what had just happened.
What’s going on?
Everything was fine, why did Bai Xu suddenly throw his drink?
Song Qiancheng’s eyes widened in disbelief, and his group of sycophantic friends stood there, equally stunned.
"Bai Xu! Are you out of your mind?"
"F*ck!"
Song Qiancheng grabbed a wet napkin and wiped his face hastily, his anger flaring. Just as he was about to explode, Bai Xu beat him to it, swinging the wine glass and smashing it against his head.
Bang!
Dazed but not concussed.
The impact shattered the glass, sending shards to the floor, leaving only a short stem in Bai Xu’s grip. The jagged edge gleamed with a cold, menacing light.
In the next second, Bai Xu pressed it swiftly and precisely against Song Qiancheng’s throat, his voice low and threatening.
"Make another sound, and see what happens."
“……”
“……”
The sudden turn of events startled many guests, and Song Qiancheng and his entourage were completely stunned—
Wait, what?
When did Bai Xu change his temperament?
How did he suddenly dare to make a move in front of everyone? Had he lost his mind?
Song Qiancheng’s father sprang to his feet in a panic, “Bai Xu! I’m warning you! Deliberately harming someone is a crime! Even if the Shang family is backing you, the Song family will pursue this to the end!”
“A crime?”
Bai Xu cast a cold glance at him, “Where were you when your son drugged my drink? Why didn’t you step up then and say that was a crime?”
“I was merely returning the favor, yet now, Mr. Song, you’re the one acting all righteous and outraged?”
“……”
Mr. Song was stunned. He had no idea this had happened.
At this moment, Song Qiancheng had completely forgotten about the pain on his forehead. Even his breathing seemed to stop.
One of his friends was the first to react, blurting out a blatant lie, “D-Do you have any proof? This banquet is hosted by Director Chun. No matter how reckless we are, we’d never joke about something like that!”
“Exactly!”
Song Qiancheng regained a bit of his confidence, “Bai, Bai Xu, just because you have the Shang family behind you doesn’t mean you can throw your weight around and act lawlessly! Murder comes with consequences, do you really dare?”
Bai Xu pressed the sharp glass shard half an inch closer, “Wanna bet?”
Song Qiancheng felt the terrifyingly calm madness radiating from Bai Xu. His rigid back was drenched in cold sweat, and his breathing turned unsteady.
Bet?
How the hell could he bet on something like this?
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the entrance of the hall.
“Whether Bai Xu dares or not, I can’t say. But as for the proof you’re looking for, I’ve got it right here!”
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