Rong Ci sat right next to Nan Zhizhi.
However, Nan Zhizhi was busy speaking with Old Madam Rong and hadn't yet found the time to acknowledge her.
She turned her head and whispered to Yu Moxun, "Thanks."
She could sense that ever since Nan Zhizhi arrived, her grandmother had truly brightened up.
Yu Moxun shrugged. "Don't thank me. The professor only replied to me after seeing your project proposal from a while back. I simply told him what was happening here, and he decided to come. So, if you want to thank anyone, thank yourself."
Just as Rong Ci was about to speak, she heard someone gasp, "Feng... Feng Tingshen?"
Rong Ci hesitated for a moment. As she turned around, she saw Feng Tingshen's silhouette appearing at the entrance.
Under the collective gaze of the crowd, he walked toward her grandmother with steady, composed steps. "Happy birthday."
As his words fell, he presented a gift box with both hands. "I wasn't sure if you liked the gift I prepared previously, so I prepared another one. I hope you enjoy it."
Old Madam Rong truly hadn't expected Feng Tingshen to show up.
Seeing him there, her face showed no sign of joy.
Though the Sun family had been shameless in causing today's incident, they wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant in Ducheng if he hadn't been their backing.
Still, as the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling faceand with so many eyes watching, the old lady accepted the gift. Her tone was polite but distant. "Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you."
Then, she turned to a nearby waiter. "Please bring another chair and a set of cutlery."
Feng Tingshen was not displeased by the old lady's coldness. Noticing Nan Zhizhi nearby, he greeted him calmly, "Mr. Nan."
Nan Zhizhi gave a cold, brief nod.
Seeing Rong Ci looking his way, Feng Tingshen glanced at her as well. He then had the waiter place his chair between Rong Ci and Nan Zhizhi and sat down.
Upon seeing Nan Zhizhi, the guests on the Rong family's side immediately began spreading the news that "Nan Zhizhi has come to celebrate Old Madam Rong's birthday."
In less than two minutes, the news reached the Sun family's side.
The guests at the Sun family's banquet were stunned.
"The Rong family actually has such powerful connections?"
"I have no idea. Hey, isn't that Yu Moxun in the photo? That beauty next to him is actually CEO Rong's niece? I've never heard CEO Rong mention her before. But if she's his niece, then everything makes sense."
"How so?"
"She attended the tech exhibition with Yu Moxun a while back. The two youngsters seem very close; good news might be on the horizon for them."
The Yu family was a formidable powerhouse, and Changmo was developing exceptionally well. It was said that Nan Zhizhi held high expectations for his student, Yu Moxun.
If Rong Changsheng's granddaughter really ended up with Yu Moxun, it would mean the Rong family had suddenly gained a wave of incredibly powerful influence.
Thinking of it that way, the Rong family was certainly not to be underestimated.
Neither the Lin family nor the Rong family expected Nan Zhizhi to actually attend the grandmother's birthday banquet.
Seeing the guests begin to re-evaluate their relationship with the Rong family because of Yu Moxun and Nan Zhizhi's presence, the Sun family's expressions turned ugly.
Sun Liyao didn't pay much attention to national news. She knew Lin Wu wanted to study under someone, but since she didn't care about such things, she hadn't bothered to remember the man's name.
She asked, "Who is this Nan Zhizhi? Why is everyone reacting so strongly? Is he a big deal?"
Lin Wu replied expressionlessly, "He is a world-class figure in the AI Field who can speak on behalf of the nation. He is also my ideal mentor."
Sun Liyao froze. "He's that impressive?"
She continued, "So that's why my uncle was so angry at Rong Ci beforebecause she made you lose the chance to get in touch with such a big figure?"
"Yes."
Sun Liyao huffed. "She really is shameless!"
At that point, she felt annoyed again. "Why would such a powerful person go to that old woman's birthday? Are they very close?"
"No," Lin Wu said coldly. "They are barely acquaintances at best."
In her view, Rong Ci only knew Nan Zhizhi through Yu Moxun. Nan Zhizhi appearing at the Rong family home today was likely a favor to Yu Moxun.
Sun Liyao nodded. "Oh, well that's fine then."
He Changbai and Qi Yuming were sitting at the table next to Lin Wu, not far behind her.
He Changbai had been dining quietly, but when he heard someone mention that Nan Zhizhi had gone to the Rong family's banquet, he paused. "The Rong family banquet?"
Qi Yuming explained, "Oh, today is also the birthday of Rong Ci's grandmother. They are holding their celebration on the same day as this housewarming. The guest lists overlap quite a bit, but because of the relationship between Tingshen and Lin Wu, most of the shared guests came here."
He hadn't known about this beforehand either; he had only just overheard it in the banquet hall.
He Changbai realized something. "So you're saying the Rong family's side is basically empty right now?"
Qi Yuming shrugged. "Exactly. Word is that three-quarters of the tables are vacant."
At this, he laughed. "Watching so many guests leave without being able to stop them... it's honestly quite pitiful"
While his mouth said they were pitiful, his tone was clearly overflowing with schadenfreude.
He Changbai's expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly stood up.
Qi Yuming was startled. "What's wrong?"
He Changbai said, "I need to make a call."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away quickly.
Seeing He Changbai leave in a hurry, Lin Wu and Sun Liyao both looked over.
Lin Wu asked, "Where did Changbai go?"
"He has something urgent and went to make a call."
"Oh..."
Lin Wu didn't ask further. There was an empty seat next to her. It was reserved for Feng Tingshen.
Old Madam Lin checked the time and said, "Xiao Wu, hasn't Tingshen arrived yet? Why don't you give him a nudge?"
Lin Wu had the same thought. She took out her phone to call Feng Tingshen, but the call wouldn't go through.
Many guests had come to attend the Sun family's housewarming banquet today. The Sun family members were going from table to table to toast the guests, socializing and networking.
Lin Wu was naturally indispensable to this process. After all, most of the guests had only come for her sake. Furthermore, with Lin Wu present, the guests would certainly give them more face.
Seeing them approach for a toast, the guests politely stood up.
After a few pleasantries, someone asked, "Miss Lin, has CEO Feng not arrived yet?"
Lin Wu replied, "He's on his way. He'll be here shortly."
Just as the words left her mouth, someone not far away said, "My friend just told me that CEO Feng went to the Rong family's place too."
"CEO Feng went to the Rong family? Is... is that true?"
"The photos are already out, how could it be fake? See for yourself if you don't believe me."
"This... this really is CEO Feng!"
Everyone turned their eyes toward Lin Wu.
They weren't close to the Sun family. They had come here for the banquet partly to give Feng Tingshen face, and partly because the Rong family's business was currently in decline and unlikely to recover.
But now, not only had Nan Zhizhi gone to the Rong family, even Feng Tingshen had gone to celebrate Old Madam Rong's birthday.
In that case... what exactly were they doing here?
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