As soon as Yang Chen took his seat, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Mr. Yang, I knew you'd come, so I came to meet you in advance," said a young man in formal attire as he walked over and sat in the empty seat beside Yang Chen.
Yang Chen gave Yang Wei a strange look. He hadn't expected the Yang family from Zhoucheng to be invited as well. But since the Yang family was already trying to use him, would Yang Wei still be so eager to chat if he knew Yang Chen's real purpose for being here?
Expressionless, Yang Chen picked up a cup of high-quality bamboo-leaf-green tea and took a sip before saying coldly, "If you don't want to be implicated by me, you'd better stay away."
"Huh?" Yang Wei was momentarily confused.
But soon, he noticed the gazes of several people in the banquet hall—Old Master Qin and Qin Fei, Wang Luyao from the Zhang family's side, and other guests who had witnessed Yang Chen openly provoking the Wang family earlier outside.
Yang Wei suddenly understood and smirked dismissively. "Just some small fry from insignificant families. Nothing to worry about."
Clearly, he had misunderstood Yang Chen's meaning. Even he knew that people like Qin Fei were mere nobodies—how could Yang Chen not know?
Yang Chen had no intention of wasting his breath explaining. He sat calmly, waiting for the perfect moment to make an example out of someone.
Though Yang Chen had no interest in dealing with certain people, some were eager to provoke him.
"Grandfather, I'm going to confront Yang Chen," Qin Fei said before Old Master Qin could stop him, striding over to Yang Chen's table.
"Young Master Yang, I didn't expect to see you here. Let me toast you with tea instead of wine," Qin Fei said with a fake smile, raising his teacup toward Yang Wei.
Yang Wei smiled faintly but made no move to pick up his own cup. He had already investigated Yang Chen's relationship with the Qin family. Though he wanted to use Yang Chen to maximize the Yang family's interests, compared to the Qins, Yang Chen was far more important.
Seeing Yang Wei refuse to raise his cup, Qin Fei masked his embarrassment with a strained smile, lightly tapped the bottom of his cup on the table, and took a sip.
"Yang Chen, I never thought a worthless son-in-law abandoned by his family would dare show his face at the Guan family's event," Qin Fei said, leaning back and swirling his teacup pretentiously, his eyes full of mockery.
He deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of many toward Yang Chen.
"Isn't that a junior from the Qin family?" someone remarked, looking at Qin Fei.
"Must be. I saw him arrive with Qin Kun, the Qin family head. Though I heard the Qins only got in by clinging to the Zhang family's coattails," another added with a sneer.
"And did that kid just say that young man was a useless son-in-law cast out by the Qins? Could he be the live-in husband who slept with Qin Kun's granddaughter five years ago?" someone else caught the key detail.
Whispers spread rapidly, and soon, everyone knew Yang Chen was the man from the scandal involving Qin Xi five years ago.
After all, Qin Xi's name was well-known throughout Jiangzhou, and the incident from five years ago had been infamous. Now that it was dredged up again, it became fresh gossip.
"But how did a worthless son-in-law named Yang Chen even get in?" many wondered aloud.
Yang Chen's tarnished reputation preceded him—they only knew him as the man from the scandal.
Naturally, they didn't know Yang Chen had snatched the invitation from Wang Jian. He had originally planned to bring Guan Xuefeng directly to settle debts, but upon realizing it was a birthday banquet, he decided to adjust his strategy.
He had been too low-key since returning to Jiangzhou, making people think he was an easy target. Now, it was time to make an example of someone.
Seeing Yang Chen ignore him, Qin Fei grew furious. "Yang Chen, you trash, did you sneak in? What right do you have to sit here?"
This time, his voice was even louder, drawing even more attention.
Yang Wei remained calmly seated beside Yang Chen, making no move to intervene—he was just here to watch the show.
If he helped Yang Chen now, where would the fun be?
With a mocking smile, Yang Chen asked, "Are you questioning the Guan family's competence?"
"Don't spout nonsense! How dare I doubt the Guan family?" Qin Fei paled in panic.
"Everyone entering this hall must have an invitation, and the Guan family's people checked them at the door. Since I'm inside, your suspicion implies their security is lax enough to let me slip in, doesn't it?" Yang Chen grinned.
"Shut your mouth! I just thought you might've sneaked in while the guards were distracted!" Qin Fei stammered nervously as several Guan family members glanced their way.
"Still denying it? You call me trash and claim I sneaked in—doesn't that mean the Guan family's security is so weak even trash like me can get through?" Yang Chen taunted.
Qin Fei's face twisted with rage. "Shut up!"
Just then, security was alerted, and several guards approached Yang Chen. The leader spoke respectfully, "Sir, we apologize for the disturbance, but we must ask you to verify your invitation."
Yang Chen smirked. "Even your own people doubt the Guan family's competence? You think I slipped in?"
Though he did have an invitation, Yang Chen was here to make trouble—why would he cooperate?
The head guard stiffened. Even if the guests were allies of the Guan family, none were people he could afford to offend lightly.
But tonight was Guan Zhengshan's birthday banquet. Any mistake would be unforgivable.
Swallowing hard, he said, "Please understand, sir. If this is our oversight, we will apologize."
Better to risk offending a guest than the Guan family.
The sudden appearance of so many guards drew the entire hall's attention.
All eyes were on Yang Chen, curious to see how he had gotten in.
Qin Fei's heart pounded. If Yang Chen had no invitation, he'd have scored points with the Guan family.
But what if Yang Chen did?
He'd earn the Guan family's displeasure instead. Now, he was trapped, unable to back down.
"Yang Chen, you must not have an invitation at all—that's why you're dodging the question!" Qin Fei doubled down, gritting his teeth.
Yang Chen's lips curled slightly. He tossed his invitation onto the table.
"Fine. If even the Guan family's own people doubt their security, I'll humor you. Check it again—see if it's fake, see if I really sneaked in."
The moment the invitation landed, Qin Fei's face drained of color.
The Guan family's invitations were like tickets—no names, just proof of entry.
After inspecting it, the guard immediately returned it with both hands.
"Sir, our deepest apologies. This is a genuine Guan family invitation. Please forgive our intrusion."