Many people had been waiting to see a joke, but now, they were all disappointed.
Qin Fei looked incredulous: "How is this possible? What qualifications does he have to receive an official invitation?"
Old Master Qin had gone to great lengths to obtain two invitations, yet now Yang Chen had also received one. Qin Fei couldn't accept this fact.
The security captain gave Qin Fei a cold look: "You'd better watch your words. I've personally verified this gentleman's invitation. Are you questioning my judgment?"
"Shut up!" Before Qin Fei could explain, Old Master Qin sharply reprimanded him.
"My apologies, it was my grandson Qin Fei's mistake. I, Qin Kun, hereby apologize to everyone present." Old Master Qin stood up and cupped his hands in apology to the surrounding guests.
Even though they were just security personnel, they represented the official family. Old Master Qin didn't dare offend them lightly.
Qin Fei's face twisted with humiliation, feeling as if everyone was mocking him.
Yang Wei watched the scene with interest, remaining silent until the matter settled. Then he deliberately remarked, "I told you! Mr. Yang is an honored guest of our Yang family. How could he come uninvited?"
This made Qin Fei's expression even uglier: "Young Master Yang, you must be mistaken. This guy is just a worthless son-in-law who was kicked out of our Qin family. What qualifications does he have to get an official invitation? Maybe he stole it from someone else."
Yang Chen remained silent, lifting a white porcelain teacup and taking a sip.
"Young Master Qin, you said this guy is the Qin family's worthless son-in-law. Could he be the little security guard who slept with your cousin five years ago?" A young man at the table suddenly asked with a laugh.
"Young Master Xu guessed right. It's this bastard. If not for this incident, our Qin family wouldn't have been humiliated for so many years."
Qin Fei was eager to dredge up old grievances, sneering at Yang Chen: "What's even worse is that after marrying into the family, this bastard disappeared for five years. Guess where he went?"
"Young Master Qin, stop keeping us in suspense. Just say it!" someone urged.
"Him? He went to join the army—for five whole years. He only came back a month ago." Qin Fei burst into laughter.
"Five years in the army? He must be amazing, right?" The same young man feigned surprise.
Everyone at the table was wealthy or influential. Why would they care about someone who'd spent five years as a soldier?
"Oh, he's amazing alright!" Qin Fei mocked. "They say he spent those five years raising pigs in the army. Hahahaha!"
"Hahaha..."
The entire table erupted in exaggerated laughter.
"Young Master Qin, he's still technically a Qin family son-in-law. Is he really that pathetic?"
Another young man teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Qin family son-in-law?" Qin Fei scoffed disdainfully. "That cheap wife of his is an idiot too, insisting on staying with this trash. Now their whole family's been kicked out by my grandfather. Don't you dare associate him with the Qin family anymore."
"Since when did my wife become your gossip material?"
Yang Chen's voice was calm as he gently set down the white porcelain cup, his gaze locked onto Qin Fei.
His face was sharp and angular, like a blade, his lips now curled in frosty indifference. His pitch-black pupils gleamed with a chilling light.
For a fleeting moment, Qin Fei thought he saw a flash of violet in Yang Chen's eyes.
Suddenly, the temperature in the banquet hall seemed to plummet. Everyone shivered involuntarily.
Qin Fei, directly under Yang Chen's stare, felt it most acutely. His body trembled as if he weren't facing a man but a demon from the depths of hell, filling him with terror.
But the illusion passed quickly. Suppressing his unease, Qin Fei snapped, "Isn't this common knowledge in Jiangzhou? Did I say anything wrong?"
"You're wrong."
Yang Chen's expression had completely vanished, his voice turning icy.
Qin Fei raised an eyebrow, confronting him head-on: "This is the truth. How am I wrong?"
Yang Chen replied indifferently: "Weren't all those things orchestrated by the Qin family, with your help, to take Sanhe Group from Qin Xi?"
The moment these words left his mouth, the surroundings fell deathly silent.
Even conversations at nearby tables ceased. Everyone stared at Yang Chen in shock.
Old Master Qin and Qin Fei were equally stunned. Qin Fei had indeed masterminded the incident back then, and Old Master Qin had only learned of it afterward. To secure Sanhe Group, he had suppressed the matter.
No one else knew the truth—so how did Yang Chen find out?
If this were exposed, the Qin family would be utterly disgraced.
Recently, thanks to the Yang family's investment and connections with prominent Jiangzhou families and businesses, the Qin family had been thriving.
Many people had been courting Qin Fei's favor, inflating his ego so much that he'd nearly forgotten how Yang Chen had almost killed him before.
Now, being publicly rebuked and having the truth from five years ago thrown in his face, Qin Fei burned with humiliation and rage.
"You dare spout nonsense at the official family's event? Do you even know how to write the word 'death'?"
Qin Fei shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury.
Yang Chen narrowed his eyes, cold light flickering in their depths: "I really don't. Why don't you teach me?"
Qin Fei's eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Emboldened by his status, he took a few steps forward until he stood right before Yang Chen, a cruel smirk twisting his lips: "Since you don't know, let me show you!"
As he spoke, he grabbed an unopened bottle of Romanée-Conti and swung it straight at Yang Chen's head.
The moment the bottle descended, Yang Chen's hand shot out like a phantom, clamping onto Qin Fei's wrist.
**Crack!**
A crisp sound rang out as Qin Fei's wrist bent at an unnatural angle, white bone protruding through torn flesh.
**"Ah—!"**
After a split second of silence, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the banquet hall.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at Yang Chen.
Unfazed, he picked up a napkin and meticulously wiped the blood from his hands—front and back.
Only then did he lift his gaze, locking onto Qin Fei: "Not just in Jiangzhou—even across the entire Nine Provinces, how many are truly qualified to teach me? You? You're not worthy."
Utterly domineering!
That single question turned Qin Fei's blood to ice. Strangely, the terror in his heart outweighed even the agony of his shattered wrist.
The entire hall was paralyzed with fear. No one dared meet Yang Chen's eyes, all bowing their heads lest they draw his wrath.
Yang Wei, seated beside Yang Chen, was also petrified, his body trembling slightly from fear.
Only now did Yang Wei understand what Yang Chen had meant earlier when he warned him to stay away if he didn't want to be implicated.
Yang Chen had come with ill intent. Qin Fei was just the spark to ignite Yang Chen's powder keg.
**"This young man's aura is terrifying. He's no ordinary person!"**
**"Is he really the good-for-nothing the Qin family expelled?"**
**"Today is the official family patriarch's birthday banquet. Shedding blood is inauspicious. The official family won't let this slide."**
Whispers gradually broke the silence.
**Splash!**
Ignoring the murmurs, Yang Chen picked up a pot of premium West Lake Longjing tea and poured it into his white porcelain cup. He stopped just as the tea reached the brim—not a drop spilled, perfectly balanced.
In tea culture, there's a saying: *"Fill wine to honor guests, fill tea to deceive them."* Another goes: *"Pour tea seven-tenths full, leave three-tenths for goodwill."*
But in this context, the latter interpretation fit better.
Filling the cup to the top signaled that no goodwill remained—at least toward the Qin family.
Yang Chen raised the cup. Instead of sipping slowly, he downed it in one gulp, the scalding liquid flowing down his throat.
The hall was so silent that the sound of his swallowing was audible.
From start to finish, he hadn't moved from his seat.
Amid the tension, a man around thirty years old strode forward.
His arrival injected a flicker of life into the frozen scene.
**"Guan Xuesong, the most outstanding third-generation member of the Guan family, one of Jiangzhou's Four Young Masters."**
**"He manages a quarter of the Guan family's businesses. Rumor has it the Guan patriarch intends to bypass the second generation and groom Guan Xuesong as the next family head."**
**"This young man caused a scene at the Guan patriarch's birthday banquet. As the future head, Guan Xuesong won't let him off."**
Guan Xuesong stopped before Yang Chen, looking down at him with disdain: "Today is my grandfather's 70th birthday. Shedding blood is inauspicious. Give me an explanation, or you won't leave here alive."
Yang Chen slowly raised his head, a playful smile curling his lips: "What's your relationship with Guan Xuefeng?"
Guan Xuesong's brow twitched. Why was Yang Chen suddenly asking about Guan Xuefeng? Did they have some connection?
"Guan Xuefeng is my younger brother. But even if you know him, without an explanation, no one can save you."
Guan Xuesong quickly regained his composure, brushing aside a lock of hair that had fallen over his eye. "You shed blood at my grandfather's birthday banquet. This is an unforgivable offense!"
Having confirmed Guan Xuefeng's identity, Yang Chen smiled faintly: "If you don't want to see more blood, you'd better shut up too."
**"Are you threatening me?"**
Guan Xuesong laughed in disbelief. In Jiangzhou, no one—young or old—dared threaten him.
Yang Chen shook his head, his lips parting to reveal a row of pale teeth. Then he stood.
Seeing the shake of Yang Chen's head, Guan Xuesong smirked dismissively: "Good. You'd better not—"
Before he could finish, Yang Chen's hand shot out, seizing Guan Xuesong by the hair.
**Boom!**
Yang Chen slammed Guan Xuesong's face into the table.
The impact left Guan Xuesong's face smeared with blood.
A heartbeat later, his screams filled the hall.
Every pair of eyes locked onto Yang Chen's upright figure, hearts pounding so loudly they could hear them.
**"I don't threaten people. I act."**
Yang Chen's face was the picture of serenity, as if basking in spring sunshine. Having spoken, he calmly returned to his seat.