Once the scabbing from the tattoo had disappeared, Gu Qingchi found himself with a brand new chibi figure on his wrist. His birthday party was also prepped and ready.
Gu Qingchi’s birthday party was to be held in another villa. The one that they currently stayed in was too small. This villa was suitable for family life, but formal occasions would be better served by a different villa.
The other villa was a well-known mansion in the capital. Mr. Gu bought it specifically for such occasions. There was a large parking lot outside the villa. It also had a ballroom, a swimming pool, and a garden. It was well suited for formal banquets or parties.
The first floor was the banquet venue. The second floor would be used as a lounge. The third floor was more homey. It served as a living area, and each member of the family had a room on the third floor. However, it was too big and not very convenient, so the family usually only stayed for a couple of days at the most.
The villa was located in the center of the city, in an area where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. There were famous five-star hotels nearby. The stuff needed for the banquet could be delivered straight to them, which was very convenient.
Gu Qingchi used to invite his classmates to this villa as a child. Mrs. Gu would get angry if they made too much noise at home, so he usually held his little gatherings here.
On its surface, this banquet was supposed to be a birthday party for Gu Qingchi, but, in reality, the main purpose of this banquet was to formally introduce Gu Qingchi.
Mr. Gu had always been very low-key. He rarely held banquets. In comparison with those other families that threw banquets at the drop of a hat, his family’s banquets were few in number. Gu Xie’s birthday had always been celebrated at home with the family. Gu Qingchi’s birthday banquet was clearly an excuse for them to express their stance.
Their family rarely held banquets, but, if they did hold a banquet, it was sure to be a grand event. This wasn’t just referring to the scale of the banquet but also the attendees.
It was an honor and also a sort of affirmation to receive an invitation from them, and almost everyone who received an invitation expressed that they would be in attendance.
The banquet was magnificent. There was a red carpet that winded from the gate all the way to the inside.
The banquet had yet to start, but luxury cars were already lining up by the entrance one after another. The people getting out of these cars were all regular guests of all sorts of magazines. No matter what gender they were, they were all prominent figures in various fields. The outfits they wore may seem a little ordinary, but, upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were all the latest designs. In fact, some of their outfits were even more expensive than the average red carpet look.
The gifts that they brought were all taken up to the third floor and piled up in an empty room. These gifts, which were worth upwards of tens of thousands of yuan, were just casually placed on the table or on the carpet.
Gu Qingchi was still upstairs. He’d already changed into the suit Mrs. Gu had picked out for him. It’d also been tailored to fit him like a glove. His back was straight, and his hands were clasped behind his back. Mrs. extended her hand, and he promptly lowered his head, allowing her to fix his hair for him.
Mrs. Gu felt a little strange. In just a moment of inattention, he’d already grown into such a big child, black hair and bright eyes.
“My little boy is so good looking.”
Gu Qingchi liked being complimented. He giggled everytime he received one.
Mrs. Gu stroked his hair and quickly gave him a heads up.
“It might get a little boring later on, but be patient. You only need to show your face at the beginning. You’ll be able to go back upstairs after that.”
Gu Qingchi nodded, seeming very considerate.
“I know.”
The more obedient he was, the less she was willing to put him through the slightest grievance.
She sighed. These kinds of banquets were always like this. They were more of a social event than they were a birthday celebration.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Mrs. Gu personally really liked these kinds of events. She didn’t need to go out of her way to socialize with others. Other people would be coming to her. She and the other wives always had plenty of conversation to talk about regardless of whether she was familiar with them or not.
Vtf kjrc’a kbgglfv jybea Xe Hlcumtl’r rbmlji ilof flatfg. Ycmf abvjs kjr bnfg, Xe Hlcumtl kbeiv jirb yf rbwfbcf atja batfgr kbeiv cffv ab qjcvfg ab.
Vtf kjr bcis kbgglfv atja tfg ubbv ybs kbeiv yf ybgfv.
“P’w jogjlv ws ilaaif ybs kbc’a yf jyif ab fcpbs atlr ylgatvjs mfifygjalbc. Pc atf oeaegf, kf’ii rqfcv bcf ylgatvjs ja tbwf jcv bcf lc qeyilm.”
She adjusted Gu Qingchi’s collar. She then took a brooch from her jewelry box and pinned it on Gu Qingchi. The inlaid ones were not common gemstones, but rare emeralds, dark green, classic in style, but very beautiful.
“Happy birthday. I’m sorry for missing so many of your birthdays.”
It was modified from a jadeite bracelet. Mrs. Gu had bought it during the year she was pregnant with Gu Qingchi. Mrs. Gu had liked it very much.
Mothers always wanted to save what they thought was the best for their children, and Mrs. Gu was no exception. She carefully guarded that bracelet for fear of damaging it. She’d never even worn it once, believing with all her heart that the child in her stomach was a girl. In the end, she got a rosy little boy.
Mrs. Gu had kept the bracelet all this time. However, Gu Qingchi couldn’t possibly fit in it now, so she simply sent it to her jeweler and had it changed into a brooch. Her jeweler touched the bracelet, scrutinized the bracelet, even took a couple photos of the bracelet. He confirmed several times whether she really wanted to do this before reluctantly cutting into it.
Mrs. Gu took in Gu Qingchi. She patted him on the back. She then gently pushed him forward.
“Go on. It’s about time. I believe your father’s waiting for you.”
Just before heading out, Gu Qingchi stopped and turned to look at Mrs. Gu. Mrs. Gu quickly lowered her head to wipe the tears from her eyes. She glossed it over by waving her hands.
“Go.”
“Mom, are you not going?”
“Your father’s already asked me. It’s too noisy down here. I don’t feel like dealing with it. Your father will lead you.”
Gu Qingchi promptly walked out of the room. Mr. Gu was at the other end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. Upon hearing the sound of the door, he straightened up and looked towards Gu Qingchi.
The lights in the hallway were rather dim. They were covered by lampshades, only allowing soft and warm light through the fabric. There were also incandescent lights behind Mr. Gu, stretching out his shadow beneath his feet. The incandescent lights made it impossible to see behind him.
Mr. Gu looked Gu Qingchi up and down. He complimented him.
“Not bad.”
Gu Qingchi walked over to him step by step, and he stood there waiting for him.
Once they were side by side, he stretched out his hand and placed it behind the other’s back, just as any father would to prevent their child from tripping and falling. He was taller than Gu Qingchi. Him doing so seemed very natural, not sudden at all.
The villa was said to be a villa, but it actually felt more like a medieval castle.
There was a wide staircase leading from the third floor to the first floor. It faced the main entrance and was right in the center of the hall. It was also the focal point of all the lights.
Gu Qingchi would be right underneath those lights if he walked just a little bit further.
He hesitated for a moment. Mr. Gu lightly patted him on the back, so he continued walking. He lowered his eyes due to the harsh lighting and instead looked at the stairs.
The host’s appearance represented the official start of the banquet.
The entire hall fell silent, and everyone turned their attention towards them.
Mr. Gu led Gu Qingchi down the stairs and brought him to the center of the hall.
No matter where they went, the crowd would part like the Red Sea. Once they had passed, the crowd would close back up like a stream of water.
Mr. Gu led Gu Qingchi up to the stage. He looked around the room and then began to speak.
“I’d like to thank you all for coming to this banquet today.”
He kept the courtesies brief and cut straight to the point.
“I’ve invited you all here for my beloved son, Gu Qingchi. My wife and I would like to use this banquet to celebrate his birth and his coming of age, and we wish him a healthy, safe, and smooth-sailing future. I hope you all have a nice time tonight.”
There was thunderous applause from the audience.
Gu Qingchi stood on the stage, feeling as though he were at the center of the universe. He saw all the familiar and unfamiliar faces below the stage; they were all staring at him at this moment, they were applauding him at this moment, and they were here to celebrate his coming of age, to wish him well.
He scanned the faces and finally caught sight of Xie Luyu.
Xie Luyu had clearly decked up for the event. He was dressed solemnly. His hair had grown a bit longer, so he looked a little less aggressive. His head was slightly tilted. He was a good couple inches taller than the people standing next him.
He was staring at Gu Qingchi. Once the two of them locked eyes, he smiled. He then mouthed something to Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi carefully tried to make out what he was mouthing. Xie Luyu was wishing him a happy birthday.
⁂
Gu Qingchi’s birthday banquet had many attendees. One of them was a wealthy trust fund baby who was very active on social media. Quite frankly, “trust fund baby” wasn’t wholly accurate. He could be considered a big shot in his own right.
He’d also been active in the entertainment industry before, but he’d long since quit.
It wasn’t because of any pressures from his family. His oldest sister was very capable, and his second oldest sister was also competent. His two older sisters had it handled, not to mention all the other older siblings he had. In any case, this responsibility was never going to fall to him.
His family gave him more than enough money though, so he could do whatever he liked.
He quit the industry because it just wasn’t working for him. He wasn’t able to become popular no matter what he did. His follower count floundered at around three hundred thousand, and fifty thousand of those followers had been purchased. He ended up quitting in a fit of anger.
He actually ended up becoming more popular after he quit by revealing secrets about upper class circles and rich people gossip. He’d gained quite a few followers this way as everyone wanted to see the melodramatic stories of the rich.
He also knew of Gu Qingchi. Gu Qingchi’s family was well-known in their circle after all. He used to feel sympathetic for the guy as someone who was in the same position as he was. However, after attending the banquet, he came to realize that they actually weren’t in the same position. Unlike him, who had a bunch of siblings weighing over his head, Gu Qingchi was held in the palm of his family’s hands.
It made sense. Gu Qingchi’s family had many businesses under their belt and only two children. He thought it through and quickly adjusted his mentality. He then began posting to Weibo like he always did.
He’d previously revealed on Weibo that he was going to attend a very important banquet tonight.
There was a professional photographer at the banquet who was taking photos for people. He took a lot of pictures. He then picked one to upload online.
It was a photo of him with a couple of his friends.
[Have you already returned? There’s just something different about real rich people. There was this trust fund baby who was bragging about this very important banquet a couple days ago, but, in the end, he wasn’t able to make it.]
[I want to know what this very important banquet is for … ]
[Gosh, look at that lineup. It’s like F4.]
[I’m seriously laughing my ass off. They’re all younger siblings in their family. They might even have tens of older siblings above them. They’re never going to be able to get involved with the family business. They’re just here to fool you.]
[Okay, but at least they were born into a wealthy family, at least they can go to these important banquets whenever they want.]
He actually wasn’t able to attend whenever he wanted, but they didn’t need to know that.
There were a few trolls, but, other than that, the comments were mostly peaceful.
There were also people putting the photo under a magnifying glass.
[I feel like I just saw something! Is that Chi Chi? Chi Chi hasn’t shown his face much recently. Is it because he’s at this banquet?]
He gave this comment a reply.
[This banquet is Gu Qingchi’s birthday party.]
More comments followed.
[Oh wow. I forgot that he’s from a wealthy family. Now that you bring it up, the very important banquet must’ve been his birthday party. It feels kind of unbelievable.]
[Can you tell us when his next activity is then? Is anything in the works? I’ll definitely be there for it.]
Comparison was truly the thief of joy. Gu Qingchi’s career as an artist was flourishing, but he would still have to go home and inherit the family business.
Meanwhile, his own career as an artist had floundered, yet he had nothing but cold hard cash waiting for him back home.
He replied as he was thinking this.
[He had to go home and inherit the family business. I feel like his family values him very much, so he’ll probably end up retiring from the industry.]
He fell asleep after this reply.
It ended up on the trending list by the next morning.
[Gu Qingchi Retires]
Thanks for the update ❤
I was looking at this guy so confused, where did you hear he was inheriting the family business? 😭 Was Gu Xie not going to do that?
Thank you for the chapter!
Pfft- This random youngest master of some ‘wealthy’ family drowned in too much vinegar that he spilled the jar all over the internet even though the truth is all candy fluff and sweets what the hell XDDDDDD
Well, maybe it will be a good thing? Chi Chi wasn’t sure about showbusiness for some time already
Thank You for the new chapter (♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡
Being in the limelight is pretty dang tiring. I think it would be good for Qingchi to retire early and live a quiet peaceful life with Luyu <3
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و