Chapter 908 - The Appointed Time Has Come
There was still about ten minutes left before the appointed time indicated on the invitation. Most of the guests arrived well before that. They didn't know who else were invited to the event but they were sure that not everybody had arrived yet.
"Dear Xiulan's father and mother aren't here yet," Huang Yuyan said as she looked around the parlour.
Her eyes met with Madam Feng Wan and her three posh friends, including the Chief of Police. They smiled and nodded at each other. All of them were acquainted and moved in similar circles in high society. They weren't close in any way but they were still friendly to each other whenever they met in social gatherings. Ever since Iris Long came into their lives, their encounters had become more frequent and that contributed to them becoming even friendlier with each other.
"I'm sure that they'll arrive soon," Grandma Li replied. "I don't believe that Liwei and Xiulan didn't invite her parents."
"You're right, Mother. I'm just a little worried because it's almost the appointed time."
"Don't always worry about things that you can't control, Yuyan."
"Yes, Mother. I'll try."
At that moment, the door to the parlour opened. Long Tengfei and his wife Yang Jiahui entered, followed by Cai Guang. They swept their gazes across the room. When they saw Grandpa Lu's group, Long Tengfei led his wife and assistant straight to them.
The greetings followed. Grandpa Lu's booming voice was the most distinct sound in the room.
"Hello Madam Li and Madam Huang," Yang Jiahui greeted as she sat across the two madam Jins.
"Madam Yang, it's a pleasure to see you again," Huang Yuyan replied. "Where is your lovely niece?"
"Xiao Mei is already here but I haven't seen her yet. She left the house at dawn to help Xiulan and Liwei with the preparations. At least, that's what she told me."
Huang Yuyan nodded. "It's the same with my younger son. Chonglin should've also been here since dawn."
"Those children are really secretive," Grandma Li said. "We still don't know what this event is all about. We haven't seen any of them yet. The butler or any of the other staff here won't tell us anything either. Even this old gorilla beside me is unable to intimidate them into telling the truth."
"Who're you calling an old gorilla, you old hag?" Grandpa Lu interjected in the middle of his conversation with Long Tengfei and Cai Guang. "Which part of me looks like a gorilla? Tell me, I want to know!"
Grandma Li gave him a cold snort before ignoring him. She resumed her conversation with her fellow ladies.
Yang Jiahui looked around and gathered from the conversations that nobody knew what was going on. She was tempted to share her guess to them but restrained herself. Her husband had been unhappy when she told him earlier that she thought the event was going to be his daughter's wedding. She wasn't sure if the Jins were also going to be unhappy like Long Tengfei and insist that the couple should follow all traditional ceremonies before marrying. Therefore, she decided that it was better to keep her thoughts to herself for now.
About five minutes before the appointed time, the door opened again and in sashayed Wei Lan to the parlour while holding on to the arm of a very tanned, muscled man followed by a large entourage which some recognized as Iris Long's staff from her penthouse.
"Welcome, Madam Wei," the butler greeted while giving her a standard gentlemanly bow.
"It's Vizcondesa Lan," she corrected him.
"Vizcondesa Lan."
She nodded, smiling in satisfaction. She looked around the entire parlour while striking a pose as if there were hundreds of cameras taking her photos in a red-carpet event. Of course, her escort for today, her new best friend Randy, the Zumba instructor, followed her example and also struck a pose.
As for Yi Mei and the other staff from Gold Heights penthouse, they quickly withdrew to the side and pretended not to know the two weird people in front of them. Yi Mei and her companions greeted the Dragon Palace staff that they recognized and caught up with them. There were a lot of new faces that looked unfamiliar but they soon learned that those people were from the event coordinating company hired just for today.
Like Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui before them, Wei Lan and Randy also headed straight to Grandpa Lu's group. She greeted everyone with exaggerated warmth and enthusiasm except for when it was her ex-husband and his current wife's turn. She still greeted them because she was now a benevolent viscountess but her tone was several degrees colder than when she greeted the other people.
Long Tengfei also treated Wei Lan coldly while Yang Jiahui looked awkward but still tried her best to maintain a pleasant expression despite the situation. Everyone noticed the uncomfortable tension between the two sides but didn't comment. This wasn't an appropriate time to gossip about the family of Iris Long who was the hostess of today's party.
Wei Lan pulled Randy and squeezed themselves beside Huang Yuyan and Grandma Li. But before she could initiate a conversation with her future in-laws, the butler made an announcement.
"Esteemed guests, the appointed time has come. Please follow me and the rest of the staff and we will all lead you to the venue."
"Finally!" Grandpa Lu's booming voice said. "About time! We've all been waiting and waiting and waiting here in the parlour for so long that I almost fell asleep!"
"Oh, tone it down, you old buffoon," Grandma Li's cold voice scolded him. "Don't make a scene and embarrass Liwei and Xiulan."
"Bah! In what way am I making a scene, you old hag? Tell me, I want to know! And for your information, those pinheaded kids are never embarrassed of their beloved grandpa because their Grandpa Lu is the best! Bahahaha!"
"Shameless!" Grandma Li rolled her eyes but the corner of her lips curved up a little. "Let's go, Yuyan dear."
"Y-yes, Mother."
Everyone began filing out of the parlour in an orderly manner and followed the butler and staff.