At that moment, all eyes turned to the second floor in unison.
The main residence of the Zhao family was a very traditional retro-style architecture building with an ancient and unique taste. Even the staircase extended from the first floor all the way to the second floor.
From top to bottom, half of the place was used to build a half platform, then, two staircases on the left and right were extended from the platform respectively and all the way to the corridors on both sides of the house.
Along with the voice, the crowd saw a white-haired yet proud old man in a dark blue Tang suit walking down slowly from the staircase on the left. When he reached the platform, he looked down on the crowd at a domineering position. He smiled faintly and said, “Thank you everyone for taking the time to attend my grand birthday banquet. Before the banquet starts, I would like to introduce a person to all of you first.”
“Introduce someone?” The crowd looked at each other. They were more or less astonished and curious about the person. Who was the person that the former master of the Zhao family would want to introduce to everyone at the banquet with such solemnity?
When the former master of the Zhao family saw the crowd’s reaction, he was very satisfied and pleased. He raised his head and shouted at the other side of the staircase, “Lin, come out and help me now.”
‘Lin?!’ Li Hongyu’s heart clutched. She wondered if Lin was referring to Zhao Youlin. On second thought, she thought it was not possible for the former master who just returned from overseas to meet with the lass who did not even stay at the Zhao family’s house. Moreover, she had just divorced Mu Tingfeng. What made an abandoned woman with an unwanted son so special that the former master would look so highly upon her?
‘It’s not going to be her. Yes, it’s definitely not her!’
Unfortunately, many things in the world were often so unexpected and caught people off guard.
Right after the former master of the Zhao family spoke, the crowd heard rhythmic footsteps coming from the corridor on the second floor.
Soon, the crowd was greeted by the sight of a woman with a voluptuous figure.
The woman was a young lady in her twenties. She wore a bright red, bare-shouldered and floor-length mermaid cheongsam. The hemline of the cheongsam spread across her chest which displayed a silk embroidered lifelike phoenix. She looked noble, elegant, flamboyant as well as classy.
The cheongsam had the slimming effect that brought out the young woman’s perfect curves. Her soft and smooth straight hair was not overly accessorized. They were merely fixed by a two inlaid gold hairpin ornamented with purple and blue gemstones, and matched with a pair of turquoise emerald earrings. The overall look was humble yet elegant and dignified.
She wore a pair of silver open-work high heels. Each step on the wooden staircase gave out a muffled sound, just like a heavy hammer that struck the hearts of the people who were present.
The young lady raised her head and showed her beautiful and exquisite face. The corners of her lips slightly curved upward. She looked confident yet not ostentatious, introverted yet not understated. The image of her effortlessly etched on one’s heart and left an unforgettable memory even just at a single glance.
However, all these were yet her most attractive features. What captured one’s soul was none other than her eyes.
They were deep and sparkled as if all the beauty in this world had converged in them. No one dared to look into her eyes, yet they could not resist the temptation to peek at them. Once they looked at them, they were absorbed in it and that was the end of the world.
Li Hongyu’s face was as white as a sheet when she saw Zhao Youlin appear. Her body swayed slightly uncontrollably. She took a few steps back and nearly stumbled.
‘How could the person be her?! How could that person possibly be her?!’
Zhao Youxi was equally shocked while waiting for Mu Tingfeng’s reply expectantly.
The fact that Zhao Youxi bumped into Mu Tingfeng tonight had got her bursting with joy. She had thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity given to her by God.
Never had she thought that before she could be happy for long, she heard faint exclamations from behind.
Zhao Youxi frowned, turned her head and looked in the direction, only to see Zhao Youlin walking down from the staircase in a fiery red gown.
Zhao Youxi’s eyes flickered. She widened her eyes and looked at her incredulously. ‘When did Zhao Youlin become like this?! No, that’s not her!’
Zhao Youxi stared at the woman who had captured everyone’s attention. Her heart unwittingly clutched and a bad sense of feeling crept over her.
She turned her head in a panic to avoid her glamorous sight. But, she stiffened right after she found out the reaction of the person standing next to her by accident.
Mu Tingfeng raised her head and stared at the woman who was slowly walking down from the staircase. He remained looking cold and no signs of any emotions on his face. However, his eyes had betrayed their owner. They were filled with amazement.
‘No… It shouldn’t be like this! This man hated that wench very much before, right?! Why did he now look at her like… Something must be wrong! Yes, something must have gone wrong!’
‘Darn it, when did the Zhao family have such a gorgeous lady? I can’t believe I didn’t know about her. Yan, this woman looks fine, are you…” ‘Are you interested in her? If not, I’ll court her.’
Ling Ran silently swallowed the latter half of the sentence into his stomach, only because he saw a trace of obsession in the eyes of the man who had fallen silent next to him.
Indeed, Ye Yan was obsessed with the woman! One had to know that Ye Yan had been so used to the aristocratic circle over the years like fish in the water. There was never a shortage of women around and offered themselves to him. However, Ling Ran had never seen any kind of seriousness from Ye Yan, much less obsession.
The overly surprised Young Master Ling suddenly remembered what Ye Yan had mentioned not long ago. He was here only for someone. Could the someone be…
Ling Ran unwittingly turned his head and saw the woman who was highly regarded by everyone yet remained composed. One had to admit that this woman was truly capable of making the men obsessed with her to the point of madness.
By the time Nie Xingzhi arrived, he was coincidentally greeted by the sight of Zhao Youlin walking down from the staircase. He abruptly stopped striding forward. A flash of surprise unwittingly darted across his eyes behind the glasses.
‘Oh my, I was just looking at how nimble the lass had been with her skills and didn’t realize she’s actually not bad looking. She looks so dashing when she is dressed up.’
However, Nie Xingzhi was an older man who had experienced numerous great storms. So, he easily returned to his senses after a moment of indulgence in her beauty compared to the young men.
He seemed to have sensed something so he lifted his gaze and looked around. Within his expectation, he saw a hint of amazement in the eyes of the male guests, especially Mu Tingfeng and Ye Yan whom he had met once before.
Nie Xingzhi whistled to himself. He cast a glance at Zhao Youlin again, but this time, there was a hint of new discovery in his eyes. ‘I’m afraid the eldest young lady of the Zhao family will not have an easy life in the future.’
Zhao Youlin walked down step by step. She then held the hand extended by the former master and slowly went up to his side. She stood side by side with him, graciously accepting the attention of the people who were present.
Soon, everyone heard the former master of the Zhao family’s foghorn voice ringing throughout the main residence.
“Let me introduce to all of you, she’s my eldest granddaughter, Zhao Youlin. From today on, she is the first heir of the Zhao family apart from my eldest son.”
