Chapter 20: The Banquet at Hongmen

Gu Yao gave her cousin a rough account of what had happened. When she finished, Wen Jing was so stunned she sat there gaping.

After a long pause—

Wen Jing finally came back to her senses and muttered, “Out of all the possible roads, why did he have to take the dumbest one?”

Yeah… Gu Yao couldn’t argue with that.

But even so, she still wanted to hear his explanation in person.

She’d eaten too much at dinner. After hanging up the call, she sat down at her computer to work on the draft for a system reform proposal.

Around 10 p.m., seeing that it was getting late, she grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Just then, her phone on the desk rang.

Caller ID: Cheng Mu.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds to be sure. It was really him. Holding back the mix of emotions rising in her chest, she pressed answer.

“Yao Yao, I have good news.”

That was the first thing her boyfriend said to her after being MIA for a whole week.

Gu Yao was just about to respond when his next words froze her in place.

He said, “Are you free tomorrow? My mom wants to meet you.”

…??

She thought she’d misheard.

“What did you say?” Gu Yao asked.

There was a brief pause on the line, then came Second Young Master Cheng’s lazy, amused voice:
“First time meeting the parents—I know you’ll be nervous. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the whole time. Just think of it as practice before the wedding.”

“…”

Was he serious?

Gu Yao began to suspect this guy might be drunk.

She couldn’t be bothered arguing with a drunk, so she frowned and said, “Put your assistant on the phone.”

“Yao Yao, I’m being serious.”

Clearly sensing she wasn’t taking him seriously, Cheng Mu could only repeat himself with a hint of helplessness.
“I’ll pick you up at the gate of your building at ten tomorrow morning. Be there. Don’t make me wait.”

Her first instinct was to refuse.

But then she reconsidered.

Since Madam Cheng had personally expressed a desire to meet her, it would be inappropriate to dodge the meeting like a shy little girl.

Fine then.

It was just one meal.

Still, proper etiquette was a must.

—

The next morning, Gu Yao got up at six. After getting ready, she headed out to a nearby mall to pick out gifts for Mr. and Mrs. Cheng.

She called her parents for advice.

As soon as Director Gu heard that her daughter was going to visit the boyfriend’s family, his voice shot up several decibels:
“They haven’t even made it official yet, and he’s already dragging you home to meet the parents? What nonsense is this!”

“Keep your voice down.” Shen Min snatched the phone away and gently reassured her daughter,
“It’s not a bad thing to meet them early—especially to get a feel for their temperament and personality. It’s good to know what you’re getting into.”

Gu Yao understood what her mother meant.

After all, compatibility was the most important thing in any relationship.

As for the gifts—

Director Gu’s stance was clear:
“Get whatever you think is appropriate. Don’t worry about the price—no matter how expensive, your mom and I will cover it.”

Gu Yao couldn’t help but laugh.

So that was how badly her dad wanted his daughter to hold her head high.

But Gu Yao herself didn’t take it so seriously.

Smiling faintly, she walked a circuit around the mall, then bypassed all the luxury brand stores and headed for the escalator.

To the second floor.

Much more suitable.

After buying the gifts, she sent the address to Cheng Mu and found a café to wait.

Around ten o’clock, a Porsche pulled up outside the mall entrance.

When Cheng Mu opened the car door and saw the shopping bags in her hands, his first reaction was:
“For me?”

Then it hit him.

He motioned for her to get in and said casually,
“My parents don’t lack for anything. In the future, you don’t need to bring gifts. Just come empty-handed.”

Gu Yao paused.

She turned and met his teasing gaze.

Doing her best to keep her tone calm, she finally addressed the elephant in the room:
“I don’t plan on settling down anytime in the next couple of years. If you need a wife right now for the sake of your career, feel free to be honest with me.”

No plans to settle down?

Cheng Mu was completely stunned.

So all this time, she never planned on marrying him?

Even if the proposal had gone smoothly back then… it would’ve ended in failure anyway.

“…Yao Yao.”

His voice was hoarse as he lowered his eyes and started the engine. There was a faint trace of self-mockery at the corner of his lips.

“The best way to strengthen a career isn’t by marrying you, but by marrying the daughter of a prestigious family. If it really came to that… are you sure you’d smile and give me your blessing?”

In the passenger seat, Gu Yao slowly closed her eyes.

She said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes.

Cheng Mu had always been better at saying the right things than doing the right things. In the past, maybe she would’ve been moved by his persistent affection—after all, he’d pursued her for five full years.

But now, it all felt… meaningless.

Because she knew: even with a wedding ring on his finger, he’d still have a thousand excuses not to come home at night.

Cheng Mu did love Gu Yao.

But that love felt cheap.

Just moments ago, he had even doubted her intentions, thinking she was playing hard to get.

Was marrying into wealth really every girl’s ultimate goal?

Gu Yao thought: That must be Cheng Mu’s truest sense of superiority.

—

Traffic was heavy.

It took them forty minutes to reach the Cheng family villa.

The housekeeper laid out slippers at the entryway. In the spacious dining room, the table was being set with precision.

A moment later, Madam Cheng came down the stairs in an elegant outfit.

Gu Yao greeted her politely and offered the gifts she had carefully chosen.

Madam Cheng gave her a once-over.

The girl was poised and well-mannered—clearly raised right.

Without showing any strong emotion, she offered a faint smile and turned to her son.
“Go fetch a bottle of the ’87 Romanée-Conti from the cellar.”

Then, taking Gu Yao’s hand with gentle familiarity, she led her to the table.

Seeing how much his mother seemed to like his girlfriend, Cheng Mu smiled and left to get the wine.

Now, only Gu Yao and Madam Cheng remained at the dining table.

The atmosphere grew unusually quiet.

Madam Cheng placed a piece of pine-cooked mandarin fish into Gu Yao’s plate.
“Try it. I hear it’s a specialty from Tang County, where you’re from.”

Her tone had lost the earlier warmth—it was now laced with a hint of distance.

Gu Yao didn’t let it bother her. She picked up her chopsticks and took a small, polite bite.

The taste was… bad.

“How is it?” asked Madam Cheng.

It was hard to lie.

Gu Yao set down her chopsticks and tactfully said, “Tender, but a bit overcooked.”

“You’re skilled in the kitchen?”

“I can manage a few home-style dishes—not enough to call it ‘skilled.’”

But Madam Cheng countered, “Actually, it’s not the cooking. The problem is the fish itself—it’s the wrong ingredient.”

There was meaning behind her words.

Gu Yao remained silent, waiting to hear the rest.

Once all the dishes had been served, Madam Cheng finally spoke again, unhurriedly:
“Miss Gu, in your opinion, where does a dish with such poor taste belong on the table?”

They had hired one of the top chefs in the country for this meal.

Every dish served was of exceptional quality.

Naturally, this mediocre mandarin fish wouldn’t meet the host’s standards.

She was smart—of course she understood the deeper implication.

The fish was a metaphor.

Rather than answer, Gu Yao shifted her gaze toward the kitchen and wine cellar.

Madam Cheng followed her line of sight.

Sure enough, Cheng Mu was heading back with the wine.

The tension in the room dissipated.

He returned to his seat, and a servant began uncorking the wine and pouring it slowly into a decanter.

It was a step that should’ve been done before the meal began—yet they had waited until now.

Combined with Madam Cheng’s earlier veiled remarks, it was obvious:

This wasn’t a warm family dinner.

It was a Hongmen Banquet—a trap disguised as hospitality.

Never in her life did Gu Yao think she’d find herself in such a cliché scene. It was almost laughable.

—

As the meal drew to a close, Madam Cheng had a servant bring out a rosewood box.

Inside was a pair of jade bangles, translucent and green. She said it was a gift for their first meeting.

They were worth a fortune.

Gu Yao politely declined.

Cheng Mu, sitting beside her, chimed in to ease the moment,
“It’s just a little token from an elder—go ahead and accept it.”

Before Gu Yao could respond, Madam Cheng smiled and took over,
“Yes, this boy has been dreaming of this meal for days. Now that we’ve eaten, shall we move on to the main topic?”