Daily Intelligence: Forced to Save the Beautiful President at the Beginning

162: Chapter 163 The Outrageous Relative Makes His Appearance, Showing Off His WealthIn the banquet hall, the atmosphere of the birthday party gradually became lively. Waiters began serving hot dishes, and guests exchanged toasts, chatting and laughing. No one noticed the whispers of two people in the corner, and even fewer knew that a carefully planned ”pretentious show” was about to unfold. Zhang Fan, the ”audience” of this show, already held the ”script” and was prepared to respond.

Shen Lan pulled Qin Yan back to the main table, forcing a smile as she toasted the guests, but the loneliness in her eyes could not be hidden.

Xiao Chen found an empty seat far from the main table, clamped a cigarette in his mouth, and scrolled through his phone while smoking, as if the birthday party had nothing to do with him.

Only he knew that in a little while, everyone here would look at him with new eyes and regret their past ”contempt.”

Zhang Fan looked at Xiao Chen’s smug profile and sneered inwardly, ”Want to act out a ’son-in-law’ script to show off? I’m afraid this time, your ’return of the king’ is going to turn into a ’one-day tour of the police station.’”

His fingertips touched the warm teacup on the table, and he gently picked it up to take a sip.

Before the taste of the tea could spread on his tongue, his gaze drifted unconsciously toward the hotel entrance, secretly hoping that Qin Xue’s report would come quickly—hopefully not like in TV dramas, where the police only arrive late, after the dangerous scenes have already played out.

If the police could quietly set up the trap before the Four Great Generals appeared, that would be truly interesting. The Dragon King’s carefully staged ”show-off conference” would likely turn into a one-hour ”legal education class” on the spot.

The more he thought about it, the more amused he felt, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

At this moment, on the asphalt road in front of the Fumanlou Hotel, a pair of blinding headlights pierced the twilight. A black Porsche Cayenne screeched to a halt beside the red carpet, its tires crushing the ground and kicking up small pebbles, looking completely out of place among the affordable family cars around it.

The car door opened, and Qin Fei (Qin Yan’s older sister), dressed in all her glittering finery, stepped out first, carrying a limited-edition Hermès bag. Her makeup was exquisite, but it could not hide the arrogance on her face.

Following closely behind was her wealthy second-generation husband, Zhao Lei, wearing a custom suit, his Rolex Datejust watch gleaming under the streetlights.

As soon as he stood steady, he frowned, waved his hand in front of his face, and said in a sarcastic tone, ”Fei’er, is this where Mother Qin is holding her birthday banquet? Look at this archway at the entrance; the red cloth is almost faded. There isn’t even a dedicated parking spot in the parking lot. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it’s some small restaurant at the entrance of a village hosting a casual banquet!”

Qin Fei immediately agreed, her eyes sweeping over the glass doors of the hotel lobby, a mocking curl at the corner of her mouth. ”Who’s to say it isn’t! I told Mother Qin long ago to hold it at the Jiangcheng International Hotel. The presidential suite there can set up twenty tables, and the food is all prepared by Michelin-starred chefs. But she wouldn’t listen, saying things like ’relatives and friends are all familiar, no need to be wasteful.’ And what’s the result? Making a laughingstock of herself!”

As they spoke, they walked into the hotel with their heads held high, completely ignoring the awkward expressions of the waiters at the entrance.

Just as they reached the entrance of the third-floor banquet hall, Qin Fei saw Qin Yan, who was busy pouring tea for the guests. She immediately raised her voice, deliberately letting everyone around hear: ”Yan-yan, what’s wrong with you? It’s Mother Qin’s sixtieth birthday, and you found such a crappy place? Look at what you’re wearing; is that a white dress from a street stall that costs a few dozen yuan? And look at your complexion, it’s like you’re sick. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were so wronged!”

The teapot in Qin Yan’s hand paused abruptly, and hot water splashed onto her fingertips, making her frown slightly from the burn, but she only said in a low voice, ”Sister, this place is quite good. The dishes are all things Mother Qin likes to eat, and besides...”

”Besides what?” Qin Fei interrupted her, her eyes sweeping contemptuously over Xiao Chen, who was playing on his phone in the corner. ”Besides the fact that you found a useless husband who can’t even come up with the money to host a birthday banquet? Let me tell you, Yan-yan, a woman marrying is her second chance at life. Look at you, then look at me. After marrying Zhao Lei, when have I ever suffered such grievances? I buy what I want, I do what I want. Unlike you, still having to work to support the family!”

Zhao Lei also added fuel to the fire, hands in his pockets, his tone carrying a condescending arrogance. ”Alright, Fei’er, why waste your breath on her? Mother Qin is the same; raising a daughter means raising someone like my Fei’er—capable and able to marry into a good family. Unlike some people, marrying an unemployed bum and still needing her maiden family to worry about her.”

These words were like a knife, stabbing deeply into Qin Yan’s heart. Her fingers gripping the teapot turned white, and her eyes instantly reddened, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall. She knew that arguing with her sister and brother-in-law would only invite more mockery.

Just then, a little boy wearing a blue cartoon T-shirt (Qin Fei and Zhao Lei’s son, Zhao Xiaobao) suddenly rushed out from behind them, holding a toy car and charging wildly through the banquet hall.

He ran to the side of the stage and shoved over the decorative balloon arch. The colorful balloons burst with ”bangs,” scaring the surrounding guests into screaming.

The hotel manager hurried over, his face plastered with a smile. ”Parent, please control your child. This arch is a decoration for the birthday banquet; it’s not good if it gets broken.”

Zhao Lei, however, didn’t care at all. He glanced at the manager, his tone arrogant. ”It’s just a crappy balloon, isn’t it? How much is it worth? My son likes it, so what if he pushed it over? I’ll pay you back. How much? A thousand or two thousand? Is that enough?”

As he said this, he pulled a wad of cash from his wallet and threw it in front of the manager. ”Take it, and don’t annoy me here.”

The manager’s expression instantly turned ugly, but he dared not speak out despite his anger. Zhao Lei was a somewhat well-known wealthy second-generation in Jiangcheng, and he couldn’t afford to offend him.

The surrounding guests also started whispering, their eyes full of disdain, but no one dared to stand up and speak out.

Mother Qin, Shen Lan, heard the commotion and hurried over from the main table. Seeing the balloon arch lying on the ground and Zhao Lei’s arrogant demeanor, she was both angry and anxious, but she still forced a smile. ”Zhao Lei, don’t mind the manager. The child is young and doesn’t know any better; it’s fine. Come, sit inside; the food is almost cold.”

”Mother Qin, you’re just too easygoing.” Zhao Lei didn’t give Mother Qin any face. He walked straight to the main table, picked up the menu, flipped through it, and threw it back on the table. ”Just these dishes? Steamed sea bass, braised pork? It’s all home-cooked food; my nanny makes better food than this. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come. Might as well have eaten Michelin takeout at home.”

Shen Lan’s face turned from white to red, and from red back to white. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word. She knew her eldest son-in-law was rich and powerful, and the Qin Family couldn’t afford to offend him, so she could only swallow her grievances.

Qin Yan stood to the side, watching her mother’s embarrassed expression, watching the arrogant faces of her sister and brother-in-law, and then looking at Xiao Chen in the corner, who was still head-down playing games and deaf to everything. The grievances and anger in her heart surged like a tide.

She suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, her chest felt tight, her coughing became more and more violent, and her body began to sway.

”Qin Yan, are you okay?” A relative nearby hurried to support her and handed her a glass of warm water. ”Don’t get angry at them; your health is more important.”

Qin Yan took the water glass, and just as she was about to thank them, tears couldn’t help but fall.

What exactly had she been holding on to for these past three years?

Her husband was indifferent, her sister was mean, her brother-in-law was arrogant, her mother was wronged, and she herself was like a spinning top, revolving between family and work, yet no one cared if she was tired, and no one asked if she was in pain.