Chapter 2748 - 2810: Sudden Attack

"Punishing me with a drink is fine, Old Sir, but you guys springing a surprise attack like this, you should be punished with a drink too. At least give me a heads-up so I can get here early and not keep you waiting." Li Yifei said with a laugh.

The others all laughed along. On the surface everyone seemed to be getting along great, all the families looked like there were no cracks between them. But it was still a bit different: you could clearly feel that Li Yifei was in the dominant position. Even with Old Sir Wang Chunlai showing up himself, he still couldn’t really go toe-to-toe with Li Yifei. What, you say Wang Chunlai is older so everyone should respect him?

Come on, they’re all clan chiefs, the ranking is right there. Your clan chief comes in person, well I, Li Yifei, am also here in person, okay? What’s there to show off about?

As for those who didn’t send their clan chief, their status was even lower. In name they were representing their families, but ultimately they couldn’t be on equal footing with Li Yifei or Wang Chunlai, so they spoke extra carefully and made a point of explaining why their own clan chiefs hadn’t come, afraid Li Yifei would bear a grudge.

"Everyone, just coming here already gives me plenty of face, it really surprised me, so you don’t need to worry that much." Li Yifei said to those who’d come as representatives.

Hearing him say it outright like that put people more at ease, so they nodded repeatedly, plastering smiles on their faces.

How does that saying go again? When it comes to giving gifts, the leader might not remember who gave what, because there are too many, and there’s no need to keep track. But whoever doesn’t give one, that the leader might remember—because you didn’t send a gift, you get written down in his heart. That’s what many people worry about when they send gifts to leaders: they’re afraid of being remembered.

Wang Chunlai seemed like he wanted to stick it to the three families who didn’t show, so he said, "Out of our Top Ten families in Ning Province, seven came. Looks like the other three aren’t so well-informed."

"They definitely got the news. If we got it, of course they did too. It’s just a matter of whether they felt like coming. Some people always think they’re being persecuted, when where’s this persecution coming from, exactly? Ning Province is so big, there are countless ways to make money, how is that persecution? Even if there’s competition, it’s all fair and above board now, not like before with shady underhanded tricks. I really don’t get them!" That uncle from the Ye family said.

Li Yifei glanced at him, also taking in everyone’s expressions, then smiled faintly and said, "Let’s not put it that way. This is just my little brother’s wedding, it’s not some major event. I’m already very happy you all came; this is you voluntarily giving me face. As for those who didn’t, we really shouldn’t hold a grudge."

The word "grudge" landed... and everyone started doing their own mental calculations. Some took it very seriously and were secretly delighted, feeling this trip was worth it. A circle of ten people isn’t big, but if it’s a circle of families, then it’s huge, even covering all of Ning Province. If you can squeeze out three, that leaves seven families—hmm, that’d be a very nice outcome.

As for Wang Chunlai, he just nodded slightly. The old man was sharp—after he set the topic up, he didn’t add more, just let others play it out. Hearing what Li Yifei said, he really felt Li Yifei didn’t take it to heart. Even their showing up wasn’t a big deal in his eyes, at most just giving some face and signaling goodwill.

As for Li Yifei himself, well... how to put it? Since he’d already decided that those three families were being a bit out of line by not coming, even if they did show up and had to give a wedding envelope, it’d only be a few hundred thousand. For the Ten Major Families, that’s basically like not spending money. If all ten families came together to attend Brother Hu’s wedding, tomorrow’s news would be crazy—if not a storm across the whole city, close enough. And if some sharp taxi drivers got wind of it, the whole city would probably know. Brother Hu’s name would be thoroughly made.

He had this one little brother, one of his few real friends, so of course Li Yifei had to help him out. But having seven families come was already incredibly satisfying. Li Yifei couldn’t be so overbearing as to force the other three to send people over immediately—that’d be going too far.

"Everyone, I, Li Yifei, am not that kind of overbearing guy. Our ten families... sure, there are economic gaps between us, but in terms of status we’re basically the same. Getting together now and then is a good thing. I think, actually, these gatherings are pretty necessary—we shouldn’t just do it once a year or every couple of years. Better to meet once every half-year or even every quarter, chat a bit, catch up, swap some info. It’s pretty good."

"Clan leader Li, that’s a great point. Our Ten Major Families are not only the Top Ten families in Ning Province, we’re pretty much the Top Ten private tycoons here too—of course, excluding state-owned enterprises. Our healthy development is tied to Ning Province’s economic growth, so communication between us is very necessary. In our respective fields we can keep climbing higher; in overlapping areas we can cooperate, have healthy competition, and develop soundly."

"You put it well. Let’s settle it then: next quarter, if everyone’s free, I’ll host. We’ll find a place to get together. A gathering is also a time to relax, no need for scheming and backstabbing." Old Sir Wang Chunlai said.

Everyone nodded. These gatherings are hypocritical, but also real: they’ll still scheme and calculate, but they can also talk honestly about some things.

After a bit of chatting, the wedding ceremony started. Brother Hu, dressed to the nines, stood up on the stage, holding a bouquet. He looked at the bride at the far end of the long red carpet. In this moment, all the waiting was worth it, because walking into marriage with the one you love, stepping into that sacred hall, is truly moving.

Li Yifei rarely attended weddings, maybe once every few years. Each time he watched very intently; it was touching, and really made him think. He couldn’t remember who said it, but—what woman doesn’t dream of walking into the hall of marriage? Yet among the many women at home... aside from Xu Yingying—oh, Xu Shanshan. After all, that time Xu Yingying suddenly got hit with the Worm, so Shanshan stood in for her and married Li Yifei. The other women, to this day, still have no name and no official status.

He sighed. He ought to give them a wedding too. And no overseas destination, no fancy island—right here in Huaxia, right here in Ning Province, in Mile City, in their own home, hold a grand wedding.

But the guest list would need some serious discussion. Getting married to a dozen brides at once, some already with kids a few years old—that’s something you have to be careful about. Best if it doesn’t get out... Thinking of "kids a few years old," Li Yifei couldn’t help laughing. They weren’t just a few years old—his eldest daughter was already in fourth grade, about to graduate elementary school. The moment he thought about having a daughter that big, Li Yifei suddenly felt a bit older himself.

The people beside him saw the mysterious smile on his face and smiled along. The wedding went on: the bride and groom, their best man and bridesmaid groups. Brother Hu hadn’t picked six young handsome guys; the six best men behind him were the earliest little brothers who’d followed him in the trenches... well, mixed around on the streets. They were the ones who still hadn’t fallen out with him, hadn’t left, and would share wealth and status with him. That much, Brother Hu could promise.

These brothers were all getting on in years, and their looks... let’s not ask for too much. But the bridesmaids were each more stunning than the last, even that grad-student older sister was insanely pretty. Especially once she put on the bridesmaid dress—waves surging, tides rolling. Nobody would’ve guessed that the usually modest grad-student sister was this stacked.

But nobody dared mess around with the bridesmaids. Brother Hu had strictly forbidden it. None of his boys would dare cross that line. Even if some of them did have that kind of bad habit, a wedding is a wedding—everyone’s here to be happy. You can’t let your own lousy character drag down the whole ceremony.

The host was a presenter from a provincial entertainment show. This one usually really wants to get close to the so-called high society. She was also a beauty, which made Li Yifei think of his two lovely wives at home, and everything that happened back then—still vivid in his memory. This line of work is tough. In that circle, power and money—neither is something an ordinary beauty can withstand. Even if they want to resist in their hearts, they can’t stand up to the pressure of power or the battering of money.

"Ugh, what am I even thinking..." Li Yifei shook his head.

Up on stage, the host was... nervous to death. Even hosting provincial galas wouldn’t make her nervous—because that’s just her job. But today, she was. Not because of anything else, but because of the people sitting at the table in front of her.

Li Yifei, Ning Province’s economic rising star of the last two years, the richest man in the province, whose family assets were over a hundred billion and still climbing. His economic clout went without saying, and in other areas he was also frighteningly impressive. As a host, she’d had some contact with big shots. Whenever they talked about Li Yifei, they were both impressed and gritting their teeth, wishing they could become a ruthless beast like Li Yifei themselves.

And today he’d come to a street punk’s wedding. You can imagine how shocked the host was. On top of that, she also knew that the two older sisters from her industry were now his lovely wives. Sigh, why never her? If she could become Li Yifei’s woman, she’d never have to watch anyone’s face again this lifetime, never have to flatter anyone, and certainly wouldn’t have to sell herself.

But she didn’t dare go and bother Li Yifei. Times had changed; she felt she didn’t have that kind of charm.

Leaving Li Yifei aside, at that table at least she recognized Wang Chunlai. And who was he? Back when her dad was a kid, this man was already coming into his own, already someone with status in Ning Province.

And then there were the others at the table. Before the ceremony started, Brother Hu had already told her who these people were, so you can imagine how stunned she was—seven of the Ten Major Families of Ning Province showing up for the wedding of the plain-looking groom standing next to her? Was this some kind of joke?

Of course it wasn’t. So the host completely lost her cool. She was terrified of misspeaking, afraid her emceeing wouldn’t flow smoothly. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. Her hand clutching the microphone started to sweat. Luckily, she’d hosted plenty of galas and quite a few weddings before, and a lot of the lines were pre-packaged. She could just run through the scripts one set after another without needing her brain too much.