Chapter 2279: Li Manbiao

Li Manbiao

"The bride is here!"

A shout came from the crowd at the gate, instantly attracting everyone's attention. Zhou Andong and the others also looked in the direction of the sound one after another, only to see a long motorcade slowly driving from the west.

The lead car was not the legendary stretched Lincoln, nor the Mercedes-Benz that the common people are familiar with and recognize, but Tang Lin's own slightly low-key Crown.

And what is even more eye-catching is the motorcade following behind, a row of taxis, not a single luxury car, except for Santana, it is Xia Li. But such a motorcade, in this era, is also the fighter jet in the bull-force.

Zhou Andong quickly withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look at Er Biaozi beside him, and asked with a smile: "Brother, I don't know your honorable name?"

Er Biaozi hurriedly responded: "Little brother's surname is Li, full name Li Manbiao. If you don't mind, you can call me Er Biaozi like Fifth Brother."

"Then I'd better call you Biaozi."

After all, they are not familiar, calling people Er Biaozi is not very appropriate. And this comrade Li Manbiao, looking very old, but the actual age should not be older than Zhou Andong, so calling him Biaozi is very appropriate.

"No problem!" Li Manbiao responded very happily: "Chairman Zhou, you can call me whatever you want. As long as you are happy, even if you give me a worse nickname, I have no opinion!"

Due to the ban on setting off fireworks and firecrackers, when the wedding motorcade stopped slowly, a group of innocent and cute children rushed out of the hotel, each holding a bunch of colorful balloons, and ran to the open space happily.

I saw the leading little boy step on the balloon without hesitation. With a crisp 'bang', as if lighting a fuse, followed by a series of 'bang bang bang' sounds. The children jumped up excitedly, laughing and jumping to step on the balloons. For a time, laughter echoed through the whole street.

In this joyful atmosphere, Zhou Andong caught a

After the final "bang" sound, the tightly closed door of the lead car finally opened slowly. Tang Lin stepped out of the car wearing a well-tailored, finely crafted suit.

Afterward, he turned around, bent down slightly, and with a smile on his face, very gentlemanly extended his right hand into the car, carefully helping the bride step out.

Nie Wen was not wearing a white wedding dress, but instead was dressed in a vibrant, eye-catching red outfit. The upper part was a red short-sleeved V-neck shirt, which perfectly revealed the lines of her fair, slender neck and collarbone.

The lower part was paired with a red skirt that reached just to her knees, tightly wrapping around her slender waist and the curves of her hips, swaying gently with her steps like a blooming flower.

And on her feet, a pair of equally fiery red high heels made her look even taller and more elegant. Most people would look plain and unremarkable in such an outfit.

But when worn by Nie Wen, and commanded by her, it seemed to instantly radiate a different kind of brilliance and vitality, making Nie Wen look exceptionally eye-catching and extraordinary in temperament.

Especially the confidence, composure, and powerful aura she revealed in every gesture, which displayed her "imperial sister" style to the fullest.

As for Tang Lin beside her, he was truly radiant at this moment, with not a single trace of his usual slacker demeanor left on his entire body. Standing there with his head held high and chest out, his aura was in no way inferior to Nie Wen beside him.

In the past, no one thought Tang Lin was worthy of Nie Wen, but seeing them today, standing side by side, they were truly a talented man and a beautiful woman, extremely well-matched. It must be said that Nie Wen's taste is quite good.

After the groom and bride got out of the car, several men and women were already waiting on the side holding plastic bags filled with colorful paper scraps. As soon as the newlyweds stepped out, they reached in and grabbed large handfuls of paper, throwing them vigorously over the heads of the groom and bride. For a moment, the colorful paper scraps drifted down like snow, enveloping the newlyweds.

Immediately after, eight groomsmen and eight bridesmaids got out of the cars behind. Zhou Andong took one look and thought, "Good heavens," quite a few were acquaintances. Especially on the groomsmen's side, besides the brothers Zhang You and Zhang Zuo, there were also Chang Weihua, Xiao Liuzi, and Yang Ming.

Furthermore, on the bridesmaids' side, besides Zheng Xiyan and Guan Yating, there appeared someone who surprised Zhou Andong greatly: the second young lady of the Jin family, Jin Qiuyu, Nie Wen's "plastic" friend who grew up with her.

Back then, regarding the Zhongbao matter, Jin Qiuyu wanted to stay at the poker table, so she sought Nie Wen's help and met with Zhou Andong. In order to keep her seat at the table, Jin Qiuyu did not hesitate to hand over a large-scale rare earth mine located in Inner Mongolia as a condition of exchange, trading it with Zhou Andong for a spot to remain at the table.

But at that time, when Nie Wen called him, she wasn't very concerned about the affairs of her friend Jin Qiuyu. Thus, Zhou Andong keenly sensed that the so-called childhood friendship between Nie Wen and Jin Qiuyu was not as good as imagined.

Therefore, he didn't give her any face at all, and Jin Qiuyu ultimately had to take out the Inner Mongolian rare earth mine as a bargaining chip. Of course, Jin Qiuyu also knew in her heart that if Nie Wen had put in a word for her, she could have achieved her goal without paying any price.

However, she was not a woman of short-sighted vision who would haggle over a little bit of interest. So, she didn't resent Nie Wen for not helping, which caused her to pay such a high price; instead, she personally found Nie Wen to express her gratitude.

Then, the two often made appointments to go shopping and eat, and their relationship grew better and better, as if they had returned to their childhood. But what they were thinking in their hearts, only the two women themselves knew.

But regardless, on the surface, their relationship had returned to how it was, so naturally, as a good sister, Jin Qiuyu had to be a bridesmaid for her childhood friend Nie Wen's wedding.

"Daddy!"

Su Su ran back, covered in sweat. Zhou Andong squatted down and opened the small bag Su Su was carrying. Inside, besides a handkerchief, tissues, and some small change, there was a small doll toy and several shiny, smooth-feeling stones.

Zhou Andong took out the handkerchief, wiped the sweat off Su Su's face, and then picked the little girl up.

Lao Si also took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat off his face and said excitedly, "Big Brother, the bride is so beautiful."

At this moment, Su Su hugged Zhou Andong's neck and also shouted excitedly, "Daddy, I know what a bride is now, I want to be a bride too."

Zhou Andong laughed heartily and gave Su Su a big kiss on the face: "When you grow up, you can be a bride."

Originally, when Zhou Andong saw Nie Wen, he had already thought about how to answer his daughter's question.

Now that the little one had her own "understanding," he naturally wouldn't go to the trouble of explaining further.

At this time, the bride's family members had also gotten out of the cars, looking to be about thirty or forty people. Those who could come along with the wedding motorcade must be the bride's closest relatives and friends. Those distant relatives, colleagues, and ordinary friends went directly to the hotel.

The crowd surrounded the groom and bride like stars around the moon, walking toward the hotel entrance. Zhou Andong, holding Su Su, and Gu Bing, holding Lao Si's hand, stood not far away waiting.

After everyone had successively stepped into the hotel, Comrade Li Manbiao beside them spoke up: "Fifth Brother, Chairman Zhou, let's hurry inside too."

Zhou Andong nodded slightly: "Let's go!"

Li Manbiao rushed up the steps in front of the hotel like a rabbit, then stretched out both hands to push the door open, and stood to the side: "Fifth Brother, Chairman Zhou, please enter!"

Seeing this, Zhou Andong couldn't help but smile slightly at Li Manbiao; this kid was quite interesting, and it might be worth getting to know him.

Gu Bing patted Li Manbiao's shoulder with great satisfaction: "You kid, alright, stop being so sycophantic; if you have anything in the future, you can come find Fifth Brother."

Hearing this, a brilliant smile immediately bloomed on Li Manbiao's face, and he nodded busily in response: "Thank you, Fifth Brother!"

Li Manbiao felt so good inside. The highest position his grandfather had held was Deputy Director in charge of routine work at the Central Office, and Director of the National Security Commission, which was only at the ministerial level; he was only promoted one rank after retirement.

That is to say, their Li family in the capital could at best be considered a second-tier family. And today, as time has passed, the Li family has completely faded from the core of power.

The reason is none other than the fact that now, only Li Manbiao's third uncle has reached the deputy ministerial level; as for the others, not even a single person at the department level has appeared.

Precisely because of this, Li Manbiao appeared exceptionally humble when facing Gu Bing. After all, compared to top-tier families like the Nie, Gu, and Jian families, their Li family was truly too far behind. If it weren't for the Nie family still remembering old ties, I'm afraid even his third uncle wouldn't have been able to reach this position today.

This is also the reason why he was often bullied when he was a child. If he wants to mix in top-tier circles, he naturally has to endure things he shouldn't have to.

Because in this world, there is a hierarchy of contempt. If it's not a place where you belong, but you insist on drilling into it, you will naturally be looked down upon and humiliated. If it weren't for Nie Wen, he wouldn't even know what he would have become.

Moreover, during those ten unspeakable years, the Li family's old master also suffered quite a bit. Therefore, regarding his own sons and grandsons, this old master always maintained an extremely strict method of discipline.

In his philosophy, suffering a little loss is not a bad thing; as the saying goes, "suffering is a blessing." Don't fight for immediate gains or losses; even if you lose some benefits, it doesn't matter.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this seemingly conservative philosophy of life that the Li family has gradually declined. But who can say for sure whether this is the result the Li family's old master wanted to see.

After entering the hotel, the wedding venue was on the second floor. Zhou Andong and Gu Bing followed behind the crowd and walked up the stairs to the second floor.

This was a hall of over two hundred square meters, with a marble floor underfoot, crystal chandeliers overhead, a Great Wall ink painting hanging on the left wall, and a lounge area on the right with sofas.

And directly opposite the stairs was a double-door entrance over four meters high; inside was the wedding hall. At this time, the doors were open, and people were coming and going.

Right at the side of the entrance, two long tables were set up, and many people were gathered there. Several people were holding money in their hands; without needing to think, one knew that it was the gift registration desk, where people were writing down their wedding gifts.

Because there were many people gathered there, Zhou Andong didn't go to join the fun, but instead came to the lounge area, put Su Su on a chair, sat down himself, and took a cigarette out of his pocket to light it.

Gu Bing snatched the cigarette Zhou Andong had just lit: "You don't know manners at all, not even saying you'd light one for your Fifth Brother first."

Zhou Andong rolled his eyes at him and helplessly lit another one: "Looks like there are quite a few people."

Gu Bing turned his head and took a look: "Looks like only forty or fifty tables; this is nothing. If the Tang and Nie families really went all out, twenty halls like this wouldn't be enough to hold them."

"Daddy!" Su Su sat obediently on the chair, swinging her little legs up and down: "When can we eat the banquet?"

"You little glutton." Zhou Andong pinched the little girl's cheek: "Wait a little longer, the wedding ceremony hasn't started yet."

"Oh!"

The little girl didn't ask what a wedding ceremony was, just stared with her curious big eyes at the open door.

"Respected guests, hello everyone!"

The wedding began. Zhou Andong couldn't see the stage, but the host's voice was very familiar. In his mind, a very classic commentary from *Animal World* instantly appeared: "Spring has arrived, everything is reviving, and it is once again the season for animal mating."

"Today, we gather here to witness a pair of newlyweds forging a good marriage in the name of love... The nineties is an era of violent collision between the new and the old, an era full of vitality and hope, a great era, and also a romantic and warm era. Today, we bring this romance and warmth to this wedding.

First, let us thank the groom and bride, because they let us feel the romantic and warm atmosphere of this era. The groom is full of spirit and dashing. The bride is as beautiful as a fairy, with a petal-like red dress blooming on her.

The two met at the most beautiful moment of their lives, fell in love in the spring, and decided to become husband and wife under the summer sunshine..."

Zhou Andong saw that there were few people left at the gift desk by the door, stood up and said: "Let's go, let's go over there too."

Su Su used her strength, scooted forward, jumped to the ground, and then obediently grabbed her father's hand.

Lao Si had long been unable to restrain himself, ran over with a "thump-thump-thump," and stood at the entrance looking inside.

Zhou Andong came to the gift desk, took a bank card out of his pocket, and placed it on the table.

This made the several middle-aged men at the desk freeze, all focusing their gazes on Zhou Andong's face.

The highest gift today was two thousand, from Zhang You, Zhang Zuo, and Xiao Liuzi and their group. If it weren't for their families warning them beforehand not to be too flashy, they probably would have given twenty thousand.

But even the two thousand in gift money shocked them; now there was actually someone coming with a bank card. And the first thought in their minds was, "There couldn't be no money in this card, could there?"

But when they saw Zhou Andong's face, one of the middle-aged men immediately called out his name.

"Zhou Andong!"

The other people just felt Zhou Andong looked familiar; hearing the middle-aged man's words, they suddenly realized, "So it's Zhou Andong." At the same time, the doubts in their hearts disappeared. They weren't thinking about whether there was no money in the card, but rather how much money was in it.