Chapter 623

The venue was extremely noisy, filled with laughter and chatter, especially from Tang Tang Wenjuan's numerous aunts and relatives, who gazed at the venue with envy.

A middle-aged woman at a table near the entrance grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it into her pocket; feeling it wasn't full, she grabbed another handful, patted her pocket, then finally satisfied, reached for a handful of sunflower seeds.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"

The middle-aged woman cracked open the sunflower seeds with a crunch, scanning the entire venue, muttering, "Tang Wenjuan is really lucky—married such a good man. Look at this wedding venue, how lavish, how much money must have been spent."

Another fat woman held a handful of sunflower seeds too: "You didn't see it when you came straight here—when they picked up Tang Wenjuan, the groom handed out two thousand yuan in red envelopes, two yuan each, tossed them all out—I grabbed seven, got fourteen yuan."

"Really?" The middle-aged woman looked regretful. "I didn't know they'd toss out so many red envelopes—if I had, I wouldn't have come straight here."

The fat woman beamed with pride: "We all came in private cars—you didn't? Let me tell you, those chairs are incredibly soft."

The middle-aged woman felt even more regretful: "I've never even sat in a private car."

"Hey!" The fat woman nudged the middle-aged woman. "I just peeked in the kitchen—the banquet has four major dishes: chicken, fish, braised pork belly, and four-joy dumplings."

"Really?" The middle-aged woman's eyes lit up, then she pulled a plastic bag from her pant pocket. "Did you bring one?"

The fat woman nodded: "I did!"

Chen Chen Zhaoru stood at the venue entrance, watching the lavish setting and listening to the chatter around him, his expression growing colder.

People came and went through the entrance, but no one paid attention to the few unexpected guests near the door.

"Guys, don't block the entrance—go find seats," Yin Yin Jisheng had arrived early and had already taken charge, "Hey, Xiao Niu!"

A security officer, formerly from the Security Department, ran over: "Director Yin, what's up?"

Yin Yin Jisheng said: "Are the drinks and alcohol here yet?"

Niu Niu Hongguang replied: "They're here. Should we put them on the tables?"

"Put them where?" Yin Yin Jisheng snapped. "If you put them out now, the drinks'll be gone before the ceremony even starts. Wait till after the ceremony, right before serving food."

"Got it!" Niu Niu Hongguang nodded.

Yin Yin Jisheng checked the time: "It's eleven. Take your team, line the road with firecrackers, light them at 11:38 when the banquet begins."

"Got it!" Niu Niu Hongguang answered and sprinted off.

Chen Chen Zhaoru's face darkened like storm clouds—five hundred yuan spent on firecrackers? Such extravagance is a crime, and cannot be tolerated.

Yin Yin Jisheng turned around and saw Chen Chen Zhaoru and the others still standing at the door. He smiled: "Gentlemen, the celebration's about to start—don't block the entrance, please go inside and sit."

Yin Yin Jisheng grabbed Chen Chen Zhaoru's arm and pulled him inside; the young man beside him glared, but Jian Minglang stopped him.

Yin Yin Jisheng turned around and saw Chen Chen Zhaoru and the others still standing at the door; he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, the ceremony is about to begin—don't block the entrance, please go inside and take your seats."

Yin Yin Jisheng found an empty table beside the floral arch: "The entrance's always crowded—this spot's perfect."

Chen Chen Zhaoru sat down grimly, glanced at Yin Yin Jisheng, and said nothing.

"You guys sit too!" Yin Yin Jisheng told Jian Minglang and the others, then hurried off.

Chen Chen Zhaoru said coldly: "I've never seen such a lavish wedding—compared to this, the landlords of the old society were mere amateurs."

Jian Minglang sighed: "I have to admit—I'm envious of a wedding like this."

The young man smiled: "I'm envious too—I'd love a wedding like this, but this trend can't be allowed to spread."

Jian Minglang smiled vaguely, then looked up at the banner on stage, bearing the names of the groom and bride.

At that moment, Zhou Andong sat in front, chatting with his uncle-in-law Li Li Xianghui and his uncle-in-law Duan Duan Chunsheng.

"How's the project going?"

Li Li Xianghui had lost weight and grown darker, but looked more energetic: "We're laying the foundation—by next month's end, the first floor will be up."

Zhou Andong said: "Are the workers borrowed from Yijian still useful?"

Li Li Xianghui smiled: "I plan to keep them. Yijian is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yuxi Real Estate, but Yuxi is also a major shareholder in our Chunhui Construction Company—keeping a few won't hurt."

Zhou Andong chuckled: "You handle the negotiations with Yijian—I won't interfere."

At that moment, the group's leadership arrived—Qian Zhen, Gu Qing, Du Chunlai, Gu Bing, and other board members, department managers, and factory directors. The previously noisy venue instantly fell quiet.

Yao Jun led the way: "The chairman's up front."

Zhou Andong saw them, pointed to the table cards—red cardboard nameplates, folded in half and placed on the tables. Simple, yet still considered high-class by today's standards.

"See the table cards? Find your name."

"We'll go to our table," Li Li Xianghui and Duan Duan Chunsheng stood, greeted Gu Qing first, then found their names on a nearby table.

Man Man Hongshan sat down and said: "Chairman, Pepsi has lowered its price."

Zhou Andong nodded—he'd expected it, but not this soon: "If Pepsi's cutting prices, Coca-Cola will follow. Keep an eye on it."

Man Man Hongshan said: "Now that Pepsi's cut prices, Coca-Cola will surely follow."

Zhou Andong smiled—Coca-Cola had always been arrogant. In his previous life, when Pepsi cut prices, they'd scoffed: "Coca-Cola will never lower its price."

Yet within less than a year, sales were overtaken by Pepsi, forcing them to finally lower their heads and announce a price cut.

"For now, don't worry about Coca-Cola—just watch Pepsi."

Man Man Hongshan added: "The investigation into the Zhumadian contract factory is complete—the test results are out: the well water was contaminated. Reporters and consumers participated throughout—the results will be released tomorrow."

Zhou Andong asked: "Did you investigate the paper mill and the pollution source?"

Man Man Hongshan replied: "Yes. The investigators returned, and they recorded video evidence."

Zhou Andong said: "After the wedding, have him come to my office—I want to hear the details."

"Got it!" Man Man Hongshan replied.

Meanwhile, Deng Deng Zhangli and Chengzhan Army had arrived at the guesthouse, standing outside the gate, staring at the line of luxury cars parked along the road. They exchanged glances.

Deng Deng Zhangli said: "That lead car up front is Zhou Andong's. The groom today must be a senior executive too—and close to Zhou Andong."

Chengzhan Army chuckled: "This caught us off guard."

"Chen Chen Zhaoru's looking for trouble," Deng Deng Zhangli said, blinking. "What do you think Zhou Andong will do?" His tone carried unmistakable glee.

Chengzhan Army let out a light laugh: "Actually caught us off guard."

"Chen Chen Zhaoru went out of his way to stir trouble—what do you think Zhou Andong will do?" Deng Deng Zhangli blinked, his tone undeniably gleeful.