In his heart, he pondered buying an even more dashing tailcoat so that Xiao Dai could wear a beautiful gown like Yang Ling, and how exciting it would be for the two of them to stroll down the street together.

He actually acted on this idea, even buying the clothes, but unfortunately, it never came to fruition.

Xiao Dai absolutely refused to wear such formal attire to go shopping with him; her sense of propriety hadn't eroded that far. Who dresses so formally for a casual stroll? That would be utterly ridiculous.

"Zhang Yang hasn't arrived yet; you all came early!"

Gu Cheng commented. Zhang Yang and Mi Xue hadn't arrived yet. Mi Xue was picking up her family; today was an engagement, not a wedding, so the formalities were fewer.

Zhang Yang had gone to see Zhang Keqin; after all, today was his engagement, and they needed to arrive together.

Zhang Keqin had also been preparing for this day for a long time.

Several more cars pulled up, all bearing license plates beginning with the character 'Hu'—these were vehicles from Shanghai.

There were three cars in total. Cai Zhelang was the first to step out, followed by several other influential young masters Zhang Yang had met in Shanghai.

There weren't many of them, only five in total. They hadn't received an invitation from Zhang Yang; they had simply learned about the event and rushed over specifically.

These few men were not dressed quite so formally, but neither were they overly casual; it was evident they all took this occasion seriously.

Cai Zhelang, especially, held immense respect for Zhang Yang after witnessing his medical skills previously. Coupled with instructions from his family, he placed great importance on building a strong relationship with Zhang Yang.

"Old Cai, what brings all of you here?"

Long Cheng walked over, asking with genuine surprise, as he knew for a fact that Zhang Yang hadn't notified these people.

"Don't even get us started! You guys are having such a huge event like Zhang Yang's engagement and didn't bother to tell us? Do you not consider us friends anymore?"

Cai Zhelang chuckled, and the others chimed in with expressions of mock grievance.

Though they voiced displeasure, smiles accompanied their words; clearly, it was just talk, and they weren't genuinely offended.

"You can't blame us for not telling you; you should blame that kid Zhang Yang. He only notified us two days ago. Pulling off a lightning-fast engagement—it's simply unforgivable!"

Li Ya stepped forward and scolded Zhang Yang first, his words immediately drawing nods of agreement from Wang Chen and the others.

The group spent a good while criticizing Zhang Yang before he even arrived.

Looking at them, Cai Zhelang suddenly burst into laughter. Pointing at them one by one, he remarked, "What sort of party are you all crashing? Why do you all look like the groom? Especially you, Young Master Su. Your tailcoat is completely out of place here!"

"Out of place? Old Cai, you put it perfectly. That's just how he is; he wants to show off wherever he goes!"

Wang Chen snapped out of his surprise and shouted in response. He had long been jealous of Su Zhantao's flashy tailcoat, and hearing someone criticize it instantly spurred him to join in.

Li Ya and Wu Zhiguo also nodded along. Young Master Su’s incongruous attire today had definitely annoyed the masses.

"So what if I'm out of place? Today, I'm going to completely steal Zhang Yang's thunder, making sure he gets married even before I'm engaged!"

Su Zhantao declared fiercely, causing everyone, including Hu Xin and Nannan, to burst into laughter.

Long Cheng introduced Hu Xin and Gu Cheng to Cai Zhelang and his group; these two were Zhang Yang's classmates and close friends.

It was clear from the way Zhang Yang consistently helped them develop that these individuals held a high standing in his heart; he wouldn't help ordinary classmates like that.

Cai Zhelang dropped his air of elite indifference and was polite to them, exchanging greetings, when several more cars arrived.

Seeing the license plates on the lead car, Cai Zhelang's brow involuntarily furrowed.

The others also noticed the newly arrived cars, which still bore Shanghai license plates—still three vehicles.

This time, Gu Fang was the first to emerge, accompanied by his cousin, Li Wei.

From the following car stepped Young Master Shi, and from the last car descended a girl with a gloomy expression—it was Shi Gongzi's cousin, Shao Yuping.

Seeing the four of them, Cai Zhelang and Long Cheng remained silent. Wang Chen’s eyes still held a faint trace of anger.

He clearly remembered the last street race, which had nearly cost him his life.

Gu Fang paid no mind to their gazes and walked straight ahead.

Long Cheng and the others stayed put. Xiao Dai hurried over; in the absence of Zhang Yang and Mi Xue, she was the temporary hostess, tasked with assisting Zhang Yang and his family with reception duties.

Xiao Dai recognized Gu Fang, as Zhang Yang had treated him to a meal here once, and knew he was a friend of Zhang Yang’s, so she dared not neglect him.

Gu Fang, too, hadn't received a notice from Zhang Yang. He and Shi Qiang had come uninvited. However, they didn't know many people here, and with Cai Zhelang, with whom they didn't quite get along, present, they kept their interactions minimal.

The four of them stood to the side, chatting amongst themselves.

Before long, two minivans showed up outside. Most of the attendees today had arrived in nice cars; such ordinary minivans were quite rare.

As the doors opened, a whole group of people spilled out—most of them young, laughing and chatting amongst themselves.

Upon seeing them, Gu Fang’s eyes tightened slightly, and he proactively walked over with a smile to greet them.

This new group was familiar to Gu Fang and his party; they had all attended one of Zhang Yang's previous banquets. These people were Zhang Yang's university classmates and current members of his research project team.

These two vans had driven directly from the Third Institute.

Including Wang Guohai, every research member was present except for Wu Youdao and Zhu Zhixiang. Though the latter two couldn't attend, they had sent gifts and well wishes via their colleagues.

"Brother Gu, you're here too!"

Wang Lu, being straightforward, immediately responded when she saw Gu Fang initiating greetings. She hadn't thought much into it, but Shi Yan glanced at the others a few extra times.

Shi Yan clearly understood that these people carried significant influence. It must have been quite an effort for them to travel all the way from Shanghai for Zhang Yang's engagement.

Seeing Gu Fang make the first move, Cai Zhelang also walked over and shook hands with Shi Yan and the others.

After the conflict in the underground parking lot, Cai Zhelang had met Zhang Yang again and treated him to a meal, which is how he became acquainted with Shi Yan's group.

Once Shi Yan and her group arrived, the atmosphere immediately brightened considerably. Xiao Dai and Nannan even gravitated toward them, as they were classmates and already familiar with each other.

With so many people gathered at the entrance, it started to feel congested. Finally, Hu Xin took the initiative to invite everyone inside to be seated, which eased the pressure at the doorway.

Gu Fang and Cai Zhelang's groups also moved inside, but they kept separate.

The two factions were clearly at odds, but their objective regarding Zhang Yang was the same: both were trying to court him and establish the best possible relationship with him. Therefore, both sides exercised extreme restraint today.

This was Zhang Yang's joyous engagement celebration; causing any sort of commotion here would only anger him.

A short while later, more people arrived.

Xiao Bin came via a taxi, accompanied by two members of the Student Union. Zhang Yang had granted the Union complete autonomy, but that didn't mean they could forget his existence. In fact, the longer Zhang Yang was gone, the greater his influence became; even Xiao Bin remained deeply respectful of him now.

After these individuals settled in, a more substantial motorcade finally pulled up.

This convoy was rather mixed: there were ordinary Santanas, minivans, slightly better Passats and Citroëns, and one Mercedes-Benz sports car. In total, there were eight vehicles, which instantly made the restaurant parking area look much fuller.

The first to step out was Mi Xue, dressed in a pale white quilted jacket—the female protagonist had finally arrived.

Stepping out of Mi Xue's Mercedes-Benz sports car were her younger brother, Mi An, and their mother, Wu Fenglan. After exiting, Mi An excitedly looked around at the gull-wing door luxury sports car, his eyes sparkling.

Mi Xue had been accompanying Mi Zhiguo at the hospital after his car accident and hadn't driven this car. This was the first time Mi An had seen the sports car exclusively assigned to Mi Xue.

Moreover, the feeling of sitting inside a high-end car was distinctly different.

Mi Zhiguo alighted from a Passat, as did Mi Zhicheng, Mi Xue’s paternal uncle. Regardless of any prior conflicts, he was obligated to attend on this day.

Furthermore, he was currently completely bankrupt, depending on his elder brother to bail him out; he wouldn't dare miss it.

He kept looking around at the restaurant before them, his eyes constantly flickering.

He had previously heard Mi Zhiguo mention that Zhang Yang had opened a restaurant for Mi Xue. At the time, he hadn't paid much attention, figuring Zhang Yang wouldn't open anything too extravagant for her, considering they were only dating then.

Even if Zhang Yang was wealthy, he should be hoarding the capital for himself, not displaying it so early.

He judged based on his own mindset, assuming that was how Zhang Yang operated.

Upon seeing this grand establishment, he realized he had been profoundly mistaken. Zhang Yang hadn't held back; the restaurant he gave Mi Xue was worth more than the total assets he himself commanded during his peak.

Combined with Mi Xue’s luxurious Mercedes-Benz sports car, he was filled with an indescribable mix of emotions.

People from the other cars also disembarked; most were Mi Xue's maternal relatives—several aunts and uncles, totaling almost thirty people, which was slightly more than anticipated.

This was mainly due to Mi Xue's recent effort to reconnect with her extended family. They all knew she had found someone excellent and wanted to come along to see for themselves.

These relatives had gathered before dawn and driven from Lieshan to get here.

Since there was less traffic in the morning, they left early and managed to arrive on time without any delays. Mi Xue had met them at the highway exit.

At this moment, many people were pointing at the restaurant, discussing it. Wu Fenglan had proudly told them earlier that her daughter Mi Xue owned a restaurant in Changjing, and the engagement party was being held there today.

It was only upon arriving that they realized what a large venue this was. While perhaps not the best in Changjing, it was certainly mid-to-high tier. In Lieshan, a restaurant of this caliber would be considered the absolute finest establishment.

After seeing her relatives inside, Mi Xue returned and exchanged greetings with many classmates.

Simultaneously, many onlookers craned their necks in anticipation: the quasi-bride had arrived; when would the other main protagonist of the engagement, our male lead Zhang Yang, show up?

Things didn't turn out as smoothly as Xiao Yu might have imagined due to a backlog of necessary social obligations; she had to make up for yesterday's missed work. There will be a minimum of four chapters today, and this is the first one! (To be continued)