The Cannon Fodder NPC Went Too Far [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Sunday, the 70th birthday banquet for the Head of the Shen Family was held as scheduled.
The Shen family was an old-money powerful family that had its start at the end of the last century and had been passed down ever since. Even though its internal roots were now complex and tangled, with major factions fighting and subtly hinting at decline, it was still not to be underestimated.
The current head of the family was named Shen Zhenghui. He had married three wives. His first wife bore him three sons before dying during the birth of her fourth child. The eldest legitimate son was Shen Yao, the current Young Master of the Shen family.
Shen Zheng’s mother was his second wife. Unlike his first wife, who was from an equally matched noble family, Shen Zheng’s mother was merely a minor employee in Shen Zhenghui’s company, having studied diligently for years.
Because of her beautiful appearance, Shen Zhenghui took notice of her immediately. Perhaps due to her remarkably cold and defiant attitude, Shen Zhenghui’s interest in her lasted for a long time, and he forcibly married her. She passed away from depression after giving birth to Shen Zheng.
The third wife brought her son with her. She later gave birth to a pair of twins. It happened that the company’s business was booming at the time, and Shen Zhenghui was overjoyed, taking it as a good omen and immediately marrying her.
Not to mention that in his youth, Shen Zhenghui was a dashing womanizer who left his mark everywhere. He had at least five, if not ten, mistresses hidden away, and countless illegitimate children. The ones he acknowledged were placed in the company; the rest were given a small allowance and ignored.
Including his current grandchildren, Shen Zhenghui could be said to be blessed with many descendants.
Crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow, and exquisite carpets covered the floor. Guests in lavish attire moved to and fro, conversing in hushed tones. The once high-spirited figures seen in financial reports had now lowered their stance, gently clinking glasses and establishing connections.
Shen Zheng led Xia Yu slowly into the banquet hall. Since entering, Xia Yu’s eyes had been darting around, curiously taking in the decor.
As an Imperial Princess, she had naturally seen treasures and fine cuisine, but the two worlds were fundamentally different. There were some things she was seeing for the first time, and a little curiosity was inevitable.
Shen Zheng glanced briefly at the decorations, sneering: Still fond of these showy things. But seeing Xia Yu’s bright eyes, she paused and gave an objective assessment: “Aside from everything else, the banquet is well-organized.”
Seeing that Xia Yu was on the verge of being completely distracted, Shen Zheng smiled helplessly, waved her hand, and indicated for her to go enjoy herself with the young people. She even pondered for a moment and listed a few activities she thought were worthwhile.
“Go on. If I’m not mistaken, there are plenty of interesting things to do at this banquet.”
Then, as if remembering something, she softly instructed: “If anyone causes you trouble, mention my name.”
“Shen Zheng, is this your stepdaughter? I heard your relationship is surprisingly good. She really is beautiful, like a noble little phoenix.”
A woman in a red dress, with smooth lines flowing from her shoulders, approached. Under her high nose, her lips were full and red. She gently raised her hand, swirled the red wine in her glass, and draped an arm over Shen Zheng’s shoulder, teasing lazily.
Shen Zheng slanted a look at her but didn’t reply, her gaze fixed on Xia Yu, who was not far away.
The girl wore a pale moonlight-colored dress with a light skirt that floated with movement. She held her chin high, her thick eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, and a cascade of black hair flowed down her back.
She stood tall, a faint smile playing on her lips. Every gesture exuded innate nobility.
Mhm, she is indeed very beautiful, extremely dazzling.
Shen Zheng’s expression was mild, and a trace of ultimate tenderness flashed through her eyes.
The woman, Gu Xiwen, raised her almond-shaped eyes, tucked the fallen hair behind her ear, and her crimson lips parted, speaking with a soul-stirring laziness:
“What a little beauty. The more I look, the more I like her, sister. Shen Zheng, do you think she’d like my type?”
Shen Zheng picked up a nearby wine glass, poured herself some red wine, took a small sip, tilted her head, and squinted at the woman beside her, softly cautioning: “Gu Xiwen, don’t get any ideas about her.”
“Oh, oh, oh, Shen Zheng, you control everything, and now you control who I make friends with? How do you know the little beauty doesn’t like me? Maybe she prefers me over a boring person like you.”
Gu Xiwen looked Shen Zheng up and down, clicking her tongue a few times. She turned her head, made a gun shape with her right hand, and went Biu~, aiming it at Xia Yu. Her highly aggressive gaze was fixed on Xia Yu.
Shen Zheng pursed her lips, the hand holding the wine glass faintly trembling, an inexplicable surge of anger rising within her.
Her eyes narrowed at the corners, instantly turning sharp. She forcefully pushed down Gu Xiwen’s raised right hand, gritting her teeth and saying slowly: “Gu Xiwen, I’m telling you again, she is not your kind. Don’t touch her.”
Seeing that Shen Zheng seemed genuinely angry, Gu Xiwen first opened her red lips in surprise, staring at her, and then covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
She had only said it casually this time, never expecting Shen Zheng to react so strongly. There’s something going on here.
Gu Xiwen, the young mistress of an emerging powerful family, was known to be attracted to both men and women. In previous years, she and Shen Zheng competed over the same market, and in the process, they developed a kind of bond, with a mutual appreciation. The two were considered friends who got along well. Although this might only be Gu Xiwen’s unilateral opinion.
Gu Xiwen lightly hooked Shen Zheng’s palm with her finger, winking at her flirtatiously.
Seeing Shen Zheng abruptly withdraw her hand, she didn’t mind, putting her hands up in a gesture of surrender, and said tolerantly: “Fine, fine, I’ll listen to you. Actually, I’m not that interested in little sisters; I’m more interested in CEO Shen.”
With that, she leaned forward, her red lips close to Shen Zheng’s ear, and whispered: “CEO Shen, do you need my help? You’ll have to give me a 5% cut afterward, though~”
Shen Zheng pushed Gu Xiwen’s face away. After a moment of thought, she nodded at Gu Xiwen.
“Deal. CEO Gu.”
“Straightforward. Then I wish CEO Shen good luck.”
“Thank you.” Shen Zheng politely clinked glasses with Gu Xiwen, took a small sip of red wine, and subconsciously looked up to search for Xia Yu. To her surprise, Xia Yu was long gone.
Xia Yu aimlessly wandered through the banquet, looking at this and touching that. No one knew her, and no one disturbed her, allowing her to enjoy the peace.
As she wandered, she came to an open grassy area. In the center, there was an antique Touhu (pitch-pot) set, the pot richly painted and gilded, with arrows of different colors stuck inside. A crowd was gathered around, counting the successful throws of each team, cheering loudly for every successful score.
Xia Yu was watching intently when she suddenly heard the system loudly warn in her mind: “Host! Be careful!”
A white-fletched arrow, with a sharp whistle, cut through the air and flew toward Xia Yu’s face.
Xia Yu’s eyes narrowed at the warning. She skillfully turned her body sideways, and with a quick hand, she firmly grabbed the arrow shaft, catching it bare-handed.
Although the tip of the arrow was covered in foam and not sharp, it would likely have bruised her face if it had hit.
What vicious intent.
Shen Tingyu stood loosely beside the pot. Seeing that Xia Yu had dodged it, he shouted in surprise. He then pulled another arrow from the pot, squinted, aimed, and threw it at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu followed the same routine, catching the second arrow, and the third, until Shen Tingyu could no longer pull another arrow from the pot. Only then did he stop reluctantly, raising his chin and smiling playfully:
“Miss Xia, my apologies. The young master here didn’t aim properly for a moment, and the trajectory went a bit off course, nearly hitting Miss Xia.” Looking at Shen Tingyu’s eyes, which were full of disdain, his words were less an apology and more a blatant provocation.
Shen Tingyu! The veins bulged on Xia Yu’s hand clutching the arrows. Seriously, she was just looking for someone to complete the system task on, and he came right to her.
She had grown tired of this game when she was ten, and he dared to show off his inadequacy in front of her. It was simply asking for death.
Xia Yu’s lips curled into a cold smile. Her fingers moved, spinning the arrows in her hand. The sharp tips pointed toward Shen Tingyu’s face. Now it was her turn.
She stood squarely, leaning back slightly, putting power into her arm, and casually threw the arrows toward Shen Tingyu.
One, two… The arrows cut through the air with a forceful whistle, shooting straight toward Shen Tingyu like flying dragons.
Shen Tingyu seemed not to expect her to fight back. He was stunned for a moment. Seeing the arrows flying directly toward his face, he screamed in horror, covering his head with his hands, and scampered away into the distance like a greased pig.
Following a few graceful arcs, the arrows accurately plunged into the pot’s opening. Their fletchings swayed, making a crisp sound, and the shafts stood stably inside the pot.
Xia Yu nodded in satisfaction, dusted her hands, which were slightly dusty, and slowly responded to his previous provocation, eyeing Shen Tingyu’s fleeing figure:
“Oops, my apologies. I had a sudden itch to show off my skills and casually threw a few. Well, thanks to someone running away with his head covered, I managed to achieve a perfect score. Thank you very much.”
The area, which had instantly cooled down after Shen Tingyu targeted Xia Yu, suddenly erupted with laughter.
Several young masters and ladies, whose family status was no less than Shen Tingyu’s, gave him no face, bursting into laughter. Then, seeing how beautifully the arrows were thrown, they clapped their hands and loudly cheered:
“Great shot! What superb skill!”
Shen Tingyu tightly clenched his fists, glaring venomously at the faces of those who had spoken out. Seeing that he couldn’t afford to offend them and couldn’t save face, he could only direct his full rage at Xia Yu.
He gestured behind him, and a burly bodyguard, having received the order, slowly advanced toward Xia Yu. Shen Tingyu looked down at her as if she were an ant, saying coldly: “Xia Yu, you dare to provoke me on my turf? Are you looking for death?”
Xia Yu sneered, lifting her chin slightly, her eyes practically overflowing with disdain.
“Shen Tingyu, you really are a disgrace to the Shen family, putting on a perfect display of abusing your power. I don’t know why Shen Zheng has a nephew like you. It’s truly shameful. There’s nothing about you that can compare to Shen Zheng.”
Upon hearing the name “Shen Zheng,” the bodyguard slowly approaching Xia Yu instantly faltered. They looked at each other hesitantly, freezing in place, unable to advance or retreat.
Seeing that the girl in front of them had a connection to Shen Zheng, the young elites who were already unafraid of Shen Tingyu’s family saw an opportunity and jumped out, talking over each other to advise against confrontation.
“Shen Tingyu, you can’t be a sore loser just because you lack the skill.”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re the Shen family’s eldest legitimate grandson. Be the bigger man, don’t fuss over a little girl.”
While sounding like advice, the words and tone coming from their mouths were undeniably sarcastic and mocking.
Shen Tingyu stood rigid, clutching his fists, caught between a rock and a hard place. Just then, a confidant who had rushed over from the main hall respectfully whispered in his ear: “Young Master Shen, the banquet is about to begin. The Young Master is calling for you to return.”
Shen Tingyu paused, quickly offered a high-sounding explanation, and hurriedly left the area.
Judging by his appearance, he looked less like he had an important matter to attend to and more like he was running away in defeat.