Chapter 33 Not a Birthday Banquet But a Full Deer Feast

Chapter 33: Not a Birthday Banquet, but a Deer-Stalking Feast

After two days of rest, Lu Jingtang returned to the company, bringing local specialties from Rongcheng to share with her colleagues. Having spent some time with her, everyone found Lu Jingtang quite approachable—always cheerful and never putting on airs.

That afternoon, halfway through work, she and Lin Yixiao secretly slipped downstairs for some oden. A warm bowl of soup in winter always brought comfort to their stomachs.

As they sat eating in the convenience store, light snow began to fall outside. Through the transparent glass, Lu Jingtang watched Fu Nanyu emerge from the company's main entrance. Dressed in a custom-tailored black suit and a long black overcoat, he exuded an air of relaxed nobility. Just his silhouette made one wonder if he carried the scent of oud and agarwood.

His long legs carried him swiftly, and the person holding an umbrella behind him, trembling slightly, dared not get too close. Snow still dusted their shoulders, and though they longed to brush it off, they didn't dare.

Lu Jingtang chuckled at the sight. Lin Yixiao leaned over, asking what she was looking at. Lu Jingtang put down her food, told Lin Yixiao, "Wait for me a moment," and then dashed out of the convenience store.

She reached the car door before Qin Xianzhao, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes curving like little crescent moons. Straightening her posture, she cleared her throat with mock formality and gestured, "President Fu, safe travels."

Fu Nanyu's entourage craned their necks, curious to see who dared to joke with their boss like this. To their surprise, they saw President Fu smiling faintly, raising his hand to gently pat Lu Jingtang's head.

"Work hard, or I'll deduct your salary."

"Goodbye, big brother." Lu Jingtang obediently made a gesture of promise and closed the car door for him.

Only after hearing her call him "big brother" did the others realize this girl was the Fu family's adopted daughter. Rumors had circulated that the Fu family's adopted daughter wasn't particularly favored, but seeing this, it was clear those were nothing but baseless gossip!

In the car, Fu Nanyu's smile lingered. He glanced up to see Qin Xianzhao looking over with an unreadable expression. Fu Nanyu lowered his gaze, flipping through the documents in his hand. "Assistant Qin, is there something on your mind?"

Qin Xianzhao replied, "No, I just thought the young lady's personality seems to have changed a bit."

Fu Nanyu wasn't particularly concerned and simply said, "People change."

During dinner, Ye Xixi mentioned that Grandpa Fu had brought up Lu Jingtang's upcoming birthday. She had never had a grand celebration before, so this year, they would host a birthday banquet to formally introduce her to all the prominent business figures and socialites of the capital.

That cunning old man was shrewd. He wasn't genuinely interested in hosting a birthday banquet for Lu Jingtang. In the original story, Grandpa Fu, aware of the original host's feelings for the male lead, used her birthday banquet to publicly announce—without Fu Xiaqing's knowledge—that Lu Jingtang would take the Fu surname. He also formally declared Ji Yunyin as Fu Nanyu's fiancée. Once they shared a household register, the original host and the male lead would be considered siblings, forever severing any possibility of a romantic relationship.

The Fu family had never changed her surname before because Fu Xiaqing didn't want her to forget her biological parents. But in the eyes of Fu Xiaqing and his wife, they had long regarded Lu Jingtang as their own.

The original host, crumbling under the weight of these blows, broke down. She tried to push the female lead in public but ended up harming herself instead—she fell, injured her face, and became the laughingstock of the city, forcing her to flee abroad for treatment.

Fu Xiaqing hadn't anticipated the old man's scheme and felt deeply guilty toward Lu Jingtang. After she returned from abroad, he never held her accountable for the incident.

Sitting across the table, Fu Nanyu noticed Lu Jingtang's subdued expression—she didn't seem happy at all. If it were before, she would have agreed immediately. He said, "It's your birthday. You can choose to celebrate or not."

Lu Jingtang looked at Ye Xixi and whispered, "Can we not hold it?"

Ye Xixi didn't understand and felt somewhat awkward, as this was the old master's instruction. "Youyou, why don't you want to celebrate?"

She hesitated for a long time, unsure how to explain. She couldn't very well say that hosting this banquet would mean either the female lead's demise or her own—that it wasn't a birthday banquet but a "deer-stalking feast." But seeing Ye Xixi's troubled expression, she finally sighed, thinking she'd just avoid the female lead that day. "Let's do it. I want to celebrate."

Ye Xixi smiled in relief, but Fu Nanyu, sitting nearby, remained stern, his lips pressed tightly as he looked at Lu Jingtang, whose mood had visibly dropped.

He, too, didn't believe Grandpa Fu was being so thoughtful about hosting a birthday banquet for Lu Jingtang—there had to be other plans.

Xie Family Villa.

"An invitation from the Fu family—a birthday banquet for their adopted daughter, and a chance to get to know her."

In the study, Xie Hao, the family head, handed an invitation to Xie Qinghe. Xie Qinghe's usually calm expression shifted slightly, his gaze falling on the invitation. This time, without saying anything, he took the invitation and left. This indicated his agreement to attend.

Xie Hao was surprised. He had lived a libertine life for decades, with half his body nearly in the grave, yet he had no heir. Suddenly, he had found a son, but Xie Qinghe wasn't close to him at all—aside from agreeing to work at the company, he avoided all other contact. Why the change today, he wondered?

Xie Qinghe returned to his room with the invitation, lowering his eyes to look at the name "Lu Jingtang" on it, lost in thought.

He recalled what Ah Yin had said about this person's actions, and then remembered the bright, warm smile on her face that day at Zishan Manor. A curious smile tugged at his lips. He wanted to see if it was really the same person.

If she was truly malicious as Ah Yin said, why did she help a stranger—a server—that day at the manor? Perhaps she knew his true identity and did it on purpose?