Chapter 79: Thief

Chapter 79: The Thief

Gu Sai, wearing the dark gray suit tailored specifically for him by Li Wencheng, got out of the car at the hotel entrance.

The finely cut fabric hugged his figure perfectly, accentuating his elegant waistline. His already handsome face was even more striking under the refined attire.

Li Wencheng personally led him inside. Worried that he might feel uncomfortable in a crowd of strangers, he brought him directly to Chen Wang's side.

Gu Sai asked quietly, "Bro, don't I need to go say hi to Uncle and Auntie?"

Li Wencheng smiled and patted his head. "We'll do that later. Stay by Chen Wang and don't wander off too far."

"Okay."

Li Wencheng walked toward where Lu Mo and Xiao Bai were standing. Just as he was about to make the introduction, Chen Wang stepped forward in a flash, subtly pushing Li Wencheng aside and naturally draping his arm around Gu Sai's shoulder.

"My turn to do the introductions." Chen Wang's tone carried an unmistakable possessiveness.

Li Wencheng raised an eyebrow, chose not to argue, and stepped back.

Chen Wang, with his arm around Gu Sai's shoulder, spoke in an extremely solemn—almost show-off—tone: "Lu Mo, Xiao Bai, let me formally introduce you. This is Gu Sai. He's mine, my future boyfriend. You can start calling him sister-in-law, or brother-in-law? Eh, whatever—you get the gist."

Gu Sai, standing right there, was definitely cringing inside, blushing as he weakly protested: "Chen Wang! Don't talk nonsense..."

Lu Mo and Xiao Bai exchanged knowing looks and smirked.

Lu Mo shook Gu Sai's hand: "Hello, hello. I'm Lu Mo, I've known Chen since we were kids. Gu Sai, you look even better than on TV. Though your taste isn't great—how'd you end up with a jerk like him?"

Chen Wang slapped his hand away with a "smack": "Use your words, don't get handsy."

Lu Mo: "What the hell, I'm straight. What are you afraid of?"

Gu Sai said a quiet "Hello."

Xiao Bai smiled: "Gu Sai, don't mind us. Chen Wang and I are always bickering like this—no hard feelings. Here, have some cake."

"Thank you." Gu Sai took it and politely thanked him.

Xiao Bai looked at the sweet, adorable Gu Sai and thought—if someone this easygoing could be driven by Chen Wang to say "get lost," Chen Wang must be a real piece of work.

Gu Sai was around their age, and after chatting for a bit, he quickly warmed up to them.

Just then, the lights in the banquet hall suddenly dimmed, and a single spotlight fell on the spiral staircase.

Li Shanshan, dressed in a lavish pink-purple princess gown and wearing that gleaming diamond necklace, made a slow, princess-like entrance.

She first thanked the guests, her voice sweet, her gaze deliberately lingering on Chen Wang.

Finally, she gently touched the necklace around her neck and said in a coquettish voice: "Special thanks to Mom for my coming-of-age gift. I absolutely love this necklace—it'll be my most treasured possession."

Nearby, a professional cameraman was live-streaming her.

Her fans spotted Chen Wang and Gu Sai occasionally passing through the frame and immediately went wild. The viewer count skyrocketed, and comments flew by in a dizzying blur.

"Wow! It's Chen Wang, and Gu Sai too!"

"Happy birthday, little princess Shanshan! You even got a Best Actor to come—what a flex!"

"Gu Sai looks so handsome in that outfit. Next to Chen Wang, they're so easy on the eyes!"

"Oh my god, I saw my fave in my favorite influencer's live stream—two for one!"

"I used to think Li Shanshan was a fake socialite, but turns out she's a real princess."

Li Shanshan caught the scrolling comments on the live stream out of the corner of her eye. Seeing Gu Sai's name next to Chen Wang's, jealousy churned inside her, but her smile only grew sweeter.

Endure. I have to endure. Gu Sai, your good days are numbered!

She followed the program, mingling with the older relatives and friends, cutting the cake, the atmosphere lively.

When she served cake to Gu Sai, she deliberately hugged him and whispered in his ear: "Can't believe you actually had the nerve to show up, thief."

Her voice was barely a whisper, and she kept a composed smile, her lips barely moving. No one heard her except Gu Sai.

But Chen Wang noticed Gu Sai freeze for a moment, his face paling a few shades, then he pursed his lips and lowered his head.

When Li Shanshan went to serve cake to others, Chen Wang asked Gu Sai, "What did she just do?"

Gu Sai said, "She called me a thief."

Chen Wang clenched his jaw and started to go after Li Shanshan. Gu Sai grabbed his hand and said, "Bro said to wait."

Chen Wang looked down at Gu Sai's hand, forcing down his rage. He asked, "Gu Sai, do you trust me?"

Gu Sai looked up, and their eyes met.

"I trust you."

Chen Wang gripped his hand tighter. "No matter what happens, don't be afraid. This time, with me and Li Wencheng here, I won't let you get bullied like you did as a kid."

The orchestra played "Fidelio" live. In the emotionally charged prelude, Gu Sai was transported back to his childhood—being called an ungrateful brat and a thief by everyone, with the Li couple looking at him with resentment and disgust in their eyes.

And at that moment, Chen Wang walked toward him against the light, held out his hand, and said, "Trust me."

Gu Sai's eyes welled up slightly: "Chen Wang, thank you."

For the first dance, naturally, the guest of honor went first.

Li Shanshan lifted her skirt and danced lightly to the music, like a happy little fairy. Moments later, she suddenly let out a startled cry and instinctively clutched her neck—the diamond necklace worth 5.8 million yuan was gone!

"My necklace!"

Li Shanshan's voice trembled with tears, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The live stream camera immediately focused on her panicked face.

The banquet hall erupted into chaos.

Mrs. Li rushed over to comfort her daughter, Mr. Li's face turned ashen, and Li Wencheng remained expressionless, watching Li Shanshan on stage with calm, steady eyes.

"It was just here! I only went over there to serve a few slices of cake..." Li Shanshan said, her eyes tearful, her gaze pointedly drifting toward Gu Sai. "How could it disappear? It was Mom's coming-of-age gift to me, boohoo..."

The live stream viewers also went wild: "Oh my god, I heard Shanshan say that necklace is worth over five million!"

"That expensive? Worth more than my life. I didn't steal it though—I'm taking a dump in the bathroom right now."

"Not me either. I'm helping my constipated husband dig his poop out."

"I remember Shanshan was still wearing it before she served the cake. Maybe it fell over there?"

"If it fell and someone found it, it must have been stolen. Call the police—don't let the thief get away."

"I just reviewed the footage. When Shanshan was cutting the cake, the camera shifted to film the orchestra, and when it moved back, the necklace was already gone."

Everyone combed the entire banquet hall, but the necklace was nowhere to be found, and Li Shanshan burst into louder sobs.

At that moment, Aunt Zhou stepped forward: "Miss, weren't you just hugging Mr. Gu a moment ago? It seems like the necklace disappeared after that."

At that, the entire hall fell silent.

All eyes, including the live camera, instantly focused on Gu Sai.