Do not forget what I told you.

"Well, I shouldn't have spoken so much." He laughed softly, readjusting his posture, and then tilted his head slightly to apologize to Jiang Mian.

"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry."

She waved her hand and glanced at Gu Yuezhao's expression. It did not look very good, probably a bit angry.

"It's fine."

If all else fails, you should probably go and coax Eldest Miss Gu first.

However, that was just a thought in her mind, and she did not say it out loud.

The banquet officially began, and everyone started dining. Originally, there was supposed to be a segment for birthday congratulations, but Elder Wen found it troublesome and simply told everyone to skip this step.

Jiang Mian didn't dare to speak carelessly. After all, anyone sitting at this table seemed to be someone she could not afford to provoke.

Being able to sit with this group of people given her current status could already be considered sheer dumb luck.

Shen Xiyao remembered what she liked to eat. Several times, when her favorite dishes were placed in front of her, Shen Xiyao would glance at her.

Seeing her pick up food, Shen Xiyao would then look down and eat with peace of mind.

Shen Yize, that brat, chatted with Elder Wen from time to time.

Among the children of the prominent families, aside from Shen Xiyao, Shen Yize was the one most favored by Elder Wen.

The relationship between the Shen family and the Wen family was not actually very close, and interactions between the elders were not frequent. Yet, these two children used to visit the Wen residence often when they were young.

Mr. Shen had sighed several times, considering it fortunate that these two siblings could win the favor of Elder Wen.

After all, with the implicit protection of the Wen family, although the Shen family was not at the very top in the capital, anyone wanting to mess with the Shen siblings still had to take Elder Wen's face into consideration.

Sitting at a slight angle, Jiang Zhixuan could see Jiang Mian with just a turn of her head. Several times, her gaze drifted over involuntarily, as if she wished she could burn a hole through Jiang Mian's back.

Why should this person be allowed to sit at Elder Wen's table? She gritted her teeth secretly and looked at Wen Yan instead.

He was very gently picking food for her and asking if there was anything else she wanted to eat.

After a little while, her emotions gradually calmed down. So what if Jiang Mian could sit at that table? Elder Wen was not going to take action against Jiang Zhouyi on her account.

Besides, Wen Jinhuai was notoriously difficult to deal with in the capital; out of all those who had previously tried to suck up to him and throw themselves at him, how many had ever achieved anything?

Presumably, Jiang Mian's shameless clinging wouldn't lead to any good end either.

She wasn't anyone particularly special.

Comforting herself like this, Jiang Zhixuan felt much better.

"A-yan, thank you!" She smiled with curved eyes, a trace of resentment toward Jiang Zhouyi bubbling up in her heart.

Why did he keep urging her to ask Wen Yan about Wen Corporation's affairs? She didn't want to get involved in the treacherous power struggles of their companies at all. Being with Wen Yan was simply because Wen Yan was of the highest quality within her reach.

Sometimes her father really exasperated her, yet he truly pampered her, always leaving her speechless.

Jiang Mian could actually sense someone staring at her from behind. This kind of gaze had surrounded her from childhood to the present day; it hadn't dissipated, and probably never would.

After all, the connection between Jiang Zhixuan and her was destined to remain inextricably tangled for the rest of their lives.

She ate quietly. Wen Jinhuai didn't engage in much excessive conversation with her either; his occasional one or two remarks were just answers to Elder Wen's questions.

The ones who spoke the most during the meal were Shen Xiyao and Shen Yize.

Shen Yize loved to pester Shen Xiyao and make a fuss, but she simply ignored him this time, letting him call her "elder sister" over and over again beside her.

Jiang Mian even wondered if Shen Xiyao ever found a boyfriend, she would probably have to beat this younger brother into submission first.

He Qisheng ate quietly while the person beside him glared at him countless times.

If looks could kill, Gu Yuezhao would have already killed him millions of times.

"Zhao-zhao, the food is in your bowl, not on my face."

He Qisheng finally sighed and couldn't help but speak up.

Gu Yuezhao let out a cold snort, turned his head away, chewed aggressively a couple of times, and pressed his thin lips together: "He Qisheng, if you really have any backbone, don't ever talk to me again for the rest of your life."

Jiang Mian couldn't help but perk up her ears. Was there some emotional entanglement between them? And a serious one at that?

Lowering her gaze, Jiang Mian suppressed her curiosity. She hadn't intentionally eavesdropped on such an explosive matter, but sitting at the same table, hearing it was inevitable.

When the meal concluded, post-dinner tea and fruit were served to each table.

Jiang Mian leaned back in her chair, holding a teacup and sipping slowly. She hadn't dined in such a grand setting for a very long time, let alone at a banquet of such high caliber.

If not for the invitation letter given by Wen Jinhuai, her dinner tonight probably would have been a bowl of rice noodles or some random takeout.

To be honest, before her parents passed away, Jiang Mian hadn't even used any food delivery apps.

She lowered her head and glanced at the neatly arranged bowls and chopsticks in front of her. Aside from a bit of soup clinging to the rims, nothing was left.

Apart from the designated tray for food waste, nothing had been dropped.

This was a lesson her parents taught her when she was young: never make eating look messy or unrefined; always clean up after yourself.

"Jiang Mian." The person beside her suddenly called her name in a very soft voice.

She instinctively looked toward the source of the sound and saw Wen Jinhuai staring right at her.

"What is it, President Wen?"

Wen Jinhuai didn't speak, just watching her sideways.

In fact, this young woman was much calmer than he had imagined. It seemed as though many things were external to her, and if possible, she could let go of almost anything.

Except for the Jiang family—that was something extremely important to her, which was probably why she refused to let go all this time, right?

He lowered his gaze, adopting a somewhat business-like tone: "Don't forget what I told you."

"Okay." She nodded in agreement.

As the banquet dispersed, Shen Xiyao routinely supported Elder Wen as they walked out, with Wen Jinhuai following closely at a moderate pace.

Earlier, Jiang Mian had told him she wanted to leave early. He hadn't stopped her; perhaps thinking of something, he simply let her go first.

When Elder Wen tilted his head and asked about it, he only replied that she had matters to attend to that were inconvenient to disclose.

Elder Wen stared at him for two seconds and let out a defiant snort: "Refusing to tell me, eh? Looks like you haven't managed to win the young lady's heart yet, haven't you?"

"Grandfather." He sounded somewhat helpless.

"If you can't do it, Grandfather will speak for you. If that still doesn't work, Grandfather will introduce someone else to you." Elder Wen waved his hand, deliberately provoking him.

No matter how he looked at that child Jiang Mian, she reminded him of the Su family girl, making him naturally inclined to feel affection toward her.

He heard the child was practically all alone in the world now. Elder Wen certainly wouldn't mind adopting a granddaughter; how much could it possibly cost to raise a young girl?

Wen Jinhuai sighed, momentarily too lazy to converse with the old man.

Shen Xiyao couldn't help laughing upon hearing this, earning herself a sideways glance from Wen Jinhuai.

She wasn't afraid of him; Wen Jinhuai's authority had no effect on her whatsoever, as she had Elder Wen backing her up.

Besides, she lived abroad year-round, so he couldn't reach her.