Just as the crowd was staring in astonishment, Lin Yunlong waved his hand grandly and announced, "Present the betrothal gifts!"
Soon, someone came forward and announced in a loud, clear voice:
"The Lin family presents a pair of Luminous Pearls, wishing the bride and groom a hundred years of wedded bliss!"
"The Lin family presents a mountain of a million coins, wishing the bride and groom a love as steadfast as the mountains!"
"The Lin family presents a golden ox, wishing the bride and groom a future that soars to incredible heights!"
...
The crowd listened, dumbfounded. The betrothal gifts alone were worth tens of millions. As expected of a wealthy family—what a grand gesture!
Seeing this lavish display, the crowd quickly understood. That Ye Feng was just some country bumpkin from the mountains. Even if he sold both his kidneys, he couldn't possibly scrape together that kind of money.
Compared to someone like Lin Yunlong, he was pathetic.
No wonder Xiao Gang chose Lin Yunlong. Even a complete moron would have made the same choice!
The main characters of today's wedding drama were now undoubtedly decided:
Lin Yunlong and Xiao Yufei!
In this contest, Ye Feng had been utterly defeated. He probably wouldn't even have the gall to show his face today.
But just when everyone thought the dust had settled, a calm voice rang out from the distance. "With all these arrangements you've made, where does that leave me, Ye Feng?"
As the voice faded, Ye Feng, dressed in plain clothes, slowly walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back.
Seeing Ye Feng, a look of contempt immediately appeared on Lin Yunlong's face. He let out a derisive chuckle and said:
"Ye Feng, I thought you'd be too ashamed to show your face today. But it seems I've underestimated how thick your skin is."
"What was that you said earlier? 'Where does that leave you?' Well, let me answer that for you. There is no place for you here."
"Not happy about it? Fine. Let me ask you this: you want to marry Yufei, but where are your betrothal gifts? You have nothing, yet you think you can marry Xiao Yufei? On what grounds?"
"Just with your empty words? Don't you know that love requires a material foundation?"
Seeing Lin Yunlong's arrogant demeanor, Lan Yazhi, who was standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore. Holding up the ginseng root, she said, "Who says Ye Feng didn't prepare a gift? Look, he brought a ginseng root!"
Xiao Gang, standing beside her, snatched the ginseng away and sneered, "Him? A broke wretch like him has money to give ginseng?"
"Bullshit! It's probably just a fake carved from a radish!"
"And even if it is a real ginseng root, how much could it be worth?"
"Compared to the lavish gifts from Yunlong, it's less than nothing! I don't want this thing!"
With that, he tossed it aside in disgust!
Lan Yazhi was furious, but being a gentle woman, she didn't want to make the scene too ugly. She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up just sighing and closing it again in resignation.
Ye Feng, however, remained perfectly calm. "So, you like lavish gifts, is that it?" he asked. "Let me ask you, then: if I were to present betrothal gifts more extravagant than his, what would you say?"
Before Xiao Gang could speak, Lin Yunlong cut in with a cold laugh. "I'll make you a promise right here. If you truly have the financial means to do that, you and Xiao Yufei can have your wedding, and I'll back out. But do you have what it takes? HAHA..."
Ye Feng turned to Xiao Gang. "And what about you?"
Xiao Gang sneered, "What Yunlong said goes for me too!"
Ye Feng nodded calmly. "Alright. I'll hold you to your words."
The surrounding crowd looked at Ye Feng, shaking their heads and sighing.
'The Lin family is one of the great families of Jiangcheng, with assets in the hundreds of millions. Competing with him in wealth is just asking for humiliation!'
'There's no need for a contest. He's already lost.'
'Without massive financial backing, spouting such aggressive words is just a way of humiliating himself!'
...
Hearing the crowd's chatter, Lin Yunlong burst into a smug, wild laugh. "Did you hear that, Ye Feng? You've already lost this contest! HAHA..."
But before his laughter could fade, the roar of engines echoed from the distance. A fleet of luxury cars soon came roaring up, screeching to a halt.
Someone got out and walked gracefully forward.
The person in the lead announced in a loud voice:
"Mu Qingyun of the Cyan Cloud Group presents a cash gift of one billion, wishing the bride and groom a hundred years of wedded bliss."
The scene immediately erupted into an uproar.
The Cyan Cloud Group was the number one conglomerate in the Great Xia Empire, immensely wealthy and utterly unrivaled.
Its chairman, Mu Qingyun, was an untouchable figure who stood above the rest. She was known for her aloof nature and her distaste for such social gatherings; she always sent a gift but never attended in person.
No one expected that the wedding of a daughter from a minor family like the Xiao family could command her personal attention, let alone her presence. And to top it off, she'd given a gift of one billion right from the start? 'How... how is this possible?'
While the crowd was still reeling in shock, a crisp, clear voice called out:
"Dragon Group Leader, Chen Yun'Er, presents a cash gift of one billion, wishing the bride and groom will grow old together!"
Who?
Dragon Group Leader Chen Yun'Er? She came too?
The Dragon Group was an entity that answered directly to the very top, big shots who outranked any official they met by three degrees! For such an overwhelmingly powerful person to come congratulate a minor family—and with another gift of one billion?
'Has the world gone mad?'
The crowd was so shocked their jaws had dropped, and they couldn't seem to close them.
But it wasn't over yet!
Just as the crowd was reeling in stunned disbelief, another loud voice announced, "President of the Great Xia Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, Feng Qingwu, presents a cash gift of one billion, wishing the bride and groom the swift arrival of a healthy baby!"
The crowd was instantly petrified.
The President of the Great Xia Traditional Chinese Medicine Association?
'That's a figure who represents the pinnacle of traditional Chinese medicine, a master revered by all! But she came here too, to offer her blessings, and with another extravagant gift of one billion?'
'Is... is this real?'
Everyone stiffly turned their heads to look at Xiao Gang. They couldn't for the life of them figure out how he had enough clout to get all these titans to come and congratulate him.
Xiao Gang was also frozen in place, stunned silly. He pinched his own balls, and the sharp, agonizing pain snapped him back to reality. 'This isn't a dream,' he thought. 'This is real! It's really happening!'
The next moment, his heart filled with wild ecstasy. 'Haha, we've struck it rich! We've made it!' he thought. 'By connecting with such top-tier figures, how could the Xiao family not soar to the heavens?'
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and staggered forward to greet them. His voice trembled as he called out, "Xiao Gang of the Xiao family welcomes you, esteemed guests! Quick, quick, please, come inside!"
Lin Yunlong also hurried over, bowing and scraping as he spoke. "Thank you, esteemed guests, for blessing my wedding with Yufei! Thank you, thank you!"
But to everyone's astonishment, Mu Qingyun and her group didn't even spare Xiao Gang and Lin Yunlong a glance. They walked straight up to Ye Feng, looked at him, and said gently:
"Little brother, we've delivered the betrothal gifts we prepared for you. Please accept them."
Little brother?
Ye Feng was the little brother of these titans?
They had all come here with such fanfare... for Ye Feng?
The crowd's jaws dropped so wide you could have fit an ostrich egg in their mouths.
'Is... is this really happening? Am I hallucinating?'
Just then, an action from Feng Qingwu instantly pulled everyone back to reality.
Feng Qingwu stepped forward, presented five checks, and said gently, "Little brother, Eldest Sister and Fifth Sister had matters to attend to and couldn't be here. They asked us to deliver their gift of two billion. This is five billion in total. Keep it safe."
Staring at the checks totaling five billion, the atmosphere at the scene instantly exploded.