Chapter 1707: Chapter 1707

This kind of praise went on for a long time, not only praising Li Yixiang but also acknowledging the parenting of Li Yifei and others, which led to such sensible children. Ye Yunzhu then naturally shared a few other things the children had done, winning even more commendations.

The long-time homebound Old Master Ye directly said, "Remember to tell me when my adorable great-grandchild performs, I must go watch my dear grandchild’s performance!"

This level of attention was unprecedented in the Ye family. Not to mention Old Master Ye’s temperament when he held the third-highest position in the provincial government back in the day, since stepping down all those years ago, he rarely went out for events, even in matters concerning his own children. But now, for the sake of the fourth generation, he was willing to go out.

Everyone in the Ye family, except for Mr. and Mrs. Ye Zhenyang, secretly sighed. This made Mr. and Mrs. Ye Zhenyang even more proud.

Initially, after Old Master Ye passed, the one most likely to inherit the Ye family was the eldest brother, Ye Zhenlong. But now, it’s doubtful Ye Zhenlong would dare to think about this anymore. Fınd the newest release on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽

This was an under-the-table contest. On the surface, everything was harmonious. Several direct members of the Ye family presented their gifts and entrusted them to Ye Yunzhu for her daughter, Li Yixiang, offering some words of encouragement. Even Zhou Xiaoyue dashed back to her room, bringing out two cute little dolls, packing them in an even cuter, girlish little bag, and gave them to Ye Yunzhu, saying they were for her little niece and little niece Chu Xiaoyao, and reminded Chu Xiaoyao to remember to return the favor with a gift.

At noon, Li Yifei and a few others had lunch at the Ye family, and naturally, it was a cheerful affair. Li Yifei did not assume the demeanor of The Patriarch of the Li family, and others couldn’t either, except for Old Master Ye, who held a low profile.

After lunch, Old Master Ye asked his two sons to accompany Li Yifei to visit the place where the evening banquet was to be held. It was another villa, built by the Ye family themselves, which was usually used for entertaining relatives and friends. The facilities were complete, but no large-scale, high-quality gatherings had been held there before. It wasn’t others to blame, just that the Ye family’s ranking among the Eight Great Clans of the provincial capital was too low. The families ahead of them simply did not interact with the Ye family. But now, even if other families felt dissatisfied, they wouldn’t dare to offend the Ye family lightly.

These changes were not achieved by the Ye family themselves but were supported by the backing of the Li family. Therefore, there was no sign of dissatisfaction towards Li Yifei and the others.

Starting around three or four in the afternoon, the various families started arriving one after another. No one dared to put on airs, waiting to arrive only when the dinner started. Excluding those three families and the Ye family, the remaining four families were all represented by their patriarchs, bringing along some well-developed younger members of their families. They couldn’t afford to disregard the gathering hosted by the Li family.

The clan chiefs of the Hu family, Zheng family, Chu family, and Wang family gathered again, observing Li Yifei, who was highly regarded among the crowd, with a feeling of nostalgia, reminiscent of the sparrows that once nested in grand halls now flying into ordinary homes. The Sun and Lin families had become history, with those meant to perish perished, those meant to be arrested were arrested, and the remaining dispersed. As for the Song family, they were probably the only family not invited by the Li family this time.

Even some of the smaller families were invited.

Currently, across the entire province, all the most prestigious figures from their respective cities were present here.

If a bomb were to be thrown here now, it would be catastrophic... Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. To prevent any disturbances, the Ye family had deployed a number of security personnel for covert protection, and there were security measures set up around the villa.

At seven in the evening, as night was about to fall, the lights came on. The venue for the banquet was tastefully arranged, showing the careful attention of the Ye family. But that was not the focus. People’s attention was on a man just over thirty, looking even younger. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he was strikingly prominent in the crowd.

He wore meticulously tailored clothes, flanked by two stunning beauties, seemingly of similar age but appearing even younger with their simple makeup, as if they were only in their twenties. These three were the focal point of the entire evening.

Despite their brilliance, they were not overbearing. Today, Li Yifei gave the impression of being youthful yet in high position, without being overbearing. He conducted himself with such propriety that not only did the Ye family feel no discomfort but also bestowed him the respect he deserved. Even those from the smaller families found Li Yifei approachable and easy to converse with.

One wonders what those few families have against Li Yifei that created such major animosities. He didn’t seem so difficult to deal with, yet they stirred up trouble, and deservedly so, led to their misfortune.

Not everyone was invited today. For example, those families who were on good terms with the few antagonistic families didn’t receive invitations. These past two days, these uninvited families tried seeking help, begging, and making attempts to obtain an invitation card but...it wasn’t so easy as the Li family outright refused.

The time was almost up; the banquet began. With Old Master Ye’s humble concession, Li Yifei stepped up to the microphone. As he stood, the surrounding area quieted down. Li Yifei smiled and said, "I’m glad everyone could come. Let me introduce myself, I’m Li Yifei. I believe most of you know me by now. Actually, there’s nothing particular today; the old master here prepared some game meats, invited me to try, and I thought we might as well all enjoy it together. With the autumn weather so pleasant, cooling at night, having some barbecue and booze should feel good."

Below, people were speculating about what Li Yifei might say, whether he would be boastful or humble, but they didn’t expect Li Yifei to straightforwardly suggest barbecue and drinks. No wonder when they arrived, they found this banquet differed from those they attended before. Several large barbecue grills and chefs were busy at work on site.

Laughter emerged from below, and some people already raised their drinks to toast Li Yifei, who also picked up a drink from nearby and raised it as well, indicating his response, "No need for many words. If you know each other, drink more. If not, get to know each other and then drink. Since you’re here, we’re all friends, let’s not pretend."

Saying this, Li Yifei glanced at the two wives beside him, then laughed again, saying, "I’m talking about male friends. You cannot put on a false act tonight. As for female friends, you have privileges. Drink if you want; if not, there’s plenty of juice over there. In short, let’s eat and drink to one’s heart’s content tonight. The old master prepared a lot of meat!"

Once Li Yifei finished his speech, he raised the glass and downed it in one go, catching the side glances of his two wives giving him a synchronised eye-roll. Li Yifei swallowed the drink, laughing heartily.