According to her, the reason the grandfather agreed to this marriage was due to his dissatisfaction with the third branch of the family?
Just then, Gu Yuan checked the time and realized the wedding was about to begin, so he hurried back to the hotel to change into his formal attire. On his way back, he unexpectedly ran into his ex-wife, Lin Xiangyu, and her family.
Gao Shaohua, from one of the Four Great Families, had arrived at the venue and was welcomed with great enthusiasm the moment he presented his invitation, while those queuing to enter could only cast envious glances his way. The Lin family knew full well that without Gao Shaohua's help, they would never have been able to step foot into this grand banquet. Consequently, Li Xiuqin and her family fawned over Gao Shaohua endlessly.
"Young Master Gao, you certainly have a lot of pull! We never would have made it in without you!" their praises rang out incessantly.
Lin Lei chimed in, clapping his hands in agreement. "That’s right, that’s right! I’ve always thought that Young Master Gao is the perfect match for my sister. Hehe... if he could become my brother-in-law, that would be absolutely wonderful."
"Young Master Gao, our Xiangyu has nothing to do with that loser anymore; she only has eyes for you, Young Master Gao."
The uncle's words caused Gao Shaohua's expression to shift. Seeing this, Li Xiuqin immediately grew angry. "Uncle, watch your tongue! Why bring up that loser at a time like this? How could he possibly be mentioned in the same breath as Young Master Gao? This is the Tanyue Grand Hotel, the only six-star hotel in Tiannan City. How could someone like Gu Yuan ever be qualified to be here? In his entire life..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Li Xiuqin suddenly choked, as if something had caught in her throat. She had seen the one thing she least wanted to see: Gu Yuan was standing right there in the lobby, locking eyes with them.
Good heavens!
Li Xiuqin couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed them to confirm it wasn't an illusion and then exclaimed, "Gu Yuan, how are you here?"
Hearing her voice, the Lin family and Gao Shaohua turned around. When they recognized Gu Yuan, they were all too stunned to speak.
Gu Yuan smiled. "Why wouldn't I be here? Because I am the groom. Is that reason sufficient?"
Lin Lei paused for a moment before bursting into mocking laughter. "Oh, I get it now, Gu Yuan. You spent all your money hiring a beautiful woman as a plant and renting a sports car, so now you've come to the hotel to wash toilets? Tanyue is a six-star hotel; how could they possibly hire an ex-convict like you? Did you beg and grovel for them to take you in?"
"I bet he snuck in when the guards weren't looking, just hoping to mooch a free meal," another added.
"Exactly! Didn't the papers say some people pretend to be guests at weddings just to crash the meal? Some even put scrap paper in their red envelopes!"
The family pointed their fingers at Gu Yuan, clearly convinced that he had staged his earlier displays of wealth and, having run out of money, had now resorted to shamelessly crashing the banquet. Throughout it all, Gu Yuan didn't say a word. He simply stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the Lin family perform their farce. At that moment, he finally understood everything: no matter what he did, in their eyes, he was always in the wrong. All of this was simply because a Young Master from one of the Four Great Families was present.
Gao Shaohua heard their remarks and a cold smirk appeared on his lips. He looked down at Gu Yuan dismissively before turning to Lin Xiangyu. "Lin Xiangyu, is this your ex-husband? I’m starting to understand why you divorced him. Meeting a man like this... I can only say you must have owed him in a past life."
Lin Xiangyu felt utterly helpless. She gritted her teeth as she looked at Gu Yuan. "Gu Yuan, I am truly disappointed in you. I gave you chances, but you didn't cherish them. Now that you've hit rock bottom, you're running around crashing other people's weddings. Do you know whose wedding this is? It’s the Qian Family, one of the Four Great Families! Do you have any idea how serious the consequences will be if they find you?"
Gu Yuan simply picked at his ear and replied calmly, "Who knows who is really here to crash the meal today?"
He had been impatient with the family’s clownish behavior, but his nonchalant attitude now only struck them as being utterly thick-skinned.
Lin Xiangyu felt a wave of disappointment; her ex-husband was truly hopeless.
Li Xiuqin gave a cold snort and sneered, "Gu Yuan, do you have any shame left? We are invited guests, while you are just a parasite here for a free meal?" She continued to mock him, "Young Master Gao has an invitation, but what about you? Just a guy who snuck in to eat for free."
Just as they were busy berating Gu Yuan, a group of staff members in crisp suits, wearing Tanyue Hotel name tags, hurried over. Seeing the staff, Li Xiuqin’s eyes lit up, as if she had come up with a malicious plan. She immediately began shouting, demanding that the hotel staff throw the "intruder" out and teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget.
Lin Xiangyu tried to tug at her mother’s hand, whispering for her to stop, but Li Xiuqin didn't let up; instead, she raised her voice, accusing Gu Yuan even more sharply. This scene drew the attention of the people queuing outside. Unable to enter themselves without invitations, they began to gossip upon seeing someone acting so brazenly while trying to snag a free meal.
The Lin family watched the spectacle, sure that Gu Yuan was about to meet his downfall. After all, this wasn't an ordinary wedding—it was the banquet for the eldest daughter of the Qian family, one of the Four Great Families of Tiannan City. Any disruption could have grave consequences.
However, things turned out differently.
The hotel staff walked straight up to Gu Yuan and said respectfully, "Mr. Gu, we have been looking for you. Please return to the backstage area as soon as possible; the wedding is about to begin."
Upon hearing this, the smile froze on Li Xiuqin’s face, and the rest of the Lin family stood stunned. It turned out Gu Yuan wasn't a trespasser at all—he was an invited guest.
Facing this sudden reversal, Gu Yuan crossed his arms and looked at the Lin family with a cold smirk. "You spent all that time putting on a show, only to find out I was invited here. Are you disappointed?"
Li Xiuqin questioned him in a fit of rage, but Gu Yuan no longer had time to entertain her. As the wedding ceremony drew near, he left with the staff. He left Li Xiuqin shouting and screaming while Lin Xiangyu tried to pull her mother away to avoid further embarrassment.
Young Master Gao also chimed in to persuade them, "Don't lower yourselves to the level of a small fry like him; it’s beneath your status."
Ultimately, calmed by the Young Master's words, Li Xiuqin quieted down, realizing that continuing the argument would only make them look worse. They hurriedly entered the venue, preparing for the upcoming ceremony.
Li Xiuqin mused to herself: her daughter was about to marry into one of the Four Great Families, and her future son-in-law was a young master of the Gao Family. Why bother with someone like Gu Yuan, who came from a poor background and had a record of detention? He was likely just a backstage worker at the Tanyue Hotel, earning a few thousand a month—how could he ever compare to her daughter and their future Gao family son-in-law?
"Mom, we’re the bigger people here, let’s just eat and drink," Lin Lei advised, whispering, "There are noble ladies from high society everywhere here; we must maintain our composure and not embarrass my sister."