Mage Veja

Chapter 199 The Banquet Begins

18:30 minutes.

When the sun sets and night falls, the Rodney family's banquet enters the preheating stage.

In addition to five of the top ten business families, there were also some small and medium-sized chamber of commerce presidents, and of course some senior management and lower-level partners who attended the dinner.

In addition to businessmen, there are also some low-level officials.

With the ability of the Chamber of Commerce, the highest can only invite low-level officials. Most senior officials don't bother to mix with the Chamber of Commerce. They think it will lower their status.

Merchant, this is a profession discriminated against by the empire.

Even though most of the predecessors of the Chamber of Commerce were nobles, in the eyes of senior officials and military officers, the nobles are no longer the nobles of the past, at best they are a little higher than the common people.

The glory of nobility?

That thing is less respectable than a medal of the Empire.

Therefore, real high-ranking officials and high-ranking military officers will never surrender their status to participate in this kind of dinner.

If you attended a dinner party today, you might be ridiculed by people of the same status the next day. This unhealthy trend has lasted for more than 30 years, and it is even getting worse.

A business family or an aristocrat want to gain the respect of others?

It's very simple, as long as you can enter a military academy or political school, and serve as a military officer or government official after graduation, then you can be respected by others.Of course, this respect is only for you personally, and will not be passed on to your family.

"Law enforcement team, Captain Eric of the 176th Squadron is here."

"Central Army, Deputy Battalion Commander Xia Ke of the 272nd Battalion has arrived."

"Trial system, Logue, the leader of the A112 logistics team, has arrived."

"..."

With the arrival of a low-level official from the empire, the atmosphere of the banquet officially began to take shape, and the patriarch, Leighton Rodney, immediately greeted him with a smile. He felt quite honored that these officials were invited to come.

After greeting the officials.

People from other business families also arrived one after another, including the Portland business family represented by Cologne Portland, and the Alban business family represented by Moore Alban.

"Thank you President Moore for coming in person."

Leighton Rodney glanced jealously at Charles Alban, who was standing next to Moore and was wearing a military uniform. He still didn't understand that he was also from a business family. One is more disabled than the other.

"President Layton invited me, so I dare not refuse to come."

Moore chuckled and greeted each other.

Although big shots like to be late, at 19:00, almost everyone has arrived.

As a direct descendant of the Rodney family, Qi Lisi came to the banquet hall wearing an exquisite evening dress.

Light makeup.

At the age of 17, coupled with her beautiful appearance, she became the focus of the banquet at this moment.

Glancing at the seat table, she found that she was at table No. 1. The guests at this table were all direct descendants of business families such as Charles Alban and Cologne Portland. Her seat was next to Cologne, obviously It is a deliberate arrangement.

The first hour of the banquet is a cocktail reception.

The purpose is to let the guests warm up and introduce each other, especially friends of the opposite sex who are at the same table.

According to the usual practice, of course you can't sit down at this time, but after finding your own seat, try to meet and chat with people in the same seat as possible.

"Good evening, Miss Cheris."

Cologne Portland walked up to Qi Lisi with a cocktail: "I haven't seen you for three months and seventeen days. I didn't know until now that just seeing you is the happiest thing in the world."

"Good evening, Colon..."

Qi Lisi is not very good at dealing with people like Cologne.

Not minding the embarrassment on Qi Lisi's face at all, Cologne continued: "Miss Qi Lisi, I heard from my father that this... that... tonight's banquet is to announce the news of my engagement to you, is that so?"

"Sorry……"

"Of course!"

Before Qi Lisi could deny it, Leighton Rodney walked over with a glass of wine: "Boy Cologne, you will be 20 years old in a blink of an eye. What a match made in heaven.”

"Thank you, Uncle Layton, for making it happen."

Cologne said excitedly: "Please rest assured that Miss Qi Lisi will be handed over to me, I swear that I will protect her well."

In mutual greetings and flattery.

The banquet entered the second stage from the first stage, and then entered the final social dancing stage from the second stage.

At 22:00 in the evening, social dancing officially begins.

Follow etiquette.

Generally, the hostess invites a male guest to dance.

And at today's dinner, Leighton Rodney wanted to convey the news that Celis would be engaged to Cologne, so he naturally arranged for Celis, the hostess of the banquet, to invite Cologne, the male guest, to start the first dance together.

"Cough cough..."

Seeing that the timing was about right, Layton coughed twice and said to Qi Lisi: "Qi Lisi, it's almost time for the dinner party, and I'll leave it to you."

Qi Lisi lowered her head and did not speak.

"Qilis!"

Layton said with an emphasis: "Don't tarnish the family's glory."

"It's... my lord father."

Qi Lisi trembled all over, this is the fear accumulated since childhood.

She stood up and walked towards Cologne step by step.

According to the original plan, Vega should have come to help her out, but at 22:00, there was no sign of him. There is no doubt that Vega broke the contract. At this moment, Qi Lisi's heart was full of despair.

anger?
There is no such emotion at all. For Qi Lisi, being abandoned, abandoned, and sacrificed...is already a normal state. Vega's betrayal and breach of contract did not make her angry. She only regrets her own misjudgment.

And this mistake will cause her entire plan to go to waste.

She has no chance to come back.

Once the news of her engagement to Colon is announced, it means that she will be a member of the Portland family, not a direct descendant of the Rodney family, and the lower management of the chamber of commerce who is loyal to her will also turn against her.

"Cologne……"

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to put on a smiling face: "I can invite you..."

tick tick-

The next three words could no longer be said, and drops of crystal tears rolled down her cheeks.

Although Qi Lisi tried her best to control the emotions in her heart, the great despair and the lack of a bright future made her tear glands get rid of the control of reason, so this poignant and contradictory scene occurred——

A bright smile blooms in despair.

Smiling and shedding painful tears.

With this hopeless smile, Qi Lisi said again: "Coron, can I invite you...to a dance?"

"my pleasure."

Colon and Qi Lisi held hands together.

At this moment, a strong sense of nausea struck, but Qi Lisi tried her best to endure, she knew that this was just the beginning, and the real torture would come next.

Qi Lisi closed her eyes nervously.

She no longer dared to imagine the hand that was about to touch her back.

But at this moment, there was a commotion at the entrance of the banquet hall.

(End of this chapter)