"Mei'er, are you okay?" Yao Xiyu moved the microphone away from his mouth and asked in a whisper while still smiling to prevent drawing attention from the guests. From the point of view of others, it was as if he was praising his daughter and congratulating her on her birthday.

Yao Mei looked at him for a moment before simply nodding silently, something that Yao Xiyu did not find strange in any way. In fact, the reason he made sure to ask questions that could be answered with a simple gesture was because he knew perfectly well that if the answers to such questions required words, the chances of Yao Mei not answering were very high.

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Yao Xiyu looked towards the crowd once again and thanked in a sincere voice, "I hope everyone can have fun tonight. I also hope that all my happiness today as a father watching his daughter grow up and all the blessings she will receive can be given to everyone who cares about my little princess."

Yao Xiyu's words were followed by a loud applause. In reality, they were words that almost everyone had already heard in some way or another, but it was a sort of ritual to go through.

Actually, tonight was very important as Yao Mei would finally turn 15. In the past, the age of sexual consent for women was 14, but in 2025 this law was changed and women had to be 15 before deciding what to do with their lives. Although they still had to wait until the age of majority to get married, everyone knew tactfully that the really important age for a woman was 15. At this age, they could officially commit to a young man and become a couple; then it was just a matter of waiting a few years to get married, but even before that they were both legally entitled to do what any couple could normally do.

After the applause, a young man stood up first from his seat and slowly approached the stage. He wore a simple suit and possessed an innate noble aura. His name was Chang He and he was currently 19 years old, his father was the number 1 businessman in the entire Suhan Province and his mother was the governor of the attached province. His family was close to the Yao Family and it was thanks to them that the Yao Family was able to expand financially in both provinces, therefore, Chang He had known Yao Mei for many years. He stepped forward with a smile and talked in a warm voice:

"Little Sister Yao Mei, happy birthday.... I would like to apologize to Uncle Yao for interrupting your speech because I know my actions will disrupt the normal flow of the birthday banquet. However, I really wanted to be the first one present to give my blessings to little Mei."

Without waiting for anyone's response, Chang He stepped forward and a person handed him a jade carved box. He gently opened the box and the people finally saw inside.

It was a navy blue jewel in the form of a heart with a chain of diamonds around it, forming an extremely beautiful necklace.

"This jewel is called the Mariana Heart." Chang He looked Yao Mei in the eyes and introduced his gift. "It was found in the year 2024 when the first human finally reached the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. It is currently the only one in the whole world and to be honest my mother could only obtain it by accident.... Mother treats this as her most precious item, but upon hearing that today was little sister Yao Mei's birthday, I had to beg for it since only a treasure of this caliber is worthy of you.... This Mariana Heart has relaxing properties, able to nourish the skin, prevent wrinkles due to dryness, and maintains the beauty of any woman who wears it for many years to come. A middle-aged woman could still retain the skin of a young girl... Do you like it?"

With the net worth and power that the Yao Family possessed, normal jewelry and ornaments would not miss even a second glance in front of them. Even if they take it, it would be thrown to an unknown place. People had to rack their brains over and over again to think carefully about what gift to present tonight and not make a fool of themselves in front of everyone. Of course, their greatest hope was to curry favor with the little beauty.

When the jade box was opened, anyone with sharp eyes could tell that the necklace inside was anything except ordinary. However, after hearing Chang He's explanation, many people's faces changed. This strange heart-shaped jewel actually had the capacity to slow down aging! If these effects were real, this could simply be considered an item that could drive all the girls in the world crazy. As for the veracity of Chang He's words, no one was worried; after all, if he dared to lie in front of so many important people, he and his family could lose everything for trying to make fun of so many big shots at the same time.

When the necklace appeared, the eyes of all the girls fell on it as they revealed looks of envy and looks of greed hidden deep beneath the looks of envy. Regardless of its high value, just for its effects alone this jewel was something none of the women here could resist wishing to possess.

Yao Mei kept silent and said nothing. Although she and Cheng He were close due to their families, this did not mean that Yao Mei cherished their friendship or had any kind of interest in him. However, receiving a quick glance from her father and knowing that she could not simply stay silent she gave a sigh inaudible to all and put forth her best effort possible.

With a kind smile that was extremely rare to see, a smile that captivated the hearts of countless men regardless of their ages, Yao Mei politely thanked:

"Thank you, elder brother Cheng."

"Nephew He, I remember your mother made a great effort to have this Mariana Heart back then. She even traveled all the way to Luxembourg to meet the Duchess in person.... Isn't that too much?" Yao Xiyu said while laughing.

Chang He shook his head and respectfully said, "My Chang family is not short of money, Uncle Yao. Chang He started looking for a gift worthy of Little Sister Yao Mei three months ago, but no matter how hard I searched I couldn't find anything that matched Little Sister Yao Mei's beauty and purity. In the end, I had no choice but to beg my mother to give me this Mariana Heart.... Although my mother is never willing to part with it and would not sell it even for all the gold in the world, when she learned that it was a gift for little sister Yao Mei, mother did not hesitate to give it to me."

Chang He's words were softly spoken and full of feelings. He was a handsome young man and was currently taking charge of several of his family's businesses, so his skill was indisputable. A precious gift that no girl in the world could refuse, coupled with his words.... Even if he didn't say it explicitly, his feelings were there for anyone to see.

"Ha ha ha. Nephew He, let me represent little Mei to thank your mother." Yao Xiyu laughed as he gestured for one of the butlers to take the jade box.

"Uncle Yao, actually-"

"Mariana Heart.... I heard a lot about the mysterious effects of this jewel a few years ago and although my gift might not compare, with young master Chang taking the lead, this one has no choice."

Chang He was about to express his true purpose but was interrupted. Seeing his expression and how precious his gift was, it was obvious that he was about to ask for Yao Mei's hand in advance. However, being interrupted at just the right moment, the good atmosphere he had generated had been practically destroyed. He was about to mock the person who had just interrupted him as "rude and impolite", but when he saw who the person was his face changed slightly and he had no choice but to swallow his words.

Another elegant young master came out. When he appeared, there were whispers all around, as some people who had prepared gifts changed their expressions when they saw him and stopped. There was not a single person who dared to take his center of attention.

"Oh? Isn't that little brother Lin Tian?" Xie Feng, who was looking at the scene with amusement from his seat, whispered in a low voice.

"Hehehe~" His words made Gu Qianxue laugh, as probably only he would dare to tease Lin Tian.

In China, there was no one who didn't know the "Roaring Heavenly Dragon" group, formed by the Lin family of Beijing. The reason why the Lin family could enter the top 20 most powerful families in China was not due to politics although their strength in that field could not be ignored; it was mainly due to their financial capabilities. As one of the five richest families in all of Asia, the Lin family was a heavyweight that few could oppose.... And the next heir to such empire was none other than Lin Tian.

This was what Gu Qianxue explained to Xie Feng earlier.

Xie Feng crossed one leg over the other and rested his face on one of his hands as he watched the scene happily, as if he was watching a television show.... Not knowing that he would be forced to participate.