The game's heroine has come true? The aloof school beauty is in tears.

The main banquet hall was filled with crystal chandeliers, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The long banquet table was filled with Nanjing preserved meats, crab roe soup dumplings, and exquisite Western desserts, while red wine and champagne shimmered in the glasses.

Guests in suits and gowns moved about, their glasses clinking together in a continuous stream.

Several elderly friends gathered around the main table, raising their glasses to the elderly man in the center, dressed in a dark-patterned Tang suit: "Old Xu, you're already sixty-five! You're still so healthy and strong. May you have many happy and long years to come!"

The old man tilted his head back, smiled, and clinked his glass: "Thank you all for your concern. Today, we all enjoyed ourselves to the fullest, eating and drinking and reminiscing about old times."

Several younger relatives stepped forward with wine glasses, saying, "May you enjoy good health and happiness every year, and may your days become more and more comfortable."

Waiters carried fruit platters and drinks as they moved among the crowd, with the sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments playing behind them.

Not only did Old Xu hold a rare birthday banquet, but he also drank alcohol for the first time ever.

But this wine isn't free.

With each glass of wine, someone would shake hands with Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan followed behind him the whole time, constantly being introduced to Lao Xu's friends and disciples.

In both political and business circles, and across all walks of life, Lu Yuan would never have had the opportunity to meet these people without Lao Xu.

A son-in-law is like half a son, and the father-in-law didn't hide it at all, treating him like a son.

Lu Yuan wisely followed suit, pouring one cup after another.

The matchmaking industry is no different from human resources; connections determine life and death.

The reason their agency dared not give up on Xu Zhixiao was precisely because of Lao Xu's connections.

Lu Yuan's performance this time was exceptional.

As the ceremony was being held, the lights in the main hall suddenly went out.

Suddenly, the lights came on in the side hall overlooking the river, which was only hidden by a screen, and everyone turned their attention to the side hall.

Just then, the waiter removed the screen, revealing the scene in the side hall.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the Yangtze River is shrouded in darkness, with the lights of cargo ships floating on the surface and waves faintly lapping against the shore. A woman, dressed in an elegant satin dress and with her long hair tied up with a pearl hairpin, sits alone before a guzheng.

Her delicate fingers gently plucked the strings, and the melodious sound of the zither flowed out slowly.

With her left hand lightly touching the left side of the zither bridge, she prepared to press the note. With her right hand, her thumb, index finger, and middle finger naturally opened and closed, touching the strings in turn. She started with a series of open strings, producing a rich and deep tone.

It perfectly echoes the roaring sound of the river outside the window.

First, a slow glissando is played, sliding smoothly from the high-pitched zither bridge to the low-pitched range, with a series of long, lingering glissando notes slowly unfolding.

Large beads and small beads fall on a jade plate.

Immediately, her delicate hand stopped moving, and after a few moments of silence, she suddenly began to sing:

"With a waning spirit, guests departed, and I'm too listless to gather my thoughts. I listen to the paulownia trees, the sparse raindrops dripping from the eaves. People have gone home, and the door is closed again. With nothing to do, I chat idly by the candlelight."

With steady breath, the singing and zither music blended perfectly. As the musical phrase came to a close, the right hand smoothly descended along the strings, the lingering sound echoing in the room, mingling with the sound of the river waves flowing in through the window.

The candlelight fell between the strings of the zither, and the shadow of the pegs swayed gently with the subtle vibrations of the strings.

The last few lines are sung a cappella:

"Farewell to the old year, a night of feasting and banquets, visitors come and go in high spirits, startling crows and magpies, treading deep snow along the long street, when I awoke from my drunken stupor, the sun was setting in the west, I heard the sounds of the street, the clamor penetrating the gauze curtains, and new swallows appeared before the hall, year after year."

She then stood up, bent over, and bowed.

She is poised and elegant, a lady of high birth.

A round of applause erupted from the surrounding crowd, and praises filled the air.

Hearing the applause, Lu Yuan snapped out of his daze and joined in the applause.

It's not that I didn't want to play the drums, I was just stunned by what I saw.

If you're that talented, why are you even singing rock music?

"Does it sound good?"

"It sounds nice."

"Not bad, right?"

"good."

"Your wife."

Old Xu stood to the side, grinning like a cunning old fox.

His face practically screamed, "The scheme has succeeded."

Faced with Lao Xu's smug laughter, Lu Yuan simply rolled his eyes.

That old guy definitely did it on purpose from beginning to end.

He figured it out; Old Xu definitely hadn't mentioned that he was the matchmaker, but rather he was deliberately trying to bring them together.

It's your birthday today, so I won't hold it against you.

I'll settle the score with you after your birthday.

...

Xu Zhixiao's performance has ended.

Without even changing her clothes, she returned to the middle of the banquet and plopped down next to Lu Yuan.

"How is it?"

That's why people say Xu Zhixiao is Old Xu's biological daughter.

They were alike; their inner thoughts were written all over their faces.

Xu Zhixiao's face was practically screaming, "Praise me!"

But Lu Yuan simply turned his head away.

"Is it good or bad? Just tell me!"

Whichever direction Lu Yuan turned his head, she would follow and walk in front of him.

They kept trying to get him to talk, but Lu Yuan just wouldn't.

Why aren't you saying anything?

"You blocked me, and you're asking me why I'm not saying anything?"

Lu Yuan came today purely to give Lao Xu face, so that Lao Xu wouldn't lose face.

First, Lao Xu trusted him a lot; second, Lao Xu himself was a major client.

As for Xu Zhixiao?

Who is this? Don't recognize me?

There's a reason I blocked you.

"I don't know, I only saw an ungrateful wretch."

I think I'm starting to like you.

Xu Zhixiao knew that blocking Lu Yuan was indeed wrong.

If it's wrong, then express it properly.

If you have a mouth, you should speak.

"I've never seen anyone block someone they like."

"Then can I apologize to you?"

"If you refuse, I'll block you too."

"Give me some time, let me explain my thoughts to you..."

No matter how much Xu Zhixiao tried to explain, he did not stop.

Lu Yuan just waved his hand and walked away.

Xu Zhixiao stood there, watching his departing figure.

They stood there, stunned.

Do you think she'll give up and agree to her old ideas by saying "never mind"?

will not.

There is only one situation in which Xu Zhixiao will not say "never mind".

That is when you don't get "good reviews".

Poor grades mean no praise from teachers; poor piano playing means no impressive performance; impolite behavior leads to lectures from parents...

At a time like this, she would never let it go.

This precisely fulfills the last of the three attraction patterns: traumatic attraction.

Everyone has trauma, and everyone who keeps striving to move forward does so because of the power of trauma.

Xu Zhixiao's excellence stems entirely from her fear of external evaluation.

While she was trying to maintain a positive public image.

Lu Yuan, however, ignored her completely.

Therefore, Xu Zhixiao absolutely cannot say "never mind" in this matter.

...

Lu Yuan checked the time; it was exactly 12:01 AM.

He arrived at the door and watched as Old Xu saw off the last group of guests.

She crossed her legs and waited for him on the sofa.

"What are you waiting for me for? And you have a gift for me?"

Old Xu sat down next to him with a smile.

Lu Yuan looked up at the moon in the sky and whispered, "The old man's birthday is over, I'm going to settle accounts with you."

"You should be secretly happy to have such a wonderful daughter like me."

Old Xu was quite content.

You can tell he's really happy today.

He said, "Try to understand the feelings of elderly people who want to have grandchildren; it's understandable that they might secretly try to matchmake them."

"I actually didn't want to come today."

"Young man, you have a good sense of character. You didn't stoop to the level of an old person and even saved me face." Old Xu rubbed his aching back and said with a smile, "Thank you, my daughter is yours."

"If it's just to save face for you, I wouldn't have come."

"So what are you here for?"

"I'm afraid you're making arrangements for your funeral."

Lu Yuan looked at Lao Xu calmly.

There was no curse, no hellish ritual, and no other meaning.

It was just a calm recounting.