A week later, the Shen family estate had been transformed into a house of mourning.
The old man was buried yesterday in a small, private ceremony attended only by immediate family, and today, they were holding a post-funeral reception.
White lanterns and banners hung from every corner. The main hall had been converted into a mourning chamber, complete with Old Master Shen's portrait surrounded by flowers and incense. Outside, the courtyard was transformed into a reception area for guests to gather and socialize after they'd paid their respects to the family inside.
The media were already gathered outside, taking pictures of those who were attending the funeral.
Besides the relatives, representatives from other prominent families had arrived to give their condolences. The Shen family might not be considered top-tier in South City, but they still held some influence. Even if none of the main family heads from the truly elite families had bothered to show up personally, they'd all sent someone just to maintain appearances.
However, everyone was caught offguard when the eldest young master of the Mo family, Mo Jingrui, arrived with his secretary. The person who was the most surprised yet equally pleased was Shen Chengwei himself. The moment his secretary whispered about his arrival, he'd immediately abandoned his post and hurried outside to confirm it with his own eyes.
He never had any direct interaction with any member of the Mo family. He'd only ever seen them twice before from a large distance at some business gatherings where he'd barely qualified for an invitation.
Seeing him here, gears immeditly started to turn in his mind and he began to think about how to use this for his own benefit. He did not have to do much, though.
Soon, the rest of the Shen family members also came out of the main hall to interact with the guests but everyone's attention kept drifting back to the tall man standing slightly apart from the crowd. Around him, there was an empty space as if an invisible wall was separating him from others.
No one seemed to realize that he hadn't gone inside the main hall to pay his respects at the altar, or maybe they chose to ignore it. All that mattered was that he was here.
Everyone knew the Mo family was based in the capital city and was one of the five great families. Seeing Mo Jingrui here immediately made them think that the Shen family had some kind of relation with them. This might even raise their status in the near future.
Immediately, everyone made a mental note to improve their relationship with the Shen family, hoping that they would somehow get the benefit of their corporation. Within minutes, several guests had quietly stepped aside to make phone calls to inform their family heads or company presidents about Mo Jingrui's presence. In no time, more people arrived at the estate. This time, they were all big figures that Shen Chengwei rarely had the opportunity to meet.
The board members were also present. Shen Chengwei dropped subtle hints to indirectly shift the narrative and made them think that Mo Jingrui was here because of him. He never outright claimed to have a relationship with Mo Jingrui but he didn't deny it either. In no time, everyone had forgotten about the scandal and were praising Shen Chengwei.
People had soon forgotten that this was not a celebration party but a funeral.
Even Shen Meli and her husband, Kai Yufang, were busy interacting with people to gather influence. This was too good an opportunity to waste.
Mo Jingrui seemed to be unaware of all of this, or maybe he did not care about it at all. Many people tried to approach him, but after getting cold responses, no one dared to get close again. He was known for being unapproachable anyway, so no one thought there was anything wrong.
Standing beside him, Deng Weijun was rather confused, wondering why his boss had cancelled all his work today and instead came to the funeral of some old man he had never met before. But after working as his secretary for years, he had learned to keep his mouth closed.
Mo Jingrui's eyes wandered around casually, but internally, he was frowning. He still hadn't seen the person who was the reason he had come here.
.
.
Near the refreshment tables, a small group of young women had gathered around Shen Wanwan. They were all daughters of wealthy families who sometimes hung out with Shen Wanwan.
"Wanwan, you never told us your family knew someone from the Mo family," one girl whispered accusingly, though there was no real anger in her voice. She sounded awed and impressed.
"Not just someone, it's the Eldest Young Master himself!" another girl whispered squealed.
Shen Wanwan's eyes hadn't left Mo Jingrui since the moment she first saw him. She had seen many handsome man but she had never seen anyone like him before. It wasn't just his face, though that was certainly striking. It was the aura around him. Not to forget the power of the Mo family behind him.
In her eyes, there weren't many men who could possibly compare to him.
If she could have this man...
Her cheeks flushed slightly warmer than they'd been when she first arrived.
"Eldest Young Master doesn't like unnecessary attention," She murmured in a soft voice. Her ambiguous words made the others think she knew Mo Jingrui closely.
"You're so thoughtful, Wanwan. If Young Master Mo knew how considerate you are of his feelings, he'd be so pleased,"
"That's right. Now that I think about it, you two would look absolutely perfect together." They were already painting the picture of the beautiful and gentle Shen Wanwan with the powerful and aloof Mo Jingrui.
"Don't be ridiculous. How could I possibly compare to someone like the Eldest Young Master? Shen Wanwan scolded but deep down, she was really pleased with their words.
"Why not? What do you lack that anyone else has?"
And soon, they began listing all her virtues, convincing her (as if she needed convincing) that she was indeed perfect for Mo Jingrui.
Sun Lili, who happened to be passing by on her way back inside, accidentally overheard part of their conversation and mentally rolled her eyes. She went inside and went to Shen Yelan's room to tell her all the ridiculous things she had heard in the past two hours.
Shen Yelan was sitting in her wheelchair, playing a game on her phone. Unlike the rest of the house, she was wearing her casual clothes.
She listened to Sun Lili's long report while she played the game. It was only after the match ended that she put her phone away and looked at the time.
"It's almost time," she said. Sun Lili went behind the wheelchair and pushed her out of the room.
.
.
In the courtyard, Shen Chengwei had finally mustered his courage and was talking to Mo Jingrui. "I have heard so much about Eldest Young Master. I only wish we could have met under better circumstances."
Shen Chengwei said, molding his words in a way hoping to evoke sympathy and maybe create an opening for a potential business collaboration. This was his chance. If he could secure even a small partnership with the Mo family, his position would be unshakeable.
What he did not realize during his daydreaming was the ice-cold gaze Mo Jingrui directed at him.
"I have also heard quite a lot about you, Master Shen. I've been looking forward to meeting you." Mo Jingrui responded.
Shen Chengwei's eyes lit up like he'd just won the lottery. That was practically an invitation, wasn't it?
He began to talk with him, first lavishing praise on Mo Jingrui's accomplishments and the Mo family's legend and finally steering toward potential collaboration opportunities.
Unknown to him, the more he talked, the colder Mo Jingrui's gaze became. But the older man was too caught up in his own performance to see it and was not bothered by the minimal response from Mo Jingrui.
Those watching from a distance saw two men in conversation and drew the conclusion that Shen Chengwei indeed had a good relationship with him.
Mo Jingrui's gaze wandered around, ignoring the annoying sound in his ear, when his eyes finally fell on the person who was pushed forward in a wheelchair. Seeing her appearance, he frowned slightly.
She'd gotten thinner.