C20 How Powerful!

The entire room was taken aback.

The voice that broke the silence... was it really Chu Fann?!

What was this good-for-nothing thinking? The looks on everyone's faces were a mix of shock and disbelief.

Chen Mengyu didn't hold back her disdain as she snapped at him, "Get out! You have no business here!"

Chu Fann ignored Chen Mengyu's harsh words and instead gently took Chen Mengyao's hand, stepping forward confidently.

"Did you go deaf, you waste of space?! I said get out—did you not hear me?"

Chen Mengyu's tirade was cut short, her voice suddenly choked off as if someone had seized her by the throat, her eyes glazing over in shock.

The reason for her abrupt silence was the hall manager himself, who had approached Chu Fann and bowed respectfully.

"Mr. Chu, welcome."

"Manager Wang, is the observatory set up?" Chu Fann asked with a slight smile.

"It's all ready, Mr. Chu. We're just waiting for you and Miss Chen to be seated," Manager Wang replied, bowing once more.

Chu Fann gave a small nod and began to lead Chen Mengyao further inside.

"Chu Fann!"

But at that moment, Chen Mengyu let out a shrill scream and lunged forward like a woman possessed.

Manager Wang's brow furrowed as he stepped in to block her path.

"Miss Chen, please, keep your composure."

"Out of my way!" Chen Mengyu exploded with rage. "We were the ones who booked the Cloud Top Golden Palace. Why are you letting these two fools in?"

"Miss Chen, who told you that you were the ones who booked the Cloud Top Golden Palace?" Manager Wang asked, his face a mask of neutrality.

"Guo Chao!" Chen Mengyu's scream pierced the air.

Guo Chao shuddered, his face ashen as he approached.

"Guo Chao, have you lost your voice?" Chen Mengyu berated him. "Tell him, you're the one who actually reserved the Cloud Top Golden Palace!"

"Mengyu, the truth is..."

"What truth? Spit it out!"

"The truth is... I'm not the one who booked the Cloud Top Golden Palace!" Guo Chao confessed through clenched teeth.

"The only surprise I had for you was that six-carat diamond ring."

The revelation hit Chen Mengyu like a thunderclap, leaving her mind a complete blank.

Moments later, she screamed hysterically, "Guo Chao, you can't be serious! This is no time for jokes!"

"Mengyu, I'm not joking. That diamond ring alone cost me sixty thousand yuan. How could I possibly afford to book the Cloud Top Golden Palace?" Guo Chao was on the verge of tears.

"Ah!"

Chen Mengyu's scream pierced the air, her demeanor bordering on hysteria.

It had all been wishful thinking from the very start!

There was never any Cloud Top Golden Palace, no city-wide celebration!

All that existed was raw, unadulterated mockery.

In that moment, her face was utterly devoid of any dignity.

Wu Jing and Liu Mei were equally mortified, wishing they could simply vanish into the earth. They had spent days preparing for their visit to the Cloud Top Golden Palace, even splurging on several sets of pricey attire, only to discover it was all an elaborate farce.

The supposed tycoon who had reserved the Cloud Top Golden Palace wasn't Guo Chao at all.

It was Chu Fann—the very man they had always dismissed as worthless!

"Mr. Chu, we've prepared everything. Please, head upstairs," Manager Wang offered, a warm smile on his face.

"Alright," Chu Fann replied, gently taking Chen Mengyao's hand.

"Mr. Chu Fann, did you really book the entire Cloud Top Golden Palace?" Chen Mengyao's mind was still reeling. Just three days prior, she would have laughed off any suggestion that Chu Fann was the mysterious magnate who had the whole city buzzing.

Yet the unfolding reality left her no room for doubt.

"Yeah, silly girl. Remember I promised to take care of your coming-of-age celebration? You've never had a proper birthday before, so consider this making up for lost time."

"Come on, the rooftop fireworks display is all set, and Zhou Xinglun is going to perform live—just for you."

Without further ado, Chu Fann led Mengyao by the wrist, flanked by a phalanx of security guards, toward the elevator.

Chen Mengyao allowed herself to be guided, her mind a blank slate until a shrill shout snapped her back to reality.

"Chen Mengyao! Chu Fann! Hold it right there!"

Heads turned toward the source of the commotion. A woman, casting aside all concern for appearances, bulldozed through the crowd, her expression fierce. She was swiftly intercepted by security before she could get any closer.

"Halt! Madam, please refrain from disturbing our esteemed guests."

"Esteemed guests? F*ck you! That man is my fiancé, and this woman is my sister! If they're noble, doesn't that make me royalty? Explain to me why I can't go through?" Chen Mengyu raged, jabbing a finger at the security guard's nose.

"Uh... Mr. Chu, you see..." The security guard was clearly in a bind. Was this some kind of soap opera unfolding?

Chu Fann glanced at Chen Mengyu, a flicker of disgust and disappointment crossing his gaze—a culmination of three years' worth of feelings. He had once envisioned her as his lifelong partner. Yet, Chen Mengyu had taught him the harsh reality of a cold world and the frightening nature of the human heart. A woman, when heartless, could indeed turn her back on her own kin.

And so it was with Mengyao. Chen Mengyu had failed as a fiancée and just as much as a sister. Chu Fann had observed her actions over the past three years, and now that the engagement was off, he wished for nothing more than to sever all ties with her.

Still, considering Chen Mengyao's situation, Chu Fann relented slightly.

"Let it be. Allow her to join, provided she doesn't disrupt the event," he said.

With that, the security guards stepped aside. Chen Mengyu strode up to them, jabbing a finger at Chu Fann's nose. "You owe me an explanation today, or you'll regret it!"

She couldn't fathom how Chu Fann had ended up as the enigmatic magnate who had booked the entire Cloud Top Golden Palace.

All eyes were on Chu Fann as the web of relationships seemed too tangled to make sense of.

"An explanation?" Chu Fann chuckled. "What is there to explain?"

"The engagement is off. I owe you no explanations."

"Today's banquet is a token of my appreciation for Mengyao's kindness over the last three years. She's shown me that warmth can exist even in the coldest of worlds. You, however, have no part in this." His face was a mask of indifference.

With that, he turned and escorted Mengyao into the elevator. Chen Mengyu, biting back anger and with tears in her eyes, hurried after them. Guo Chao and her two best friends followed suit.

It was a veritable chase, reminiscent of a climactic moment in a television series.

Chen Mengyu, Guo Chao, Liu Mei, Wu Jing, and the others followed in silence to the top floor.

The observatory was a sight to behold, its breathtaking beauty indescribable to those who had never ascended. Perched in the prime location of Yunhai City, it offered a southern view of the cloud sea and a northern view of the Qing River, capturing the entire cityscape in a single gaze. As Chu Fann and Chen Mengyao arrived, the hall manager leading the way snapped his fingers.

For a moment, the skies around the Cloud Top Golden Palace erupted in a dazzling display of fireworks. A total of 1,314 barrels lit up the night, turning the surrounding area into daylight for hundreds of meters as stars seemed to burst into bloom overhead.

Chen Mengyu and her companions, newly arrived, were stunned by the spectacle, standing motionless in awe.

"Miss Chen, please take your seat. The Supreme Cloud Banquet is about to commence."

As the hall manager's announcement dissipated, a bevy of graceful waitstaff approached, setting an array of dishes, wines, and floral arrangements upon the long table. Chu Fann was seated opposite her, his presence accentuated by the soft lighting that cast a glow on Chen Mengyao's face, a portrait of bewilderment and beauty.

Moments later, Chen Mengyao's lips quivered as she began to cry, her head bowed as she aimlessly toyed with the chopsticks before her, tears dropping steadily onto the pristine porcelain plate.

She hastily dabbed away the tears with her sleeve, her cheeks flushing with the realization of her own emotion.

She understood that this was the adult birthday celebration Mr. Chu Fann had prepared for her, yet she could scarcely believe it.

The Cloud Top Golden Palace? How much money and effort must it cost to dine here, let alone host a banquet?

"Romanee-Conti... My goodness, over thirty thousand for a bottle!" Wu Jing, no stranger to luxury, exclaimed from a distance, her eyes wide at the sight of the wine on the table.

Meanwhile, Chen Mengyu's fists were clenched with tension. She glared at Guo Chao, whose face was a mask of discomfort.

If not for the security guards posted nearby, she might have lost control and confronted them. She was desperate to confront Chu Fann—where had he found the funds for such an extravagant event? Surely it wasn't Mengyao, that detestable girl, embezzling funds again?

That had to be it. That despicable woman must have embezzled project funds for her own lavish use, a true spendthrift. And to think she was dragging Chu Fann into her wasteful ways? It was nothing short of disgraceful.

"Chen Mengyao, look at you, so accomplished!"

"You were entrusted by the family to lead the project, and here you are, squandering embezzled funds? You've really outdone yourself. But this is the end for you. I declare that you're finished, and there will be no place for you in the Chen family from now on!" Chen Mengyu's voice rang out, loud enough for all to hear, her words laced with scorn and accusation.