C23 Gems Paved the Road

On the stage, Yu Yuxuan, clad in a crisp white suit with his hair slicked back, dashed up with a small box in hand.

The voice that had just called out belonged to none other than Yu Jianlong of the L Group, Yuxuan's father.

In that moment, Jianlong was shaking with excitement, his voice booming, "Son, your dad is so proud of you!"

Yuxuan, thinking he was the epitome of suave, casually swept his hair back before pulling out a diamond ring and dropping to one knee. "On this magnificent occasion, I wish to propose to Miss Pei Qiuyu!"

Qiuyu was completely stunned by his gesture.

"Who... Who let him up there?"

Lin Xuan shook his head in disbelief, "Has the kid lost his mind?"

Just then, a resonant voice filled the speakers.

"Please welcome the Five-Star General, the God of War, Ye Lingtian, to officiate the sealing ceremony!"

An officer of striking stature, his shoulders adorned with five stars and his chest bedecked with medals linked by golden wheat, strode onto the stage, flanked by an honor guard.

Applause erupted, echoing like thunder across the venue.

Pei Qiusha was beside herself with excitement, "Grandma, we're the talk of the town! A five-star God of War attending my wedding—I'm second to none!"

"Indeed, I met this military titan when he delivered the betrothal gifts!"

Old Lady Pei, with tears of joy in her eyes, exclaimed, "The Pei family is soaring to new heights!"

Sun Lanping was nearly breathless with excitement, "Shasha, soon you'll be walking the red carpet, ascending the crystal staircase alongside your fiancé, the Nine-star General!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Pei Jinzheng and the others clapped fervently, nodding in agreement.

"Who is this disrupting the event? Remove him!"

The guards rushed to Yu Yuxuan, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.

"Hey, stop! I'm the heir to the L Group, here to propose to Miss Pei Qiuyu!"

Ye Lingtian regarded him with scorn, "Do you really think it's appropriate to bring up the L Group in this context?"

Yu Yuxuan proudly held up the diamond ring and declared, "Miss Pei Qiuyu, today you're going to become my wife, and I'll soon be the brother-in-law of a Nine-star General."

"This is a top-tier red diamond ring I've specially selected for my proposal to Miss Qiuyu! It's valued at one hundred million!"

Ye Lingtian glanced at it and chuckled, "You're proposing to Miss Qiuyu with this cheap trinket?"

"What?!"

Yu Yuxuan felt as if he'd been dealt a million points of damage in an instant.

He had spent a whopping 100 million on this red diamond ring, and now the God of War was calling it cheap?!

"No way, a top-grade diamond ring like this can't be cheap."

"This kind of red diamond should only be used to pave the way for today's stars, the Nine-star General and Miss Pei."

Paving the way with a top-grade red diamond? As extravagant as that sounded, it was surely impossible...

Yu Yuxuan was left utterly dumbfounded. The entire L Group's assets totaled just over a billion yuan, and they had made a significant investment in this hundred-million-yuan ring for him.

But this Five-star General suggested using it as pavement? That had to be just a boast, right?

The audience was in complete shock!

Moments later, soldiers marched in carrying boxes draped with red cloth.

They placed the boxes on stage and unveiled them to reveal a treasure trove of large cat's eyes, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, Dehrsteins, black opals, tanzanite, alexandrites, and ten other kinds of dazzling, crystal-clear precious stones.

It was a symbol of perfection!

By his estimate, there were over ten thousand precious stones in those boxes.

Bathed in the light, the gems cast brilliant rays, turning the entire hall into a kaleidoscope of mesmerizing hues.

"This is absolutely astonishing!" someone in the crowd gasped.

Even the wealthy and influential guests had never witnessed such an abundance of gems.

"Each of these stones must be worth millions, maybe even hundreds of millions, right?"

"With ten whole boxes of gems like these, the price must be astronomical!!!"

"What could the total value be?!"

Yu Yuxuan's gaze fell to the diamond ring in his hand, which suddenly paled in comparison.

Any single gem here dwarfed his own, appearing far more valuable than the diamond he held.

Moreover, the diamonds he held in his hand were just a fraction of what filled a massive box, easily numbering in the thousands.

The collective worth of such a multitude of diamonds was nothing short of astronomical!

Yet, these exquisite stones were deemed fit only to pave the path for a Nine-star General and his wife?

Such extravagance was truly staggering!

Yu Yuxuan exclaimed in amazement, "This diamond is a rare and enormous gem from a South African mine. It's said that fewer than a hundred have ever made it to the market."

"How can there be so many here? They must be counterfeit!"

No sooner had he spoken than several soldiers approached and began to brutally beat him with their rifle butts.

"How dare you challenge the military! You're asking for death!"

Yu Yuxuan writhed on the stage, yelping like a dog, as his diamond ring tumbled from his grasp.

The crowd surged forward, and amidst the chaos, the ring was snatched up by an unknown hand.

Yu Jianlong stood there, petrified, watching his son take a beating, too terrified to make a move.

These soldiers, all under the Nine-star General's command, could easily snuff out the life of a small-time businessman worth a mere billion or so—easier than squashing an ant.

Yu Yuxuan's face was pummeled to a pulp, and like a lifeless hound, he was hauled away by two soldiers.

It was then that Ye Lingtian clarified, "Businessmen manipulate diamond supply through hunger marketing, but we in the military control the businessmen. Now, why do you think we possess such an abundance of diamonds?"

"Wow!"

In that instant, Pei Qiusha couldn't contain her excitement, "All these precious stones are mine!"

"They were all arranged by my husband, the Nine-star General!"

Sun Lanping could barely contain her glee, "Exactly, Shasha, our family is set for life now!"

Pei Jinzheng grinned mischievously, "Sis, I've got my eye on the Wang family's daughter. Could you spare a few diamonds for me to offer as a dowry?"

Pei Qiusha scoffed and retorted, "Why should I? These were given to me by my husband."

"Come on, Shasha, don't be so tight-fisted."

Lin Xuan observed their family with a detached amusement, his laugh tinged with disdain, "Has your entire family succumbed to delusions of grandeur?"

Pei Qiusha snapped back fiercely, "You're the delusional one, you piece of trash. It's your family that's full of delusions!"

"Pei Qiusha, don't you realize how despicable you are?"

Lin Xuan's voice was loud and stern as he declared, "The Nine-star General is set to marry Qiuyu, not you, Pei Qiusha. Stop trying to aggrandize yourself; you're simply not up to par!"

Fuming with rage, Pei Qiusha could only laugh: "Look who's talking about being cheap. You're the one masquerading as my husband, the Nine-star General, and delusionally substituting your Pei Qiuyu for me? Eager to be made a fool of, aren't you? Honestly, where's your dignity? It seems you've completely abandoned it."

"Heh, we'll see who's truly without shame!"

Lin Xuan sneered, then raised his voice, "Ye Lingtian, inform this brazen wretch exactly who the Nine-star General is really going to marry!"