AV影音先锋天堂在线

Chapter 275: Birthday Banquet

Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio

Two days later, it was the Lu family’s birthday banquet.

Milky white tents were erected on the endless lawn, crystal chandeliers were hung on the trees, and a variety of delicacies were spread out on the long tables.

There were rows of luxury cars parked in front of the villa, and a large number of distinguished men and women in suits and gowns arrived. Lu Dinghua was welcoming them.

“Mr. Lu, I wish Mrs. Lu a happy birthday in advance.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu has never held a birthday banquet in the past. I didn’t expect such a grand banquet to be held this year.”

“Of course, my son Shaoming is married, and the Lu family has a daughter-in-law now, so naturally, things are different. Look at this, my daughter-in-law handled and planned this birthday banquet herself.”

“Oh? It is said that Mrs. Lu is the new and upcoming director in the entertainment industry; she’s called Director Ning. Director Ning has always been elegant and graceful. Her first birthday banquet is also unambiguous. President Lu is always envied by people.”

“No such thing, no such thing.”

“Mr. Lu, where is the birthday girl, Mrs. Lu, tonight? Why hasn’t she shown up yet?”...

Tonight’s birthday girl, Song Yajing, was upstairs in her room. She and Ning Qing were having some trouble.

“Mom, this is the evening gown I asked Fan Chengsi to make for you. Mom, as long as you put it on, I guarantee that you will amaze everyone,” Ning Qing said with a smile.

Song Yajing looked at the lake blue gown, the style was not too open, but she had her reservations. “Ning Qing, look at this, the grown has a split ending, how can I wear this with my status?”

“Mom, the split is not too high, just to the knee. Fan Chengsi has tailored it for you according to your temperament. It suits you well. The clothes you usually wear are graceful and luxurious. Adopting a new style on your birthday today will surely amaze everyone.”

“No!” Song Yajing refused, and there was no room for discussion.

Ning Qing knitted her eyebrows and her tone became strong. “Mom, Dad gave me full responsibility for the birthday banquet, including your gown. It doesn’t matter if Mom can’t accept it now. I’m going. Have the servant notify me when Mom can accept it.”

“Ning Qing, you!” Ning Qing intended to keep her confined if she wouldn’t wear the dress. How dare she.

Ning Qing turned around and left.

“Hey, Ning Qing, come back.” Song Yajing couldn’t help it. Now was not the time to be disgruntled. She was the birthday girl tonight. It was a matter of face for the Lu family. She would embarrass them all if she made the guests wait for a long time. Ning Qing could be childish, but she had to think about the overall situation.

Ning Qing, with a witty wink, directed the servant. “You guys go and help Madam change into the gown.”

Song Yajing: “...”

Song Yajing was about to go out after she had changed her clothes. Ning Qing sat her down in front of the dressing table. “Mom, since you’ve already changed your clothes today, we should also change your hairstyle and make-up. Give me 10 minutes. I’ll help you do it myself.”

Song Yajing rolled her eyes at Ning Qing and chastised her. “Ning Qing, the birthday banquet is just a show. What are you taking it so seriously for?”

Ning Qing helped Song Yajing with her hair. “Mom, how can a birthday banquet be a show? If it’s a show, then why are we holding the birthday banquet? To entertain others? You are the birthday star tonight. You have to be happy.”

Song Yajing disagreed. “Ning Qing, you are too young to understand...”

Seeing that she was going to reprimand her with those rigid dogmas, Ning Qing quickly begged for mercy. “Mom, alright, alright, you chant sutras in my ear every day; my ears are almost falling off.”

“You!”

“Mom, relax, forget that you are Mrs. Lu tonight. Uncle, Shaoming, Yingjie and, most importantly, Dad are downstairs. Unload all the burdens and become a beautiful sister, mother, auntie, and wife. Since Mom is so young, you should enjoy your youth.”

Song Yajing rolled her eyes at Ning Qing again, but she quietly lifted her lips. “Ning Qing, I realize that you are very flattering.”

All women like to listen to praise and flattery, and Song Yajing was no exception, but the burden of being Mrs. Lu all these years had caused her to lose herself.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her scalp. Ning Qing had deliberately pulled a strand of Song Yajing’s hair, Song Yajing was angry. “Ning Qing, did you do that on purpose?”

In the mirror, she could see Ning Qing smile and spread out her hands while shrugging her shoulders innocently. “Sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to correct you. I’m not flattering but sweet-mouthed, ok?”

Song Yajing: “...”

...

The guests in the banquet hall were waiting impatiently. They chatted while looking upstairs. Neither of the two ladies of the Lu family had appeared yet.

Lu Dinghua couldn’t get away as he was welcoming and entertaining the guests. Lu Shaoming looked at his watch and whispered to the servant, “Go upstairs and see why Madam and Young Madam are not coming down yet.”

“Yes, sir.” The servant went up to the stairs.

At this time, a figure clad in lake-blue floated out in a hurry. She had probably been pushed out by the people behind her.

Lu Shaoming took a look and his expression changed. For the first time in years, he saw his mother dressed like this.

The lake-blue skirt was very elegant, with shallow V-neck and shoulder straps. Song Yajing had a white silk scarf draped over it. Her hair was tied up in a neat hairstyle as usual. The ends of her hair were curled into big curls and were scattered freely. As a 55-year-old woman, she had been dolled up and looked 10 years younger. This outfit and hairstyle added a little graceful sexiness to the 45-year-old intellectual woman.

Song Yajing would like to look back and glare at Ning Qing, who had pushed her, but she realized that everyone’s eyes were fixed on her, so she smiled calmly.

Lu Dinghua was entertaining a guest, but the guest he was entertaining suddenly froze. Looking upstairs, he sighed. “Mrs. Lu is really beautiful today, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Dinghua turned and looked upstairs, not paying much attention to it. When he married Song Yajing back then, he had already known that this woman was qualified to be Mrs. Lu, but as a woman, she was somewhat lacking, as she was somewhat insipid.

But seeing Song Yajing now, his pupils shrank rapidly, and he was stunned.

Finally, it was Song Jin who teased him. “My brother-in-law, why are you stunned? You’re husband and wife already, aren’t you? Yajing is wearing high-heeled shoes and walking down the stairs. Doesn’t brother-in-law know how to give her a hand? Haha.”

The distinguished guests in the hall laughed at Lu Dinghua and said, “Mr. Lu, there are still many opportunities to see her in the future. Why don’t you go and help Mrs. Lu?”

Lu Dinghua smiled. He raised his feet generously and held Song Yajing’s hand on the stairs. “Madam, you are so beautiful today.”

The distinguished guests in the hall laughed.

Song Yajing, on the contrary, was somewhat restrained. Over the years, she had a strong, skilled demeanor. She had received all the gazes of awe but had never been teased.

Looking at her husband, whom she had been married to for more than 30 years, and how his eyes were shining brightly, she remembered that Lu Dinghua had looked at her like this the first time they had met when she was young.

Over time, that look slowly faded away.

When they went down the stairs, Lu Shaoming raised his feet and went upstairs. Someone joked and said, “Mr. Lu, Lu Shaoming is more considerate than you. Director Ning is probably coming downstairs so Lu Shaoming went to fetch her.”

Everyone’s gazes swiveled upstairs again.

When Lu Shaoming went upstairs, Ning Qing appeared. She wore ballet flats, but the servants carefully supported her. Today, there were many people, so they were afraid that she would fall and injure the child.

Ning Qing raised her eyes and looked at Lu Shaoming. The man looked at her with a certain shock after seeing her. Then, his expression quickly turned black.

Ning Qing felt wronged. She did not know how she had offended him.

Lu Shaoming waved the servants away, held her small right hand in his right hand, and took her step by step down the stairs with his arms around her waist.

Everyone gasped when they saw Ning Qing. Everyone knew that the first socialite in T City had a delicate little face, but remaining unchanged after five months of pregnancy, except for her bulging belly... She was the first person to achieve this feat.

The girl’s fair and gentle little face was without a trace of makeup, but her features looked as if they had been carved out. Her beautiful hair hung down, and fishtail braids started at both sides of her head and went around to the back of her head. She looked pure and beautiful.

She wore a gown with light gold hand embellished crystals on top. The shoulder straps from her dainty shoulders to her slender arms were especially pleasing to the eye. Inside, was a close-fitting suspender strap and a fluffy vertical red skirt, revealing her petite, snow-white calves, making it impossible to look away.

At this time, someone could not help but exclaim, “I didn’t expect Director Ning to be so beautiful at five months pregnant. Director Ning is going to make a bunch of expectant mothers cry like this.”

“Yes, Mr. Lu, Young Master Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Young Madam Lu are amazing today. The Lu family is indeed a noble family, and the family is thriving.”

Lu Dinghua quickly laughed and said, “You flatter us. Thank you for coming to my wife’s birthday banquet today. Everybody enjoy yourselves.”

Today was Song Yajing’s birthday. With her parents-in-law here, Ning Qing naturally did not need to entertain the guests. She just needed to be a clever and obedient daughter-in-law.

One should know how to act in different contexts, and one should know to take on different roles according to the occasion.

Ning Qing lifted her lips to express her goodwill to the guests. They dispersed slowly. Ning Qing looked at Song Jin and Song Yingjie, who were in the distance, and said, “Hubby, Uncle, and Yingjie are there. Let’s go and say hello.”

Lu Shaoming held Ning Qing’s little hand and refused to let her go. The man’s facial features were cold and hard, and his thin, red lips were parted. He looked at her skirt with disgust. “Ning Qing, what are you wearing? You don’t look like a pregnant woman at all.”

Other pregnant women would wear white or grey cotton and comfortable clothes. Only she wore clothes as beautiful and bright as a normal person’s. Usually, he tolerated her, but there were so many people here today, and she still didn’t know how to restrain herself.

Ning Qing looked down at her clothes. There was no problem. “Hubby, what’s wrong with you? I’m dressed so well. I’m not revealing anything.”

Lu Shaoming did not speak.

Ning Qing looked towards the kitchen. “Hubby, I don’t have time to discuss this with you. Don’t forget our agreement.”

Ning Qing broke free from his grip and trotted to the kitchen, lifting her gown.

Lu Shaoming: “...” He has been deserted!

...

Song Yajing came beside Song Jin. Song Jin, with red wine in one hand, ended the conversation with his friends and looked at Song Yajing. He laughed and said, “Sister, you are beautiful today.”

Song Yajing looked down and smiled. “Brother, I’m 55 years old this year. Why would I care about looking beautiful? Even you’re teasing me!”

Song Jin looked to Lu Dinghua not far away. “Is Dinghua teasing you too?”

Song Yajing followed his gaze and saw Lu Dinghua entertaining the guests, but his gaze seemed to fall on her casually. His eyes were bright and burning. Her skirt was slitted on the right side. She had not worn high-heeled shoes for a long time and felt a little uncomfortable. But Lu Dinghua’s gaze traveled from her high-heeled shoes to her slitted gown several times.