BTMDY Extra 10

Inside Linhai Mansion, one of Ningchang City’s top-tier hotels, a lavish first-birthday banquet was in full swing.

But this wasn’t your typical first-birthday party.

Normally, scenes like this would show a big family gathered around the newborn, showering them with carefully prepared red envelopes or lucky charms. Everyone would be smiling, chatting, the atmosphere warm and cozy.

What unfolded here was nothing like that. There wasn’t much of a family presence at all. Most of the guests were well-known names from the local business world.

And the real star of the party was clearly not the child.

It was his father, Lin Shen, a rising business star who had recently made waves in the industry despite still being relatively new on the scene.

The story was almost unbelievable.

Not long ago, Lin Shen had been barely noticed. The little reputation he had outside his family painted him as a reckless, aimless playboy. His father, Lin Pengcheng, on the other hand, was a respected figure, well-known in the city.

A little over a year ago, Lin Pengcheng had suddenly passed away.

Lin Hong Trading, the empire Lin Pengcheng had built with his late wife, was a cornerstone for both the family and the business. His death was a devastating blow.

The collapse of their patriarch seemed imminent. In the months following Lin Pengcheng’s death, the company faced unprecedented challenges. Everyone watched from the sidelines, most convinced that Lin Hong was finished.

No one expected Lin Shen—the son no one had taken seriously, barely noticed—would step up at this critical moment. Yet, over the next year, he pulled the company back from the brink, using an online shopping platform to stage a dramatic comeback that stunned everyone.

The world is harshly practical like that.

When you’re unknown, few reach out to help. But once you’ve built enough capital, countless people will cross great distances to befriend you, eager to hear your story and your vision for the future.

If Lin Shen hadn’t achieved anything, very few of these people would even be here.

But he turned things around, allowing Lin Hong’s platform to cut through the market in record time. Daily active users and revenue surged. It was still hard to surpass ‘Chengfeng,’ the platform under the Lu Group, but the gap was shrinking fast.

The banquet hall was packed. Lin Shen, who had never formally attended industry events before, was now surrounded by a crowd.

Everyone here had their game face on, with the same goal: get noticed by this promising ‘new’ Mr. Lin, just in case opportunities arose.

Lin Shen clearly knew this. Facing these influential guests—people who in the past might not even have glanced his way—he showed no sign of nervousness. At this kind of gathering, he seemed battle-tested, calm, and in full control, raising his wine glass and speaking with confidence.

It was almost as if no one noticed this was a first-birthday party.

After all this time, the child—who was supposed to be the real star—had yet to make an appearance.

A few small clusters of people had gathered, whispering a little about the child—but even then, the conversation wasn’t really about him.

“Lin Shen is just barely over twenty. Didn’t think he’d have a kid already,” one murmured.

“Probably just happened by accident. Happens all the time.”

“And the kid’s mother?”

“Didn’t even have a wedding. No official status, I guess. Don’t gossip too much or you’ll offend someone.”

…

These things were exactly the kind of stuff people couldn’t help but speculate about. Compared to other high-society first-birthday parties, this one was just too strange.

No mother in sight, no Lin family relatives, not even the child himself had appeared yet.

Still, even though everyone was curious, these topics stayed confined to hushed little conversations.

Very few people genuinely cared where the child came from.

Even if the child didn’t exist at all, it didn’t matter. Lin Shen had just used him as an excuse to show off as the newly risen Mr. Lin. The party itself was the real point.

Most of the guests’ attention, though, was fixed on another presence in the room.

He sat quietly in a corner that seemed almost invisible—but his presence outshone the glittering crystal chandelier overhead. Even ignoring who he was, that head of golden hair alone was enough to draw every eye.

And nobody could ignore his identity.

He was the sole heir of the Lu Group: Lu Chengxuan.

Everyone here knew him.

Yet no one could figure out why someone normally impossible to meet—even if you hunted day and night—would suddenly appear at a party like this.

The standard protocol would have him arrive fashionably late, offer a toast, hand over a small gift, and then excuse himself as busy. That would be normal.

But Lu Chengxuan had been here from the very start, not late by even a minute.

And that made the situation even harder to understand. How could Lin Shen dare to leave him sitting there like nothing?

It was simply unbelievable.

Everyone knew the Lu family’s status in Ningchang. Who would dare provoke them lightly?

Even if the late Lin Pengcheng had had some minor falling out with the Lu family, it was a thing of the past—no reason to hold grudges now.

Even if it were a family feud, you wouldn’t embarrass someone face-to-face.

Did Lin Shen not understand such basic social rules?

Everyone present was silently pondering this, but no one dared bring it up to him. These were grown-up matters that, if mentioned out loud, would seem downright odd.

Lu Chengxuan was never short of people trying to strike up a conversation.

Yet his attitude was cool, almost indifferent. Beyond the bare minimum of politeness, he hardly responded. Even though the host of the banquet barely acknowledged him, he didn’t storm off in anger. He just sat there calmly, almost like he’d come only to taste the wine.

Finally, when Mr. Wang from Shanhe Tobacco chatted with Lin Shen, he noticed Lu Chengxuan and asked plainly, “Little Lin, is that Lu Chengxuan? Why haven’t you said hi?”

Lin Shen was dressed formally, a perfectly tailored suit accentuating his balanced, well-proportioned frame.

Hearing Mr. Wang’s question, he looked over as if he’d just realized something. Lu Chengxuan, sensing it, glanced back briefly, and then Lin Shen lowered his gaze.

There was no emotion in his eyes—just a quiet realization.

“Oh, I didn’t notice.”

Shanhe Tobacco might have everything else, but money wasn’t lacking. After all these years, Mr. Wang could easily read small signals like this. Even if Lin Shen acted completely natural, it wouldn’t escape his notice.

Of course, he didn’t call it out. Instead, he asked, “I haven’t really interacted with him before. Shall we go over and greet him?”

In the past, Lin Shen might have been reluctant to put on a show or flatter someone. But he was no longer that reckless young man who acted without thinking.

Hearing Mr. Wang, he swirled his wine glass, drained the remaining red wine in one gulp, placed the empty glass on the waiter’s tray, and put on an obliging, polite smile.

“Sure.”

Under the openly curious gazes of everyone around, Lin Shen finally approached the striking sofa. Seeing Lin Shen and Mr. Wang coming, the person who had been trying to chat with Lu Chengxuan immediately stood with a knowing look and greeted them from the opposite sofa.

“Mr. Lin, Mr. Wang.”

Lin Shen lifted a glass of red wine and politely toasted, then shifted his gaze to Lu Chengxuan. His smile never left his face, though it was hard to read any genuine warmth in it.

It had been two years since Lu Chengxuan went abroad.

The reunion wasn’t as unpleasant as Lin Shen had imagined, nor as joyful as he had expected.

He said nothing, standing quietly, waiting for Mr. Wang to speak first.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the other person, Mr. Wang turned to Lu Chengxuan. Since it was just a casual, ordinary banquet, he naturally sat down on the opposite sofa and spoke warmly: “So you’re Lu Chengxuan? Seeing is better than hearing a hundred stories.”

Lu Chengxuan had gone abroad right after high school and rarely appeared in public. Most people present didn’t know his face, only his defining feature—blonde hair.

Mr. Wang’s question came because Lu Chengxuan was on the guest list. Today, besides him, there was another person with blonde hair.

That other blond man was also handsome, and at first, many guests mistook him for Lu Chengxuan. Only after he explained several times that he was just Lin Shen’s friend did everyone shift their attention back to the real focus.

After Mr. Wang spoke, Lin Shen quietly sat down beside him.

Mr. Wang was nearly twenty years older and held a high status, so using his full name wasn’t unusual.

Lu Chengxuan turned his head and nodded politely.

“Mr. Wang, I’ve heard much about you.”

Mr. Wang chuckled. “Haha, you flatter me. I’ve met your father many times and heard plenty about you from him, but never had the chance to meet in person—finally today, we do.”

“I’ve been abroad most of the time. Just got back recently,” Lu Chengxuan replied.

“Oh, going back soon?”

“In a few days.”

“I see. Planning to stay in the country afterward?”

“Not necessarily. Depends on the situation.”

The two exchanged a few casual words, but because Lu Chengxuan preferred short, precise answers and wasn’t really the chatting type, the conversation soon ran dry.

Seeing that Mr. Wang had nothing more to say, Lin Shen, to avoid awkwardness, smoothly took over the topic.

“It’s an honor to have you, Mr. Lu, travel all this way to attend my youngest son’s birthday banquet. There are quite a few guests today, and if you weren’t properly attended to earlier, please forgive me. I’ll drink a glass as a self-punishment.”

In just a few sentences, politeness and distance were displayed in perfect balance.

Lu Chengxuan, naturally aloof, never made casual etiquette mistakes.

Yet after Lin Shen’s words, he simply lifted his eyes to glance at him. He didn’t respond, didn’t move—nothing at all.

Lin Shen’s remark hit the ground like a stone.

He remained utterly indifferent, setting down his wine glass, his smile a flawless, untouchable mask.

Few truly understood Lu Chengxuan’s nature. His calm, detached demeanor often gave people the false impression that he had a temper.

The only person who saw through him was Lin Shen.

The room fell silent.

Most people were thinking: someone with such a background shouldn’t be this patient—being left alone this long, surely he’ll settle the score.

Everyone expected Lu Chengxuan to react.

But his voice was far calmer than anyone had imagined.

“Where’s the kid?”

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