For a moment, various flashes and photo-taking devices were all in action, turning the long-absent former Smart Girl Class Leader of the Sheng Family, Old Lady He Lianding, into a slide show.
"Hello everyone!" the Old Lady said with a benevolent smile, waving to the media and guests in greeting and inviting everyone to take a seat.
Finally, a reporter couldn’t hold back their question. "Hello Old Madam, may I ask, the Smart Girl Class has been on hold in the Sheng Family for forty years. What suddenly gave you the idea to restart the Smart Girl Class?"
The Old Lady seemed to be in a good mood. "It’s not sudden at all. In fact, I’ve had the idea to restart the Smart Girl Class for a while. As I get older, many things become harder to manage, and with the Sheng Family’s female-led businesses growing, it’s imperative to recruit new talent publicly."
"Old Madam, in earlier years, there were rumors that after you became the Smart Girl Class Leader, you used various means to drive out all the other Smart Girls within three years, taking the reins of power for yourself, and then successfully marrying into the Sheng Family and becoming the Young Lady. What do you think of these allegations?"
"Right, Old Madam, there are also rumors that back at Xiangsi Lake, you pushed your closest Smart Girl friend into the water and drowned her, which then allowed you to easily marry into the Sheng Family and become the Young Lady. Are you aware of this?"
Once these two questions were asked, the crowd at the venue immediately stirred in shock!
"Nonsense!" Nanny Chen immediately roared at the two journalists, "Which newspaper are you from, spouting such nonsense here?"
When everyone followed Nanny Chen’s gaze, they found that the two reporters had already vacated their spots and slipped away unnoticed!
Nanny Chen, furious, turned to the butler behind her, "What are you doing? How could you let people come in and cause trouble? Didn’t I tell you to strictly screen everyone?"
The butler replied, "I already instructed my subordinates to only let people in with a ticket. I have no idea when those two slipped in."
Although no one dared to continue asking questions, the Old Lady remained calm and composed, smiling as she said, "Regardless of whether those two people came here to cause trouble on purpose, I want to explain to everyone that those were purely baseless accusations. As for why they would slander me like that, well, I guess mouths are on other people’s faces, and they can say what they like. I, this old woman, can’t control that, so let’s just consider it a prank and not let it ruin the mood we should have tonight."
With just a few light-hearted remarks, the Old Lady had eased the tense atmosphere, and everyone began to relax, sipping their drinks, chatting, and waiting for the highlight of the evening to begin.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Han, who had always stayed busy below, took the opportunity to say to the reporters, "I think it’s definitely someone intentionally causing trouble. As for who that person is, it’s quite obvious now, whoever is not present is the one with a guilty conscience!"
Upon hearing this, the reporters began muttering to each other, and without further ado, they started scanning the empty seats on stage.
"So, it’s mostly related to Ye Shu, right? Did you guys notice? All the other Smart Girls are here; it’s only her spot that’s empty!"
"That’s impossible, right? After all, everyone here is a Smart Girl, and I heard that she’s on good terms with Young Master Chen of the Sheng Family. Why would she intentionally cause trouble and tarnish the reputation of Main Grandmother Sheng?"
Hearing the others speculate, Mrs. Han immediately retorted, "What’s so impossible about that? I think it’s very likely, because Grandma doesn’t really like her, so she must have deliberately hired people to create a scene! Considering her character, what kind of deed can’t she commit?"