"What exactly is he here for?" This thought suddenly crossed the minds of countless people.
Under everyone's gaze, Yang Chen slowly raised his head, his calm eyes settling on Guan Zhengshan.
A sharp glint flashed in Guan Zhengshan's eyes. Today was his birthday banquet, yet someone dared to cause trouble.
He had only vaguely heard about the earlier incidents at the banquet, but to ensure the event proceeded smoothly, he had chosen to suppress the matter even when his most favored grandson was beaten.
But what he never expected was that, at the most critical moment of the banquet, the Wang family would expose everything.
"So your invitation was indeed stolen," Guan Xuesong sneered, having initially thought Yang Chen might have obtained it through other channels.
After all, every year there were people who would go to great lengths to get an invitation just to catch a glimpse of the Guan family patriarch's birthday banquet.
If Yang Chen's invitation had been obtained legitimately, that would have been one thing. But it wasn't—it was stolen. This made dealing with Yang Chen much easier.
"Kid, who exactly are you?" Guan Zhengshan finally spoke.
Before Yang Chen could answer, Wang Jian loudly declared, "Patriarch Guan, he's the live-in son-in-law of the Qin family—the scum who slept with Qin Xi, the former top beauty CEO of Jiangzhou, five years ago. He went off to join the military a few years back and just returned."
Wang Jian's eyes were filled with malice, his excitement barely contained. When he and Wang Hongye had arrived earlier, they'd brought family enforcers who were now waiting outside the Guan estate.
The moment Yang Chen stepped out of the Guan family's gates, he'd be beaten to a pulp. But now, the Guan family had also set their sights on Yang Chen.
"Wang Jian, shut your mouth!"
Wang Hongye noticed the displeasure in Guan Zhengshan's eyes and immediately rebuked him.
"The Guan patriarch's birthday banquet has invited so many clowns? People might mistake the Guan family for a scrap collection center, taking in all kinds of trash."
Yang Chen's words exploded like thunder, shocking everyone present.
The entire room fell silent!
On the surface, his words seemed to insult Wang Jian, but they also indirectly insulted the Guan family by comparing them to a scrap collection center.
To insult the Guan family patriarch in his own home was nothing short of audacious.
Countless eyes fixed on Yang Chen.
He stood up, his posture straight and unyielding like a mountain, and began walking step by step toward Guan Zhengshan.
A trace of anger finally surfaced on Guan Zhengshan's otherwise calm face.
Since the Guan family had risen to become one of Jiangzhou's four great families, no one had ever dared to insult them to his face—let alone at his birthday banquet.
Even the other three great families wouldn't dare speak to him like this. Yet here was Yang Chen, a nobody, openly challenging him.
"Yang Chen, what do you think you're doing? This is Patriarch Guan's birthday banquet—how dare you act so disrespectfully!" Wang Jian, seeing Yang Chen approach Guan Zhengshan, feigned outrage.
Eager to prove his loyalty, he stepped in front of Guan Zhengshan and declared grandly, "Patriarch Guan, don't worry. As long as I'm here, he won't dare lay a finger on you."
His reasoning was simple: Yang Chen would never reach Guan Zhengshan before being subdued by the Guan family's enforcers. By positioning himself as a shield, he could curry favor without actually risking harm.
The guests' expressions were a mix of amusement and anticipation. They had just witnessed Yang Chen effortlessly break Qin Fei's wrist and even strike Guan Xuesong without hesitation.
Would someone as insignificant as Wang Jian even register in Yang Chen's eyes?
Some couldn't help but look forward to what would happen next.
"I don't know whether to call you arrogant or simply blind to your surroundings."
Guan Xuefeng stepped forward, flanked by two bodyguards in suits.
Yang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, then smirked. "Why can't it be that I have nothing to fear?"
Everyone was stunned. If publicly beating Qin Fei and Guan Xuesong earlier was arrogance, how could this be explained now?
It was obvious to all that Guan family enforcers had already surrounded Guan Zhengshan, waiting for the order to subdue Yang Chen.
Yet he acted as if he hadn't noticed, still behaving with utter audacity.
Guan Xuesong laughed coldly. "A live-in son-in-law from a bottom-tier family, and a good-for-nothing who was kicked out—what gives you the right to act so fearless?"
As he spoke, Yang Chen had already walked up to him.
The two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, shielding Guan Xuesong.
But in that instant, Yang Chen's feet moved.
He slipped between the two bodyguards in a flash.
*Slap!*
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Guan Xuesong was sent flying by a single slap, two molars spinning through the air alongside him.
*Boom!*
His body crashed onto the nearest banquet table, sending dishes and utensils clattering to the ground.
Gasps filled the room.
The entire hall fell deathly silent, every pair of eyes wide with shock.
"Is this guy insane? He actually hit Young Master Song right in front of Patriarch Guan!"
"That's not even the craziest part. The craziest part is that Young Master Song had two bodyguards in front of him—how did that guy even land the hit?"
"Could it be… this guy is some kind of expert?"
The guests felt their hearts pounding in their chests, staring at Yang Chen in terror.
The two bodyguards tasked with protecting Guan Xuesong were frozen in horror. Yang Chen had slipped past them and struck their charge.
After a brief daze, their faces twisted in humiliation and rage. "You're dead!"
They swung at Yang Chen simultaneously, but it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
He raised both hands, catching their wrists mid-air.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
In the next moment, the two bodyguards were flung aside like trash.
Those who witnessed this felt as if their throats had been squeezed shut, their mouths agape with shock.
Slapping Guan Xuesong away could be dismissed as Yang Chen having some skill. But now, he had effortlessly tossed aside two trained bodyguards before they could even touch him.
This wasn't just skill—this was the mark of a true master.
Now, only the utterly stunned Wang Jian stood between Yang Chen and Guan Zhengshan.
"You want to block me too?" Yang Chen suddenly smiled, though to Wang Jian, that smile was nothing short of terrifying.
"Y-Y-Yang Chen, d-don't act recklessly. This is the Guan family's territory," Wang Jian stammered, trembling uncontrollably.
"Oh?"
Yang Chen took another step forward, his hand snapping out to grip Wang Jian's throat.
With a single motion, he lifted Wang Jian's 150-160-pound body into the air with one hand.
"Outrageous!"
Guan Zhengshan erupted in fury. For Yang Chen to act so brazenly at his birthday banquet, even daring to harm someone right before his eyes, was nothing short of a direct challenge to his authority.