Ivanka took the initiative to speak to Ye Yun, drawing the attention of many guests to him. People began speculating about Ye Yun's identity and his relationship with Ivanka.
Unknowingly, he became the topic of discussion across various social circles.
Ye Yun could only feel helpless about this.
"Ye Yun, you know Miss Ivanka?"
Ji Yu widened his eyes in astonishment.
His surprise was understandable—Ivanka was known as the ice-cold goddess, never showing men the slightest interest. Her earlier gesture had completely shattered that image in everyone's eyes.
"We had a meal together. That's all,"
Ye Yun nodded and replied. But just then, he suddenly felt someone staring at him and instinctively looked up.
Not far away, in a small group, a young man with brown hair and blue eyes was glaring at him with an unfriendly expression. Their eyes met briefly before the man sneered and looked away.
"Who is that guy?"
Ye Yun raised an eyebrow in confusion. He didn't even know the man—what was his problem?
Ji Yu followed his gaze and scoffed.
"Him? That's Clarence. Super full of himself, and honestly, pretty annoying."
Then he added with a teasing smile,
"That guy's actually one of Miss Ivanka's suitors. It's no secret around here. Looks like you two might become love rivals, haha!"
Ye Yun ignored his teasing and instead activated the system ability to get a better look at the man.
"Clarence Caspar, male, 25 years old, son of the board director of Lafite Winery, suitor of Ivanka Hilton. Currently holds hostility level 2 toward the Host. Please remain alert."
After reading the basic info panel provided by the system, Ye Yun's mouth twitched slightly. He had unwittingly stepped into one of those cliché drama tropes.
Pretty women always brought trouble. Ivanka had only exchanged a few words with him, and now her suitor already regarded him as a rival—with a level 2 hostility, no less.
Although Ye Yun understood the guy had misunderstood, he had no intention of explaining. That would be far too lame—and also because of who the man was.
The heir to Lafite Winery.
That alone made him a natural competitor.
Ye Yun's rosé was set to become the number one red wine in the world. All the so-called top ten wines were destined to be crushed beneath him.
With that in mind, Ye Yun felt much better. He glanced at Clarence one more time and then ignored him entirely.
However, Clarence interpreted this reaction as provocation and arrogance.
"That damned guy dares to act so smug?!"
Rage surged in Clarence's heart. He almost burst out swearing on the spot.
He had been chasing Ivanka for ages, but she never even looked at him. Yet she had just spoken to Ye Yun on her own. That alone was hard enough to accept. What made it worse was—Ye Yun was actually better looking than him.
Infuriating!
One of Clarence's companions leaned over with a smirk and said, "I just looked into that guy. His name is Ye Yun. Doesn't have much of a background, but he owns an estate in Hawaii…"
"He's Ye Yun?"
Clarence's expression suddenly shifted, and he asked again to confirm.
"Yeah, why?"
"Oh, nothing. Just remembered something… interesting."
Clarence suddenly burst out laughing, his anger completely gone. The look in his eyes as he glanced at Ye Yun again was filled with mischief.
About half an hour later, the main figure of the night, Asher Hilton, entered the ballroom.
Under everyone's gaze, Asher Hilton walked to the center of the hall and announced loudly:
"It's a great honor to have you all here tonight to celebrate my birthday. On behalf of the Hilton family, I sincerely thank you!"
"I won't waste more words—the banquet officially begins. I hope everyone has a great time tonight!"
With that, he raised his glass and downed it in one go.
A burst of enthusiastic applause filled the room, along with waves of birthday wishes. It was clear Asher Hilton was well-respected in his social circle.
After the welcome speech, the banquet officially kicked off, and some guests began offering gifts.
Normally, gifts would just be registered on a list and handed to a servant. But those who wanted to curry favor or make an impression might present their gifts publicly at the banquet.
Of course, the publicly presented gifts had to be lavish and impressive—otherwise, it would just be embarrassing.
Asher Hilton accepted each of these gifts with a warm smile and polite thanks, keeping the atmosphere light and cordial.
Ye Yun was just about to step forward and present his gift when someone beat him to it—Clarence stepped out of the crowd and walked up to Asher Hilton.
He gave a slight bow and said with a smile, "Uncle Asher, happy birthday!"
Asher Hilton smiled warmly upon seeing Clarence and said, "So it's Clarence. Why didn't your father come this time?"
His tone showed clear familiarity.
After all, the Hilton family and the Lafite estate had a history of cooperation and frequent interactions.
"My father's not feeling well lately. But to show his apology, he asked me to bring you a special birthday gift."
As he spoke, a servant brought over a brocade box. Clarence carefully took it and opened it to reveal the item inside.
It was a bottle of Lafite wine. Judging by the color of the cork and packaging, it was clearly aged.
"My father knows you enjoy wine, Uncle Asher. This is a treasured bottle of 1982 Lafite from our estate. Wishing you a happy birthday."
Clarence was all politeness and charm.
His gift drew gasps from the crowd—this was no ordinary bottle.
The 1982 Lafite was practically a legend, a symbol of luxury often mentioned in movies and TV. It was one of the most coveted wines in the world.
Why? Because the year 1982 was the perfect vintage—ideal climate, ideal harvest, resulting in some of the finest wine Lafite had ever produced.
That's why today, when wealthy diners order wine, they often specify "1982 Lafite."
Of course, getting your hands on a real bottle is another story.
Estimates suggest that over 50,000 bottles of 1982 Lafite are consumed globally each year. Yet in 1982, the Lafite winery only produced around 5,000 bottles.
Those 5,000 authentic bottles have mostly been consumed long ago.
Only the Lafite estate itself still holds a few in its collection.
And the bottle Clarence had just presented was one of those few genuine 1982 Lafites.
Pulling out such a rare bottle now was a powerful gesture—an impressive show of sincerity indeed.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。