On the elevated mahogany stage, dazzling spotlights focused on Young Master Situ Hao.
Behind him stood Murong Xuan and six other prominent heirs of the Eight Capital Families, all dressed in bespoke tuxedos and smiling with practiced corporate benevolence.
Two liveried stage attendants carried out a ten-foot-wide novelty check made of polished acrylic and gold leaf. Printed on the check in massive, glittering figures was the sum:
¥20,000,000,000 RMB.
Forty professional television cameras and hundreds of mobile livestreams captured every angle.
Situ Hao gripped the golden wireless microphone, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceiling of the Imperial Ancestral Hall with theatrical resonance.
“Distinguished guests, ambassadors, and fellow citizens!” Situ Hao announced, gesturing grandly toward the giant check. “Tonight, on behalf of the Eight Capital Families, I am deeply humbled to unveil our landmark commitment: Twenty Billion Yuan dedicated entirely to the National Mountain Orphanage and Youth Welfare Initiative!”
Murong Xuan stepped forward to the secondary microphone, puffing out his silk-clad chest.
