Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

There were too many guests and too many gifts. To attract Feng Tianbao's attention as quickly as possible, the heads of the market towns used all their skills, vying with each other to squeeze to the front.

However, unlike the others who were scrambling to get ahead, Shopkeeper Zhou seemed a little apprehensive. Not only did he not try to push forward, but he kept retreating, voluntarily placing himself at the very back.

"Shopkeeper Zhou, you seem a little off today. Usually, when presenting gifts, you're always at the front. Why are you squeezing with an old fogey like me today?"

Standing next to Shopkeeper Zhou at the back was an old man with white hair and missing teeth. He was also a manager from a market town, but he had never had the opportunity for promotion. Coupled with his advancing age, he had gradually become disheartened, so he didn't compete with Shopkeeper Zhou and the others this time.

But the old man remembered clearly that Shopkeeper Zhou was usually the best at showing off. He was also the most proactive when flattering Feng Tianbao. But today, with such a great opportunity, Shopkeeper Zhou suddenly seemed to have been hit by frost, not joining the crowd in pushing forward, but instead retreating to the back row.

This made the old man a little confused, and he couldn't help but tease Shopkeeper Zhou.

Shopkeeper Zhou was originally preoccupied with his thoughts. Hearing the old man's sudden words, he immediately showed a hint of helplessness and shook his head, saying, "Old Chen, I'm afraid I have no chance this time."

"Huh?" The old man was confused by Shopkeeper Zhou's words and became deeply puzzled.

Shopkeeper Zhou stopped speaking, stroking the brocade boxes he was holding in his hands, and couldn't help but sigh.

Sure enough, everyone had obviously come prepared this time, and the gifts they presented were more exquisite and luxurious than the last.

There were things like hundred-year-old ginseng, red coral thicker than an arm, jade ruyi carved from a whole piece of rough stone, and not to mention other gold, silver, and jewelry, which were dazzling to behold.

Feng Tianbao, in his forties, wore a cloud brocade silk robe, and two egg-sized walnuts spun smoothly in his hands.

To Feng Tianbao's right was an old lady with white hair and a rosy complexion, wearing a scarlet embroidered robe, obviously Feng Tianbao's mother.

Although the Feng Old Madam was already eighty years old, she was full of energy. Accompanied by Feng Tianbao, she nodded at the gifts presented by everyone.

Soon, the people in front had all revealed their gifts, and it was Shopkeeper Zhou's turn.

At this time, the banquet was nearing its end, and everyone had already eaten and drunk their fill. They were not too concerned about what followed, just wanting to finish as soon as possible and go home.

After all, they knew that if there were any rare treasures, they would have been revealed long ago. The people at the back were just filling the numbers, and their gifts were not worth looking at.

Feng Tianbao's face was full of smiles, and he probably already had a candidate for the branch leader in his mind, just waiting for the process to be completed before he announced it.

So, the atmosphere at this time was extremely relaxed and harmonious. Everyone was intentionally or unintentionally looking at Shopkeeper Zhou, waiting for him to present the final gift to bring everything to an end.

"Forget it, to hell with it! I'll risk it all!"

Looking at the gazes cast upon him, Shopkeeper Zhou gave himself a pep talk in his heart. Then, he held the brocade box in his arms and slowly walked forward.

"Ah, it's Shopkeeper Zhou! You've done a good job these past few years. I've already applied to the gang to give you a big reward when the time comes." Seeing Shopkeeper Zhou walk up, Feng Tianbao said with a smile on his face.

Shopkeeper Zhou's heart couldn't help but 'thump' upon hearing this.

Having been in the business world for a long time, he naturally understood what Feng Tianbao's words meant. He only said that he would give himself a reward, but didn't mention anything about the branch leader, which meant that he had already decided on a candidate in his mind. And this candidate was not Shopkeeper Zhou, but one of the people who had presented gifts earlier.

"Alas, is there still no chance?" After thinking about it, Shopkeeper Zhou couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

However, even so, the gift still had to be presented, after all, he would still have to work under Feng Tianbao in the future, wouldn't he?

Thinking this, Shopkeeper Zhou instantly adjusted his mood, put on a flattering smile, and offered birthday greetings to the Feng Old Madam: "This junior wishes the Feng Old Madam boundless happiness and longevity as high as the Southern Mountain, may you have today every year, and this day every year! These are some small gifts that this junior has prepared for the Feng Old Madam, please don't dislike them."

"Hey, it's good that you came, why bother preparing gifts? Shopkeeper Zhou, you've spent too much."

Anyone could tell that this was just a polite remark, because the Feng Old Madam would say this before everyone presented their gifts.

However, although everyone knew it was a polite remark, this formality had to be gone through.

Shopkeeper Zhou sighed in his heart, but still maintained his smile on his face. He opened the first box, and suddenly, dozens of huge pearls were revealed.

Each of these pearls was as big as a quail egg, and they were all perfectly round, making them rare treasures.

"This junior knows that the Feng Old Madam loves jewelry, and this is a small token of my appreciation, I hope you will accept it," Shopkeeper Zhou said with a smile.

"Good, good, Shopkeeper Zhou is very thoughtful."

However, the Feng Old Madam only glanced at these precious jewels and then waved for her servants to take them away.

After all, many people had presented pearls before Shopkeeper Zhou, and their sizes were even larger than Shopkeeper Zhou's pearls.

Under the fatigue of aesthetic appreciation, the Feng Old Madam was no longer so interested in these priceless pearls.

Seeing this, the bitterness in Shopkeeper Zhou's heart became even stronger.

However, unlike Shopkeeper Zhou, the others felt relieved when they saw this scene.

Because Shopkeeper Zhou was usually the most smooth-tongued, everyone regarded him as their number one enemy.

They originally thought that Shopkeeper Zhou would be able to come up with something magical this time, but they didn't expect that it would just be the most common pearls.

This was really beyond everyone's expectations, but it also put their minds at ease, because they knew that Shopkeeper Zhou was already out of the running for the position of branch leader this time.

Shopkeeper Zhou naturally understood this point and knew that there was no chance anymore. However, this made him completely let go of the burden in his heart and become unrestrained.

Shopkeeper Zhou was seen regaining his former demeanor, taking out another brocade box, and presenting it with both hands, saying, "This is the second gift that this junior is giving to the Feng Old Madam, it is a kitchen knife!"

Hearing Shopkeeper Zhou's words, the originally noisy banquet scene instantly fell silent.

Everyone's expressions were stunned!