mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 46 My Dear Congressman Father
Chapter 46 My Dear Congressman Father
Clarissa's clenched teeth.
Meng Ran couldn't help but look up and glance at the scene inside the banquet hall, but unfortunately there were too many people and she couldn't find Edward's figure immediately.
but.
It was only after glancing at the banquet hall that I realized what was happening.
A new idea popped into Meng Ran's mind.
So he said to Clarissa, "I remember there was an auction at the banquet, right?"
"Of course," Clarissa nodded.
The banquet can be divided into three stages.
The first phase of the cocktail party provides guests with an opportunity to chat freely.
Next came the formal dinner – an auction and charitable donations.
After the donation ceremony, there's an optional ballroom dance. Most guests attend, as it's a good opportunity for men and women to meet.
Even some couples who have been married for many years act independently at ballroom dances.
They call it finding their own romantic night.
After the romantic evening, everyone went back to their normal lives the next day, as if nothing had happened.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran said in a low voice, "I have a better idea that can smoothly bring up the matter of Kieran and your father, so that you two can express your filial piety... no, I mean, let you two show your filial piety."
…………
7 points.
At the host's prompting.
The guests took their seats.
Mary leaned back in her chair, watching Clarissa slowly walk onto the wooden stage, carrying the hem of her light green dress, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and a sense of pride welled up in her heart.
My daughter has definitely grown up.
As she watched, she couldn't help but say to Edward beside her, "Look how well Liz performed on stage, her manners were impeccable, and her words were meaningful."
Edward didn't bother to reply.
I just listened quietly to Clarissa's opening remarks.
No one knew that even at this moment, he was still hoping that Clarissa would express her gratitude to her parents for their guidance in her speech.
Unfortunately not.
Clarissa did indeed name some important guests during her speech.
For example, the mayor's wife.
For example, the director of the Detroit Environmental Protection Agency.
And that star player from the Pistons, etc.
She mentioned many things, but she never uttered a single word related to Edward.
This made Edward increasingly impatient, and he instinctively looked around aimlessly.
Upon closer inspection, a problem was indeed identified.
He noticed that on the right side of the stage, Kieran was still holding that old DV camera, filming Clarissa on stage with a serious expression.
Edward's temper flared up instantly.
All the respectable people were seated.
You're the one standing there!
a shame!
Since you enjoy taking photos so much, why don't you just buy a plane ticket to Hollywood tonight?
I'm really angry right now.
Clarissa on stage had already finished her speech when Theron came up from the side.
According to the agreement Meng Ran had made with her, the main character of this dinner party must and can only be Clarissa.
Therefore, Theron only gave a brief welcome to the guests before moving on to the charity auction.
Two staff members carried a large picture frame, one meter tall, onto the stage.
Theron, standing to the side, explained, "This artwork is called the Tree of Ecology..."
"Its inspiration comes from Mr. Bane Cole. The trunk was created by Clarissa herself, and the branches and leaves are from the handprints of one hundred children around the Amazon. We hope..."
On stage, Theron gave a serious presentation.
Offstage, Edward couldn't help but turn to look behind him, thinking to himself: It's that Bane Cole again?
The other guests didn't have such thoughts; they were just a little surprised.
Honestly, everyone originally thought that the items being auctioned would be luxury goods or Amazon specialties.
After all, most banquets are like this.
Guests would donate rare luxury items, which they would then bid on and repurchase. In this way, they could both showcase their collections and demonstrate their generosity and kindness.
Similar procedures have become an unspoken rule.
No one expected that the opening scene would feature such an artwork.
It's not that the idea was particularly brilliant, but rather that the handprints of those one hundred Amazonian children were quite emotionally significant.
Buy it and display it at home. When someone comes over, just tell them the story of those one hundred Amazonian children. It's much easier than introducing other works of art, but the sense of moral superiority is no less.
And so.
Theron's introduction has just ended.
Someone smiled and raised their hand to bid: "$4000. I really want to contribute to Amazon's ecosystem."
"$5000." Another person immediately made a bid.
"$6000, I just can't bear to see these children's homes destroyed." The person who had just made the bid raised it again.
He had just finished adding the amount when another woman's voice came from the other end: "7000 dollars."
The price increase happened faster than expected.
With the price about to reach $1, the two directors of the association in the corner couldn't sit still any longer!
"Why is this painting worth so much?" Mira was genuinely envious.
"Damn it, at this rate, Clarissa will be able to rake in two or three hundred thousand tonight!" Franka's eyes were practically red with greed. One dinner party was worth a quarter, or even half a year's worth of her own expenses.
Just then, the two roared with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
A man's voice rang out from the right side of the stage.
"Fifteen thousand dollars!"
"A generous gift of crabs!" Mira went crazy.
"How can you raise prices like that!" Frank glared angrily.
Not only him, but everyone else's gaze also turned to the right.
But then they saw that the man who was making the offer was holding up a DV camera; it was Kiran who was making the offer.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Kieran made an apologetic gesture and explained with a smile, "Excuse me, let me introduce myself. I am Kieran, Clarissa's brother."
This was her first time hosting such a grand charity gala. Therefore, I very much hoped to bid on the first item as a keepsake. Sorry, sorry.
The words fell.
A burst of good-natured laughter immediately erupted at the scene.
The person who had just made the bid even joked with a laugh, "Oh, damn it, Kieran, aren't you pulling some strings behind the scenes? Hahaha..."
Another burst of laughter followed.
Kieran laughed as he said, "It's because this dinner party is so special. You know, before this, my father even predicted that no one would come to this dinner party."
"???" Upon hearing this, Edward's eyes widened in disbelief.
He simply couldn't understand why Kieran would bring this up out of the blue.
Neil, standing next to Edward, also looked at Edward with some surprise, his expression as if to say: You actually said something like that?
But the others in the audience.
But Kieran's words completely ignited the flames of gossip.
It is important to understand that in the West, "individual heroism" and "resistance against patriarchy/old authority" are deeply ingrained narrative logic.
This has been the case, especially in the United States, ever since the hippie movement and counterculture wave of the 60s.
Therefore, publicly executing Edward would provoke resentment from some people.
But most people at the banquet might still think of Clarissa and Kieran as rebellious young people of the new era.
Based on this, Clarissa immediately picked up the conversation, waving her hand with a smile and saying, "Oh, Kieran, let's not talk about these unpleasant things anymore."
"Although my father did say at the time that I couldn't succeed. He didn't believe I could successfully promote the environmental issue of protecting the Amazon with 20 yuan."
"He didn't believe I could really create an environmental star with over 10 followers and influence online and in society."
"But as it turns out, I did it."
"???" Edward was petrified.
He began to wonder if he was dreaming.
Have my son and daughter gone mad?
How dare they!
As for the others, they began to discuss it in hushed tones.
"20 million?"
"Did it only cost 20 to promote this issue?"
"If I remember correctly, including little Dahl, that makes three people famous, right?"
"Is the current promotion really that cheap, or is it that their promotional capabilities are so strong?"
Hearing the commotion below, Clarissa glanced at Edward, whose expression remained frozen.
"My confidence in my ability to succeed stems from my belief that there are many kind-hearted people in Detroit and throughout the United States, just like many of you here, who care about the future of the planet."
"Your presence today once again proves that my firm belief was correct."
"In the future, I want to work with everyone to show our power to those who are destroying the Earth's environment."
As she spoke, Clarissa looked at Kieran: "Similarly, I would like to invite you, Kieran. I invite you to contribute to Detroit's environmental issues in the future."
"Because you're going to run for city council in August, aren't you?"
"If you are elected, I and everyone here would like you to pay attention to the brownfield issue in Detroit, so that everyone's assets can become valuable again."
"Oh~Jesus~" Mary gasped softly, covering her mouth.
She really didn't expect Clarissa to bring up Kiran's campaign.
Moreover, they also took the opportunity to propose the management of brownfields.
It's important to understand that due to Detroit's brownfield issue, real estate and land values have plummeted, with some properties becoming practically worthless.
As a result of the chain reaction, other assets also fell.
Therefore, Clarissa's words hit the nail on the head for those present. And since they didn't stray from the theme of environmental protection, they weren't abrupt.
However, the others got tickled.
Edward was truly stung by Clarissa and Kieran's performance!
But he couldn't lash out.
For a moment, his face turned bright red, and he looked like he was about to explode.