Jinling Chamber of Commerce Dinner (Part 1)

Two days later.

Jinling Peninsula Hotel, banquet hall.

This was the highest-level annual social event in Jinling.

Those who received invitations were either business tycoons worth tens of billions or powerful figures who held significant weight in Jinling's political and business circles.

The threshold was so high that no more than thirty families in the entire city of Jinling could enter through these doors.

At exactly seven o'clock in the evening, guests began to enter one after another.

The banquet hall was magnificently decorated. Crystal chandeliers, floral carpets, and a live string quartet—everywhere exuded top-tier luxury and restraint.

Men in bespoke suits and women in haute couture gowns held champagne and conversed in low voices.

The air was filled with the scent of expensive perfume and money.

At 7:15 PM.

The entrance to the banquet hall suddenly fell silent.

Everyone's eyes uniformly turned toward the door.

A man and a woman walked in side by side.

The man wore a pure black, handmade bespoke suit. The tailoring fit perfectly, accentuating his tall and slender frame. There were no superfluous accessories, only a crisp white shirt cuff peeking from his sleeves, clean and sharp.

His facial features were unbelievably exquisite under the lights, but what truly made it impossible to look away was his aura.

It wasn't ostentatious, nor was it aggressively sharp.

Rather, it was a deep-seated, innate nobility.

As if he was born to stand above everyone else.

Shen Fei.

And the woman beside him caused the entire hall to gasp.

She wore a dark red velvet long dress with a backless design that outlined her perfect body curves. Her collarbones were delicate, her waist slender, and her black hair was swept up into a low bun, revealing a long, fair neck.

Su Qingxue.

The universally acknowledged iceberg goddess of Jinling.

At this moment, her makeup was exquisite. She no longer had the appearance of the fierce, decisive female CEO she usually was. With a bit more softness and a bit less sharpness, she held onto Shen Fei's arm, walking quietly by his side.

The entire hall instantly exploded!

Su Qingxue? Didn't she break off her engagement with the Shen family?

Look at her posture, does that look like she broke off the engagement? This is clearly...

My God, the Su family's iceberg beauty is actually taking the initiative to hold onto Young Master Shen's arm!

What is going on? Isn't the Su family about to go bankrupt?

Whispers spread throughout the banquet hall.

Everyone understood.

Su Qingxue attending as Shen Fei's female companion meant that the Su family had once again leaned against the great tree that was the Shen family.

It also meant that in the previous farce of breaking off the engagement, Su Qingxue had conceded defeat.

No, not just conceded defeat.

She had yielded completely.

Some showed playful smiles, some muttered to themselves, and some quickly racked their brains on how to use this opportunity to curry favor with the Shen family.

Su Qingxue felt the gazes shooting at her from all directions.

There was curiosity, mockery, and schadenfreude.

The hand she used to hold Shen Fei's arm tightened slightly.

But her expression did not change at all.

An iceberg is an iceberg; even if shattered to pieces, it is still cold.

Shen Fei felt the change in the strength of her hand and tilted his head to glance at her.

Nervous?

Su Qingxue didn't speak, just shook her head imperceptibly.

No need to be nervous.

Shen Fei retracted his gaze and led her into the crowd.

Tonight, no one will dare to make you unhappy.

He said this very lightly, but Su Qingxue heard it loud and clear.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Not because she was moved.

But because the absolute confidence exuding from these words made her suddenly realize something.

Shen Fei wasn't offering comfort.

He was stating a fact.

In this banquet hall, he was the rule itself.

Before the two had even taken ten steps inside, Wang Jianlin, a real estate tycoon ranked in the top five in Jinling, came up to greet them.

Young Master Shen! I've been looking forward to meeting you! The last time I had tea with your grandfather was last year, I must definitely visit your residence some day!

A man in his sixties, worth over twenty billion, Wang Jianlin bent his back, his face full of smiles, lowering his posture even further than his age.

Shen Fei nodded, not exchanging much pleasantry.

Uncle Wang is too polite.

A brief, lukewarm response.

But Wang Jianlin acted as if he had received a heavenly blessing, his face glowing with a red smile as he nodded repeatedly and stepped back to the side.

Immediately after, a second, third, and fourth person gathered around.

The boss of Jinling's largest pharmaceutical group.

The vice president of a local bank.

The general manager of the Jinling branch of a certain state-owned enterprise.

Every single one of them was a figure capable of summoning wind and rain in Jinling, yet right now, they were all crowding in front of Shen Fei, scrambling to greet him, hand over business cards, and pledge their loyalty.

Young Master Shen, our company has a project we'd like to report to you...

Young Master Shen, how have you considered that cooperation proposal from last time?

Young Master Shen, may I treat you to a meal some other day?

Shen Fei responded to them one by one, neither haughty nor humble, handling everything flawlessly.

He treated everyone with thirty percent politeness and seventy percent distance, not giving anyone the chance to get overly intimate, yet not making anyone feel neglected either.

Su Qingxue stood beside him, not saying a single word from beginning to end.

But in her heart, she was experiencing a violent earthquake.

She had attended chamber of commerce dinners before.

Although the Su Group couldn't be considered a top-tier wealthy family, it was still a prominent enterprise in Jinling.

But when she attended, what was the attitude of those big shots towards her?

Polite and courteous, but nothing more.

No one would actively crowd around to curry favor with her.

No one would bend over to speak to her.

No one would queue up to wait for Shen Fei to grant them a single glance, like they were doing right now.

This was the gap.

Su Qingxue used to think she stood high enough.

But tonight, she realized she hadn't even touched the foot of Shen Fei's mountain.

This was the true top-tier circle.

This was true power and influence.

Looking at the man beside her who was handling everything so calmly, Su Qingxue suddenly remembered the scene from the day she broke off the engagement.

She had brought Ye Chen, walking into the Shen family villa with a condescending attitude, feeling as though she held the initiative.

Thinking about it now, it was simply a massive joke.

Her so-called pride in front of Shen Fei was like a little child standing on their tiptoes, insisting they were taller than an adult.

Ridiculous.

Pathetic.

She really didn't know what she had been thinking back then; it was as if her mind had been clouded by lard...

The crowd finally dispersed a bit, and Shen Fei led Su Qingxue toward the main table.

The main table only had eight seats, and those sitting here were the true top-tier figures of Jinling.

Shen Fei's seat was in the position of honor.

He pulled out the chair next to it and gave Su Qingxue a glance.

Sit.

Su Qingxue sat down beside him.

The banquet officially began. Glasses clinked, and the atmosphere grew lively.

But Su Qingxue remained somewhat absent-minded.

She was thinking about Ye Chen.

Over the past two days, Ye Chen had called her countless times and sent dozens of messages.

She hadn't replied to a single one.

She didn't know what state Ye Chen was in right now.

But she told herself not to think about it.

She couldn't think about it.

Thinking about it would make her waver.

If she wavered, the Su family would truly be finished.

She took a sip of the champagne in her glass. The cold liquor slid down her throat, suppressing the turbulent emotions at the bottom of her heart.

Halfway through the banquet, something happened.

A young man in his early twenties, holding a wine glass, stumbled over to the main table.

He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with a clean-shaven face, but his eyes were unfocused. He had clearly had too much to drink.

The young master of the Liu family in Jinling, Liu Haoran.

The Liu family was considered a second-tier wealthy family in Jinling, getting by on a few shopping malls and a pedestrian street. Their fortune could not compare to top-tier wealthy families, but their advantage lay in the old man, Liu Guodong, who knew how to conduct himself and maintained good relationships with various factions.

Liu Haoran was Liu Guodong's only grandson, spoiled since childhood, a typical playboy.

He was someone who usually threw his weight around in Jinling.

Today he had drunk quite a bit of alcohol and was originally at a nearby table bragging with a few of his fair-weather friends.

Then, he looked up and saw Su Qingxue.

A dark red velvet long dress, backless, her snow-white skin glowing faintly under the lights.

Liu Haoran's eyes went straight.

He put down his wine glass, pushed aside a friend who tried to stop him, and walked right over.

"Yo, isn't this the great beauty Su?"

Liu Haoran plopped down into the empty chair next to Su Qingxue, a strong stench of alcohol hitting her face.

"Why is CEO Su sitting all alone? Come, come, come, I'll have a drink with you!"

Su Qingxue frowned deeply and shifted her body to the side.

"Young Master Liu, you've had too much to drink."

"So what if I drank too much? You only dare to talk to a beauty when you've had too much to drink!"

Liu Haoran chuckled mischievously, reaching out to wrap his arm around Su Qingxue's shoulder.

"CEO Su, I heard your Su family is short on money right now? Although my Liu family can't compare to the Shen family, we can still take out a few hundred million. How about we find a place to chat in private?"

His hand was less than three centimeters from Su Qingxue's shoulder.

Su Qingxue's face darkened, and she was just about to speak.

"It's not quite appropriate for your hand to be in that position."

The voice was not loud.

But the temperature at the entire main table seemed to instantly drop to freezing.

Liu Haoran's hand froze in mid-air.

He looked up and met Shen Fei's gaze.

At that moment, Liu Haoran sobered up by half.

Shen Fei did not stand up, nor did he even change his sitting posture.

He just looked at Liu Haoran.

Just looking at him plainly.

But there was no emotion in those eyes, like a pool of stagnant water.

And precisely because there was nothing, it made people feel a chill radiating from their bones.

Liu Haoran stood frozen on the spot, a chill shooting up from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

He finally remembered.

Who did Su Qingxue come with tonight!

Shen Fei!

The Crown Prince of Jinling!

The sole heir of the Shen family!

He had actually flirted with his female companion right in front of Shen Fei!

Liu Haoran sobered up completely, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

He abruptly stood up and took two steps back, just wanting to say something to make amends.

A hand violently grabbed his collar from behind!

Liu Haoran was yanked back, stumbling and almost falling over.

"You animal!"

It was his grandfather, Liu Guodong.

The seventy-year-old man with a head full of white hair now had a face full of terror and anger.

Liu Guodong had rushed over at some unknown point and raised his hand to deliver a slap!

Slap!

This slap was loud and crisp; half the people in the banquet hall heard it.

Liu Haoran was spun half a circle on the spot, his head buzzing.

Liu Guodong was still not satisfied and delivered another slap!

Slap!

"You blind thing! Do you know who you are getting handsy with?"

Holding his face, Liu Haoran was completely stunned.

But what shocked the entire audience even more was yet to come.

After beating his grandson, Liu Guodong turned to face Shen Fei and fell to his knees with a thud!

A seventy-year-old man!

The patriarch of a wealthy Jinling family worth billions!

In front of over a hundred top-tier figures in the audience, he knelt directly to Shen Fei!

"Young Master Shen, this old man has failed in teaching his grandson! This animal drank too much and was ignorant, offending you and Miss Su! You can punish us however you want, whether you beat or scold us, this old man will not say a second word!"

Liu Guodong's forehead pressed against the floor, his voice trembling.

The entire hall was dead silent!

Everyone present was terrified by this scene!

Who was Liu Guodong?

An old fox who had mingled in Jinling for fifty years, afraid of no one, even the city leaders had to politely call him Elder Liu when they saw him.

Such a person knelt without a second word!

What did this mean?

It meant that in Liu Guodong's eyes, the consequences of offending Shen Fei were ten thousand times worse than the humiliation of kneeling!

Shen Fei looked at Liu Guodong kneeling on the ground, his expression remaining unchanged from beginning to end.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put it down.

"Elder Liu, the floor is cold, get up."

The voice was gentle.

But anyone could hear that there was not the slightest hint of forgiveness in this gentleness.

How could Liu Guodong dare to actually get up? The sweat on his forehead dripped down, patter by patter.

"Young Master Shen, you are magnanimous..."

"I said, get up."

Shen Fei's tone was still gentle, but it carried a force that allowed no refusal.

Liu Guodong gritted his teeth, stood up shakily, grabbed Liu Haoran by the collar, and dragged him outside.

"You animal! Go back and kneel in the ancestral hall tonight! Kneel until dawn!"

As Liu Haoran was dragged away, his face was flushed red, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

In the highest-level social occasion in Jinling, being publicly slapped and forced to kneel by his own grandfather was a humiliating experience he would remember for a lifetime.

The figures of the Liu family grandfather and grandson disappeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

The entire hall was quiet for several seconds.

Then, as if a play button had been pressed, the buzzing sound of discussion arose again, ten times more intense than before.

"Too terrifying... Even Liu Guodong knelt..."

"Young Master Shen didn't even get angry, he just took one look..."

"This is the weight of the Shen family..."

Sitting next to Shen Fei, Su Qingxue's heart was shaken more than anyone else's.

Shen Fei had not lifted a single finger from beginning to end.

No threats, no intimidation, he hadn't even raised his voice.

Just one look.

A seventy-year-old man ran over on his own accord to slap his grandson in the face, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed in apology.

This was power.

Imposing without being angry.

Immovable like a mountain.

Su Qingxue lowered her head, looking at her hands resting on her lap.

Her fingertips were trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear.

But a kind of unprecedented, complex feeling that she herself couldn't even clearly articulate.

Awe? Reliance? Or something else?

She didn't know.

She only knew that sitting next to this man, she felt an unprecedented sense of safety.

An indestructible sense of security.

The banquet continued.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, no one dared to look at Su Qingxue with improper eyes again.

Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction.

Then the doors of the banquet hall were pushed open again.

This time, everyone was stunned.

A young man wearing a dark blue suit stood at the door.

The shoulder line of the suit didn't quite fit, and the way the tie was tied wasn't quite right either, as if it was temporarily borrowed from somewhere.

But his back was straight, his chin slightly raised, and his eyes burned with unwillingness and anger.

Ye Chen.

He had no invitation.

The security guard at the door tried to stop him, but was pushed aside by him.

He strode into the banquet hall, his gaze passing straight through the crowd, locking onto the direction of the main table.

Locking onto Su Qingxue.

The entire hall was in an uproar.

Su Qingxue's face turned deathly pale in that instant.

Ye Chen stood in the center of the banquet hall, his chest heaving violently, his voice so loud that the entire hall could hear it.

"Su Qingxue!"

"Come with me!"

"I'm taking you away from this place!"