Inside a private room on the top floor of the Luxury Club in Northern Mountain City, a young man in a handsome tailcoat was holding a wine glass, surrounded by several beautiful women.

If anyone familiar with the elite circles of Northern Mountain City were here, they would have recognized these women at a glance. They were the daughters of wealthy families, top socialites, or dazzling social butterflies. Surprisingly, most of them had turned out tonight and were now clustered around the young man, a truly astonishing sight.

However, anyone who knew the young man's identity probably wouldn't have been so surprised. The young man in the handsome tailcoat was none other than Young Master Gao, the son of the city's wealthiest man, the one who was most in the spotlight and currently riding the high tide of fortune—Gao Yuan!

Such a super-rich second-generation heir, who also happened to be attractive and well-built, naturally found it hard not to attract women.

Perhaps for this very reason, Young Master Gao, who had just recovered from a severe car crash, had grown tired of all the fawning faces. He had become somewhat numb to it all and was being extremely perfunctory with these women. If he hadn't personally organized this banquet, and if it wasn't unseemly for him to be alone or just mingling with men, he probably would have left by now instead of forcing himself to stay.

Just as Gao Yuan was growing bored, a call came from Zhang Xuanfeng. The first word out of his mouth was "cousin," which made Gao Yuan, holding the phone to his ear, frown. He replied coolly, "Oh, it's you, Zhang Xuanfeng. What's up?"

Although Zhang Xuanfeng's family was technically related to his, the connection was so distant it was practically non-existent. Even his own father had privately disowned them. Yet, Zhang Xuanfeng still insisted on calling him cousin every time, which naturally irritated Gao Yuan, who had no good impression of him.

If this were the old him, he might have already started firing off sarcastic remarks, mocking the other man's presumption. But the lesson from his car accident was profound. It had matured him during his recovery, making him more sensible and teaching him the meaning of cunning and restraint.

He might look down on the brainless Zhang Xuanfeng, but the fact remained that the man's father was the head of the Health Bureau, a senior official. That was enough for him to ignore the annoying words for the time being.

"What, Yuann, can't your cousin give you a call just to chat?" Although the Gao family's status had changed drastically, making them the wealthiest in Northern Mountain City, Young Master Zhang still acted strangely confident in front of Gao Yuan. He called the scion of the city's richest family by his informal name, Yuann, and presumptuously claimed the title of elder cousin.

Perhaps in his mind, even though the Gao Family was rich, they were still relatives, and he was Gao Yuan's legitimate elder cousin. Therefore, he felt entitled to speak this way. It was the only way to emphasize his status as an elder cousin and represent his own class and level.

"Zhang Xuanfeng, what do you want? If it's nothing, I'm hanging up," Gao Yuan said coldly, unable to stand Zhang Xuanfeng's presumptuous attitude any longer. What a joke. Did he really think a little courtesy gave him the right to act so high and mighty?

"Look at you, Yuann. Alright, I won't beat around the bush. I have a friend who wants to meet you. She's a TV host, very pretty. Those legs, those seductive eyes... How about it? Your cousin still looks out for you, right? I know you just recovered and must've been pent up for a while. You need to blow off some steam," Zhang Xuanfeng chuckled over the phone.

"A TV host? I heard you've been getting pretty cozy with one recently. Don't tell me it's the same person. Sorry, but I, Gao Yuan, am not in the habit of taking sloppy seconds," Gao Yuan retorted with a frown.

Although he had been feeling quite frustrated lately and had been thinking about when to indulge himself, the problem was that he, Gao Yuan, had no habit of picking up another man's leftovers. He happened to know that Zhang Xuanfeng's recent fling with a host was common gossip in their circle. Hearing this offer now, he naturally assumed it was the same woman, which made him very displeased.

"Of course not. My friend just transferred from the provincial TV station and only recently started at our city station. Young Master Gao, my friend really admires you, you know. She's been begging me for days to introduce you two. Oh, by the way, she's here tonight. So, what do you think..." Zhang Xuanfeng said with a laugh.

Believe it or not, while Young Master Zhang Xuanfeng usually wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, his mind became remarkably keen when it came to scheming and mischief. To think he could come up with such an insidious trick. This talk of 'my friend' this and 'my friend' that was truly shameless.

"Is that so?" Clearly, Zhang Xuanfeng's flattery had put Gao Yuan in a better mood. He no longer bothered with false modesty and laughed. "Then where are you now? I'll come over and take a look."

After all, young men are proud and competitive. When a beauty willingly throws herself at you, why act like a saint and push her away? And he was certainly confident in himself. Not only was he handsome and suave, but his father was now the city's richest man. Handling a mere TV host? It would be a piece of cake.

"You're coming over now? Great! We're in the banquet hall. Hurry over, Yuann." Zhang Xuanfeng hung up the phone with a smug look, chuckling sinisterly to himself. Success! This young master is a true genius, hahaha!

"Now let's see how they die. If that little bitch dares to offend Young Master Gao, she'll really be in for a world of hurt, hahaha. Young Master Zhang, you're so wicked," Jie Meiling giggled, her face filled with resentment.

「On the outdoor garden balcony of the Luxury Club's top-floor banquet hall.」

Chen Fei curled his lips as he watched group after group of self-proclaimed elites, men who thought themselves suave and debonair, approach to hit on Guan Shiyin. A hint of disdain surfaced in his eyes. Holding a glass of wine, he expressionlessly squeezed through the crowd and whispered into her ear, "Don't you notice? The way those guys are looking at you, it's like they want to strip you naked and devour you alive. If this keeps up, I can't save you. There are too many big bad wolves here."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Guan Shiyin rolled her eyes at him but immediately used it as an excuse to bid farewell to the men. Pulling Chen Fei away, she escaped to the outdoor garden balcony. Pouting, she complained, "You knew I was suffering over there, so where were you? Seriously, I didn't invite you here to have fun tonight."

Guan Shiyin smiled wryly to herself. She was now truly convinced that Chen Fei was unfamiliar with high-society circles and the banquets they held. Otherwise, he wouldn't have laid eyes on the sumptuous, aromatic spread of food and immediately abandoned her, his date, to go gorge himself. What kind of behavior was that?

Besides, at high-class banquets like this, the delicacies on the tables were mostly for show. One was supposed to taste them lightly at most. Who actually ate until they were full, like it was a regular meal! Guan Shiyin felt a wave of frustration. I'm suffering so much, and I can't even complain!

"Uh, that was an accident, a complete accident... I just got a little carried away," Chen Fei said with an awkward smile.

"You... aish, never mind. I guess I'll have to rely on myself. Later, just take your glass and walk around with me to mingle and toast people. Everyone qualified to be at this banquet is an elite from some industry in Northern Mountain City. A cut above the rest. Getting to know people like that won't do you any harm," Guan Shiyin said helplessly.

Holding a glass and walking around toasting people?

Although Chen Fei felt a million kinds of reluctant, he hesitated and held back his refusal. Most people in her position would have brought a partner for connections, not a liability. Not only had he been no help, but he had also managed to offend the TV station's top host and the son of the Health Bureau's director. Despite all that, Guan Shiyin hadn't said a single harsh word. Instead, she was still trying to help him network.

A sense of warmth filled Chen Fei's heart, and a smile touched his lips.

"Doctor Chen, you're here too!" Just then, a surprised voice tinged with awe called out.

"You are... oh, Dr. Liu, hello." Chen Fei turned and saw that the speaker was Liu Zhichuang from the cardiovascular department of the Municipal Central Hospital, whom he had met a couple of times. Dressed in a formal suit and standing tall with his chest out, he had the distinct air of a successful middle-aged man.

Of course, Liu had every reason to be proud. He had recently been promoted to a department director at the hospital. To the outside world, this was an impressive position, and many people from various industries were eager to establish a connection with him.

After all, a hospital is a special place. No one wants to offend a doctor, because who can guarantee they'll never get sick or need to be hospitalized? When that happens, and someone falls ill, the influence a department director from a top-tier hospital can wield is brought to the forefront. This was why so many people wanted to get to know him.

But now, this very same highly-regarded Dr. Liu Zhichuang was speaking to a young stranger with such deference. It was quite a shock to the other guests. Could this young man be some important figure? His face, however, was completely unfamiliar.

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