"Fei Shuang, looks like you're about to soar to great heights and become tomorrow's star, huh? Hehe, Boss Liu personally gave you his business card. How does that feel? This friend of yours still has some pull, right?" Elsewhere, Chen Fei and his group were gathered together as Slickhead spoke up again with a sly grin.

"Thank you, Chen Fei… no, thank you, Brother Fei," Gu Feishuang said, her voice trembling as she hugged Chen Fei's arm excitedly.

Even now, she had barely caught her breath. Who was Liu Cheng? He was the undisputed boss of Huashu Media, whose word was law. And now, he had actually given her his personal business card. How could she, a third-tier actress at Huashu Media, not be thrilled?

"Hehe, there's nothing to thank me for. You consider me a friend, so of course, I see you as one too," Chen Fei said with a smile.

Just now, when faced with threats from two sons of government officials and other rich young masters, Gu Feishuang had still chosen not to abandon him. While Xiaao Ming's presence was certainly a factor, her loyalty still touched him deeply.

"Hehe, I haven't seen you in a few days, and your way with words has already improved. Not bad, not bad. However, I have some bad news for you. The date I arranged for you, Shi Yin, has a last-minute issue and can't make it. So, it looks like you'll have to brace yourself for being a bachelor tonight, haha," Slickhead joked, chuckling as he spoke.

"If she can't make it, she can't make it. I don't know her anyway," Chen Fei replied nonchalantly.

"How about this, then? Let Fei Shuang be Young Master Chen's date tonight. I have some things to handle at the auction upstairs anyway. Fei Shuang, Young Master Chen is all yours for the evening," Xiaao Ming suddenly suggested with a laugh. He then raised his glass for a toast with everyone before excusing himself and heading upstairs.

Everyone knew that "things to handle at the auction" was just a pretext. For him to offer up his own date was a genuine gesture of goodwill within their circle of rich young masters, who highly valued face. The gesture was so sincere that even Chen Fei himself was quite surprised.

"Brother Fei," Gu Feishuang said, not hesitating to take hold of Chen Fei's arm.

But before she could finish, Wang Kai, the president of Jiangnan Province's largest jewelry chain, Jin Zun Jewelry, and the father of Wang Lehui, hurried over.

He approached Chen Fei respectfully. "Mr. Chen, I'm so sorry. My failure to properly discipline my son has caused you embarrassment. I've already sent that brat Lehui packing back to our hometown. From now on, he has nothing to do with Jin Zun Jewelry. Are you satisfied with how I've handled this?"

Wang Kai was the president of the largest jewelry chain in Jiangnan Province, with a fortune of at least seven or eight hundred million. Yet here he was, bowing to a young man like Chen Fei. Because of his son's transgression, he had even cast aside the successor he had been grooming, sending him back to his hometown and severing all ties with Jin Zun Jewelry. The sight was truly shocking.

Seeing how much respect the other party was showing him, Chen Fei certainly wasn't going to put on airs. "President Wang, you're too polite," he said amicably. "I just got the impression that Young Master Wang didn't take a liking to me. Since you've handled it this way, I naturally have no objections. Thank you."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Chen. This is my personal business card, please accept it."

Seeing that Chen Fei had no intention of pressing the matter, Wang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief. He handed his card to Chen Fei and then took his leave.

After Wang Kai, the president of Jin Zun Jewelry, left, the area where Chen Fei stood fell into a stunned silence.

None of them, whether it was Ye Zilin or Slickhead, had expected Chen Fei to have such formidable influence. Even the head of the mighty Jin Zun Jewelry had to personally come and apologize for his son's mistakes. This caused Chen Fei's status in their eyes to skyrocket once again.

Of course, the one most affected was Gu Feishuang. She was deeply grateful that she had made the right choice and not sided with power like the materialistic Zhang Wan. Otherwise, it would now be too late for regrets, let alone tears.

She was indeed fortunate, but Zhang Wan was incredibly unfortunate. When Wang Kai had furiously sent Wang Lehui away, Zheng Zeyu had cleverly made an excuse to leave, abandoning her without a second thought.

Just a moment ago, as she stood there frozen with fear, Liu Cheng had passed by and shot her a chilling glance. The look made her legs tremble uncontrollably, and her face turned as pale as rice paper.

If there weren't so many people around, she would have thrown herself to the ground, hugged Chen Fei's legs, and begged for his forgiveness.

She knew all too well that without Huashu Media, she, Zhang Wan, was nothing. If Chen Fei was displeased with her, she wouldn't even have time to cry.

"Mr... Young Master Chen... Brother Fei... I'm sorry. I was arrogant and looked down on you, I truly..." With trembling legs, she finally walked up to Chen Fei, her beautiful eyes welling with tears as she pleaded with him.

At that moment, she looked utterly pitiful, a far cry from her previous arrogant and cold demeanor.

"Enough. I'm hardly worthy of the attention of a big star like you. Please don't appear in front of me again," Chen Fei interrupted her coolly, showing no interest in speaking with her further.

"But Brother Fei, I truly..." Zhang Wan persisted, unwilling to give up, her eyes brimming with tears as she whimpered.

"Are you asking me to have Boss Liu blacklist you?" Chen Fei's voice suddenly turned cold. Of course, most of it was an act; he genuinely couldn't be bothered to talk to this repulsive woman.

Hearing Chen Fei's voice, as sharp and cold as a knife, Zhang Wan shuddered violently. She lost all courage to stay and plead, and she left with a mournful expression.

"That's my brother, Da Fei! Quite the imposing act just now." Gu Feishuang, who was holding Chen Fei's arm, and Ye Zilin were both startled by his sudden cold tone, but Slickhead, who understood him well, simply teased him with a mischievous grin.

"Of course! Who do you think I am? My performance wasn't too shabby, was it? A trivial matter," Chen Fei boasted proudly, holding his head high.

"Oh, Brother Fei, you scared me to death. I thought you were really angry," Gu Feishuang said, her pretty face flushing red. Seeing him revert to his usual playful demeanor, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on his arm.

"Alright, you two, stop with the public displays of affection. Have some consideration for Zilin and me. Let's go. We should head upstairs and check things out. The auction and the stone gambling event should be ready by now."

Slickhead chuckled, teasing the pair before leading the group of four upstairs.

On the fourth floor of the Shawan Club was a huge, spacious room. Displayed throughout were raw stones of various shapes and sizes. A number of successful, elderly gentlemen were already wandering among the stones, while staff members stood at a distance.

"These are raw stones the Xiaao Family shipped in from outside the province. Nearly every one has been professionally appraised, has good characteristics, and is likely to contain valuable material," Slickhead explained, growing excited as they reached the viewing area. "The prices are clearly marked on them. If you're interested, just signal the staff. Of course, if you and someone else want the same stone at the same time, you'll have to bid for it."

Clearly, his main purpose for coming to the Shawan Club tonight was to snag some good 'merchandise' for his family's jewelry store. To that end, his father had even dispatched their store's chief gem appraiser, afraid that his son's inexperience would lead to a bad purchase.

"Uncle Zhou."

After explaining the setup, Slickhead warmly greeted a white-haired elderly gentleman in a Tang suit standing nearby.

The old man was none other than Jinnan Jewelry's chief appraiser, Zhou Zhengxiong.

His expertise wasn't in stone gambling but in appraising the value of finished jewels. He was mainly here for the excitement and to help Slickhead out, ensuring he didn't pay a high price for something worthless.

In fact, their true purpose wasn't to gamble on stones themselves, but to wait for someone else to cut open a high-quality piece and then buy it from them. They weren't the only ones with this strategy; many other representatives from the jewelry industry were there with the same idea.

After all, they were businessmen, not professional gamblers. Their first principle was to minimize risk. Otherwise, the venture was far too dangerous to be worthwhile.

"Young Master, you're here! Come, come, look at this stone," Grandmaster Zhou Zhengxiong exclaimed, beckoning them over excitedly as soon as he heard Hua Zhinan's call. "Its skin is as black as lacquer with a pronounced white fibrous band. There are pine-flower patterns on the band and mossy spots on the skin. The skin, mist, and decay colors are all distinct. It's very likely to yield some excellent material!"

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