Chapter 28: Friends
Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Friends
Since it was a late-night snack, there were only a few exquisite dishes—pan-fried yellow croaker, shrimp dumplings stuffed in lotus root, and fish maw in a rich golden broth... mostly just bites to pair with their drinks.
"Speaking of Sister Mei, I heard she used to be a private butler. Then something happened, and she quit the industry."
Although Hua Wenbin verbally complained about Sister Mei being too old, his topics of conversation still frequently revolved around her.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you guys always fixating on Sister Mei? Are you trying to snatch her from me?"
"Who’d dare compete with you, Eldest Young Master Huo? After all, for Sister Mei’s sake, you even went as far as—"
"Ahem!"
Huo Shaoqi coughed a few times as a warning. Only then did Hua Wenbin realize that Zhang Yan, whom they weren’t too familiar with yet, was also present today.
"Never mind, let’s drop it!"
Though Zhang Yan was equally curious about the topic of Sister Mei, it was their first time meeting. They really weren’t close enough for him to pry.
"Hey, Brother Cheng. You went to Brother Qi’s ’Five Thousand Years of Chinese Civilization’ today, right? Didn’t he say he trained a girl especially for you? How was she? If she gets your stamp of approval, I’ll have to ask Brother Qi for one later too," said Ren Junfei, sporting a pompadour.
Compared to a woman with mature charm like Sister Mei, he was clearly more interested in the younger girls from entertainment venues.
Zhang Yan had already learned that Ren Junfei was the same age as him and had also just graduated this year. However, unlike Zhang Yan, who was an honors student from Provincial University, Ren Junfei had spent some money to sneak into Meng City University. He was just there to grab a random degree and experience college life.
"Junfei, you’ll have to ask Zhang Yan about that. Eldest Young Master Si handed the gift I gave him straight over to Zhang Yan."
"Oh? Now that’s bizarre! Looks like you and Eldest Young Master Si have a pretty solid relationship, Zhang Yan. Eldest Young Master Si is notoriously territorial."
"Brother Cheng and I are thick as thieves!" Zhang Yan chimed in.
"Stop right there! I have no interest in men. Get as far away from me as possible!" Si Mingcheng shifted his butt in feigned disgust, moving a little further away from Zhang Yan, but his tone was clearly joking.
The others gained a clearer understanding of the relationship between the two. It all came down to that one phrase: "Eldest Young Master Si’s friend is our friend!"
After a few more jokes, Ren Junfei, still fixated on his previous question, continued to ask Zhang Yan about his experience.
Zhang Yan briefly described the process and concluded, "The girl who served me today is named Yiyi. She has a beautiful face, a sweet voice, and a great figure. Her technique is very professional—and by that, I mean her dancing. You can tell that Eldest Young Master Huo really invested a lot of capital into training her."
Since the experience was genuinely good, Zhang Yan wasn’t stingy with his praise, taking the opportunity to boost Huo Shaoqi’s reputation.
"That good, huh? You’re making me want to try it out myself. Brother Qi, when can I book Yiyi?"
"He’s Eldest Young Master Si’s junior, so they’re cut from the same cloth. Don’t even think about it. Yiyi has already been booked exclusively for the month."
"A month is just a month. I’ll just book her next month then."
"Next month? You won’t even have a chance next year!"
"What do you mean, Brother Qi? Did Yiyi just quit?"
"No, not quite. Zhang Yan is just having fun and doesn’t intend to take Yiyi away. It’s just that his exclusive booking period is quite long."
"How long could it be? From the sound of it, did he book her for a year? Splurging over a hundred thousand—you must have made a killing, Brother Qi."
"Over a hundred thousand? You’re underestimating Zhang Yan. He casually booked her exclusively for forty-five months, right up until Yiyi’s contract expires.
"So, even though Yiyi is still my employee, in a sense, she doesn’t have to listen to her boss’s orders anymore."
Huo Shaoqi feigned helplessness and smiled at the two. Ren Junfei and Hua Wenbin, however, received the message he was trying to convey. To simply clarify the matter, there was no need for such elaborate build-up and step-by-step guidance before finally dropping the bombshell that Zhang Yan had casually thrown down 450,000 yuan.
Huo Shaoqi was helping build Zhang Yan’s prestige, giving him a boost in status.
"Excuse my disrespect. Looks like I’ll have to call you Young Master Yan from now on. Young Master Yan is a true baller!"
Zhang Yan offered an appropriate display of modesty. "We come out to play just to be happy. Besides, the money is going into my brothers’ pockets anyway, so I don’t feel bad about it."
"Young Master Yan makes a fair point! If you have any spare cash, you should come check out a few of my family’s auctions when you’re free. Antique collections, luxury cars, real estate—we have it all." Hearing that Zhang Yan was someone who spent money like water, Hua Wenbin was the first to promote his own family’s business.
"I’ll definitely check it out when I have time." However, Zhang Yan didn’t have much interest in auction houses. It wasn’t like this was an auction house in a fantasy world—what good items could he possibly bid on?
"Young Master Yan, my family’s businesses are quite mixed; there isn’t much suitable for us to play with," Ren Junfei said.
"But if you’re interested in D-list celebrities or minor internet influencers, I can play matchmaker and set you up with a couple to spend time with.
"Or if you want to experience filming a web drama or something, my company has a ready-made team. It’s a pretty good form of entertainment."
"Definitely when I have time, definitely," Zhang Yan replied. His perfunctoriness toward Ren Junfei’s words was even more obvious.
If it were popular A-listers, that would be fine, as they had the bonus of a fame halo. But what was the point of D-list actors and minor influencers? In terms of looks, they might not even be better than Chi Xinyue, let alone Xia Xiqing. He would rather spend his time strategizing how to win over those girls instead.
Since it was just a meet-and-greet to get acquainted, they didn’t stay out too late. When the time felt right, Si Mingcheng suggested they call it a night.
When it was time to head back, Si Mingcheng declined Huo Shaoqi’s offer to see him off, as his family’s car was already waiting on standby outside to pick him up. The car that came for Si Mingcheng was a black Maybach S680. Although Zhang Yan didn’t know the exact price, he knew it definitely wouldn’t cost less than a few million yuan.
On the way back, Si Mingcheng suddenly spoke up. "Those three are friends I usually hang out with, though it’s not exactly a rock-solid little clique.
"In a while, there’ll be a larger-scale banquet. Basically, all the second-generation heirs of any significance in Meng City will be there. I’ll take you to see the world then.
"With a few acquaintances there, you won’t feel too isolated."
Zhang Yan gave a thoughtful hum of agreement.
Brother Gan was truly treating him well. He had really put a lot of thought into bringing him into this so-called second-generation circle. He believed that part of this was definitely influenced by their friendship, but there had to be another reason: Brother Gan needed him.
If it was purely about friendship, according to Brother Tongzi’s hints, the "future" thirty-eight-year-old Zhang Yan wasn’t doing very well for himself at all. With the influence Brother Gan was demonstrating now, he wouldn’t even need to actively give his brother a hand; just casually leaking a few resources or opportunities would be enough to let an ordinary person live an exceptionally comfortable life.
Therefore, in Brother Gan’s eyes, either someone had to be a valuable friend to be called a friend at all...
...or Brother Gan lost this influence at some point in the future.
And judging by how eagerly Brother Gan was bringing him into "that circle" the moment Zhang Yan showed sufficient strength...
The answer was very likely the latter.