9 PM.
A convoy of supercars headed towards TAXX.
Leading the way was Li Zhun's Ferrari 488.
Then there was Zhu Jialin's Porsche Carrera GT and Zhao Weiwei's Ferrari 812.
The flashiest of all was Tian Shu's McLaren P1.
As a newbie on the road, Gu Bai leisurely drove a Lamborghini and followed slowly behind them.
Envious glances were cast all over the street, and people kept taking out their phones for photos and videos.
Can't blame them for being so amazed; together, these five cars were worth over 40 million, close to half a "small goal."
Approaching the entrance of TAXX, people were already there to greet them.
"Good evening, boss."
"Good evening, Young Master Li."
"Good evening, Young Master Zhao."
"Good evening, Young Master Zhu."
A man in a business suit nodded and greeted them.
"This is Gu Bai, my friend. Get familiar with him, and make sure to arrange things properly for him when he comes to have fun."
As a shareholder of TAXX, this was Tian Shu's territory, so he stepped forward to instruct.
Hearing this, the man in the suit respectfully greeted again, "Good evening, Young Master Gu."
All this "Young Master" here and there made Gu Bai pretty uncomfortable at heart.
"Alright, hand the car keys to Xiaoqiu, let him arrange for parking, and let's head in; everything is already arranged."
Tian Shu turned back and said to Gu Bai and the others.
Li Zhun seemed to notice Gu Bai, and he casually put his arm around Gu Bai's shoulder: "Looks like you're not too used to being called Young Master Gu, huh?"
Gu Bai didn't hide it and nodded honestly.
"Seems like your family really keeps you on a tight leash, don't play in these kinds of places much, huh?"
Actually, Gu Bai had been to nightclubs a couple of times, but never with such grandeur as today.
"Don't mind it, in this kind of place the staff calls everyone like that, a bit older, and you're a 'President,' younger and you're a 'Young Master,' just don't take it to heart. Actually, here in Shanghai, it's not so bad, but if you go to Kyoto and they start calling you 'Master Gu,' you'd have an even harder time dealing with it."
After saying this, they headed inside TAXX, led by Tian Shu, with a few security guards following slowly at the back. After all, in a nightclub, you never know when some senseless person might show up.
As they were walking, a young man who seemed to know Li Zhun came up and greeted him.
"Brother Zhun, out to have fun tonight?"
Li Zhun glanced at him and gave a light "Mm" as a response.
"Well, enjoy yourself then. I recognized you and just wanted to come and say hi; didn't expect it to really be you."
Li Zhun nodded and didn't pay him any more attention.
Then he turned to Gu Bai and smiled, showing a stark contrast in his attitude towards Gu Bai compared to the guy who greeted him just now.
"Gu Bai, you haven't been in Shanghai long, probably don't have much of a social circle. From the bottom of my heart, I think of you as a friend, and if you need, I'll surely try my best to recommend a few friends worth getting to know deeply."
"As for that guy who greeted me just now, he's at best a fourth-rate character; knowing him won't do you any good, so I won't introduce you to him."
Gu Bai glanced at Li Zhun and replied with a smile, "So what do you think of me?"
Li Zhun rolled his eyes.
"You just got let out by your family, probably don't know much about our second-generation circle, and there are some unwritten rules you're probably unaware of."
"?"
Gu Bai looked at Li Zhun in confusion.
With his arm around Gu Bai's shoulder, Li Zhun walked along, explaining the so-called unwritten rules in the second-generation circle.
"Each place has its own rules, but they're pretty much similar, I'll just tell you about our Shanghai circle. First and foremost, the circle is made up of people, and there's definitely a hierarchy.
The son of the richest man is also a second-generation rich, the son of a pig farm owner is also a second-generation rich, which one do you think holds a higher status?
It's basically that simple, just categorized a bit more clearly.
So why did I say that guy earlier was a fourth-rate character?
This guy, I can only say I'm vaguely familiar with him, can't even remember his name. His family does some small business in Shanghai, has a bit of spare money to play around, but he's considered fourth-rate within the circle.
As for the next level up, those are families that can at least say a few words in the one acre three points of Shanghai.
Not to brag, but folks like me, Old Zhu, Old Zhao, and Tian Shu, we can at least be considered second-rate on Shanghai turf."
Hearing Li Zhun's earthy description, Gu Bai rolled his eyes but still couldn't help asking: "Then what's first-rate?"
"First-rate?
Have you heard of the Shanghai Emperor Qin Fen?"
Gu Bai nodded.
"Actually, the nickname Shanghai Emperor is a bit over the top, but to say he's first-rate in Shanghai's second-generation is definitely true. If you talk about the difference between his family and ours, well, there's a difference, but not really that big.
It's just that he's got his own industry. He doesn't need to rely on his family anymore and is already mixing it up with our parents, having a great time, how do you compare to that?"
"Stop puffing yourself up, go say that to Qin Fen's face when he gets back from Shanghai, Gu Bai don't listen to his nonsense, the logic is right, but it's not that finely divided. You just have to weigh who to make friends with and who's worth it yourself."
Zhu Jialin had heard enough and stepped forward directly.
At this, Li Zhun was not happy.
"Don't undermine me, I'm introducing Gu Bai to our Shanghai circle's rules."
"If you keep introducing, you'll lead him straight into the gutter."
Hearing the new term from Li Zhun's mouth, Gu Bai asked, "Shanghai Circle?"
This time, Li Zhun didn't speak, and Zhu Jialin explained, "Shanghai Circle is just what outsiders call our Shanghai circle, a circle formed by Shanghai businessmen could be called Shanghai Circle, and us younger generations forming a circle can also be called Shanghai Circle, it's just a designation.
Kyoto has the Beijing Circle, your Anhui Province also has the Anhui Circle, after all, humans are social animals, it's normal to divide into close and distant relations.
Just like you, Gu Bai, you get along well with a few of us. Outsiders automatically label you as part of the Shanghai Circle, but it doesn't interfere with normal socializing, and no one really takes it seriously.
"Alright, alright, let's stop chatting. The people I called have arrived, let's go have a seat."
Zhao Weiwei walked over and interrupted the conversation.
Led by Tian Shu, the group arrived at a massive booth.
The booth was extraordinarily cheerful, with several rows of sofas closely connected, while huge transparent drinking tables were placed in the middle.
"Every year, the dividends from this place aren't much. But as shareholders, the privilege of this identity ensures we have a good time. This booth is generally not open to outsiders, even when business is booming."
Tian Shu invited everyone to sit down.
After a while, a middle-aged man accompanied by a group of hot and sexy women walked over to the booth, and said to Zhao Weiwei, "President Zhao, the people you asked for are here."
Zhao Weiwei crossed his legs and waved at him, then addressed the ladies, "There's not much to say, your director should have already explained why you're here. If you want to stay, stay. If not, you can return to the company with your director."
Six or seven models from Zhao Weiwei's company glanced at each other, none of them leaving.
Seeing this, Zhao Weiwei nodded and sat next to Gu Bai with a smile: "Tonight, Old Li and Old Zhu are benefiting from your presence. You pick first, choose the one you fancy."
Gu Bai wasn't one to hold back. He casually scanned the group and, seeing that they were about the same, randomly picked one.
Having seen Gu Bai make his choice, Zhao Weiwei softly smiled at the girl: "Your name is Luo Yaqian, right?"
The girl named Luo Yaqian quickly nodded in acknowledgment. She hadn't met him often, but knew the man in front was her company's big boss.
"Tonight, enjoy yourself with President Gu. Later, I'll have Director Xu upgrade your contract."
Luo Yaqian's eyes lit up, rushing to express her gratitude: "Thank you, President Zhao."
Zhao Weiwei patted Gu Bai's shoulder and laughed playfully: "Have fun."
With that, he went off to pursue more of his beauty-seeking ventures.
Gu Bai glanced at this girl named Luo Yaqian.
"Name: Luo Yaqian
Appeal: 87
Health: 82
Favor: 40"
An appeal rating of 87 is quite high. After all, where do you find many goddess-level girls with over 90? Just random fun, even if you go a bit deeper, it's just mingling for friendship. No need for high standards.
Luo Yaqian familiarized herself and sat next to Gu Bai, wrapping his arm.
"Good evening, President Gu."
Her voice was soft and melodious, reminiscent of the ancient Wu dialect.
Gu Bai reciprocated with a smile.
Li Zhun and the others completed their selection as well, while the two who weren't picked sat aside warming themselves.
The vibe in TAXX was gradually reaching its peak.
Suddenly, electronic fireworks surrounded the place as many waiters carried boxes of wine towards Gu Bai and the others' booth.
The DJ host on stage exclaimed with a sexy voice: "Thank you to the VIPs at Booth 000 for being here at TAXX. Let's welcome them with the most enthusiastic atmosphere! Scream!"
With those words, the central stage screen began showcasing scenes from the booth.
At some point, Li Zhun slid next to Gu Bai and shouted in his ear: "Well? Exciting enough? Luxurious enough? We didn't used to play this extravagant."
"If I didn't know you well enough, I'd suspect you came from an instant-wealthy background mining province."
"Hahaha."
Amid their lively fun, a short man guided by a waiter entered the booth.
"Isn't this Zheng Kai from the Running Man group? I heard he's one of the owners of TAXX."
Luo Yaqian whispered in Gu Bai's ear while holding his arm.
Gu Bai knew who Zheng Kai was. He was even somewhat of a senior colleague to Gu Bai.
"Upon arriving, I heard President Tian came over and thought it'd be inappropriate not to toast."
Zheng Kai laughed as he spoke to Tian Shu.
"Just casually hanging out with a few friends."
"Alright, I won't disturb you then, just a toast and I'll leave."
With that, he poured some wine into an empty glass.
Tian Shu stopped Zheng Kai and joked, "Tonight's main attraction isn't us, it's him. Just toast him."
He pointed at Gu Bai sitting aside.
To Tian Shu and the others, Gu Bai was the newcomer to pamper a bit.
Zheng Kai hesitated for a moment, then smiled and approached Gu Bai.
"How should I address you?"
"Just call me Gu Bai."
"Then I'll start with a toast to President Gu."
At this moment, Zheng Kai showed none of the entertainment industry's senior demeanor, more like a businessman.
Gu Bai picked up his glass too: "Just call me Gu Bai. You're my senior, you know."
"President Gu is a Shanghai Theatre Academy graduate too?"
"Still studying."
"Then one glass isn't enough. As a junior, you should be toasted three times."
Having navigated the entertainment world, Zheng Kai was adept at climbing social ladders.
Being aware of Tian Shu and the others' identities, he came promptly to toast. Even if Gu Bai seemed new, being treated equally among them meant his status was definitely not low. It's beneficial to connect with him.
After downing three glasses, Zheng Kai wiped his mouth and said to Gu Bai and the others: "You guys keep having fun, I have to head back on stage soon, some preparations to do."
With those words, he left as the others gestured him off.