The moment Wen Zhi and Lian Qiao stepped into the banquet hall, both of them unconsciously stopped in their tracks.
Why were there so many people at a so-called upper-class banquet?
Were there really this many rich people in Jiang City?
Wen Zhi couldn't help but wonder—when would she finally strike it rich, just so she could experience the joy of spending money without blinking?
Lian Qiao was equally stunned. She leaned close to Wen Zhi's ear and whispered nervously,
"Zhi… there are so many people."
Wen Zhi nodded calmly.
"Let's focus on the important thing first. Didn't Uncle ask you to deliver the contract to President Qin? Call him and see where he is."
Lian Qiao immediately nodded and pulled out her phone.
Not long after, she hung up and said,
"He said he's busy right now and asked me to wait half an hour."
Wen Zhi glanced around. Quite a few men were openly scanning her with not-so-subtle, colored gazes.
Irritated, she casually pointed toward a quiet corner.
"Let's sit over there for a bit. It's too crowded here."
Lian Qiao agreed. She still had a surprise prepared for Wen Zhi anyway—definitely not something to do in public.
She took Wen Zhi's hand and pulled her toward the far corner.
Once seated, Lian Qiao secretly sent a message on her phone. Then she put it away, accepted two glasses of champagne from a waiter, and handed one to Wen Zhi.
Wen Zhi stopped her.
"You're driving. Don't drink."
"Oh, it's fine," Lian Qiao waved it off. "I can call a driver later. Just one glass—consider it a welcome-back drink."
Wen Zhi didn't refuse.
A little wine now and then was fine.
They clinked glasses.
Just as Wen Zhi took her first sip, she overheard a group of women at the neighboring table chatting idly.
One of them said,
"My husband's seen the president of Mingguang Group before. Just from afar, but wow—his presence was insane. He's only in his twenties and already built a business empire with his own hands. Basically a legend."
Another woman chimed in,
"My brother said that man is terrifyingly cold. Just standing next to him feels like being frozen into an ice sculpture."
A third asked, surprised,
"Your brother met him in person?"
The second woman nodded proudly.
"Once, at an auction. He spent thirty million just to buy a piano."
"Thirty million?" the first gasped. "What kind of piano costs that much? Is it gold-plated?"
"No," the second replied casually. "It was the favorite piano of the late master pianist, Braun."
The third sighed.
"So… an old piano. That's still absurdly extravagant. If you could marry a man like that, wouldn't it be like marrying a mountain of gold?"
The second woman snorted.
"Who wouldn't want to marry him? I want to, too!"
Their gossip buzzed with excitement—
But Wen Zhi's fingers tightened slightly around her glass.
There had once been someone who loved Master Braun's music just as deeply…
"Darling."
Lian Qiao's voice snapped her back to the present.
Wen Zhi looked at her. "Mm?"
Lian Qiao leaned closer, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Have you heard anything about Mingguang Group's president before?"
Wen Zhi shook her head, about to say she wasn't interested—but Lian Qiao kept going.
"My dad says that mysterious president really is young and incredibly capable, but his personality is extremely twisted. Kinda unhinged. He even hits people."
She lowered her voice.
"He rarely interferes with branch companies, but once he personally names someone he wants to see, that person is basically doomed…"
Wen Zhi chuckled softly.
"Sounds exaggerated. Someone who can run a company that big can't be that strange."
Lian Qiao waved her hand dramatically.
"Don't be naïve. How many people in true elite families aren't weird? My dad said lots of people tried to please him by sending women his way—every single one of them got dealt with."
She hesitated, then added meaningfully,
"So people suspect he might be… you know…"
Wen Zhi instantly understood.
"Gay?"
Lian Qiao nodded vigorously, dead serious.
"He doesn't keep any women around him. Everyone managing his company is male. There are rumors that many branch executives are actually his bed partners."
She glanced toward the gossiping women nearby.
"So yeah, those ladies' dreams of marrying him? Totally impossible."
Wen Zhi: "..."
Why did she suddenly think of Hao Xuguang—the executive Jiang Hang had fired not long ago?
But… if he could even sleep with that kind of person, how indiscriminate did he have to be?
Just imagining it made her shiver in disgust.
Seeing her reaction, Lian Qiao giggled.
"What's with that face? You never used to hate gay people."
"I still don't," Wen Zhi replied calmly. "Love has nothing to do with gender. If it's genuine, it's fine. But being promiscuous? That's disgusting."
She paused, then added thoughtfully,
"Besides, all of this is hearsay. What if he's just lazy about socializing?"
Just like her.
At work, because she avoided socializing, rumors about her had multiplied into countless versions—
That she was being kept, that she had an illegitimate child, that she cheated while married, juggling multiple men at once…
"I think even what we see with our own eyes isn't always true," Wen Zhi said lightly. "So what we hear is even less reliable."
Lian Qiao laughed.
"Fair enough. My dad heard it from partners too—who knows if it's true? I just wanted to gossip with you."
As she spoke, the previously calm crowd suddenly stirred.
People began moving—all looking toward the VIP entrance.
Lian Qiao's attention was immediately caught. She craned her neck, curious.
"What's going on?"
But the sea of people blocked her view.
Wen Zhi, uninterested, took another small sip of champagne.
At the neighboring table, one of the women answered a phone call. Her face lit up as she turned to her friends.
"It's President Mo! He's here! My brother's right at the front—I'm going to see if I can get a look at him too!"
Lian Qiao's eyes lit up instantly.
"Darling!" she grabbed Wen Zhi's hand excitedly.
"The mysterious president is here! Come on, come on—we have to see what he looks like!"
Wen Zhi had zero interest. Just looking at the dense crowd made her head hurt.
She waved her hand lazily.
"It's just people—what's there to see? Don't go squeezing in—"
Before she could finish, Lian Qiao was already on her feet, dragging Wen Zhi along.
Wen Zhi laughed helplessly.
She was only here to give her friend courage.
She truly didn't care what the mysterious president looked like.
And yet—
As Lian Qiao pulled her forward, Wen Zhi's gaze still drifted unconsciously toward the surging crowd ahead…