Xia Li was stunned for two seconds before reacting. He reached out and grabbed Xia Xunqian by the collar.
The veins on the back of Xia Li’s hand bulged, green and tense, his blood surging.
“Xia Xunqian! Who gave you the guts!”
Xia Li’s voice was a little loud, and the nearby guests immediately looked over.
Although Xia Li was reckless, he knew when to consider the bigger picture and calm down.
Seeing this, he quickly let go of Xia Xunqian.
Xia Li curled his lips cruelly and warned sharply,
“Once you step out of here, see how I deal with you!”
Xia Xunqian didn’t even give him a glance.
“Trash.”
That cold reply only made Xia Li even angrier.
“Just you wait!”
Xia Xunqian ignored him. He turned sideways, walked past Xia Li, and went straight to a corner on the first floor to get some air.
Xia Li didn’t go looking for trouble again. He came today to see Feng Lin, and causing trouble would be bad.
After this incident, Xia Xunqian lost his appetite.
He stood behind the railing, his mind blank. At this profit-driven banquet, there were no small fights—everyone was calculating something.
The cold wind brushed past, lightly lifting the young man’s hair. It drifted around the black mole on the bridge of his nose, giving him an inexplicable charm.
Suddenly, a cup of hot water was handed to him. Xia Xunqian looked up and saw a gentle-looking man—refined, wearing glasses. His eyes were sharp and intelligent, clearly someone well-educated.
“Are you Mr. Feng’s partner?” the man asked softly, his manner polite and respectful.
Xia Xunqian did not take the water. The man kindly gestured again.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I just saw you arrive together, so I took the liberty of guessing.”
Everyone knew that Third Master Feng had no one by his side. In this situation, anyone could guess a little.
Xia Xunqian studied the man briefly and saw him take out a gold-embossed business card from his pocket.
“This is my card. I hope to have the chance to work with Mr. Feng.”
Since it was pressed into his hand, Xia Xunqian accepted it instinctively.
The card had the man’s name on it.
Zhou Jingshu.
He Zhen, a subsidiary company of a business group in Chongqing.
In the capital, without an introduction, it was indeed hard to meet Feng Lin.
Xia Xunqian’s gaze was calm.
“I may not be able to help you.”
“That’s alright.” Zhou Jingshu smiled warmly. “It’s already very good that you accepted my card.”
Very few people showed Xia Xunqian such genuine respect. He let out a bitter laugh.
Xia Xunqian didn’t reply to Zhou Jingshu anymore.
Soon, more and more people came to hand him their business cards. Their flattering expressions made Xia Xunqian uncomfortable.
After he sent them all away, only Zhou Jingshu remained.
After some time, a group of women arrived at the entrance of the banquet.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xia Xunqian saw the staff leading several well-shaped women upstairs.
Each of them wore tight dresses that showed off their figures. Their curves were enough to make any man unable to look away.
With light smiles and subtle glances, their charm came naturally.
One woman, wearing a modern-style cheongsam, even met Xia Xunqian’s eyes as she went upstairs.
Her burning gaze made him uncomfortable.
“They are…” Xia Xunqian asked out of curiosity.
“They were brought by the VIPs upstairs,” Zhou Jingshu replied, looking toward the second floor.
“It seems the business discussions are mostly done, so they’re here for some entertainment.”
Entertainment…
What kind of entertainment?
The pleasures of the rich were beyond ordinary people’s imagination. Xia Xunqian lowered his long lashes, his thoughts elsewhere.
The young man pressed his pale lips into a thin line, his eyes fixed on the stairway.
“Aren’t you going up?” Zhou Jingshu suddenly asked.
Xia Xunqian’s eyes darkened.
“Sir told me to wait for him here.”
Xia Xunqian knew he had no bargaining power with Feng Lin. Angering Feng Lin was too risky for him.
“You came with Mr. Feng. Logically speaking, you can go up now,” Zhou Jingshu said gently, seeing through his thoughts.
Xia Xunqian glanced at him.
Zhou Jingshu was different from the others. He didn’t see him as something lowly. That kind of sincere respect was unlike anyone else’s.
“Thank you,” Xia Xunqian said suddenly.
He wasn’t even sure what he was thanking him for.
Xia Xunqian stood on the first-floor corridor for a long time. In the end, he still walked upstairs.
Step by step, he went up, his fingers clenched tightly.
For someone like Feng Lin, any kind of indulgence was normal. Even if there were people kneeling at his feet, there would still be plenty lining up to get close to him.
But Xia Xunqian only had this life, rotten and sunk into the mud.
As he got closer upstairs, the decadent noise hit his ears.
It reminded him again that he had nothing. Even this face—Feng Lin didn’t like it.
When Xia Xunqian reached the second floor, a heavy door blocked his way.
He raised his hand and touched the door.
The cold surface burned.
To him, this door was a natural divide—impossible to cross, impossible to approach, a place he should never have encountered in his lifetime.
Yet now, he stood here.
Xia Xunqian pushed it open with all his strength.