Chapter 103: Cocktail Party
Kaiyuan Road is located in the city center and is one of the busiest sections in Bright Pearl City.
The road is flanked by dozens of towering high-rises, among which one building is particularly conspicuous, standing 31 stories tall with a lightning rod of more than ten meters on its roof, glinting blindingly under the sunlight.
There is a plague hung on the facade of the building, inscribed with the gilded characters "Su Group".
Indeed, this building serves as the headquarters of the Su Group.
The Su Group holds a lofty status in Bright Pearl City; it receives numerous awards every year. Its chairman, Su Zhentian, is a man of influence often seen in the media, making various public statements. A few years ago, Su Zhentian became the wealthiest man in Bright Pearl City.
...
Top floor of the building.
Su Zhentian stood in front of the window, gazing at the distant view through the glass. From his vantage point, he could take in the entire city center. When constructing this building, Su Zhentian specifically instructed to have a massive window installed to enjoy the panoramic view of the city center.
The construction of the building had cost hundreds of millions, an astronomical sum in the eyes of ordinary people, but to Su Zhentian, it was just a drop in the bucket. This highlights the gap between commoners, who must budget every penny, saving wherever possible, and the wealthy, who spend lavishly to the extent that the phrase 'spending money like dirt' wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"To speak frankly, my life could be considered perfect," Su Zhentian mused to himself. "I have more money than I could ever spend, bodyguards accompany me wherever I go, I frequent high-end venues, receive countless respects and flattery wherever I am, and I even have a beautiful and competent daughter. Now, the only thing causing me anxiety is my daughter's marriage.
Once I find a good husband for her, I can rest easy."
Recently, Su Zhentian had many discussions with his daughter, Su Xiaorou, attempting to marry her off to the young master of the Dongfang Group. However, Su Xiaorou simply refused, much to Su Zhentian's frustration.
"I should arrange a meeting between Dongfang Jian and Xiaorou soon, for them to have a good chat and perhaps deepen their affection," Su Zhentian thought to himself.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A gentle rapping sounded at the door.
"Come in," Su Zhentian said offhandedly.
"Creak!"
The door was gently pushed open, and in walked a woman with an attractive figure; it was Su Zhentian's secretary, Ding Xiang. Today, Ding Xiang was wearing an orange jumpsuit, with her long hair tied up high, looking exceptionally charming.
"Director, the cocktail party hosted by the Wenhua Group is about to begin; let's head over now," Ding Xiang said.
"Oh, what time is it now?"
"Half past five. There's only an hour and a half left until the party starts. We're hitting peak rush hour, and there's bound to be traffic. We need to set off early to avoid being late."
"Alright, let's go now."
And so, Su Zhentian left the company with Ding Xiang by his side.
...
Lu Hao opened the door to Gao Fei's bedroom with one hand, saying cheerfully, "Brother Fei, are you free tonight?"
"Speak plainly, don't beat around the bush," Gao Fei glanced at Lu Hao.
"Well, it's like this, a friend invited me to a cocktail party. I was thinking of taking you along—have a few drinks, chat a bit. Along the way, I could introduce you to some people. They are all individuals of status and background; they'd definitely be of help to you in the future," Lu Hao said.
"I'm not interested in cocktail parties. You go by yourself," Gao Fei said indifferently.
"Brother Fei, come on..."
"There will be plenty of good food and drinks, and a lot of beauties too."
"The attendees are all social elites; getting on good terms with them will be very beneficial for your future business."
...
After Lu Hao's persistent persuasion, Gao Fei finally agreed.
Thus, Gao Fei and Lu Hao left the hotel—oh, and Feng Yan followed them. She wasn't interested in the cocktail party, but she needed to keep a close eye on Lu Hao and prevent any shenanigans.
Half an hour later.
Gao Fei and the others arrived at the Phoenix Club, where the front was filled with all sorts of luxury cars, easily over a hundred of them, with even the cheapest being estimated to cost over a million and the most expensive surpassing ten million.
As they entered the lobby, a warm breeze greeted them, making Gao Fei feel extremely comfortable. It was now November, and the weather had begun to cool down, with many places starting to provide heating.
"Welcome!" Two rows of women dressed in cheongsams bowed and greeted them in unison.
"You guys take this and split it," Lu Hao said, pulling out a stack of money from his pocket without counting it and handing it directly to the cheongsam-clad women.
"Thank you, sir, thank you," the women in cheongsams hastily expressed their gratitude.
"You're really generous," Gao Fei commented, casting a casual glance at Lu Hao, "Just giving away tens of thousands in tips like that, you really live up to the image of a major Beijing playboy."
"Going out is all about face," Lu Hao said with a grin, "When I make a grand gesture, others will respect me, thank me, and I really enjoy that feeling."
"You're lucky to be born into a wealthy family," Gao Fei remarked, "If you were born into a poor family, your life would be miserable."
Lu Hao shrugged, "That's why I say, in my previous life I must have done many good deeds, to be born into a wealthy family in this life—as compensation from the heavens."
"Young Master Lu, so you've finally arrived." A young man wearing a suit and hair gel quickly walked out from within, "I've been waiting for you for quite a while."
"Traffic jam on the way, so I'm a little late. Come, come, I want to introduce you to Brother Fei, the man I respect the most, and this is Feng Yan, my… friend," Lu Hao said, pausing as he introduced Feng Yan, provoking a roll of her eyes.
"Brother Fei, hello, my name is Fan Yong, and I've been good friends with Young Master Lu for many years." The young man greeted Gao Fei enthusiastically. Since even Lu Hao called him Brother Fei, he must be no ordinary figure, one who needed to be treated well at all costs and not to be offended.
"Hello, my name is Gao Fei," Gao Fei said politely, nodding his head.
After greeting Gao Fei, Fan Yong turned to Feng Yan, "Hello and welcome to the banquet." Although Fan Yong appeared calm on the surface, he was a bit shocked internally—how could Feng Yan be so unattractive?
"Let me correct you," Feng Yan said calmly, "I am Lu Hao's fiancée! We will get married soon! You can come to our wedding then."
"Uh…" Fan Yong was completely stunned—what? Lu Hao's fiancée? So unattractive? Could Lu Hao actually fancy her?
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Lu Hao was panicked, "Don't we have an agreement? We're not supposed to disclose our relationship in public; how can you go back on your word like this!"
"Sorry, I forgot, I won't say it from now on," Feng Yan said nonchalantly.
"You…" Lu Hao was so angry that his face changed color, Feng Yan was really infuriating! Infuriating to the extreme! He had been humiliated today, utterly humiliated!
A smile played at the corners of Gao Fei's mouth. Lu Hao and Feng Yan were just like bickering rivals. Honestly, they were quite a match for each other. It was just that Feng Yan was a bit too unattractive—a significant flaw. Getting Lu Hao to completely accept Feng Yan would be a bit difficult.
"Let's go inside; the banquet is about to start. You guys can eat and drink as you please, and don't be shy," seeing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Fan Yong hurriedly intervened to smooth things over, leading Gao Fei and the others inside.
"Brother Fei, I forgot to introduce you earlier," Lu Hao left Feng Yan behind and walked quickly to Gao Fei's side, then pointing at Fan Yong, he said, "He's the heir to Wenhua Group, which is very powerful in Bright Pearl City, with total assets already over ten billion."
"You flatter me, Young Master Lu," Fan Yong responded modestly, "Compared to you, I have a long way to go." He spoke the truth; no matter how rich he was, he could not match up to Lu Hao, who not only had wealth but also influence—a league beyond Fan Yong's reach.
"How did you two meet?" Gao Fei asked curiously, "One in Beijing and one in Bright Pearl City—it doesn't seem like your paths should cross."
"Ah... that's a bit embarrassing to talk about," Fan Yong's face reddened slightly, "A few years ago I was in Beijing for business and unintentionally offended a major playboy who used his connections to suppress me, leaving me in a very bad situation. That's when I met Young Master Lu. I encountered him in a bar; at that time I didn't know his status, so I was a bit unrestrained since I was drunk.
I expressed all the grievances I had faced, and to my surprise, Young Master Lu actually helped me out and got me out of the mess. From then on, I've been extremely grateful to Young Master Lu; whatever he asks of me, I do it without hesitation..."
"Let's not dig up old matters," Lu Hao waved his hand dismissively, "That Niu Hu is just a scoundrel; running into him was just bad luck for you."
"Wait, the big playboy Fan Yong offended was Niu Hu?" Gao Fei was taken aback.
Lu Hao nodded, "Yes, that bastard."
"Brother Fei knows Niu Hu too?" Fan Yong asked.
"More than just knowing him," Lu Hao said with a laugh, "Niu Hu was thoroughly thrashed by Brother Fei, and then his family even came to apologize and admit their wrongs to Brother Fei. I bet Niu Hu is still being kept at home, not allowed out even now."
"What?" Fan Yong was stunned. Niu Hu was, after all, a playboy nearly on the same level as Lu Hao, a tyrant of Beijing, and not someone to be trifled with. Even Lu Hao would only threaten a few words, never daring to make things too stiff, but this Gao Fei... had actually taken care of Niu Hu? And Niu Hu's family even came forward to apologize and make amends? Gao Fei was unbelievably tough!
A real tough guy!
In that moment, Gao Fei's image in Fan Yong's mind grew immensely, practically idolizing him.
"Don't listen to Lu Hao's nonsense," Gao Fei waved his hand, "I just had a bit of a scuffle with Niu Hu; it wasn't as serious as Lu Hao has described."
The group chatted as they walked into the banquet hall, a space of several hundred square meters, resplendent with gold and gloriously decorated. Around the hall were rectangular tables laden with various drinks, dishes, and pastries. By this time, the hall was filled with people, each one dressed sharply and exuding a refined air—everyone attending the banquet was certainly no ordinary individual.
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