Chapter 111: Chapter 10: The End of the Gathering and a Background Reaching the Heavens

They didn’t ask for much—just exchanging a few pleasantries to become a familiar face. If they could score some contact info, it would be a massive win.

It was under these circumstances that Zhang Yan ran into them at the entrance of the engagement banquet.

The smile on Cheng Lu’s face stiffened. Although a few of her girlfriends had mentioned bumping into Zhang Yan today, she had been too busy to care at the time.

Now, seeing this poor boy walking away with dazzling attire while mingling with all those "big shots," her brain couldn’t quite process what was happening.

Beside her, Liu Shi’s expression also turned sour. However, since he was already mentally prepared, he planned to just pretend he hadn’t seen anything and let it slide.

But Zhang Yan paused at the door with a half-smile, drawing the attention of a few nearby guests who had just gotten acquainted with him.

Xia Xiqing had been following closely behind Zhang Yan. Sensing the strange atmosphere—perhaps feeling her job wasn’t quite finished, or perhaps for some other reason—she took a few steps forward and wrapped her arm around his once again, standing by his side to face the couple.

Whether in presence, demeanor, attire, or looks, Zhang Yan and his companion completely crushed the other pair, making it hard for Cheng Lu and Liu Shi to even breathe.

Looking at Liu Shi, who looked as if he were facing a mortal enemy, and his dumbfounded ex-girlfriend, Zhang Yan flashed a bright, sunny smile, revealing his white teeth.

"Some people’s starting point in life is a height that others will never reach in their entire lifetime.’ That’s a line I heard from you not too long ago.

"But I don’t think you’re right. It’s way too pessimistic. You need to adjust your mindset and work hard. You still have a long life ahead of you!

"Oh, right. Since we know each other, I wish you a long and happy life together. You guys absolutely have to stay with each other forever!"

After saying that, Zhang Yan even patted Liu Shi affectionately on the shoulder.

Even though they sounded like words of blessing, Liu Shi’s expression twisted as he listened. If someone could see through his shoes right now, they would see his toes curling hard enough to dig a hole through the soles in sheer embarrassment.

After dropping those loaded words, Zhang Yan didn’t linger. He turned and left with Xia Xiqing. Gossip would ferment on its own; he wouldn’t need to waste any more energy on this in the future.

Before leaving, Xia Xiqing took one last look at Cheng Lu, though it was unclear what she was looking at.

Among the guests trickling out of the engagement banquet, those who knew Zhang Yan secretly took note of his words and began spreading them privately, discussing under what circumstances Liu Shi had ever said such a thing to him.

Cheng Lu, meanwhile, stared blankly at Zhang Yan’s retreating back.

She simply couldn’t connect this incredibly handsome, overwhelmingly aristocratic figure with the ex-boyfriend in her memory, who had merely been a bit considerate, well-endowed, and skilled in bed.

Just like that, arm in arm with another impossibly beautiful girl, he walked into a completely different world from hers.

She felt that things shouldn’t be like this, that there must have been some kind of mistake!

Cheng Lu originally thought she had scored a blessing in disguise and found a better life, but now, she wasn’t so sure. It felt as if something incredible had just slipped through her fingers.

***

"Are they your friends, Zhang Yan?"

"Oh, just two ordinary classmates. It was their engagement banquet, so I went to congratulate them."

Seeing Zhang Yan’s dismissive attitude, the crowd understood the situation and instantly tossed those worthless faces to the back of their minds.

As for the bride-to-be, she was decent-looking. If the opportunity arose, they wouldn’t mind getting to know her in the future.

Today, the underground parking garage of the Shangri-La was practically a luxury car convention.

Lamborghini Huracán STO, Mercedes-AMG G63, Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, Range Rover SV...

Of course, even the wealthiest young masters didn’t roll out eight-figure hypercars. After all, Meng City was just a bottom-tier provincial capital. Pulling a stunt like that would be far too conspicuous. If they accidentally went viral and attracted the attention of government departments for an investigation, it wouldn’t end well. Which family didn’t have a few skeletons in their closet? Things would get ugly real quick.

A young man walked up to a flashy sports car and smilingly pressed his key fob. The scissor doors slowly rose. Zhang Yan remembered this guy; he seemed to be the heir to Pudu Pharmaceutical.

"I just swapped for this STO this year. The carbon fiber body accounts for 75% of it, making it exactly 43 kilograms lighter than the standard Huracán.

"For this rear wing, I specifically opted for custom carbon fiber hand-crafted in Italy. This part alone costs enough to buy two Porsche 911s."

"It really is a beautiful car. Just looking at the mid-engine layout, you can tell it packs a punch."

Receiving satisfactory agreement, the young man smiled faintly and proudly slid into his luxury sports car.

"Lamborghinis are cool, but honestly, most of the time they’re all flash and no substance. My G63 isn’t just an ordinary SUV. It’s got a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 with 585 horsepower. It can handle any terrain without breaking a sweat. It’s perfect for taking girls camping."

Zhang Yan looked over. He had no impression of the young man speaking this time. However, with these two kicking things off, a wave of one-upmanship began to spread.

VROOM! The sounds of various engines firing up echoed one after another, filling the entire garage with roaring exhaust notes. Everyone’s spirits ran high.

"My Cayenne Turbo GT has a 4.0L V8 and hits zero to a hundred in 3.3 seconds. It’s the fastest SUV in Porsche’s history..."

"Sure, your performance monsters are great, but my Range Rover SV is the true definition of comfort and luxury."

Naturally, Zhang Yan wasn’t about to be outdone. He contacted his young driver on his phone. A short while later, his Guoya slowly drove into everyone’s line of sight.

"Huh, what car is that?"

"I’ve never seen it before... Wait, no, it looks familiar. Isn’t that the Guoya that was just unveiled recently?"

"What car? Let me look it up..."

A large group of rich second-generation heirs began whispering among themselves, all looking curiously at Zhang Yan’s ride. They were a crowd who prided themselves on being accustomed to luxury cars. Suddenly encountering one they hadn’t seen before immediately stoked their competitive spirit.

Eldest Young Master Xu and the other heirs to massive corporations also stepped out of their cars, displaying rare looks of curiosity.

Even Si Mingxin paused his steps as he was about to climb into the backseat of his Maybach, frowning as he looked at Zhang Yan’s car.

With Si Mingxin’s near-photographic memory, he naturally recognized the vehicle at a glance. It was the Hongqi Guoya that had only appeared on the internet not long ago.

But the problem was, this car hadn’t even been released for sale yet!

Not to mention, the company manufacturing this car was incredibly special. No matter how much money you had, it was impossible to get the car early and drive it on public roads so openly.

The car itself might only be worth two or three million yuan, but the implications behind it were highly intriguing. He couldn’t help but re-evaluate exactly who Zhang Yan was.

Si Mingzhan wasn’t very knowledgeable about cars. She quietly asked one of her loyal lapdogs beside her. Upon hearing the answer, her eyebrows shot up, and she cast an unfathomable look at Zhang Yan.

It was as if she had just spotted a valuable piece of prey.

Si Mingcheng obviously hadn’t known that Zhang Yan had brought such a car either. He recognized it, of course, and knew full well that there were probably only a handful of these in the entire country right now.

Rarity dictated value. At least before this car was officially launched, its worth was immeasurable. Calling it on par with a ten-million-yuan hypercar was no exaggeration.

Since Si Mingcheng shared an unusual relationship with Zhang Yan, he didn’t have any reservations. He walked straight up and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Zhang Yan, when did you get your hands on such a badass car? You’ve got some serious connections, kid."

"Heh, I just used a friend’s connections to get it early, it’s no big deal."

Hearing those words, the leaders of several major social circles felt their hearts skip a beat.

If he had relied on his family’s connections, it would actually be fine.

If his backer was an official within the government system, then it would be impossible for them to blatantly and openly participate in commercial activities. It would mean there was no direct conflict of interest with them. All they had to do was get on Zhang Yan’s good side, and there might be opportunities for mutual benefit in the future.

But if he truly had a friend with this much power, then Zhang Yan was fully qualified to be a powerful outsider capable of shaking up their local turf.

Just having money wasn’t terrifying, but when combined with that other element, it became genuinely terrifying.

Some of the more radical thinkers were already beginning to wonder if Zhang Yan was the proxy of some major figure, and what profound impact he would have on Meng City’s business landscape in the future.

These usually arrogant and high-spirited second-generation rich kids were completely thrown off by that single sentence, turning the atmosphere in the garage rather delicate.

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