117: Pressure Bureau - 2

The three men were also taken aback. They exchanged glances, their faces showing expressions of being caught between laughter and tears.

In their eyes, this kind of 'show of authority' was incredibly childish. They didn't even care to argue, simply thinking that this young man didn't know his place.

The slightly plump man sitting next to Sheng Jin chuckled and spoke up, "Little brother, you really know how to joke. Although we are a few years older than you, we're not exactly in the 'uncle' generation. You're being too polite. I am Wang Jincheng; you can just call me Brother Wang."

After saying that, he pointed to the man with the slicked-back hair next to Jin Lulu. "This is Zhao Qian, Brother Zhao."

Finally, he paused and cupped his hands toward the man in gold-rimmed glasses sitting in the seat of honor, his tone becoming noticeably more solemn: "And this is President Liu Fangli, who has come all the way from Dajing."

As Jiang Ye listened, he and Ye Cheng sat down in the empty seats, nodding in realization.

He had been a bit puzzled before. Usually, this kind of 'sugar daddy' relationship is kept low-key, with people avoiding being seen. Why would they all attend a dormitory gathering for the girls?

It turned out these three knew each other and were likely business partners or friends, which made sense.

Once everyone was seated, Sheng Jin called for the server to start bringing out the dishes.

Everyone began to converse in small groups.

Jin Lulu and Sheng Jin were busy pouring tea and handing tissues to their 'patrons,' acting incredibly attentive.

Wang Jincheng and Zhao Qian mainly spoke with Liu Fangli, their conversation revolving around business and investment.

Ye Cheng turned to An An, Xiao Mi, and Miao Miao, asking curiously, "Xiao Mi, Miao Miao, where are your boyfriends? Why didn't they come?"

Xiao Mi and Miao Miao looked at each other, their faces filled with a bit of embarrassment. "They... they have another gathering today. The times overlapped."

Ye Cheng blinked and understood immediately.

This kind of gathering, which had a competitive edge of 'keeping up with the Joneses,' was undoubtedly a form of torture for their campus boyfriends.

They might have come along excitedly at first, but after attending once or twice and realizing they couldn't join the conversation and were just background noise, they naturally found excuses to avoid it.

She nodded understandingly. "Oh, I see."

Jiang Ye quietly observed the other five girls.

The average level of beauty at an arts college was indeed a notch higher than at ordinary schools, and Ye Cheng's roommates were especially outstanding.

An An was pure, Xiao Mi was cute, Miao Miao was gentle, and Sheng Jin was intellectual; all of them seemed to be above a 70 in terms of looks.

As for the girl named Jin Lulu, her features were striking, her figure was curvaceous, and there was a blatant flirtatiousness in her eyes. He estimated her charm value might even exceed 80.

Soon, exquisite Cantonese dishes were served one after another, beautifully presented and aromatic.

"Xiao Jin..."

When most of the food had arrived, Wang Jincheng looked at Sheng Jin with a smile. "Xiao Jin, today is mainly a gathering for you sisters. We're just here to tag along for the meal. You protagonists should talk more; don't worry too much about us... Come, why don't you start things off?"

Sheng Jin blinked and immediately caught her patron's hint, smiling as she pressed her lips together.

"Hubby~ That's true, but we have a distinguished guest here today!"

She looked toward Liu Fangli in the seat of honor with a beaming smile. "President Liu has come from all the way from Dajing and is a truly distinguished guest. This first toast should, of course, be proposed by President Liu!"

Liu Fangli laughed heartily and pointed a finger at Wang Jincheng. "Old Wang, this little girlfriend of yours is quite something—smart and well-spoken! Not bad, not bad at all!"

"President Liu, you flatter me."

Sheng Jin immediately smiled modestly. "Xiao Jin has just spent a lot of time by my hubby's side and learned a thing or two through osmosis. I just have a decent eye for seeing who truly possesses a noble aura."

Hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Wang Jincheng's face, clearly pleased with Sheng Jin's performance.

He secretly glanced at Jin Lulu next to Zhao Qian and made a comparison in his mind.

Although Sheng Jin's figure wasn't as explosive as Jin Lulu's, she excelled in being sensible and insightful. Bringing her to social events helped set the mood and sometimes even helped him smooth things over. She was much better than that 'all chest and no brains' type.

Wang Jincheng followed up with a smile, "Since Xiao Jin has said so, President Liu, please don't decline. Why don't you say a few words to everyone?"

Liu Fangli looked around, and seeing everyone watching him, he gave a hearty laugh. "Haha, alright! Since everyone thinks so highly of me, I won't refuse!"

He raised his glass of baijiu, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"First of all, it's an honor to join all you beautiful ladies for this Christmas Eve gathering. It makes a traveler like me feel the festive cheer. For this first glass, I'll use this opportunity to wish all the beauties present eternal youth and success in your studies! I also wish that we 'old guys' can soak up some of your youthful vitality and see our careers reach new heights! Come, let's all raise our glasses. Merry Christmas Eve!"

The words seemed ordinary, but the natural sense of control and the subtle air of class superiority were clearly conveyed.

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses. Regardless of what they thought inside, they all echoed his words with smiles and drank the first glass together.

Setting down his glass, Zhao Qian smiled and turned his gaze toward Jiang Ye, casually starting a conversation: "Xiao Jiang, you look like a real talent. Where are you currently working?"

Jiang Ye smiled, his tone flat. "Brother Zhao flatters me. I haven't graduated yet; I'm a senior this year."

Zhao Qian let out an "Oh?" as if surprised. "Driving a 5-series as a senior? It seems your family is very supportive. You're truly young and promising."

He smiled, speaking as if reminiscing, "I remember back when I graduated from university, I was pedaling a bicycle all over the city looking for a job, haha."

"Hey! Hubby~! How can that be the same!"

Jin Lulu huffed and chimed in, "You started from scratch and built everything up step by step through your own hard work! That's real ability!"

As she spoke, she turned and rolled her eyes at Jiang Ye. "Jiang Ye, was it? What does your family do? I've never heard Cheng Cheng mention it."

She specifically emphasized "never," implying that Ye Cheng herself felt Jiang Ye's family background wasn't worth mentioning.

"Oh?"

Ye Cheng, who was whispering to An An, saw the enemy dare to initiate an attack. Her eyebrows arched, and she was about to snap back.

Just as she opened her mouth, Jiang Ye gently tugged her hand under the table.

Jiang Ye's face still wore that harmless smile, as if he hadn't heard the barb in Jin Lulu's words. His tone was relaxed.

"My family is just an ordinary family. Nothing special, not worth mentioning."

"What's there to hide?"

Jin Lulu curled her lip, clearly not believing a word. "Tsk~ Anyone who didn't know better would think you're from some hidden wealthy family or something, being so mysterious."

Jiang Ye grinned and didn't respond, simply picking up some food with his chopsticks and focusing on eating.