121: A slap in the face that's neither here nor there - 2

The conversation continued at the table for a while longer.

Perhaps the "career theory" and the "guaranteed minimum temptation" from earlier had worked. Among the three girls, Xiao Mi looked at the charismatic Liu Fangli, her eyes showing a moment of struggle before she finally plucked up the courage to walk over with her phone.

"Mr. Liu, um... I... I'd like to add you on WeChat to learn more from you. Would that be convenient?"

Liu Fangli chuckled, his attitude very amiable. "How could it be inconvenient? Look at us old fogies; all we talk about is business, which is quite dull. Being able to interact more with young people makes me feel a lot younger myself."

As he spoke, he unlocked his phone, displayed his personal QR code, and handed it to Xiao Mi.

Xiao Mi quickly scanned the code and added him, giving a sweet smile. "Thank you, Mr. Liu!"

Liu Fangli added gently, "Mhm, you're Xiao Mi, right? Remember to send me your name later so I can save it. Once I'm done with the things on my plate these next few days and have some free time, I'll talk to you in detail about the company's systems and newcomer training programs."

"Mhm! Okay, Mr. Liu!" Xiao Mi nodded repeatedly and returned to her seat, satisfied.

Beside her, An An and Miao Miao exchanged glances. Seeing that Liu Fangli was polite throughout the process, had no physical contact with Xiao Mi when she approached, and spoke only words of encouragement and mentorship, their guard dropped significantly.

The two hesitated for a moment before getting up one after another to go over and add him on WeChat.

Zhao Qian watched them finish adding him as a friend and pointed with a smile at the barely touched wine glasses in front of them.

"Girls, now that you've added him on WeChat, why don't you hurry up and fill your glasses to toast Mr. Liu? You should know that normally, many people can't even get an appointment to see Mr. Liu! You've truly met a benefactor today!"

The three girls nodded quickly, standing up and picking up the wine bottles to pour.

However, Liu Fangli smiled and waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of elder-like concern.

"Eh~! Old Zhao, that's where you're wrong! Don't bring our social etiquette from the business world onto these children! They haven't even graduated yet; their minds are simple, and they're at their cleanest and best age. If we can let them avoid these things for a little longer, then let's do so."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the young faces of the girls with a slight sense of emotion, and he let out a soft sigh.

"Youth, ah, once it's gone, it never returns. Sometimes I really miss being young. Now, I just hope to use a bit of my experience and resources to help excellent young people like you take fewer detours and try to avoid the pollution and traps of society."

After he finished speaking, the three girls stopped pouring their wine, and their gazes toward Liu Fangli were instantly filled with gratitude and goodwill.

This "Mr. Liu" was not only high-status but also upright and considerate of his juniors. He was completely different from those greasy middle-aged bosses they had imagined!

Liu Fangli took in their reactions, smiling triumphantly in his heart, and turned his gaze once more toward Ye Cheng, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

"Student Ye Cheng, you see, your roommates are all very proactive. Would you like to add me on WeChat as well? Even if you don't plan to develop your career at Heavenly Shadow for now, another friend means another path. Knowing more about the industry's cutting-edge information and trends is never a bad thing for your future development, right?"

Ye Cheng put down her chopsticks and looked at him expressionlessly. "I said I'm not interested. Do you not understand?"

Liu Fangli wasn't angry at being rebuffed; instead, he smiled and glanced meaningfully at Jiang Ye, who was busy devouring the roast goose.

"What? Is it because Xiao Jiang is here that you have some reservations? Student Ye Cheng might be overthinking it. I see that Xiao Jiang is also a sensible young man. Even if he doesn't support your career development, at the very least, he wouldn't stop you from learning more about the world and expanding your horizons, would he?"

These words seemed to be speaking up for Jiang Ye, but they insidiously pinned labels like "hindering his girlfriend's career," "narrow-minded," and "possessive" onto him.

In an instant, everyone at the table focused their gaze on Jiang Ye again. Even Xiao Mi, An An, and Miao Miao frowned slightly, feeling that Jiang Ye was being a bit "petty."

Looking at her three foolish roommates who were being sold and still helping the seller count the money, Ye Cheng rolled her eyes hard, too lazy to waste any more breath on this group.

She nudged Jiang Ye's arm and whispered, "I'm going to the restroom."

Seeing this, Sheng Jin immediately stood up with a smile. "I happen to want to go too. Cheng Cheng, I'll go with you."

Ye Cheng glanced at her, not even bothering to be polite, and stood up to walk toward the private room door.

Just as she pulled open the heavy door, a sudden rush of footsteps came from the hallway, accompanied by the dissatisfied complaint of a young male voice.

"Bro! Holy crap, are you even human? Mom is in the hospital, and you won't even go back to see her?! Do you even care about this family?!"

This was followed by another male voice, steadier but tinged with helplessness: "Mom was just posting photos of her trip to Guilin on her moments yesterday, and she's in the hospital today? An Zhengyao, can you at least try to make your lies believable?"

Ye Cheng instinctively poked her head out to look.

In the hallway, a tall man in casual wear was being pulled forward by another young man in a navy blue wool coat, whose features exuded nobility.

She froze for a moment and blurted out, "Eh? Officer An?"

At the same time, the countdown numbers on the system panel in Jiang Ye's mind abruptly stopped, freezing at [00:05:28].

[ "Emergency Contact" successfully activated! A suitable person has intervened. ]

Jiang Ye: "???"

He almost choked on the roast goose in his mouth, a stampede of ten thousand alpacas racing through his heart.

No way, sir?! An actual "sir" showed up?!

System Daddy!

What do you mean by summoning a policeman for me?!

Is the guy opposite me some kind of fugitive who's been on the run for years? Does he have a major case on his head?

What happened to the promised business tycoon or powerful mogul? Did you get the wrong script?!

Outside the door, the two men who were scuffling also heard Ye Cheng's call.

An Zhengjun stopped and looked at Ye Cheng standing at the door in surprise. "You are... Jiang Ye's girlfriend?"

Ye Cheng nodded. "Mhm, Officer An. Jiang Ye and I are having dinner here."

The young man called An Zhengyao's eyes immediately lit up, and he chimed in:

"Bro! Your friend is here? Good, good, good! Let's go! Let your friend judge and see just how unfilial and rebellious you are!"

As he spoke, he dragged An Zhengjun—whose face was written all over with "speechless" and "wanting to escape"—into the private room Ye Cheng had just opened, without giving him a choice.

An Zhengjun tried to struggle: "A-Yao! Stop messing around! I have serious business here..."

"Serious business? Mom is in the hospital; what business is more important than that?"

An Zhengyao didn't listen at all. Taking advantage of the gap as Ye Cheng stepped aside, he pulled An Zhengjun into the private room.