Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 513: Encountering an Old Friend

To be honest, Brother Dong's relatives were in a somewhat awkward position at this kind of occasion.After all, Brother Dong was considered a self-made success story, having tested his way out of a humble mountain village.

Aside from him, even though the rest of his family was now enjoying a comfortable life, their class and bearing certainly could not keep up.

On the other hand, although Zhang Tianze's family was not as wealthy as Brother Dong, they were still a solid middle-class household. Her father had graduated with a doctorate, worked as a university professor, and later founded his own company. The relatives and friends around them could all be considered intellectuals.

Therefore, with both sides sitting together, the difference in status was immediately apparent.

Seeing them, Zhou Yuwen could finally understand why Brother Dong did not choose the Princess, but instead chose Xiao Tian.

It truly was not as simple as just liking someone younger. Marriage was a matter between two families. Brother Dong and the Princess might have gotten along well enough, but putting their two families together was a different story.

Brother Dong's current standing was several levels higher than Zhang Tianze's. Thus, even if his family lacked face, Xiao Tian's relatives would not dare say anything.

If they were sitting with the Princess's family, Brother Dong's entire family would struggle to even hold their heads up. After all, no matter how much money Brother Dong made, that side would always attribute his success to the Princess's contributions. Brother Dong would never be able to hold his head high for the rest of his life.

This situation, however, was completely different.

One only needed to look at Brother Dong, dressed in a sharp suit and leather shoes, radiating an air of spring breeze and success as he offered toasts over there, to know the truth.

As for Zhang Tianze's father, Zhang Liho, he was indeed feeling a bit awkward. He was an intellectual, after all, yet sitting with Brother Dong's family, they just stared at each other in silence, not exchanging a single word.

The passing guests offered congratulations with every breath, but Zhang Liho knew exactly what they were thinking without even needing to guess.

His daughter had found a boyfriend who was two years younger than himself.

Who could possibly be happy about that?

But there was nothing he could do. Zhang Tianze had always been one of those girls with strong opinions since childhood.

Zhang Liho truly could not control his daughter.

Just as he was sitting there at his wit's end.

Liu Dongqiang's subordinate guided Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi over to sit down. At a table full of people with distinctly different temperaments, a young man suddenly arrived, and this young man looked incredibly handsome to boot.

The moment Zhang Liho laid eyes on Zhou Yuwen, his first thought was, 'My daughter should have found a boyfriend like this!'

Seriously, he had worked so hard to raise such a beautiful and delicate daughter.

Only for her to be snatched up by an old cabbage.

It would have been much more normal if she had chosen the boy sitting right in front of him!

Just as he was lost in thought, Zhou Yuwen led Li Shiqi to the seats next to him, asking with a smile, "Uncle, is anyone sitting here?"

"No."

Zhang Liho shook his head. Seeing that Zhou Yuwen was dignified and handsome in appearance, not looking like someone who had just walked out of a village, Zhang Liho could not help but feel a bit curious. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you related to Dongqiang?"

"Oh. Uncle, I am not a member of Brother Dong's family. I am his friend; he insisted I sit over here," Zhou Yuwen replied with a smile.

"Oh, I see!" Zhang Liho nodded, expressing his understanding.

Zhou Yuwen asked curiously, "Huh, and you are, Uncle?"

This single question from Zhou Yuwen hit Zhang Liho right in his sore spot. As much as he did not want to admit it, he had no choice.

"I am the bride's father."

"Oh, oh! So you are Sister Xiao Tian's father." A look of deep respect immediately appeared on Zhou Yuwen's face.

Zhang Liho asked strangely, "You know Xiao Tian?"

"Ah, I visited Barnard before. Actually, I met Sister Xiao Tian first, and then I met Brother Dong," Zhou Yuwen explained promptly.

Hearing this, Zhang Liho could not help but become even more interested in Zhou Yuwen.

He thought to himself, 'If you met Tian Tian first, then why did you not take more initiative?'

"By the way, what is your name? Are you Tian Tian's classmate?" he asked aloud.

Zhou Yuwen had come here this time specifically to build connections. In his impression, Zhang Tianze's father was involved in real estate, so he wanted to pitch his own property management company to him.

Therefore, he proactively stated his name, Zhou Yuwen.

Zhang Liho only felt that this name sounded incredibly familiar. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned upon him. "Huh, are you that...?"

"That is right, Uncle."

Zhang Liho's eyes could not help but light up. He truly had not expected to run into Zhou Yuwen here. He had heard of Zhou Yuwen for a long time now. Setting aside the fact that his previous matters with the Jiang Family Estate had caused a massive uproar.

His subsequent absolute dominance on Wall Street was something known to absolutely everyone.

It was not without reason that Brother Dong had arranged for Zhou Yuwen to sit in the family section. To be honest, among the people here, Zhou Yuwen was probably the only one who could be presented decently and actually hold a conversation with the bride's relatives.

After learning of Zhou Yuwen's identity, several of Zhang Tianze's relatives developed a keen interest in him. They mentioned that they also followed Wall Street, but were nowhere near as incredible as Zhou Yuwen.

They had heard people say that Zhou Yuwen seemed to have used thirty times leverage?

Zhou Yuwen waved his hand, indicating that he had not.

It was not as if he had an absolute guarantee that the stocks would rise, so how could he possibly use thirty times leverage?

"That is all just blind rumor-mongering from outsiders."

Zhou Yuwen turned to Zhang Liho and said, "I have heard of your great reputation for a long time, Uncle, but I never had the chance to visit. I heard that not only are you a university professor, but you also started your own company?"

Zhang Liho waved his hand dismissively, stating that it was just a small-scale operation not worth mentioning.

Despite saying that, he still proactively handed his business card to Zhou Yuwen, mentioning that since Tian Tian was getting married now, the house would be empty.

"Little Zhou, if you are free, you should come over to visit more often."

Zhou Yuwen glanced at the business card. Good heavens, it was not a real estate company; it turned out to be an audiovisual company.

Zhou Yuwen nodded, promising that he definitely would.

Even though Zhang Liho was not in the real estate business, there were bound to be a few of Zhang Tianze's relatives working in real estate. Zhou Yuwen's trip had not been in vain. However, with several layers of connections separating them, it made it difficult to speak too openly about many things.

At most, he could drink a few more glasses of wine and get acquainted with them first.

At this moment, Zhou Yuwen felt a distinct sensation of having fallen into a trap set by Brother Dong once again.

Because Brother Dong's relatives were not much help, it resulted in Zhou Yuwen being the only one mingling familiarly with the bride's relatives later on. At that point, everyone started saying that today was a day of great rejoicing, and since he was the representative for the groom's side, he had to drink a few extra glasses.

Zhou Yuwen quickly waved his hand, insisting that he could not drink anymore.

"That will not do, you are the representative!"

Someone jeered. Logically speaking, today was a joyous occasion, so drinking a couple of extra glasses was no big deal.

But Zhou Yuwen was not stupid. This was not even his own joyous occasion, so what was the point of him drinking so much?

Taking advantage of the others not paying attention, Zhou Yuwen sneakily poured his baijiu directly under the table.

Zhou Yuwen was staring fixedly at the people speaking, thinking he had executed his move flawlessly. Who could have expected that, right at this moment, an icy voice would suddenly sound from behind him: "You truly have not changed one bit. You still love engaging in deceit as much as ever."

This voice was very familiar.

So familiar that Zhou Yuwen immediately froze in place.

'No way, right?'

Turning around, he saw a woman with long, straight black hair and exquisite makeup, looking at Zhou Yuwen with a hint of disdain.

At this moment, Zhou Yuwen's hand was still under the table pouring out the liquor. He had truly been caught red-handed.

Mainly, he had never expected to run into her here, making the situation somewhat awkward for a moment.

The newcomer was none other than Zhou Yuwen's ex-girlfriend, who could also be considered a teacher's wife, Jiang Xinyi.

They had not seen each other for a full four months since parting ways. Jiang Xinyi had indeed matured quite a bit compared to before. Her figure also felt even better. Perhaps it was because she was wearing a suit; paired with the white pearl blouse underneath, she gave off the aura of an aloof older sister.

"Huh? Xinyi, you made it?" Zhang Liho clearly recognized Jiang Xinyi, greeting her with a cheerful laugh.

At this time, Zhou Yuwen was still pouring out his drink. Fortunately, Jiang Xinyi did not expose him.

She merely shot Zhou Yuwen a look of disdain before smiling and turning to respond to Zhang Liho. Jiang Xinyi knew the Zhang family, but they clearly were not very close. It could be heard from her conversation with Zhang Liho that Jiang Xinyi was here on behalf of her mother.

Zhang Liho nodded, mentioning that it had been a long time since he last saw Jiang Xinyi's parents.

He even added a question, "Are your parents doing well nowadays?"

The two sides exchanged pleasantries just like that.

Jiang Xinyi maintained her aloof demeanor, keeping her gaze straight ahead. It felt as though she completely disregarded Zhou Yuwen's presence beside her.

Seeing her act like this, Zhou Yuwen naturally did not stare at her either.

At this moment, Li Shiqi quietly asked Zhou Yuwen, "Is she your ex-girlfriend?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen could not help but chuckle. "How do you know everything?"

Li Shiqi also smiled. After all, the fact that Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi had dated was known to everyone at the time. It was perfectly normal for Li Shiqi to know about it.

He was just about to say a few more words to Li Shiqi.

But right then, someone else came over to drink with Zhou Yuwen, saying things like, "I never expected to run into President Zhou here! Let me offer you a toast."

Zhou Yuwen smiled and raised his glass.

Actually, logically speaking, the liquor in Zhou Yuwen's glass should have been replaced with plain water a long time ago.

However, because of Jiang Xinyi's sudden appearance, he had not gotten the chance to swap it out.

The main issue was that the moment she saw someone come to toast Zhou Yuwen, Jiang Xinyi's gaze immediately darted over, clearly intending to supervise him as he drank.

In a public setting, Zhou Yuwen did not want to appear too weak. It was not as if he could not drink at all, so he smiled and tossed back a glass with the newcomer. Afterward, two more people came over to offer toasts, and Zhou Yuwen drank them all.

After downing three consecutive glasses of liquor, his head was spinning a bit.

But he was still managing alright.

Li Shiqi thoughtfully poured a glass of water for Zhou Yuwen. She proactively scooted closer to his side and quietly asked if he was okay.

Zhou Yuwen waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.

Jiang Xinyi took in the intimate gestures between the two. She had originally been exchanging pleasantries with Zhang Liho and even drank a glass with him, but after seeing the affectionate interaction between Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi, she genuinely felt quite jealous in her heart.

Deciding to simply act on it, she picked up her wine glass again and declared, "This must be the President Zhou who completely dominated Wall Street, right? I only just noticed you. Come on, President Zhou, let me offer you a toast as well. I have only recently joined my family's company, so there are still many areas I am unfamiliar with. I hope you can offer me your guidance and that we can cooperate more in the future."

As she spoke, Jiang Xinyi specifically handed Zhou Yuwen her business card.

She raised her glass and flashed a slight, close-lipped smile at Zhou Yuwen.

This entire rehearsed speech made the bystanders want to laugh. Was there anyone who did not know about the history between her and Zhou Yuwen?

Yet now, she was acting as if they were complete strangers.

Seeing Jiang Xinyi acting like this left Zhou Yuwen feeling somewhat helpless. He thought to himself, 'Why are women all the exact same?'

Jiang Xinyi's current demeanor actually reminded Zhou Yuwen of the day before his rebirth. When he had gone to attend a classmate's wedding, Su Qing had also wanted to cause a scene, and it had played out just like this.

Jiang Xinyi was a stubborn girl.

Her wine glass was already raised high.

And she showed absolutely no intention of putting it down.

Zhou Yuwen could also see the firm resolve in this girl's eyes.

Zhou Yuwen sighed. He figured that no matter what, he was the one who had wronged her. It was obvious she was here seeking revenge. If drinking a few glasses of alcohol could ease the past grudges and emotional entanglements between them, then there would be nothing more fitting.

"President Jiang must be joking. I am merely running a small-scale operation; how could I ever compare to you? By the way, President Jiang, I recently opened a property management company, and seeing as you are in real estate, perhaps there truly is a possibility for us to cooperate."

Zhou Yuwen intended to wash away their past enmity with a smile. Seeing that Jiang Xinyi remained standing, he did not want to take advantage of her, so he stood up as well, holding his glass.

However, what he did not know was that the calmer Zhou Yuwen acted, the angrier Jiang Xinyi became.

Just as he was about to drink, Jiang Xinyi stopped him again.

She argued that there was no such thing as only drinking half a glass when offering a toast.

"It should at least be a full glass. Come, President Zhou, let me fill it to the brim for you."

Jiang Xinyi grabbed Zhou Yuwen's wrist, her expression thoroughly unyielding.

Zhou Yuwen felt that Jiang Xinyi was making a mountain out of a molehill. This was not beer; wasn't half a glass of baijiu enough?

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen was even thinking that just taking a sip would have sufficed.

Thus, Zhou Yuwen maintained his smile and said, "Baijiu is harmful to the body. President Jiang, as long as our mutual understanding is there, that is enough. Just a token sip will do."

As he spoke, he prepared to lower his head and take a drink again.

But in the end, he was blocked by Jiang Xinyi yet again.

Looking into Jiang Xinyi's resentful eyes, she challenged, "President Zhou does not look down on me, does he?"

Zhou Yuwen thought to himself, 'What does this have to do with whether I look down on you or not?'

Before he could even finish speaking, he saw Jiang Xinyi pour a massive glass for herself first.

Staring at Zhou Yuwen with intense stubbornness, she declared, "I know that President Zhou built his career purely through his own hard work, and you must look down on someone like me who can only rely on her family. So for this glass, I will drink it all first out of respect!"

Before Zhou Yuwen could utter a single word, Jiang Xinyi immediately tilted her head back and chugged it down.

A little girl drinking like a grown man left Zhou Yuwen completely speechless. He thought to himself, 'What exactly are you trying to accomplish?'

'Who exactly made you this infuriated?'

"Great!"

Regardless of the situation, whenever someone at the banquet table started downing drinks, the others would inevitably cheer them on, eager to watch the drama unfold without worrying about the consequences.

Because Jiang Xinyi drank too quickly, a significant amount of liquor spilled out from the sides of her mouth, making her already translucent, rosy lips appear even more glistening.

Jiang Xinyi wiped her face and displayed the bottom of her empty glass to Zhou Yuwen, stating, "President Zhou, I have finished mine. Do as you please."

Zhou Yuwen looked at her in exasperation, wanting to say, 'Why make things so hard on yourself?'

Zhou Yuwen was unwilling to drink this glass. He even felt that doing so was entirely putting on a joke for others to watch.

However, Jiang Xinyi's determined gaze was locked onto him, and within that firm determination was a trace of almost imperceptible pitifulness. Seeing that Zhou Yuwen remained reluctant to drink, she asked, "Are you not even willing to share a single glass of wine with me anymore?"

Meeting her gaze, Zhou Yuwen asked, "Will everything be fine as long as I finish this glass?"

Jiang Xinyi stared at Zhou Yuwen for a long time. Finally, she replied, "It will be fine once you finish this glass."

Zhou Yuwen said nothing more. He directly downed the entire glass of liquor in one go, drinking it even more hastily than Jiang Xinyi had.

"Cough, cough!" After finishing the drink, Zhou Yuwen could not suppress a couple of violent coughs.

Beside him, Li Shiqi hurriedly grabbed some tissues to wipe Zhou Yuwen's mouth for him.

But Zhou Yuwen waved his hand, insisting he was fine.

The liquor was finished.

Yet Jiang Xinyi was still staring right at him.

Zhou Yuwen refused to look back at Jiang Xinyi. His attitude brought an inexplicable wave of disappointment to her heart. In that moment, it seemed as if Zhou Yuwen truly intended to cut all ties with her cleanly and permanently.

Placing his empty glass down firmly, he turned to Zhang Liho beside him and said, "Uncle, I still have some matters to attend to, so I will be taking my leave first."