I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

At the south gate of Yangko University of Science and Technology, the bus has already started and driven away.

Once on the bus, the students had all taken their seats and no one spoke; the bus was quiet for a moment.

Buses are very common; everyone has ridden one.

However, it was quite unusual that around 10 p.m., without any prior warning, a phone call brought a bus over.

Everyone was a little surprised at the time.

But what happened next was even more surprising.

A driver got out of the car.

The driver looked to be in his fifties, with neatly trimmed hair. He was wearing a black suit late at night and clean white gloves, looking exactly like a high-end professional driver straight out of an idol drama.

His appearance makes one think that he shouldn't be driving a bus, but rather a Bentley or Rolls-Royce.

After getting off, the driver called He Qiuzhu "Miss He".

Even ordinary people can call someone a "Miss".

However, after the driver finished greeting the students and getting them on the bus, he made a point of greeting Shen Kang and calling him "Young Master Shen".

Miss He, Young Master Shen...

Clearly, the title "Miss He" carries the connotation of a true young lady from a wealthy family, on par with "Young Master".

This is why everyone was quiet for a while.

……

"Brother,"

Shen Kang didn't sit down immediately. Instead, he leaned closer to the driver, gripping the armrest, and asked kindly, "Do you know me?"

The driver looked ahead and smiled slightly. "Yes, Mr. Shen. During the summer vacation, when I went to pick up Miss He at the Sheraton Hotel, I saw you from afar. I was in the car at the time, so you probably didn't see me."

When the driver mentioned it, Shen Kang remembered.

That was the first time the four of them had a meal together after they had completed their marriage and adoption procedures.

He Qiuzhu was picked up by a Mercedes-Benz.

It seems that the driver of that car was the one in front of us.

However, this driver must have seen him more than just once; otherwise, how would he even know that his surname was Shen?

Thinking this, Shen Kang suddenly chuckled and said, "He Qiuzhu's uncle is quite low-key; he usually just drives a beat-up Mercedes?"

The driver smiled, said nothing, and just drove steadily.

Shen Kang didn't probe further, but simply asked, "Brother, what is your honorable name?"

"Changming. Chang means prosperous, and Ming means bright."

Shen Kang chatted with Chang Ming for a few more minutes before slowly walking towards the car.

This bus is a mid-to-high-end model from Yutong, with genuine leather seats. The bus is very clean and has about thirty seats, which is more than enough for their group. Each person can sit on two chairs.

In fact, some people do sit like this.

Some people sat together.

When Shen Kang walked over, he saw that everyone had gradually recovered from their quiet state. Some of them were sitting together, whispering to each other.

Halfway through the journey, Shen Kang saw that He Qiuzhu was sitting in a seat at the back, next to Ye Jintong, who was shamelessly talking to her.

Shen Kang glanced at it and continued forward. After taking two more steps, he saw Yin Zhiqian and Ji Chunfu each occupying one of the two seats.

But the two of them still wanted to chat, so they each stuck one of their heads into the aisle and whispered to each other.

"Boiled melon seeds and peanuts, let's wrap this up a bit."

Shen Kang shouted and was about to walk past the two people to find a comfortable two-seater seat to lean against.

Before he could even get past, Ji Chunfu grabbed him and insisted that Shen Kang sit next to him.

Shen Kang had no choice but to sit down next to Ji Chunfu.

Yin Zhiqian's upper body now protruded even further, and he stretched his head out in this direction.

Luckily, he was tall, over 1.9 meters, like a giraffe, and managed to stick his head across the middle of the aisle, whispering, "Old Shen, what kind of families do you two come from? Why are you calling each other 'young master' and 'young lady'?"

Ji Chunfu also pricked up his ears.

Shen Kang retorted irritably, "What family? Just an ordinary family. I'm wondering too, where did these young masters and misses come from?"

Yin Zhiqian looked at him with disbelief. "It's one thing to call a bus late at night, but would an ordinary family have a driver like that? And call you 'young master' and 'young lady'?"

"Also, Chunfu told me how you recruited those guys. A bunch of rich kids were giving you so much face. Are you from an ordinary family?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Shen Kang simply gave up, acting as if he didn't care what anyone thought, since he was just an ordinary family anyway.

Ji Chunfu seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he realized: "I understand. I've heard that some rich kids just want to prove their abilities and hate it when people say their success comes from their family. Boss, you must be like that too, which is why you refuse to admit it and insist that you come from an ordinary family and that your success is entirely due to yourself."

"..."

Shen Kang felt something was off, but he didn't know how to refute it.

If he continues to say that he comes from an ordinary family, it seems to confirm Ji Chunfu's statement.

So I simply kept quiet.

My own "family" is too complicated.

Anyway, his identity can switch back and forth between an ordinary family and a top-tier rich second generation at any time, so he can be flexible and changeable. Let them think what they want.

Seeing that he remained silent, Yin Zhiqian and Ji Chunfu exchanged a glance and realized that this was indeed the case.

Silent journey

The car drove out of the university town and headed west. After driving for more than half an hour, it arrived at the Jinjun Hilton in Beilu District and parked directly in front of the hotel.

The group got out of the car and looked at the hotel in front of them, along with the huge Hilton sign, somewhat bewildered.

They were thinking of having a late-night snack, like barbecue or grilled fish, so why were they brought to the Hilton?

But after a brief moment of confusion, everyone became excited.

This place is much more upscale than those barbecue and grilled fish restaurants in the university town.

The landlady is so nice!

The boss's wife is here, and the bonus is here!

The proprietress is here, and the feast is ready!

Yu Jinping and Lan Lan, however, were not as excited as the students.

Seeing Shen Kang approaching from behind, Yu Jinping spoke up directly, somewhat puzzled: "Shen Kang, did you come to the wrong place? I've stayed at this hotel before. It's already past 10 o'clock, and all their restaurants are closed, leaving only snacks and drinks."

Each hotel is different, and Shen Kang wasn't sure either, so he looked at He Qiuzhu.

Upon looking at it, he realized he had wasted his time.

He Qiuzhu looked completely dumbfounded.

Then Shen Kang withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and said to Jin Ping, "We shouldn't have gone the wrong way."

If He Qiuzhu had placed the order herself, there was a high chance of a misunderstanding. But he clearly heard that He Qiuzhu's call was to Ruan Yue.

He Qiuzhu simply stated her needs; Ruan Yue arranged everything else.

Given Shen Kang's limited understanding of Ruan Yue, Ruan Yue shouldn't be making a mistake.

"How about I go in and take a look first..."

Shen Kang was talking to Yu Jinping.

Some of the students behind had already heard what Yu Jinping had just said, and the news spread immediately, with everyone whispering among themselves.

"Is there no food left at this hour?"

"Did this car drive to the wrong place?"

"Could we have parked in the wrong place instead of driving in the wrong car? Xie Xiaoxu, you have good eyesight, look to the side, is there a place to eat nearby?"

"Do you think I'm an owl? There aren't any shops in sight on either side, just pitch black."

"Then you're not much different from an owl. Those two sides are too far away and too dark, I can't see them clearly."

……

Everyone had a great time today, as our project debut was a complete success and we even received a bonus from the boss.

Even if the car is parked in the wrong place, I don't really care when I'm in a good mood.

Even Xie Xiaoxu, a member of the Singles Association, got excited and said that if they had really stopped at the wrong place, they could have taken a walk at night, chatting and laughing as they went to find a place to eat, which would have been quite a leisurely and elegant experience.

This prompted several people around to chime in, eager to take a nighttime stroll.

It was at this moment that Shen Kang decided to go in alone and ask.

A woman in uniform emerged from the hotel entrance and approached the group, asking, "Are you Miss He?"

"Yes," Shen Kang replied.

He Qiuzhu was standing right next to Shen Kang, and the lady noticed her immediately.

The woman was somewhat amazed, thinking to herself, "I knew I could recognize her at a glance."

In fact, this lady did not know He Qiuzhu, nor did she know what He Qiuzhu looked like.

She had only heard it from others; she didn't need to know her. She said Miss He was very beautiful and she would recognize her at a glance.

The woman was somewhat skeptical at the time, but now that she sees it, it is indeed true.

After being amazed, the woman composed herself and gestured, "Please follow me."

Shen Kang thought to himself, "As expected, there was no mistake." Then he led a group of people and followed the lady inside.

This lady was quite perceptive; seeing He Qiuzhu following closely behind Shen Kang, she didn't ask He Qiuzhu any further questions.

While leading the way, she asked Shen Kang directly, "What kind of late-night snacks would you like? Chinese food? Western food? We can arrange that. The executive lounge and specialty bars are also open. If you'd like to have some barbecue or similar snacks while you drink, we can arrange that too."

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang, having nothing better to do, casually asked, "Want some Turkish food? Do you have any?"

The woman paused for a moment, but did not stop walking.

After taking a couple of steps, he smiled and said, "Sure. But we might need to allocate more manpower, so you might have to wait a while. In the meantime, you can have some other snacks."

Shen Kang laughed, "Then forget it, I'll ask them what they want to eat."

He immediately turned his head and asked He Qiuzhu what she wanted to eat.

He Qiuzhu said it was up to her.

If other girls said "whatever," then it really wouldn't be a casual remark. But when He Qiuzhu said "whatever," it meant she really meant it. She'd be happy even if you just took her to Shaxian for noodles—Shen Kang had actually tested this.

So he skipped He Qiuzhu and prepared to ask the others in the back.

Everyone was still quite surprised and was whispering among themselves in the back.

"Damn it, weren't they saying there was no food left at this time?"

"Didn't you hear that woman ask as soon as she came in, 'Are you Miss He?' She must have received instructions to be treated specially."

"Have you noticed? Everyone starts by asking about Miss He first. It's like the boss's 'young master' was a free gift."

"Hey, it's true. At least the driver called me 'Young Master' the other day, but this one doesn't seem to recognize the boss at all."

"He's starting to look more and more like a gigolo son-in-law."

While everyone was talking about Mr. Shen behind his back, Mr. Shen turned around and asked them what they wanted to eat.

Everyone felt a little guilty, so they quickly stopped discussing and started reporting their findings one by one.

"Anything will do."

"Yes, yes, all I need is some twice-cooked pork."

"I'll just grill the skewers."

"Actually, I want to eat sushi."...

This group of unreliable people says "whatever" but they really don't hold back when it comes to ordering food. They can have whatever they want, but thankfully, it's all within the usual range.

Except for Yip Kam Tong.

The guy stroked his chin, his eyes darting around, and said, "Actually, I've always wanted to try what crocodile meat tastes like."

Shen Kang gave a forced smile: "You look like a crocodile to me."

Then, looking at the woman leading the way, he said, "Ignore the one who wants to eat crocodile meat. The others, are they alright?"

The lady was very professional, noting everything down on the spot, and smiled, saying, "No problem." She then added, "Actually, crocodile meat is also fine. We happen to have some in stock; it's farmed, but I don't know if this lady would mind if it's frozen."

"..."

Shen Kang was having a hard time keeping up.

Ye Jintong, however, was very excited, "Okay, okay, I don't mind!"

After walking a few more steps, Shen Kang suddenly asked the woman, "Are you really staff members of this hotel?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, glanced at Shen Kang, then at He Qiuzhu who was clinging to Shen Kang, before saying, "To be precise, part of it is, and the other part is outsourced."

Shen Kang laughed. "Just a temporary worker, huh?"

The woman laughed too, "Yes, just a temporary worker."

Shen Kang sighed, "Temporary work is tough. The salary is lower than that of regular employees, and you have to take the blame when something goes wrong. Have you ever considered changing jobs? I might open a hotel in the future. I think you're a talented person. If you come here, you'll at least have the benefits of a regular employee, and we'll definitely pay for your social insurance and housing fund. It's better than being a temporary worker."

Now it was the lady's turn to be a little flustered, but she still smiled professionally: "Sir, you were joking."

"Hehe, if you don't want to, then forget it. May I ask your surname, sister?"

"No need for formalities, my surname is Jiao."

"What a good surname!"

Shen Kang chatted idly with Ms. Jiao as they walked.

Ms. Jiao did not ask them any further questions about the dining location, but instead led them directly to a Western restaurant on the 26th floor.

The restaurant is quite large, with square tables arranged in the central seating area, each with an adjustable light hanging above it.

There is a row of glass curtain walls facing outwards, along which are some curved booths, and outside is the city night view of Beilu District.

It was late at night, and the lights were on, but they were the only customers; the only other staff were the waiters.

Shen Kang, with his sharp eyes, noticed that besides their group of guests, there was another guest sitting in a curved booth by the glass curtain wall...