We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

The eldest uncle's and aunt's families were the first to arrive.

Cousin Zhang Pengfei followed behind his aunt, and as soon as he saw Ye Chen standing at the door to greet guests, he immediately looked away.

He sheepishly found a corner seat, took out his phone, and frantically tapped away, not daring to lift his head.

Uncle stepped forward, patted Ye Jianguo on the shoulder, and said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Old Ye, this is quite a spectacle today, wasn't it? It must have cost a fortune!"

Ye Jianguo stood up straight, grinning from ear to ear.

"It only happens once in a lifetime, so we have to make it the grandest!"

Just then, Zhao Peng and his family pushed open the door and walked in.

After settling his parents in, Zhao Peng immediately sneaked up to Ye Chen and whispered.

"Chenzi, guess who I just saw in the lobby downstairs?"

Ye Chen picked up the teapot, poured himself a glass of water, and spoke calmly.

"Who?"

"That big idiot Li Hao!"

Zhao Peng snatched the teacup from Ye Chen's hand and downed it in one gulp.

"His family is having a graduation celebration banquet here today too!"

"We booked the largest hall on the second floor, the Dragon and Phoenix Hall, and set up a full thirty tables!"

"The welcome sign at the entrance is taller than a person, as if he's afraid people won't know he only got into a lousy university!"

Ye Chen's hand holding the teapot didn't even pause for a moment.

"He scored 582 on the exam, so it's normal for him to hold a banquet."

"Normal my ass!" Zhao Peng pulled up a chair and sat down, looking completely displeased.

"You didn't see his smug, petty face!"

"Lin Wanqing is here too. I heard her father has business dealings with Li Hao's father."

"That kid Li Hao is dressed like a wedding groom, showing off by scattering cigarettes all over the hall. He's got his eyes practically on the top of his head!"

Ye Chen put down the teapot without even lifting his eyelids.

"Let him be."

Someone of Li Hao's caliber isn't even qualified to be his stepping stone.

It's almost midnight.

Most of the relatives and friends in the Fugui Hall were present.

Ye Chen glanced at the newly bought Casio watch on his wrist and stood up.

"Teacher Liu should be arriving soon. I'll go downstairs to meet her."

Zhao Peng immediately jumped up.

"I'll go with you. We can see what kind of trouble that bastard Li Hao will cause this time!"

The lobby on the first floor was bustling with noise.

Li Hao was wearing a custom-made silver-gray suit, and his hair was coated with thick hair wax.

He was standing with a middle-aged man with a beer belly, greeting guests at the door.

That was his father, Li Jianming, a locally well-known building materials merchant.

The rest area not far away.

Lin Wanqing was wearing a light blue fitted dress.

Beneath the hem of her skirt were a pair of long, straight, fair legs, exuding a cool and aloof aura that kept strangers at bay.

She was standing with several female classmates, looking somewhat distracted.

Ye Chen and Zhao Peng had just stepped out of the elevator.

Li Hao's gaze swept over them with pinpoint accuracy, as if equipped with radar.

His eyes lit up, and he stuffed the brand-new Nokia N97 in his hand into his pocket and swaggered forward.

"Hey, isn't this our top science student?"

"What a coincidence, you're also having a banquet here?"

Ye Chen stopped in his tracks, put his hands in his pockets, and didn't even look at him.

Seeing that Ye Chen remained silent, Li Hao assumed he was feeling guilty, and the sneer at the corner of his mouth became even more pronounced.

He looked Ye Chen up and down in his ordinary casual clothes, speaking in an exaggerated tone.

"The Grand Hall, right?"

"I just passed by and took a look. Ten tables, that's a bit shabby."

"How about you move your ten tables of relatives to my table?"

"Anyway, my thirty tables won't be full, so my dad will pay for them."

"We're all classmates, let's have a good time together."

As soon as these words were spoken, many guests in the hall turned their attention to them.

The girls in the rest area also stopped talking.

Lin Wanqing turned her head, her cold eyes fixed on Ye Chen, her expression complex.

Zhao Peng's anger surged to the top of his head, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse.

Ye Chen raised a hand and stopped Zhao Peng.

He finally turned his head and glanced at Li Hao.

His gaze was as calm as if he were looking at a bag of trash on the roadside.

"No."

His tone was flat, yet it carried an overwhelming sense of absolute superiority.

Li Hao felt inexplicably flustered by that look, and then became angry and embarrassed.

"Fine, I'm giving you face, but you don't appreciate it."

"However, Ye Chen, as an old classmate, I'd like to give you a friendly reminder."

"What good are good grades once you enter the workforce!"

"Circles, connections, and capital—these are the real hard currency!"

"No matter how well you do on your exams, you'll still have to work for someone else after graduation, won't you?"

Li Jianming walked over at this moment, holding a wine glass, his big belly sticking out.

"Haozi, is this the classmate who got first place in the whole school?"

He glanced at Ye Chen, his attitude extremely arrogant.

"The young man did well on the exam."

"But now college students are everywhere, they're not worth much anymore."

"If you can't find a good job after graduation, you can come to your uncle's building materials factory."

"Uncle will arrange a workshop supervisor position for you, out of respect for Haozi."

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the surrounding area.

Li Hao raised his chin smugly and looked at Ye Chen provocatively.

Today, he was going to trample Ye Chen's dignity under his feet in front of Lin Wanqing.

Lin Wanqing bit her rosy lower lip and subconsciously took a step forward.

She wanted to speak up to help Ye Chen out of this predicament, but she didn't know what stance to take.

Just when everyone was waiting to see Ye Chen make a fool of himself.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Li Hao and his son, and looking out of the restaurant.

"Are you done talking?"

Ye Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Make way after you've finished speaking; a good dog doesn't block the way."

Li Hao's smile froze abruptly, and his face turned ashen.

"Ye Chen! Don't you dare push your luck!"

Li Jianming's face also darkened, and he was about to lash out.

A shiny black Audi A6 was parked steadily in front of the restaurant.

The car door opened.

Class teacher Liu Haifeng got out of the car first, and then respectfully opened the back door.

A middle-aged man with a refined demeanor and frameless glasses walked down.

Zhou Mingyuan, the principal of No. 1 Middle School.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Li Jianming's eyes widened in disbelief.

He shoved Li Hao, who was blocking his way, yanked off his suit jacket, and rushed forward in three quick steps.

His greasy face was plastered with a fawning smile.

"Oh dear! Principal Zhou!"

"Why did you come in person!"

"My son Li Hao is having a celebration banquet today to celebrate his graduation from university. It's truly an honor to have you here!"

"Please come in! The main table, the most prestigious table, has been prepared for you in the Dragon and Phoenix Hall!"

Zhou Mingyuan stopped in his tracks.

He frowned slightly, looked Li Jianming up and down, his eyes full of unfamiliarity.

"Who are you?"

Li Jianming rubbed his hands awkwardly.

"Principal, you must have a bad memory."

"I am Li Hao's father, Li Jianming, and I'm in the building materials business."

"Last year, when the No. 1 Middle School was renovating its old playground, I even donated 20,000 yuan worth of paint to the school!"