After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

"Tsk, so possessive of your food." Zhu Xun Chuan's face was being pinched, but his hands were not behaving properly. His slender fingers slid down the leather seat and covered her crossed knees, his fingertips gently caressing the edge of her black stockings.

Meng Wanqing's breath hitched. She instinctively tried to pull her legs back, but Zhu Xunchuan's strength was surprisingly great, holding her firmly.

"Stop fooling around, there are people ahead." She lowered her voice, which had a hint of coquettish huskiness in it.

"What's wrong with someone?" Zhu Xun Chuan not only didn't let go, but instead brazenly pressed his palm against the warmth of her thigh. "Does this count as a deep exchange?"

The driver's eyes inadvertently swept across the scene in the rearview mirror. When he saw the young lady, who was usually aloof and never even glanced at men, being touched on the thigh and pushed and pulled by this young man with her cheeks flushed, he was so startled that he swerved the steering wheel.

The Hongqi car swayed slightly.

Meng Wanqing's eyes flashed coldly, instantly regaining their sharp edge. She glanced up at the rearview mirror.

"If you don't want your eyes anymore, I can have someone gouge them out for you. Raise the barrier."

The driver was terrified and quickly pressed the button.

The black soundproof and visual barrier slowly rose, turning the back seat into an absolutely private and independent space.

The moment the barrier closed completely, Zhu Xunchuan pulled Meng Wanqing into his arms.

"There's no one here now." He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her neck.

Meng Wanqing stopped struggling and instead leaned against his strong chest. She reached out and touched his lips, blocking his advances.

"Tonight's gathering isn't as easy as you think." Meng Wanqing's eyes cleared a bit. "The place we're going to later is called 'Huangpu Club.' The main character of tonight's welcoming banquet is Ye Shaoqing, the eldest grandson of the Ye family."

"Is that the refined scoundrel who wanted to marry you?" Zhu Xun Chuan took her hand and kissed it.

"The Ye family has made a fortune in shipping and ocean trade over the past few years, and now they desperately need political backing," Meng Wanqing said seriously. "Ye Shaoqing is an extremely shrewd man. The commotion you caused at the airport has probably reached his ears by now. Tonight, he will definitely try every means to test your background, and may even embarrass you in public."

"Testing me?" Zhu Xun Chuan leaned back in his chair, a wild glint in his eyes. He gently squeezed Meng Wan Qing's smooth calf, his tone arrogant, "Sister Wan Qing, I didn't come to Shanghai to be a coward. If he dares to lay a finger on me, I'll chop his hand off in front of all the powerful figures in Shanghai."

Looking at his arrogant and confident demeanor, Meng Wanqing's heart skipped a beat for no reason. The boy who had made her blush with embarrassment in the video three years ago had truly grown into a fierce beast capable of intimidating a pack of wolves.

"Okay." She took his hand in return, her red lips slightly parted, "Tonight, I'll see what you're really capable of."

Night falls and the city lights begin to twinkle.

The Hongqi H9 slowly came to a stop in front of a historic French-style building on the banks of the Huangpu River.

The three gilded characters of "Huangpu Club" exuded a century of accumulated extravagance in the night. A doorman in a tailcoat respectfully stepped forward and opened the car door.

Zhu Xun Chuan got out of the car first, then took Meng Wan Qing's arm and helped her down in a very gentlemanly manner.

Led by the welcoming manager, the two walked through a long corridor covered with a thick wool carpet.

We stopped outside a carved sandalwood private room door.

The manager was about to knock on the door.

Suddenly, a loud, mocking laugh came from inside the door. The sound clearly reached their ears through the crack in the door.

"Come on, everyone, open your eyes wide! Let's see who this amazing person is who can pluck this high-and-mighty flower from our Shanghai!"

A man's voice, half-joking, said, "To win over Sister Meng, you'd be a princeling in Beijing's elite circles, no, not even a princeling. Hahahaha!"

A burst of laughter echoed from inside the private room.

Outside the No. 1 private room of Huangpu Club.

Before the laughter inside had subsided, Zhu Xun Chuan flicked his wrist and pushed open the sandalwood door.

Inside the private room, a luxurious French crystal chandelier cast a warm yellow light. A dozen or so well-dressed young men and women were gathered around a long sofa, raising their glasses. When the door was pushed open, their laughter abruptly stopped.

The slightly chubby young man with the red diamond earring who had just made those outrageous remarks was holding a half-empty glass of Romanée-Conti, his mouth still slightly open, his gaze fixed on Zhu Xun Chuan as he entered.

There was no scene like the one in the melodramatic soap opera where someone points their finger at you and berates you for being poor.

These privileged second-generation elites from Shanghai, born into privilege, have a sharper eye than anyone else.

Zhu Xun Chuan was only wearing a custom-made shirt with a subtle pattern and no logo, but anyone in the know could tell at a glance that the shirt's cut and sheen cost at least several hundred thousand yuan.

Not to mention the Patek Philippe Nautilus discontinued model worth twelve million dollars that he casually fiddled with his cufflinks, its dark silver sheen gleaming on his wrist.

Combined with the overwhelming aura of charisma emanating from him, Zhu Xun Chuan could easily convince these people that he was the hidden crown prince of an oil-producing country in the Middle East.

"Good evening, everyone." Zhu Xun Chuan put his arm around Meng Wan Qing's slender waist, strode into the private room, and a roguish smile appeared on his lips. "I'm Wan Qing's boyfriend, please take care of me."

A casual remark drew everyone's attention.

The man with the earring blushed, his hand holding the wine glass awkwardly hanging in mid-air.

Today, Meng Wanqing wore a khaki trench coat over a tight black mini dress, her long, slender legs encased in top-tier haute couture black stockings, and red-soled CL heels, exuding a captivating charm with the composure of a superior. She coldly swept her gaze around the private room.

"Fatty Xu, you're really meddling in my business, aren't you? You're even talking about me, Meng Wanqing?"

Fatty Xu swallowed hard, just about to force a smile to smooth things over, when a little girl suddenly stood up from the corner of the sofa.

The girl was at most eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing the latest Chanel sailor uniform, with her hair tied in arrogant pigtails, and her long legs in white stockings were dazzling.

She was fiddling with a dart in her hand, her face radiating an arrogant "I'll stand up for others" attitude.

This is Ye Shaoqing's younger sister, Ye Chuchu, the little devil from Shanghai, who should be sitting in the main seat today.

Her brother was so angry about his fiancée being stolen that he didn't come. Today, she's here specifically to stand in for her brother and give the wild man Meng Wanqing brought back a hard time.

As soon as she looked up and saw Zhu Xun Chuan's face, she threw the dart aside and put on a docile expression.

That height, those defined abs, that damn cool and arrogant vibe!

Ye Chuchu's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights. She darted in front of Fatty Xu and slapped him on the back of the head: "Fatty Xu, are you looking for death?! If you can't speak properly, then shut up! Who are you to gossip about Sister Meng?!"

Even Meng Wanqing raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hello handsome, my name is Ye Chuchu." The little witch completely ignored the deep-seated hatred over her brother being cheated on, and approached Zhu Xun Chuan, extending her delicate white hand. Her eyes sparkled. "My brother, that refined scoundrel, is no match for Sister Wanqing. I thought you two were a perfect match at first glance. Can we add each other on WeChat?"

Zhu Xun Chuan almost burst out laughing. This whole power struggle hadn't even started, and the enemy's general had already defected?