I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

When Jiang Chen pushed open the heavy, gilded wooden door of the "Emperor's Suite" on the third floor of the "Golden Splendor" Hotel.

A wave of heat, a mixture of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and cheap perfume, hit me.

A dozen or so people were already scattered around the huge round dining table.

The men gathered in small groups, puffing on cigarettes and talking loudly, boasting about how much money they had made in a year and which "bureau" leaders they knew.

The women huddled together, chattering about whose bag was the newest and whose lipstick color was the prettiest, occasionally letting out bursts of shrill laughter.

The entire private room was noisy and filled with smoke.

Jiang Chen's appearance caused an eerie, half-second pause in the boisterous atmosphere of the private room.

Everyone's conversations stopped instinctively.

A dozen or so pairs of eyes, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, surprise, and inquiry, suddenly focused on the lone figure walking in through the doorway.

no way.

Jiang Chen is now too conspicuous.

With a height of nearly 1.85 meters and a tall, slender figure, he stood out like a poplar tree among his peers who were generally starting to gain weight and lose their figures.

More importantly, it's his aura.

The accumulation of over 30 million in wealth, along with repeated successful blunders, has long since shed the naivety and silence of his high school days.

Instead, there is a calm and composed demeanor, and a deep-seated sense of relaxation that comes from being indifferent to everything around them.

Even though he was only wearing the simplest casual clothes, his face was expressionless.

But just by standing there, he exudes a powerful aura.

"Wow...is that Jiang Chen?"

A female classmate with exquisite makeup, who was not particularly noticeable in class back then, couldn't help but cover her mouth and whisper to her best friend next to her.

"He's changed so much! He's so much more handsome than he was in high school!"

"Yes, yes, it's like she's a completely different person. Her aura is amazing!"

Amid the women's whispers.

A woman sitting next to the main seat, dressed in a well-fitting dress and exuding a gentle temperament, couldn't help but glance at Jiang Chen several times.

A complex light flashed in her eyes.

She is Li Jing, the undisputed class beauty and the dream girl of countless boys.

In high school, she was as proud as a swan, and she wouldn't even give Jiang Chen, a boy with mediocre grades and a quiet demeanor, a second glance.

Now, she works as a clerk in a public institution in the county, with a mediocre position, and her husband is also an ordinary civil servant.

Life went on uneventfully, but you could see the end of it all at a glance.

Seeing Jiang Chen again, and witnessing the transformative change in him, Li Jing felt a ripple in her heart that she couldn't quite explain.

"Oh my! Our elite, we've been waiting for you!"

After a brief silence, squad leader Zhou Qiang was the first to react.

He immediately jumped up from his seat with a big smile, greeted Jiang Chen enthusiastically, and patted Jiang Chen's shoulder forcefully, as if the two were the best of brothers.

"You're a different person now! That air of confidence and style—you'd be a natural in a big city like Shanghai!"

Without saying a word, Zhou Qiang pulled Jiang Chen aside and placed him in an important position next to him.

On one side of this spot was him, and on the other side was Li Jing, the class beauty.

Everyone took their seats, and the insincere small talk began again.

Zhou Qiang poured Jiang Chen a cup of hot tea, seemingly unintentionally steer the conversation toward what he cared about most.

"By the way, Jiang Chen, how did you get here? Didn't you drive?"

He spoke loudly, making sure most people at the table could hear him.

"I saw several nice cars in the parking lot downstairs just now, like BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. I thought one of them must be yours."

That's a very insightful question.

It was like a casual expression of concern between old classmates, yet also like a poisoned probe, precisely piercing the point that everyone was curious about.

At the table, several male classmates who considered themselves to be doing well immediately perked up their ears, holding their teacups and pretending to drink water, but actually waiting to hear Jiang Chen's answer.

A man wearing a tight Jack & Jones jacket, with a huge beer belly and a gold chain as thick as a little finger around his neck, immediately took over the conversation.

His name is Zhao Dabao. He runs a small decoration company in the county town. He takes on odd jobs all year round and earns a little money through hard work. He thinks he's someone important.

He deliberately dangled the Tissot watch he had just bought on his wrist, and in a tone of superiority that suggested he had been there, he "came out" of Jiang Chen's predicament.

"Oh dear, class monitor, you didn't know that!"

"Jiang Chen works in a major international metropolis! Shanghai is so congested! Driving your own car is no better than taking the subway! It's more environmentally friendly and convenient, right, Jiang Chen?"

He talked about "environmental protection," but his sarcastic tone and the undisguised mockery on his face clearly said: You're just a poor loser squeezing onto the subway in Shanghai, you don't even own a car!

The atmosphere at the table instantly became somewhat awkward.

All eyes were on Jiang Chen, waiting to see how he would deal with this barbed "concern".

However, Jiang Chen's reaction disappointed everyone.

There was no trace of embarrassment or anger on his face.

He simply smiled faintly, picked up the cup of scalding hot tea in front of him, blew on it, and slowly took a sip.

Then, in a nonchalant, almost dismissive tone, he casually replied.

"Oh, the car was taken for maintenance."

"Too lazy to drive, just take a taxi, it's very convenient."

This answer was neither humble nor arrogant, and it was watertight.

He neither admitted nor denied owning a car.