Chapter 335: Celebration Banquet

Ling Chen didn’t know how to describe it; he just felt that one moment Qin Wu appeared like a mortal fairy, and the next, with a smile, she was transformed into a celestial maiden descending to earth, shrouded in a hazy splendor, extremely beautiful yet elusive.

"Mr. Ling’s approach to winning people over with virtue is quite interesting."

"Wealth and martial arts ethics—well, virtue isn’t necessarily something you talk about, but also something you need to act upon. Just like love, all talk and no practice is just a sham. You have to do… ah! Oops, off-topic! Miss Qin, have you agreed?"

"Of course. I also want to know who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"

"Miss Qin is wise and magnificent!"

"Your flattery is a bit much!"

Ling Chen gave an awkward smile, and Qin Wu turned and left gracefully.

Picking up Lady Su to take her straight home, her mood was not very pleasant. She felt that Ling Chen did not give her face and failed to show off his prowess as described in movies and novels to vent her frustration for her.

This made her doubt her sister’s judgment. This guy hardly resembled the legendary prince on the white horse that came to her rescue; instead, he was more like the incessant nagging Monk Tang, who also rode a white horse.

Along the way, Lady Su found various ways to torment Ling Chen; now she wanted to drink coffee, then eat ice cream, later go shopping for clothes, and even blatantly wished to visit a club. After several rounds of this, the sky was already getting dark.

Ling Chen today was absolutely a model of manhood, with a temper so good it was beyond reproach. Even when Lady Su nit-picked like she was looking through a magnifying glass, she had to admit that Ling Chen was really putting effort into appeasing her!

"Why aren’t you angry today?"

"What are you saying? You’re actually hoping I would get angry?"

"No." Su Lin shook her head thoughtfully. "You usually don’t have such a good temper. Tell me, did you do something guilty?"

Ling Chen sneered, "If I really did something wrong, the one I wouldn’t dare face would be your sister, not you. Who do you think you are?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, a tender little spring onion, quite delicate!"

"Stop beating around the bush, come clean!"

"Really, there’s nothing. Aren’t I just going along with you because you’re in a bad mood? After all, when a lady has her relative over, you shouldn’t take her seriously; if it can be overlooked, then let it slide."

Su Lin was taken aback, her face suddenly flushed red, and she spoke uneasily, "You! You! How did you know I was on my period?"

"What’s so strange about that? Have you forgotten that night when the two of us…" Ling Chen gave her a meaningful smile filled with implications.

Su Lin’s face turned even redder. That night, by some strange twist of fate, they had run into each other in the bathroom, and by another twist, they got entangled together. If it weren’t for her sister suddenly coming out, who knows what might have happened. Still, nothing did happen, so how could he know she was on her period?

"I felt it; after all, there was something padded." Ling Chen spoke indifferently, but his heart was twitching. Discussing physiological matters with a stunningly attractive lady who had a flirtatious relation with him—could there be anything more stimulating?

Su Lin was so embarrassed she nearly wished she could bury her head between her legs, thinking to herself that this guy really was her nemesis!

The first time she watched that sort of movie, he ran into her. The first time she bought those apparatuses, he saw them. Now, he even intimately sensed when she was on her period. Was this the rhythm of embarrassing her to the fullest?

"Are you cold?" Su Lin forced herself to pretend she didn’t care. She knew that the more she showed her bashfulness, the more pleased the other party would become, so she quickly changed the subject.

"It’s not cold at all!"

"Why are you shivering if it’s not cold?"

"Um… Maybe it’s the precursor to a stroke." Ling Chen made a grimace and poked fun at himself. He certainly couldn’t tell her that he was laughing to himself so hard that he started to tremble.

Su Lin ignored him. As soon as they got home and she opened the car door, she ran upstairs and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ling Chen smiled and was just about to step inside when his phone rang again.

"Chen, where are you?"

"Haozi? I’m at home. What’s up?"

Nanrong Hao laughed happily over the phone, cackling like a duck. "It’s great news! Come on over! We’re all here at First-class Residence in the southern city!"

Hearing the words "great news," Ling Chen couldn’t help but shiver. The last time it was "great news," he ended up picking the thorny rose Xia Mutong. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t pleased or happy, but it was also true that he had a headache. How was he supposed to interact with her in the future?

"I’m not going. I’m afraid of falling for you guys’ tricks again!"

Nanrong Hao laughed even more creepily today, still cackling gleefully. "Chen, if it weren’t for my call last time, you would still be lost in bliss! Never mind that; if you really don’t like it, we won’t arrange it anymore. Hurry up and come over, there’s a huge piece of good news!"

At this point, Ling Chen more or less understood. The so-called huge piece of good news must be related to the ownership issue of the Dongyi Group’s venue. But it hadn’t been long. How did they manage to secure it so smoothly?

Curious, he decided not to enter the house and turned around to drive straight to First-class Residence.

What he didn’t know was that Lady Su, who had gone upstairs earlier, saw him get back into the car from the balcony. In anger, she threw the box in her hand heavily and closed the door to attend to her own affairs.

On the way, Ling Chen called Jiang Yunkai to tell him the location to meet up directly there, without specifying what the matter was.

Jiang Yunkai was obedient. Having lost a martial arts bet before, he knew this day would come. Without asking any questions, he simply hung up the phone.

First-class Residence isn’t big but has its uniqueness. The whole place is arranged like the prosperous era of the Tang dynasty. The waitstaff shuttled back and forth in imperial Hanfu outfits. Red and golden lanterns of various sizes were hanging everywhere, and exquisite screens were placed meticulously throughout the hall.

The floor is entirely made of tempered glass with a pool below where fish swam, playing beneath the feet of the patrons, adding a unique charm.

It was when Ling Chen arrived at First-class Residence that he learned there were twenty-four private rooms in total, each named after a meritorious general of the Tang dynasty’s Lingyan Pavilion, which served as a distinction. The room Nanrong Hao and his group booked was named ’Duke Lu Mansion.’

Duke Lu was Cheng Yaojin, a marauding demon, a bandit leader, which quite complemented their current identities.

Entering the private room, a whole bunch of people were already waiting. Nanrong Hao, Jiang Hao, Zhao Zhengxiong, and other leading figures—all longtime core members who had fought their way up together—were present.

When Ling Chen walked in, everyone stood up in unison, shouting "Chen!" causing the nearby waitstaff to look on with amazement. This young man, aside from being somewhat handsome, didn’t seem to have any other outstanding qualities. Why were these people all showing him such respect?

Ling Chen was used to their mannerisms and smiled as he gestured with his hands, not making a big deal of it.

"Everyone’s here? Why not start drinking?"

"Chen, who would dare to move chopsticks till you arrive?" Jiang Hao said jokingly, with others nodding in agreement.

Ling Chen gave him a disdainful look and snorted, "All those present are brothers of our own. There’s not a single outsider. What’s with putting up such pretenses? If we need to stick to such rotten rules among our own brothers, we might as well disband and be comfortable!"

Jiang Hao laughed without taking offense, but the older folks’ eyes showed moved expressions. Zhao Zhengxiong let out a sigh with a self-deprecating smile. "If everyone had Chen’s magnanimity and open-heartedness, the scene wouldn’t be as chaotic as it is now."