Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 433: Grand Banquet

Qu Jing understood perfectly well why these simply dressed classmates had shown up.Qu Jing knew that Zheng Yanyan, Su Qing, and the other girls who were close to Zhou Yuwen went around the university every day flaunting his name, boasting about how wonderful their relationship with him was.

Now that Zhou Yuwen was throwing a party, they were showing off all over campus, clamoring to bring their good friends from the university to join the fun.

The problem was their complete lack of awareness regarding the occasion. Was it really appropriate to bring a bunch of sheltered students to a gathering like this?

In any case, Qu Jing prioritized Zhou Yuwen's interests. She truly detested Zheng Yanyan's ostentatious personality, so naturally, she did not have a pleasant expression for these students who came to crash the party.

After leading You Changjin and the others into the courtyard, Liu Yue and the other girls found everything fascinating. They marveled at the desserts arranged on the tables and the champagne glasses stacked like a pyramid.

Looking at what others were holding, they wondered why there were Boston lobsters and crayfish.

Liu Yue was bold enough to ask anything, directly blurting out, "Hey, where did you get all this lobster?"

The other guests then informed her that those items had to be ordered from the chef.

Half-understanding, Liu Yue ran over and asked Qu Jing, "Can we go order some too?"

Qu Jing was thoroughly disgusted by Liu Yue's unsophisticated behavior. "This is the free-roaming area," she explained coldly. "You can have the fruit and drinks here. The barbecue and ordering area are behind the house. If you want to eat, you can go order it yourselves."

"Oh, okay! Thank you, Senior Sister Qu Jing!"

Surprisingly, Liu Yue actually knew Qu Jing. Even so, Qu Jing still did not give her a friendly look. After finishing her explanation, she simply stated she had other matters to attend to and promptly left.

Left standing there, Liu Yue and her friends watched the men and women coming and going in their gorgeous clothes, surrounded by a dazzling array of exquisite food and fine wine. They truly felt like country bumpkins stepping into a grand palace.

While the other girls might have been somewhat reserved, Liu Yue was not self-conscious in the slightest. She ate whatever she wanted and took whatever she pleased, even offering her evaluation as she remarked, "I really envy Senior Sister Qu Jing."

"I want to be just like Senior Sister Qu Jing in the future. Look at her outfit—black stockings and high heels. She looks exactly like a powerful businesswoman. I want to be like her so badly! That outfit of hers looks incredibly expensive!"

Liu Yue spoke to Ma Tian and Li Jing as she wandered around grabbing food, treating the event like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Ma Tian and Li Jing also whispered among themselves, noting that everyone here seemed to be wearing incredibly expensive clothes.

"Yeah, I thought it was just a simple get-together. I never expected it to feel like such a high-end party. Zhou Yuwen really is on another level."

Gu Yaoyao, who was following behind them, had more or less guessed that this would be the case. She had specifically worn her most expensive dress—an off-the-shoulder gown—paired with elegant high heels.

This entire outfit cost nearly two thousand yuan.

When she first put on the dress to come over, Liu Yue had even teased her, saying it was unnecessary.

Now, it seemed she had made the right choice.

However, even so, Gu Yaoyao still felt a bit restrained in such a setting.

Fortunately, she was beautiful, and simply stood there enjoying the food.

Already, an impeccably dressed man had walked over to strike up a conversation.

It could not be helped; pretty girls simply enjoyed such privileges.

Unfortunately for him, Gu Yaoyao shook her head and politely declined.

Meanwhile, Ma Tian and Li Jing were consumed by envy, fantasizing about how wonderful it would be if a boy came over to strike up a conversation with them at an event like this.

"Is that Senior Sister Tao Tian?"

"What she is wearing looks really expensive too."

The girls whispered gossip among themselves in the middle of the banquet. Tao Tian's entrance had indeed stunned the crowd. She was wearing a milky-white mermaid dress that perfectly accentuated her excellent figure, the fabric stretching tightly over her curves. The moment she appeared, countless eyes lit up.

Naturally, people approached to strike up a conversation with her as well.

However, Tao Tian simply gave a polite shake of her head and refused them.

If anyone dared to harass her further, Liu Shuo, who was working part-time as the head of security here, would certainly not let them off easily.

For an occasion like this, not only were waitresses present, but waiters were also essential.

The waitresses, for instance, were all attractive female students from the nearby art academy or local universities working part-time.

These staff members were uniformly managed by Qu Jing and Tao Tian. Their duties included serving drinks and snacks to the guests or acting as guides.

Minmin was one of the waitresses at the moment. However, seeing Qu Jing and Tao Tian dressed in all sorts of beautiful clothes while she had to wear a standard uniform qipao like the other girls, Minmin felt a strong sense of unfairness. Instead of working diligently like the others, she actually took advantage of moments when no one was looking to sneak pieces of fruit.

Tao Tian spotted this from a distance. Unable to hold back, she walked over, pulled Minmin aside, and asked what was going on.

"I did you a huge favor just letting you in here. How can you be sneaking food?" Tao Tian asked in frustration.

Caught red-handed, Minmin naturally felt a bit embarrassed. She just gave a cheeky laugh and said, "The banquet has only just started, right? Besides, having a bite or two is no big deal. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

"Sweetie, these cherries are actually quite delicious!" Minmin said, picking up a large cherry and offering it to Tao Tian.

But Tao Tian simply rolled her eyes. "If you want to eat, you can have as much as you want after the banquet is over. But since you are here to work as a waitress right now, at least try to act like one!"

Hearing this, Minmin pouted. "If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed to be a waitress. Look at those poor classmates of Zhou Yuwen. Aren't they over there eating and taking whatever they want?"

Minmin was referring to Liu Yue and her group.

Those words left Tao Tian speechless.

That was until Qu Jing, dressed in black stockings and frowning deeply, silently appeared behind Minmin and demanded, "What are you doing!?"

Startled by Qu Jing's voice, Minmin jumped and hastily hid the cherry behind her back. "N-nothing!"

But Qu Jing's eyes were sharp. She instantly caught Minmin's little movement and furrowed her brows. "What are you hiding?"

As Minmin kept insisting it was nothing, Qu Jing directly grabbed her hand, catching her red-handed with the evidence.

She immediately lashed out, "We brought you here to be a waitress, and you're just eating and taking things?"

"If you can do the job, then do it. If you can't, then stop embarrassing Sweetie and me."

Feeling deeply wronged by Qu Jing's reprimand, Minmin tried to use Liu Yue's group as an excuse to argue back.

But Qu Jing cut her off, pointing out that those girls, at the very least, weren't drawing a salary.

"You're making five hundred yuan a day, yet you expect to be treated like a guest."

"How does that make you any different from those hypocritical women who want to be whores but still demand a monument to their chastity?"

"I..."

Qu Jing had been a bit too harsh, and a wave of grievance immediately washed over Minmin.

Tao Tian interjected at that moment. "Alright, Jingjing, Minmin didn't do it intentionally. A quick scolding is enough. Minmin, it looks like they are out of cantaloupe over there. Go tell someone to restock it."

Minmin nodded and turned to leave.

Still annoyed as she watched Minmin's retreating back, Qu Jing muttered, "I told you we shouldn't have let her come, but you refused to listen. See? With her temper, she's going to cause trouble sooner or later!"

All Tao Tian could say was, "I will keep a closer eye on her."

Qu Jing sighed, complaining that they were already short-handed, yet she had to invite this troublemaker over.

"Zhou Yuwen is simply too kind-hearted. This was supposed to be a business gathering, but look at the crowd he invited. It really lowers the class of the whole banquet." Qu Jing was, of course, referring to Liu Yue's group. In reality, it wasn't just Liu Yue; there were also the classmates dragged along by Zheng Yanyan and the others. By this time, Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin had already arrived early. Zheng Yanyan was wearing a sparkling pink slip mermaid dress and was currently surrounded by a group of girls showering her with compliments.

Lu Lin, on the other hand, was dressed in a pale green mermaid gown. The styles of their dresses were quite similar, and both carried a price tag in the five-figure range.

Zheng Yanyan thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being praised by everyone, while Lu Lin stood quietly by her side, not saying much.

Qu Jing assumed that Liu Yue and her friends had also been invited by Zheng Yanyan's group.

But Tao Tian informed her that Liu Yue and the others were Zhou Yuwen's classmates, which made the situation a bit different.

"That man wearing glasses looks like Zhou Yuwen's counselor. He must have been personally invited by Zhou Yuwen to attend," Tao Tian added.

"That guy is a counselor?"

Qu Jing genuinely hadn't known and was somewhat surprised, but her expression quickly shifted to one of disdain. "He sure has a lot of nerve. At his age, he's actually coming here to leech off his student's success?"

Tao Tian gestured for Qu Jing to stop talking nonsense.

Just then, Jiang Xinyi came over to ask the two of them for help, so they turned and left.

Shortly after they walked away, You Changjin stepped out from behind the boxwood hedges.

By one o'clock, more and more guests were arriving. Fortunately, both the first and second floors of the villa had been converted into reception areas. Behind the courtyard, there was a chef specifically managing the barbecue, while the first floor featured stations serving roast duck and steak.

Many of the arriving guests were full of praise for the setup.

Some even commented, "I originally thought this young man was just a poor guy who stumbled into wealth and would make a fool of himself. I didn't expect the banquet to be organized so meticulously."

"That's because he has an influential patron helping him."

"An influential patron?"

"What, you didn't know?"

Almost everyone attending the banquet was under the impression that Zhou Yuwen was Liu Jing's prospective son-in-law.

Once Liu Jing had greeted most of her guests, she stepped away from the front entrance.

Su Qing and Shen Yu arrived a little late. In front of the building, they ran into Lu Wanting and Peng Xiaoyong, who had also just arrived.

"Su Qing?"

"Sister Wanting!"

Su Qing was delighted to see Lu Wanting and enthusiastically greeted her. She then introduced them to Shen Yu, explaining that they were Zhou Yuwen's older cousin and cousin-in-law.

"Sister Wanting returned from studying abroad!" Su Qing added with great admiration.

Lu Wanting looked a bit embarrassed and modestly downplayed the praise.

She then couldn't help but pull Su Qing aside, quietly informing her that she had already cleared things up with Zhou Yuwen.

"He knows I am not his cousin-in-law," Lu Wanting whispered.

"Oh, really?"

Not long after Lu Wanting arrived, an Alphard van pulled up to the entrance. Then, Zhu Hong stepped out of the vehicle, dressed in an elegant evening gown. Spotting her, Lu Wanting immediately offered a respectful greeting, calling her President Zhu.

Zhu Hong merely offered a faint smile and a nod in return.

She was now the acting president of Meituan in Jinling and wielded considerable authority. Normally, Zhu Hong dressed in a very business-like manner, but for this gathering, she had spent some time dressing up, making her look quite different from her usual self.

Zhu Hong asked Lu Wanting if Zhou Yuwen had arrived yet.

"Uh..." Lu Wanting had just arrived herself and wasn't entirely sure.

It was Su Qing who chimed in, "He'll be out in a bit. Did you need him for something? If it's important, I can contact him for you."

Zhu Hong cast a glance at Su Qing. Seeing that the girl was not only beautiful but also articulate, she couldn't help but chuckle softly, thinking to herself, 'Zhou Yuwen is certainly blessed when it comes to women.' "It's nothing. The main character is always the last to appear. This is a housewarming gift I prepared for President Zhou. Giving it to you should be appropriate enough, right?"

Zhu Hong pulled out a thick stack of red envelopes.

Zhou Yuwen hadn't planned on accepting gifts, but because there were so many guests this time, the etiquette was mixed. Some didn't know whether gifts were expected, while others were highly observant of traditional customs. For example, the guests invited by Liu Jing had all prepared red envelopes or presents.

For someone like Zhu Hong, who actively wanted to build a strong relationship with Zhou Yuwen, preparing red envelopes was a matter of course.

However, the size of her red envelopes left Su Qing feeling deeply flattered. After a brief moment of hesitation, she regained her composure, accepted the gift with a smile, and said, "Thank you. Um, and you are?"

"Well, you could consider me a friend. Just tell him Zhu Hong left it, and he'll know."

With a faint smile, Zhu Hong finished speaking and walked into the villa.

Zhu Hong possessed an overwhelming aura, and both Su Qing and Shen Yu instantly recognized that this woman was anything but ordinary.

Lu Wanting asked, "Are you curious about who she is?"

"You know her?" Su Qing asked in surprise.

"She is my boss," Lu Wanting replied. "The president of Meituan's Southeast region. She is a rare breed of powerful businesswoman. Her aura is on a completely different level, isn't it?"

"She is the president of Meituan's Southeast region?" Shen Yu was incredibly shocked to hear this.

"Yes," Lu Wanting confirmed, answering her even though she didn't know Shen Yu personally.

Shen Yu watched Zhu Hong's retreating figure thoughtfully.

Not long after Zhu Hong entered, a steady stream of commercial vehicles began to arrive, dropping off passengers before driving away.

Lu Wanting stood there, introducing them one by one.

"For example, that is the president of Ele.me."

"And that is Gao Bide, a shareholder of Tianhui Planning."

"In other words, Xiaoyong's boss," Lu Wanting added, flashing a smile at Peng Xiaoyong beside her.

Peng Xiaoyong followed behind Lu Wanting, keeping completely silent. But as he listened to Lu Wanting list off these prominent figures, he couldn't help but feel bewildered. Was his maternal uncle's network of connections really this powerful? How could his younger male cousin have become such a formidable figure when he hadn't even been in Jinling for a full year?

It wasn't just the new arrivals. Lu Wanting recognized a couple of the impeccably dressed figures already mingling inside the villa, all of whom were veterans of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce.

Seeing one familiar face after another, Lu Wanting was left stunned. She originally thought Zhou Yuwen only knew a handful of people in the industry, but she never expected so many individuals of prestige and high status to attend.

Some of these individuals might have even possessed greater influence than Zhu Hong and her peers.

Lu Wanting wasn't the only one surprised. In truth, when Zhu Hong entered the villa and saw the guest list, she was similarly taken aback. She secretly regretted her decision, feeling that merely giving red envelopes seemed insufficient; she should have prepared a much more substantial gift.

Su Qing already knew that Zhou Yuwen was highly capable, so hearing Lu Wanting's introductions only elicited mild surprise from her.

Shen Yu's heart, however, was engulfed in a massive storm of shock.

Not long after Lu Wanting, Su Qing, and the others headed inside.

Yet another black commercial vehicle pulled up to the entrance.

A woman stepped out of it.