After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 144 Discourteous
Xu Zhao patted Li Yubai on the shoulder: "These days, with the economy in a downturn, it's not easy to buy property in the capital! What do you do for a living, Brother Li?"

Li Yubai: "...I've dabbled in every industry."

Xu Zhao exclaimed, "What a talent! This circle in the capital is tough. Brother Li, since you're Xiao Shu's friend, you're also my friend from now on. If you have any troubles, just give me a call and I'll handle it!"

Li Yubai: "...Thank you, Director Xu."

Xu Zhao handed him a business card: "But since you're Xiao Shu's friend, you must know her three family members... cough cough! I'm naturally no match for those three, so please don't look down on me because of my lowly status!"

“Not only do I know them, but I also live with all three of them.” Li Yubai took the business card and carefully put it away. “Thank you, Director Xu. In my heart, Director Xu is easier to get along with than those three.”

"Oh, I wouldn't dare say that!" Director Xu quickly waved his hand. "How could I possibly be compared to those three!"

As Jiang Shu ate the food Li Yubai had put on her plate, she said with a sigh, "Uncle Xu, he's right. At home, he and the others are constantly fighting amongst themselves, and there are so many conflicts. Even as an outsider, I feel exhausted just watching it."

Li Yubai gave Jiang Shu a deep look, his tone somewhat helpless: "You were clearly the trigger, yet you act like an outsider. Have you tried all the dishes? Which one was your favorite? I'll learn how to make it for you when we get back."

Xu Zhao suddenly slapped his forehead: "Young man, you live with them and love to cook so much. Last time the Crown Prince ate at my place, he asked for a recipe for squirrel-shaped mandarin fish before leaving, saying he wanted to take it back to teach a certain man in his family. Could he be talking about Brother Li?"

Li Yubai: "It's me."

Nearby, the main actors who had been playing a supporting role gradually became restless after hearing Xu Zhao utter the words "Crown Prince".

Rumors have been circulating in the industry lately that Xu Zhao has twenty super passes personally signed by the Crown Prince. This has scared off those in the industry who were kicking Xu Zhao when he was down, and they have been keeping a low profile lately. It is unexpected that Director Xu has actually dined with the Crown Prince.
For a moment, the toasting and drinking became even more frequent!

The male lead even raised his glass to Li Yubai: "You live in the Crown Prince's house and can cook, are you perhaps his personal chef? If you have the chance in the future, please put in a good word for me!"

Li Yubai glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.

The male lead didn't feel embarrassed at all and took the initiative to drink the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Beside her, Jiang Shu looked up from a pile of exquisite dishes and pointed to the empty bowl in front of Li Yubai: "You should eat too! We'll really only have leftovers later."

"I'm not very hungry," Li Yubai said softly. "How about we go shopping together after you finish eating? Just buy me a milk tea."

"That's a bit rude of you..." Jiang Shu lowered her voice, "Uncle Xu specially invited us to dinner."

Li Yubai paused for a moment: "It would be even more impolite of me to eat."

"How could that be?" Jiang Shu placed a piece of mutton in his bowl. "Eat it. Even if it was impolite, I'll cover for you!"

“Yes, yes, yes! It’s just a meal, what’s with all this talk of being impolite? They’re all roughnecks, we don’t care!” Xu Zhao quickly chimed in.

Li Yubai gave him a deep look, then gracefully removed her mask.

One after another, the sound of wine glasses being overturned rang out!

Xu Zhao's hands trembled as he picked up food: "Li... Li Yubai?"

The meal ultimately failed to ensure a pleasant experience for both host and guests. Li Yubai rarely appears in public, but after his appearance in the puppet livestream, photos of him, despite being repeatedly deleted, still circulated widely in various circles! People in the industry like Xu Zhao and actors, who are already particularly attentive to those at the top, have taken Li Yubai's appearance to heart.

Xu Zhao never expected that, after Ning Yunzhan, he would make the same mistake again with Li Yubai!
Calling someone "brother"? Where did Xu Zhao get the audacity to pat someone on the shoulder and call them "little brother"?
Li Yu just said he had only a meager fortune? How could he believe he really only had a small fortune? The richest man in the capital, the second richest in the world—he was being modest, and he took it literally…

With a mix of trepidation and apprehension, both Director Xu and the actors suddenly became very reserved, even resulting in several minor incidents of dropping their food...

Jiang Shu looked at the increasingly messy dining table and the people at the table who were losing their appetite, and began to ease the atmosphere:
"Li Yubai doesn't eat people; on the contrary, he's the kindest person in our family. Uncle Xu, why don't you two add each other on WeChat? Maybe you can get together for tea sometime?"

Li Yubai's cold-heartedness was already well-known more than a decade ago. Over the years, there have been countless rumors about his deep scheming, decisiveness, and ruthlessness. How could Xu Zhao dare to really believe Jiang Shu's words?
He quickly replied, "The richest man is a man of great importance, how could I dare invite him for tea! But as I said before, if the richest man ever needs anything from me, I, Xu, will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Li Yubai ate his food casually: "Director Xu is no outsider, there's no need to be so careful. As for going through fire and water, that won't be necessary for the time being..."

Even if it really requires going through fire and water, I'll throw those four vixens in first, one by one...

Ten minutes later, the agonizing lunch was finally over.

Li Yubai got up to take his leave.

Then, he took Jiang Shu's hand and led her out of the restaurant, whispering something in her ear.

Jiang Shu turned around and bought two cups of milk tea, one for each of them. The two chatted and laughed as they walked away...

Matching outfits, matching milk tea cups—their sweet and harmonious relationship is so perfect that no one else can even get in on the act.

Only then did the others who were still there dare to start discussing.

Xu Yan exclaimed twice, tugging at Xu Zhao's sleeve: "Dad! Li Yubai is even more handsome than I saw in the last live stream! I can't believe I'll ever meet the richest man in my life! I can't believe it!"

The second female lead clutched her heart, her eyes glazed over: "Suddenly I understand how he could win over all the socialites in the capital with just his looks! If I had a wealthy family, I would also do everything in my power to pursue this man..."

The leading actress swallowed hard: "Wasn't he supposed to be thirty? He looks more youthful than twenty! Is this really Li Yubai? Could there be a mistake...?"

"A mistake?" The male lead smiled wryly. "The most beautiful woman in the capital? Can you find another one? Looking across the entire entertainment industry, you can't find a face that can rival her. Even Yan Yu is inferior!"

"But he really... looks so young!" The female lead covered her face. "And he's so handsome! I really want to know who looks better standing next to the Crown Prince in person—wait, you just said he lives with the Crown Prince?"

The second male lead, still shaken, said, "I noticed the ring on his ring finger a while ago, and I even wanted to mock him for copying Li Yubai's character and profiting from Li Yubai's fame! Luckily, I didn't get the chance, or I would be finished today..."

"Stop talking," Xu Zhao reminded them. "People at their level are not people we can talk to freely."

on the street.

Li Yubai looked at the wine stains all over his clothes and asked the girl next to him, "Could you buy me a couple of outfits? I got splashed with red wine that they dropped on the table."

Jiang Shu looked at his outfit with a hint of envy: "Could you please not throw away the clothes you're wearing after you change out?"

(End of this chapter)