He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

A large shadow fell over the table, blocking out the warm spring sunshine.

Zhao Shuyao did not immediately look up. His gaze first fell on the other person's dark gray coat, the fabric of which was of excellent quality and without a single wrinkle.

Further up, there was a snow-white shirt collar, without a tie. This outfit, on the streets of Northeast China in 2016, carried the standard aura of an "insider trader".

The woman's perfume wafted over from the side and behind, a rich blend of rose and some kind of synthetic woody scent that completely overpowered the pure roasted coffee aroma of Starbucks.

Zhao Shuyao quickly reviewed the other party's information in his mind.

He's around forty years old, doesn't wear formal attire, and has a pretty but useless assistant.

Typical capital brokers. They are accustomed to using this seemingly easygoing but actually condescending attitude to demonstrate their power to control the overall situation.

You must not appear wary, nor should you appear hesitant. Go along with the other party's suggestion and make the most of your home-field advantage.

Upon hearing the other party introduce themselves as "My surname is Li".

A natural and warm smile immediately appeared on Zhao Shuyao's lips. He gently pressed one hand on the edge of the table and stood up very lightly with fluid movements.

He extended his right hand outwards.

"So it's Mr. Li." Zhao Shuyao's tone carried the familiarity of meeting an old acquaintance. "Nice to meet you, I am Zhao Shuyao."

Mr. Li paused slightly as he looked at the hand extended in front of him. He was clearly surprised that this troublemaker who had sent a leading scholar to the hospital by insults online would actually know this set of hypocritical business etiquette in real life. He extended his hand and shook hands with Zhao Shuyao.

The pressure is just right, and it separates instantly.

"And who is this?" President Li withdrew his hand, his gaze passing over Zhao Shuyao and landing on Gu Nanxi, a professional assessment flashing in his eyes.

Zhao Shuyao didn't turn around to look at Gu Nanxi, and his tone remained calm: "This is my friend. I'm really sorry, Mr. Li, we have other plans at five o'clock later, and we're in a bit of a rush, so we'll have her sit here with us."

Zhao Shuyao paused for half a second, emphasizing the questioning tone in his voice: "It was just a casual chat, Mr. Li shouldn't mind, right?"

Mr. Li's gaze lingered for a moment on Gu Nanxi's face, which was still extremely striking even without makeup, and the gentle smile that he had practiced for many years returned to his lips.

He waved his hands repeatedly: "It's alright, of course it's alright. We're here today mainly to exchange ideas, not to discuss any shady business secrets."

At this point, Mr. Li's tone shifted, a hint of shrewd mockery in his eyes: "This must be Zhao's girlfriend, right? You have good taste."

In his logic, anyone who would be there for him in such a sensitive negotiation situation could not possibly be an ordinary friend. Even if they were just an ordinary friend, they would have to be treated like a girlfriend.

When a female companion is present, young men are more likely to expose their weaknesses. They either stand firm to save face or compromise easily to show their manners. This is a good opportunity to break through.

Zhao Shuyao turned his head and looked at Gu Nanxi.

Gu Nanxi's fingers tightened instantly as she held the paper cup, her eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and her originally fair cheeks turned red from her ears all the way to her neck at a visible speed.

She opened her mouth as if to refute the term "girlfriend," but when her gaze met Zhao Shuyao's calm eyes, she swallowed her words.

Girls need to save face in public. If she doesn't explain herself at this time, and Zhao Shuyao jumps out and says, "You've misunderstood, we're just from the same hometown," it's like publicly undermining her, making her seem like she's trying to cover up the truth, and it might even make the situation extremely awkward.

Zhao Shuyao turned around, ignoring President Li's comment about "girlfriend," and instead extended his right hand, pointing to the two empty seats on the outside of the booth.

"Please have a seat, both of you." Zhao Shuyao's smile was very polite. "You've flown all the way from Beijing or other places to Fengtian. You must be tired from the journey. I wonder what you would like to drink? I'll go to the bar and order for you."

Gu Nanxi was extremely clever. Almost the instant Zhao Shuyao finished speaking, she put down her matcha latte and stood up from the booth with nimble movements.

"I'll go." Gu Nanxi lowered her head, her voice not loud, but avoiding eye contact with President Li, and quickly walked towards the bar, leaving this slightly cramped space to the three who were about to clash.

Looking at Gu Nanxi's retreating figure, President Li turned to Zhao Shuyao and raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Zhao, there's no need to trouble yourself. We can pay for it ourselves. You're a student, and your living expenses aren't much, so please don't spend money on us."

This statement contains a very subtle sense of class superiority, using terms like "student" and "living expenses" to establish the absolute gap in wealth and status between the two people.

How could Zhao Shuyao not understand? He reached out and pulled out a chair, then sat back down in his original seat.

"Mr. Li, you're being too polite." Zhao Shuyao leaned back on the sofa, his fingers interlaced on his knees, his tone carrying a natural air of arrogance. "I am indeed a student still in school, but in any case, we are at the gates of Dongda University."

He gestured with his chin towards the school gate outside the window: "Now that we're on my turf, I can afford the cost of two cups of coffee. You've come all this way to see me, so whether we get along or not, I have to show you hospitality. You can't let me be seen as stingy, can you?"

Mr. Li smiled, this time with less formality and more genuine interest. He pulled out a chair and sat down, and the woman in red sat down next to him.

The woman in red hadn't said a word since she entered, only scrutinizing Zhao Shuyao with a slightly critical gaze. It was the kind of gaze that was used to looking at cameras and luxury brand price tags, but at this moment she couldn't find any brand logos on Zhao Shuyao, which made her somewhat puzzled.

Soon, Gu Nanxi returned with a tray on which were two steaming lattes. She placed the tray in the center of the table, then quietly returned to her seat next to Zhao Shuyao and picked up her matcha latte again.

The four people sat around a not-so-spacious coffee table.

A brief silence fell over the air, broken only by the background music playing in the store, accompanied by the low hum of the coffee grinder on the bar.

Whoever speaks first is testing the other's bottom line.

Zhao Shuyao was very relaxed. He picked up the iced Americano in front of him, bit the plastic straw, took a big sip, and then put the cup down.

He wasn't in a hurry; he had the whole afternoon to himself. What was in a hurry were these brokers who had flown to Fengtian with KPIs on their hands.

Mr. Li rested his hands on the edge of the table, not touching the hot latte that Gu Nanxi had brought. His gaze remained fixed on Zhao Shuyao's face, trying to find a trace of awkwardness or pretense in that young face.

Unfortunately, there was nothing there.

"Zhao, student." Mr. Li finally broke the silence. He lowered his voice deliberately, with a kind of packaged sincerity, "To be honest, meeting you in person today was quite a surprise. I really didn't expect that you have such a completely different personality in private compared to online."

He tapped his finger lightly on the table twice: "That sharp-tongued, quick-tempered 'idle guy from Dongda University' online is actually so calm and polite in real life."

This is a veiled criticism, implying that you're just putting on a persona online to attract attention, so why pretend to be so tough?

After listening, Zhao Shuyao showed no embarrassment or annoyance at being exposed; instead, he nodded in deep agreement.

"Mr. Li, you're too kind." Zhao Shuyao leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and wore a sincere expression. "I'm actually a very, very nice person."

He glanced at Gu Nanxi as if looking for a witness, then looked back at President Li: "As long as no one comes to my comment section to offend me, as long as no so-called public intellectuals or scholars post some illogical, distorted, and nonsensical nonsense, I'm generally very gentle and kind to people."

Zhao Shuyao paused, then added a touch of humor in his tone: "President Li, I'm not bragging, but my teachers at school, including my classmates, all have a very high opinion of me. They all think I'm a civilized person who has transcended vulgar tastes and is extremely well-mannered."

These words, without a single swear word, were like a resounding slap in the face to that so-called "cultural circle," telling them: I don't bite unless you act like idiots first.

Mr. Li's smile faded slightly as he realized that this young man was completely unpredictable. If you tried to be profound with him, he would act like a rogue; if you tried to put pressure on him, he would defuse the situation with humor. This slippery and unyielding nature made Mr. Li feel quite troubled.

However, capital's toolbox never contains just one hammer.

"I can see that, I can see that." Mr. Li smiled again, leaning back in his chair, adopting a relaxed posture as if he were in complete control.

"Zhao is indeed well-liked, I truly believe that." Looking into Zhao Shuyao's eyes, President Li slowed his speech and said, word by word, "At least, when your ex-girlfriend posted a long article online demanding accountability from you and the entire internet was attacking you, not a single classmate or teacher stood up to kick you when you were down or say anything bad about you."

Mr. Li spread his hands: "Just based on this, I know that Zhao is very willing to give and very responsible when dealing with the people around him."

Zhao Shuyao's pupils contracted slightly.

He had just opened his mouth, ready to retort with a single sentence.

However, President Li, with remarkable foresight, preemptively spoke, cutting off Zhao Shuyao's words. He leaned slightly forward and uttered a seemingly casual yet subtly revealing statement:

"By the way, since we're talking about your ex-girlfriend, Zhao, have you heard anything about her lately?"

The coffee shop was still noisy, but the sounds around Zhao Shuyao seemed to disappear in that instant as he looked at President Li's eyes, which held a half-smile.

His ex-girlfriend, the woman who took all his living expenses and then turned around and accused him online, has disappeared for some time after he released screenshots of her during a live stream, completely destroying her reputation.

Now, this man actually brought her up in front of him.