The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Shen Shao's young, handsome face, which exuded indifference and aloofness.

He was dressed in an exquisitely tailored outfit, and his almond-shaped eyes lazily swept over, revealing a sense of aloofness and indifference. There was no genuine enthusiasm in his eyes, and his attitude seemed very forced, clearly indicating that he was not there to pick people up sincerely.

"Young Master Shen! We've been waiting for you!" Zhou Jianguo hurriedly leaned over the car window, bowing like a shrimp, his voice as warm as if he were seeing his own father, "You've finally arrived! I'm so sorry! The car broke down halfway, which delayed you."

Shen Shao glanced indifferently at the broken-down, wrecked car, his face expressionless.

To be honest, he really didn't want to bring those two along.

But who can blame him when he's been getting really close to the Zhou family's daughter lately? He's got no other flaws, except he's a womanizer; he falls in love with every girl he meets.

Thinking of his uncle Shen Tinglan, who, despite his young age, had already secured a position at the top of the family and held absolute power, a strange and inexplicable feeling washed over him.

Both born into the Shen family, Shen Tinglan was a born prodigy, aloof and noble, radiating brilliance that others could only look up to; while he was always overshadowed by her brilliance, falling short in every way, and could only barely make a name for himself by navigating various social circles and frequenting brothels.

However, Zhou Qianqian, the daughter of the Zhou family, was indeed very pretty. He was just dating her for fun, just for the novelty and excitement, and had no intention of taking it seriously, much less getting too involved with her family.

However, Zhou Qianqian pleaded and begged him repeatedly to take her parents to the Bai family banquet to broaden their horizons.

He figured he'd only been doing this for a short time, and it wouldn't be good to turn his back on him now, so he agreed out of politeness.

Besides, the Zhou family has been rooted in the local area for so many years and has a lot of connections with small business owners. Although these are all relationships that can't be discussed openly, they can still be quite useful for getting odd jobs or gathering information.

He doesn't need to ruin things over such a trivial matter; keeping him around as a pawn is a good deal.

Besides, the Bai family's place is big, and there are many people coming. Bringing two more people won't make much of a difference. Directly refusing would make one seem petty. So, it's better to go with the flow and bring people along. Then, just maintain a distance and go through the motions.

"Have you contacted the tow truck?" Shen Shao's tone was flat and emotionless.

Zhou Jianguo nodded repeatedly, his face full of obsequiousness: "Yes, yes, I've called! It's all been reported online. The Bai family's security system is monitoring the mountain road, and the tow truck will be here within half an hour. I'll take care of the follow-up procedures after the banquet, I promise it won't cause any delays!"

In his and Mrs. Zhou's eyes, what did a broken-down car matter?

For this banquet, the two of them gritted their teeth and rented a luxury car to make a good impression, and spent a lot of money to dress up, all in the hope that their daughter could climb the social ladder by marrying into the Shen family and squeeze into the real upper class.

By then, you'll have connections, business, and prestige. You can even show off to your friends and family and satisfy your vanity. This little trouble is nothing!

"Get in the car." Shen Shao said sparingly.

Zhou Jianguo quickly ran to open the car door, helped his wife in first, and then followed her into the back seat.

Mrs. Zhou plopped down inside, and the strong, almost suffocating scent of her perfume instantly filled the entire carriage.

Shen Shao frowned almost imperceptibly, his disdain practically overflowing.

I fucking can't stand it.

Just moments ago, Mrs. Zhou was arguing fiercely with someone on the mountain road, but now that she's in the luxury car, she's completely changed her tune, her voice becoming sickeningly sweet and her tone tinged with grievance.

"Young Master Shen, you have no idea, we were bullied here in this desolate wilderness just now."

She straightened her skirt and began in a tone that said, "This is utterly absurd," she said, "We ran into a kid dressed like a circus performer, all weird and strange. We don't know whose poor relative he was, but he looked like he came from nowhere. We tried to talk to him, but he was not only cold and indifferent, he also made sarcastic remarks and started arguing with us. He said some really nasty things!"

She exaggerated and belittled the boy, and Zhou Jianguo chimed in. The two of them tacitly concealed the embarrassing fact that they had been tricked and had to look down at the soles of their shoes, and only focused on talking about the other party's "bad attitude".

"I asked him for a favor, and not only did he refuse, he also started swearing at me." Old Zhou continued, his tone as if he had suffered a great injustice. "His attitude was extremely rude. When I asked him whose house it was, he started making fun of me instead. His character is truly—"

Shen Shao listened half-heartedly, then casually asked, "What are you making fun of?"

Old Zhou paused for a moment.

I can't exactly say that kid tricked me into looking down at the soles of my shoes and said, "You stepped in dog poop," and then I actually looked down to look.

"Forget it, forget it," he waved his hand, adopting a magnanimous attitude, "It's just a kid, not worth it. I don't know how the security is keeping things under control, that kind of person can even sneak into the Bai family's territory."

Mrs. Zhou immediately chimed in, "That's right. What kind of family is the Bai family that just anyone can come here? Young Master Shen, tell me, is it normal for someone to walk up this mountain in children's clothes? I bet it's some servant's relative who snuck in."

Upon hearing the words "children's clothing," Shen Shao's expression shifted slightly.

As he drove down the mountain, he did indeed glimpse a lone figure walking along the path leading to the manor.

I didn't pay much attention at the time, I just found it strange that there were people walking on this road.

Young Master Shen didn't say much, only offering a few words of advice.

"Understood. Just don't cause trouble at the banquet."

Old Zhou nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with smiles: "That's right, that's right, we're here to bring honor to Young Master Shen, we won't cause any trouble."

"That's right, that's right." Mrs. Zhou immediately composed herself and pretended to be obedient, but her fingers were still unconsciously twisting the bag strap. She was still angry with the boy in children's clothes.

The two exchanged a glance, a hint of jealousy in their eyes; they'd better not run into that brat again.

The black luxury car turned around and sped up the mountain road.

Soon, the magnificent Bai family manor came into view.

The gray stone walls were covered with lush green vines, and the heavy iron gate was engraved with a white falcon totem with outstretched wings. The gate alone exuded the majesty and confidence of a powerful family.

The car drove into the manor.

Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Jianguo tugged at his collar, trying to smooth out the unease that had been stirred up by the boy in children's clothes.

Mrs. Zhou quickly took out her small mirror and lipstick to touch up her makeup, looking at herself from left to right, wishing she could transform herself into a socialite.

Shen Shao glanced at his glasses and said casually, "Take off the perfume; the Bai family doesn't like overly strong scents."

Mrs. Zhou paused, then quickly stuffed the perfume bottle back into her bag: "Okay, okay, Mr. Shen is right, I'll take note."

The vehicle came to a smooth stop in the manor square.

Zhou Jianguo pushed open the car door, took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and looked at the luxurious building in front of him, which resembled an ancient castle. His eyes were filled with greed and satisfaction at climbing into the upper class.

"Let's go," he said, turning back to his wife in a low voice, "Remember, we're brought by Young Master Shen today. Don't embarrass us. And—"

He paused.

"Don't mention that kid from earlier."

The group officially entered this high-society dinner party, which was attended by many celebrities.