From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

The conversation at the table stopped.

The hot dishes that the waiter had just brought out were placed on a rotating tray, but no one touched them.

Cheng Ye looked down at the brace on the outside of his left leg, reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, and took out a cigarette case.

He took out a cigarette, and as soon as the lighter lit up, Sun Ting reached out and blocked the flame.

"Put it away first."

"I'll go to the hallway to smoke."

Cheng Ye closed the lighter, still holding the cigarette in his hand.

Sun Ting raised her chin: "Manning booked a high-end room; even the air has to be befitting tonight's occasion. Only the imported cigars Zhou Kai brought are worthy of being shown here. If ordinary cigarettes were to be burned, everyone's status would be lowered."

Cheng Ye, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, moved his teeth slightly.

"The cigarette hasn't even been lit yet, and you're already condemning it?"

"I'm reminding you to be mindful of the occasion."

"Alright, I'll go out. I don't want this cigarette to tarnish your identities."

He stuffed the cigarettes back into the box, leaving several creases on the corners.

Pang Wei stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "Come on, let's smoke outside."

Lu Yunzhou picked up his coat from the back of the chair: "I'm going out for some fresh air too."

The three left through the side door, with one of the windows in the corridor half open.

Cheng Ye leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and the tightness in his chest eased a little.

Pang Wei crossed his arms and said, "Sun Ting wasn't this particular before. She would drink all the soup from a five-yuan bowl of noodles in the cafeteria."

"They have a status now."

Cheng Ye exhaled smoke, "Ordinary smoke can't get into her nose, and ordinary classmates can't get into her eyes either."

Lu Yunzhou leaned against the windowsill: "Bai Manning called us here because she was waiting for Zhou Kai."

"She wanted to use her classmates to support Zhou Kai."

Pang Wei tugged at his sleeve. "Zhou Kai's here. Let's finish eating and leave. Let's go somewhere else tonight, the three of us can drink alone."

Count me in.

Cheng Ye flicked the cigarette ash into the trash can. "I've been busy since noon and haven't even had a boxed lunch. If anyone tries to stop me from eating, I'll get angry."

Lu Yunzhou nodded: "I'll leave after I finish eating."

A waiter's greeting came from the other end of the corridor.

"Mr. Zhou, this way please."

The three turned around and found that a path had been cleared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

A young man walked ahead, his dark suit fitting his body perfectly, and the watch on his wrist gleamed silver under the light.

He held a bouquet of white lisianthus in his arms, the bouquet wrapped in beige paper with fine gold thread pressed into the paper.

The man was followed by two assistants, and the last one, carrying car keys, waited by the door.

Bai Manning stood up to greet him, her skirt brushing against the chair leg with a soft rustling sound.

"Zhou Kai, you've finally arrived."

"Something came up on the way, so I'm late."

Zhou Kai handed her the flowers: "These are for you."

Bai Manning took the bouquet, her arms immediately tightening around it, her smile barely concealed.

She turned to face the crowd, raising her voice slightly: "Let me introduce you all. This is Zhou Kai, my boyfriend."

The people at the table all stood up.

Zhou Kai handed the car keys to the driver and then nodded to everyone.

"Hello everyone, my name is Zhou Kai. My father, Zhou Mingyuan, is the executive deputy district head of Nanhe District. Today is Manning's class reunion, so please don't be shy."

He didn't say much, but he silenced all the talking in the hall.

Zhou Kai took the business card from his assistant and added, "If you need any help in the future when you're in Nanhe District, please ask Manning to let me know."

Zheng Kai stepped forward, holding a wine glass, and handed over his business card with both hands.

"Young Master Zhou, I'm Zheng Kai. My family is in the hotel supply business. I'm familiar with the channels in Nanhe District. If the Zhou family has any hotel procurement needs in the future, you can leave it to me, so you don't have to find outsiders."

Zhou Kai accepted the business card: "There's an opportunity to collaborate."

"Let me toast you first."

Zheng Kai tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp. After putting down his glass, he still bent over and waited for Zhou Kai's response.

Zhou Kai touched the rim of his glass to the glass and took a sip.

Zhou Hang quickly stood up as well: "Young Master Zhou, my family is in the car sales and used car business. We can handle the sourcing and paperwork for commercial vehicles and imported cars. If the Zhou family needs to change cars in the future, just give me a call."

"I've got it."

Tang Li nudged Zhou Hang's arm: "Young Master Zhou, he does have some connections. If you need a car, don't hesitate to ask him."

Yes, yes.

Zhou Hang responded repeatedly and pushed the business card forward a little further.

Sun Ting had already pulled out the chair next to Zhou Kai's seat.

"Young Master Zhou, please have a seat. The people at this table today were all handpicked by Manning; they'll all be helpful in the future."

After she finished speaking, she realized that she had just been complaining about Cheng Ye smoking, but in the blink of an eye, she had changed her tone.

Some people moved over with their wine glasses, while others took out their phones to exchange contact information.

The students who were just chatting in the corner now all lowered their voices.

When a boy stood up to offer a toast, he bumped into the corner of the table and spilled wine on the back of his hand. He didn't bother to wipe it off and just raised the glass first.

"Young Master Zhou, I salute you."

"polite."

"If you need a construction team for any projects in Nanhe District in the future, you can contact me. My family has been in the construction business for over ten years, and we have all the necessary workers and equipment."

"Let's talk again when we have a chance."

Zhou Kai kept smiling, but he had already collected a thick stack of business cards.

When Lu Yunzhou and the other two stubbed out their cigarettes and returned to the banquet hall, the people around the table were still talking to Zhou Kai.

Bai Manning raised her hand and beckoned: "Yunzhou, come over and meet Zhou Kai."

"I already saw him at the door."

Pang Wei pulled out a chair and sat down. "Young Master Zhou, you two chat, let's eat first."

Bai Manning's hand froze in mid-air.

"They just arrived, and you haven't even offered them a drink?"

Cheng Ye sat down, holding onto the edge of the table, and picked up a piece of braised pork with the serving chopsticks.

"We'll drink the wine later; the food will get cold if we put it in now."

"Cheng Ye".

Bai Manning's voice turned cold. "Can't you tell who's in charge today?"

"I can tell the difference."

Cheng Ye put the meat into the bowl. "You're treating, and Young Master Zhou is a distinguished guest. We're classmates. We should listen to what the distinguished guest has to say. If we're hungry, we should eat too."

Pang Wei pushed the soup bowl in front of him: "Have a couple of bites first."

"Fatty understands me best."

Cheng Ye picked up the bowl and ate a few bites, the stand making a soft sound as it bumped against the chair leg.

He had been busy since the afternoon, and his stomach was so empty that he couldn't stop eating once the hot dishes were in his mouth.

Lu Yunzhou also picked up his chopsticks and put some vegetables on his plate.

Zhou Kai sat in the main seat, holding a wine glass, his gaze sweeping over the three people.

He didn't speak, and his assistant behind him poured him more tea.

Bai Manning stared at the chopsticks in Cheng Ye's hand, her chest heaving a few times.

"Zhou Kai hasn't even touched his chopsticks yet, what are you going to eat first?"

Cheng Ye swallowed the food in his mouth, looked up and said, "With so many dishes on the table, do we have to wait for Young Master Zhou to give the order?"

Pang Wei reached for a piece of fish: "If Young Master Zhou is hungry, he will naturally eat."

"you……"

Bai Manning picked up the wine glass in front of her, flicked her wrist, and smashed the bottom of the glass onto the table.

The wine splashed and flowed down the tablecloth to the edge of Cheng Ye's bowl.

She stared at the three of them, her voice hushed.

"Who gave you permission to start eating?"