Chapter 53: Toast

In Chen Yuyi’s elegant private room, everyone was quietly waiting for Sister Yun to come and handle the situation. The room fell into a rare silence. Chen Yuyi curled his lips in a faint smile, glancing lightly at Haiqin. Anxiety surged through Haiqin in waves, but she bit her lip and thought to herself, Even if I can’t do anything to you right now, I’ll make you pay later!

Soon, several staff members and the manor’s security guards entered. When they saw that Sister Yun hadn’t shown up, there was a hint of disappointment. Jin Junmin, however, couldn’t be bothered with such concerns. Pointing at Chen Yuyi, he declared, “This man stole our belongings. That young lady can testify!” He pinned the accusation directly on Chen Yuyi, showing no mercy whatsoever.

The security guards approached and stood beside Chen Yuyi. “Sir, if that’s the case, please allow us to search you.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Chen Yuyi looked at the guards, his expression half-amused, half-mocking.

For some inexplicable reason, a chill ran down the guards’ spines and they hesitated, stunned for a moment. Bai Lang’s head ached, but he dared not say a word. Thinking back to what happened at his family’s mall, he sighed inwardly and began to feel sorry for these guards.

Xiang Xuerou also shook her head in secret. She had no intention of intervening. She had only just met these spoiled heirs and heiresses; there was no real bond. Helping them might only offend the other side, which was simply not worth it. So, she kept quiet throughout.

Zhu Shaohui had already distanced himself from Haiqin, but at that moment, he glanced at her. She happened to look back at him. Zhu Shaohui shook his head with a complicated expression in his eyes. The look made Haiqin uneasy—was he signaling her not to act rashly?

Suddenly, a voice whispered in her ear, “I’ll give you a chance to settle this peacefully. Otherwise, you won’t live through the night!”

It seemed only she could hear this; no one else reacted. She was shocked—this was the legendary art of transmitting sound directly to the mind, a feat only terrifying figures could achieve. She realized now where the voice came from, and finally understood why Zhu Shaohui had shaken his head. That man truly was someone frightening; her own meager strength was nothing compared to his.

“Wait!” Just as the security guards snapped out of their daze and were about to search Chen Yuyi, Haiqin suddenly called out.

Everyone looked at her in surprise, puzzled by her change of heart.

Her face flushed as she said, “It turns out my jade bracelet wasn’t missing after all. It slipped into my sleeve. I wronged this gentleman.” She lifted her wrist, and sure enough, a jade bracelet hung there.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, shaking their heads and casting her reproachful glances. The security guards were now at a loss.

Jin Junmin was bewildered and unwilling to give up. He looked at Haiqin and asked, “Miss Hai, are you sure you haven’t lost anything?”

“Nothing at all, Young Master Jin. I think we shouldn’t make baseless accusations,” she replied.

Without another word to Jin Junmin, she turned to Chen Yuyi and respectfully inclined her head. “Sir, I am truly sorry for the offense. Please forgive me.”

People could hardly believe their eyes. She had clearly targeted him earlier, yet now she was showing such deference—far more than a mere apology required.

Seeing that it was all a misunderstanding, the security guards no longer pressed the matter. They apologized to Chen Yuyi and left. Jin Junmin, still dissatisfied, noticed the others’ enthusiasm had waned. After a few feeble protests, he could only slump down in defeat.

As he brooded over his drink, a knock sounded at the door. “Is Young Master Jin inside?”

A few young heirs around Fang Kai’s age entered, bowing and toasting Jin Junmin as soon as they came in. Their flattery soon lifted Jin Junmin’s spirits, and he drank with them, forgetting his earlier grievances. Though these young men were heirs themselves, they were tactful. After a few polite exchanges, they left.

Next, another group of young men entered, further enlivening the drinking atmosphere with their compliments. Laughter and conversation filled the room once more, and the earlier unpleasantness seemed to have been forgotten.

Then, several middle-aged men arrived—one of them portly—all local businessmen of moderate stature. They crowded around Jin Junmin, toasting and flattering him without end. It was clear they hoped to curry favor with the Jin family and gain business opportunities.

Jin Junmin, basking in their praise and a little tipsy, felt elated. He put the earlier embarrassment out of his mind and could not even be bothered with Chen Yuyi anymore. The other heirs, not wanting to be left out, joined in the flattery.

“Young Master Jin, your connections are truly impressive. Nearly every prominent boss in Jiangcheng has come to toast you. The Jin family’s reputation as a trading powerhouse is well deserved!”

“Of course! Haven’t you noticed that Young Master Jin is the most generous among us? With such a wide network, it’s only natural.”

“In a few years, Young Master Jin will surely take over the family business and make it even greater than it is now.”

Jin Junmin, full of pride, looked around the room, his gaze finally settling on Chen Yuyi. With smug satisfaction, he thought, You’re nothing in my presence. I must have been out of my mind to squabble with you. Now you see what status I have in Jiangcheng.

Chen Yuyi still wore his faint, detached smile. He had intended to teach Young Master Jin a lesson, but now he no longer bothered.

Bai Lang looked at Jin Junmin’s smugness with utter disdain. With someone like Brother Yu at his side, why care about these sycophants?

Eventually, the toasting subsided. Chen Yuyi had lost interest in staying any longer, and Bai Lang, noticing this, was about to stand up.

Just then, a cautious voice came from the doorway. “Excuse me, is Mr. Chen inside?”

Everyone was taken aback. Weren’t all the visitors here to toast Young Master Jin? Since when was there a Mr. Chen?

Bai Lang immediately sat back down, wondering if someone was actually looking for Brother Yu. Chen Yuyi was also slightly puzzled, but merely smiled faintly.

“There’s no Mr. Chen here. You’ve got the wrong room!” a few heirs sitting by the door called out loudly, frowning.

But the door opened anyway, and two tall, imposing middle-aged men entered with wine glasses in hand. The heirs who had spoken immediately stood up, stunned. “Boss Lu!” One of them recognized the man at the front.

Not just him—several people gasped and stood up. “Lu Jianshu, the waterworks tycoon of the Central River region!”

Those unfamiliar with him quickly asked nearby guests who he was.

“You know what underpins the Central River’s prosperity? Waterworks, of course. River transport connects nine provinces and drives the region’s wealth. That man is Lu Jianshu, the biggest magnate in the water industry here!”

With this explanation, everyone who didn’t recognize Lu Jianshu before now stood up in awe. Even Jin Junmin dared not take him lightly. While the Jin family was a leading force in Jiangcheng, in the broader region, they were not so significant.

Bai Lang, too, was perplexed. What would someone like that want with Mr. Chen? The Bai family was powerful in business, but compared to these industry titans, they were clearly a notch below.

“Who’s the other man?” someone whispered.

“He’s no ordinary figure either. He’s Xiao Guoyuan, the agricultural magnate of Central River!”

“I’ve read about him—he controls the region’s entire grain industry and has even exported our local specialty grains abroad. He’s truly remarkable.”

Low murmurs of discussion spread through the crowd. Many felt it was a stroke of luck to witness these two tycoons in person.

But who was the Mr. Chen they were seeking? Only Bai Lang had a hunch—they must be here for Brother Yu. Among all these people, only Brother Yu had that kind of clout.

Sure enough, the two men ignored everyone else and walked straight toward Chen Yuyi. Even when Jin Junmin tried to greet them, they simply passed him by, leaving him awkwardly standing there.

“Mr. Chen, I heard you were here and took the liberty of coming to offer you a toast. Please don’t take offense,” Lu Jianshu said respectfully.

Xiao Guoyuan also addressed him with deference: “Mr. Chen.”

A stunned uproar swept the room. So they had come to toast that man!