Chapter 228: Getting Acquainted

Once the serious business was finished, the originally solemn atmosphere of the scene seemed to have broken free from a layer of restraint, instantly becoming relaxed and lively.

Xu Zheng, Bao Qiang, and Bo Ge were all heavy drinkers with humorous and witty personalities; they picked up their wine glasses and began chatting with Shen Yan.

In this society, money is king, and without it, one can barely move an inch; celebrities are also ordinary people, and the three of them all harbored thoughts of befriending Shen Yan, whose family background was unknown.

Although Shen Yan was currently just a student at Hangzhou University with no prominent reputation, who could say—with money in his pockets, he might eventually enter the entertainment industry.

Building a good connection is never a mistake.

Beneath Shen Yan's youthful face resided a soul over thirty years old; he was of a similar age to the three of them, so there was absolutely no generation gap in their communication, and he felt much more at ease than when hanging out with the little brats at school, joking around and chatting as they pleased.

Bo Ge raised his eyebrows and said with a lewd expression, "Brother Shen, I saw it just now—the three down there are all great beauties. Which one is your girlfriend, or are they all three?"

"They must have an unusual relationship; otherwise, what couple goes out to play with lightbulbs 【third wheels】 in tow?" Xu Zheng said with the tone of someone who had been there before.

Shen Yan looked at the two of them in disbelief and said with disdain, "Hey! You two married men have such evil minds; you don't look like decent people at all."

Bao Qiang immediately gave a thumbs up, praising Shen Yan for seeing through the fire; these two guys were indeed not good people, full of bad intentions.

He told Shen Yan to stay away from them.

A clay sculptor doesn't respect the clay Buddha—who doesn't know who?

Hearing Bao Qiang slander him like that, Bo Ge was immediately displeased and began to roast Bao Qiang's dark history to his face, saying, "Last time Bao Qiang got drunk, he saw a beauty and wanted to go up and chat her up, even whistling at her, but it turned out she was wearing a police uniform... that scene at the time was super awkward."

"Hahaha!"

As he spoke, Bo Ge couldn't help but laugh first.

Xu Zheng and Shen Yan followed suit and laughed.

After a round of conversation and exchanging contact information, Shen Yan left the private room.

This conversation did not last long, only half an hour; when Shen Yan returned downstairs, the three women were already full and satisfied, leaning on their chairs and idly playing with their phones.

Seeing him finally appear, a bright smile bloomed on Yu Youwei's face involuntarily, and she said, "You finally came back; I was just about to call you."

Shen Yan said that since they were all full, they should go; they had already agreed earlier to stroll through the night market street after eating, and the three women naturally had no objections.

The night market in Hengdian was exceptionally lively, even better than in Hangzhou; under the pitch-black sky, the entire street seemed to be lit up and shining, and looking out, the crowd was like a weave, shoulder to shoulder.

Not only did local residents linger, but many tourists from other places also came for its reputation.

The streets and alleys were filled with various tempting aromas, with delicacies from all over the country; every snack carried the local unique flavor and cultural heritage. Shen Yan hadn't eaten much downstairs earlier, and in the private room, he had been chatting and drinking, barely eating anything.

Seeing so much delicious food now, he immediately became interested, buying some Shangrao roast chicken legs, oily and glistening, and then some Guangdong rice noodle rolls, smooth and delicate...

The three women stared at each other from the side, then touched their bellies.

Damn it!

If they had known, they wouldn't have eaten so much just now.

Wu Yue'er swallowed her saliva; she wasn't hungry, just purely greedy. She asked Shen Yan, "Is that chicken leg of yours tasty?"

"It's alright, one bite and it's tender and soft."

Shen Yan replied without even lifting his head, and he just started devouring it.

Wu Yue'er's eyes revealed a trace of resentment; she really wanted to eat, but her physical capacity wouldn't allow it.

At this moment, Yu Youwei finally couldn't suppress the curiosity in her heart and asked Shen Yan how he knew Xu Zheng. Shen Yan said he had met him by chance last time he went to Macau, and it was just a passing acquaintance.

"Then what did he want with you?" Yu Youwei asked with a face full of suspicion.

A passing acquaintance can talk for over half an hour? She just didn't believe it.

Shen Yan couldn't be bothered to explain too much, so he said half-truthfully, "He was eyeing the little bit of money in my pocket and wanted to pull me into investing in a movie. I didn't think it was reliable, so I didn't agree."

The three women suddenly realized.

So he was asking for a favor; no wonder his attitude was so kind just now.

The three women unanimously agreed that Shen Yan's decision was very wise; as everyone knew, the entertainment industry was very deep, and if making movies were really that profitable, how could the opportunity fall to an outsider like Shen Yan?

Yu Youwei was there cursing Xu Zheng for looking harmless on the surface but having a belly full of bad intentions, which made Shen Yan find it quite funny.

It was a good thing he hadn't told the truth, or his scalp would have exploded trying to explain it.

Shen Yan told Yu Youwei not to spread it around: "Even if the deal isn't done, the friendship remains; at the very least, he didn't scam me, so let's just leave it at that."

Yu Youwei pouted, a bit unhappy, because Shen Yan had only cautioned her alone; it was clear that in Shen Yan's heart, Chen Shanni and Wu Yue'er were more reliable.

What was that about? She wasn't a big-mouthed person.

Wait!

At this moment, Yu Youwei suddenly realized that in front of Wu Yue'er and Chen Shanni, Shen Yan had not hidden the fact that he was wealthy at all. Wu Yue'er was understandable; she had once helped Shen Yan shoot photos for a fashion show and knew the situation, so it was reasonable.

Chen Shanni was also looking indifferent, clearly having known the inside story for a long time.

And here she thought this secret was only known to her and Hao Anqi.

In the bustling night market, besides various delicacies, there were also a dazzling array of handicrafts, specialty souvenirs, and the like for sale. The three women strolled along, scanning the various stalls back and forth, preparing to pick out a few items to take back as souvenirs.

Suddenly, a ring-toss stall not far away caught Wu Yue'er's attention. The stall was filled with all kinds of items: toys, Barbie dolls, handicrafts, small animals, colorful and dazzling to the eyes.

There were about a dozen people standing around the stall, almost all young couples, with the occasional two solitary girls keeping each other company.

These people had one thing in common: their eyes sparkled with excitement; whenever they successfully tossed a ring onto something they liked, they would cheer with joy, and if they missed, they would look disappointed, then regroup and continue throwing.

This scene couldn't help but make Wu Yue'er recall Shen Yan's precise ring-toss technique back in Cangnan.

She really wanted to witness that man's dashing and heroic posture again.

She gently nudged Shen Yan, who was still eating rice noodle rolls, with her shoulder and said with anticipation, "Shen Yan, shall we go play ring toss?"

This sentence immediately perked Yu Youwei up.

That day at the high school reunion, she happened not to be there, and Wu Yue'er had taken the opportunity to drag Shen Yan out to play on the street, playing arcade games and going ring tossing.

That large teddy bear was still placed on the Large Bed by Wu Yue'er.

Afterward, Yu Youwei had acted spoiled and cute many times, asking Shen Yan to toss one for her too, but Shen Yan had always brushed it off with the excuse of doing it another time.

This time, he couldn't escape, right?