Chapter 20: Qingcheng Evening Banquet, Meeting Zhuge Ni Again

Ye Lin’s face turned black in an instant; he bolted out of the restroom as if fleeing, and his previous urge to urinate vanished.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Ji Lingyu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing. I think it's necessary to attend this banquet after all!" Ye Lin suddenly changed his mind; he suspected that if he stayed at the Ji residence any longer, he might be held back by the urge to pee until he died.

"Boss, it's great that you changed your mind. Tonight's auction banquet will have quite a few good things, including equipment and skills," Ji Lingyu said.

"Oh? There are such good things?" Ye Lin was stunned for a moment.

"Yes! Qingcheng holds an auction banquet every year before the college entrance exam, but commoners just don't know about it," Ji Lingyu explained.

Ye Lin fell silent for a moment; he didn't even count as a commoner, only as a pauper.

Although he decided to attend the banquet, Ye Lin ultimately did not wear the evening suit Ji Lingyu had prepared for him. Wearing that thing was just too uncomfortable for him; he still felt more at ease in his own clothes.

Time quickly reached the evening, and Father Ji took Ji Lingyu and Ye Lin to the most luxurious hotel in Qingcheng, the Yunsheng Hotel.

Many luxury cars were already parked in front of the Yunsheng Hotel. Upon seeing Father Ji, the security guards at the entrance immediately bowed and scraped to welcome him inside.

After all, the Ji Group could be considered a major enterprise across the entirety of Qingcheng.

The three of them took the elevator to the top floor of the Yunsheng Hotel. It was a world of its own; two long tables were laden with all kinds of rare ingredients for guests to help themselves, and various people in luxurious attire gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.

Some were business tycoons, some were high-level class-changers, and some were political magnates; almost everyone of status in Qingcheng was gathered here.

As soon as Father Ji went up, he walked over to his old friends. Ji Lingyu was long since used to this.

"The older generation has their circle, and we juniors have ours. Let's go, let's head over there."

Ji Lingyu pointed to the table opposite, where there were only young people.

"It's fine, you go do your thing, don't worry about me."

Ye Lin had been hungry for a long time; at noon, surrounded by those maids, he hadn't eaten more than a few bites.

Ye Lin ignored Ji Lingyu, walked to the side of the table, and began to feast heartily.

The people present all had extremely elegant table manners and were wearing expensive custom-made suits. Ye Lin’s starving-ghost-like way of eating immediately attracted the attention of many people around him, and Ji Lingyu’s toes were already curling in embarrassment.

"Boss, how about we eat later? Let me introduce you to my friends first?"

"No rush, wait for me to finish eating first."

"Boss, if you want to eat something when we get home, I'll have someone make it for you, okay? Please stop eating for now."

Ji Lingyu said anxiously. He could already feel more and more gazes directed at the two of them, but Ye Lin ignored him completely, happily stuffing his face with dinner.

In his desperation, Ji Lingyu actually wanted to reach out and snatch the lobster from Ye Lin’s hand. Ye Lin’s gaze instantly sharpened.

"Forbidden Spell..."

Ji Lingyu froze in place, an awkward smile appearing on his face.

"It's nothing, Boss, you eat, you eat."

Ji Lingyu covered his face and left Ye Lin’s side, wanting to cry but having no tears. Bringing Ye Lin to the banquet today was meant to introduce him to his friends so that Ye Lin could gain some face.

But with Ye Lin looking like a reincarnated starving ghost, how could Ji Lingyu dare to introduce him? If he told others that Ye Lin was his boss, he would probably become the laughingstock of the Qingcheng second-generation circle.

Having driven Ji Lingyu away, Ye Lin happily enjoyed his dinner.

As for how the people around him viewed him? He didn't care; filling his stomach was the most important thing.

But just as he was eating happily, a cold female voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Ye Lin?"

Ye Lin was still chewing the unfinished lobster in his mouth; he turned his head and saw the shocked face of Zhuge Ni.

Beside Zhuge Ni was a girl in a white dress. This girl was petite, more than half a head shorter than Zhuge Ni, but her face was in no way inferior to Zhuge Ni’s.

"It really is you! Why are you here?" After seeing clearly that it was Ye Lin, a look of obvious disgust appeared on Zhuge Ni’s face. "You didn't sneak in here just to freeload, did you?"

Ye Lin didn't want to pay attention to Zhuge Ni, thinking to himself that it was bad luck to run into this brainless woman everywhere. But on second thought, given Mr. Zhuge’s status, it wasn't strange for Zhuge Ni to appear at this banquet.

"Ni Ni, who is he?" the girl in the white dress asked curiously. It was the first time she had seen such obvious disgust on Zhuge Ni’s face.

Even when those suitors had pestered Zhuge Ni before, she had never seen Zhuge Ni show such an expression.

"Who is he? Hmph! Just a coward who fears death. Do you remember the Ling Ye I told you about, the one who saved me?" Zhuge Ni asked, looking at the girl in the white dress.

"I remember, you said he controls the Karma Fire and has immense strength, killing an eighth-level monster with a single blow on the very first night he entered the novice secret realm," the girl in the white dress nodded.

"Before I met Ling Ye, the first person I encountered was this guy! This guy’s strength isn't weak. If he had been willing to fight that eighth-level Dragon-Blooded Giant Beast with me at the time, I would never have been forced into a desperate situation! But this guy was so cowardly that he just dumped me and ran away!"

Whenever she spoke of this, Zhuge Ni would stare at Ye Lin through gritted teeth, but Ye Lin was focused on his meal and didn't even glance at her.

"Ah?" The girl in the white dress tilted her head. "But... seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster is human instinct. Although he is indeed a coward, it shouldn't be enough to make you this angry, right?"

"Liu Yanwei!" Zhuge Ni shouted the girl’s name indignantly. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Yours, yours," Liu Yanwei stuck out her little tongue.

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been forced into a desperate situation by the Dragon-Blooded Giant Beast, and I wouldn't have met Ling Ye in such a sorry state! Ling Ye treated me like a burden, which directly led to me still not having found any news of Ling Ye now. Don't you think I should be angry?" Zhuge Ni retorted.

"That is indeed worth being angry about; I'd be angry too if it were me."

Liu Yanwei nodded. She knew very well how crazily this Miss Zhuge had been searching for that Ling Ye over the past two days; she had practically turned all of Qingcheng upside down.

"Alright, alright, since you're angry, let's just not look at him. Out of sight, out of mind. Come on, let's go over there."

Liu Yanwei pushed Zhuge Ni to another spot, avoiding further conflict between her and Ye Lin, but as Zhuge Ni left, she still glared fiercely at Ye Lin.

Ye Lin, who was eating, suddenly felt a sense of dark humor in his heart. So, the Ling Ye he had impersonated had left such a deep impression on Zhuge Ni?

He suddenly wanted to know what kind of expression Zhuge Ni would have when she found out that Ling Ye was just him in disguise.