Seventy-Year Birthday

Xihu District was definitely where the rich gathered. Land prices were exorbitant, with every inch worth its weight in gold. All of Hangzhou's most upscale entertainment venues and luxury residences were concentrated in this area. Take South Mountain Road, for example—even a doghouse there would be worth eight or nine hundred thousand. The bars and cafés lining the streets were also popular gathering places for white-collar workers.

This Club was located beside West Lake on Yang Gong Causeway, and it was unquestionably the emperor among the clubs of the wealthy. Those who came here were either powerful officials or tycoons worth hundreds of millions. The membership fee alone was 20,000 US dollars.

Tonight, the seventieth birthday celebration of Old Master Lin Xiaotian of Longteng Group was being held at This Club. The club was ablaze with lights, and luxury cars crowded the entrance. Handsome men and beautiful women, powerful officials and wealthy tycoons—seemingly, every prominent figure in Hangzhou had gathered there.

Lin Xiaotian was the former head of the Lin family. The current head was his eldest son, Lin Qiming, while the beauty Lin Ling whom Zhang Hupan had met at the foot of Wudang Mountain was Lin Qiming's daughter. As the former president of Longteng Group and the former head of the Lin family, Lin Xiaotian's seventieth birthday had drawn not only many friends from the business world and martial artists, but also people from numerous government departments!

Any martial arts expert or agent who paid attention would notice that bodyguards were scattered throughout every corner of This Club, both openly and covertly. With a closer look, one could see that every one of them was an elite among elites. The security measures were probably no different from those protecting a national leader. In fact, today's occasion was no less significant than a visit from a national leader. The presence of business elites from every field and high-ranking government officials showed that this was no ordinary banquet—after all, it was the seventieth birthday of Old Master Lin, one of the four great families of Jiangnan!

The entire second floor was ablaze with lights, and the hall was magnificent. It was decorated with extreme luxury without losing its elegance and grandeur. Top-quality marble paved the floor, an enormous crystal chandelier hung overhead, and melodious music echoed through the hall.

Beautiful waitresses wore sexy qipaos and carried trays filled with wineglasses, weaving through the crowd like lovely butterflies. A row of long tables decorated with beautiful flowers held all kinds of delicate pastries and fruit for the guests to take themselves.

All the men present wore immaculate suits and behaved with refined courtesy, displaying the utmost gentlemanly manners. The women were all dressed in various evening gowns and carried themselves with grace. Whether they knew one another or not, they raised their glasses with smiles to greet anyone approaching. The men and women either spoke in hushed voices or chatted cheerfully. Those who were more outgoing circulated among the crowd, handling every interaction and showing off their extraordinary social skills. Yet everyone's smile was somewhat reserved and somewhat false. This was high society's party, the social game successful people and tycoons loved most.

The appearance of Zhang Hupan and Zhao Liya attracted the attention of many, especially the wealthy young heirs. Their eyes covertly kept sliding toward the hint of fair, ample cleavage Zhao Liya revealed. As for Zhang Hupan, who stood beside the beauty, he naturally became the target of everyone's attention.

Although Zhang Hupan had a very ordinary face, his figure was exceptionally well-proportioned. Wearing a well-fitted black suit and a diamond watch, with his distinctive, carefree air and the most standard gentlemanly smile at the corners of his lips, he made people overlook his plain features. No one would associate him with a college freshman from the mountains. They could only feel that this man had an elegant bearing and noble status, and wonder which wealthy family he belonged to. Zhao Liya affectionately linked her jade arm through Zhang Hupan's, her beautiful face blooming with smiles. Her light-blue off-shoulder evening gown accentuated her alluring figure, while her air was elegant and charming.

At that moment, a woman in a light-blue evening gown approached them. She was tall, elegant, Zhao Liya's close friend, and the beauty Zhang Hupan had encountered at the foot of Wudang Mountain—Lin Ling. With a smile on her pretty face, she teasingly complained to Zhao Liya, "How could you only arrive now? I've been waiting for you forever!" Afterward, she looked curiously at Zhang Hupan, who seemed somewhat familiar. Yet even if she had racked her brain, she would never have connected this elegant, refined gentleman with the Zhang Hupan she had met at the foot of Wudang Mountain—the one with his hair tied in a topknot, dressed in a Daoist robe, and wearing lecherous eyes.

"Well, well! You found yourself a boyfriend and didn't even tell me! And I've always treated you as my best sister!" Lin Ling pretended to sound angry.

A blush spread across Zhao Liya's pretty face. She rolled her eyes at Lin Ling, then walked over and linked arms with her, whispering into her ear.

"So that's how it is. Only a little minx like you could think of that!" After listening, Lin Ling covered her lips and giggled softly. Her beautiful eyes secretly glanced at Zhang Hupan, who stood elegantly nearby, and she continued in a low voice, "Actually, he's not bad. Why don't you consider him?" After saying that, she giggled again, drawing sidelong glances from everyone around them.

"I knew nothing decent could come out of that filthy mouth of yours! I'm ignoring you!" Another flush crossed Zhao Liya's pretty face. She lightly pinched Lin Ling, glared at her, then turned and walked toward Zhang Hupan.

Looking at Zhang Hupan in the distance, carrying himself with refined grace and smiling as he greeted the people around him one by one, Zhao Liya's eyes revealed a faint glimmer. She could not help feeling secretly dejected. If only he were Big Brother Shi! I wonder whom the Shi family will send to offer their birthday congratulations this time!

As she was thinking, a man she greatly disliked blocked her path—Lin Ling's cousin, Lin Weifeng. His gentlemanly attire and righteous expression could not conceal the hint of lechery that flashed in his eyes. "Liya, you're becoming more and more beautiful!" The Zhao and Lin families had deep ties, and Zhao Liya and Lin Ling were close friends, so they inevitably met often. Thus, Lin Weifeng smiled and spoke to Zhao Liya warmly.

Although Lin Weifeng had hidden his wolfish thoughts well, a woman's natural sixth sense could clearly detect the filth in the man before her. Looking at the smiling, squinting man, Zhao Liya felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly. However, her excellent upbringing kept her from making a scene. She merely nodded slightly and smiled. "Thank you for the compliment."

Men were sometimes even more narcissistic than women. Seeing Zhao Liya respond with a smile, Lin Weifeng assumed that his handsome and dashing image had finally moved the beauty before him. His eyes gleaming with lust as he imagined stripping her naked, he continued flattering her with an ingratiating smile.

Her good upbringing and years of social experience had taught the originally forthright Zhao Liya to put on a false face when dealing with these wealthy young heirs. Yet their hypocritical affectations filled her with genuine disgust. That was why she had asked Zhang Hupan to pretend to be her boyfriend and attend this kind of occasion, so others would not harass her.

Although Zhang Hupan was some distance away, he kept up a gentlemanly smile and politely greeted the guests he had never met. His gaze, however, never left Zhao Liya. Seeing her brows knit slightly, he sensed that she disliked the frivolous-looking man standing before her. Zhang Hupan disliked him as well. With his cultivation, it was not difficult for him to see through Lin Weifeng's malicious intentions. Thus, he hurried over to Zhao Liya, naturally wrapped an arm around her soft waist, and asked her gently and courteously, "Liya, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

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