Did Laozi Have No Manners?

As luck would have it, a couple of days ago, Wang Yan was taking a stroll when he passed by Misia. He glanced inside without thinking and spotted the woman. Those long legs, that tiny waist—she had it all. So he simply walked right in.

Wang Yan didn't have time to bother with her. She could do whatever she wanted; he went straight to Daisy.

There was no need to go into the details of how he flirted with her. He just had to show off his means, see what she was like, and if she was interested, she naturally wouldn't refuse to go out to dinner with him. It all happened quite smoothly.

Things came so easily that Wang Yan was always left holding a beauty in his arms and sighing that morals were declining and people were no longer as honest as they used to be. How could they be so casual?

Daisy was worthy of being an overseas student from France who spoke two languages fluently. It didn't matter whether she'd attended some fly-by-night university; her horizons were clearly much broader. No matter how you looked at it, she was miles ahead of Wang Manni.

Maybe it was because she'd seen more of the world? She was far more sensible than Wang Manni, and younger, too. She didn't waste time on pointless stuff, and she was especially adventurous. She had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve.

Daisy had been with plenty of guys, but in her eyes, Wang Yan was definitely championship material.

Anyway, they were both quite satisfied.

Before long, Gu Jia's birthday arrived.

Since it was Gu Jia's birthday, her husband naturally ought to be by her side. Xu Huanshan had returned a couple of days earlier, but he hadn't come alone. The bastard had brought Lin Youyou to Shanghai and put her up in a hotel not far from Junyue Mansion.

Who knew what kind of spell Lin Youyou had been weaving over him all this time, or how she'd managed to fool him? Either way, Xu Huanshan wasn't just getting a little carried away—he was completely out of control.

Wang Yan hadn't expected Xu Huanshan to have this much nerve. He hadn't seemed nearly so bold in the show. Wang Yan figured he had to finish the job this time; otherwise, Xu Huanshan's sheer audacity would have gone to waste.

Gu Jia got up early that morning. The party was starting in the afternoon, so she and Xu Huanshan got ready and went over ahead of time to set things up. They left Xu Ziyan with Wang Yan, who would bring him along later.

In the afternoon, when it was about time, Wang Yan drove Xu Ziyan to the venue.

He arrived neither too early nor too late, and quite a few guests were already there.

As soon as Xu Ziyan arrived, he spotted Gu Jia. He said something to Wang Yan, then ran over to her.

Gu Jia was chatting with some friends. When she saw Xu Ziyan coming over, she knew Wang Yan had arrived, too.

She looked in the direction Xu Ziyan had come from and, sure enough, saw Wang Yan smiling and waving at her.

When she started to come over, Wang Yan gestured for her not to bother. They all knew each other well enough; there was no need for all that. He could wander around on his own.

Seeing what Wang Yan meant, Gu Jia didn't come over. She gave him an apologetic look, then turned back to introduce Xu Ziyan to the others.

Just then, someone called out that a gift had been delivered to Chen Xu.

Wang Yan looked around, spotted Chen Xu, and headed over.

When Chen Xu saw Wang Yan approaching, he quickly stood up and took the gift box from him. "Brother Wang, you're here. Just leave the gift with me."

As the driver, aside from the time at the police station, Chen Xu had heard Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan mention Wang Yan. He knew enough to understand that Wang Yan was no ordinary person. It couldn't hurt to make a good impression. If Wang Yan thought well of him and gave him a hand, maybe he could finally get somewhere.

Wang Yan patted Chen Xu on the shoulder. "Why are you being so formal? Sit down and relax."

"I'll leave the gift with you. You get back to what you were doing. I'm going to look around."

Waving to Chen Xu, Wang Yan found a quiet corner, poured himself a drink, and sipped it alone.

He didn't know anyone here, and he wasn't interested in meeting anyone. He'd simply come to celebrate Gu Jia's birthday, nothing more.

Just then, Wang Yan heard someone call, "Old Wang?"

He instinctively looked around and saw Shen Jie waving to him from across the room.

Seeing that it was Shen Jie, Wang Yan raised his glass in greeting. Shen Jie said a few words to the people beside him, then walked over.

"Old Wang, it's been a while. I really have to thank you. You have no idea—after what you said to me last time, I went back and checked everything. I really did find several potential problems."

"I'd been meaning to get Old Xu to arrange something so I could thank you properly, but he's been too busy, and we never managed to set it up."

As he spoke, Shen Jie raised his glass. "Gu Jia's birthday was the perfect chance. Come on, let me buy you a drink."

Wang Yan smiled, clinked glasses with him, and finished his drink. "Old Shen, we're friends. I only mentioned it in passing."

"You don't need to be so formal with me. How about we get together for a meal in a couple of days and have a proper drink?"

"You're practically a host here, and you know a lot of people. It's hard enough to get together with them in the first place."

Pointing toward Xu Huanshan, who was being plied with drinks, Wang Yan said, "Go help Old Xu entertain everyone. We'll have plenty of chances to catch up."

After they had another drink, Shen Jie apologized and went over to help Xu Huanshan. He didn't bother offering to introduce Wang Yan to anyone. Given his relationship with Xu Huanshan, he knew exactly what Wang Yan was capable of. Wang Yan was the one who connected people.

After Shen Jie left, Wang Yan went back to drinking by himself, bored out of his mind as he watched people exchange empty pleasantries and suck up to one another. Their noise had nothing to do with him. He was just passing through.

After a while, Xu Ziyan came scampering over. Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan were too busy to look after him for the moment. There weren't any other children for him to play with, and he'd spent long enough with Gu Jia's father. The old man was too boring.

"Dad, when will Mom's birthday party be over? This is so boring." When he saw Wang Yan drinking by himself, he came over. Being with his dad was more fun.

Wang Yan crouched down and tapped his little nose. "Did you have fun on your birthday?"

Xu Ziyan nodded. Wang Yan continued, "It's the same for Mom today. She's happy because it's her birthday. Look—doesn't she seem more cheerful than usual? Don't go getting sulky, okay?"

"I won't make Mom sad. I'll just stay with you, Dad."

Wang Yan nodded approvingly. He crouched there and whispered with Xu Ziyan, playing little games with him. By now, he was a real expert at keeping children happy. He had Xu Ziyan wrapped around his little finger.

Just then, Wang Manni arrived, beaming, with Liang Zhengxian on her arm.

Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan went over to welcome them, and everyone introduced themselves. Gu Jia and Wang Manni were close friends, and the two of them chatted and laughed while talking about Liang Zhengxian. As the host, Xu Huanshan spent a while talking with Liang Zhengxian and had a couple of drinks with him.

Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan still had plenty of guests to attend to, so they couldn't stay with Wang Manni and Liang Zhengxian the whole time. After chatting for a bit, the two of them found a spot to have some time alone.

A little later, Zhong Xiaoqin arrived with Zhong Xiaoyang.

Gu Jia naturally went over to welcome them and meet Zhong Xiaoyang. As Wang Manni's friend, she also brought Liang Zhengxian over to introduce him to everyone. Of course, she mainly wanted to show him off.

Gu Jia saw right through her but said nothing. Xu Huanshan didn't care at all. Zhong Xiaoyang thought they were all colleagues. And Zhong Xiaoqin was probably the only one who had no idea what was going on.

After they chatted for a while, Zhong Xiaoqin announced that she wanted to find her godson. Ever since Wang Yan had come along, she hadn't seen Xu Ziyan much, and Wang Manni had never even met him. Hearing Zhong Xiaoqin bring him up, she wanted to see him, too.

Zhong Xiaoyang knew he had to seize the opportunity. He needed to show that he liked children and had a caring side. Zhong Xiaoqin was into sunny, cheerful guys, wasn't she? So he said he loved kids and wanted to go see Xu Ziyan, too.

Liang Zhengxian thought, what difference did it make whether they went to see a child? But he didn't know anyone else there. Besides, Zhong Xiaoyang was going, so it would look odd if he didn't accompany Wang Manni. He could only nod and say he'd go, too.

Gu Jia still had other guests to look after. Seeing that they all wanted to see Xu Ziyan, she let Zhong Xiaoqin take them to find him.

The venue wasn't that big; otherwise, Xu Ziyan wouldn't have been able to find Wang Yan. Before long, they spotted Xu Ziyan crouching on the floor counting ants, along with a man who had his back to them.

"Ziyan, I'm here! Come let your godmother give you a kiss." Zhong Xiaoqin walked up, picked Xu Ziyan up, and planted a kiss on him.

Xu Ziyan liked his godmother, who always brought him tasty treats. Recognizing her, he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Godmother, I missed you so much. You haven't brought me any treats in ages."

Xu Ziyan's words made Zhong Xiaoqin beam.

"You little rascal, you've gotten so chubby lately. I can barely lift you." After her initial excitement passed, Zhong Xiaoqin began to feel how heavy he was in her arms.

That was thanks to all the exercise he'd been doing with Wang Yan lately. Children shouldn't exercise too much, of course, but Wang Yan had tailored the activities to what Xu Ziyan could handle. He was more active than most kids, ate and drank well, and was growing fast. He'd shot up in height, so naturally he'd gained weight, too.

Wang Yan stood up and turned to face the four of them.

Wang Manni had been looking at Xu Ziyan and imagining what her own child might be like. But when Wang Yan turned around, she instinctively flinched. "Why are you here?"

"That's a strange question. Why can't I be here?" Wang Yan replied to Wang Manni's clueless question.

Everyone noticed Wang Manni's odd reaction. Liang Zhengxian was especially quick to pick up on it. "You know this gentleman?"

Wang Manni instinctively shook her head and answered firmly, "No."

She immediately realized she'd misspoken and hurriedly added, "We just crossed paths. I've seen him twice."

From Wang Manni's reaction and the way she put it, it was obvious something was going on. Liang Zhengxian could figure out most of the story from his own experience. It was probably just the usual thing between a man and a woman.

He wasn't particularly bothered by that sort of thing, but as a man, as a male, he still felt insulted and developed a hint of hostility toward Wang Yan.

He hid it well, though. He'd been around for years and weathered plenty of storms. As long as he wasn't provoked, he could keep his feelings off his face.

The man in front of him looked ordinary, wore nothing more than an average luxury brand, and had an odd, hard-to-describe air about him. Wang Manni had also told him about Gu Jia's circumstances, so he knew roughly what kind of person she was. All things considered, if Gu Jia was willing to befriend this man and show him enough respect to invite him, he couldn't be all that important. Liang Zhengxian judged him to be an ordinary man with a bit of money, someone he could handle.

This was the perfect chance to show Wang Manni what he could do.

"Hello, I'm Liang Zhengxian. I work in finance. May I ask your name, sir? And where do you work?" Liang Zhengxian extended his hand and introduced himself in his distinctive Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, then asked his questions.

Seeing Liang Zhengxian's move, even Zhong Xiaoqin could tell what he was up to, given Wang Manni's odd reaction.

Wang Manni was deeply touched by Liang Zhengxian stepping in on her behalf. She thought it showed how much he cared about her.

Zhong Xiaoqin and Zhong Xiaoyang were just waiting to watch the drama unfold.

Liang Zhengxian was nowhere near Wang Yan's level. Wang Yan had seen plenty of storms in his time. Even though Liang Zhengxian hid it well, Wang Yan had met countless people from every walk of life; he could clearly sense the hostility.

Wang Yan thought Liang Zhengxian's behavior was pointless. This was their first time meeting, and as far as Wang Yan knew, he hadn't done anything to offend the man. They hadn't even had time to exchange a glance. And yet, just because a plaything he didn't particularly care about had reacted oddly, Liang Zhengxian wanted to use Wang Yan to make himself feel important.

Wang Yan was speechless at such stupidity. It was like something out of an animal documentary: two beasts fought to prove their strength, the winner took everything, and the loser had to leave.

You didn't even know who I was, or what I did, and you were going to use me to make yourself feel important based solely on what you could see?

It was Gu Jia's birthday, and Wang Yan didn't want to cause trouble. Of the four people in front of him, he couldn't stand a single one. Besides, he had no reason to care what anyone thought, so why waste his breath on them?

Ignoring Liang Zhengxian's outstretched hand, he said, "My name is Wang Yan, and I work in finance, too. I'll leave you to it. Talk with Ziyan; I'm going to look around over there."

With that, Wang Yan walked around the four of them, hoping to find some peace and quiet elsewhere.

Wang Yan's disregard got under Liang Zhengxian's skin. With an unhappy expression, he reached out to stop him. "Mr. Wang, don't you think that's very rude?"

Looking at the hand blocking his way, Wang Yan stopped and turned to face Liang Zhengxian. "I know what you're thinking. I don't want to waste my energy on pointless nonsense with you."

He looked at the other three. "I don't want to get to know any of you, either. Is that clear?"

He didn't care how sour their expressions were. "Can I leave now?"

With that, Wang Yan turned and walked away.

Having his motives exposed, Liang Zhengxian blocked Wang Yan again and said with a dark expression, "Don't you think you're being incredibly rude?"

Though Wang Yan's attitude infuriated him, Liang Zhengxian's supposed gentlemanly manners kept him from saying anything harsher.

Everyone there understood Liang Zhengxian's intentions except for little Xu Ziyan. Seeing through something but not saying it aloud was a basic, tacitly accepted rule for most people.

"What about you? Do you agree with them? Do you think I have no manners?" Having been stopped twice and then called ill-mannered, Wang Yan was annoyed. He turned to the other three and asked.

Wang Manni had already been furious when Wang Yan flirted with Daisy and ignored her at the store a while back. Ever since then, Daisy had been walking around in front of her looking positively radiant, day after day. Now Wang Yan was ignoring her again, making it obvious he didn't want to give her the time of day. It really got under Wang Manni's skin. So she was happy to see Liang Zhengxian take the initiative and provoke him. Hearing Wang Yan's question, she simply lifted her chin and looked at him.

Wang Yan had no idea how petty Wang Manni was. It was just a transaction; why make a big deal out of it? He couldn't understand her at all.

Zhong Xiaoqin wasn't ugly, and she always smiled at everyone. Even when her colleagues constantly pushed work onto her, no one had ever ignored her the way Wang Yan had. Of course she was unhappy. And since she wanted to stand up for her good friend, she nodded in agreement.

As for Zhong Xiaoyang, he was a rich second-generation heir with a powerful family. Wherever he went, he was the center of attention. Things had always gone smoothly for him, and he'd never met anyone like Wang Yan who dared to ignore him. His expression darkened as he looked at Wang Yan, too.

Honestly, with over forty years of experience across his real life and two other worlds, this was the first time anyone had told Wang Yan he had no manners.

Wang Yan had never planned to bother with any of these four. To be honest, Lin Youyou's mission was almost complete, and he was already thinking about how to spend the rest of the year.

And yet they had to come looking for him and call him ill-mannered?