Myriad Wealth Capital, the City Lord's Manor.
Gao Jiye's luxury car slowly pulled in, and the city lord, who had been waiting for some time, respectfully opened the door for him.
"Fourth Young Master." City Lord Zhao Yan dipped his head, his smile fawning.
"Mm." Gao Jiye nodded coolly.
The two walked toward the City Lord's Manor side by side.
City Lord Zhao Yan deliberately slowed his pace, falling half a step behind Gao Jiye. He kept his back slightly bowed, trying to reduce the difference in their heights so Gao Jiye would not have to look up at him.
"How are the preparations coming along?" Gao Jiye asked without even lifting his eyelids. His calm voice carried a faint air of distance and control, as though he had become an entirely different person.
He had gone from an innocent, earnest boy to someone accustomed to command in an instant. Young as he was, his quiet authority was unmistakable.
Zhao Yan smiled. "Everything is ready, Fourth Young Master. Almost all the prominent figures in Myriad Wealth Capital are here. Tonight's welcome banquet will be one that bastard never forgets."
Gao Jiye's fine brows drew together slightly. He cast Zhao Yan a displeased glance, his voice growing colder.
"How many times have I told you not to use the word bastard? He's my third brother. You will address him as Third Young Master!"
The sudden chill left the old city lord, a man past fifty, as frightened as a child.
"Yes, yes, of course. I was wrong. I was far too presumptuous. Whatever the Third Young Master may be, he is still a young master of the Gao Family. A household retainer like me has no right to pass judgment on him."
Like a little grown-up, Gao Jiye patted Zhao Yan's