Chapter 27

As for the remaining roles in the film, they were divided among artists under Li's Meihua Film Company and members of Diwan High School's major clubs. Li Rongxiu and the other playboys did not interfere much with the casting, instead following Director Zhang Mengqiu's advice. Just as his second brother, Li Rongjia, had once advised him—

"You're not a professional at this, so listen to the director as much as possible. Director Zhang won the Golden Olive Award for Best Director, and this film is being prepared for the Centennial School Anniversary at Diwan. No matter what, Director Zhang won't ruin his own reputation."

Li Rongxiu had always hated trouble. Now that he had received his second brother Li Rongjia's guidance, he treated it as an inviolable rule and openly shoved all the trivial matters onto the production company and directing team. Only once they had finished everything did he gather the other playboys for a final review.

Of course, even during the final review, Li Rongxiu raised no objections. Zhou Ruixin and the others merely joked, "A few boys and girls at school came to us privately, hoping to make an appearance in our movie." But in the end, all they asked for were insignificant roles with a little screen time and barely any lines.

It seemed that when it came to serious matters, his playboy friends still knew what was important.

At that moment, Li Rongxiu could not help feeling grateful once again for his second brother Li Rongjia's advice. Ever since the auditions had begun, quite a few people inside and outside the school had come to him through all sorts of connections. One wanted the lead role, another wanted a good part. If Li Rongxiu had not shamelessly dumped all that mess onto Director Zhang, he would not have had a moment's peace himself.

This was a society built on connections!

With a sigh, Li Rongxiu tossed all the materials aside and signaled for Zhao Qijun to call Zhang Mengqiu's directing team to discuss what came next. He stood, straightened his clothes, and smiled at everyone. "I heard Imperial Residence in South Bay brought in a chef who used to prepare state banquets. Want to go try something new?"

The playboys naturally had no objections, so they got off the yacht and headed toward where their cars were parked.

They had barely taken a few steps when Li Rongxiu's phone rang. He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar string of numbers on the caller ID. He raised a suspicious brow, but while he was hesitating, the ringing stopped.

Xin Mengmeng, who was walking ahead, noticed Li Rongxiu lagging behind. She stopped, turned around, and frowned. "What are you thinking about? Hurry up."

Hearing that, Li Rongxiu decided not to dwell on it. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and took a few long strides to catch up with the others.

The group had six cars. When they arrived smoothly at the entrance of Imperial Residence, the row of ultra-luxury limited-edition sports cars immediately drew the attention of passersby. Someone even let out a frivolous whistle. Li Rongxiu's flashy red sports car was always in front. That alone showed how thick-skinned and mentally resilient he was—

In his previous life, Li Rongxiu had been driving a red sports car when he got into an accident during a street race. For an ordinary person, even if it did not leave a psychological shadow, it would still feel unpleasant. Only Li Rongxiu, after being reborn, continued exactly as before, with no taboos whatsoever. No wonder the elders of the Li family always said the boy had a big heart.

Of course, put another way, that meant he never learned his lesson. So Xin Mengmeng and the others worrying that Li Rongxiu might repeat Shen Manyao's mistakes was understandable. After all, ever since he was young, he had never been one to hold grudges.

What the others did not know was that Li Rongxiu usually did not seem vengeful because he did not think it was necessary—winners who held the upper hand always appeared more forgiving. Li Rongxiu was not particularly shrewd, but thanks to his excellent family background, he had never suffered much in his life. The only major loss he had ever taken had been at the hands of Chi Junrui and Shen Manyao, so he remembered it.

After being tossed around through two lifetimes, it was not quite a matter of fighting to the death, but still—seeing you miserable makes me happy.

Li Rongxiu tossed his car keys to the attendant who came over to park it, then led the playboys into the magnificent, gilded lobby of Imperial Residence. The lobby manager had received word over the intercom while they were parking and hurried over to greet them. But the news had reached her a little too late. By the time she got to the entrance, Li Rongxiu and the others had already come inside.

Seeing this, the manager hurried up and greeted them enthusiastically. People in her profession generally had tongues smooth enough to make flowers bloom, naturally coaxing distinguished guests into arriving happily and spending lavishly. Besides, Li Rongxiu and the others were no ordinary guests—the people backing them were the sort who could make the business world of Wancheng tremble with a single stomp of their feet.

Led by the lobby manager, Li Rongxiu strolled leisurely toward the VIP elevators. As he walked, he said with a smile, "I heard you hired an old master chef who used to prepare state banquets, and that his cooking is incredible. My friends and I came to try it out today... He's still in the Golden Throne Hall on the top floor, right?"

The moment the lobby manager heard that, her heart sank. She instinctively thought, It's over. An awkward, troubled expression appeared on her face. However, Li Rongxiu and the others failed to notice the emotion she had deliberately put on display—hardly surprising. These young masters were used to being served by others; who among them would be skilled at reading expressions? Zhao Qijun, the only one good at such things, had all his attention on the upcoming start of filming and did not spare the lobby manager a glance.

Seeing that they had already reached the VIP elevators, the lobby manager could no longer hold back. She could only steel herself and say, "I'm terribly sorry, but the Golden Throne Hall currently has guests, and Chef Zhao is preparing dishes for them. If Young Master Xiu does not mind, you may go to the Autumn Palace on the top floor instead. We'll arrange everything for you immediately—"

"It's not even mealtime. Who booked the Golden Throne Hall?" Xin Mengmeng glanced at the diamond watch on her wrist. Its hands clearly showed that it was half past two in the afternoon.

The lobby manager gave them a troubled look.

Li Rongxiu did not notice her expression. He waved a hand. "Forget it. We didn't think it through either. We thought no one would be eating at this hour. Since that's the case... just arrange somewhere for us."

After saying that, he saw the lobby manager's grateful expression and casually asked, "Who are the guests in the Golden Throne Hall?"

The lobby manager hesitated over whether, and how, to answer. Only when she saw Xin Mengmeng's increasingly displeased and impatient expression did she force herself to say, "It's... the eldest young master of the Chi family and the guests he invited."

The moment those words came out, all the playboys' eyes snapped toward Li Rongxiu.

Chapter 27

Chi Junrui sat in the opulent, spacious, luxurious private room on the top floor of Imperial Residence, attentively serving food and urging his honored guest to drink. The private room had an expansive view and a pleasant temperature, yet as Chi Junrui busied himself, fine beads of sweat quietly formed on his forehead.

Beside him, seated in the place of honor at the dining table, was a handsome and distinguished man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven. Holding a wineglass, he leisurely enjoyed Chi Junrui's service. He seemed very accustomed to such attentive treatment, and even had the leisure to inspect the Golden Throne Hall's overall decor, as well as the rows of sleek, modern high-rises beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Then he smiled at Chi Junrui. "I have long heard that Wancheng's wealthy merchants are rich beyond measure, and that their luxurious indulgence surpasses even the Capital. Seeing it today, the reputation is well deserved."

Hearing that, Chi Junrui hurriedly refilled his honored guest's half-empty wineglass, then said with a broad smile, "Wancheng's wealth and extravagance are nothing more than Paper Drunk Golden Lost piled up with money. In the end, it is still rather petty. But when it comes to grand splendor, how could it compare with the Capital's majesty, where all nations come to pay tribute and all rivers flow into the sea? You grew up in the Capital, surrounded by elegance for so long that you no longer notice its fragrance. Yet we humble commoners envy every blade of grass and tree in the capital. It's simply that the Capital is too vast, and not easy to live in."

The man listened to Chi Junrui's deferential flattery and veiled probing, and could not help smiling faintly. Just as he was about to say something, there was a bang. The two solid wooden doors of the Golden Throne Hall, carved with dragons and phoenixes, were pushed open. A group of six or seven people filed in despite the lobby manager's attempts to stop them. A clear, pleasant voice full of mischievous intent rang out.

"I heard Eldest Young Master Chi was hosting an honored guest here. We are unworthy, but we came to admire this 'honored guest's' noble bearing as well. Eldest Young Master Chi won't mind, will he?" As Li Rongxiu spoke, his scrutinizing gaze passed directly over Chi Junrui's suddenly changed expression and landed on the man seated in the place of honor. The man, idly turning a crystal glass in his hand, raised a brow in a relaxed manner and looked Li Rongxiu over as well. He nodded with a smile. "I am Li Jiuying."

Linda, the lobby manager who had followed the group inside, flushed red as she walked over to Chi Junrui. Full of apology, she said, "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Shen. We did everything we could, but Young Master Xiu and the others insisted on coming in..."

Chi Junrui waved a hand, cutting Linda off. Deep down, he was very dissatisfied that Linda had allowed Li Rongxiu and the others inside. But he also understood that, given the Li family's connections and standing in Wancheng, Imperial Residence's reluctance to offend Li Rongxiu was understandable.

If anyone was to blame, it was only that the Chi family's status was inferior, giving Imperial Residence the chance to judge them by their standing.

Linda had become the lobby manager of Imperial Residence at such a young age, so naturally she was socially adept, skillful in dealing with all sides, and good at reading people's hearts. One look at Chi Junrui's expression was enough for her to guess what he was thinking. But she had no choice. With how favored Li Rongxiu was in the Li family, along with the wealth and status of the others, how could she possibly order security to stop them? Offending several flourishing elite families, or kicking a man when he was down while doing the Li family a favor—anyone knew which choice to make.

Besides, she had neglected none of the courtesies she needed to observe or the responsibilities she needed to fulfill. Even if Chi Junrui wanted to file a complaint, she had nothing to fear.

Ignoring the silent clash between Chi Junrui and Linda, Li Rongxiu grinned like a little fox and sidled up to sit beside Li Jiuying. He casually picked up an unused crystal wineglass from the table, poured himself half a glass of red wine, raised it toward Li Jiuying, and smiled. "What a coincidence. My surname is Li too—Li Rongxiu, the youngest son of the Li family in Wancheng. Five hundred years ago, we were one family."

Seeing Li Rongxiu's carefree actions, Chi Junrui's expression changed again. He was about to rebuke him when he seemed to think of something and swallowed the words at his lips. A malicious glint flashed through his eyes, as though he were waiting for Li Rongxiu to make a mistake and anger the honored guest.

But what Chi Junrui did not expect was that Li Jiuying, who had always presented himself as refined and gentle while actually possessing an extremely proud temperament, did not take offense at Li Rongxiu's discourtesy. Instead, he clinked glasses with Li Rongxiu and smiled. "Indeed. Li is a common surname, and it is also the royal surname. To meet kin from five hundred years ago in Wancheng, we are quite fated."

Chi Junrui could not help grumbling inwardly at Li Jiuying's remarkably accommodating, gentle attitude. He subconsciously glanced at Li Rongxiu's exquisite, beautiful face, delicate as a woman's, and secretly curled his lip. Everyone loved beauty; even the lofty royal family was no exception.

He simply could not see what was attractive about Li Rongxiu's pale, effeminate face.

From the moment Li Rongxiu had barged into this private room, he had intended to disrupt things. Now that he saw Chi Junrui's so-called honored guest was mild-tempered and seemed eager to chat with him, he was even more delighted. As he introduced the friends who had entered with him to Li Jiuying, he smiled and made polite conversation. "From your accent, Mr. Li, you're from the Capital, right? What do you think of Imperial Residence's capital cuisine? Is it authentic enough?"

"Just call me Jiuying. No need to be so formal." Li Jiuying spoke seemingly casually before adding, "Chef Li's cooking is naturally authentic and beyond reproach."