Wine Banquet

The online buzz remained high.

Ye Qingpu knew the other side was merely using this matter to drive a wedge between him and the deputy mayor.

Offend anyone but the powerful and privileged—this was a businessman's greatest taboo.

The more people dragged into something seemingly absurd yet clearly targeted, the more chaotic the situation became. Ye Qingpu knew better than to fall into the trap of proving his own innocence. What he needed to consider most was who stood to benefit the most from this entire affair.

The deputy mayor seemed modest on the surface, but his ambition ran deep. Behind the glamour of the elite circles, countless people employed filthy methods in private. Naturally, they had already planned their escape routes: use public opinion to manipulate public opinion, use the gossip the masses wanted to know as bait, reap the rewards from the sidelines, then, once the storm subsided, make frequent appearances at major charity events and forcibly whitewash themselves.

Ye Qingpu tapped at his computer intermittently.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, brewed two more packets of medicine, then opened Toutiao to take a look.

The person behind this had pushed the so-called "scandal" between him and Jiang Jifu from some time ago back onto the trending searches.

"Ril ghosts..."

Leaning back in his chair, Ye Qingpu silently took a sip of Ganmaoling.

They were really planning to cling to this and never let go... But after so many days, the deputy mayor had not stepped forward. Instead, he had immediately announced that his son and Pei Jiaqian would soon be married...

Ye Qingpu could not quite understand it.

He was somewhat troubled.

Especially after seeing the comments online, he was so speechless he almost laughed.

Quite a few people from the elite circles had also seized the chance to pile on. In short, their assessment of him was that he looked aloof and noble but was actually a perverted old man with improper thoughts who loved robbing the cradle.

Ye Qingpu could tolerate being called a "perverted old man," but how exactly had the hot comments under the secretly filmed footage of him and Pei Jiaqian—"richest beta" and "late-life romance"—ended up being combined?

As long as Ye Qingpu was not blind, he knew he had fair skin, a pretty face, long legs, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a perky ass. Late-life romance, my ass. Ye Qingpu desperately wanted to drag that person out and smash their head like it was a cucumber being crushed for a salad.

"Um... Boss, the car is ready. Are you leaving now?" The assistant knocked on the office door.

Ye Qingpu froze. He had nearly forgotten that he needed to attend a cocktail party tonight.

Though the circumstances were unusual, Ye Qingpu was still someone of standing in Harbor City. Besides, he was not some public figure. At the end of the day, he was just a businessman.

Perhaps people would judge a businessman's private life, but as long as it was within the bounds of the law, who had the right to interfere?

Moreover, this banquet was being held by President Wang next door to celebrate successfully participating in the bidding for a certain plot of land. The man had invited him repeatedly, and even though Ye Qingpu found him disgusting, he had no choice but to give him face.

"Mm, let's go." Ye Qingpu removed his glasses and rose to leave.

"Also, Boss Fan, who has maintained a cooperative relationship with us, has made an appointment to discuss a new project. He's currently on his way here. Would you like me to stay and receive him?"

The assistant said.

Ye Qingpu stopped. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"You stay. Boss Fan is an honest man. Don't neglect him."

"Understood, Boss. Would you like to designate someone to accompany you to the banquet, or will you go alone? Given the current circumstances, I suggest bringing someone with you."

The assistant had a point. Ye Qingpu immediately thought of the honest and dependable Jiang Wenke.

When Jiang Wenke was directed to sit in the back seat of Ye Qingpu's Maybach, he was still dazed. He looked restrained and uneasy, but he quickly composed himself, sitting ramrod straight.

"You don't need to be nervous."

Ye Qingpu looked at him with amusement. Having been too busy to sleep for several days straight, his voice carried a nasal undertone that made his soft laugh especially sexy.

Jiang Wenke's ears reddened, but his expression remained calm.

"Sorry to trouble you by making you accompany me on this trip."

Ye Qingpu sat with his legs crossed by the window, one elbow propped against the car door, silently watching the vehicle pass the media crowding the front of the company building so tightly no water could pass through.

"Boss, you... you're not the kind of person the news says you are."

Jiang Wenke suddenly turned toward him, his tone sincere.

Ye Qingpu glanced at him, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"What kind of person I am, and what kind of person the public thinks I am, are not important. How the media writes about me is their business."

He simply hated people who clung on like rabid dogs and refused to let go.

Ye Qingpu did not speak again for the rest of the drive. Out of habit, he took out his phone and checked it. His chat app was completely blank, with no new messages.

Pei Jiaqian had not contacted him.

Ye Qingpu silently put down his phone.

That made sense. Pei Jiaqian was about to get married, after all. Though he claimed he did not want a political marriage, his body had been quite honest, hadn't it? And now that his entanglement with someone like Ye Qingpu had suddenly been exposed in the media, perhaps it had caught Pei Jiaqian off guard?

That made sense too. He was still young and playful. Perhaps he also felt that his ambiguous relationship with Ye Qingpu was something shameful. Now that he had gotten away, it was only right for him to avoid contact with Ye Qingpu and prevent himself from being dragged back into it.

Looking at the car door that had been opened for him, Ye Qingpu smiled helplessly and stepped onto the red carpet.

The waiting reporters all raised their cameras and tried to swarm forward, but the security guards maintaining order stopped them.

Ye Qingpu's expression remained placid as he walked toward the banquet hall at an unhurried pace.

Because he had grown frighteningly thin, the fitted black suit that had originally been tailored to his figure now hung loosely on him. Left with no choice, he wore a high-end runway brand piece today. It was also in black, with irregular strap designs at the waist and trouser legs, accented with metallic elements.

It made him look both abstinent and flamboyant. Yet his red lips, white teeth, and affectionate eyes were impossible to ignore, especially the faint mole on the tip of his nose, which added several touches of seductive charm.

There was no denying that, even as a beta, he had been more stunning than most omegas. Now that he had been transformed into an omega and nourished by pheromones, Ye Qingpu became increasingly irresistible to those alphas.

"Qingpu, you're finally here!"

Wang Jing noticed the person being led in at once. His swollen, puffy eyes crinkled with a smile as he draped an arm over Ye Qingpu's shoulders and led him before a group of powerful men dressed in suits.

Jiang Wenke stood silently to the side. The looks from the alphas surrounding his boss made him physically uncomfortable, as though they were... appraising some rare commodity.

Yet Ye Qingpu seemed accustomed to it. He accepted a glass of champagne, his words distant yet polite.

He had long grown used to the way these people looked him over. It was nothing more than restless desire for what they could not possess.

"Qingpu, we all know about your situation. Don't take it to heart. Those reporters just love taking things out of context!"

Wang Jing appeared to be comforting him, but the hand resting on Ye Qingpu's waist wickedly gave it a squeeze.

Ye Qingpu's eyes darkened. He suppressed the urge to smash a wineglass into the man's face and quietly moved away from that greasy, filthy hand.

A flash of disdain passed through Wang Jing's eyes after being rebuffed. He immediately replaced it with a hypocritical smile and led Ye Qingpu around to speak with the other influential guests.

Ye Qingpu had long been accustomed to such social performances. It was nothing more than saying what people wanted to hear, whether they were human or ghosts. These people held high positions and harbored impure intentions; all they wanted to hear was flattery.

By the time he had spoken with several people, Ye Qingpu had already been plied with quite a bit of alcohol. Though he had deliberately tried to limit himself, those powerful men refused to let him off.

Ye Qingpu said nothing, maintaining the same polite and distant smile.

The situation was simple: their backing was too strong for him to offend them easily, while he himself had nothing but money.

Money might be omnipotent, but when he encountered people who did not lack money, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage.

Seeing that his boss was handling everything with ease, Jiang Wenke did not dare approach rashly. He merely found a corner of the banquet hall and stood there, silently watching Ye Qingpu's movements.

This was his first time entering such a high-end venue. Just as rumored, it was extravagance and decadence, a world drowned in luxury. But he was not there as an honored guest; he was dressed in an ordinary, cheap office-worker's suit, temporarily responsible for Ye Qingpu's personal safety.

Suddenly, a drunk man bumped into him, and Jiang Wenke instinctively reached out to steady him.

The man's steps were unsteady, and the red wine in his hand spilled all over Jiang Wenke.

He had not cared much about getting his clothes dirty, but the other man's wine had soaked through his boxer briefs...

"Sorry..."

The man was thoroughly drunk and struggled to reach over to wipe the wine stains from Jiang Wenke's body.

Jiang Wenke swiftly caught the man's hand, his expression displeased.

He did not want to cause trouble, so he made his attitude more respectful. After apologizing to the man, he went alone to the restroom to clean himself up.

Every person here dressed in a suit was someone Jiang Wenke could not afford to provoke.

After cleaning up briefly in the restroom, Jiang Wenke endured the intense awkwardness and discomfort and hurried back to the banquet hall. He swept his gaze across the crowd, then searched the nearby areas inside and out several times. At last, the luck he had been clinging to was crushed—

Ye Qingpu was gone.

Gone along with him were the host of the banquet and the powerful men who had been gathered around Ye Qingpu earlier...