Han Enci's expression turned strange when he heard Meng Zhe's words.
You think you can take down this great demon king?
Han Enci understood now. Meng Zhe definitely knew nothing about Lin Fei's background. Even Jiang Tianling treated him with the utmost respect. How could he possibly be a mere security guard?
Despite these thoughts, Han Enci said nothing about them, merely asking without revealing anything, "Xiao Zhe, you know him?"
As a brother in appearance only, Han Enci was more than happy to watch Meng Zhe court death. Deep down, he disliked this third-rate little rich brat. He only pretended to be close to him to build a good relationship with Song Zhe, who stood behind him.
After all, the Ji Family being under the Song Family's thumb was no secret to Han Enci, who worked at the Ji Group. Seeing the ship beneath his feet about to sink, of course he had to prepare early and jump to another ship. With the Song Family now very likely to gain control of the Ji Group, Han Enci had no reason not to curry favor with them.
"Of course I do," Meng Zhe said through gritted teeth. "Ji Yaoguang's damned bodyguard!"
Meng Zhe had personally delivered Ji Yaoguang's invitation, so naturally he knew it admitted only one person.
You dared sneak into the Qing family's banquet?
Just watch how I deal with you!
As the saying went, enemies saw red when they met. Meng Zhe felt he had found the perfect opportunity for revenge and could no longer contain his excitement.
Merely imagining the feeling of getting his revenge gave Meng Zhe the exquisite satisfaction of eating ice cream in summer.
Unfortunately, while he already thought victory was in the bag, the great enemy in his eyes could not even be bothered to glance at him.
A cold, sinister smile curled Meng Zhe's lips as he walked toward Lin Fei, step by step.
Immersed in the anticipation of his impending revenge, he failed to notice that Han Enci had already quietly slipped off to the side behind him...
Lin Fei was admiring a shelf of antiques Qing Fen had collected. The shelf had four tiers, displaying porcelain, jade, and bronze artifacts. Yet at the center of the top tier, above these valuable antiques, sat a transparent security-glass box containing several rotten, brittle fragments of bamboo twigs.
It was precisely these seemingly worthless things that attracted Lin Fei most.
A trace of reminiscence crossed his face, and he let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
Four thousand years had rushed past in a blink. Even the token of the Di people that Qing Yuntian had spent his entire life refining had now deteriorated into such a state.
Lin Fei shook his head gently and was about to turn away when he heard someone shout, "There's a thief who sneaked in here!"
At Meng Zhe's shout, all the guests in the living room turned to look.
Lin Fei was standing in front of the antique shelf in the corner, looking very much as though he were preparing to steal something.
In principle, the Qing family's banquet guests were all people of standing, and something like this should never have happened. But seeing Lin Fei's plain clothes, quite a few people really did consider it entirely possible.
After all, however they looked at him, Lin Fei was a poor kid who did not fit in with the caliber of people here. Stealing any one of these antiques and reselling it would probably give someone like him enough to squander for a lifetime, wouldn't it? Thinking of it that way, it was hardly surprising that someone would take a desperate risk.
Lin Fei turned around and cast Meng Zhe a sidelong glance. "You're calling me a thief?"
Meng Zhe sneered and declared firmly, "Of course! You weren't invited at all, yet you sneaked into the Qing family's villa. What could that be but ill intent? If I hadn't spotted you in time, you'd probably have stolen something and run off by now!"
Quite a few people present frowned, looking at Lin Fei with wary, unfriendly expressions.
Some had already noticed Lin Fei earlier. After all, he stood out far too much in a setting like this to leave no impression.
Hearing Meng Zhe's words now, someone hurriedly said, "I ran into this man at the entrance! He arrived in a taxi and was stopped by the security guards. They seemed to suspect something was wrong with his invitation!"
As soon as he finished, people who had been with him chimed in, saying they had found it puzzling at the time too.
Now it seemed there really was something wrong. This man had clearly forged an invitation to sneak in and steal things!
Lin Fei paid no heed to these malicious speculations. He merely looked at Meng Zhe with the ghost of a smile. "Looks like you didn't learn your lesson yesterday."
This was probably what they meant by forgetting the pain once the scar had healed.
Lin Fei casually took just half a step forward, and Meng Zhe flinched in fright, abruptly retreating as if by reflex, avoiding him like a snake or scorpion.
"What are you trying to do? This is the Qing family's banquet! You can't run wild here!"
Meng Zhe was genuinely panicking. Fierce in appearance but cowardly within, he shouted, "Everyone, look! Not only did this man sneak in to steal things, now he wants to hit me for exposing him!"
For a moment, the crowd seethed with indignation, all feeling that this thief was utterly shameless.
"Are thieves all this bold these days? He has absolutely no regard for the law!"
"Go get security!"
"I'll find Chairman Qing!"
Lin Fei remained as calm as still water, so composed that the others could hardly believe it.
"Fine. Hurry up. I'll wait here." He calmly sat down on the sofa, leisurely picked up a glass of fruit wine, and took a sip.
Though everyone present considered themselves refined, cultivated members of high society, at that moment they felt the urge to curse.
Fuck you! I've never seen such an arrogant thief in my life!
But someone more perceptive immediately knitted his brows, then smoothed them without betraying anything. This middle-aged man with a bald crown chuckled as he tried to smooth things over. "Let's not get worked up, everyone. Perhaps this young man really is a guest of the Qing family? Someone has gone to fetch Chairman Qing anyway. We'll know the truth soon enough."
Yet as soon as he finished, Han Enci gave an odd laugh. "Uncle, there's something you don't know. I know this man. There's no way he could be a guest of the Qing family! He's just a bodyguard for the Ji Family. He must have forged an invitation to sneak in!"
A bodyguard?
And one from the Ji Family?
Several people were already smiling contemptuously, their sense of superiority plain to see.
With the Song Family pressing them harder at every turn, it was inevitable that the Ji Family would become a subordinate group of the Song Family.
The Ji Family was nearly finished. How could a mere bodyguard attend a banquet like this?
"Chairman Qing is here!"
Someone shouted, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Qing Fen's expression was stern, his powerful strides carrying the distinctive authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power. He sneered and said, "Who has the gall to sneak into my Qing family's banquet to stea-"
His words stopped abruptly, and even his body gave an extremely unnatural shudder.
For Qing Fen had spotted Lin Fei holding a wineglass, casually raising it to greet him from a distance.
At that moment, Qing Fen's face turned livid. Even at his advanced age, he instantly felt the urge to curse.
For fuck's sake, which lunatic dared mistake the immortal master for a thief who sneaked in?!
Seeing this, Meng Zhe was instantly delighted, feeling that his chance to distinguish himself before a big shot like Qing Fen had arrived.
He also took Qing Fen's ugly, livid expression as a sign that the thief's arrogant behavior had enraged him...