Tian Lingli was a world away from him.
Back in college, she had looked down on him as a poor nobody. Now she specifically invited him?
She must have had ulterior motives.
Seeing this, Zheng Xiumei asked, "Why aren't you going when a classmate invited you?"
"She's too noisy. I'd rather stay and keep you company," Li Zhonglou replied with a smile.
Zheng Xiumei smiled, comforted, and advised, "You're starting work tomorrow. Go and relax while you still can. You can't be tense all the time."
"Besides, having more friends opens more doors. I can call a nurse with a wave of my hand, so what's there to worry about?"
Li Zhonglou's brow twitched upon hearing this, and he fell into thought.
His mother wasn't wrong.
The Jiang family was forcing Jiang Yuxin to divorce him. Even if he disagreed, if they were determined enough to sue twice, it would be troublesome.
To resist them, he had to grow stronger.
However, he had no strengths other than appraising antiques. To rise quickly, online live streaming appraisals was a shortcut.
Most crucially, this matter involved the fates of his master and senior sister.
When he considered helping Lu Yunxu with the charity auction, the idea of building his own appraisal platform had emerged.
Coincidentally, he was starting work at Donglin tomorrow, which meant he had both the location and the time.
But such a venture was difficult to manage alone; a complete team was essential for smooth operation.
And right now, there was a ready candidate.
Wu Hao!
A brother for many years, who had also helped him a lot in his past life.
His character was absolutely trustworthy, and most importantly, he was proficient in the internet, especially skilled at video editing.
He was the perfect choice.
If he refused, it might put Wu Hao in an awkward position.
After considering this, Li Zhonglou nodded and replied, "Alright, you rest. I'll go take a look."
***
Desheng Hotel.
Around 5:50 PM.
Victory VIP Hall.
More than twenty people were gathered in the room, chatting and laughing. A woman dressed head to toe in designer brands, carrying a small Gucci Dionysus bag, pushed open the door.
Her sunglasses concealed her face, but couldn't hide her arrogant expression.
She moved gracefully, exuding allure.
Everyone rose to greet her.
A young man in a suit and tie raised his eyebrows and exclaimed excitedly, "Goddess Tian arrives fashionably late! We've all been waiting impatiently. Please, take a seat."
"After a few years since graduation, the goddess has only become more beautiful."
"With over three million followers, Goddess Tian has a limitless future. How many people in Qin Prefecture can compare?"
"Haha... it's Wang Jingwu who has been waiting impatiently, isn't it? He was your suitor back in school, and tonight's dinner was specifically arranged for you by President Wang."
...
Men and women alike showed envious expressions and chimed in.
Listening to the flattery, Tian Lingli proudly removed her sunglasses.
She scanned the room and asked with a frown, "Where is Li Zhonglou?"
"He said he had something to attend to and couldn't make it. He asked me to apologize to you," Wu Hao said from the back of the crowd, his voice laced with apology.
Tian Lingli had personally called him to help invite Li Zhonglou, a great honor.
To his surprise, Li Zhonglou couldn't be persuaded, which had frustrated him for a long time.
However, Li Zhonglou was his good friend, so he had to maintain some semblance of respect.
It wouldn't be worth offending Tian Lingli over this matter.
Upon hearing this, Tian Lingli's face darkened.
She had asked Wang Jingwu to organize this gathering specifically to create an opportunity for Li Zhonglou to attend.
But the main guest didn't show up.
Wasn't her plan going to fall through?
"He's just a loser, a good-for-nothing who doesn't understand social niceties,"
Seeing Tian Lingli's cold expression, Wang Jingwu assumed she was displeased with Li Zhonglou and curried favor, saying, "He doesn't even show up for Goddess Tian's banquet. Such people deserve to leech off women their whole lives!"
"Wang Jingwu, can you show some basic decency?"
Wu Hao couldn't help but defend Li Zhonglou, saying, "Li Zhonglou couldn't make it because he had something to do, how is that disrespecting you?"
"To elevate yourself by stepping on others, aren't you just sowing discord?"
"I'm sowing discord? I'm just stating facts." Wang Jingwu sneered. "Doesn't everyone know he became a live-in son-in-law at the Jiang family? What else is that but leeching off them?"
"You..." Wu Hao was speechless with anger.
Among these people, Wang Jingwu and Tian Lingli were the most successful.
As an employee, he really couldn't afford to offend them.
Even if he was angry, what could he do?
"Since the Goddess has arrived, let's begin the banquet." Wang Jingwu personally escorted Tian Lingli to the head seat.
"Wu Hao, call him again. Tell him so many classmates are waiting for him. Isn't it too disrespectful to not come?" Tian Lingli said with a cold expression.
Jiang Tao had already arranged everything. All she had to do was follow the plan.
But Li Zhonglou didn't come, which felt like punching cotton after gathering all her strength. The feeling made her want to spit blood.
Both Wang Jingwu and Tian Lingli were focused only on Li Zhonglou, sparking unspoken resentment.
"Alright, I'll try again." Wu Hao, seeing this, had no choice but to brace himself and dial Li Zhonglou's number again.
Ring, ring...
A clear ringing sound echoed from outside the private room.
Immediately after, Li Zhonglou pushed open the door and appeared at the entrance of the room.
"You rascal, Zhonglou! Why didn't you notify us when you arrived?" Wu Hao hung up the phone and rushed over, putting an arm around Li Zhonglou's shoulder and exclaiming.
He had originally intended to punch Li Zhonglou as a sign of camaraderie.
But for some reason, as he walked closer to Li Zhonglou, he felt something was off.
His seemingly slender body exuded a thick, steady aura, like a mountain standing there.
He felt a hint of timidity and could only resort to putting an arm around his shoulder.
Seeing him arrive, Tian Lingli secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, things changed unexpectedly, and I deliberately didn't tell you," Li Zhonglou said with a smile and an apology.
In fact, he had arrived earlier but met an acquaintance downstairs and chatted for a while.
"Li Zhonglou, I thought you'd be busy washing your wife's feet at home tonight. Such a busy man." Wang Jingwu said with a contemptuous and mocking tone.
He was supposed to be the male protagonist of this gathering, but Tian Lingli had only paid attention to Li Zhonglou since entering, completely ignoring him.
This made him inexplicably angry.
"Does that even need to be guessed, President Wang? Washing feet and clothes for women is his daily routine."
"I'd say among our classmates, Li Zhonglou is the most successful. He's hitched himself to the Jiang family and doesn't have to worry about food or drink. Unlike us, who hustle for a living, living even more carefree than President Wang and Goddess Tian."
"The Jiang family is also quite ridiculous, how could they have taken a liking to such a coward?"
Many who usually fawned over Wang Jingwu, noticing the shift in atmosphere, immediately began to mock him with veiled sarcasm.
"Wang Jingwu, must you speak so harshly?"
Wu Hao's expression froze, and he angrily retorted, "Putting on airs, thinking you're so great just because you have some money."
"If it weren't for Goddess Tian's sake, do you think we'd be interested in this meal?"
"You guys have gone too far. Li Zhonglou is our classmate after all. That's enough." Tian Lingli's eyes were filled with cunning as she deliberately took on an attitude of siding with Li Zhonglou.
Hearing this, Wang Jingwu was full of displeasure.
He had coveted Tian Lingli since school, but at that time, he had no money or power.
After graduation, he became successful, but Tian Lingli became a网红 with millions of followers and still didn't fancy him.
Finally, he had an opportunity, but she was speaking up for Li Zhonglou.
Why?
How could this loser receive special attention from Tian Lingli?
Today, he would make sure Li Zhonglou was humiliated in public.
"Washing and cooking is still better than being a sycophant. Compared to you, I'm inferior," Li Zhonglou said, looking at Tian Lingli, and retorting sharply.
Since he had decided to come, he had no intention of backing down.
What kind of person Wang Jingwu was, it would be fine to just ignore him.
But if he was looking for trouble, Li Zhonglou had no reason to be lenient.
"You..."
With that sentence, several people lost their smiles, their expressions turning unfriendly.
Wang Jingwu's face turned ashen.
He had wanted to put Li Zhonglou, this weakling, down and show off his superiority. He never expected this coward to dare to talk back.
He wanted to lash out but was mindful of Tian Lingli's presence, so he had to suppress his anger and say sarcastically, "Lili, I know you value classmate camaraderie, but some circles can't be forced."
"Three years ago, when his mother was hospitalized, he practically knelt down to borrow money from me."
"For money, he lost all his dignity and became a live-in son-in-law at the Jiang family."
"Do you know how much this meal costs? It's probably enough for your wife to give you as allowance for a year."
"People should know their place. Don't force yourself into gatherings you can't afford."
"You really think Tian Lingli is giving you face and you're someone important? She's just pitying you."
"And Wu Hao, after years of graduation, you haven't learned any discernment. If you want to curry favor, find someone else, you wimp!"
Woosh...
Everyone burst into laughter.
Wu Hao's face turned ashen. He had invited Li Zhonglou.
Yet these people were all fawning over Wang Jingwu, helping him humiliate Li Zhonglou, and even provoking him.
Anger surged within him, and he grabbed Li Zhonglou, ready to leave. "Let's go, we're not eating this meal!"
Li Zhonglou remained unmoved. Instead, he casually sat down on a chair, a smile playing on his lips. "Haozi, since we're here, let's make the best of it."
"Since Tian Lingli invited us, why bother with the barking of dogs?"
With that sentence, Wang Jingwu's eyes blazed with anger, his gaze venomous.
Everyone present changed their expressions.