Courir partout et jouer des rôles mineurs

Chapitre 128

What does Li Changsheng have that can compare to him?

In terms of family background, his parents were at best nouveau riche, still in the middle class, having only escaped poverty a few years ago. In terms of appearance, Li Changsheng was at best thick-browed and big-eyed, looking quite straightforward; in terms of character, Li Changsheng, at the same age, was just a greenhorn who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun; in terms of career, he was the de facto head of the Yin family, while Li Changsheng was just an intern at some architectural firm.

Thanks to the new China, the class barrier was eliminated ideologically.

If this were ancient times, he would be the eldest son of a powerful family, while Li Changsheng would at most be the second-in-command of a small shop. They were worlds apart, completely incomparable.

Don't blame Yin Yeyao for being arrogant and narcissistic; given the circumstances, it's no wonder he looks down on everyone... Actually, Young Master Yin isn't usually this superficial.

Even children from poor families can rise to great heights like phoenixes. Take Qiu Shanglin, for example.

The pride deeply rooted in his bones, coupled with the frustration of unfulfilled desires, always requires Yin Shao to find an outlet to vent his frustrations, lest he accidentally hurt others.

With differing sentiments, another small battle to find one's wife unfolded at the school library entrance.

Because his mentor was handling a small case, he skipped his elective class today and went to the law firm. Halfway through, his mentor had to leave and told him to come back to class. The old man who taught the elective class was notoriously eccentric, and being late was punished more severely than skipping class, so Changsheng simply went to the library and chatted with the librarian.

He had worked in the student council for a while and had a good relationship with the administrators. While chatting, he casually flipped through some confiscated textbooks. Suddenly, he paused, realizing the Mocha Cat image on the notebook looked strangely familiar. Pretending to be nonchalant, he flipped open the first page, and in the bottom right corner, the three characters 'Qiu Shanglin' were written in a flamboyant style. He couldn't help but chuckle.

Poor kid.

Taking advantage of the administrator's momentary inattention, I secretly hid the notebook in my clothes and made an excuse to leave.

His phone was off, and no one was in the dorm. He texted Fu Lele to ask where Shang Lin was, and got a reply: "You don't know? A super handsome guy came to see her, and they went out together."

He racked his brains for a long time but couldn't figure out which handsome guy in Beijing was an old acquaintance of Qiu Shanglin. Just then, he ran into them returning to their dormitory, stopped them, and asked. Based on their descriptions, he guessed that it was Yin Yeyao.

Immortality immediately aroused vigilance.

Qiu Shanglin was focused on the exams and unlikely to go far away with him. There were only a few small shops near the school gate, so Changsheng searched for them one by one and bumped into him at an ice cream shop.

He sat down naturally and intimately next to Shang Lin and greeted Yin Yeyao: "Yeyao."

Yin Yeyao's smile was flawless: "Class is over?"

Cheng Yuanfang shuddered.

Even though they were all smiling, chatting happily, and laughing heartily at the funny parts, Cheng Yuanfang still felt that the cold drink shop didn't need to turn on the air conditioning at all.

Hmm, hidden attacks, whistling through the air. The moment Changsheng appeared, the atmosphere changed abruptly. Even he, an outsider, could see it clearly, let alone Qiu Shanglin, one of the parties involved.

Naturally, Changsheng invited Yin Yeyao to dine at his new home. Yin Yeyao didn't refuse, and the four of them ate a takeout dinner at a recently renovated secondhand apartment. They had originally wanted Qiu Xialin to come over. This guy was always available when they didn't need him, but when they did, he was nowhere to be found, which made Shanglin furious.

The new home was filled with an atmosphere of affection, which made Cheng Yuanfang feel uncomfortable. Amidst Yin Yeyao's seemingly genuine but actually sinister mood, he silently mourned for the high-ranking officials who would be attending the meeting the next day.

The meal was tasteless.

After seeing Yin Yeyao off, Changsheng hugged Shanglin and buried his face in the crook of her neck: "I don't like him."

His voice was muffled, surprisingly dejected.

Shanglin said, "We are friends."

"You are friends with many people."

She chuckled to herself.

Li Changsheng is jealous.

"Don't you also have several admirers and suitors?" she deliberately taunted him. "When they caused me trouble, why didn't you say you hated them?"

Changsheng said seriously, "Actually, I really hate them."

"Tch..." She clearly didn't believe it.

Changsheng said sullenly, "Really, I really hate their gossiping and nagging, always talking badly about others behind their backs. But I can't fall out with them... You're the best..."

Shanglin scoffed and pushed him, "Go help me wash the dishes!"

Chang Sheng cried out in pain, covering his eyes: "Oh no, my eyes hurt!"

Shanglin scoffed and kicked him in the shin: "My foot still hurts!"

Chang Sheng stood on one leg, clutching his injured calf and spinning around in place: "Oh no, oh no, my calf hurts again."

Shanglin, with ill intent, asked, "Should I wash after I'm beaten, or should I wash right away?"

His face fell, and he hopped into the kitchen on one foot: "The most poisonous heart is a woman's..."

Shanglin collected another pile of plates: "Wash them all together."

Changsheng cried out, "Autumn Forest..."

At times like this, he especially missed Qiu Xialin, whom he had once called a third wheel. Brothers, brothers, we share the hardships…

Liu, the school beauty, was dressed to the nines, making her friends feel a little uneasy: "Is this appropriate? We're not models..."

She looked down on her friends' pettiness: "Don't worry. You're not models, but I am."

Although he was just a background figure dragged along by a friend to fill in, his face wasn't even shown on camera.

"It's not really appropriate for us to show up at Fan Chen's party without his invitation." Everyone was still hesitant.

She said anxiously, "Oh dear, we're classmates, what's wrong with that?"

A friend muttered to himself, "What classmate?"

Fan Chen is in the Department of Mass Communication, and you are in the Department of English. You two are completely unrelated. How dare you call yourselves classmates? At most, you're just from the same school... I didn't want to refute her out of politeness.

A group of people were drooling in front of the private club.

With its magnificent facade and handsome, upright doormen, is this place really safe to just walk in?

Liu, the school beauty, came from a well-off family and had attended such events with her parents several times before, so she was particularly confident. She stepped forward with a swagger and presented her invitation to the doorman: "Hello."

The doorman greeted us with a smile: "Hello. The reception is on the second floor, please come in."

However, they stopped the others at the door and asked, "Please show your invitation."

School beauty Liu braced herself and deliberately put on an open and honest demeanor: "They are my friends."

The doorman hesitated: "This..."

She was displeased and emphasized, "He's also Fan Chen's friend. We're classmates!"

Qiu Shanglin stood in the lobby talking to Yang Hai. Today's reception was to celebrate Fan Chen becoming the spokesperson for Mocha Cat menswear. The head office attached great importance to it, and Yang Hai had specially come from Province C to attend. As one of the company's publicly acknowledged shareholders, Shanglin naturally couldn't be absent. Just as they were discussing the effects of the newly filmed advertisement, a commotion arose at the entrance. Shanglin turned around, beckoned a waiter, and said, "These are my friends at the door; please invite them in."

Yang Hai smiled and said, "Your friend? I'd better get to know him properly."

Shanglin stopped him: "I was just saying. They are Changsheng's friends."

Yang Hai followed her upstairs and asked with concern, "What exactly do you and Changsheng want? I've noticed he's been working really hard lately. Aren't you putting too much pressure on him?"

Shanglin sighed, feeling helpless about the matter.

"Chang Sheng has a strong sense of pride and is very competitive. But I can't just throw away everything I have to accommodate him..."

Yang Hai whispered, "I always thought you and Yin Yeyao were a match made in heaven..."

Shanglin glared at him: "Nonsense!"

Yang Hai was already a capable and respected leader within the company. He was immune to her influence.

"You dare deny it? I can tell he likes you, and you don't dislike him either."

Shanglin lowered his head. After a long while, he said softly, "I feel timid as I approach my hometown."

No matter how Yang Hai questioned her, she refused to say another word and went to call over people she knew.

I feel apprehensive as I get closer to home.

Two people who were once familiar with each other met again, but their hearts were filled with reservations and they could not get close. Her emotions and reason told her that she could not accept it, she could not accept it. Once she accepted Yin Yeyao, she would face a series of troubles.

Cocktail party

Large company parties follow a set pattern. So-called elites dress smartly and greet people with smiles, while sworn enemies who are secretly scheming against each other play the role of harmony in front of everyone at the party; colleagues who fought tooth and nail for year-end bonuses shake hands and make peace amidst the approving gazes of others.

The dazzling lights and colorful costumes conceal filth and corruption, a fact everyone knows all too well.

The party held by Mocha Company was to celebrate the signing of the contract. In addition to the company's senior management, the advertising agency, the director in charge of the filming, and a group of staff members were also invited.

Liu Xihua happened to know someone in the advertising industry, which gave her the opportunity to participate in the print shoot for this advertisement, and she was fortunate enough to receive an invitation. Calling her Fan Chen's friend is really giving her too much credit. She tried to approach Fan Chen on set but was stopped by his assistant; it seems Fan Chen didn't even know who she was.

Willows have one advantage: they are indomitable and resilient. In other words, they are thick-skinned.

She led a group of timid, lamb-like classmates through a sea of elites, recklessly trying to blend in. Circles are a delicate thing; they can be simple—just one party, and you might be considered part of the circle; yet they can also be difficult—without proper guidance, a simple self-introduction might elicit nods, smiles, and small talk, but behind your back, you might think—"You're crazy."

Fortunately, Liu Xihua had a glamorous and youthful face, which attracted the interest of several balding middle-aged men. They were even more intrigued when they learned that the women were students working part-time as models.

Although Liu, the campus belle, was still young, she wasn't a sheltered, innocent child. She had some understanding of the hidden thoughts of the bald men. Being a woman of high standards, she wasn't about to easily fall into someone else's trap. After being entangled with a disgusting man for a while, she suddenly saw Fan Chen surrounded by a crowd, and her eyes lit up.

He raised his voice to greet her: "Fan Chen!"