He walked straight towards the two of them.
"Qiqi, who is he?"
His approach was a questioning one, not unlike Du Shu's, but with a subtle difference: as he spoke, he unconsciously exuded a trace of spiritual energy.
This energy wasn't enough to harm, but it was enough to make ordinary people tremble.
Mu Qi instinctively leaned behind Li Chonglou, but her reaction was like throwing a match onto dry fuel.
"Who are you! Don't you know Qiqi is my girlfriend?"
Xiao Qiudu was actually quite refined in appearance, tall and slender, but at this moment, his wide eyes had lost all trace of refinement, replaced by a hint of ferocity!
However, his words were utterly perplexing to Li Chonglou. If they were elsewhere, Li Chonglou might have resorted to violence, yes, to let him experience the aura of a strong individual.
But to save himself trouble, he turned his gaze to Mu Qi.
"Well, can you handle this? If not, I will." This was Li Chonglou's inner thought, but to Mu Qi, it looked like:
"Is this your trouble again? Deal with it quickly, I've endured enough."
So, despite her fear, Mu Qi took the initiative to speak, "Young Master Xiao, he is my friend. He's here to be my escort this time."
"Escort? Qiqi, you're joking, right? When did you get a boyfriend? How could I not know?"
Mu Qi whispered, "He's not my boyfriend, just an escort."
"An escort isn't allowed! Qiqi, I came here specifically to confess my feelings to you. Don't you understand my intentions? Although I haven't achieved much financially, I am a cultivator, after all!"
What's so great about being a cultivator?
Li Chonglou inwardly scoffed. In other places, perhaps, such a statement might hold weight, but in Shangjing, cultivators were already a dime a dozen!
Moreover, knowing the inside story, Li Chonglou understood why Mu Qi hadn't considered Xiao Qiudu.
Someone who couldn't achieve anything in the financial world, even if they entered the cultivator circles, before making a name for themselves, was like a fresh graduate in the eyes of ordinary people.
Who knows if they would just coast by or achieve great things?
In short, a graduate without achievements was, in the eyes of truly large corporations, even less valuable than a skilled technician who hadn't even finished primary school!
Mu Qi's status was akin to those large corporations.
It was just that this Young Master Xiao clearly lacked self-awareness.
However, Mu Qi was also awkward with words, or perhaps she feared the other party's cultivation strength, and for a moment, she simply didn't know how to retort.
Explaining too clearly would offend him. Not explaining clearly, given Xiao Qiudu's current attitude, meant the issue wouldn't be resolved.
Mu Qi's delicate brows were almost furrowed into a single line, and she couldn't utter a word.
Li Chonglou couldn't stand it any longer and took a step forward.
"You are Young Master Xiao, aren't you? According to the rules, Qiqi has the right to make her own choice, doesn't she?"
To de-escalate the situation, Li Chonglou was being polite. However, someone clearly wasn't appreciative.
"Who do you think you are! Do I need your permission to speak?"
Li Chonglou's eyes immediately turned cold.
Seeing that the situation was turning sour, Mu Qi quickly grabbed Li Chonglou and said, "Young Master Xiao, I apologize, but we have a few more friends to see and some things to discuss. Please excuse us."
With that, she pulled Li Chonglou and hurried away.
Xiao Qiudu didn't press the issue further. Instead, he fiercely threw the flowers in his hand to the ground and stared intently at their retreating figures.
As soon as Xiao Qiudu started questioning her, Mu Qi's girlfriends, An An and Si Si, sensing the changing dynamics, quickly walked over, and the three soon gathered together.
They were accompanied by their respective boyfriends.
"Qiqi, are you alright? I was so scared just now, I thought Young Master Xiao would lose control and attack."
Mu Qi also looked relieved, patting her chest as she said, "Me too. I didn't expect someone like him to actually bring flowers."
Yes, a large part of Xiao Qiudu's reaction was due to the flowers in his hand.
If he hadn't been holding those things, upon seeing people, he might have just asked and then left.
But with the flowers, the embarrassment was immense!
Under such public scrutiny, let alone someone of his status, even an ordinary person with nothing would have found it unbearable!
This relative hatred was completely different.
Si Si comforted her, "It's okay. An Wei is here. Young Master Xiao's cultivation level isn't that high; he wouldn't dare to make a move here."
Mu Qi shook her head, "That's true, but when you actually face that kind of aura..."
Although she didn't finish her sentence, her meaning was clear. At this moment, An An's boyfriend spoke up, "Qiqi, you were too reckless this time. I'm worried that after leaving, your friend will face his revenge. Young Master Xiao is a petty person."
The man glanced at Li Chonglou as he spoke, and to his surprise, he saw no change in expression on Li Chonglou's face.
It seemed as if he wasn't worried at all by what he had said.
Where did this guy get his confidence?
Mu Qi's expression shifted slightly, and she looked at Li Chonglou with renewed apology, "Brother Li, I'm sorry, I didn't expect this..."
According to her expectations, even if Young Master Xiao was displeased, he would at most vent his anger on her, as Li Chonglou was just a stranger.
However, with the appearance of the flowers, she understood that things were different.
Just as An An's boyfriend had said, the petty Young Master Xiao, who was known for it, would indeed do something like that!
Li Chonglou sighed, "It's fine. When I agreed to help you, I already considered this possibility. Let's get through today first."
"Oh, right, how long will your banquet roughly last?"
Initially, he thought it was just some exchange meeting, which would only last a few hours at most. But from Mu Qi's words, this was clearly no simple exchange meeting!
He was a little worried that if it dragged on too long, it would affect his mission.
"Based on past experience, it usually lasts three hours. Although there are new projects now, it should only add a few more hours."
The man chimed in, "Everyone here is making a fortune every day, so time is very tight. Six hours should be the limit."
Li Chonglou finally relaxed. Six hours was still manageable, especially since he had already obtained accurate information at the bar.
Using this opportunity to inquire about the Wu family might also be a good choice.
Soon, their attention returned to the banquet.
After all, everyone had their own purpose for attending and wouldn't be completely flustered by such a minor incident.
Li Chonglou and Mu Qi entered around half-past two. It wasn't until close to three o'clock that the younger generation belonging to the cultivator ranks, as they had mentioned, began to appear one after another.
Li Chonglou had never met any of them before, but to his surprise, not a single one was below the second level!