Everyone listened to Liu Chao’s words and nodded in understanding.
After all, they were only recruiting one person, and the other five were qualified. If someone else performed better than you in the interview, they would naturally be favored.
As for whether there were other avenues, they could only figure it out themselves. It was a matter of knowing without saying.
As the waiter began to serve the dishes, Peng Hongguang suggested, "Let us men have some alcohol. The four female classmates can just have soft drinks."
"I won't drink, I drove here," Fu Ming said.
"Aren't you from around here? Why did you drive?" Peng Hongguang cursed.
"That's nice, you've joined the car-owning crowd," Zhou Tonggui said enviously.
"It's just a car for getting around, a new energy vehicle. The state subsidizes it and allows it to be registered," Fu Ming chuckled.
"We'll find a designated driver later. It's rare that we're all gathered, so how can we not drink?" Hu Zonghua also insisted that everyone drink together.
"We're all men, let's have a little to show our respect."
"Alright, we'll drink then." Fu Ming gritted his teeth and agreed. He was just worried about his girlfriend scolding him when he got back.
He couldn't worry about that anymore. It was a class reunion, and it wouldn't feel right without some drinks.
Finally, Liu Jingru asked the waiter to bring a case of beer. The four girls would drink soft drinks, and the men would all drink beer.
"Come, let's toast to our friendship as classmates," Zhou Tonggui stood up, raised his glass, and said loudly.
"Cheers."
Everyone stood up and finished their first drink.
After everyone finished the first round, they had just sat down when the private room door was pushed open. Three young masters walked in, looking at Hu Zonghua and smiling, "Oh, having a party?"
"Shang Mingda, this is our private room, please leave," Hu Zonghua said with an unhappy expression.
Everyone looked at each other, confused.
"If I don't leave, what can you do to me?" Shang Mingda said arrogantly.
Shang Mingda and Hu Zonghua both knew the same girl, who was Hu Zonghua's current girlfriend, Xiang He. They both pursued her, but Shang Mingda, the rich young master, didn't win her over. Instead, Hu Zonghua, a nobody, got ahead, which made him very displeased.
This was because Hu Zonghua's girlfriend knew that Shang Mingda just wanted to play around. Anyone could see through the nature of such a rich young master. As long as a girl wasn't materialistic or had some sense, she wouldn't choose someone like Shang Mingda.
Shang Mingda felt that he couldn't even compete with a nobody, so he harbored resentment. He even hired someone to beat up Hu Zonghua, which eventually led to Hu Zonghua being detained at the police station for seven days.
When Hu Zonghua arrived earlier, Shang Mingda happened to bump into him, which is why he appeared in the private room.
"Zonghua, who is this guy?" Peng Hongguang asked, looking at the arrogant Shang Mingda.
"A second-generation rich kid who bullies people because he has some money," Hu Zonghua didn't explain clearly. After all, it was a class reunion today, and he didn't want to ruin everyone's mood.
Then, Hu Zonghua looked at Shang Mingda and continued, "Shang Mingda, don't involve my classmates in our business. Whatever you want, let's go outside and talk about it."
After speaking, Hu Zonghua stood up, preparing to leave the private room to settle things.
"Wait, Zonghua, since we're all classmates, what's the point of you going out alone? Just sit here and see what he can do." Fu Ming held back the rising Hu Zonghua.
Now that someone had come looking for trouble, how could they stand by and do nothing? Young people had a lot of spirit. They were all unmarried and hadn't established themselves, so who would consider the consequences? Moreover, they were in the right.
"Zonghua, we're all here, so we can support each other. If you want to go out, we'll go with you to see," Peng Hongguang said.
One by one, they all supported Hu Zonghua, regardless of whether Shang Mingda was a rich second-generation heir.
"Oh, how deep your friendship is! It's so touching," Shang Mingda said, his eyes scanning Xia Lin, Liu Jingru, and Wang Beibei as he spoke. He looked back and forth across their faces.
These three women stunned Shang Mingda for a moment. He hadn't paid much attention when he first came in, and he didn't expect there to be three great beauties here.
Shang Mingda then cleared his throat, appearing very proper, and asked the three women, "May I know the names of these three beautiful ladies? Would you like to make friends? I guarantee you'll never have to worry about food and drink again."
"What a freak," Wang Beibei retorted.
Although she wanted to find a rich man, she wasn't looking for someone with a screw loose.
"Please leave. If you don't leave, we'll ask the manager to escort you out. Don't disturb us," Liu Jingru said unhappily.
"Fine, you can call the manager," Shang Mingda waved his hand indifferently.
The manager here was his buddy. He brought people here to eat three times a week.
Seeing Shang Mingda's rogue behavior, Liu Jingru was very displeased. How could there still be such a scoundrel in this day and age?
It's not that there aren't any, they're just rarely seen, but they still exist. Not everyone's quality is high. There are always some who slip through the cracks of the nine-year compulsory education.
"Alright, the manager here is my friend. If you don't mind, I'll treat everyone to this meal. How about we get acquainted?"
Seeing that everyone was unhappy, Shang Mingda decided to try a conciliatory approach. He had taken a fancy to Xia Lin and the other two, and getting one of them would be worth it.
"Get lost," Hu Zonghua cursed directly.
He and Shang Mingda had already fought before, so he wouldn't have a good expression now.
This single word "get lost" caused Shang Mingda to lose face. His expression darkened, and he glared at Hu Zonghua, saying, "Do you want to get beaten up again?"
"Want to get beaten up again?"
Everyone understood the implied meaning. It seemed Hu Zonghua had been beaten by this person before.
No wonder he was so arrogant and unscrupulous.
"If you don't leave, I'm calling the police." Wang Wen took out her phone, preparing to call the police.
For such a scoundrel, the best method was to call the police directly. It was a society governed by law, and if there was any trouble, they should find the police.
"Whatever," Shang Mingda shrugged.
He hadn't assaulted anyone. If the police came, he would just leave and come back later.
Anyway, he had his eyes on Xia Lin and the others, so he was going to be a persistent nuisance.
Seeing Shang Mingda's smug and fearless demeanor, Wang Wen was about to call the police when Wang Beibei stopped her hand and said, "He knows these scoundrel tactics better than you do. He hasn't done anything, so calling the police won't help."
"I know Zhang Li, Young Master Zhang. I wonder if you could give him some face?" Wang Beibei then asked Shang Mingda.
Zhang Li was also a rich young master from Modu. Wang Beibei had met him a few times and only exchanged phone numbers; they weren't close.
"Zhang Li? He's a good buddy of mine, so it's even more reason for us to sit down and get acquainted," Shang Mingda said familiarly as he walked over.
Then, he took out his phone and dialed Zhang Li's number in front of everyone, smiling at Wang Beibei, "This beautiful lady, I'm calling Zhang Li."
The phone was connected, and Shang Mingda even turned on the speakerphone.
"Mingda, what's up?" Zhang Li's voice came from the phone. Wang Beibei could tell it was Zhang Li's voice.
"I met a beautiful lady who claims to be your friend and wants to get to know them. Could you introduce us?" Shang Mingda said with a smile.
"Who?" Zhang Li asked.
Then Shang Mingda looked at Wang Beibei and asked, "Beautiful lady, what's your name?"
Wang Beibei's face turned red, and she was unwilling to say. Meanwhile, Zhang Li, on the other end of the phone, waited for a moment and said,
"I'm drinking with Young Master Zheng. Let's talk later."