"Chen Fan, are you hiding here to freeload?"
Four people arrived in total, three men and one woman, all quite young.
One of them spoke with hatred, grinding his teeth, his face full of venom.
It was none other than Huang Bowen, an old acquaintance of Chen Fan.
Xiao Xuan looked at these people and couldn't help but feel nervous.
Chen Fan, without looking up, took a sip of his champagne and said to Xiao Xuan, "Actually, you should prepare yourself well; you're not necessarily inferior to the rich socialites present."
"When you set out to do something with a purpose, you should prepare even better. Especially during your most difficult times, you should never look down on yourself."
Xiao Xuan was taken aback by his words and pondered them.
Then, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "You're not old, so why do you seem so mature?"
Mature? Chen Fan smiled.
The description wasn't inaccurate, considering his experiences. Not to mention his age, even someone twice his age couldn't compare to him.
Huang Bowen's expression turned grim, and he hissed, "Chen Fan, are you deaf? I'm talking to you, can't you hear me?"
Although he was reprimanding, he kept his voice low.
At such a high-profile banquet, he was actually afraid to act rashly. Otherwise, offending Young Master Yuan, who was hosting this banquet, and the various influential families would bring a lot of trouble to his Huang family.
However, he had just seen Chen Fan flirting with a woman in the catering area, and a fire burned within him, making it impossible to hold back.
The last time at the restaurant by West Lake, Chen Fan had forced him to kneel. The thought of it made him grit his teeth in hatred.
As if that wasn't enough, the Huang family had been going through a difficult time recently, being suppressed by some forces, leading to a severe shrinkage of their assets.
For this reason, his father had punished him severely, confining him to his home with no opportunity to go out.
The root cause of all this was Chen Fan.
Logically, he should have been afraid of Chen Fan. The identities of both Hathaway and Mihiko were enough to render one speechless.
But after much thought, he felt that Chen Fan had simply gotten lucky, by chance currying favor with Hathaway and Mihiko.
Or perhaps, Chen Fan was merely their plaything in China.
Otherwise, if Chen Fan knew such influential people, why would he still be a useless son-in-law in a third-rate family?
Was he out of his mind?
He mulled over it repeatedly, his hatred for Chen Fan growing, yet he couldn't find an opportunity for revenge.
Unexpectedly, he saw Chen Fan again at this banquet, and his mind began to formulate a plan.
Chen Fan looked at Huang Bowen and said, "I'm not deaf. But when a dog barks incessantly at someone, it doesn't understand human language!"
Huang Bowen was furious upon hearing this, "You dare to call me a dog?"
Chen Fan replied, "Your mouth reeks so badly, you must have eaten shit. If not a dog, then what is it?"
Huang Bowen wished he could slap Chen Fan to death, but he had witnessed Chen Fan's terrifying combat prowess and had no courage to make a move.
Moreover, he dared not make the first move at such a banquet.
Being kicked out would be embarrassing, and offending the host, Young Master Yuan, would lead to even greater trouble.
Beside him, Xiao Xuan was stunned by Chen Fan's way of speaking. She quickly tugged at Chen Fan's sleeve, reminding him not to offend these wealthy young masters.
She felt that Chen Fan, like her, had snuck in and wasn't a legitimate guest, so it was best not to cause trouble.
Chen Fan glanced at her and smiled, making her feel a headache coming on.
"Kid, you're quite arrogant, daring to speak to Bowen like that. Don't you know how to write the word 'death'?"
A young man with a buzz cut, filled with disdain, stepped forward to defend Huang Bowen. "Believe it or not, with just one word from me, I can have you thrown out of the banquet!"
"I really don't believe it," Chen Fan said with a hint of playfulness. "Why don't you try?"
"Fine, don't cry later!"
The man said proudly and beckoned a waiter.
A mature-looking hotel lobby manager approached.
"I am Liu Ruilong of the Liu family from Jiangbei. Young Master Yuan is my elder brother. These two, a man and a woman, have likely snuck in without invitations with impure intentions. I hope you will expel them from the venue!"
The lobby manager looked a bit troubled.
Xiao Xuan was startled and shot Chen Fan an annoyed glance.
She had already warned Chen Fan, and yet she was still implicated.
"Mr. Liu, I'm very sorry, but our security is strictly regulated, and all guests correspond to different levels of invitations."
She hesitated for a moment and then said, "If you wish to have guests removed, we cannot make that decision unless President Hai or Young Master Yuan gives the word."
As a lobby manager, she was responsible for arranging specific services and dared not get involved in such matters.
Given the caliber of this banquet, any guest could have a significant background.
Although Chen Fan and Xiao Xuan were dressed ordinarily, she dared not judge them by their appearance.
She was merely a hotel staff member and had to follow procedures. Who would back her up if she offended the wrong person?
Liu Ruilong's face stiffened, and he said unhappily, "I've already told you, Young Master Yuan is my brother. If he blames me, I'll take responsibility."
"I am truly sorry, Mr. Liu, we really do not have such authority!"
"Pfft..." Xiao Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
Liu Ruilong's face turned ugly.
"I say, are you guys foolish? This is Young Master Liu! Do you know the Liu family of Jiangbei? Young Master Yuan specifically invited this distinguished guest from Jiangbei. Do you not want your jobs anymore?"
Huang Bowen quickly spoke up, trying to bail Liu Ruilong out.
The lobby manager dared not take the bait.
"Fine, I will speak to Young Master Yuan about this later."
Liu Ruilong also knew that picking on the lobby manager was unwise, so he waved his hand and dismissed her.
"Feeling smug, are we?" Liu Ruilong turned to Chen Fan and sneered, "You just wait. If I don't make you scurry away from this banquet tonight, I'll take your surname!"
He spoke with great confidence and then turned to leave.
Huang Bowen inwardly rejoiced and said haughtily, "Chen Fan, who will save you this time? Don't you know that the Liu family of Jiangbei is an old family with the Yuan family? Young Master Liu is treated like a younger brother by Young Master Yuan. Just wait to be kicked out!"
Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to reply.
Unless he himself wished to leave, there was no one who could forcibly remove him from any venue.
Huang Bowen and his group left. Xiao Xuan said, "These people don't sound like they're bluffing. What should we do? Should we try to hide among the crowd?"
"Are you full?" Chen Fan asked.
Xiao Xuan froze for a moment, looking reluctantly at the table full of delicious food. "It's not too late to run back and eat after the auction begins."
Chen Fan chuckled, "Then we should stay here and continue eating."
"You, once you're kicked out, you won't have another chance to eat. Hiding now is a good way to digest, and you can eat more later."
Having long ago realized Xiao Xuan was a foodie, Chen Fan said, "Then you should seize this opportunity to eat more right now!"
Xiao Xuan resigned herself to it and started feasting again. "I give up on you. Fine, it doesn't matter, this banquet has no other meaning for me besides food and drink anyway. If I get kicked out, so be it!"
She showed a bit of loyalty, not abandoning Chen Fan to leave alone.
Meanwhile, in the crowd, Yuan Liangping held a glass of red wine, exuding an extraordinary demeanor surrounded by people, making everyone who spoke to him feel as if they were in a spring breeze.
Xu Shengqing, however, had yet to make an appearance.
"Young Master Liu, are you really going to ask Young Master Yuan to kick them out?"
Huang Bowen asked Liu Ruilong.
Liu Ruilong said proudly, "Of course. If it weren't for giving Brother Ping face, that scoundrel named Chen, I'd kill him. Who would dare say no?"
After saying that, he took advantage of Yuan Liangping's movement to step beside him and whispered in his ear.