Chapter 332: Chapter 329: 329 Various Speculations

Invisible showing off is the most hurtful.

The man just couldn’t take it anymore. After starting the car, he asked out loud, “Brother, what kind of business do you do in Zhengyang?”

Feng Jun leaned back in his seat, eyes half-closed, and lazily replied, “Seems like we’ve talked for so long, and it’s always you asking me… Isn’t that a bit impolite?”

At his words, the corner of the man’s mouth twitched. Initially, he hadn’t wanted to reveal his name, fearing trouble.

But as the conversation went on, he felt somewhat embarrassed to give his name because it seemed somehow beneath him.

After a pause, he still spoke up with honesty, “Chao Bo, from the Youth League Committee.”

Anyone who was part of the system would basically know who he was upon hearing these six words.

Feng Jun, not being part of the system but living in a city close to vice-provincial level and frequently conversing with people like Xu Leigang and Zhang Wei, glanced at him after hearing this and asked, “How do you address Mayor Chao?”

Chao Bo, driving with an air of nonchalance, answered, “Oh, that’s my old man.”

“Oh,” Feng Jun hummed weakly, “Then it’s not bad going to the Youth League Committee, it makes settling in later on easier.”

Chao Bo glanced at him through the rearview mirror, a bit downcast in his heart, thinking, please, my dad is at least an executive deputy, you say “easy to settle in” so lightly—do you really have to show off like that?

Seeing him a little gloomy, the girl with a score of eighty in the front passenger seat spoke up, “Brother Bo, will your sister live in the house we just saw, or will she move to the province capital?”

Really, it was just small talk—wedding talk is just about these kinds of things.

After exchanging a few words, Chao Bo adjusted his mindset and asked again, “Buddy, what business are you doing in Zhengyang?”

There was no sound from the back seat. After a pause, a timid female voice answered, “He fell asleep.”

Chao Bo raised his eyebrows slightly and pursed his lips, thinking to himself that this guy really doesn’t take the mayor seriously.

But Feng Jun, who fell asleep quickly, also woke up quickly. About twenty minutes later, Chao Bo slowed down on the highway, Feng Jun lurched forward, and woke up, “Eh… are we there yet?”

Afterwards, the two just casually chatted. That’s when Feng Jun found out that the eighty-score girl was Chao Bo’s girlfriend, and the girl with a score of seventy-five in the back seat was her university classmate and also a colleague of the bride.

Chao Bo also learned that Feng Jun was in the jade business in Zhengyang and was his own boss.

Feng Jun didn’t mention that he had built his business on his own, as that would have seemed insincere and not in line with his intentions.

But at the same time, Chao Bo didn’t believe that someone so young and without support could have earned such a fortune.

He resisted for a while but eventually couldn’t hold back anymore, “Being on your own in Zhengyang must be tough, right?”

Feng Jun smiled casually and answered, “Not really tough, I have some friends looking out for me, so I’m pretty much a hands-off shopkeeper.”

His words contained no falsehood, but they were said in a vague way that could lead others to suspect he was implying something more.

Preoccupied with his preconceptions, Chao Bo indeed misunderstood somewhat.

So he started to probe indirectly: what kind of friends could help you become so successful?

Feng Jun gave no response, just smiled enigmatically, a clear indication that—he is asking too many questions.

Chao Bo, being the son of the mayor and also someone who likes to save face, saw that Feng Jun was being ambiguous and did not probe any further.

The convoy finally returned to Chaoyang, and Chao Bo took his girlfriend to see his aunt, while the seventy-five-score girl stayed behind.

Her name was Li Meixin, a bank employee. Her family must have been somewhat influential. She chatted intermittently with Feng Jun; it was quite evident that she was interested in this handsome young man of considerable wealth…

President Chao’s daughter’s wedding had drawn many guests. Some wanted to assign Feng Jun’s car for shuttling guests to the hotel, but Feng Jun straightforwardly declined, saying my car is waiting for someone.

By this time, the key people organizing the ceremony had all learned that there was a particularly thorny driver in today’s fleet.

Yet, there was still some young upstart unconvinced, stepping forward to direct traffic, saying that since you’ve accepted the red packet, you should be responsible for transporting guests—don’t you know who the host is today?

Feng Jun just smiled and said nothing, but it was Li Meixin who spoke softly, “Hasn’t anyone told you? Chao Bo was in this car just now.”

“Chao Bo?” The young man paused for a second, then turned and left, not uttering another word about having to ferry guests.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Feng Jun waited until half-past eleven until finally deeming it pointless to wait any longer. He called to Li Meixin, “Xiao Li, get in the car, I’ll take you to the hotel.”

The hotel wasn’t far from the bride’s home. In fact, Chaoyang County was just a tiny spot, so it only took him five minutes to drop her off.

Seeing him not getting out of the car, Li Meixin asked in confusion, “What’s this… Are you still going to pick up Chao Bo and Yu Hui?”

“Not going,” Feng Jun shook his head, “It’s time for lunch, I’m going home to eat with my parents.”

“No way?” Li Meixin’s eyes widened, “Didn’t they prepare lunch for you here?”

“I really don’t care if it’s been prepared or not,” Feng Jun shook his head, “Eating out every day is driving me crazy.”

That wasn’t just an act of puffery; there are too many people, even among the less affluent, who feel the same way.

Of course, the banquet for a wedding, such as this one, is comparatively rare.

Li Meixin knew Feng Jun’s ways, so she wasn’t surprised to hear him say that, but she didn’t want him to leave just yet. She blinked and spoke up, “You never know, Chao Bo might want to have a drink with you later.”

Feng Jun chuckled and shook his head, “I can’t drink, I’m driving… and I’m not really close with him.”

As they were talking, someone honked their horn behind them. They turned around and saw a Santana with the court emblem stenciled onto it.

As the car door opened, Chao Bo and his girlfriend got out. Apparently, this was the car he had come in.

The moment they stepped out of the car, someone from the back seat got into the driver’s seat and drove the car away—checks are strict these days, so caution is a must.

Chao Bo approached with a smile and asked, “Why not go in? Standing out here chatting?”

Li Meixin pointed at Feng Jun, “I was just talking about him… He’s not eating and thinking of leaving.”

To be honest, Chao Bo had a pretty good impression of Feng Jun. When the two had chatted, although both were somewhat show-offish, trying to appear stronger than the other, one needed the means to show off, right?

Among Chao Bo’s circle of friends, there weren’t many who could talk to him on equal terms. Most were trying to ingratiate themselves, while a few others regarded him with reverence.

Then there were one or two whose family backgrounds were even better than his. Their condescending attitudes weren’t very comfortable for him either.

It was rare to come across someone from a less extraordinary background, who had made a decent career for himself, and could still meet him eye to eye, and Chao Bo cherished such chats.

Today was his cousin’s wedding, and there were many acquaintances among the guests that he should have been greeting attentively.

But how should I put it? He was too familiar with those people, and would see them again during the New Year, so it didn’t matter much if he neglected them a little.

So he warmly insisted that Feng Jun stay, “Why leave? Let’s have a couple of drinks in a bit.”

Feng Jun laughed and shook his head, “I really can’t, I don’t come back here often, and since it’s the New Year, I should spend more time with my parents.”

What he said was unobjectionable, politically… oh no, ethically correct, and Chao Bo had nothing to say but to wave goodbye to him.

Walking into the restaurant, he was greeted by his aunt, Chao Ying, President Chao, “Xiao Bo, why are you just arriving now? Your grandmother said to come sit at her table.”

“I met a pretty interesting guy,” Chao Bo replied with a smile, “He was driving a Phaeton and he’s from Chaoyang.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about him,” President Chao nodded discreetly, “A relative of Liu Jiagui from the Family Planning Commission, I hear he’s doing quite well in Zhengyang?”

The information she had about Feng Jun was mixed, but at her age and status, she didn’t make hasty judgments of others.

More importantly, she wanted to understand her nephew’s attitude toward this person.

“He’s out there on his own, how well can he be doing?” Chao Bo laughed nonchalantly, then lowered his voice, “I suspect, though, that he’s a front man set up by someone.”

“A front man?” Chao Ying’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Does he have that sort of ability?”

Chao Bo glanced at her helplessly, “Aunt, the guy has dual degrees from a 985 university and was second in the county during the middle school exams!”

“That’s just for exams,” Chao Ying smiled dismissively, “There are standard answers in school exams, but are there standard answers in life’s tests?”

To spare her nephew from embarrassment, she paused and then spoke again, “The young man is handsome and talented… could it be that some girl has taken a fancy to him?”

“Aunt,” Chao Bo rolled his eyes helplessly, “Even if he sells his looks, he could still become a front man in the process.”

Moments ago, Liu Jiagui’s misstep had indeed biased Chao Ying against Feng Jun. Women can sometimes be a little petty—I’m celebrating a big family occasion, why do you have to show off with your flashy car?

But her nephew’s analysis made her realize her mistake. After pondering for a while, she spoke, “If that’s the case, this person… we might be able to use him?”

By “use,” she referred to her brother Chao Gang’s career advancement. Vice Mayor Chao was fifty-two and very ambitious for progress. If handled well, a promotion to deputy provincial level before turning fifty-eight was possible.

Chao Bo lit up a cigarette, acting the old sage, “Even if we can’t use him, we can’t let him become an obstacle, can we?”

Upon hearing this, Chao Ying nodded, as if enlightened, “You’re right, Xiao Bo. You’re showing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You really take after your dad… That Liu Jiagui, what a fool, almost made me offend someone.”

With that statement, Feng Jun’s strategy for the day had been perfectly executed.

Chao Bo felt a sense of pride at having impressed his elder, “I think, since relatives are getting along like this, there must be a problem with how Liu Jiagui conducts himself… Not just one person has said this to me.”

No sooner had he finished speaking, his eyes widened, “Huh… why is that guy back again?”

Two people walked in through the main entrance, and who could it be but Feng Jun?

(Updated to here, calling for monthly tickets.)