I Am A Prodigy

Chapter 10 - The Gathering

Chapter 10: The Gathering

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the other hand, the initiator Ye Lingchen seized the opportunity to pull Zhang Yunxi away from the crowd during the chaos.

“Thank you, Ye Lingchen.” Zhang Yunxi could not help saying as she looked at Ye Lingchen calmly on the road.

Had it not been Ye Lingchen’s help today, she could not even begin to imagine how the day would turn out in the end.

“Why do you have to be so courteous to me. You’ve been great to me when we were young by frequently tutoring me,” said Ye Lingchen smilingly.

Zhang Yunxi smiled and said curiously, “Since when have you gotten to know so many things? That’s impressive.”

“There are still many other things that I know. I guess you can say that I know everything in heaven above and the earth underneath,” said Ye Lingchen in a feigned arrogant manner.

Zhang Yunxi covered her mouth to conceal her chuckle. “Why don’t I buy you lunch in appreciation of your help today.”

“Sure.” Ye Lingchen did not have a reason to reject a beautiful woman’s lunch treat.

Both of them walked by the roadside quietly comparable a couple with neither of them suggesting to hail a taxi. Ye Lingchen peeked at Zhang Yunxi. Under the radiant sunlight, he could see the fine hair on her face. She was so exquisite it made his heart leap.

They arrived at New City Plaza where there were many good-looking boys and pretty girls dressed in school uniforms strolling about. They chatted and laughed with one another which formed a beautiful scenic spot.

All sorts of restaurants that sold steak, seafood, barbeque and western cuisines could be found in this plaza. However, the price points was not low. Ye Lingchen suddenly remembered about Zhang Yunxi’s family background. He could not stop himself from saying, “Yunxi, it has been a long time since we’ve last met each other. Why don’t I buy you a meal instead.”

“Why, are you underestimating me?” Zhang Yunxi scoffed. “Don’t worry. I do work part-time jobs occasionally. I still have some savings so I can afford to buy you a meal anyhow.”

“Since that is the case, then I’ll help myself to your treat.” Ye Lingchen did not insist on treating the meal. Then, he said, “I know that there’s this rather nice noodle house that serves good noodles. Why don’t we go and have our meal there.”

Zhang Yunxi appeared to be slightly hesitant.

“Let alone noodles, I bet that even the water tastes sweet for me just because I get to enjoy it with a beautiful woman like you. It’s decided then,” said Ye Lingchen hastily before he led the way to the inside of the plaza.

Zhang Yunxi blushed from shyness. She glared at Ye Lingchen for a moment before she followed.

Ye Lingchen looked at the beautiful girl sitting opposite him as he feasted on his noodles. He had a good appetite so he finished the bowl of noodles in a short while, not even leaving behind a single drop of soup. He licked his lips and recollected the pleasant flavor of the noodles.

“Hey, Yunxi. You’re here.”

A voice that sounded like it belonged to a misfit jolted Ye Lingchen from his recollection back to reality. A modern-looking woman dressed in a red dress stood on the outside of the window. Soon afterward, she walked into the noodle house in long strides.

She had thick makeup on her face and she was fully adorned in fancy jewelry. She walked with her slender waist swaying side to side like a snake woman. She exuded an irresistible temptation from every single part of her body. She was both mature yet sexy.

Zhang Yunxi was like an unripe apple while this woman was already so fully ripened that juice could be squeezed out of her.

The people that were originally eating noodles in the shop became distracted at once, watching her in a daze.

The woman behaved as if she was used to being watched closely and greedily by the people around her. On the contrary, she appeared to be enjoying the attention. She would throw soft glances at somebody occasionally. She was beyond enticing.

“Hey sis, what a coincidence,” Zhang Yunxi greeted. However, she appeared to be reserved.

“Yunxi, I would’ve bought you a meal if I knew that you’re coming over. Noodles aren’t that nutritious. There’s a seafood place next door that serves air-flown seafood. A meal costs about 500RMB per person. Come, let’s go together,” said the woman smilingly after taking a seat next to Zhang Yunxi without being invited.

“It’s alright, sister. I’m here for a meal with Lingchen.” Zhang Yunxi shook her head.

“Sister Kong Wei, it’s been ages since I last saw you.”

Kong Wei was Zhang Yunxi’s cousin. She came from the same village as Ye Lingchen and her facial features looked just a little similar to Zhang Yunxi.

Ye Lingchen could not help acknowledging that Zhang Yunxi’s family genes were very powerful. Kong Wei was a beauty as well. It was only that her temperament was much more open than Zhang Yunxi. She had already dated a few boyfriends from wealthy families since she got into college. She was always gorgeously dressed in branded attire. The bag in her hand itself was worth more than 10000RMB.

It was said that she had already begun to delve into the entertainment industry. She had been cast into a few movies and had even played the role of a supporting female #4 before.

Meanwhile, Kong Wei had only just cast her gaze upon Ye Lingchen. She spoke in disdain, “Oh it’s you, Lingchen. No wonder you can only afford to treat Yunxi to a meal like this.”

“Sister, I’m the one treating the meal. He did me a solid favor today,” said Zhang Yunxi in embarrassment.

“What? You treated the meal?” Kong Wei had a drastic change of expression. Her gaze was even filled with scorn as she looked toward Ye Lingchen. “Yunxi, come with me. I need to talk to you in private.”

Kong Wei pulled Zhang Yunxi towards the washroom without allowing anyone to explain further. Soon afterward, she said in all earnestness, “Yunxi, I’ve gone through it all before. I told you many times that you need to choose your friends wisely. Some friends can’t offer any help to you. They will even drag you down. This is known as ineffective social interaction. You must pay more attention to this especially when you’re dealing with someone from the opposite gender!”

“Sister, Lingchen is a good man. He helped me today!” Zhang Yunxi emphasized once again.

‘”Good man? No man is a good person! You’re not young anymore. Don’t be so naive from now on. A man is only good when he gives you money, understand?” Kong Wei was exasperated because she knew that Zhang Yunxi could do better than that. “You should be well aware of his family background. I think that his annual family income is not even enough to buy the clothes and jewelry on my body now!”

“In the event of us not growing up in the same village when we were young, a d*ckhead like him is not even worthy of being my shoe servant!” Kong Wei said condescendingly.

Zhang Yunxi’s expression dimmed. She spoke with rage, “Sister, I won’t allow you to speak of my friend in that manner.”

“Alright alright alright. I won’t talk about him for the time being.” Kong Wei continued to speak, “Have you considered my proposal earlier? Just by nodding your head, you can be a supporting female role and female lead in your next movie. You’ll become an instant hit!”

“Sister, I’ve decided on taking the college entrance examination first,” said Zhang Yunxi persistently after she hesitated for a moment.

“You! You’re so stubborn! Can you get rich by getting into a college? Even the chancellor will try to curry favor with you when you’re a celebrity!” Kong Wei paused for a moment. “So, there’s this gathering tonight. Come with me to the gathering! GM Wang doesn’t always appreciate someone’s presence but he appreciated you. Don’t pass this opportunity!”

Ten minutes later, both of them returned to the table.

“Attend a gathering?” Ye Lingchen looked at Zhang Yunxi in astonishment. He could not help frowning because he found that he enjoyed this form of social party the least.

Zhang Yunxi nodded and pleaded by saying, “Yes. I don’t think I can do it alone. Can you attend it with me?”

“Err... alright then.” Ye Ling nodded in agreement.

“Heh-heh. Since that’s the case, then we shall all go together later.” Kong Wei shot an ill-intentioned glance at Ye Lingchen. ‘How can a poor Diaosi like him have the confidence to attend a gathering of this sort. I’d like to see how are you going to embarrass yourself by then!’

Later in the afternoon, Kong Wei bought Zhang Yunxi a dress and some jewelry to go with the attire. The three of them bustled about until they walked out from New City Plaza at 4 p.m. and got into Kong Wei’s car ready for departure.

Kong Wei drove a red BMW Mini Cooper. It was not a huge car so Ye Lingchen could only squeeze himself into the backseat alone.

Kong Wei was only four years older than Ye Lingchen. However, she was clad in luxury goods from head to toe. She had a car and a house where she lived an incomparably lavish life. She was absolutely on the front rank as compared to the vast majority of her peers. As a result, she had always assumed the identity of a big sister to guide Zhang Yunxi in life.

They did not speak at all in the car. The car slowed down gradually after driving for half an hour. A golden building appeared within their line of sight. It was shimmering with a piercing golden light under the illumination of the sun.

Hailing District was located on the west side directly linked to Rugao City. The golden building was the most famous in Hailing City known as ‘Gold Tycoon’.

One could deeply sense the tycoons’ aura just by listening to the building’s name and looking at its outlook.

Many cars were already parked around the vicinity of Gold Tycoon. Ye Lingchen scanned the view and noticed that those were all Mercedes Benzes, BMWs, and other mainstream luxury cars.

“Don’t walk around and don’t speak carelessly. Especially after entering the building. I’ll be introducing you to the guests. The guests that are invited to events like this are all rich and powerful people or high-ranking government officials. There are investors, film producers, and celebrities. Don’t be shy. It will be good for you to be acquainted with these people,” said Kong Wei to Zhang Yunxi.

The interior design of the Gold Tycoon was even more luxurious. A huge yet expensive chandelier hung from the tall ceiling. Huge pillars propped up the room and there were all sorts of precious rare paintings hanging on the wall. Most importantly, the scale of the hall was over thousands of square meters at the very least.

Currently, the entire hall was brightly lit. The gold trim walls reflected the golden light grandly. One could use the words wealthy, beautiful, grand, splendid and imposing to describe this place. All sorts of branded liquors and delicate desserts were already spread out in the center of the hall. The highly-trained waiters and waitresses were pouring and passing out drinks to the guests at the reception, smiling along the way.

Ye Lingchen looked up and found that there were already quite a number of people that formed into groups of three to five in the hall. They were chatting joyously in their small groups. The men were all dressed in suits and leather similar to people with successful careers. The women were dressed in an incomparably seductive manner and revealed as much as they could.

“Wait for me over here. Don’t walk around. I’m going to say hi to a few friends of mine.” Kong Wei picked up a drink from a nearby serving waiter. She swayed her slender waist as she walked and mingled into the crowd.

“Lingchen, do you think I look good dressed like this?” asked Zhang Yunxi anxiously as she was constantly checking out herself up and down.

She was dressed in a pure white off-shoulder full dress. Her beautiful clavicle bones could be seen vaguely. The material of her dress was so white it looked almost transparent. Her dress reflected light ever so slightly akin to an angel’s wings yet it was not exposed at all. The lower hem of her dress had a split down. It flared out gracefully and revealed the young maiden’s long and slim legs as fair as jade. The corner segment of the dress was encrusted with diamonds. The sparkly diamonds were comparable to countless beautiful dew drops.

After rejecting countless bare-chested dresses, this was the only dress that Zhang Yunxi had agreed to put on. Despite that, she was still feeling very awkward and uncomfortable.

“You’re beautiful. You’re the most beautiful woman in this entire hall,” praised Ye Lingchen sincerely.

He did not have the slightest intention to exaggerate his comment. Zhang Yunxi was as elegant as an orchid. She was simple, elegant and pure. Whether it was her quality or her outlook, she could never be compared to the mainstream women over here.

Gazes were being occasionally cast toward Zhang Yunxi from the surroundings. The women here wished that they could swallow her.

Ye Lingchen had also become the focus of the entire scene due to Zhang Yunxi’s presence.

He was the one and only person dressed in a suit of cheap attire in the entire hall. Most importantly, he was accompanied by the most beautiful woman. It was hard for him not to draw attention from the people.

Ye Lingchen behaved casually despite being confronted by these people’s gaze. He feasted on the desserts calmly. “Yunxi, pay no mind to people’s views around you. Think of them as scarecrows. The desserts are quite delicious. Would you like to try some?”

“Heh-heh. Sure.” Zhang Yunxi smiled as her nerves were calmed ever so slightly.

...

Kong Wei walked to her circle of friends and joined a group of modernly-dressed young women.

“Kong Wei, is that your sister? She is beautiful, as expected. She’s got a good look, don’t ever accept a low asking price for her.”

“You’re truly a competent sister. You must be working hard to find your sister a wealthy sugar daddy huh.”

“Is that your sister’s boyfriend standing next to her? He looks cheap.”

Kong Wei sneered coldly and said, “Nonsense, that’s not her boyfriend. They grew up in the same village when they were young. He’s always hanging around my sister. What a case of a toad wishing to eat swan meat – craving for someone he is unworthy for!”

“Oh no. You must look out then. You must advise your sister properly not to be pestered by a Diaosi like him. Otherwise, your sister’s lifelong happiness is ruined!”

“That’s right. A girl like her believes in so-called love. She’s going to get cheated in a moment of passion. She’s not going to end up well.”

Kong Wei nodded. “I’m bringing her along so she can enrich her experience in the world. I’m going to introduce her to GM Wang.”

“GM Wang?”

Those women gazed into the eyes of one another. All of them cracked into a smile with a deep sense of profoundness at once.

Kong Wei was GM Wang’s concubine herself. However, it was rumored that GM Wang was enticed by an enchantress recently. Kong Wei was already under disfavor so she was prepared to get her sister to join her camp...