Glancing at Zhang Yang, he immediately pulled out his phone again. His phone rang at that moment.

Looking at it, the guy broke into a wide grin; the friend he had called earlier was calling back now. "Brother Liang, yes, yes, I understand, thank you, Brother Liang!" As he talked on the phone, his smile broadened.

Just looking at him, you could tell he must have received excellent news. Sure enough, after hanging up, he excitedly hugged the girlfriend beside him and announced loudly, "Lili, my friend spoke to his boss.

We can go straight to the reception in a bit!" His voice was quite loud, loud enough for those setting up the reception to hear. They turned to look at Guo Weiya, then went back to their own tasks.

They were merely service staff for the reception; they would be serving others soon, and who attended had nothing to do with them. After speaking, Guo Weiya smugly cast another glance toward Zhang Yang’s side.

"Brother Ya, look, can you bring us in too?" Liu Kai, standing nearby, cautiously approached and whispered the question. This open-air reception looked high-class, and he was very keen to attend, to soak in the atmosphere.

After all, he’d only ever seen things like this on television; no one he knew had encountered such things in real life. His eyes held a deep yearning as he asked, and the others also looked toward Guo Weiya.

He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No, this isn't a reception hosted by my buddy. It’s already difficult enough that he’d let the two of us attend; I can’t bring more people!" A deep sense of disappointment immediately flickered in Liu Kai’s eyes, but he nodded nonetheless.

"How about this: I’ll book a restaurant for you later, and you all go eat there. Eat whatever you want, just put it on my tab!" Guo Weiya seemed a little reluctant and added the suggestion, after all, they had all come together.

Liu Kai reluctantly agreed. Who hadn't eaten at a restaurant?

Even as students, they had been to some establishments. For them, this was the first time seeing a reception like this.

Thinking of the glamour of receptions shown on TV, everyone privately wished they could attend just once. "Let's settle it then.

Lili, you just stick with me later!" Guo Weiya waved his hand, settling the matter. Lili nodded happily, her eyes shining with adoration.

Guo Weiya glanced at Zhang Yang again and felt a pang of discouragement when he realized Zhang Yang wasn't paying him any attention at all. A few days ago at the event venue, he had been kicked out because of Zhang Yang, which he viewed as a huge humiliation, a total loss of face.

This reception today was his chance to reclaim that honor. After a thought, Guo Weiya actually took his girlfriend's hand and walked toward Zhang Yang.

"Classmate Zhang, interested in coming in for a few drinks?" As Guo Weiya spoke, he gestured toward the reception area with his head, his face wearing a fixed, strained smile. "Sure, if you're going in for drinks, you’ll have to figure out a way yourself!" Guo Weiya finished speaking and let out a slight chuckle, while Zhang Yang looked at him with confusion.

It was just an open-air reception; Zhang Yang couldn't fathom what he was so pleased about. In his past life, countless people had invited him to various receptions, and apart from charity events, he rarely went.

He found such gatherings incredibly phony. He’d rather find a bar, hang out, and chat about life with a couple of girls.

"Don't think just because you got in through someone else, it makes you so great!" Zhang Yang said nothing, but Wang Lu couldn't stand it. She called out loudly.

Guo Weiya's expression immediately soured again. Being publicly challenged like that made it hard for him to maintain face.

Unfortunately, the person addressing him was a girl; even if he wanted to lash out, he couldn't. While Guo Weiya wasn't the best person and held grudges, he wouldn't resort to hitting a woman.

"I am great! If you’ve got the nerve, you two come in too!

Isn't Zhang Yang so capable? Have him bring you in!" After a pause, he said sulkily.

"We'll go in if we want to go in! Don't assume only you can enter and we can't!" Wang Lu retorted indignantly, then froze herself after speaking.

She truly wanted to attend this reception, but she wasn't naive enough to believe just anyone could walk in. If that were the case, people wouldn't need to set up isolation ropes specifically.

"Fine, you said it. Let’s see if you’re just bragging or if you actually have the ability!" Guo Weiya glared fiercely at Wang Lu, whose small face turned slightly pale.

What she had said moments before was purely out of anger; she hadn't considered the consequences. Now that it was said, she had no idea how to actually get in.

Boasting publicly felt just as embarrassing to her. "Vroom vroom!" A car suddenly sped over from a distance—a bright yellow sports car, very striking in appearance.

Anyone who could drive a car directly onto this spot was certainly not ordinary. "Young Master Gao!" As the person in the car stepped out, someone immediately greeted him and began reporting continuously.

The person who alighted looked around, nodded in satisfaction, and then got back into the car, driving away. "That’s my buddy's boss!

How could I forget to go say hello!" After the car left, Guo Weiya smacked his forehead in regret. That person clearly operated on a much higher tier than him, and he had wanted to use this opportunity to get to know the boss properly.

Guo Weiya’s outburst gave Wang Lu a moment’s reprieve from his scrutiny. Zhang Yang shook his head, checked the time—it was just a reception, not the end of the world.

If Guo Weiya knew that Zhang Yang had hosted receptions himself, he wondered what kind of expression he would have. "Shall we go look around somewhere else?" Zhang Yang said softly.

Wang Lu nodded immediately; she was embarrassed and eager to leave. The group began walking forward slowly.

Many still cast envious glances toward the reception area. The setup was nearly complete now; every table had flowers, making it look very beautiful.

After only a couple of steps, the heavy rumble of an engine sounded again. That same yellow sports car that had left earlier had returned, followed by several other luxury sports cars.

The most conspicuous among them was a Bugatti. Seeing these cars, Zhang Yang paused slightly.

This circle of wealthy young men was indeed small. At least two of these cars were familiar to Zhang Yang: one belonged to Young Master Shi, and the other was Gu Fang’s Bugatti, which stood out the most, the one he’d raced against Long Cheng before.

"W-what kind of cars are these!" Gao Fei’s eyes were wide open. The group stood there awkwardly.

"There’s a Ferrari, even a Porsche!" Yin Yong swallowed unnaturally. Seeing so many luxury cars together, especially up close, had a significant impact on people.

Now, everyone understood: this was a gathering of rich young heirs. Several people slowly emerged from the cars—all handsome men or beautiful women, generally a bit older than their own age group.

These people were the same group as the occupant of the yellow sports car earlier (ShuShuWu). Many people casually took seats, some directly picked up items, and others surveyed the surroundings, nodding in satisfaction.

Hosting a reception by the Bund, although noisy, was quite novel. These young masters had never done this before.

Guo Weiya hurried over again, dragging his girlfriend, and cast a triumphant look at Zhang Yang, then glared at Wang Lu. "Didn't you say you could get in?

Come on in with us!" "I, I..." Wang Lu managed to stammer out 'I' twice before losing her voice completely. She bit her lip tightly, her eyes clouding over with unshed tears.

Having boasted moments ago already made her feel ashamed. Guo Weiya’s taunt made her feel even more wronged; tears were close to falling.

"Classmate Guo, you’re a man, you don’t have to be so petty, do you?" Gao Fei called out. Everyone was annoyed by Guo Weiya's smug, opportunistic demeanor, but they couldn't vent their anger at that moment.

After all, he had the qualifications to attend the reception, and they did not—that was a fact. "If you can’t do something, don’t brag about it.

Petty? You bunch of poor wretches!" Guo Weiya spat out harshly.

After saying that, he felt much better and then took the hand of the girl beside him, walking toward the entrance of the reception. "We'll go in if we want to go in!

Don't think I wouldn't dare!" A tear droplet fell from Wang Lu’s eye. She cried out and immediately ran past, bolting toward the reception area.

Her family background was ordinary, but she could not tolerate being insulted as a 'poor wretch.' Shi Yan tried to stop her, but it was too late. She had already rushed into the reception grounds; Wang Lu was inherently impulsive.

The reception area was only cordoned off by simple barrier tape, without railings or anything. As Wang Lu stepped over the line, she ran inside.

Guo Weiya, who had already entered, froze; he hadn't expected this girl to actually dare rush in. This was a private reception for established individuals; barging in and getting thrown out would result in a far greater loss of face.

"You people, what are you doing!" Someone inside immediately moved toward them. The 'Young Master Gao' who had been greeting guests also turned his head, frowning slightly.

He excused himself from the person he was talking to and walked directly toward Wang Lu and her group. "Who are you people?" 'Young Master Gao' approached.

The person who had stopped them immediately stepped back, standing behind 'Young Master Gao.' "Big Brother Gao, I am Brother Liang’s friend. My name is Guo Weiya.

We saw you hosting this reception today and were greatly impressed, so we wanted to take a look inside. This is my girlfriend, Lili.

As for her..." he gestured toward Wang Lu, "I don't know who she is!" Guo Weiya immediately bowed his head and spoke cautiously. His girlfriend looked nervous, and Wang Lu was even more so.

"You are Liangzi's friend?" 'Young Master Gao' asked softly. Guo Weiya nodded emphatically.

A girl walked over from behind. Seeing her, Zhang Yang shook his head again—this girl was none other than Shao Yuping, whom he had met when she was kidnapped, and who was later involved in two car accidents.

The social circle in Hu Hai seemed truly small; it was just these few young elites. "Gao Jie, what is the meaning of this?

How can just anyone walk in?" Shao Yuping sounded impatient, shouting out. 'Young Master Gao’s' face changed again, turning distinctly cold.