The young man named Han Lin smiled at Fong Na and said, "I'm here to interview you! What are you doing here?"

Fong Na offered a strained smile, gesturing toward Li Yundong, "I came to attend my classmate's..."

Han Lin cut her off before she could finish, "I asked you to come interview with me, and you refused. It turns out your classmate is more important than me!"

With that, Han Lin acted as if he had just noticed Li Yundong. He lifted his chin and rudely barked at him, "Hey, who are you?"

Li Yundong frowned inwardly, about to speak, when Han Lin raised a hand to silence him, saying impatiently, "Don't bother talking; I won't remember it anyway."

Then, he turned back to Fong Na, "Hey, I'm treating you to dinner tomorrow night. You can't refuse!"

Fong Na knitted her brows, about to reply, when she saw Han Lin turn and walk away without waiting for a word, calling back over his shoulder, "It's settled then, tomorrow night!"

Fong Na, furious, muttered under her breath, "Settle your head! Who wants to deal with you, you arrogant fool!"

Li Yundong chuckled, "Who is that guy? Your boyfriend?"

Fong Na rolled her eyes hard at Li Yundong. "Pah! Do you want me to live a shorter life? Have a boyfriend like that? You might as well kill me! That's the TV station manager's son. A guy with an outrageously high opinion of himself, always talking down to people. Hmph, what a nobody!"

Since the incident with Young Master He, Li Yundong had developed some immunity to these second-generation rich and powerful types. He smiled slightly and said nothing.

Fong Na lightly punched Li Yundong's shoulder, glaring at him, "Hey, I'm asking you one more time—do you still need staff for this shop or not?"

Li Yundong smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but Fong Na imperiously cut him off, "Don't you dare say no!"

Li Yundong gave a wry smile, "Why don't you just pair up with that guy? You two are a perfect match; neither of you lets anyone else speak?"

His remark made Cheng Cheng beside them giggle, chiming in, "Nana, don't be ungrateful. Didn't you see that female anchor glaring at you when the station manager's son was talking to you? She probably hates you to death!"

Fong Na angrily tried to pinch her, "Are you still talking? Go find that guy yourself if you're so smitten! I'm sick and tired of this one, and you joke with me! Why don't you just go give in to that perverted boss at your company!"

While the two were bickering, the television station car finally drove off. Then, an Audi A6 bearing a municipal government license plate squeezed through the crowd behind them, honking insistently. The onlookers automatically made way, clearing a path for the car.

Cheng Cheng watched the sedan slowly pull in and remarked curiously, "That's strange, aren't cars forbidden on this pedestrian street?"

Ruan Hongling, standing nearby, sneered, "Look at the plate! It's a municipal car, and the plate indicates it's the mayor's vehicle!"

Su Chan was a little slow to react, blinking her eyes as she asked, "A municipal car? Is that the mayor? What is he doing here?"

As they were speaking, the car stopped. Zhao Yougen immediately rushed forward with a smile, scrambling to open the door and extend both hands, shouting, "Mayor Zeng! What an honor to have you grace us with your presence! My apologies for not meeting you further out! My apologies!"

A middle-aged man, portly and clad in a sharp suit, stepped out of the car. He shook Zhao Yougen's hand and chuckled, "General Manager Zhao, what fine taste you have. What made you think of opening such a tea shop here?"

Zhao Yougen laughed heartily, "Just for fun, just for fun! Mayor Zeng, please come inside!"

As he was speaking, Han Lin rushed ahead, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile. The arrogant and rude young man from moments ago was now as subservient as a grandson, shouting loudly, "Mayor Zeng, General Manager Zhao, look over here!"

The young female anchor was equally quick-witted, immediately thrusting her microphone forward and asking a string of utterly irrelevant questions.

Mayor Zeng, appearing quite enthusiastic, shook Zhao Yougen's hand and babbled an equally irrelevant stream of words into the microphone.

Su Chan watched Mayor Zeng with curiosity. She felt that she knew every single word the mayor was saying, but what confused her was why, when strung together, she couldn't grasp the meaning of the sentences.

Su Chan turned to Li Yundong, puzzled, "Yundong, what is this man saying?"

Li Yundong's lips curled slightly, "He isn't saying anything important. It's normal that you can't understand; they aren't used to speaking human language."

Ruan Hongling burst into laughter and slapped Li Yundong's shoulder. "Not bad, you finally said something sensible!"

At this, the surrounding little vixens and Li Yundong's classmates all laughed heartily.

Li Yundong glared angrily at Ruan Hongling, "We should be united against outsiders. Are you an idiot, starting an internal conflict!"

As they spoke, Zhao Yougen and the others escorted Mayor Zeng into the shop. A short while later, after the mayor's car had driven off, another car pulled up, this one bearing a government plate, and another middle-aged, corpulent man stepped out.

General Manager Zhao rushed out with visible delight, "Oh, Director Fang, hello, hello! What a pleasure to have you visit! Please come in, please come in!"

One car followed another in quick succession. This pedestrian street, usually entirely devoid of vehicles, suddenly became a scene of bustling traffic.

The onlookers were completely stunned. Even a fool could now see that all these arrivals were officials who had come to show support.

"What kind of shop is this?"

"I don't know. The owner must be quite capable to get so many officials to show up."

"True! But if he can invite so many officials, he must not be ordinary. Why would he open such a small tea shop here?"

"Hey, who knows what rich people think?"

"Say, do you recognize any of these officials?"

"No, who pays attention to that? Everyone's focused on their official hats; who notices who is under the hat?"

As the crowd was murmuring amongst themselves, suddenly another flashy BMW 6 series drove in.

Cheng Cheng's eyes lit up as she saw the silver-grey BMW 6 slowly approach. "An 6 Series! That's my favorite!" she breathed out.

Fong Na rolled her eyes at her from the side. "Yeah, anything with four wheels is your favorite!"

Cheng Cheng couldn't help but roll her eyes back. "I can't afford it, but can't I dream about it?" She sighed wistfully, "When will I ever have a car like this?"

Fong Na let out a hearty laugh. "Simple. Find a rich man to keep you!"

Cheng Cheng suddenly turned her head, her eyes shining with a starry-eyed look, and gazed dreamily at Li Yundong, saying, "President Li, keep me!"

Li Yundong knew Cheng Cheng was joking. He coughed dryly, pointed behind him at Su Chan, Zi Yuan, Zhou Qin, and the large group of Fox Zen Sect vixens, and said with mock seriousness, "Please line up and take a number!"

Fong Na and Cheng Cheng immediately burst into laughter. Zhou Qin's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shot Li Yundong a resentful look without saying anything. Zi Yuan also gave Li Yundong an unusually pouting look, seemingly blaming him for his joke.

Cheng Cheng slapped Li Yundong heartily on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. "Fine, you got guts! You're awesome! Are you going to be choosing favorites at night from now on too?"

She then dissolved into laughter again.

Her remark was a bit too direct. Li Yundong glanced uncomfortably at Su Chan and gave a nervous laugh, not taking the bait.

The young girl noticed that what should have been a joyous opening ceremony had been completely spoiled by Zhao Yougen across the way, stirring up anxiety in their group. Hearing Cheng Cheng's comment only made her feel worse. She couldn't help but pout, leaned close to Li Yundong, and whispered, "Yundong, let's go back."

Li Yundong nodded. "Alright, let's head inside, everyone!"

As he spoke, his other classmates suddenly pointed at the BMW and exclaimed, "Look! Look, that's Wang Li! The Wang Li from TV!"

The classmates recognized her and exclaimed in wonder, "It really is her! She's so much prettier in person!"

"No way, the other side even invited a TV star? Is this really so over the top?"

"Is this an opening ceremony or a performance?"

"Idiot, is there a difference?"

Li Yundong focused his gaze and saw a seductively dressed woman draped in fur step out of the car. The woman waved enthusiastically to the crowd who recognized her and greeted them warmly.

Seeing the crowd suddenly become so excited after recognizing the woman, Su Chan asked curiously, "Yundong, who is that woman? She seems really famous?"

Li Yundong smirked. "A TV star, she's been very popular lately in a recent show. Don't you watch soap operas all the time? How come you don't recognize her?"

Su Chan pouted. "People on TV aren't the same as off-screen! They're two different people! How am I supposed to recognize her?"

Li Yundong immediately laughed. "You're right. That sentence of yours cut right to the heart of the matter!"

Su Chan didn't quite catch on and asked foolishly, "Huh? What did I say? What profound truth?"

Li Yundong laughed heartily, patted the little girl's hair, and said, "Never mind. It's better if you don't know. Let's go inside; we don't need to watch these clowns cause trouble!"

Just as he was about to turn back inside, the surrounding crowd suddenly became noisy again. The guests who had entered the tea house all came back outside, surrounding Mayor Zeng like stars orbiting the moon. Then, beautiful women in cheongsams brought out the plaque, holding the red ribbon tied with a red flower. Another beauty presented a tray holding a pair of scissors, clearly intending for Mayor Zeng and Zhao Yougen to perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony together.

Zhao Yougen and Mayor Zeng stood side-by-side. He shot a smug glance at Li Yundong, his eyes full of challenge and disdain. After a moment's thought, he greeted the mayor, then walked directly up to Li Yundong. All his previous pretense vanished. He stood there arrogantly and stated, "Hmph, kid, look closely. This is what real manly capability looks like! What good is just being handsome! Power and influence are the true standards for judging a man's worth!"

With that, he strode away!

Zhao Yougen's words enraged those standing near Li Yundong. Li Yundong narrowed his eyes into slits, his expression placid, making it impossible to read his feelings.

Ruan Hongling sneered and whispered to Zi Yuan, "I'm going to turn those two pairs of scissors into fire tongs!"

Zi Yuan was startled and quickly stopped her, whispering sharply, "Are you crazy? In front of all these people? How do you know there aren't people from other sects in this crowd? And the mayor is right here. It might not matter if you anger him, but do you know who stands behind him?"

Ruan Hongling huffed and stamped her foot resentfully, "Are we just going to let this bastard show off right across from us!"

As she was speaking, Zhao Yougen and Mayor Zeng finished the cutting. Immediately, eight beauties began scattering flowers from the upper floor like celestial beings showering blossoms, making it look like a wedding ceremony.

Zhao Yougen and Mayor Zeng then jointly unveiled the plaque by pulling off the red cloth. The onlookers peered closely to see the four shimmering golden characters: "Zhao Clan Tea House."

Cheng Cheng asked quietly, "Who is this Zhao Clan?"

Li Yundong chuckled darkly, "You don't know? The Zhao Clan from Orphan Zhao!"

With that, everyone laughed, secretly admiring Li Yundong's ability to joke calmly in such a situation; such composure was not something an ordinary person possessed!

At that moment, the beauties upstairs collectively hoisted the plaque with a red silk rope and hung it on the second floor. The guests then escorted Zhao Yougen and Mayor Zeng into the tea house.

Once they went inside, the crowd watching the spectacle had nothing left to see. Their gazes unconsciously shifted toward Li Yundong and his group. Someone noticed the abundance of beautiful women surrounding Li Yundong and shouted loudly, "Hey, what's the plaque you're holding? Aren't you going to unveil it and show us!"

As soon as this person spoke, others in the crowd, always eager for drama, joined in, "Yeah, yeah! Don't hide it away!"

Li Yundong frowned slightly, casting a cold glance at the wildly bustling tea house opposite. Fong Na and the others beside him also looked downcast, their expressions unnatural.

Su Chan, however, took Li Yundong's hand and whispered softly, "Yundong, it's okay. We'll run our tea shop. I believe what truly lasts and smells fragrant is our 'Earth Trio Immortal,' not this so-called Zhao Clan Tea House!"

Zi Yuan also smiled faintly and said, "Well said! Watch them build their tower, watch them feast their guests, watch their tower collapse! Li Yundong, don't mind that their upper floor is full of esteemed guests right now. This man is so arrogant and overbearing; trouble is bound to find him eventually! I believe it won't be long before he faces misfortune!"

Li Yundong smiled faintly. "You don't need to console me; I'm fine. It was my oversight that I didn't host everyone properly after inviting you all here. I'll punish myself with three cups of wine later!"

Everyone said understandingly, "Not at all, Li Yundong, you're being too polite!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "Then what are we waiting for? Shall we all go inside?"

Everyone else laughed in agreement and headed inside. At the doorway, Zhou Qin glanced anxiously at her watch. She took out her phone from her pocket, about to turn it on, when she suddenly spotted a stretched Lincoln limousine driving in from a distance.

Zhou Qin, with her sharp eyes, recognized the car's license plate immediately. She immediately turned and shouted loudly to Li Yundong, "Master, come look quickly!"