Chapter 72: Ballroom Trouble
Chapter 72: Ballroom Trouble
“A man like Brother Lin, a woman like you wouldn’t know how to appreciate.”
“A woman who only cares about money, what else do you know besides money?”
Xing Weilong shook his head and said with a sigh.
“Yeah, I really can’t appreciate such a man. I’d like to see what kind of foolish woman would appreciate him.”
The mayor’s daughter laughed exaggeratedly, lightly waved the wine glass in her hand, looking very pompous.
“Brother Lin, she didn’t take you seriously at all!”
Xing Weilong looked at Lin Mu beside him.
“That’s even better. You know my taste, Brother. This kind of woman… how could I possibly be interested?”
Lin Mu smiled indifferently, didn’t even glance at that woman, and kept drinking by himself.
“He looks quite handsome. I initially had a good impression of you, but I didn’t expect you to brag even more than Fatty. I’m so disappointed. You shouldn’t have come to such an occasion. Why are you causing trouble here?”
The sharp and mean words finally made the several girls nearby unable to sit still. Especially Ye Zixi, who had a hot temper, stood up and walked straight over. The other two girls, afraid she couldn’t hold back from fighting, quickly followed.
“Oh, I wondered who it was. So it’s Miss Wen. What, showing your young lady temper again?”
Ye Zixi, who walked over, had a smile all over her face, not showing at all that she was furious inside.
“So it’s Miss Ye. I’m just chatting with some people, having some fun.”
The woman turned her head, glanced at the three girls who came over, and chuckled softly.
“Having fun with men, as expected, is your usual method, Miss Wen!”
Ye Zixi shook her head and smiled.
“Hehe, not with all men. I was just joking with that guy.”
She knew a bit about Ye Zixi’s family background. Although she was the mayor’s daughter, she couldn’t put on airs in front of Ye Zixi.
“Do you know who he is?”
“Who he is has nothing to do with me.”
“Originally it had nothing to do with you, but since you’re teasing my boyfriend, I can’t ignore it. What did you say just now? Only a foolish woman would appreciate him?”
Ye Zixi smiled slightly, but her face had turned cold.
“Miss Ye, you’re not joking with me, are you? He’s your boyfriend?”
The mayor’s daughter’s face changed, and she immediately became somewhat hesitant.
“What, you have opinions about my boyfriend?”
“Miss Ye, this is all a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean that. Sorry, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”
The mayor’s daughter originally wanted to say more, but the several young masters nearby kept signaling with their eyes, and she immediately knew something was wrong.
She also knew Ye Zixi’s temper; if things went badly, she was someone who would directly start a fight.
Watching that woman slink away, Lin Mu chuckled, pulled Ye Zixi over, and had her sit beside him.
“Zixi, why did you say that to her? You didn’t give her any face at all.”
“Tch, I just don’t like that woman. She thinks she’s a socialite, but in our eyes, what is she? Just a low-life who relies on her father’s reputation to hang around outside.”
Ye Zixi said disdainfully, snatched Lin Mu’s wine glass, drank it all in one go, and wiped her mouth angrily.
Lin Mu shook his head and laughed silently. Ye Zixi like this was really cute, angry like a child. He reached out and wiped her chin, where a drop of wine had slid down.
“Getting angry with such a person, aren’t you putting yourself on the same level as her? It’s not worth it!”
“Eh, now that you mention it, that seems right. Why am I so stupid?”
Ye Zixi went from angry to looking depressed. The two girls walked over, put their hands on her shoulders, tapped her forehead, and were also speechless about Ye Zixi’s sudden outburst, could only shake their heads and smile wryly.
The several young masters nearby looked at Lin Mu with completely different expressions now. They didn’t expect Lin Mu to be Ye Zixi’s boyfriend, and he seemed to have a good relationship with the other two girls as well.
They gathered together and chatted for a while longer. After a bit, the evening party officially started.
Just then, a middle-aged man walked into the venue from outside. He had a thin face, slightly sunken eye sockets, and looked very stern.
Xing Weilong beside him immediately nudged Lin Mu lightly with his shoulder and motioned with his chin towards that person.
“Brother Lin, the person I mentioned earlier is him. Ao Shaolong, the current Family Head of the Ao Family. An absolutely powerful figure, very concerned about face, and unwilling to suffer any loss easily.”
“Is that him?”
Lin Mu nodded and carefully examined this Ao Shaolong.
He walked with a commanding presence, like a dragon or tiger, clearly a person with a very strong aura. No matter who greeted him, he only nodded slightly and hadn’t spoken yet.
“This Ao Family, they seem quite powerful?”
“Not just quite powerful, but very powerful! They have influence in both lawful and unlawful circles. The Ao Family started in the underworld back in the day, later laundered their assets. This Ao Shaolong is a man with very strong methods and determination. The Ao Family’s influence expanded greatly under his leadership.”
Xing Weilong seemed to greatly admire this Ao Shaolong, his expression very serious and respectful.
“That powerful?”
Lin Mu was also surprised.
“Actually, the Ao Family’s hidden influence might be even stronger. One word from them could change the entire landscape of Donghai. They are not only financial giants in the business world but also skilled in politics. With both business and politics working together, the Ao Family’s influence is steadily rising.”
A strange light shone in Xing Weilong’s eyes.
“Fatty, what kind of person are you exactly? How do you know so much? I haven’t even heard about these things.”
Lin Mu looked at Fatty curiously.
“Me? I’m just an ordinary person. Like Brother Lin, I just want to live a low-key life.”
Xing Weilong smiled slightly and didn’t say much, keeping very tight-lipped about his own background.
While the two were talking, the host came on stage. It seemed they invited a famous program host from Donghai TV. After a bunch of nonsense, the banquet’s casual dance began.
Guests paired up and went down to the dance floor one after another, starting to dance gracefully to the music. Dancing was also an important way of socializing in high society.
“Come on, A-Mu, let’s go dance with me.”
Song Yuru stood up, extended her left hand to Lin Mu, and smiled slightly.
“Ah? I don’t know how to dance. Let’s not go, so I don’t embarrass you too.”
Lin Mu quickly shook his head.
“It’s okay. Ballroom dance is very simple. You’re so agile; I’ll teach you and you’ll get it quickly.”
Song Yuru chuckled softly, took Lin Mu’s hand, and walked to the dance floor.
But after teaching for five minutes, Song Yuru felt it was too much to handle. She didn’t expect Lin Mu, who was so skilled in martial arts, to be like an idiot when it came to dancing.
“Hey, don’t touch randomly.”
Song Yuru’s pretty face turned red, and she quickly twisted her body.
“Didn’t you tell me to put my hand lower?”
Lin Mu looked very confused.
“Not there, on the waist, the waist!”
Song Yuru’s voice trembled slightly. Not only did Lin Mu’s hand not go to the right place, but it was also very restless. That light caress just now made her whole body feel hot.
“Oh, oh, so it’s the waist. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Lin Mu was actually very nervous too. After all, it was his first time dancing, and there were so many people around. If he made any mistake, it would be hugely embarrassing.
He had been wondering why dancing required touching someone’s butt. Now it seemed he misunderstood. But the feeling of having his hand on her waist wasn’t bad either; Song Yuru’s slender waist felt quite comfortable to touch.
Thinking this, Lin Mu couldn’t help but give Song Yuru’s waist a little squeeze. Song Yuru immediately let out a soft moan, and the hand on Lin Mu’s shoulder secretly hit him.
“We’re dancing. Be serious. Don’t touch all over the place.”
Lin Mu chuckled and finally became a bit more well-behaved, slowly dancing with Song Yuru.
But after a while, Lin Mu realized he had absolutely no talent for dancing; he wasn’t much better than an idiot. Fortunately, he had extremely strong control over his body and managed to memorize the steps by sheer force.
Following the steps meticulously with his feet, he didn’t cause any major problems.
“A-Mu, thank you.”
In the middle of the dance, Song Yuru suddenly said softly.
“Huh? Why are you thanking me all of a sudden?” Lin Mu asked strangely.
“For that night, thank you.”
“Oh, that night. I haven’t even helped yet. Thanks so soon?”
Lin Mu grinned.
“Ah, helping with this is easier said than done. That you have this intention already makes me very happy.”
Song Yuru shook her head and sighed softly.
“You’re looking down on me! I haven’t even made my move yet. Solving your family’s matters is just a small thing!”
Lin Mu pretended to be angry and looked at Song Yuru, who then burst out laughing and lightly punched his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. Your fate will ultimately be in your own hands. I promise you, no one can force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Remembering how Song Yuru had cried her heart out that night, Lin Mu sighed inwardly. The hand on her waist slightly tightened, and he gently pulled Song Yuru into his embrace.
A dance song quickly ended. Lin Mu held Song Yuru’s hand and returned to the table. Xing Weilong immediately came over, grinning mischievously.
“Brother Lin, I didn’t know you were such a good dancer.”
As he spoke, he secretly gave a thumbs up, slightly raised his eyebrows, and gestured towards Song Yuru.
“Go away! What are you butting in for? My world, you don’t understand.”
Lin Mu laughed and scolded, then picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one go.
The main event of the banquet, the charity auction, grandly began in this good atmosphere.
The items brought out for auction were all sponsored by various families. The proceeds would be donated to children in poor mountainous areas and some elderly people with no one to care for them.
On one hand, it could display their family’s wealth; on the other hand, it built a good reputation for the family. It was a good thing that killed two birds with one stone.
Because of these two reasons, the annual Charity Banquet attracted many wealthy and powerful families to participate. Of course, using it to expand their own social circles was also a very important reason.
Item after item was displayed one after another, all antiques, calligraphy, and paintings collected by various families. The auction prices were naturally extremely high.
Xing Weilong also joined in the fun, occasionally raising his hand to quote a price. But whenever it exceeded five million, he immediately stopped bidding. Just as he said earlier, he wouldn’t pay a penny more.
As each piece was sold, the banquet atmosphere gradually reached its peak. People kept making offers, and the prices kept rising.
This situation frustrated Fatty quite a bit. With the set limit of five million, he couldn’t buy a single item. The items displayed later were clearly not things that could be bought for five million either.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xing Weilong gave up on bidding and waited for the banquet to end, planning to simply donate directly in a charitable manner then.