Chapter 289 - Shock

They drove to the parking lot of the ancient and quaint Tan’s Official Mansion Cuisine and got out of the car, with Hu Jing walking excitedly in front of Ye Fan.

Ye Fan smiled faintly, “Let’s go inside.”

“Okay!” Hu Jing responded and followed Ye Fan into the grand lobby of Tan’s Official Mansion Cuisine.

Upon entering the lobby, it was clear that Tan’s Official Mansion Cuisine was different from the Ming Xuan they had visited last time.

Ming Xuan was Old Shanghai Beach nostalgia, and although its style was not fully westernized, it strongly emphasized Western elements.

Meanwhile, the decor of Tan’s Official Mansion Cuisine was entirely in the style of ancient China, making one feel as if they had traveled through time and space into the home of an ancient official, with the lobby’s layout and the calligraphy and paintings on the walls.

Guided by a waiter dressed in ancient attire, Ye Fan and Hu Jing walked to the large private room opened by Zhao Shuai Jiang.

The door was a large wooden door in ancient style, with a pair of bronze lion heads on the wooden door, each holding a polished brass ring.

The waiter grabbed the brass ring and knocked on the wooden door, and after a while, the door opened from the inside, revealing a handsome, young face.

“Brother Ye, you finally arrived!” Tang Mingyi exclaimed happily, “Please, come inside quickly.”

“Hehe, Mingyi, long time no see,” Ye Fan smiled faintly and stepped into the large private room.

Although Hu Jing entered the large private room with Ye Fan, her mind was filled with doubts.

Why would this elegantly dressed young man call Ye Fan ‘brother’?

If it were based on age, that would still make sense, but it seemed like Ye Fan was even younger than him.

Upon entering the large private room, they found that it wasn’t a living room as expected but a courtyard, complete with a rock garden, pavilion, fish pond, bamboo, and more.

Hu Jing couldn’t help but look around curiously, discovering that the interior was a small Siheyuan (courtyard house).

Aside from the entrance that led to an open hall, the other three sides were lined with rooms facing each other.

As Ye Fan entered, Shuai Jiang, Zhang Ruolin, and others who were chatting in the pavilion of the courtyard, immediately rose with smiles and greeted him.

“Haha, Ye Fan, we thought we’d be hungry for a while waiting for you.

Didn’t expect you to be on time this time,” Zhao Shuai Jiang said with a loud laugh as he walked ahead to greet Ye Fan.

Ye Fan smiled faintly, “I came straight after work.

Sorry to keep everyone waiting.”

Following that, Zhang Ruolin and others gathered around Ye Fan, happily calling out, “Brother Ye.”

Ye Fan responded with a smile to Zhang Ruolin and the other five people.

Brother Ye?

This group of people all called Ye Fan ‘Brother Ye’?

Standing to the side, Hu Jing was completely stunned.

If only one person called Ye Fan ‘brother’, it would be simply puzzling, but this group of affluent young men and women were all respectfully and happily calling Ye Fan ‘Brother Ye’.

How could she not be shocked?

She had always thought of Ye Fan as someone of ordinary descent, at most distant relatives with Li Zhaojun by countless generations.

Now, seeing the attitude of this group of affluent young men and women, she believed that Ye Fan’s identity was far from simple.

But then, why was Ye Fan dressed in ordinary clothes, driving a car worth only tens of thousands, and relying on nepotism to be a deputy manager of an inconspicuous department?

Immediately after, another huge doubt arose in her mind.

As she stood in utter shock and confusion, Ye Fan touched her hand, and she immediately snapped back to reality, squeezing out a smile.

Ye Fan introduced with a light smile, “This is my colleague, Hu Jing, a great beauty indeed.

Strictly speaking, she is my immediate boss, and whether I have good days at the company depends on her mood.”

Zhao Shuaijiang and the others burst into laughter, certainly not believing that Hu Jing could control Ye Fan.

“Hello everyone, I’m delighted to meet you all,” said Hu Jing, timely flashing her trademark enchanting smile as she greeted Zhao Shuaijiang and the others.

Her smile was radiant, brightening the faces of everyone present.

Even though Zhao Shuaijiang and his group had seen many beauties, they couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated by Hu Jing’s smile.

Zhao Shuaijiang was the first to come back to his senses and smilingly introduced himself, “Miss Hu, you are truly beautiful.

I’m Zhao Shuaijiang.

It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Zhao Shuaijiang?” Hu Jing felt the name sounded somewhat familiar; it seemed someone had mentioned it a few times by her ear.

Zhao Shuaijiang smiled, saying, “Indeed.”

Suddenly, Hu Jing remembered and asked, “Aren’t you one of the Four Young Masters of Hua Hai City, Zhao Shuaijiang?”

“Hehe, absolutely,” laughed Zhao Shuaijiang.

“Such an honor to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Hu Jing said, struggling to keep her face calm while internally she was utterly astonished.

The Four Young Masters of Hua Hai City was known to all—practically the dream bachelors of every unmarried woman in Hua Hai City with prestigious family backgrounds, wealth at a young age, handsome looks, graceful demeanor, gentle and elegant, truly the cream of the crop.

Hu Jing couldn’t help but recall that one of her female university friends had met Zhao Shuaijiang at a gathering and was almost soul-stricken, constantly talking about marrying no one but him.

Unfortunately, due to being in different social circles, her friend never had a chance to meet him again, not to mention getting in touch.

Now, here was this legendary figure, right in front of her, even introducing himself with a smile.

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but quickly turn to glance at Ye Fan, “I never expected Ye Fan to have friends of such high caliber, and it seems his association with Zhao Shuaijiang is quite on an equal footing.”

After Zhao Shuaijiang introduced himself, it was Tang Mingyi and the others’ turn.

In the course of the introductions, Tang Mingyi and the others didn’t disclose their identities.

Although Ye Fan intended to share Tang Mingyi, Zhang Ruolin, and the others’ backgrounds with Hu Jing, he suddenly realized he hadn’t paid attention to remembering all of their detailed backgrounds and thus decided against it.

However, during the introductions, Hu Jing learned about the identities of the other two people besides Zhao Shuaijiang, which naturally surprised her.

After getting to know each other, Zhao Shuaijiang asked the restaurant to start preparing the meal, then Ye Fan and the others walked to the gazebo in the courtyard to chat while waiting for the meal.

As they walked to the gazebo together, Hu Jing was once again amazed to find that this group of socialites seemed to be led by Ye Fan and Zhao Shuaijiang together.

Although Zhao Shuaijiang was walking shoulder to shoulder with Ye Fan, he was actively joking while Ye Fan simply maintained a faint smile, responding from time to time.

“Could it be that Ye Fan has some incredibly astonishing background?” she couldn’t help speculating.

At this thought, Hu Jing was filled with intense curiosity about Ye Fan, almost eager to unearth Ye Fan’s “real identity background.”

Of course, she wouldn’t directly ask Ye Fan about his “real identity background,” but she could probe someone from the group, like Zhang Ruolin.

After sitting down in the gazebo, Hu Jing once again noticed that the conversation among these individuals clearly revolved around Ye Fan, with even Zhao Shuaijiang quickly becoming just a side character.