Chapter 50: Mentioned in the Same Breath

Some of the young gentlemen present had already taken a disliking to Chen Yuyi. They envied his good looks, and seeing him eating and drinking alone, completely disregarding everyone else, made them even more displeased. If it weren’t for the fact that Young Master Bai had brought him, they would have confronted him long ago.

Perhaps it was because Bai Lang had ignored the boy throughout the evening that they felt he was merely basking in Bai Lang’s reflected glory, eating and drinking for free. Now, one of the young gentlemen could no longer hold back.

“Why should I stand up?” Chen Yuyi had just taken a bite of food, then picked up his wine glass, not sparing anyone a glance, and drank on his own.

Everyone had disliked him before, but now their anger was palpable.

Even Sister Yun raised her delicate brows slightly.

Bai Lang was deeply uneasy, silently praying that this man would behave himself and not cause any trouble. Chen Yuyi had instructed him not to interfere, so naturally he obeyed, saying nothing.

At the same time, he cursed the young gentlemen inwardly: “You’re meddling for no reason. Who cares if he sits or stands? A bunch of blind fools.”

Those young gentlemen were merely his usual companions in pleasure; he had no real affection for them, so he couldn’t be bothered to consider their feelings. He knew well enough that offending Brother Yu would never end well.

Xiang Xuerou watched Chen Yuyi with an amused smile. This man truly cared nothing for anyone. She wondered how he compared to the legendary Master Chen.

Zhu Shaohui seemed reminded of the day Chen Yuyi was looked down upon by others. His hands trembled slightly; he didn’t dare meet Chen Yuyi’s gaze.

The enchanting woman beside him, Hai Qin, looked on with a hint of schadenfreude. She had never seen anyone so dismissive of Sister Yun. She thought, this man may have a handsome face, but he’s a fool. Where does his confidence come from? And how could such a person offend someone like Zhu Shaohui?

“Didn’t you see we all stood up?” The young gentleman who spoke felt like grabbing Chen Yuyi by the collar. In their eyes, Sister Yun was no ordinary figure.

The others glared at Chen Yuyi.

“Enough, everyone!” Sister Yun smiled lightly. “I’m not some grand figure like Master Chen, just the mistress of a small manor. I came to offer a toast as a gesture of goodwill, not to demand your respect. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t stay.”

With that, she didn’t even finish her wine, gave Chen Yuyi a brief glance, and left. Though she was struck by his appearance, she didn’t care much. A man who didn’t even know basic manners, no matter how handsome, would never achieve anything significant.

Seeing Sister Yun leave, everyone looked angrily at Chen Yuyi. What should have been an atmospheric occasion was ruined by him, and seeing him continue to eat and drink as if nothing had happened, calm and unbothered, made them even more irate.

“Bai Lang, who is your friend, really? Which family is he from? He seems even more arrogant than you.” The young gentleman who spoke before sneered. He considered himself on equal footing with Bai Lang, his family famous in Jiangcheng for their trade business. Being the host tonight, he dared speak so frankly.

Bai Lang gave an awkward smile. “I just met him, I don’t know him well, truly.” He raised his glass to deflect, “Jin, let’s drink and not worry about others.”

But Jin Junmin didn’t pick up his glass, instead saying coldly, “If it weren’t for you, Bai Lang, I would have thrown this person out tonight.”

Bai Lang shrank back, not out of fear for Chen Yuyi being thrown out, but for the consequences such an act would bring—none here could bear them.

Afraid Jin would say something worse, Bai Lang hurried, “Yes, yes, let’s not dwell on it, Jin. Come, let’s all drink.”

He toasted the group first, and none wished to lose face, so they all drank. For a time, attention drifted elsewhere.

But after a few rounds, Jin Junmin still felt unhappy. After all, he was the host tonight and had lost face before Sister Yun. His discomfort grew, and his gaze returned to Chen Yuyi.

Seeing the pile of bones and fish spines before Chen Yuyi, it was clear he had been eating heartily, drinking freely, showing not a shred of decorum. Jin’s anger flared, ignoring Bai Lang’s face.

He pointed at Chen Yuyi and, with a touch of fire, spoke out.

“Look at him—completely disregarding us, not even maintaining an appearance. A beast in man’s clothing, truly thinks himself on par with Master Chen!”

Bang!

Zhu Shaohui’s wine glass fell to the wooden floor at those words.

Everyone glanced at him curiously.

Zhu Shaohui hurried to pick up the glass, then looked at Chen Yuyi.

Chen Yuyi wiped his mouth and glanced at him calmly.

Zhu Shaohui quickly looked away, feeling his palms drenched in sweat.

“Zhu Shaohui, you’re bleeding—throw away that glass!” Hai Qin exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

She was puzzled—Zhu Shaohui had been distracted all night. Even for that boy, it shouldn’t be this bad.

Only then did Zhu Shaohui notice the glass was chipped where he was gripping it, cutting his palm without him realizing.

Others quickly urged him, “Throw it away, how careless.”

Zhu Shaohui recovered, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing, just careless.” He discarded the glass, didn’t bandage his hand, just wiped the blood with a tissue.

Seeing he was fine, the group returned to the previous topic. Zhu Shaohui, among them, was merely an average young man, not worthy of much attention.

“Master Chen? As if he could be compared to Master Chen!” Several girls, die-hard fans of Master Chen, scoffed.

“Jin, your comparison is off. Everyone here admires Master Chen; how can you compare this decorative pillow to that great man? You’re elevating him for no reason,” some young men shook their heads. They disliked Chen Yuyi for being better looking, so they settled on calling him a ‘decorative pillow.’

“Exactly. Even Sister Yun can’t meet Master Chen, so how could this boy be compared? Let’s just pretend he doesn’t exist—no need to elevate him.”

Bai Lang felt a twinge of displeasure. He was annoyed they were comparing his Brother Yu to Master Chen. He had heard rumors about Master Chen but never seen his prowess. Brother Yu, on the other hand, he’d witnessed firsthand, displaying supernatural abilities—he already regarded him as a being beyond mortal.

Naturally, Bai Lang believed Brother Yu was superior to Master Chen. He’d wondered if Master Chen and Brother Yu were connected, but after pondering, had dismissed it. If Brother Yu were Master Chen, he would have told him.

Xiang Xuerou, hearing everyone mention Master Chen again, glanced at Chen Yuyi. Seeing his lips curled in a mocking smile, she felt an odd illusion—the vague image of Master Chen in her mind gradually overlapped with him.

But she quickly shook her head. If meeting Master Chen were so easy, then lottery winners would be everywhere.

Everyone mocked, while Zhu Shaohui buried his head deeply. He couldn’t bear their words; Chen Yuyi’s gaze made him fearful. He had once been so proud, but since encountering Chen Yuyi, all his pride felt laughable, so he began to let himself go.

Only he knew that the terrifying figure everyone discussed was right before them. He wanted to flee, but his legs wouldn’t obey. Even if he escaped, he’d become an even bigger joke.

So he pretended to have heard and seen nothing, as if nothing here concerned him.

“What if I told you—I am in fact Master Chen?” Chen Yuyi suddenly smiled, eyes narrowing...