No big background here—just happened to meet Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zhao by chance, so I tagged along for some fun.

Beating Zhao Jiwei and Zhang Jingshan to the punch.

Ye Chen smiled faintly, harmlessly and humbly.

"Come on now, no big background? Then how come our Young Master Zhang personally went downstairs to greet you? And why did Mr. Zhao welcome you with such enthusiasm the moment he saw you? Man, you don't have to hide your cards like this, do you?" the man sneered with fake politeness.

"Liang Hongbo, what's wrong with you? Why does it matter if he has a background or not? What's with all the digging? Are you planning to kneel and bootlick if his background is impressive? Or step all over him if it's not? Man, this attitude of yours is really off-putting!"

This time, before Ye Chen could respond, Zhang Jingshan spoke up sharply, not holding back in the slightest.

"Young Master Zhang, don't you think that's a bit over the line?" Liang Hongbo's face darkened with embarrassment.

"Over the line? How so? Isn't that exactly the kind of person you are? Did I say anything untrue?" Zhang Jingshan retorted with a fierce glare.

By now, Ye Chen had figured it out—Zhang Jingshan clearly had a grudge against this guy.

"Jingshan, what are you doing? Everyone here sees each other often; can't you adjust your tone a bit?"

Zhao Jiwei quickly stepped in to smooth things over, looking a little flustered.

"Adjust? No way that's happening! And besides, am I worse with words than Liang Hongbo here? Back when that idiot Li Mu hadn't fallen yet, Liang Hongbo was running around with him, badmouthing me everywhere. I didn't even settle the score with him after all that. I've been lenient enough! And now he wants to cozy up to me? Fat chance!" Zhang Jingshan snapped coldly.

Zhao Jiwei froze for a moment, at a loss for words.

Truthfully, he didn't know much about the history between Zhang Jingshan and Liang Hongbo.

"Young Master Zhang, I'll offer my apologies for past events."

Hearing Li Mu's name brought a visible change to Liang Hongbo's expression.

Because after the downfall of the Sihai Group and He Jinjun's arrest, the word in the streets was that Zhang Weimin, the retired senior official, had played a critical role in it.

Otherwise, how else could you explain why the inspection team leader, Jiang Wenrui, visited Zhang Weimin so frequently? And given that Jiangzhou's current top city official, Yan Huaili, openly regarded Zhang Weimin as a mentor, the speculation grew stronger.

Especially since Yan Huaili had always been at odds with He Jinjun, and Zhang Weimin had a long-standing feud with the He family during his tenure.

All this added weight to the theory that the downfall of Sihai Group, He Jinjun's arrest, and the collapse of the Maple Leaf Hotel were inseparably tied to Zhang Weimin.

Consequently, Zhang Weimin's name had regained immense significance in Jiangzhou circles, and by extension, Zhang Jingshan's standing had also risen significantly.

Hence, Liang Hongbo had no choice but to lower his voice and humble himself in front of Zhang Jingshan.

"Cut the crap. I don't need your apology. Just keep your pretentious act and your troubles away from me and my friends!" Zhang Jingshan dismissed him curtly.

"Fine! I'll leave you alone, Young Master Zhang!"

Clenching his teeth, Liang Hongbo turned and walked away.

Although Zhang Jingshan had publicly humiliated him, Liang Hongbo could only swallow his resentment. After the Sihai Group and He Jinjun incident, everyone in Jiangzhou's elite circles had agreed: until Zhang Weimin passed away, Zhang Jingshan was not to be trifled with.

"What's going on here?"

After Liang Hongbo left, Ye Chen asked curiously.

"That guy used to hang out with Li Mu and badmouth me everywhere. He acted like I'd stolen his girlfriend or something. I tolerated it to avoid trouble. Now that the Sihai Group and He family have fallen, rumors are swirling about my grandfather's involvement. Liang Hongbo must be scared I'll retaliate, so he's trying to make peace. But come on, as if I'd let that slide!" Zhang Jingshan said angrily.

Then, in a lower voice, he muttered, "These second-generation guys are getting dumber by the day. Why would they even need to be afraid of me? Sure, my grandfather still has some influence after retiring, but with his strict character, he'd never let me use his name to act recklessly. If I caused trouble, he'd break my legs!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh.

It was true. Zhang Weimin's strict and upright demeanor meant that Zhang Jingshan using his name for intimidation was impossible.

"So, what's this Liang Hongbo's background?" Ye Chen asked.

"He's got a dad who's a deputy prosecutor. Sounds impressive, right? But in today's prosecution system, deputy prosecutors are a dime a dozen. That's why he was just a lackey for Li Mu. If I weren't avoiding trouble, dealing with him would be a piece of cake!" Zhang Jingshan scoffed.

He glanced at Zhao Jiwei. "Old classmate, why'd you even bother connecting with someone like that? What's the point?"

Zhao Jiwei smiled bitterly. "Jingshan, I didn't know you two had bad blood. Otherwise, I'd never have set up this meeting. As for connecting with him, you've got to understand—I'm just a newly-rich outsider here. When it comes to networking, I don't have much room to be picky. Big or small, I have to seize every opportunity."

"Fair enough," Zhang Jingshan nodded. "Your networking, your business. Even if you wanted to connect with Li Mu, I wouldn't say a word. My personal grudges are mine alone; I won't drag you into them."

Then, patting Ye Chen's shoulder, he smiled, "Come on, Brother Ye, let me introduce you to some others."

"Sure," Ye Chen replied, following Zhang Jingshan into the crowd.

Among the group were heirs to family fortunes worth tens of billions, children of high-ranking officials, and others from all sorts of elite fields. Zhang Jingshan introduced Ye Chen to everyone he knew.

Despite their apparent politeness toward Ye Chen, his demeanor and attire led many of the second-generation elites to look down on him in private. They could sense Ye Chen wasn't on the same level as Zhang Jingshan.

Just as Zhang Jingshan finished introducing Ye Chen, the main door opened again. Three young men strode in, exuding arrogance:

• Qiu Yingzhe, son of the Tianhai District Party Secretary.

• Xu Wenhui, son of the Jiangzhou Deputy Mayor.

• Feng Liang, heir to the Fengyuan Group, which monopolized all BMW dealerships in Jiangzhou.

"Why is that idiot Feng Liang here?" Zhang Jingshan frowned.

"Not my doing," Zhao Jiwei replied. "His dad's always been at odds with my family because we set up Porsche and Mercedes-Benz dealerships next to their BMW flagship store. He's here to stir things up, I bet."

"Seriously? First Porsche, and now Mercedes-Benz? Isn't that a bit too bold?" Zhang Jingshan laughed, shaking his head.

"Well, his dad once mocked mine as a foolish, rich upstart. So, my dad decided to teach him a lesson. And it worked—we've pulled quite a few customers away from their flagship store!" Zhao Jiwei said with a grin.

"Coal miners, huh? Truly bold!" Zhang Jingshan muttered, smirking.