To them, maybe, but I'm just passing through—barely even part of the crowd. It's time to leave.

Ye Chen smiled faintly as he explained.

"Ye Chen, these... who are these two?"

At that moment, Teacher Gao couldn't help but ask.

"This is He Wan'an, the chairman of Wan'an Group. And this is his son, He Shaocong." Ye Chen answered directly without hesitation.

Turning to He Wan'an and He Shaocong, Ye Chen introduced further, "Chairman He, Shaocong, these are my mentors – Gao Shouyi, Huang Wenliang, Chen Qiu, and Yan Lanqing."

"Ah, hello, Teacher Gao! Hello, Teacher Huang, Teacher Chen, Teacher Yan!"

Under Ye Chen's introduction, He Wan'an stepped forward eagerly, shaking hands with them one by one.

Although He Shaocong didn't extend his hand, he awkwardly smiled and greeted the teachers warmly.

But Ye Chen's teachers were completely dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the unexpected courtesy.

Wan'an Group—after teaching in Jiangzhou for so many years, how could they not recognize such a prominent name?

Yet what puzzled them even more was this:

Why was the chairman of Wan'an Group personally shaking their hands?

They weren't fools—they knew this was all thanks to Ye Chen.

Still, how did this kid Ye Chen manage to connect with such a business tycoon, and even warrant this level of respect?

This is crazy, absolutely crazy.

Just moments ago, some students were calling Ye Chen a loser, a gambler, a drunk.

Now, the chairman of Wan'an Group and his son were here treating him with the utmost respect, letting them—his teachers—bask in the glow.

Little did they know, the biggest shock was yet to come.

After the handshakes, He Wan'an pulled a few business cards from his pocket.

He handed them to the teachers.

"Here is my card. My phone number is on it. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. You are Mr. Ye's mentors, and that makes you honored guests of mine as well."

Having spent years navigating the business world, He Wan'an wasn't foolish.

He knew that if Ye Chen valued these teachers enough to introduce them individually, they must hold a special place in his heart.

Returning this favor was, in essence, a way to show Ye Chen his gratitude.

By now, He Wan'an viewed Ye Chen almost as a divine figure.

He had investigated the recent incident at Hongyan Restaurant and found no malicious sabotage—everything was a freak accident that just happened to affect his business.

Moreover, after having tea with the former Secretary Zhang Weimin that morning, he had learned even more about Ye Chen.

Through these encounters, He Wan'an wasn't simply interested in maintaining ties—he was eager to deepen them, both for his sake and for his son's future.

The teachers were speechless as they accepted the business cards, hands trembling.

Their gaze toward Ye Chen shifted to one of utter disbelief.

What on earth had this kid been through?

"Brother Ye, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Why don't I get a private room arranged so you and the teachers can catch up?"

He Shaocong, noticing that Ye Chen clearly wasn't in sync with his former classmates, smiled eagerly and asked.

"What do you say, teachers?" Ye Chen turned to his mentors.

"Ah, well..."

Teacher Gao hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't want to catch up in a quieter place—

But if they left now, it would be a slap in the face to the other students.

However, after a brief struggle, recalling how the gathering had already lost its meaning, he nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

"Great! Consider it done!" He Shaocong grinned.

Turning to a middle-aged man nearby, he instructed, "Old Yuan, arrange my father's exclusive private room. Move the supplier's lunch to the next one over."

"Understood, Young Master He. I'll take care of it right away."

As Old Yuan hurried off, Ye Chen and his teachers followed He Shaocong out of the gathering room.

From start to finish, Ye Chen didn't spare a glance at his former classmates—not even from the corner of his eye.

Meanwhile, Du, an executive at Antai Hotel, patted Manager Su on the shoulder as he left.

Su immediately got the message.

In the now eerily silent room, Su watched Ye Chen's group leave before turning coldly to Xu Cheng.

"Mr. Xu, effective immediately, Antai Hotel—and the few hotels I recommended—will no longer be sourcing packaging from your business."

With that, Manager Su walked out.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Xu Cheng trembled as if struck by lightning.

Liu Ming's face drained of color.

The rest of the classmates froze, completely petrified.

Only Lin Mengxi glared at Xu Cheng and Liu Ming, eyes burning with fury.

She had worked so hard to create this opportunity, only for these two idiots to ruin it.

She knew these short-sighted classmates would stir up trouble for Ye Chen—

But she hadn't anticipated that Xu Cheng and Liu Ming would go so far, so fast, that the curtain would fall immediately.

Her careful planning ended up benefiting a few teachers she hadn't thought about in ages?

Unforgivable.

A bunch of clowns—absolute fools!

Unable to hold back any longer, Lin Mengxi scanned the room coldly, spitting out those few words before grabbing her bag.

Whether or not the gathering continued, she no longer cared.

With Ye Chen gone, she wasn't about to waste another second with these fools.

However, as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped.

Turning back, she sneered, "Living in a small house with monthly payments? Driving a BMW 5 Series—is that impressive? Bragging about a few million in assets? Let me tell you—Ye Chen paid twenty million in full for his house and drives a Mercedes G-Class."

With that, she stormed out.

The room remained deathly silent.

Those who had mocked Ye Chen moments ago now sat frozen in horror.

Xu Cheng and Liu Ming nearly collapsed.

"Who the hell said Ye Chen was a loser, a drunk, and a gambler? WHO?!"

Liu Ming, trembling with panic, finally snapped.

A twenty-million house, a G-Class Mercedes—

More importantly, even the chairman of Wan'an Group respected him.

If Ye Chen wanted revenge, Liu Ming knew he'd lose his job for sure.

But no one answered—

Because... they had ALL said it.