Chapter 037: Brother-in-law Su

“What’s going on?” Li Huan was about to leave when he suddenly saw a group of people approaching from behind. Among them was a middle-aged man whose features bore a striking resemblance to Sun Xiao’s. The man’s eyes glanced over and, recognizing his son, he couldn’t help but ask a question.

Sun Xiao snapped out of his shock, his expression shifting as a barely perceptible cold smile touched the corner of his lips. Looking at the approaching giants of the Jushi Chamber of Commerce, he said, “It’s just a small misunderstanding, nothing serious.”

“Oh? What kind of misunderstanding?” Sun Ximei, along with the other influential figures of the Jushi Chamber of Commerce, walked over, frowning slightly. He knew his son’s character far too well to believe it was merely a trivial misunderstanding.

“Dad, it’s like this…” Sun Xiao explained with a smile, pointing toward Li Huan. “This is Li, a distinguished student from our department. I think he’s highly capable, so I wanted to recommend him to the Jushi Chamber of Commerce. However, he declined my offer, which led to a bit of an argument.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. Those nearby began whispering among themselves, their gazes toward Li Huan now tinged with disbelief—he had actually refused the opportunity to work for the Jushi Chamber of Commerce. After all, not just anyone could get their foot in the door there!

Though not a profit-driven institution, the Jushi Chamber of Commerce held the keys to future investment directions and financing strategies, providing the chance to network with all kinds of business magnates. In fact, it was even more coveted than a financial analyst’s position handed down by a major corporation—a veritable paradise for anyone dreaming of meteoric success overnight.

All the envy and jealousy in their eyes turned to utter astonishment. To a group of soon-to-be graduates, the chance to take the shortest, surest path to success was something no one in their right mind would refuse—yet, here was someone who had.

A muscle twitched in Li Huan’s face. Although he’d long known Sun Xiao to be a schemer, hearing him twist the truth so shamelessly still filled him with contempt. Nevertheless, Li Huan couldn’t be bothered to explain himself to those around him; he simply stared coldly at Sun Xiao, his expression oddly calm.

Sun Ximei stepped in front of Li Huan, putting away his previous air of superiority and smiling as he spoke, “Hello, Li. I am the vice president of the Jushi Chamber of Commerce. I’m very curious as to why you would turn down the opportunity to work with us. This is a rare and valuable chance. Don’t you want your talents to flourish in the right position?”

Sun Ximei’s tone was unusually sincere. He showed no anger at hearing that Li Huan had refused the offer, which made Sun Xiao feel humiliated—how could his own father lower himself to speak so humbly to a penniless nobody? Li Huan simply wasn’t qualified to be addressed that way.

To be fair, Sun Xiao’s petty tricks worked wonders on students with no real-world experience. But to someone like Sun Ximei, it was downright childish. He would never belittle or ridicule a student in front of so many people. Instead, he’d undermine his opponent’s confidence from the vantage of his own status and experience—this was the kind of confidence that had brought him to where he stood today.

Li Huan frowned slightly, sensing the overwhelming authority and presence emanating from the middle-aged man before him. Although Sun Ximei was smiling, there was an undeniable sense of distance in that smile, something unique to people of his ilk.

“I don’t see opportunities as handouts from others. Those with real ability forge their own way. I’m not as aloof as you might think, but I do have principles I won’t compromise. Sorry, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” Li Huan looked directly at Sun Ximei, his gaze unflinching—his resolve wasn’t an act of bravado, but a calm and steadfast dignity.

Li Huan rarely felt genuine fear toward anyone, except for a certain someone at home—a true force to be reckoned with. It wasn’t about wealth or status; a single look from that person was enough to shake him to his core.

“So, is it that you think the Jushi Chamber of Commerce is unworthy, or that none of us here are fit to be your mentor?” Sun Ximei’s tone remained measured, his expression unchanged, though there was an unmistakable furrow in his brow—Li Huan’s words had clearly rubbed him the wrong way.

“You’re a successful entrepreneur; there’s no need to frame me as some arrogant upstart who disregards everyone. On the contrary, I’m quite humble—but I have my limits. When someone crosses them, I don’t feel obliged to remain calm or respectful.” Li Huan shot Sun Xiao a sidelong glance, a cold smile on his lips, then turned and left.

If all a person does is try to humiliate his opponent in public, then even if he succeeds, it only proves his methods are crude. If it were Li Huan, he would first utterly defeat his opponent, and only then trample on their dignity without a second thought.

Sun Ximei was momentarily taken aback, his frown deepening with embarrassment. In all his years, few had ever dared to leave him hanging so brazenly—Li Huan was the first, and just a mere student at that.

It wasn’t just Sun Ximei; even the other business leaders looked on in disbelief as Li Huan walked away. In their world, a graduating student would do anything for such an opportunity—grovel, curry favor, eagerly serve at their beck and call. That was the scene they were used to. But tonight, everything had been turned upside down.

Could this young man be the son of some business tycoon? Or perhaps a well-connected princeling? Unlikely—otherwise, they would have heard of him by now.

Most embarrassed of all was Sun Xiao. He’d never expected a penniless nobody like Li Huan to put him in such an awkward spot, and even more shocking was that his own father, having stepped in personally, still received no respect. Did Li Huan not realize that by offending the vice president of the Jushi Chamber of Commerce, he would never again have a foothold in Zhonghai?

The department heads gathered around, and the onlooking students quickly dispersed. Li Huan could feel the many strange gazes fixed on his back. Though it felt a bit awkward, he paid it no mind. Instead, the chubby friend still trailed after him, grinning from ear to ear, as if Li Huan’s offense against such a bigwig had filled him with excitement.

“Damn, Huan, I really admire you! Not even someone that high and mighty can intimidate you!” Later at lunch, the chubby guy couldn’t contain his excitement. He’d gained a new story to brag about, even if he wasn’t the protagonist.

“You think I wanted this? If you’re too kind, people take advantage of you. Sun Xiao just wanted to see me embarrassed.” Li Huan took a sip of his drink. Hearing his friend put it that way, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

“So what are you going to do now? I hear the Jushi Chamber of Commerce has its hands in almost every industry in Zhonghai. Sun Xiao’s dad is the vice president—finding a job might be a problem for you!” The chubby guy gave him a thumbs-up, but quickly doused his enthusiasm with a dose of reality.

“At worst, I’ll just keep working in bars. If one path is blocked, I’m not stupid enough to keep banging my head against the wall!” Li Huan shrugged it off. The chamber didn’t have the final say on everything. Even if Sun Ximei tried to suppress him, there were always other options—and, after all, he still had that tough, street-smart Feifei on his side.

Just as he was eating, Li Huan suddenly felt something was off. He glanced over his shoulder and instantly felt a headache coming on. Who would have thought that, just by having a meal, he’d run into Miss Zhu Zhu? She was standing right behind him, eyeing him with a peculiar look, which sent a chill down his spine.

“When did you get here? Don’t you know standing behind people can scare them to death?” Li Huan swallowed his mouthful of rice and shot Zhu Zhu a glare.

“Hmph, I’ve been here for a while!” Zhu Zhu pouted and pointed to a private room behind Li Huan. “I was eating in there and saw you, so I came out to take a look!”

“Oh! Then go back and finish your meal.” Li Huan turned away and focused on his rice, ignoring the mischievous Miss Zhu Zhu.

Meanwhile, the chubby guy was making all sorts of faces at Li Huan, his expression downright lovesick, making it hard for Li Huan to even eat.

“Let me introduce you to a few beautiful girls!” Zhu Zhu batted her big, innocent eyes and leaned down, tilting her head to peer at Li Huan.

“Sure, sure!” the chubby guy answered before anyone else, abandoning his plate of stewed pork intestines and jumping to his feet.

“Fatty, I wasn’t talking to you!” Zhu Zhu shot him a glare, but then, as if remembering something, immediately donned a cute and playful smile. “But since you used to buy me snacks, I’ll let you tag along today!”

The chubby guy was so moved he almost burst into tears. He knew following Li Huan was the best decision he’d ever made.

“I haven’t agreed yet!” Li Huan was genuinely concerned about his friend’s lack of dignity—he never seemed to know the meaning of embarrassment.

Zhu Zhu couldn’t have cared less whether Li Huan agreed. She grabbed him and dragged him into the private room. As soon as they entered, Li Huan felt the room brighten. Several fair, pretty faces appeared before his eyes, making it hard for him to breathe.

Including Zhu Zhu, there were three girls in total, all of them beautiful, but the one standing by the door was breathtakingly so. Li Huan stared for a moment, then felt instantly awkward—it should have been obvious that wherever Zhu Zhu was, Su Dieyi would be there too.

“Oh my, isn’t this Brother-in-law Su?” The girl sitting next to Su Dieyi had short hair and a round, doll-like face that made her look especially cute.

Li Huan was caught off guard by her words. Brother-in-law Su? Neither he nor his friend had the surname Su—what was this girl going on about?

“Yang Yang, say that again and I’ll rip your mouth off!” Su Dieyi’s face flushed bright red as she glared at her friend, shaking a tiny fist in mock anger.

Yang Yang quickly clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes darting inquisitively over Li Huan as if she’d discovered some rare animal, eager to study him more closely.