“No need for formalities. Guests are always welcome. You can call me Old Chen from now on. Sit here for a while; I still need to attend to others. The seminar is about to begin, and I won't keep you waiting long.”
Chen Jiayuan warmly led Zhang Liunian into a group of people and motioned for him to sit, then went to greet others.
As soon as he left, Zhang Liunian heard a sarcastic voice beside him, "I don't understand why the chairman is so enthusiastic about a country bumpkin. He's just an insignificant sole proprietor, with no money and no connections. Once the project is discussed, can he contribute financially or with manpower? He can neither fund nor network, and is completely unworthy of attending today's seminar."
Hearing this, Zhang Liunian immediately turned to look at the speaker.
The speaker was a dark-haired young man in a suit and leather shoes, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He wore a foreign brand name on his wrist, his hair was meticulously styled, and he held a glass of red wine, his face radiating disdain.
Zhang Liunian couldn't recall ever meeting this person, realizing he didn't know him. The man was simply looking down on him, so Zhang Liunian retorted, "If others are country bumpkins, are you a celestial being from the heavens? If you have the ability, fly up into the sky and show us all!"
"You... you vulgar bumpkin, don't defile our air by being here."
The dark-haired youth was momentarily speechless by Zhang Liunian's words but quickly recovered.
"You've been spewing filth from your mouth here all this time. Who exactly is polluting the air? If I were you, I'd smash my head against the ground right here, to save everyone the embarrassment."
"You..." The dark-haired youth was so angry he pointed at Zhang Liunian for a long time without uttering a word.
A fair-haired youth next to him immediately chimed in, "Hey, you country hick, you're putting on quite an act. But don't misunderstand. Chairman Chen invited you not because he values you, but simply to let you see the world. He has no expectation of you contributing money or effort. Moreover, with your shabby appearance, you've got at most a few meager coins, nothing more. So don't embarrass yourself here. If you know what's good for you, just behave yourself and don't talk back when we say something. Then we won't mind letting you listen. But if you misbehave, we won't be polite."
Seeing another person with a condescending attitude, Zhang Liunian sneered, "I thought people from Hong Kong would have good manners, but it seems some of you lack any semblance of it. Not only that, but you're also adept at looking down on others. Truly foolish."
"Who are you calling a dog? Who is the fool?" the two youths said in unison.
"Whoever responds is who it is. Doesn't that mean you've all identified yourselves?"
Zhang Liunian retorted unceremoniously, instantly infuriating the two youths. They immediately stood up from their seats.
"An insignificant sole proprietor who can't even make a decent appearance dares to call me a dog? If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm not your grandfather." The fair-haired youth lunged at Zhang Liunian, but before he could get close, he was intercepted by Zhang Liunian's bodyguard.
The fair-haired youth was naturally unwilling and, seeing an obstacle blocking his path, charged forward to attack. However, as someone untrained, he was no match for the bodyguard. Within a few exchanges, he was knocked to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Xiao Huang?" The dark-haired youth, seeing his good brother being beaten by Zhang Liunian's man, shouted and charged forward. But a minute later, he too lay beside the fair-haired youth, becoming a fellow sufferer.
Seeing this, the fair-haired youth was enraged, wishing he could swallow Zhang Liunian whole. He shakily got up from the ground and angrily said, "You country bumpkin, state your name! I will definitely make you pay."
As the fair-haired youth spoke, he intended to step forward and attack Zhang Liunian again, but upon seeing the bodyguards behind him, he abandoned the idea.
"Remember your father's name is Zhang Liunian," Zhang Liunian replied, crossing his arms.
"I am your father! You impertinent brat, thinking of being my dad? Don't you even look at whether you're qualified!" The fair-haired youth was so furious at Zhang Liunian claiming to be his father that his features contorted, and he wished he could tear him limb from limb.
However, Zhang Liunian was not afraid of him at all. He merely cast a cold glance at him, a look filled with disdain.
Seeing his brother defeated, the dark-haired youth also got up from the ground and attacked Zhang Liunian, saying, "You're nothing but a bumpkin who hasn't seen the world. What's wrong with what we said? Anyone with eyes can clearly see the gap between you and us. When we were all wearing suits, you were here embarrassing yourself in rags. Are you deliberately inviting us to say this about you? If you hadn't dressed like this, would we have said anything? This is all your own doing, what does it have to do with us?"
Hearing him mention rags, Zhang Liunian immediately looked down at his own clothes. A Zhongshan suit, not even eight years old, without a single patch. Such clothes were considered rags in their eyes. So, what did "rags" refer to?
"There's nothing wrong with it. If you dress in a rustic manner, don't blame us for commenting on it."
Other Hong Kong businessmen, attracted by the commotion, gathered around. Seeing Zhang Liunian and the two youths arguing heatedly, they didn't know what had happened and simply stood aside to listen.
Zhang Liunian ignored the onlookers and pointed to his clothes. "It's not that anything other than a suit is not presentable. Please don't limit others' thoughts with your own ideas. Also, I don't eat your food, nor do I spend your money, nor did you invite me to today's seminar. Why are you so upset?"
"You've offended our eyes."
"Your presence makes us unhappy. If you know what's good for you, scram! You're not welcome here, you poor sole proprietor."
The two youths mocked him one after the other. Zhang Liunian was about to reply, but Chen Jiayuan, alerted by the noise, arrived.
"Enough! Comrade Zhang is my guest, and you have no right to speak to him like that. Apologize to him immediately." Chen Jiayuan immediately reprimanded the two youths.
These two youths were naturally indignant. They were second-generation heirs within the Hong Kong business circle. When had they ever been spoken to like this? Zhang Liunian was the first person who dared to offend them in front of so many people. They would absolutely not let him off the hook.
"I won't. Why should I apologize to a dead poor person? He's just an insignificant sole proprietor."
"Exactly! I won't apologize. There are no such words as 'apologize' in my dictionary."
"..."
Chen Jiayuan seemed angered by their response. With a stern face, he continued to demand that they apologize to Zhang Liunian, without explaining anything to Zhang Liunian. Zhang Liunian didn't mind. He watched them, one demanding an apology and the other refusing adamantly, until the project seminar began, forcing them to conclude their argument.
"Comrade Zhang, I apologize. It's my fault that you were wronged. I'll treat you to dinner later; please don't take it to heart." Chen Jiayuan, seeing that the seminar was about to start, didn't press the two youths further and instead apologized to Zhang Liunian himself.
Zhang Liunian waved his hand. "It's fine. You should go and preside over today's seminar!"