"Wu Xia, you're here so early! It's been so long—I really missed you!"
Chen Qian immediately broke into a bright and innocent smile upon seeing Wu Xia.
But Wu Xia pressed on, "Don't change the subject. Answer my question—how did you end up with him... with Ye Fei?"
"Oh, so Wu Xia, you know Brother Yang too?"
Chen Qian quickly replied, "Some bad guys were bullying me earlier, but Brother Yang stepped in and gave those jerks a fierce lesson, then sent me back here safely!"
"Bad guys bullied you, and Yang Tian saved you? What are the odds of that?"
Wu Xia looked at Ye Fei with evident skepticism, thoughts involuntarily drifting to the Black Tiger Hall gang she had seen in front of Ye Fei's house days ago.
The more she thought about it, the more doubts she had.
It was clear Wu Xia was imagining a scenario where Ye Fei had orchestrated the whole damsel-in-distress act to play the hero and get closer to Chen Qian.
Without hesitation, Wu Xia pulled Chen Qian closer and said, "Alright, as long as you're safe. Now hurry up and come in with me—everyone's been waiting for you!"
"Go in? Sure!"
Chen Qian turned to Ye Fei with a grin and said, "Brother Ye, it's my birthday today, so I've invited lots of good friends to join the celebration. Will you come in and join us for some fun?"
"Oh, so it's your birthday! Haha, happy birthday! Well, I..."
Ye Fei was about to refuse. Given his current situation, every moment was a race against time. He couldn't afford to waste it on partying.
But before he could finish his sentence, Wu Xia interjected sharply, "Xiao Qian! Ye Fei has things to do and can't come in. Besides, given Ye Fei's background, it's not appropriate for him to join us!"
"Not appropriate? What's inappropriate about it? They're all my friends!" Chen Qian asked, puzzled.
Wu Xia was momentarily at a loss for words.
The private room was filled with people from Wu Xia's social circle—in other words, a crowd of wealthy heirs.
Ye Fei, on the other hand, was just a poor boy. His background clearly didn't fit in!
More than that, Wu Xia simply didn't want Ye Fei and Chen Qian to have any connection.
After a brief moment of thought, Wu Xia smiled and asked Chen Qian to wait. She then pulled Ye Fei aside and whispered, "Ye Fei, I don't know what your intentions are with Chen Qian, but let me warn you—you and Chen Qian are not on the same level as us. I hope you'll back off willingly."
Upon hearing Wu Xia's words, Ye Fei couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Not only did he have no designs on Chen Qian, but even if he did, so what?
He was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. If he could survive the ten-year tribulation and advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, his status would elevate to that of an immortal, perhaps even rivaling the Soul-controlling Demon—standing at the pinnacle of the universe.
Such a position was worlds beyond Wu Xia and her spoiled rich friends.
So Ye Fei shook his head slightly and chuckled, "We're indeed not on the same level."
Wu Xia clearly didn't catch Ye Fei's true meaning and thought he was agreeing with her. She silently congratulated herself—at least he showed some self-awareness!
But before Wu Xia could say anything further, Ye Fei stepped forward, lightly ruffled Chen Qian's hair, and smiled, "Xiao Qian, since the little birthday girl invited me, how could I refuse? Let's head in together."
"Really? Thank you, Brother Ye!"
Chen Qian's face lit up with joy and she eagerly grabbed Ye Fei's hand, pulling him along to open the door to the private room.
Wu Xia, indignant, rushed forward and grabbed Ye Fei's sleeve. She lowered her voice, careful not to let Xiao Qian overhear, and said, "Ye Fei! Didn't you hear what I just said?"
"I heard you. So what?"
Ye Fei glanced indifferently at Wu Xia and replied, "My level is something you can't comprehend!"
With that, Ye Fei called out to Chen Qian in the distance and walked over to her, leaving Wu Xia frozen in place.
Inside the private room.
When Chen Qian entered, everyone immediately rushed forward to greet her warmly.
"Xiao Qian, you're here! Happy birthday—we've been waiting for ages!"
"Xiao Qian, quick, let me show you the gift I got you—a limited-edition LV bag!"
"Xiao Qian, come sing a song for us! It's been ages since we last heard you sing!"
Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Chen Qian couldn't help but beam with laughter.
But then, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses suddenly turned to Ye Fei and asked with a smile, "Xiao Qian, who's this?"
The room fell silent instantly.
It wasn't hard to understand why. The man who had spoken was Bi Jie, the wealthiest among them, whose family owned multiple luxury hotels—he was undoubtedly the epitome of a "diamond bachelor."
In fact, the Azure Sea and Blue Sky Grand Hotel they were gathering in was one of Bi Jie's family's properties.
Everyone also knew that Bi Jie had been pursuing Chen Qian for a long time.
So, when Bi Jie suddenly asked about the man Chen Qian had brought along, his question was naturally tinged with hostility.
But clearly, the naive Chen Qian didn't recognize Bi Jie's intent. She blushed slightly and replied, "This… this is Brother Ye. He's… also my friend. And Brother Ye is really amazing!"
"Amazing?"
Bi Jie stared at Chen Qian's flushed face and felt a wave of fury rise within him. In his heart, he had already condemned Ye Fei.
Yet outwardly, he maintained his bright smile and turned to Ye Fei, asking, "Ah, Brother Ye, may I ask what line of work you're in?"
As he spoke, Bi Jie's gaze swept over Ye Fei's chest, noticing a delivery logo emblazoned on his shirt. He sneered and said, "Oh? So Brother Ye works in the food delivery industry?"
"Yeah, I deliver food," Ye Fei replied flatly.
Food delivery?
The rich heirs in the room didn't laugh out loud out of respect for Chen Qian, but their faces were quickly filled with disdain. Quiet whispers began circulating.
"Wow! A food delivery guy? This is ridiculous. How does Xiao Qian even know someone like him?"
"Exactly. A delivery guy—how could he have the nerve to step into this room?"
"Probably just here to experience the lifestyle or something. After all, the costs here are probably way beyond what someone like him could afford in a lifetime!"
Standing by the door, Wu Xia witnessed all this and sneered inwardly.
"Ye Fei, see? You brought this upon yourself! If you'd listened to me earlier and stayed out, this wouldn't have happened!"
"In this kind of circle, where's your arrogance now? Where's your confidence? You claim to be on a different level—but aren't you just lying to yourself?"
Due to consideration for Chen Qian's feelings, everyone's whispered comments were subdued enough that she didn't notice the subtle shift in atmosphere.
Seeing that no one was talking, Chen Qian quickly pulled Ye Fei toward her and said, "Brother Ye, let's sit over there, okay? Xiao Qian has to thank you properly today!"
"Of course," Ye Fei replied with a faint smile.
He paid zero attention to the others' mutterings.
How could a giant concern himself with the criticisms of ants? What mattered in this moment was Chen Qian's happiness.