1 Chapter 0001: Scrounging Meals_1

After work, Ye Xiong returned to the construction site dormitory.

Five minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, and his demeanor had completely changed.

With a height of around 1.8 meters, he was dressed in designer shirt and trousers, wearing imported leather shoes, and his hair, no more than an inch long, was energetically spiked up, making him look like a star.

"That was fast, you even got dressed already?" his dormmate, Wang Tong, said incredulously.

"If there were a gun to your head, you'd pick up the pace or risk getting shot."

Wang Tong had become immune to Ye Xiong's bouts of delusion.

The guy had been on the construction site for almost half a year now, sometimes claiming he used to be a hitman, sometimes a bodyguard; one moment he'd boast about traveling to over a dozen European countries, the next he'd claim to have experienced the charms of women from ten countries.

The most outrageous claim was that he had been buried underground for a month and had not died.

If he were that impressive, would he be working at Xinyi Group as a construction worker?

Let's not forget, both of them are construction workers.

To believe that such a poor construction worker had tasted the charm of women from ten different countries would be insane.

Luckily, aside from his occasional flights of fancy, Ye Xiong had a pretty good personality. He was generous, righteous, and treated his brothers well.

Like today, when Wang Tong mentioned he had never been to Dongfang Hotel for a meal, Ye Xiong took him there, saying that a classmate was having a wedding at the hotel.

Dongfang Hotel was the most luxurious hotel in Jiangnan City, and that night, the entire hotel was booked.

Yang Xinyi, the CEO of Xinyi Group, and He Haodong, the executive CEO of Haoyang Group, were holding their wedding there tonight, which was the biggest sensation in Jiangnan City of the day.

Speaking of Xinyi Group, one must mention its CEO, Yang Xinyi.

She was the dream lady for all the eligible bachelors in Jiangnan City, known for her beauty and intelligence, and she was the only daughter of the group's chairman, Yang Dingguo.

Marrying her was like gaining the entire Xinyi Group.

Normally, countless rich and official second generations crazily pursued her, and finally, He Haodong of Haoyang Group won her heart.

However, this had nothing to do with Ye Xiong—he didn't even know Yang Xinyi and was just there for the lavish meal.

"Brother Xiong, you really know Yang Xinyi?" asked Wang Tong, finding it hard to believe.

One was the CEO of Xinyi Group, and the other was a great construction worker from a team under Xinyi Group. Their statuses were worlds apart; it was hard to imagine they knew each other.

"We were classmates in primary school."

"Why don't you let her help you find a job?" asked Wang Tong, puzzled.

With such an influential classmate, a single word from her could land him an easy job, far better than construction work.

"I really like this job. Just think, watching skyscrapers rise from your own hands, how fulfilling!" Ye Xiong looked up at the sky, his expression proud.

"Crazy."

The two of them walked in, just as the elevator doors were about to close, a pleasant female voice called out, "Hold on."

A woman wearing high-heeled shoes, with curly wavy hair, a red-framed pair of glasses, walked in. The beauty, in her mid-twenties and around 1.7 meters tall, wore a black evening dress. Her eyes were deep like autumn waters, her eyebrows delicate like willow leaves, her nose was slender, and her lips were thinly smeared with light lipstick. Both her poise and appearance were top-grade.

"Beautiful lady, which floor?" greeted Wang Tong!

Wang Tong was skinny and short, appearing malnourished next to the heels-wearing beauty, and even had to look down a bit.

But he had a baby face that looked particularly innocent. Who would have thought this guy was actually a creepy man?

"The eighth floor, thank you!" The beauty replied, her voice devoid of arrogance.

"Are you here for the wedding too?"

"Yang Xinyi is my classmate," she responded.

"You're also a friend of Yang Xinyi? What a coincidence, my friend is her classmate too."

Xiao Fangfang only then noticed Ye Xiong standing beside her and couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

The man beside her had an amazing presence!

At about 1.8 meters tall, with well-defined features and an aura of spiritual energy, he had an elegance and kingly air about him.

Wang Tong glanced at Ye Xiong, then at the woman beside him, and suddenly felt the two seemed quite a match.

Of course, that's under the assumption we ignore Ye Xiong's occupation.

"Good on you, Yang Xinyi, for not introducing me to such a handsome classmate earlier. Just wait until I get back at you later," Xiao Fangfang thought to herself.

"Xiao Fangfang, nice to meet you," Xiao Fangfang introduced herself proactively.

"Ye Xiong, 'Ye' as in leaf, and 'Xiong' symbolizing greatness."

Xiao Fangfang flashed a row of pearly white teeth and asked, "Mr. Ye, when were you classmates with Xinyi?"

"Elementary school."

"Were you also at First Elementary School?" Xiao Fangfang asked excitedly. "How come I don't recognize you?"

"Back then I… well, I was like an ugly duckling, hardly noticeable," he said.

"Which class were you in?"

"About that… we've reached the eighth floor; let's go inside first!" Ye Xiong said, making a gesture for her to proceed.

What a gentleman!

"Shall we sit together?" Xiao Fangfang suggested.

"We've arranged to meet some friends, we'll have a drink with the lovely lady after dinner."

"It's a deal."

Having said that, Xiao Fangfang left, clicking away in her high heels.

Ye Xiong breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close call, and he couldn't help but wish he could slap Wang Tong. Why did he have to chat up someone for no reason?

The entire hall was set up with over a hundred banquet tables; it was a bustling scene with an extraordinary level of grandeur.

"Brother Xiong, where shall we sit?"

Xiao Fangfang's appearance disrupted Ye Xiong's plan. If she were to ask Yang Xinyi, he'd be exposed.

The most important thing now was to find a private room to prevent Xiao Fangfang from finding them and to leave quickly after eating.

Out of the several thousand people attending the banquet, she couldn't possibly search for them one by one, could she?

After reaching the eighth floor, Xiao Fangfang immediately spotted Yang Xinyi, who was surrounded by people, looking like a princess, and quickly walked over.

"My dear bride, you are absolutely stunning, I'm so envious," she said.

Yang Xinyi was wearing a purple wedding dress, with a veil draped over, tantalizingly sheer, giving off an air of mysterious allure. Her makeup was light, hardly noticeable unless one looked closely. But in her eyes and brows lingered a subtle sadness, not displaying the excited smile usually seen on other brides.

"Another person came alone; you're really disappointing me," Yang Xinyi feigned discontent.

"You have the nerve to say that when you're hiding classmates from me, I'm so going to cut ties with you."

"My lady, I've introduced quite a few eligible guys to you, and it's you who didn't fancy any of them," Yang Xinyi retorted.

For this close friend, Yang Xinyi was truly at a loss for words. Despite countless introductions, Xiao Fangfang never took a liking to any of them. Now in their circle of friends, everyone knew that Xiao Fangfang, Yang Xinyi's close friend, was a picky, single woman of a certain age.

"It must be that someone has been hoarding all the top-grade guys and not introducing them!" Xiao Fangfang approached her, huffing, "Come clean, are you hiding a tall, rich, and handsome guy as a backup option?"

Yang Xinyi pointed at all the men in the venue: "All my friends and classmates are here, pick whoever you fancy."

"What about that Ye Xiong? Don't tell me you don't know him," Xiao Fangfang pressed.

"Which Ye Xiong?"

"About one-meter-eight tall, wearing glasses, your elementary school classmate."

"The only elementary school classmate attending this wedding is you. Could it be a friend joking with you?"

Xiao Fangfang's face darkened. Recalling the scene in the elevator earlier, she had an epiphany: "Xinyi, we've encountered a freeloader."

Hearing this, Yang Xinyi's brows knitted together as she contemplated.

"If it were just freeloading, that would be one thing, but I'm worried there might be ulterior motives." As the president of Xinyi Group, Yang Xinyi was meticulous. She pondered for a moment and said, "I'll send two security guards with you. You must find him, and make sure not to alarm the guests."

"I'll definitely find him, then beat him so badly his mother won't recognize him."

Xiao Fangfang felt both ashamed and furious. It was the first time in her life she felt an attraction to a man, only to find out he was a swindler. This made her feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she had been deceived.