127 The Exposé

Seeing Gao Yuanfeng arrive, Li Wenxuan quickly stood up and said enthusiastically, "Yuanfeng, Yin Xiaoya is the goddess of all the boys in our school; to think you managed to invite her—you certainly have influence. Who is the lady beside you? I don't think I've seen her before. Won't you introduce us?"

Unsure of the relationship between Yin Xiaoya and Gao Yuanfeng, Li Wenxuan was careful with his phrasing.

Gao Yuanfeng took the initiative to hold the hand of the elegant beauty and introduced her: "This is my girlfriend, Chen Yuxi. She is also our alumna from the same graduating class, and she is Yin Xiaoya’s classmate and roommate."

"It is a great honor to have two such beautiful ladies gracing us with their presence. Please, come in and take a seat." At Li Wenxuan’s invitation, Gao Yuanfeng did not decline and sat directly in the seat of honor, with Chen Yuxi and Yin Xiaoya sitting right beside him.

After a round of pleasantries and introductions, Gao Yuanfeng asked, "Are there any other classmates coming?"

"Ruan Yong also invited our class beauty, Tan Songjun, along with her boyfriend. Shall we wait a little longer?" Li Wenxuan glanced at Ruan Yong as he spoke.

Ruan Yong was well aware that Gao Yuanfeng was the guest of honor. Although this dinner was intended as a casual reunion, its primary purpose was to express gratitude to Gao Yuanfeng. The fact that Tan Songjun, whom he had indirectly invited, had not yet arrived made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Although they were all classmates, Gao Yuanfeng had always been arrogant and aloof; they had barely exchanged a few words during their four years of college. Ruan Yong was genuinely worried that Gao Yuanfeng might not give him any face. If Gao Yuanfeng insisted on ordering now, Ruan Yong wouldn't know what to say when Tan Songjun and her boyfriend finally arrived.

Tan Songjun's boyfriend was not a man of great tolerance. Losing face was a minor issue, but if he were to offend the man, he would truly be shooting himself in the foot.

Ruan Yong had no choice but to offer a vague explanation: "Tan Songjun's boyfriend, Lu Qiang, is my superior, and his father is a director at our company. He is quite busy with work, so he might be a little late. Tan Songjun already messaged me on WeChat saying they have set off, so they should be here soon."

In reality, Tan Songjun hadn't sent him any message at all, and he didn't dare to rush her. This was merely a plausible excuse.

Gao Yuanfeng glanced at Ruan Yong and remarked, "Today is Wenxuan's treat. He has just started his own business, and as classmates, we should certainly help him whenever we can. You’ve gone to great lengths to invite the son of a director from the Shuangqing Group. When he arrives, we should toast him well. If he can help us bridge connections, perhaps Wenxuan will have a chance to collaborate with the Shuangqing Group."

"Yes, exactly! That is my intention. I am just a low-level employee who has just joined the company, so I can only offer this small bit of help to Wenxuan. Lu Qiang is quite arrogant and not easy to talk to, but fortunately, Tan Songjun is our classmate. As long as she puts in a word, it’s just a matter of making an introduction; I’m sure Lu Qiang will help," Ruan Yong replied, following Gao Yuanfeng's lead.

Xiao Yao did not believe a word Ruan Yong said. Although he had never had much contact with Ruan Yong before and didn't know him well, he could tell from his features that he was a selfish and hypocritical person who was simply good at putting on a facade.

Chen Yuxi, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke up: "What a mood killer. How can we run into her everywhere? If I had known she was coming, Xiaoya and I wouldn't have bothered. She’s completely ruined my mood."

"You know Tan Songjun from our class as well? You never mentioned it. Did you have some history?" Gao Yuanfeng asked curiously.

"I don't have any personal conflict with her, other than scolding her a few times; we haven't interacted much. But there is a huge conflict between her and Xiaoya. I’ve never liked that green tea bitch Tan Songjun, and I’ve been wanting to teach her a lesson for a long time, but I just haven't found the right opportunity." Chen Yuxi’s tone was harsh, clearly harboring strong resentment toward Tan Songjun.

Gao Yuanfeng looked around at the others at the table before saying, "Tan Songjun is the campus beauty of our department, and many of our classmates like her. If you speak so disparagingly of her in front of so many of her fans, be careful—someone might try to make you drink as punishment."

"Anyone who likes that green tea bitch Tan Songjun is truly blind. You should be grateful that she has such high standards; she only seduces second-generation rich kids. If you aren't worth tens of millions, she won't even look at you," Chen Yuxi said indignantly.

While the others were too embarrassed to ask, Gao Yuanfeng went straight to the point: "Why do you have such a big grudge against her? What exactly did she do to offend you?"

"She doesn't have the guts to provoke me, but she provoked Xiaoya. You know how poor Xiaoya’s reputation is at school; do you know who was stirring the pot and spreading those rumors?" Chen Yuxi asked.

"Are you implying it was Tan Songjun from our class?" Although Gao Yuanfeng was Chen Yuxi’s boyfriend, they hadn't been together long, and he was completely unaware of this. "She and Xiaoya aren't even in the same department; they shouldn't have had any contact. How could such a major conflict arise?"

Chen Yuxi began to reveal the truth: "You should know about Yang Yunlang, the first and only boyfriend Xiaoya had in school, right?"

Gao Yuanfeng looked at the silent Yin Xiaoya and said, "It was he who ruined Xiaoya’s reputation. That matter was so widely publicized that we’ve all heard of it."

"Because of her childhood experiences and her own exceptional circumstances, it’s understandable that Xiaoya had higher expectations for her boyfriend's financial situation. In truth, Xiaoya is quite conservative. During the year she dated Yang Yunlang, they only ever held hands."

The group was quite surprised by this revelation.

Chen Yuxi continued, "Yang Yunlang was a playboy by nature. After a year of trying so hard to please a girlfriend who would only hold his hand, he naturally grew impatient and tried everything to take their relationship further. When pushed to the limit, Xiaoya told him directly that things would remain this way until they were married; if he wanted anything more, they would have to get a marriage certificate first."

"Yang Yunlang couldn't accept that, and as time went on, he lost his patience. He straight up asked Xiaoya if she was only after his money. It was clear he wouldn't commit without getting what he wanted. He told her if she wanted money, she should just name her price. Xiaoya was furious and told him that since he thought she was a gold digger, if he wanted to kiss her, he should put up one million, and for anything further, five million. She told him that whenever the money hit her account, she would fulfill his wishes."

Chen Yuxi said with disdain, "Yang Yunlang’s family assets are at most twenty or thirty million. I don't mean to look down on him, but he couldn't possibly come up with that kind of money. Once Xiaoya put it like that, he was overcome with shame and anger."