Ye Feng bowed his head and drank porridge, hardly glancing at these so-called Jiangdu celebrities in the hall.
To many ordinary people, these business celebrities might be successful and esteemed, but in his eyes, they were not worth mentioning.
Seventeen stood behind him, straight and spear-like, not moving for a long time.
Suddenly, the young man who had followed Old Master Hong here, carrying two glasses of wine, walked over gracefully.
"Mr. Ye, I'm sorry for coming uninvited, I hope I haven't disturbed you?" the young man said with a smile on his face.
Ye Feng kept his head down, continuing to drink his plain porridge.
The young man crouched slightly, smiling, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Shen Minghua, the general manager of Hongtian Group, as well as Old Master Hong's personal assistant."
"Just now, Hong Wei was out of line and offended Mr. Ye. I've specifically come to offer an apology on his behalf, and I hope that you can be magnanimous."
Speaking, Shen Minghua extended the wine glass in his right hand.
Ye Feng looked up, but did not reach out to take the glass of wine, and instead said, "If it was Hong Wei who bumped into me, why hasn't he come to apologize himself?"
Shen Minghua smiled, "After all, Hong Wei is the eldest young master of the Hong Family. There are some things he can't conveniently do."
Ye Feng couldn't help but laugh, "You're apologizing for him by yourself. Do you mean to say you can represent the eldest young master of the Hong Family? Or that you can represent the entire Hong Family?"
Shen Minghua was taken aback and laughed awkwardly, "Mr. Ye is joking. Although I'm the general manager, I'm ultimately an outsider and cannot represent the entire Hong Family."
Ye Feng lowered his head and continued to drink his porridge.
His meaning was clear: since you're an outsider, then you should have the awareness of one.
The atmosphere turned slightly awkward, and Shen Minghua had no choice but to change the subject, "May I know where Mr. Ye is from? From the way Old Master Hong conducted himself earlier, it seemed he holds Mr. Ye in high regard?"
Having finished his plain porridge, Ye Feng put down his chopsticks and waved his hand, "Being but a cripple, why bother asking where I'm from?"
"True, as the saying goes, heroes don't ask about each other's origins. Mr. Ye has gained such esteem from Old Master Hong, and now you're even the son-in-law of the Hong Family."
As Shen Minghua spoke, he shifted his tone, "Currently, Hongtian Group is in need of talent, and Mr. Ye, with your exceptional demeanor and eloquence, will surely make great contributions to the group in the future. I'm afraid that even my position as general manager might have to be relinquished to the more capable."
After saying this, he laughed heartily on his own.
But Ye Feng was just staring at him, directly asking, "Are you trying to say that with Old Master Hong's regard for me, if I were to join Hongtian Group, I would threaten to take over your position as general manager?"
Shen Minghua was instantly stunned, speechless; he could never have anticipated such blunt talk that left no room for face-saving.
Still, he was the general manager, and he quickly regained his composure, "Mr. Ye, you jest. If Mr. Ye truly has such capability, I see no issue with stepping down when the time comes."
Ye Feng did not speak further; he felt he had already said enough, and that it was all trivial talk, nonetheless.
The scene grew awkward for a while, and Shen Minghua just shrugged and chuckled, saying, "Anyway, Mr. Ye, you are the guest and the son-in-law of the Hong Family, and I toast to you."
After speaking, he extended the wine glass once again.
Ye Feng still did not reach for it and said, "I don't mean to disrespect you, but there's something I need to clarify to you."
Shen Minghua was already somewhat displeased but still managed a smile, "Please do tell, Mr. Ye."
Ye Feng replied, "Firstly, the wine I drink isn't here; secondly, I only enjoy drinking with my brothers!"
After saying this, he turned his head away.
At that instant, Shen Minghua's face darkened, and a flash of malice in the depths of his eyes passed swiftly, but in the blink of an eye, he restored a beaming smile.
"Mr. Ye is right, I was presumptuous; my apologies!"
He hadn't even finished the word "apologies" before he turned and walked away.
Ye Feng's words from moments ago couldn't have been clearer: I'm not toasting with you because it's not that I look down on you, but rather, you're not qualified enough!
In that moment, Shen Minghua's chest burned with rage, and he roared inwardly, "Who do you think you are? A crippled son-in-law who thinks too highly of himself!"
Even as Qingyan walked by, calling out "Big Brother Shen," Shen Minghua did not hear her.
"What's the matter, Big Brother Ye? Just now, I saw you having a laugh with Big Brother Shen Minghua, but suddenly, he left with a long face," Qingyan came over and asked.
Ye Feng did not answer the question directly, as he usually couldn't be bothered with irrelevant people, but instead asked, "Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have."
Qingyan nodded and then whispered, "Actually, Big Brother Ye, Big Brother Shen is quite a nice person."
Ye Feng had to look up: "Oh? Do tell."
Qingyan continued, "Though Big Brother Shen is a general manager of the group, he's very frugal. He's so economizing that he doesn't even buy a car and takes the subway to and from work every day."
"He's also quite handsome, and many female employees in the company openly pursue him. All of them have been turned down, even those who have presented themselves to him, he has never taken advantage of any."
Ye Feng's expression remained unchanged: "Go on."
Qingyan went on, "In the company, he never allows anyone to work overtime. Sometimes, when employees work late to rush a project, he'd scold them mercilessly if he found out. That's why all the staff adore him."
"And?"
"Also, he only eats two meals a day, never wastes food. Despite now wearing opulent attire, that's only due to work necessity. In everyday life, he's very simple, and it's said he has a white shirt patched several times and worn for five years."
"Go on," said Ye Feng.
"That's all."
Ye Feng countered, "So based on these, you're sure he's a good person?"
Qingyan shot back, "Aren't these traits admirable enough?"
"They are certainly admirable, but perhaps a bit too much so," he replied.
"Too much so? What do you mean by that, Big Brother Ye?"
Ye Feng looked up at her: "Let me ask you, what is it that you live for in this world?"
"To repay kindness!" Qingyan replied without hesitation. "But, Big Brother Ye, why do you ask?"
Ye Feng chuckled, "What I want to tell you is that everyone in life has their motives, like you, for repaying kindness, or perhaps for revenge. Of course, more often than not, it's for fame or power, and others for beauty, fine food, or art, and so on…"
Qingyan was at a loss: "But I still don't quite understand."
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes at that figure who kept networking among Jiangdu's elites, "This man, not motivated by money, nor by fame, nor by personal gain, nor by luxurious food and clothing, nor by the pursuit of beauty. He seems to want nothing, just a one-way giver."
At this point, Ye Feng pulled his gaze back to Qingyan: "So what do you think his ultimate aim is with all this?"
Qingyan was baffled: "I wouldn't know even more now."
Ye Feng laughed, shook his head, and said, "When a person seems to want nothing on the surface, it often might mean that what he seeks is something much grander."