After getting into the car, Lin Rourou couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Ye Qian, why did that woman call you her benefactor?"
Ye Qian smiled lightly and replied, "She encountered some trouble in country F a while back, and I happened to help her out."
Although Ye Qian spoke casually, Lin Rourou knew there must be more to the story. But since Ye Qian wasn't offering more details, she didn't press further. Sometimes, if someone doesn't want to share, no amount of asking will make them open up. She simply responded with a soft "Oh," and remained silent thereafter.
Entering the bar, Lin Rourou scanned the room and spotted Xu Yaying. She waved and said to Ye Qian, "They're over there, let's go."
Ye Qian nodded and replied, "You go ahead, I'll join you in a moment."
"Alright, just don't sneak away," Lin Rourou teased with a playful smile before heading over to where Xu Yaying and her group were.
Ye Qian turned and walked to the bar, taking out 1500 yuan from his pocket and handing it over to Xiao Longnu, saying, "The balance, thanks for your help."
Xiao Longnu smiled as she accepted the money, glanced at Lin Rourou, who had just left, and asked, "Is that your girlfriend?"
Ye Qian smiled ambiguously, neither confirming nor denying, and asked, "Do you know the background of those people over there?"
Xiao Longnu was surprised and asked, "Don't you know them? I saw Lin Rourou head straight to Xu Yaying upon entering."
Ye Qian shook his head, saying, "I don't know them. Is it strange?"
"Not really. The young man dressed in Armani over there is Ouyang Tianming. His father is Ouyang Cheng, the vice secretary of the municipal party committee in SH city. He's a notorious playboy, one of the so-called 'Four Young Masters' of SH city. The others with him are either government officials' or wealthy businessmen's sons. And from the way Ouyang Tianming was looking at your girlfriend, it seems he's taken a liking to her. Be careful."
Ye Qian glanced back and saw Ouyang Tianming close to Lin Rourou, trying to win her favor, though she didn't seem much interested. Ye Qian just smiled and said, "Thanks for the heads up. But what's mine is mine, no one can take it away, nor dare to."
Xiao Longnu paused, then smiled and said, "You're quite confident."
Ye Qian simply smiled again without further explanation, got up, waved at Xiao Longnu, and walked towards Lin Rourou's table. The young masters glanced disdainfully at him but said nothing. Lin Rourou quickly pulled Ye Qian to sit next to her and asked, "What were you up to just now?"
"Taking care of business," Ye Qian replied.
Lin Rourou paused for a moment, then playfully pinched him. Meanwhile, the young masters looked at him with disdain, thinking, "What a low-class man." Ye Qian ignored them, poured himself a drink, and started drinking. He didn't like them either; if it weren't for Lin Rourou insisting on coming, he wouldn't have bothered interacting with them.
"Ouyang, I heard you just bought a new Porsche. Why not take it for a spin?" Xu Yaying sneered at Ye Qian before adding, "Let us bask in your glory."
Ouyang Tianming replied nonchalantly, "It's just a Porsche, nothing special. There's a government re-election coming up, so my dad told me to keep a low profile. As you know, my dad is the vice secretary, and I need to avoid drawing too much attention to maintain his image."
Zhao Xie immediately chimed in with flattery, "If the vice secretary gets promoted, congratulations in advance, Ouyang."
Ouyang Tianming replied, trying to appear modest, "It's not guaranteed. It could be any of the two deputy secretaries, not necessarily my father." His tone belied his true feelings of pride, as if his father had already secured the position.
Xu Yaying patted Lin Rourou's shoulder and said, "Rourou, Ouyang doesn't have a girlfriend yet, you should seize the opportunity."
Lin Rourou smiled faintly and said, "Is that so?"
Ouyang Tianming laughed and asked, "Rourou, would you honor me with a dance?"
Lin Rourou hesitated and looked towards Ye Qian, only to find him seemingly oblivious, drinking his wine. She glared at him, thinking him utterly clueless. Just as she was about to accept Ouyang's invitation, Ye Qian set down his glass and said, "Ouyang, isn't it? Rourou is my girlfriend, if she's going to dance, she'll dance with me." Without further discussion, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.
Watching them leave, a sinister light flashed in Ouyang Tianming's eyes as he coldly snorted. Zhao Xie secretly relished the moment, thinking the audacious Ye Qian had just made a powerful enemy. He quickly offered, "Ouyang, should we teach him a lesson?"
"Yes, just a small fry security guard acting all high and mighty. Damn, I wanted to beat him up the moment I saw him," Lin Jian added, as if Ye Qian had wronged him personally.
Ouyang Tianming nodded slightly, "Just don't overdo it. It's a sensitive time right now; we can't afford too much noise. Just teach him a small lesson."
With Ouyang's approval, they were ready to take action. Lin Jian, no saint himself, had made his fortune in the construction business and was a classic nouveau riche with all the arrogance but little subtlety.