Genius Daddy in the City

Although it had been years since they last saw each other, their features basically remained the same.

 Therefore, when Ye Chen walked into the private room while carrying Mengmeng, everyone was stunned for a second before they recognized him.

 “Ye Chen?”

 The smile on Zhou Zheng’s face froze at that instant. He thought he would only see Ye Chen when he became wealthy. He never expected a cold blanket to be thrown at him in the next second.

 He felt much better instantly seeing that Ye Chen was dressed ordinarily. He said while pretending to be friendly, “Isn’t this the top of our class, Ye Chen? You’re finally here.”

 Ye Chen glanced at everyone while carrying Mengmeng before smiling lightly. “Hi, guys.”

 Mengmeng seemed to be taken aback by the many uncles and aunties that she did not recognize. She hid in Ye Chen’s embrace, feeling very shy.

 Just like the saying ‘clothes made the man’, although the people there were not doing as great as Yang Tian, they were dressed in neat, flashy clothes, making them appear successful.

 Ye Chen was the only one who was garbed casually as if he was going to the market to buy groceries.

 Everyone was secretly criticizing Ye Chen, and they could not help but gloat. Ye Chen had once been the top of the class. Never had they thought that he would turn out like this.

 It seemed like Yuan Yue was right about him.

 The smiles on their faces were much calmer now when they thought about it. Yuan Yue, on the other hand, panicked as soon as she saw Ye Chen. She turned around, not wanting to be recognized.

 After Ye Chen sat down with Mengmeng, a weak, young man with glasses dressed in a suit and a tie sitting next to him said, “Ye Chen, do you remember me?”

 “Are you Gangzi?” Ye Chen was hesitant.

 The Gangzi that he mentioned was Xie Gang. His name was pretty manly, but he was actually rather skinny and weak. He stayed in the same dorm as Ye Chen during their university days. Due to his feeble character, he had been bullied frequently, but Ye Chen and Yang Tian had helped him many times.

 Hearing the nickname Gangzi, Xie Gang frowned slightly. He seemed to be upset.

 Zhou Zheng exclaimed, feigning horror, “Ye Chen, how could you say that? How could you call him Gangzi? You should call him Director Xie. He’s making 200,000 yuan annually, and his father-in-law is part of the company’s upper echelon.”

 “I’m sorry. I need time to get used to this.” Ye Chen smiled in an apologetic manner. After all, what he remembered of Xie Gang was from the time they were in university.

 He never imagined that Xie Gang would be even more upset now. ‘Did he think ‘sorry’ is all that he needed to say for me to forgive him? Does he still think that he’s the top of class back then?’

 The other pregnant lady asked while looking at Mengmeng, “Ye Chen, don’t tell me this is your daughter!”

 “Yes, Fang Lin. This is my daughter, Mengmeng.” Ye Chen nodded coldly. He then held Mengmeng’s hand with love saturating his gaze.

 The little girl looked at the people shyly and said in her baby voice, “Hi, Uncles and Aunties. My name is Ye Mengmeng and I’m four years old.”

 They were envious to see how cute and obedient Mengmeng was, especially Zhou Zheng, who had been married for three years. They had been trying to have kids, and that had always bothered him.

 “Oh yeah, Ye Chen. It’s been a few years since we caught up with each other, so how have you been doing? Tell us,” Zhou Zheng changed the subject and asked. Everyone had their eyes on Ye Chen now.

 Ye Chen said while grinning, “Not bad.” His response sounded like he was doing terribly to them. Everyone thought he was doing so badly that he dared not tell them the truth.

 “Ah, Ye Chen. We’re old classmates. Don’t be embarrassed,” Zhou Zheng sighed and said, looking upset, “I heard from Yuan Yue that she saw you earlier. She said that you aren’t doing too well. Do tell us if you’re going through something. We might be able to help.”

 “Yuan Yue?” Ye Chen frowned. He could not help but began searching for Yuan Yue in the crowd. He realized that she was sitting in a corner with a stiff expression, not daring to look at him.

 “That’s right, Ye Chen. Zhou Zheng was right. We’re old classmates. We can definitely help.” Fang Lin took over the conversation subtly. “Just like Xie Gang. We’ve just graduated for a few years and he’s already in the middle management of a company. Apart from that, his father-in-law is the upper echelon of the company.”

 Xie Gang smiled humbly, but he could not hide the smugness on his face. “Nah, that’s nothing at all. You’re not too shabby yourself, Fang Lin. I suppose that restaurant that your husband owns makes at least 200,000 yuan annually too.”

 “Huang Liang is doing amazing too. His fiancee is a bank executive’s daughter.” Another lady looked at the man sitting next to Fang Lin with envy. “Oh right, Huang Liang, when are you getting married? We’re waiting for the wedding invitation.”

 Huang Liang smiled, assuming a calm expression and said, “Soon, mainly because my father-in-law wants me to achieve something at the bank before getting married.”

 “Congratulations in advance then,” Zhou Zheng congratulated him and looked at Ye Chen before speaking again, “Did you hear that, Ye Chen? All of us have achievements of our own. Tell us what you’d like to do. We can help you.”

 “Ye Chen, why don’t you join my company?” Xie Gang interrupted and said sincerely, “I happen to lack an underling now. All you need to do is type. I’ll pay you 1,800 yuan per month. Given that we’re old classmates, I’ll pay you 2,000 yuan, but food and accommodation are excluded.”

 “No, thank you,” Ye Chen replied good-naturedly.

 Everyone felt a little upset upon seeing that he was being stubborn. Fang Lin sighed. “Ye Chen, you were regarded quite highly in university. It’s only been a few years since we graduated and there’s already such a big gap between us. I know that you have your pride, but it’s better to surrender to reality.”

 Zhou Zheng was secretly rejoicing as he watched the people humiliating Ye Chen. His irritation earlier vanished. ‘Ye Chen, oh, Ye Chen. I bet you never expected this day to come!’

 Mengmeng tugged at the corner of Ye Chen’s shirt and said weakly, “Daddy, let’s go home.”

 Although she was young, she knew who was being nice. The concern that her dad’s classmates were showing was merely surface-level, and their smiles were too fake.

 “Let’s wait for a little while. We’ll see when Uncle Yang gets here.” Ye Chen patted her head.

 Just when they were chatting, the door opened and a waiter came in with a cart. He placed two bottles of 1982 Lafite on the table.

 “Ladies and gentlemen, Director Feng got me to send these two bottles of wine. Please enjoy. Ring the bell anytime you need me.” He left right after saying that.

 Instead of saying that the wine was for everyone, it was Fatty Feng who had given them to Ye Chen. However, the waiter made the announcement as such as he was unaware while Fatty Feng was busy.

 However, Xie Gang and the rest did not think that way.

 Zhao Chun buttered him up, “Wow, Zhou Zheng. I can’t believe Director Feng of the Auspicious Manor gave you wine. Furthermore, it isn’t some common wine but 1982 Lafite.”

 “That’s right. I heard from my husband that even the bosses want to kiss this Director Feng’s *ss. I’d never have expected Zhou Zheng to be so prominent. No wonder you’re the most successful among us.”

 Zhou Zheng thought that something was off after facing everybody buttering him up. However, he thought he would just accept the compliments anyway.

 “I guess Yang Tian is arriving soon, isn’t he?” Zhou Zheng checked the time and said to the people with a serious expression. “Everybody, please behave yourselves when Yang Tian comes later. He’s a vice president after all.”

 “Alright, we’ll call him Director Yang.” The people responded to show their acknowledgment.

 Zhou Zheng nodded and said to Ye Chen while looking at him, “And you, Ye Chen, please butter up to Director Yang when he comes later. Although you guys used to be close, it’s different now.”

 Before Ye Chen could speak, Zhou Zheng continued, “Oh yeah, please get up.”

 “Why should I get up?” Ye Chen frowned, sitting still while carrying Mengmeng.

 Zhou Zheng said without even thinking about it, “I suppose there won’t be enough seats when Director Yang gets here. You get up first. I’ll get the waiter to bring you a stool.”

 “You mean me and my daughter will sit on a cold stool while you guys sit on the couch?” Ye Chen’s expression gradually turned chilly. He did not really care that the people were being sarcastic to him since he stepped into the room. However, they had now crossed the line.

 Fang Lin stood up and condemned, “Ye Chen, just let it go. We really don’t have enough seats. Sitting on a stool or the couch is the same anyway.”

 “Don’t you dare bully my daddy!”

 Mengmeng, who had been quietly sitting in Ye Chen’s embrace, cried all of a sudden. She said while tears were pouring down her face, “My daddy and I are only occupying a tiny space and you guys want him to stand up. Why don’t you guys stand up instead? You guys are bad people!”

 “I’m sorry. If that’s the case, forgive me for being rude. I hope that you guys have a fun time.” Ye Chen smiled and walked out while carrying Mengmeng.

 At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

 A lady dressed in a waitress’s uniform walked in. She said while smiling courteously, “I’m sorry. May I know whose black Lamborghini Murcielago is that parked on the street? That’s illegal parking, so the traffic police are going to tow the car away.”