Chapter Ninety-Five: Keep Bragging

A five-star hotel was, after all, an upscale place. It was refined not only because of its lavish decor and superior facilities, but also because of its excellent service and elegant atmosphere. For that very reason, any disturbance to other guests at the dining table was absolutely forbidden. Not long after the gathering began, the staff had already received several complaints.

A warning had already been given once, but Luo Jun did not seem to take it seriously.

“One warning is enough. If there is a third time, then I’ll have to ask all of you to leave.” The waiter would have preferred to throw them out on the spot, but today was the Nangong family’s banquet. If he started an argument with these people and spoiled the Nangong family’s meal, that would be far worse. So he relented.

“I hope you won’t continue making noise. Otherwise, not only will you disturb the other guests, you may also offend certain very important people. If that happens, you’ll be the ones to suffer the consequences.”

Most of Luo Jun’s anger was instantly snuffed out. He knew exactly who the waiter meant by important people: the Nangong family, one of the Four Great Clans. If he really interfered with their meal, he could just pack his things and get lost.

“Sorry, we understand,” Luo Jun hurriedly said, bowing to the waiter in apology.

For the sake of his own future, Luo Jun chose to endure it.

“Ling Tian, you really have no class. I won’t stoop to your level.” Luo Jun shot Ling Tian a fierce glare, then turned back to chatting with his little circle of friends.

Zhao Ming leaned over, filled Ling Tian’s glass, and said, “Why are you so impulsive? Are we even in a position to offend Luo Jun? That guy is doing pretty well now, making over two hundred thousand a year, and I’ve heard he even knows someone from the Nangong family. He was just saying he knows your company’s president. If things go badly, one phone call from him could get you fired.”

Ling Tian took a sip of wine and smiled. “Relax. Luo Jun is just a small fry. I’m not taking him seriously. I only came to this class reunion to see old classmates. By the way, what are you doing now?”

Zhao Ming said, “I’m working at a factory now. My monthly salary is a little over two thousand.”

“I remember you had a younger sister too. How is she now? Is she still in school?” Ling Tian asked. He genuinely wanted to know what had caused the once spirited Zhao Ming to end up so down on his luck.

“My sister already dropped out. She’s gone out to work as well.” Zhao Ming raised his glass and drained it in one gulp, then went on, “You know my father passed away early. My mother raised the two of us by herself. Last year, she overworked herself and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She was in the hospital for treatment the whole time. We spent more than three hundred thousand, but in the end she still couldn’t make it. The family savings were all gone, and we were left buried in debt.”

At last, Ling Tian understood everything. No wonder Zhao Ming had fallen so low.

“At the time, I had saved up some money and planned to start my own business, but then...” Zhao Ming lowered his head and kept drinking in silence, his face full of loneliness and helplessness.

The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy. Ling Tian said nothing, only kept pouring Zhao Ming more wine. It was not until Zhao Ming had finished off half a bottle of vodka by himself that Ling Tian finally spoke.

“Everything passes. Besides, you still have me as your brother. Whatever you need help with, just say the word.”

Zhao Ming thought Ling Tian was merely being polite and did not take it to heart. He believed Ling Tian was sincere for saying it at a moment like this, but from the looks of things, Ling Tian was not doing much better than he was. So Zhao Ming did not want to burden him. He thought only of the other man and was willing to shoulder all the hardship himself rather than let him help carry the load. That was what a true brother was.

As time went on, the classmates who had been stiff and restrained at first gradually loosened up. With a little alcohol in them, they grew increasingly excited and began swapping stories about life.

Luo Jun and the others, meanwhile, were boasting to their hearts’ content.

“Brothers, if you ever run into trouble later on, just come to me. I’m not bragging, but there really isn’t much I can’t handle.” Luo Jun, delighted with the conversation, started bragging wildly. At this point it was no longer mere boasting; he was practically inflating himself into a dinosaur. He was going completely off the rails.

What Ling Tian hated most was empty bragging. Luo Jun had only just achieved a little success and was already spouting nonsense everywhere, so arrogant he seemed to think he was the President of the United States. In his eyes, there was nothing in the world he could not settle.

“I say, can you stop bragging? Enough already. Even a dinosaur couldn’t survive the way you’re blowing yourself up,” Ling Tian said impatiently to Luo Jun and the others.

Luo Jun glared at him contemptuously and said haughtily, “What’s wrong? Are you just jealous because you’re incompetent?”

“It’s not jealousy. It’s just that you’re exaggerating too much. By the way, if I heard you right just now, you said that in Yunhai City there’s nothing you can’t do. Is that right?” Ling Tian asked back.

Luo Jun nodded and said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I said. And I’ll add two more things: anything money can solve doesn’t count as a problem.”

Ling Tian nodded thoughtfully. “So you’re that capable, huh? In that case, can you make the Nangong family’s young master call you big brother?”

That one sentence left Luo Jun completely speechless. The Nangong family was one of the Four Great Clans, a power so immense it towered over everyone else. Men like that stood at the top of the pyramid. Under normal circumstances, Luo Jun would have had a hard time even meeting them, let alone getting Nangong Ye, the young master of the Nangong family, to call him big brother.

“That’s a bit too difficult for you, I guess. How about something easier: can you make the head of the Nangong family greet you first?” Ling Tian continued.

Luo Jun was speechless again. The head of the Nangong family was a figure he could only look up to. Let alone expecting him to greet Luo Jun first, even if Luo Jun went up to curry favor on his own, the man would likely think he was beneath notice.

The people around them were all stunned into silence. Even those who had been boasting with Luo Jun moments before had gone quiet. Compared with people like Zhao Ming, they were indeed doing fairly well—clean-cut, office workers, drawing good salaries, the sort of middle-class professionals who looked decent enough. But compared with a noble family like the Nangong clan, they were not worth a damn.

Even Zhao Ming, who had been drinking himself into gloom, stopped and set down his glass, staring blankly at Ling Tian. He had no idea where Ling Tian found the confidence to ask such a savage question.

“What on earth is going on with Ling Tian? He actually dares to go head-to-head with someone like Luo Jun,” Zhao Ming muttered under his breath, secretly breaking into a cold sweat for Ling Tian.

Luo Jun glared fiercely at Ling Tian. Damn it, was this kid here to ruin the mood? I was only showing off a little earlier, bragging in front of our classmates. And now Ling Tian has caught me by the tail. Damn it, this is a complete failure. I wanted to slap Ling Tian in the face and make him look bad at the reunion, but not only did I fail, this kid has left me speechless instead.

“Go on, keep boasting. Why have you stopped? Weren’t you having fun bragging just now?” Ling Tian said with a disdainful sneer.