Chapter 24: Chen Yuanlin’s Odd Behavior-Apocalipse de Desastres Naturais: Estoquei Bilhões em Suprimentos e Venci Facilmente(Diversão de Peixes de Laranja e Toranja)

Fang Yun took a cursory look as she walked through the camp. The layout was exactly as she remembered from her previous life, which gave her a much-needed sense of reassurance.

The banquet was held in a massive tent. It was unclear where Ma Qibo had managed to source it, but it resembled a Mongolian yurt and covered an unusually large area. As they stepped inside, a wave of heat washed over them, and the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent. Various gazes landed on them. Fang Yun felt a little uncomfortable, but Li Wangcheng was walking ahead of her, and he was the guest of honor today.

"Hahaha! Mr. Li, your presence truly brings light to my humble abode," a loud laugh suddenly erupted. Following the voice, a bald, short, and stout man sitting at the head table smiled in their direction. It was Ma Qibo.

Fang Yun’s eyes flickered. Fearing that Ma Qibo might notice something amiss, she stared at him intently for two seconds before forcing herself to look away. Unlike Ma Qibo’s enthusiasm, Li Wangcheng was far colder. With so many people watching, he merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Ma Qibo’s expression soured. The smile on his face faded quickly, but he held his glass up and signaled to Hong Li with a glance. Hong Li understood immediately, picked up a glass of wine from the side, and handed it to Li Wangcheng.

"Mr. Li, thank you for honoring us with your presence. The hospitality is lacking, but I shall finish this glass of humble wine; please, drink as you please!" With that, Ma Qibo downed his drink in one go. Hong Li pushed the glass toward Li Wangcheng.

Li Wangcheng glanced at the clear liquid in the glass. The pungent smell of alcohol told him clearly that it was no mere water. Under normal circumstances, when a host was this deferential, a guest would be expected to show some face. Moreover, high-proof liquor was currently a scarce commodity; Ma Qibo’s willingness to provide it was a veiled demonstration of the importance he placed on Li Wangcheng.

However, Li Wangcheng reached out and pushed the glass away. "My apologies, I have a low tolerance for alcohol. I will have to pass."

Being rebuffed twice in such a manner caused Ma Qibo’s face to darken completely. He slammed his wine glass onto the table with a crash that echoed through the entire tent. A few gasps were heard, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared. The atmosphere instantly turned rigid; everyone looked at each other, none daring to speak.

After a long moment, Hong Li suddenly laughed. "Since Mr. Li has a low tolerance, perhaps he could gift this fine wine to me? I will drink this glass on his behalf, so as not to slight Master Ma’s kindness."

It must be said that Hong Li’s rescue was timely. It was no wonder she had been by Ma Qibo’s side for so long; her ability to improvise could outperform most people.

Li Wangcheng ignored her. Hong Li gestured to Ma Qibo with the glass and downed the drink in one gulp. With her breaking the tension, others began to speak, offering obsequious remarks to appease Ma Qibo, which made his expression improve significantly.

As a distinguished guest, Li Wangcheng was soon guided to a seat closest to Ma Qibo. Ma Qibo’s eyes remained fixed on Li Wangcheng, and as they drew closer, he noticed Fang Yun. Even though she had wrapped a scarf around her face, a momentary accidental eye contact drew his interest.

Feeling that same gaze from her past life, Fang Yun’s entire body stiffened. An inescapable sense of dread washed over her, causing her to tremble slightly. Li Wangcheng, who had been watching her closely, noticed her reaction and immediately grabbed her hand. Feeling how cold she was, he frowned and gripped her hand tighter, channeling warmth and reassurance to her.

Caught off guard by his grip, Fang Yun shuddered. Her instinct was to pull away, but as she turned, she met Li Wangcheng’s eyes, which were filled with concern. In an instant, the terror in her eyes cleared.

That was right—she had been reborn. This was not her past life. She had not been handed over to Ma Qibo by Chen Yuanlin, nor had she suffered those inhumane tortures. She took a deep breath and forced a smile, though she forgot that the scarf covering half her face rendered the expression invisible to others. However, Li Wangcheng understood the meaning in her shifting gaze and felt less worried.

Li Wangcheng’s actions had been witnessed by everyone, and Fang Yun, who had previously had little presence, now drew the attention of many. A glint of something unreadable flashed in Ma Qibo’s eyes, while Ma Zhen and Chen Yuanlin looked particularly displeased.

"Are you sure what you said is foolproof?" Ma Zhen, unable to bear how special Li Wangcheng was treating Fang Yun, slipped away when no one was looking and hurried to Ji Qingwan’s side to ask.

Ji Qingwan glanced at the grim-faced Chen Yuanlin not far away and curled her lips into a smile. "Don't worry, Miss, there won't be any mistakes. This occasion is the perfect opportunity. No matter how much Mr. Li cares for Fang Yun, there will always be a moment of negligence."

Even if there were no opportunity, someone would create one. After all, the consequences of missing this chance were simply too great to bear.

Chen Yuanlin would certainly not sit idly by. Ji Qingwan, who knew him well, understood this just by looking at his expression. Even though he had divorced Fang Yun, he still viewed her as his property. He could scheme to give Fang Yun away, but he could not tolerate her finding a powerful patron on her own; in his eyes, that was no different from betrayal.

Indeed, Li Wangcheng was soon cornered by Ma Qibo and several other families, leaving him no time to attend to Fang Yun. Chen Yuanlin seized this opportunity to approach her.

"Xiaoyun."

The voice beside her ear startled Fang Yun, causing her to turn abruptly. Seeing it was Chen Yuanlin, her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively frowned. She was not surprised to see him here. With Ji Qingwan’s romantic obsession and Chen Yuanlin’s silver tongue, it would be all too easy for him to talk his way in.

"You can see for yourself; I can't get close," Fang Yun said, collecting herself as she realized why he had come. She tilted her head toward Li Wangcheng, who was surrounded by several bigwigs, signaling that she was powerless to help. Even if he were in a hurry, he couldn't compete with those powerful figures for attention. If he wanted to get to know Li Wangcheng, he would have to wait until he was free—if it ever reached a peripheral character like him.

Chen Yuanlin glanced at Li Wangcheng, his smile unwavering. "I see that, Xiaoyun. Actually, I came to find you. There are some things I want to say to you."

At these words, alarm bells rang in Fang Yun’s mind. Nothing good ever came from Chen Yuanlin seeking her out, especially at a time like this. Even if he failed to reach his ultimate goal of meeting Li Wangcheng, there were many other families present more powerful than the Ji family; he could easily have used them as a fallback to make a name for himself.

Yet, he hadn't mingled with the crowd; instead, he had come specifically to speak to her. This was highly suspicious!