After saying this, Jiang Cheng reached out and high-fived Wang Zheng, Qin Fen, and Wang Congcong respectively.
"When did you guys arrive in Kyoto?"
Speaking of which, Wang Zheng put on a jealous look: "Don't even mention it. We @'d you in the group, but you didn't reply. Brother Qin and I arrived at noon and thought about contacting you tonight, but then Brother Wang said Shen Lang had a drinking party tonight and even invited you, so the two of us followed along..."
Wang Congcong took over the conversation: "It wasn't easy finishing the ancestral worship, and I thought about coming over to relax with you, but after these two got the news, they insisted on coming along..."
Qin Fen joined in: "I've been playing in Magic City so much lately that I'm getting a bit bored, and the days are hard to pass. I've been looking forward to your return every day."
As Jiang Cheng gestured for them to head inside, he teased them: "You're exaggerating. How come I remember you guys posting pictures of'spicy duck heads' from various bars in the group every day? Every night it's girls paired with all kinds of alcohol, so how exactly is your life bad?"
Wang Zheng cleared his throat, then stepped aside to greet Fang Yuan first: "Sister-in-law Zhou, hello. It's been a long time. Please don't listen to Brother Cheng's nonsense. We just share good food in the group; there's nothing messy going on..."
Qin Fen immediately added: "Exactly, we just like eating all kinds of'spicy girls'... purely a foodie gathering..."
Seeing that they had mistaken her for Zhou Ying, Fang Yuan instantly looked at Jiang Cheng.
She had a look that asked him what she should do.
Usually, Fang Yuan's facial expressions were mostly elegant and composed.
But in her current panic, a trace of a Little Girl's flustered look appeared on her face.
In terms of facial similarity, she and Zhou Ying were indeed very alike.
However, if one looked at their faces directly under normal circumstances, the differences between the two could still be seen.
But at this moment, her delicate and flustered appearance was simply too similar in spirit to Zhou Ying's.
After spacing out for several seconds, Jiang Cheng remained calm on the surface. He naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace.
"All right, you guys can stop trying to put on an act in front of her. Isn't everything you do written all over your faces? It's useless to try and salvage your image now..."
It was the same thought as before: wouldn't it be better to just go along with the mistake?
In front of Shen Lang, Jiang Cheng didn't even bother to explain.
If he were to reveal Fang Yuan's identity to this group of idiots, they would all lose their minds.
With everyone chiming in one after another, tonight's gathering could be considered over right then and there.
When Jiang Cheng hugged her like this, the shoulder under his palm trembled slightly, but she didn't dodge.
Staring at Fang Yuan's reddened ear tips, Jiang Cheng lowered his head and gave her a specific introduction.
"You haven't seen them in a long time. This white-haired one is Wang Zheng, this is Qin Fen, Wang Congcong, and you just met Shen Lang at noon..."
Fang Yuan's face was completely red; she could only say it was lucky the lights at the bar entrance were red and green.
Of course, at this moment, her inner thoughts were similar to Jiang Cheng's.
She was even a bit grateful that Jiang Cheng didn't reveal her identity.
After all, as an elder, being dressed like this and standing by Jiang Cheng's side at this kind of venue would inherently lead to speculation.
After opening her mouth, she only managed to squeeze out a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Hello everyone..."
The voice was so soft it was nearly drowned out by the music.
Jiang Cheng felt her body grow even stiffer.
The group didn't think much of it, assuming Fang Yuan was just shy because she hadn't seen them in so long.
Naturally, none of them spoke up to tease Fang Yuan.
Although Jiang Cheng's attitude toward them was no different from when they first met,
as their awareness of Jiang Cheng's status grew, they would voluntarily lower their own social bargaining chips.
Being half-embraced by Jiang Cheng as they walked into this bizarre and colorful bar, Fang Yuan's heartbeat hadn't completely settled.
Deafening music was in her ears, and swaying shadows and psychedelic lights were before her eyes, but what made her most uneasy were these seemingly laughing and joking young men beside her.
They called her "Sister-in-law" one after another, their smiles overly enthusiastic.
But Fang Yuan was no longer an innocent young girl.
Although she didn't frequent such places, she had attended many different cocktail parties.
Moreover, because she married Zhou Ying's father, she usually dealt with many wealthy women during social gatherings.
She had seen all kinds of people and could read the undercurrents beneath many scenes.
Even though everyone was laughing and joking right now, Fang Yuan could see that their teasing was measured and within the bounds of their social standing.
Just as they said earlier, they hadn't dared to call Jiang Cheng to pick them up when they arrived in Kyoto.
The group only @'d him in the chat; even if Jiang Cheng didn't reply, they were very disciplined and didn't send private messages.
This reflected their attitude of being a level below him when socializing with Jiang Cheng.
That white-haired young man named Wang Zheng would unconsciously lean forward slightly when speaking to Jiang Cheng.
The one named Qin Fen didn't say much, but every time he joined the conversation, it was perfectly timed, as if he were trying hard to play the role of a qualified 'hype man.'
Even Wang Congcong, who seemed the most boisterous and complained that "you guys have said everything," appeared casual when teasing him.
But when he turned to Jiang Cheng, beneath that familiar tone, there was also a trace of something hard to ignore... fawning?
Or rather, it was the "correct" attitude instinctively adjusted when facing an absolutely dominant person.
Every one of them smiled at Jiang Cheng and spoke affectionate, even slightly exaggerated words of "missing" him, yet from this seemingly lively and harmonious atmosphere, Fang Yuan sensed an order that startled her.
A strict order with Jiang Cheng as the absolute center, where others automatically circled around him, adjusting their words, actions, and even emotions.
She had always known Jiang Cheng's family background was not simple.
For Zhou Ying to be with him was reaching as high as one could possibly reach. But she had never felt so intuitively that the world Jiang Cheng lived in operated by such cruel and realistic rules.
So-called friendship, face, and family background, in the face of Jiang Cheng's absolute strength and difference in level, could only result in cautious fawning.
So, what about for Zhou Ying?
Setting aside how many women might appear by Jiang Cheng's side,
given this social circle of his, could Zhou Ying really remain safe and sound by Jiang Cheng's side?
Thinking of this, she subconsciously leaned a bit closer to Jiang Cheng.
This movement was half due to the helplessness of being in a strange environment, and the other half was a complex gravitation toward the absolute power possessed by the young man beside her—one she hadn't even deeply examined herself.
There was both fear and, strangely, a sense of... fleeting safety under the protection of this powerful force.
Sensing her slight movement, Jiang Cheng tightened his arm around her shoulder a bit and glanced down at her.
"What's wrong? Not used to it?"
Realizing she had actively moved closer to Jiang Cheng, Fang Yuan felt the heat on her face rise once again.
She shook her head: "No... just a bit curious..."
Passing through the deafening dance floor and the crowded masses, the group was led by a dedicated waiter straight to the deepest part of the bar—the area with the best view, which was also the most quiet and private.
This place was like an island in a noisy ocean; the elevated platform and semi-enclosed velvet curtains separated the inside and outside into two different worlds.
The booth was ridiculously spacious, with a circular leather sofa large enough to comfortably seat over a dozen people.
Facing the dance floor was a full wall of one-way glass, allowing them to see the revelry outside perfectly while not a single bit of the interior could be glimpsed from the outside.
Overhead was a shifting starry sky ceiling light, the illumination soft and ambiguous. Exquisite fruit platters and ice buckets were already set on the table, and even the tissue box had a cold, metallic texture.
The air was filled with a faint fragrance that completely masked the smell of smoke and alcohol from the outside.