Chapter 119: How Are You Able To Hold It In

Zhao Bufan was in high spirits. He had gone to great lengths to attend this banquet and make a splash during the charity auction by securing the highest bid. This would allow him to gain visibility among the top elites of the city and network with influential people. That would pave the way for the future development of his guild.

Even though spending six million star coins had been a bit painful, he felt like the result had been worth it.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye, for hosting this event and giving me the opportunity to contribute to the charitable efforts of Liuhe Base City. As a responsible citizen and taxpayer, this is something I should do, and I will continue to do so in the future. Thank you also to my peers for their support, and thank you to all the leaders for their recognition. The Golden Eagle Guild will continue to abide by the law, strive for excellence, and contribute to the development of Liuhe Base City."

His speech was conventional and respectful. Zhao Bufan didn't want to stand out too much.

Li Xiaofei let out a soft scoff. Zhao Bufan was just another money-grubbing businessman, who was obsessed with power and wealth and constantly looking for loopholes to exploit. The idea that such a person could genuinely contribute to the city was laughable.

"What are you laughing at?" Xiong Zhigang glared at Li Xiaofei and scolded, "President Zhao's generous donation to support medical causes is an example we should all learn from and respect. What's so funny about that?"

Li Xiaofei shrugged, not bothering to respond.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Xiong Zhigang's voice grew louder, his tone sharp and severe. "Everyone here made an effort to contribute to the city's charitable cause during the charity auction, even if it was just a few dozen or a few hundred star coins. But you? You used the excuse of going to the restroom to deliberately avoid the auction. You didn’t even donate a single coin. Such stinginess and selfishness, and yet you have the nerve to mock President Zhao, tonight's King of Charity?"

"Exactly, it's utterly shameless."

"How can someone be so disgraceful?"

"Being poor isn't the problem; the problem is being poor and having no ambition."

Several other boys joined in, echoing the reprimands. The commotion drew the attention of people at nearby tables. Even the elites at the first table began to take notice, including City Leader Tan Zhenwei, Commander Ding Longao, and the most significant figure, Inspector Li Zhoumin.

Xiong Zhigang was secretly pleased at the burgeoning attention. Tan Qingying, on the other hand, was furious. She realized that Xiong Zhigang was intentionally making a big scene and occupying the moral high ground to attract the attention of the leaders. He wanted to tarnish Li Xiaofei's reputation in front of these influential figures.

She wanted to argue back, but Li Xiaofei gently squeezed her hand under the table again.

"Let the innocent be innocent," Li Xiaofei said calmly. "Why bother with these petty, scheming people?"

This statement nearly made Xiong Zhigang and the others lose their composure.

The only reason Li Xiaofei was attending the banquet tonight was to help his new friend Tan Qingying. The attention of the inspector was irrelevant to him. With the Moonlight Treasure Box, he had all the cultivation techniques and resources he needed to achieve his goals through his own efforts. He didn't need to rely on anyone else. His mindset was quite relaxed.

At that moment, a wave of thunderous applause erupted in the hall. It turned out that the elderly patriarch of the Ye family, assisted by staff, was climbing the stage steps with a cane to present the King of Charity donation certificate to Zhao Bufan.

The Ye family was currently the most prominent among the five great families. As such, the reception of the old patriarch was expected. Two girls in ceremonial dresses carried the certificate and trophy to the stage. One of them was Zhong Ling.

The old patriarch of the Ye family took the trophy from Zhong Ling's hands and gently patted her hand. "Such a lively young girl," he said.

Zhong Ling, startled, smiled and instinctively took two steps back. Zhao Bufan observed this scene and a thought suddenly formed in his mind.

"Thank you, Elder Ye," Zhao Bufan said, taking the trophy with an expression of humble gratitude.

Elder Ye smiled and said, "The younger generation is truly impressive. We old folks are no longer up to the task. The future development of our base city will depend on you. Work hard."

"I will remember your teachings, Elder Ye," Zhao Bufan responded respectfully.

Elder Ye leaned on his cane as he walked back down the stage. As he reached the steps, he turned and smiled at Zhong Ling again. Zhong Ling didn't appear again in the subsequent segments.

The evening dragged on with various peculiar awards, such as the youngest donor, the most frequent bidder, the single decisive bid donor, the oldest donor, and so on. Each recipient joyfully accepted their award and delivered long-winded thank-you speeches.

Xiong Zhigang and his group also got a chance to go on stage and receive donation certificates. Xiong Zhigang himself received an additional Most Sincere Donor trophy, with the reason being that the money he donated was earned through his hard work in part-time jobs as a league star player.

In the end, all the donors were given the opportunity to go on stage for a group photo. At table three, everyone stood on the stage with their trophies and certificates, taking a group photo, while Li Xiaofei sat alone in the distance, conspicuously empty-handed.

Tan Qingying was among the group on stage. When she saw Li Xiaofei sitting by himself, she felt a deep sense of guilt. She had brought him to the banquet with good intentions. But now, it seemed like she had made a fool out of him instead. Any chance of getting Inspector Li Zhoumin's favor seemed out of reach. Li Xiaofei looked like he had been abandoned by the entire world. He must be feeling extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

It was all my fault. If I had known about these segments, I could have planned things better and made a donation in Li Xiaofei's name beforehand. At least that way, he would have had the chance to stand on stage and not be humiliated like this.

Unable to bear it any longer, Tan Qingying acted.

"Wait!" she shouted, stopping the photographer just before he pressed the shutter. "This is pointless and noisy. I'm not doing this."

She tossed her certificate and trophy aside and quickly ran down the stage. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Tan Qingying sat down beside Li Xiaofei without saying a word.

Numerous eyes turned toward City Leader Tan Zhenwei, who was part of the group being photographed. But he simply smiled helplessly. Many people in the upper circles were no longer surprised. It was well-known that the city leader's daughter was famously rebellious and often did things that defied expectations. The city leader was also well known to be excessively indulgent with his beloved daughter and seemed to have no control over her.

Tan Qingying's disregard for decorum was evident at such a formal event. Yet, the city leader merely smiled it off. Critics might say it reflected poor upbringing. As for the unknown boy sitting next to her, everyone believed that while the city leader might not be able to control his daughter, he could certainly deal with the boy.

Tan Qingying's public display made it clear to everyone that the boy was in serious trouble.

In the crowd, Zhao Bufan was ecstatic. He had already received a call from the streamer Yunyun, informing him of the events at the warm-up reception. He had been worried about Li Xiaofei gaining the city leader's daughter's support.

But now, it seemed all those troubles were resolved. After this embarrassing scene, surely City Leader Tan Zhenwei would be furious enough to take action against Li Xiaofei.

Kachaak, Kachaak.

The group photo session ended. The crowd dispersed, laughing and chatting as they walked off the stage in small groups.

The voice of the beautiful hostess echoed through the hall, "Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats. Our event continues with the second segment of the evening, which is also the most important one... "

Xiong Zhigang and his group returned to their seats, carrying their trophies and certificates.

"Some people really have thick skin to continue staying," Xiong Zhigang sneered as he placed his trophy on the table.