OFR – Chapter 283 The rich man comes in!

At 10:30 in the morning, there was still an hour to go before the most prestigious banquet in Nanjing City.

Currently, at the Zijin Pavilion—where the Ring of Zijin Banquet was to be held—many of Nanjing’s billionaires had already arrived.

However, they were only allowed to remain on the ground floor and in the surrounding areas of the pavilion. None had the qualifications to ascend to the second floor, where the actual banquet was being held.

The main reason these people came was to try and build connections with top figures like Chen Yunzhi and Yu Youxiong—titans of the rich list.

After all, Nanjing’s business landscape was, truthfully speaking, controlled by those attending this banquet on the second floor.

These billionaires, hovering in the middle tier of the wealthy class, were eager to advance further or gain more benefit in Nanjing’s commercial scene. For that, they needed the shade of a powerful tree to protect them.

Otherwise, once their businesses grew to the point of threatening the positions of the true leaders, they would inevitably face suppression or acquisition.

It wasn’t that the elite companies or powerful figures were unreasonable—it was just the way business worked.

Any company or person, when confronted with a challenger, wouldn’t just stand by. They certainly wouldn’t allow an upstart to grow so big that they could no longer be controlled.

This principle held true across all leading enterprises.

So, many of the wealthy individuals present were here to use the relaxed setting of the banquet to form new alliances.

This year, however, an unusually large number of Nanjing’s top rich had shown up.

Word had somehow leaked, and the news spread rapidly in the elite circles: Rong Qingwen, the legitimate eldest son of the Rong family, had come.

It was a simple piece of news, but within the highest tier of wealth, it landed like a bomb—drawing every eye in the city.

Anyone who managed to be part of Nanjing’s top elite circle wasn’t foolish. Their sharp instincts told them immediately:

This year’s Ring of Zijin Banquet was bound to be extraordinary.

The Rong family—the only entity in China truly worthy of being called a conglomerate—had returned to Nanjing after over seventy years.

It was obvious they had come with a purpose, and any ambition in Nanjing would surely clash with the Nalan family, leading to inevitable fireworks.

Realizing this, many of the city’s wealthy rushed to the scene. No one wanted to miss the biggest upheaval in Nanjing’s commercial world in decades.

In the past, rivalries among Chinese tycoons were subtle.

Everyone had a public image to maintain; no one wanted to ruin theirs.

But this time was different. This time it was open and brazen.

The Rong family was staging a comeback at the city’s most talked-about banquet, head-on against the Nalan family.

Among those waiting in the outer areas was Zhang Guozhi, who had previously seen Mu Bai at the Xuanwu Zhongshan sales office.

Zhang had brought along two beautiful and shapely women—Jiang Wenwen and Yun Wenqing.

With a net worth in the billions, Zhang wasn’t quite at the level of someone like Nalan Yunshao or Dongfang Jing, but he was still among the top 100.

When he heard the Rong family was making a move to challenge the Nalan family’s southern dominance, he rushed over, hoping to offer his services to Nalan Yunshao.

Zhang was well aware that his businesses and future development were already tightly bound to the Nalan family.

Without their support, he wouldn’t have survived Chen Yunzhi’s pressure in the real estate industry.

If the Nalan family—or more specifically Nalan Yunshao—were to lose today, Zhang’s own future wouldn’t just be difficult. His company might be devoured outright.

So to show loyalty, and secure his own future, he came—despite receiving no invitation.

In fact, he knew clearly: the fact that Nalan Yunshao hadn’t even invited him said enough. With a net worth of only a few billion, he simply wasn’t worthy in this top-tier gathering of true titans.

To be honest, his only role—if any—would be to applaud afterward, highlighting the glory and brilliance of the victor.

That was the extent of their value.

Because today’s banquet, which had captured the attention of Nanjing’s entire elite circle, had nothing to do with people like them.

The real stars were on the second floor: Nalan Yunshao, Rong Qingwen, Chen Yunzhi, Yu Youxiong, Dongfang Jing, Chen Shaofeng, and others—people who stood at the pinnacle of power in Nanjing.

But as Zhang gazed up at the twelve seats in the suspended pavilion above, a young and refined face suddenly popped into his mind—the face of someone he had seen half a month ago.

“Xiao Qing, Wenwen… do you think that young man we met that day… will come?” he asked Jiang Wenwen and Yun Wenqing in a low voice.

Indeed, after the Nanjing rich list came out, he finally understood how heavy Nalan Yunshao’s respectful “Brother Leng” truly was.

Only then did he realize what kind of person the young man—once dismissed by Yun Wenqing as a fraud—really was.

Leng.
That young man was Leng!
Someone who had emerged in Nanjing barely two months ago, yet already forced every powerful figure to recognize his overwhelming dominance.

A man even Nalan Yunshao had to respectfully call “Brother Leng”!

A man who, wherever he went, stirred storms. Even overseas, he had triggered a legendary event like the Seven Lantern Ceremony—a rare sight in the world of extreme wealth!

“He’ll probably come… he should,” Yun Wenqing replied softly. Her sweet face now carried a tinge of regret and sorrow.

As Zhang Guozhi’s secretary, she had attended many elite events and met numerous tycoons. But even she had to admit, her understanding was too shallow.

She never imagined that such a young and powerful man would so casually come to her, wanting to buy a villa at Xuanwu Zhongshan.

He had no airs, just calm kindness. He embodied the gentlest and kindest side of the ultra-wealthy.

Yet ironically, while other second-gen elites flaunted arrogance and were still flattered and worshipped…

That gentle young man had been ignored, doubted, and even disdained.

Had Nalan Yunshao not appeared that day, Yun Wenqing might never have realized that the young man she dismissed was someone who could, with a snap of his fingers, turn her company upside down.

As these thoughts clouded her mind, time passed. Before anyone noticed, it was already 11:00 AM.

At that moment, the outer courtyard of the Zijin Pavilion suddenly stirred with activity.

From the red carpet came sweet and uniform voices from the rows of welcoming hostesses, along with the loud announcements of the arriving VIPs.

“Welcome, Mr. Chen Yunzhi, to the Ring of Zijin Banquet!”
“Welcome, Mr. Yu Youxiong, to the Ring of Zijin Banquet!”
“Welcome, Mr. Li Shaofeng, to the Ring of Zijin Banquet!”
“Welcome, President Dongfang Jing, to the Ring of Zijin Banquet!”

One after another, legendary names—those at the very apex of Nanjing’s wealth and power—stepped onto the red carpet, under the reverent gazes of countless billionaires.

• Chen Yunzhi, refined and elegant in his forties.
• Yu Youxiong, in his fifties but still walking with vigor.
• Li Shaofeng, not even thirty, yet exuding an unmatched aura.
• Pulvin, tall and handsome, with a cheerful smile.
• The calm and kind Wenliang Yu.
• The graceful Qing Yancheng.
• The cold and striking Dongfang Jing.

And finally… a boy, walking in beside Dongfang Jing—so young he stunned everyone.

The moment he appeared, all attention turned to him, eclipsing even the figures before him.

Those few who had already witnessed his commanding presence couldn’t help but stand and applaud—with genuine respect.

“Welcome, Young Master Leng, to the Ring of Zijin Banquet!”

With the excited announcements from the hosts and the applause of countless billionaires…

In a far corner, Yun Wenqing looked at the young man walking the red carpet, basking in the glory of a thousand lights.

Her expression had grown unimaginably complex.

She never imagined that just ten-odd days ago, she had doubted and ignored this very boy.

And now?

Now she realized—this young man, who stood at the center of attention, cloaked in radiant honor, had become someone so far above that even trying to reach him was a luxury.