Just as Xu Ye had said.

This party wasn't only about Yu Jiaying's birthday.

The guests had broken off into little clusters to chat, and the liveliest spot, naturally, was wherever Yu Liang was. A big crowd had gathered around him, mostly business partners from the hotel industry.

There were plenty of young people too, but Yu Jiaying only knew most of them in passing. She wouldn't have called them friends.

Yu Jiaying took Zhao Ming and Xu Ye over to sit down off to the side. They'd barely said a few words when Yu Liang stepped out of the crowd and called out. "Xu Ye, come here a minute!"

Cut out of the conversation for no apparent reason, Xu Ye was a little puzzled, but he went over anyway.

When he got there, Yu Liang threw an arm around his shoulders and introduced him. "This is the Xu Ye I was just telling you about. He's only twenty-one, and his investments are already taking off."

The people around Yu Liang were all seasoned flatterers.

The moment Yu Liang finished, they were falling over each other to pile on the praise.

"He really is an impressive young man."

"The young really are something to reckon with."

"Every generation brings its own talent…"

Luckily, Xu Ye had a thick skin, and none of it got much of a reaction out of him. If it had been Qin Zhiwei, he'd probably have been grinning from ear to ear.

Before long, Xu Ye had collected a whole stack of business cards.

Once Xu Ye left, Zheng Bin took his seat and watched Yu Liang from across the room. Yu Liang had his arm around Xu Ye's shoulders and was beaming as he introduced him to everyone. It made Zheng Bin sick inside.

He'd never imagined Yu Jiaying's father, Yu Liang, was this close with Xu Ye. Even his own father, Zheng Hong, never got that kind of treatment from Yu Liang.

The Jinjiang Group was a family business. Once Yu Liang stepped down, Yu Beiwang would simply take his place.

Xinfeng Investment was…