Chapter 284 - 213: "Downward" Socializing

Chapter 284: Chapter 213: "Downward" Socializing

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Watching Lin Chu move to another table without returning, Hao Wenhua found it a bit amusing, but he didn’t say anything.

’Let him be.’

It was only natural for a young man to feel a bit out of place at a table where everyone was older than him.

However, the noise from that direction kept drifting over, growing more and more excited.

When Li Fangfei came over to offer a toast, Hao Wenhua couldn’t help but smile and ask, "What’s all the chatter about over there? It sounds so lively."

It was a bit too far away to hear clearly.

Li Fangfei smiled. "President Lin is talking about the opening ceremony for the golf open. He said he wants to invite heavyweight guests, global superstars, and domestic A-list celebrities. The budget is unlimited—as long as they’re available, he’ll invite as many as he can."

Hiss...

The words left a sour taste in the mouths of the few people at the table.

’Isn’t that a bit too high-profile?’

Even though it wasn’t their money, people in academia have a deep, instinctual aversion to celebrities and exorbitant fees for commercial activities.

After all, they were often lumped together for comparison.

Li Bin laughed. "That’s too flamboyant. He’s spending money like water. Anyone who spends like that has clearly never started a business from scratch."

Li Fangfei seemed to realize something. She took a sip of her wine and quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile. "It’s his first professional open, so he wants to make a big splash. It’s for business reasons. Well, I won’t disturb you professors any longer. I’ll be taking my leave now."

The atmosphere here felt a little tense, and Li Fangfei didn’t want to stay any longer.

’I’ve clearly said the wrong thing.’

’Besides, they all seem so arrogant, looking down on a ’celebrity’ like me.’

After she left...

Tang Rubo couldn’t help but say with a laugh, "This Lin Chu is certainly high-profile. He even brought a young, beautiful female secretary with him to the opening ceremony today. Look, she’s right over there. But, haha, I guess it’s understandable. He’s a young man, after all. It’s normal to be a bit flamboyant, a bit of a playboy."

Hearing this, Hao Wenhua and the other professors frowned again.

Jarring.

Those words were quite jarring.

To be fair, in recent years, Lin Chu was indeed the student with the highest on-paper net worth in Peking University’s MBA program. His records showed a net worth of over 2 billion, estimated at 2.7 billion.

But that kind of attitude still instinctively rubbed people the wrong way.

"Alright, let’s not worry about him. As long as he’s not breaking the law, how he chooses to spend his money is his own business."

"And isn’t he here because he has a desire to learn and improve?"

Hao Wenhua’s thoughts raced, and he spoke with the bigger picture in mind.

’He’s already enrolled. What can be done about it?’

’Besides, having this kind of student isn’t entirely a bad thing. He’s rich, isn’t he?’

’He concluded that the reason Peking University’s MBA program and alumni association weren’t as good as their neighbor’s was mainly because their scholarly atmosphere was too heavy. Sometimes, holding themselves to such a high standard was actually a disadvantage.’

...

"What do you mean, ’spending money like water’? My Brother Chu is the definition of spending money like water!"

"When he first took over the club, to raise its prestige, he gave every single one of the three hundred-plus members a Golden Golf Club worth over five hundred thousand yuan. That alone was an expense of nearly two hundred million. Everyone went crazy. The other clubs went crazy."

"There hasn’t been another boss this extravagant in all these years."

"But the results were immediate. Right away, the Old Friends Gold Tournament was established, and the professional open was too. Once these two events are over, LC will be red-hot, becoming one of the most elite golf clubs in Peng City, and even the entire country."

"By then, making money will be a piece of cake."

Lu Ming was also busy hyping up Lin Chu.

Of course, it was also the objective truth.

He had had a lot to drink and was feeling a bit floaty. He’d been in a great mood to begin with today.

The whole group listened, captivated, chiming in with all sorts of agreements.

That really was damn impressive.

The main thing was his immense financial backing.

’Who would dare to make moves like that without money?’

And even though President Lin was rich, he was genuinely down-to-earth. He had no airs at all. He’d drink with anyone who offered, and even actively sought people out for a drink, not leaving a single classmate out.

He turned no one down.

A guy like that would be likable even if he were broke.

The atmosphere over here just kept getting better.

Kong Qi’s phone vibrated. He suddenly saw a message from Hao Wenhua: "Get the situation under control. It’s too high-profile. What kind of behavior is this! A few of the old professors are complaining."

In an instant, all his excitement receded like the tide. Kong Qi could feel a light sweat breaking out on his forehead.

’Crap, the boss is angry!’

But he glanced over and saw that the group of classmates was in high spirits. The atmosphere was so lively, it didn’t seem right to interrupt them so bluntly.

’This is something I need to talk to Lin Chu about.’

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Lin Chu. "President Lin, should we tone it down a bit? The mood’s getting a little too wild. The leadership just singled me out."

Hearing this, Lin Chu glanced at him, then over at Hao Wenhua, and couldn’t help but wave his hand dismissively with a smile.

"Alright, got it."

After a moment’s thought, Lin Chu casually sent a message to the group chat: "Hey everyone, the leadership thinks we’re too loud. Let’s all quiet down. We’ll continue later. My treat, we’ll start a new party. Damn, Peking University is so cheap with their hospitality. The booze is just Xi Jiu, they wouldn’t even spring for Maotai."

Seeing the message, no one replied.

However, the room suddenly fell quiet.

When Kong Qi saw the group message, he was momentarily speechless.

’Good thing Principal Hao isn’t in the group. I’m the admin, and everyone in here is ’one of us,’ so... it doesn’t matter.’

’These students are all adults. Their minds are all filled with calculations of profit and loss. There’s nothing I can say.’

So Kong Qi acted as if nothing had happened, pretending he hadn’t seen it.

Hao Wenhua was satisfied when he saw that their side had quieted down.

This continued until their side of the dinner party ended.

But what he didn’t know was...

The moment this one ended, everyone made plans for the after-party, following Lin Chu to another restaurant he had booked.

...

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