Chapter 2797 - 2859: Taking the Lead

Thinking about it, Xiang Ba ultimately chickened out. This isn’t Ning Province, nor is it the Shu Region. This is Haicheng, one of the most open and developed cities in Huaxia, an international metropolis. The number of talented people here is countless, so even though he was disgruntled, he had to hold it in.

Despite being intimidated, Xiang Ba still dared to secretly glare at Li Yifei a few times, only to quickly avert his gaze when Li Yifei looked over.

What a coward, was Li Yifei’s comment. He didn’t take Xiang Ba seriously. People like that weren’t worth his attention. If he had to worry about everyone like that, wouldn’t he be overwhelmed every day?

Seeing Wu Shuwei sitting in front, Li Yifei smiled and said, "Why is Student Wu sitting here? It’s a bit off to the side here."

Wu Shuwei turned her head at his words, saying, "Do I need Student Li’s approval to sit somewhere?"

Li Yifei replied, "Not at all. It’s Student Wu’s freedom. There’s no need for any approval."

Wu Shuwei responded with a smile, and Li Yifei didn’t push the conversation further. Behind them, Li Dazhuang watched the two with a grin. With his sharp mind, it wasn’t hard to guess that the two were acquaintances; otherwise, why would they chat like this?

Soon, the old professor came in, and all the attending students sat up properly. The old professor was someone worthy of respect, a giant in the field of economics. His words were like pearls of wisdom, definitely worth learning for these BOSSes. The professor didn’t bother with pleasantries, introduced himself briefly, and began the lecture.

Whether he understood or not, Li Yifei listened attentively, while Wu Shuwei in front of him took neat notes, displaying a very serious attitude. Li Yifei nodded to himself, appreciating Wu Shuwei’s earnestness in listening and learning, unlike himself...

On a side note, when Li Yifei glanced around, among the twenty-odd people in the room, there probably weren’t many genuinely studying. After all, people like Zhang Bai, who come with high academic credentials, are rare. Most had risen through entrepreneurship or other means, and their cultural level didn’t necessarily need to be high. Once they developed, they mainly focused on the big picture, and for professional fields, they could easily hire a bunch of highly educated people to work for them.

"Classmates, today’s lesson ends here. You’re all busy people. If you need to take a leave, you can notify the school in advance. We’re relatively lenient. But from my perspective, I hope you can attend more classes. You’re all free entrepreneurs who’ve achieved in your respective fields. If you can gain something from me that helps your businesses, that’s what I hope for!" The old professor wrapped up the lecture while sorting his notes and spoke to the group.

"Thank you, Professor Tao, for your hard work." Zhang Bai spoke up.

Tao Hongzhi glanced at Zhang Bai, nodding in satisfaction, saying, "Zhang Bai, isn’t it? I remember you. You spoke at last year’s High-Tech Forum. Not bad, young and pragmatic with a pioneering spirit. The future is immeasurable."

Proud of the professor’s praise, Zhang Bai beamed, continually insisting Professor Tao was overpraising him, even as he glanced surreptitiously at Wu Shuwei. This reaction was a bit childish, though he didn’t seem to realize it.

Wu Shuwei had a hint of a smile. Given her character and expectations for a partner, even without Li Yifei there, she wouldn’t be into this kind of person. Otherwise, in Capital City, filled with young masters like this, she wouldn’t have easily been with someone else if she liked this type.

People lacking appeal, putting on airs and doing self-righteous things, not only fail to achieve results but make others even more... annoyed. At least Wu Shuwei felt this way now, and Li Yifei sensed it, feeling smug while not bothering about Zhang Bai.

Their class had few sessions and was quite flexible. After a morning class, there were no more classes. The afternoon class was also economic-related but was optional. Li Yifei and Wu Shuwei had nothing else planned today. In theory, they were to attend, even if Li Yifei thought he couldn’t understand it well.

He knew many foreign languages, some medical rescue, surgery, pharmaceutical, manufacturing topics, and others. But as for economics, Li Yifei really wasn’t interested for now and didn’t want to delve into it. At home, he had his wives who handled those matters. In the entire Li family industry, there were over a dozen high-level managers and professional managers employed, let alone middle-level cadres, so Li Yifei didn’t need to step out for anything.

While heading out, Li Dazhuang smiled, "Brother Li, I won’t attend the afternoon class; I’ve got some things to do. But I’ll host tonight, so you must come."

"Alright, I will attend." Li Yifei thought for a moment and nodded.

"Ha, looking forward to having you!" Li Dazhuang smiled, waved, and headed off campus.

Li Yifei and Wu Shuwei, on the other hand, headed toward the villa, with Zhang Bai following not too far behind, glaring at their backs, clearly having no better idea regarding Wu Shuwei. In fact, Zhang Bai had been spoiled. Whether during his student days or in the present, he relied on talent and looks to effortlessly charm girls back then, and now with money, a good appearance, willing to spend, he found dealing with ordinary women to be a breeze. However, Wu Shuwei wasn’t an ordinary woman; he’d overestimated his charm.

Back at the villa, Li Yifei lay on the sofa, sprawled there, lamenting, "School is so tiring, even more exhausting than fighting ten people. I slightly understand my daughter now; she comes home every day saying school is tiring."

Wu Shuwei rolled her eyes at him, saying, "Just one class and you’re this tired. You’re exaggerating. Besides, the old professor taught well. He had a keen insight into domestic and international economic trends; there’s a lot to learn from him."

"Terminologies, all terminologies. I really couldn’t understand, but I saw you took lots of notes?" Li Yifei didn’t move, still sprawled on the couch. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but ask.

Wu Shuwei nodded, "Useful knowledge should naturally be noted down, unlike you..."

"That’s fine. In our family... ahem. As long as you learn, that’s enough. If I don’t understand, I can ask you." Li Yifei almost said that it was enough for him as long as one person in their family understood these things. Seeing Wu Shuwei’s eyes widen, Li Yifei quickly added, "Alright, alright, I will try to learn too. After all, I still need the graduation certificate."

The two joking and bantering, had lunch. Wu Shuwei was gearing up for a nap, but some urgent matters came up, while Li Yifei simply stayed put, snoring away on the sofa.

There were two classes today, and after the evening class, the temporary class leader, Yue Ming, gathered everyone. A local from Haicheng dealing in port businesses, now possessing assets in the tens of billions, his company likely valued at over two hundred billion. From an assets perspective, he’s quite wealthy. Being a local meant no objections to him as class leader; at least Li Yifei had no concerns, as long as he wasn’t the one in charge. Wu Shuwei shared the same sentiment.

Zhang Bai seemed familiar with Yue Ming; they sat together. Possibly there was a discussion at noon, and thus Yue Ming took the lead, saying, "Dear classmates and friends, our meeting at Huaxia Business School is fate. I suggest those with no pressing matters today stay and join dinner, get lively, and get to know each other, as it’s our first day at school together."

"That’s a good suggestion. I happen to be free today. Leader, pick the place, and we’ll meet there at the designated time." A classmate promptly agreed.

Some would attend, while others appeared troubled, saying, "Class Leader Yue, I really can’t make it today. I have several meetings tonight, having postponed them due to attending class during the day."

"No worries, there’s always time later. We’re classmates, and there’ll be plenty of gatherings in the future. You handle your business first!" Yue Ming nodded, adding, "Others not busy, let’s all go. Zhang Bai, make sure you come too."

"Alright, I’ve got nothing on tonight and will make sure to arrive early." Zhang Bai immediately replied, then casually turned, looking at Wu Shuwei, asking, "Student Wu, are you coming too?"

Initially, Wu Shuwei didn’t want to participate in such gatherings, but since it was under the class’s name, refusing would be hard. So she replied, "Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll come!"

"Great, I’ll have a car pick you up tonight. Name the time, and we can exchange contacts!" Zhang Bai said, thinking he was being thoughtful.

Wu Shuwei immediately declined, "Thank you, Zhang, but I have a car. No need to send anyone."

Uh oh! Zhang Bai was slightly taken aback, then nodded, "Okay, then it’s settled. Student Wu, you must come."

Wu Shuwei gave a slight nod. Zhang Bai started the invitation round with Yue Ming but somehow forgot about Li Yifei. That seemed quite deliberate. Li Yifei didn’t mind; he’d seen through such petty tricks, and they wouldn’t embarrass him.

"I won’t be going." As Wu Shuwei walked out, she said to Li Yifei, keeping her face expressionless, although she was annoyed inside. Zhang Bai and Yue Ming had invited everyone but omitted Li Yifei. Should Li Yifei go or not? If he went without an invitation or didn’t, with all classmates attending, Zhang Bai and Yue Ming could spin tales, causing other classmates to think twice. This clearly set Li Yifei up in a dilemma, adding further to Wu Shuwei’s disfavor towards the two of them.