Chapter 17

In the heart of Seoul, in Myeongdong, the Lotte Hotel.

In the banquet hall on the top floor, a grand cocktail party is about to take place.

The Lotte Hotel is one of the top hotels in Seoul, and along with the nearby Lotte Department Store, it belongs to the Lotte Group, one of the pillars of the group.

In the 1980s, Shin Kyuk-ho, the founder of the Lotte Group, began to venture into the tourism service industry, acquiring and merging many hotels and department stores, and established Lotte Mart, a major subsidiary, primarily focusing on distribution and tourism services.

The Li family's business was merged into Lotte Mart during that time. Now, Li Xiaoran's grandfather, Li Jingju, is the second-largest board member of the Lotte Group and the actual head of Lotte Mart.

Today is Li Xiaoran's 27th birthday. Originally, with her younger brother in a coma in the hospital, she had no mood to hold a birthday party. However, as the eldest granddaughter of the family, there were some things she could not refuse.

For example, this party, nominally to celebrate her birthday, was actually an important social event that she could not refuse.

Jin Yunhao arrived here around 7 PM. At first, he thought it was just an ordinary party, but upon arrival, he found out it was Li Xiaoran's birthday party.

"Damn! You should have said so earlier!"

If he had known it was her birthday, he would have at least bought a small gift.

Jin Yunhao's mindset was a bit strange. He clearly didn't want to see Li Xiaoran again, but when they met, he wanted to leave a good impression. The heart of a 'broken-hearted' person is just that strange.

While Jin Yunhao was hesitating at the door, a low exclamation caught his attention. Turning around, he saw an unexpected person.

Park Shin-yeol was covering her mouth with both hands, looking at Jin Yunhao with a mix of surprise, anxiety, and complex emotions.

She had recently hooked up with the son of a small businessman, and they were in a 'hot romance.' Tonight, she had finally obtained his consent to attend this important event. She hoped to meet some wealthier young men at the gathering of big shots and find a better future.

But she never expected that the man she had just met for a blind date—Jin Yunhao—would also be here. If her current boyfriend found out the truth, it would be a minor issue for them to break up, but ruining this rare opportunity tonight would be something she couldn't tolerate.

Therefore, seeing Jin Yunhao appear, she was so surprised and afraid.

She found an opportunity to quietly slip to Jin Yunhao's side and whispered, "Hey! What are you doing here? This isn't a place for you. Go back. If you keep bothering me, I'll tell my mom and your family about today."

Park Shin-yeol was heavily made up tonight, wearing a light blue evening gown and adorned with glittering jewelry, looking like a brightly colored flower.

But in Jin Yunhao's eyes, Park Shin-yeol's appearance was a mess. "Are you not tired with all that jewelry on you?" He thought her appearance could only be described as: attracting bees and butterflies, a mess.

He had no good feelings towards Park Shin-yeol, and the idea of 'bothering her' was absurd.

"Sorry, I have no intention of bothering you. I'm here to attend the party too."

Park Shin-yeol gave Jin Yunhao a sidelong glance at his cheap clothes and laughed, "Ha, you're killing me. Do you even know where you are? Can you even attend this party? Please use your brain when you lie. It's really ridiculous..."

Park Shin-yeol thought Jin Yunhao was just being stubborn for the sake of his male pride, making up such a poor excuse.

After saying that, she glared at Jin Yunhao, gave a warning look, and then sashayed towards her boyfriend in her ten-centimeter heels.

"Shin-yeol, who is that man?" Her boyfriend, Han Jin-woo, whose father was a small businessman, asked jealously when he saw Park Shin-yeol talking to a stranger.

"Just someone I knew as a child, ignore him. Let's go in." Park Shin-yeol clung to Han Jin-woo and said in a nasal tone, "Darling, introduce me to more people later."

"Ha, no problem. But you have to perform well tonight, okay?" Han Jin-woo's left hand, which was on Park Shin-yeol's waist, started to grope and tease.

"Pervert, I'll do as you say..."

"Ha."

As they spoke, they walked towards the entrance.

The Li family was a top-tier family in Korea, and the parties they hosted were not open to just anyone.

The doorman would let familiar faces pass directly, but for unfamiliar faces, he would politely ask for their names or request their invitations.

Han Jin-woo was not a familiar face in high society and had to take out his invitation. He had spent a lot of effort to get these two invitations. If it weren't to please Park Shin-yeol and taste this woman, he wouldn't have spent so much.

When Han Jin-woo took out his invitation with a casual gesture, Park Shin-yeol felt very proud and couldn't help but look back at Jin Yunhao, clearly showing off.

Faced with Park Shin-yeol's 'showing off,' Jin Yunhao shook his head and smiled bitterly, thinking: How can there be such show-offs in every country?

But Park Shin-yeol's showing off did have its market. This party was not open to just anyone. Without an invitation, he couldn't get in.

There was no choice but to call Li Xiaoran for help.

But Li Xiaoran's response surprised Jin Yunhao, and his mood improved significantly, "You're here? I'll come to pick you up. Also, you can go in directly. I've told the doorman, they know your name and recognize your face."

See, the behavior of a well-bred lady is so comforting.

Jin Yunhao also put on a smug look, tidied up his clothes, and then walked towards the entrance confidently.

The doorman noticed Jin Yunhao, paused for a moment to recall, then realized and bowed to Jin Yunhao, "Mr. Jin Yunhao, good evening."

"Good evening." Jin Yunhao smiled and responded.

At the entrance of the venue, everyone turned to look.

It was still early for the party to start, and the big shots had not arrived yet. Those who came were all minor figures. They all reported their names or showed their invitations upon entry. Suddenly, a big shot who came in without an invitation was quite noticeable. Everyone was curious about which family's young master had arrived early.

But when they saw Jin Yunhao in ordinary clothes, everyone felt a bit puzzled: Who is he? Why have we never seen him before?

Park Shin-yeol and her boyfriend were also at the entrance. Their status was not high enough to enter the main hall, so they could only linger at the periphery. When Park Shin-yeol saw Jin Yunhao walk in without an invitation, she almost dropped her jaw in shock.

"Shin-yeol? Isn't he the one you were talking to just now? Who is he?" Han Jin-woo asked curiously.

"Ah? Oh... I can't remember. I just met him a few times as a child, and I can't recall his name." Park Shin-yeol exclaimed in surprise, then came to her senses, rolled her eyes, and quickly made up a lie.

"Ha... What a pity. Those who can enter just by their appearance are either big shots or specially instructed by the host. If we could talk to him, we might get a chance to enter the main hall later. Ah, what a pity." Han Jin-woo sighed.

Han Jin-woo's father, who usually opposed his son's spending on women, this time agreed and even provided him with networking help, hoping his son could make some important connections for him.

Han Jin-woo, a student at Seoul University, was not unintelligent. He spent a lot of resources to get the invitations and wanted to use this opportunity to expand his network while dating.

Unfortunately, he had no chance to connect with Jin Yunhao, who seemed to be an important figure.

"..." Park Shin-yeol didn't say anything. She still couldn't figure out how Jin Yunhao got in.

Was he favored by the host? What a joke. Tonight was the birthday party of the Li family's young lady, and the host was a core member of the Li family. Jin Yunhao, a trainee prosecutor, had nothing that would make these big shots favor him.

But what shocked Park Shin-yeol even more was that the host of the evening, Li Xiaoran, actually appeared at the entrance, personally welcoming Jin Yunhao.

Noticing the envious gazes of the people around her, Park Shin-yeol was driven mad with frustration.

Oh my God, what's going on? Is the world in chaos? How can a trainee prosecutor steal the spotlight like this?

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