1118: Chapter 1118: The Capitalās Crown Prince Circle (1) 1118: Chapter 1118: The Capitalās Crown Prince Circle (1) General Zhou was getting on in years, and Ye Fei was still quite young.
So, although the three men had set up a dining table, they didnāt drink much alcohol.
Instead, they focused on chatting, mostly catching up and talking about everyday things.
The most talkative among them was Zhou Tingting.
After her father and grandfather had chatted with Ye Fei for a while, she took the initiative to shift the conversation to Ye Fei, asking him all sorts of questions about his life, big and small, as if she were a fan meeting her favorite celebrity.
Ye Fei, while half-jokingly responding to her questions, was secretly observing his childhood playmate, whom he hadnāt seen for over ten years.
After all, the one who had been targeting the Liu and Ye families from the shadows was most likely General Zhou Shichang.
He had to be cautious when facing his family.
However, upon observation, Ye Fei found that Zhou Tingting was truly an innocent girl with no ulterior motives and genuinely admired him.
Confident in his powers of observation, Ye Fei was certain that it was only General Zhou who was targeting his family.
His family members seemed uninvolved, at least Zhou Tingting did.
But what puzzled him was why General Zhou would do such a thing.
Although General Zhou had been stationed in Wanghai, he had been transferred back to the capital over ten years ago.
After more than a decade, all his influence had shifted to the capital, and he had no conflicts with the Liu and Ye families.
Moreover, Ye Feiās two aunts, one in the military and one in politics, were perfectly aligned with him, north and south, and should have been the best of allies.
Continuing to maintain good relations with his family would have been the wisest choice.
Most importantly, judging from General Zhouās family, he seemed to have little desire for power.
Otherwise, he would have followed the example of other major families and arranged a marriage alliance for his son.
Besides, he was good friends with Ye Feiās grandfather and maternal grandfather.
Ye Fei couldnāt think of any reason why he would be against the Liu and Ye families.
As Zhou Tingting and Ye Fei continued their Q&A, time quickly passed, and it was already seven in the evening.
By this time, Zhuo Fengāer and Mu Ling had already had dinner with Li Minghua, while Ye Feiās table, though not focused on drinking, had also consumed a fair amount of alcohol.
General Zhou, being elderly, felt a bit drowsy after drinking, and Zhou Bo, though in his prime, had drunk the most among the three and was also feeling tipsy.
Since Ye Fei was not a stranger, both father and son decided to rest.
However, before leaving, Zhou Bo reminded his daughter, āTingting, donāt forget about the gathering tonight.
You should get dressed up.
Qiās boy should be arriving soon.ā āOkay,ā Zhou Tingting replied, then looked at Ye Fei and said, āBrother Ye Fei, you should come with me too.ā āWhat gathering?ā Ye Fei asked casually.
It was only seven oāclock, far too early to rest, and since he was a guest, he couldnāt do anything with the two aunts.
So he didnāt mind going out for some activity.
Zhou Tingting glanced around and saw that her grandfather and father had left, and her mother had taken the two beautiful aunts to her room.
She didnāt have to worry about her mother overhearing her, so she said, āItās a rule set by those old men.
There are a few times a year when they want us younger generations, to get together.
Itās boring.
But if you come with me, Brother Ye Fei, it wonāt be so dull.ā Although Zhou Tingting wasnāt very clear, Ye Fei understood.
This was essentially a gathering of the capitalās crown prince circle.
The bigwigs wanted their offspring to maintain at least a basic level of unity, just like their generation, to combine strengths and keep their families powerful.
It was normal for Zhou Tingting to be unenthusiastic, given that her grandfather wasnāt the type to crave power.
Understanding this, Ye Fei hesitated.
After all, he wasnāt part of these capital families, so he said, āWell, it might not be appropriate for me to go.ā āWhatās inappropriate about it?
Those people are nothing but kids relying on their elders.
It would be their honor to have you there!ā Zhou Tingting said nonchalantly, then added, āItās also a good chance to show them that this so-called āSouth Ye, North Qiā is a joke.ā āSouth Ye, North Qi?ā Ye Fei repeated, puzzled, and asked, āIāve only heard of South Zhang, North Qi.
Whatās this South Ye, North Qi about?ā āHeheā¦ā Zhou Tingting couldnāt help but giggle and cover her mouth.
āThat includes you, too, silly.ā āMe?ā Ye Fei was even more confused.
After Zhou Tingtingās explanation, Ye Fei understood.
It turned out that after he had shown his skills in the capital last time, his name had spread among the capitalās elite.
Almost everyone with the right connections knew about the remarkable young man from the southeast, who had sparked a sense of admiration among many young people, with Zhou Tingting being the most fervent among them.
Where thereās admiration, thereās bound to be rivalry.
The Qi family boy Zhou Bo mentioned was one of them.
He had even come up with this āSouth Ye, North Qiā title, though the version that spread was āNorth Qi, South Ye,ā implying that he ranked ahead of Ye Fei.
Zhou Tingting looked down on this idea.
However, Ye Fei himself didnāt care about it at all.
He knew about Grandpa Qi, who, like General Zhou Shichang, was one of the core figures and ranked even higher than Grandpa Zhou.
It was normal for their grandson to be a bit arrogant.
As long as he didnāt cause trouble, Ye Fei wasnāt interested.
Of course, if he did provoke Ye Fei, even if Grandpa Qi himself intervened, Ye Fei wouldnāt show any respect.
As they were talking, a duty soldier walked in and said to Zhou Tingting, āMiss, Qi Shao has arrived.ā Behind him followed a young man.
The young man, around twenty years old, was quite handsome, but his expression was sour as he stared at Ye Fei and Zhou Tingting, who were talking intimately with their heads almost touching.
He asked in a stern voice, āTingting, who is he?ā Seeing Qi Shilong come in, Zhou Tingting had intended to get up and greet him.
After all, they had grown up together.
Although they disagreed on the matter of Ye Fei, she still considered him a brother.
However, his questioning tone annoyed her, so she stayed seated and said bluntly, āMy childhood sweetheart!ā