When Jeffrey mentioned his son’s annual salary, he raised his voice, wanting his old classmates to know he had a successful son. This immediately shifted the conversation among the group.
“Jeffrey, you’re so lucky to have a son like Michael. Unlike my worthless kid, who still hasn’t passed the civil service exam.”
“Jeffrey, my daughter is coming back from studying abroad soon. Your son, Michael, isn’t married yet, right? How about we consider a match between our families?”
“Among all our classmates, Jeffrey, you’re the one I envy the most. Your son is a young executive in a publicly-traded company. His future prospects are limitless.”
These classmates of Jeffrey were savvy individuals who didn’t hesitate to flatter those with power and influence. In this day and age, you never knew when you might need someone’s help.
“Michael, do you remember me? I’ve watched you grow up. Is your company hiring? Can you get my son a job there?”
“Michael, back when you were in school, I had the best relationship with your dad. My son may not be outstanding, but he knows a bit about computers. Do you have any job openings related to that at your company?”
The flattering requests from the classmates made Michael feel quite pleased. He smiled and replied, “Uncles, I’m planning to change my job. Once things settle down, I’ll do my best to help you if there’s an opportunity.”
Michael’s words left everyone momentarily surprised.
“Michael, we heard you’re already a high-earning executive. Your salary is quite high. Why do you want to change?”
“My current salary isn’t quite satisfactory. I’m planning to join Azure Financial. Do you guys know that Azure Financial is a subsidiary of which company?”
“I know! Azure Cloud Group dominates in Langstel. Even nationwide, it’s a top-ten entity.”
“Michael, if you work at Azure Financial, you’ll essentially become part of Azure Cloud Group. The future prospects… are beyond imagination.”
Jeffrey was also taken aback by Michael’s revelation. He asked, “Michael, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Dad, it’s just changing jobs. I wanted to confirm everything before telling you. I want to earn more money for your retirement,” Michael said with a smile.
The conversation between father and son from the Hewlett family made their classmates envy them even more.
As they were about to praise Michael again, a luxurious tour bus arrived. A person stepped out, explaining that they were here to pick them up to view the houses and inviting them to board the bus.
This left Jeffrey puzzled. Why did Martin arrange for such a luxurious bus to pick them up? It seemed like Martin’s house was quite remarkable.
Jeffrey started to worry. What if Martin’s house turned out to be better than his own? He didn’t want to lose face in front of his old classmates.
Michael’s expression also grew more serious, and he whispered to Jeffrey, “Dad, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Martin’s house is just better than ours,” Jeffrey replied, trying to reassure himself.
Michael firmly shook his head, his confidence shining through. “Dad, that’s impossible. At most, their house will be similar to ours. The villa I bought for you is already top-notch in Langstel. Unless they bought a Cloud Dream Mountain villa!”
Michael’s words eased Jeffrey’s concerns. He knew that Martin couldn’t possibly afford a Cloud Dream Mountain villa, so he felt relieved that he wouldn’t lose face today.
Meanwhile, in another luxurious bus, the Henley family’s relatives were engaged in animated discussions filled with curiosity.
“Sean, do you know where Martin’s new house is? Why is there such a high-end bus to pick us up? It seems quite upscale.”
“They must have bought an even better villa. It looks like Sophia has been making good money from her company. I heard that the first batch of products from Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company has already been delivered, and it’s selling really well. No wonder the profits are so substantial.”
“No, we can’t let Sophia have all the profits. We need to figure out a way.”
Bruno sat silently in the bus with a serious expression. He had a strong sense of foreboding.
Among the second-generation wealthy individuals he knew, one lived in the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area. During a drinking session, that person had boasted that if more than five relatives and friends wanted to enter the villa area, they had to inform the property management in advance. Then, a dedicated vehicle would pick them up to avoid traffic congestion caused by private cars in the villa area.
Bruno knew that this rule applied only to the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area.
Now, heading to see Sophia’s new house, they were receiving the same treatment. It made Bruno suspicious.
“Is this the road to the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area, driver? Did you make a mistake?” one of the Henley family relatives cautiously inquired.
The bus driver responded with a nonchalant tone, “We were originally heading to the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
Upon hearing the driver’s words, the entire bus fell into silence.
They were left dumbfounded, their faces displaying expressions of shock.
Going to the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area?
Sophia’s new home couldn’t possibly be located there!
“Driver, we must be going to the wrong place, right? Could you have picked up the wrong passengers?” one of the relatives from the Henley family cautiously suggested, lacking confidence in his own statement.
To their surprise, the driver slammed on the brakes once more, causing several passengers who hadn’t fastened their seatbelts to collide with the seatbacks, emitting a series of “ouches.”
The driver’s face showed signs of fear, and he shouted, “Did I pick up the wrong people? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Today’s task had been personally assigned by the head of the property management department, and there was absolutely no room for error. If a blunder were to occur, there was no chance of remaining a full-time driver within the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area.
Hearing the driver’s frantic yelling, inexplicably, a sense of relief washed over the passengers.
One of the people on the bus challenged the driver, “The steering wheel is in your hands. Shouldn’t you know who you’re picking up?”
Still shaken from his fear, the driver erupted, “Shut your damn mouth! Who the hell are you people, and what are you doing on my bus?”
The driver was from the property management company under Azure Cloud Group, and he didn’t seem to hold these passengers, who didn’t look like they belonged to top-tier families, in high regard.
Right now, the most important thing was to figure out whether he had picked up the right passengers or not. If he had made a mistake, it was already too late to turn back now.