Chapter 2: Into Long Aotian’s World, Day 2

Chapter 2: The Second Day of Transmigrating into a Cold and Arrogant Protagonist

In a cheerful mood, the afternoon slowly passed as he organized his memories.

Around 5:30, a knock sounded from outside the office.

An Yi straightened up, straightened his lapels, and said, "Come in."

A young man walked in. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, an immaculate blue suit, and a slight smile on his face.

Oh, this was the original owner's... his executive assistant, Li Xuan.

Li Xuan stopped in front of his desk and said, "Chairman An, the itinerary is ready. We can set off."

An Yi then remembered that he had to attend a banquet tonight.

Earlier, he had ordered a dinner reservation—he wanted to eat first, since he’d never get enough to eat at the banquet.

The banquet was for a business partner's birthday. His parents were currently abroad, so naturally he would represent the An family.

With that thought, An Yi nodded. "Let's go." He stood up, resuming the demeanor of Chairman An.

Just like when he arrived, Lin He was driving, and Li Xuan sat in the passenger seat briefing him on work matters.

Soon, they arrived at a high-end Western restaurant.

As a "country bumpkin," An Yi had never been exposed to such things. Fortunately, the original owner was a fan of Western food, so An Yi relied on the residual "muscle memory" of his body to get through the dinner without a hitch.

To be honest, he thought it wasn't very tasty. He felt that those beautifully plated dishes were far less fulfilling than a steaming bowl of beef noodles.

Not that it was bad—maybe it was just a matter of personal taste.

When he went to the changing room to put on the banquet suit, he casually instructed Li Xuan, "From now on, switch to Chinese cuisine."

Li Xuan didn't ask why, simply replying, "Yes."

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At 7:30 PM, the stretch limousine glided into the hotel’s radiant glow.

An Yi arrived outside the banquet venue.

Lin He drove off without a word to the parking lot, while Li Xuan, carrying an elegantly wrapped gift, followed close behind An Yi into the brightly lit banquet hall.

After handing the gift to the gift recipient, An Yi put on an impeccable smile and stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with the birthday celebrant.

According to his memory, the birthday celebrant was named Dugu Ting.

An Yi narrowed his eyes. The surname Dugu sounded quite extraordinary!!

Dugu Ting was celebrating his 60th birthday today, looking spry and radiant, as if he could go another sixty years.

Impressive.

An Yi smiled and greeted him, "Uncle Dugu, many happy returns! May your fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea and your vitality as enduring as the sun and moon. You look even more radiant than ever!"

Dugu Ting laughed heartily and patted An Yi on the shoulder. "Xiao Yi! You're here!"

Then came a string of familiar, elder-to-rising-youngster praises, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere where both host and guests were delighted.

The An and Dugu families had only a superficial relationship, but in public, they acted quite close.

After chatting with Dugu Ting for a while, An Yi yielded his spot to others who came forward to exchange pleasantries.

As soon as he left the center of the banquet, a swarm of people eager to cozy up to him surged forward.

All sorts of people flocked to him like bees to honey.

An Yi maintained the practiced smile of a seasoned socialite and kept chatting and mingling with those around him.

Just then, an arm landed on his shoulder with a familiar, flippant touch.

An Yi turned to look and saw a shock of flamboyant blonde hair and a young male face that screamed "playboy."

The others, seeing this, tactfully excused themselves, leaving them to talk in private.

An Yi glanced at the man, and his mind immediately supplied the identity of the person in front of him.

This man was, in a sense, the original owner's childhood friend and rascal buddy. They had grown up together, and his family also ran a business. His name was Huang Chan.

Huang Chan wasn't exactly a good person, but he was still quite competent and held his ground within the Huang family.

Of course, that was mainly because his father was quite formidable.

Although Huang Chan wasn't a good person, he was only a small-time troublemaker.

The original owner had a great relationship with him—not just surface-level brothers, but truly closer than blood brothers.

Huang Chan draped himself over An Yi like a boneless figure, grumbling, his breath smelling of alcohol, "You’re finally here! I've been bored out of my mind! Listening to all that roundabout nonsense, my ears would grow calluses!"

"I came on time," An Yi said, pushing Huang Chan, who was leaning on his shoulder, away. "You've heard this for over twenty years. Haven't you gotten used to it?"

"This kind of thing? I'll never get used to it! Don't you know me? I'm a man who loves his freedom." Huang Chan straightened up slowly with An Yi's push.

Then, as if remembering something, a mischievous gleam lit up his eyes, and he leaned in close to An Yi's ear, whispering conspiratorially, "But today's banquet is pretty interesting, though."

An Yi brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Interesting? First time I’ve heard you describe a banquet that way."

Huang Chan waggled his finger with a knowing air. "That's because you don't know."

"Today, Dugu Yuan and Yang Sisi are both here!!"

"There’s gonna be some drama!"

An Yi: ...

A jolt went through his heart.

Dugu Yuan??

That name... It’s like

Neither his family members, nor the servants of the Du family, nor anyone else around him paid any attention to him, and they bullied him whenever they had the chance.

He was like a poor little weed in the field, utterly pitiful.

An Yi had a bad feeling about this.

Such a name, such a setup—it just screams ominous vibes no matter how you look at it.

I mean, not to mention, in a prestigious family like the Du family, even if Du Guyuan isn't valued, how could he end up getting bullied by everyone?!

And Yang Sisi...

isn't she, like, his damn fiancée?!

And that woman's always had her nose in the air, treating him like dirt!

This name combo, this character setup—it's totally familiar!