C3 Ivy Pavilion

Upon reaching the second floor, Chen Mengyu's anger boiled over at the sight of Chu Fann unashamedly trailing behind them.

"Scum, what are you doing following us? Scram!"

"Is this your house?" Chu Fann's expression chilled.

"You..." Chen Mengyu fumed.

"Babe, don't bother with him. Let's head to the third floor. We'll see if he dares to follow," Guo Chao said with a sneer, pulling Chen Mengyu away.

At the entrance between the second and third floors, there was a card-swipe area, accessible only to Ivy Pavilion members.

Guo Chao approached the card reader, pulled out a gold card from his pocket, and swiped it.

"Beep. Gold card!"

Access granted.

But Guo Chao lingered, pointing at Chu Fann, he warned the security guard.

"The guy behind us is a stranger. If he claims to know us and tries to sneak in, kick him out."

"Understood, Mr. Guo," the security guard affirmed, eyeing Chu Fann with suspicion.

"Come on, darling," Guo Chao said with a slight smile, wrapping his arm around Chen Mengyu's slender waist. He was confident that Chu Fann, that worthless trash, couldn't compete with him.

Once they ascended to the third floor, Chu Fann casually made his way to the card area.

"Sir, please swipe your card," the security guard demanded, his tone brusque.

Without a word, Chu Fann pulled out a freshly minted diamond card and swiped it.

"Beep, diamond card!"

A diamond card?!

The security guard's eyes bulged in astonishment.

In an instant, his demeanor shifted to obsequiousness. "Right this way, Mr. Chu."

Chu Fann just shook his head and chuckled, at a loss for words at the guard's blatant opportunism.

Upon reaching the third floor, Chu Fann encountered Chen Mengyu and Guo Chao once more.

They both scowled upon seeing him.

"Did you beg that guard to let you in, you loser?" Chen Mengyu spat venomously, glaring at Chu Fann.

Chu Fann chuckled, opting not to waste his breath explaining to Chen Mengyu. It wouldn't have made a difference; she wouldn't have believed him and would likely think he was just bragging.

Silence from Chu Fann led Mengyu to believe he was conceding.

"Chu Fann, you have no shame!" she spat venomously.

After her bitter rebuke, Mengyu turned to Guo Chao and said, "Mr. Guo, let's head to the fourth floor."

"Alright," Guo Chao agreed, then glared at Chu Fann with a menacing look. "Chu Fann, if you even think about following us again, I'll break your legs!"

Without waiting for a response, Guo Chao strode toward the card access area that led to the fourth floor. He gestured to the security guard to keep an eye on Chu Fann and prevent him from going upstairs. Determined to ensure compliance, Guo Chao even took note of the guard's badge number, threatening to file a complaint for dereliction of duty if Chu Fann was allowed upstairs. The guard nodded hastily in agreement.

From the sidelines, Chu Fann watched the scene unfold with a faint smirk of derision. Guo Chao was a fool, his pettiness on full display.

After a brief stroll on the third floor and finding nothing noteworthy, Chu Fann approached the card access area. Once his diamond VIP card was swiped, the security guard became obsequious, escorting Chu Fann to the fourth floor while internally cursing Guo Chao's ignorance for nearly offending a true VIP.

In the world of memberships, diamond outshone gold by far; they weren't even in the same league.

True to the adage about enemies crossing paths, Chu Fann encountered Guo Chao and Mengyu in the calligraphy section as soon as he reached the fourth floor. Their eyes locked onto him immediately, a mix of shock and anger washing over their faces.

Mengyu, clacking rapidly on her high heels, confronted Chu Fann within moments, her words laced with fury. "You imbecile, can't you fucking understand plain English?!"

"Chen Mengyu, this isn't your home, is it?" Chu Fann's temper flared. Chen Mengyu was such a fool, always assuming he was trailing behind her.

"How dare you talk back to me!"

Fuming with rage, Chen Mengyu raised her hand, poised to deliver a slap to Chu Fann.

But before her hand could descend, Chu Fann caught it with an icy grip.

"Don't push your luck, Chen Mengyu!"

Chu Fann's voice was icy. His patience with Chen Mengyu wasn't due to fear, but out of respect for her status as his fiancée. Yet, she mistook his restraint for weakness.

Chen Mengyu's brazenness escalated in his presence. Initially, she would just hurl insults when displeased. Later, any slight mistake would earn him a slap or a kick from her.

Her audacity knew no bounds!

"You dare to retaliate?!" Chen Mengyu's eyes bulged in disbelief, as if Chu Fann's resistance was inconceivable.

"Why shouldn't I?" retorted Chu Fann, his expression frosty.

His words were the spark that set Chen Mengyu's temper ablaze.

Enraged, she let out a shriek, aiming a vicious kick at Chu Fann's lower body—a kick that could leave him writhing in agony.

Chu Fann, however, merely scoffed and, without a shred of courtesy, slapped Chen Mengyu across the face.

The crisp sound echoed through the hall as Chen Mengyu toppled to the ground, her pale, delicate face marked by five crimson handprints.

"Chu Fann! What the hell are you doing?!"

Witnessing the scene, Guo Chao's eyes seethed with fury. Chu Fann had the audacity to strike his woman right in front of him—it was a direct insult.

Seething, Guo Chao breathed heavily like an enraged bull, yet the sight of Chu Fann's imposing figure gave him pause.

"No fighting allowed!"

Just then, the security team from Ivy Pavilion arrived, alerted by the commotion.

"What are you all even paid for?! Why are you just getting here now?!" Guo Chao barked at the security guards as they arrived.

"I apologize, sir. We've failed in our duties," the security guard hastily bowed and offered his apologies.

"Failed in your duties? And that's supposed to be the end of it?"

Guo Chao was relentless, jabbing a finger at Chu Fann's nose as he berated, "This loser doesn't have a membership card. Why did you let him through?"

"No membership card?" The security guards paled at the thought. If Chu Fann had indeed slipped in without a membership card, it was a grave oversight on their part.

"Sir, could there be some sort of misunderstanding?" Manager Wu, the head of security, said as he mopped the sweat from his brow.

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding!"

Guo Chao was beside himself with rage, pointing at Chu Fann, "This nobody is just a delivery guy. He's been tailing us since we set foot in the Ivy Pavilion, plotting something against us."

"I explicitly told your security not to admit him, but those two morons completely disregarded my instructions!"

"And now you're suggesting this is a misunderstanding?!"

Guo Chao was on the verge of losing his mind with fury. He had never felt so humiliated.

"Please accept our deepest apologies, sir. If the situation is as you've described, we at the Ivy Pavilion will certainly make it right," Manager Wu bowed once more in apology.

Each member of the Ivy Pavilion was a person of wealth and status; mishandling this situation could seriously tarnish the establishment's reputation.

Manager Wu's eyes then turned to Chu Fann, and upon taking in his attire, his face grew stern.

"Sir, may I see your membership card, please?" Manager Wu asked in a grave tone, ready to reprimand Chu Fann if he had indeed trespassed.

"Certainly."

Chu Fann passed his card to Manager Wu without a trace of emotion.

Manager Wu glanced at the card and did a double-take.

The pattern on Chu Fann's membership card was that of a diamond, causing Manager Wu's pupils to shrink and his hand to shake, nearly dropping the card.

A diamond card!

How could this be?!

That was the hallmark of the ultra-wealthy.

"Is there an issue?" Chu Fann inquired, noticing Manager Wu's silence and furrowing his brow.

"No issue at all, sir. Your membership card checks out," Manager Wu quickly stammered, returning the card to Chu Fann with both hands, his manner reverent.

"What?! No problem?!"

"That's impossible!"

Chen Mengyu let out a piercing scream, her face etched with disbelief. "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?!"

"How on earth could this nobody possess a member card from the Ivy Pavilion!"

"He's just a delivery guy. His annual salary doesn't even hit 100,000 yuan. How could he possibly qualify for an Ivy Pavilion membership card?"

Chen Mengyu failed to notice the tier of the membership card in Fann's hand. She assumed Chu Fann's card was a silver one, just like hers.

"Miss, I assure you, there's no mistake. The card this gentleman holds is indeed a diamond membership card from our Ivy Pavilion." Manager Wu's brow furrowed. After a decade at the Ivy Pavilion, he was not about to misidentify a membership card.

"What did you say? A diamond membership card?"

Chen Mengyu was flabbergasted once more.

Manager Wu gave a confirming nod. "Yes, it's a diamond membership card, no doubt about it."

"You still insist you're not wrong?" Chen Mengyu scoffed.

"Do you even know who this 'trash' really is?!"

"A home-son-in-law!"

"He's the Chen family's home-son-in-law!"