Chapter 148: Posturing

At these words, Yu Xiawei suddenly stood up, eyeing Lin Fan with undisguised contempt as she clamored, "Zhang Yichen, is this boss of yours rented? Look everyone, he hasn't even removed the price tag from his suit yet!"

As she spoke, everyone turned their gazes toward Lin Fan. Sure enough, a price tag was clearly visible on the hem of his suit jacket.

Lin Fan paused for a moment, then calmly plucked the tag off and smiled faintly. "I’ve only worn this suit once before; it isn't rented. I’m just not a fan of wearing suits."

The group looked at him with skepticism. If he had really bought it, why hadn't he removed the tag the first time?

Yu Xiawei sneered, "This suit must be expensive, probably a Louis Vuitton, looks like it's worth a hundred thousand! Now that you’ve ripped the tag off, you’ll probably have to pay a few thousand in damages."

Hearing this, the others became even more convinced that Lin Fan was just an actor hired by Zhang Yichen. Lin Fan looked at Yu Xiawei, silently wondering why this woman was so petty. Could there be some bad blood between her and Zhang Yichen?

Yu Xiawei, however, was shrewd. She stopped talking and gave a wink to a tall girl with a high ponytail and a "plastic surgery" influencer face sitting nearby.

The girl immediately threw a jab, "Zhang Yichen, aren't you being a bit too hypocritical? To prove you signed with a big company, you hired an actor to play your boss? He has a decent air about him, looks refined and scholarly, but once he takes off that suit, he’s probably just as much of a bumpkin as that girl in glasses."

The girl in glasses grew agitated. "Qiu Shan! Why are you acting so high and mighty? Just because you’re a fashion blogger doesn't mean you’re worldly! Mr. Lin just doesn't like to socialize. A woman like you isn't even on his radar!"

"You think he cares about you? With your looks, even if you offered yourself as a servant, he wouldn't look twice at you!" Qiu Shan retorted sharply.

A man with a crew cut sitting beside her chimed in, "There are more and more scammers pretending to be rich these days. Everyone, be careful! Especially here in Shanghai, and especially those who call themselves talent scouts or celebrity agents—they’re experts at hoodwinking naive girls... Zhang Yichen, you haven't been swindled out of money or anything else, have you?"

Except for Zhang Yichen and her three friends, everyone else began to look at Lin Fan with strange, judgmental eyes.

Lin Fan looked straight at the man with the crew cut and asked, "Are you an agent, too?"

"Indeed. But I’m a professional. I work at Huayi Media and know plenty of A-list stars, so I can tell at a glance when someone is putting on an act," the man smirked. The implication was clear: Lin Fan was a fraud.

"Huayi, you say?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this guy to be a minor agent at Huayi Media. He had heard from Li Li previously that the artist management departments of large media companies were filled with talent scouts tasked with finding newcomers with potential. The more prominent the agency, the more these agents were fawned over by students from arts schools.

True enough, no sooner had the man spoken than Yu Xiawei began to cozy up to him. "Wow, Mr. Qian, since you know big stars, can you recommend actresses to producers and directors?"

"My boyfriend knows tons of celebrities. Just last week, I was at a party at Tomson Riviera. Guess who I saw? Yu Zheng, the director of *iPartment*, and several other stars! Even the cast from *Keep Running*... I’m preparing to film a web series myself, playing a female doctor. Pretty impressive, right?" Qiu Shan said with her head held high, glowing with excitement.

Yu Xiawei immediately moved to sit next to the crew-cut man, batting her eyelashes and hinting, "Mr. Qian, if there’s a chance, could you introduce me to some big stars? Even a background role as an extra would be fine. I'll treat you to a good time later."

"Easily done, easily done..." the man laughed, clearly enjoying the attention.

Lin Fan watched the two pairs of men and women posturing, feeling unimpressed. He suspected the crew-cut man was a fraud; talent scouts without specific titles couldn't simply recommend artists to directors, and even if they did, there was no guarantee they would be cast.

Meanwhile, the three girls with Zhang Yichen were grumbling about his blunder. "Yichen, wasn't your boss being a bit careless? How could he forget the tag? Now Yu Xiawei is acting all arrogant again. Seeing her so smug really annoys me..."

"He didn't even bring a gift. Could he be a cheapskate? You should have prepped him better. Now look, it's become a joke."

Zhang Yichen had wanted to defend Lin Fan, but with her roommates complaining about his carelessness and Yu Xiawei and Qiu Shan mocking them relentlessly, she was reaching her breaking point.

Just then, two waiters pushed in a trolley with food. Lin Fan suddenly pulled a card from his wallet.

"Waiter, please call the hotel manager to see me. Tell him my name is Lin Fan. I want to upgrade the protagonist of today's event to a large suite upstairs, and I’d also like to provide some gifts—cake, flowers, and red envelopes..."

The waiter stared at him, then at the diamond card in his hand, looking completely stunned.

The man in the T-shirt burst into laughter. "Is this card fake too? Do you really think you're a major shareholder of the Dihao Group? You've been lying for so long you've started believing it yourself."

"Folks, you might not know this, but this is a diamond card unique to the Dihao Group. Only top executives have them. They’re limited to under twenty in existence. Someone once tried to use a forged one here to scam free meals and hundreds of thousands from the manager! I didn't expect to run into such a fool today..." The man in the T-shirt explained with an air of authority, causing the others to look at Lin Fan with renewed suspicion.

Lin Fan remained unperturbed, his expression as calm as a mirror. "What makes you so certain my card is fake?"

The man in the T-shirt sneered and pulled a gold card from his own wallet. "Because I have a gold card from the Dihao Hotel! I’m a distinguished gold member! I happen to know the manager here, so I’ll have him come over to verify whether your card is real or fake. If it’s fake, things are going to get very interesting..."

With that, Yu Xiawei and Qiu Shan resumed their relentless mockery.

"Zhang Yichen, I didn't realize you were so vain. You actually lied about signing with a big company? You probably fell for one of those 'pig-butchering' scams."

"And you even hired an actor to pose as your boss? You’re really something! Once he takes off that suit, isn't he just a bumpkin? He’s as plain as dirt—how did you even fall for him? Your taste is truly twisted."

Zhang Yichen’s face went rigid; Lin Fan could see she was grinding her teeth. The other three girls glared at Lin Fan with disgust.

"Don't worry," Lin Fan said quietly. "Watch how I slap them in the face and win this back for you."

He knew his momentary carelessness had put Zhang Yichen in an embarrassing spot. He decided it was time to stop playing along.