My Manor

"Oh my God, why are all these cars...?" Qi Li pointed at the parking lot outside, disbelief written all over her face.

Had she not known in advance that this was a top-tier cocktail party, she might have thought it was the birthday celebration of some small-town entrepreneur.

At that moment, nearly all the cars in the parking lot were priced below 500,000 yuan.

Looking around, she noticed that nearly 70% of the cars were Audi A6s, each with 18-inch wheels, and not a single one was a 2.0 model.

The cheapest among them cost 410,000 yuan, with the most expensive at 460,000 yuan.

In addition, most of the cars were Japanese brands, with a few Cadillacs and other American models, along with some domestic brands like Volvo and Infiniti. There were no SUVs, no Jeeps, and certainly no cars worth more than 100,000 yuan. Nearly all the vehicles ranged from 200,000 to 400,000 yuan.

The parking situation looked more like the scene at a small-town millionaire's birthday party than a cocktail event.

Qi Li, confused, couldn't understand what was going on.

She didn't doubt that the owners of these cars had money, but what was the point of driving such vehicles? Did the local tycoons in the Middle East not like luxury cars? Seeing her puzzled expression, Jiang Hai smiled. He didn't have all the answers either. It was Du Famen who had explained this to him over the phone. The reason for the cars wasn't that Du Famen didn't like luxury vehicles.

Rather, the primary guests of this cocktail party were different.

As mentioned earlier, most of the invitees were well-known officials from the political world in the capital, alongside top businessmen.

The officials were the main guests, while the businessmen were merely accompanying them. Given the current political landscape, what kinds of cars did these officials drive? If the car was too cheap, they would be considered pretentious; if it was too luxurious, it would raise suspicion and invite investigation.

Hence, cars priced between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan were the norm, and these vehicles were mostly official cars.

Of course, using public vehicles for private purposes was tightly regulated, but when a government vehicle aged after a year of use and needed replacement, the older vehicle was often "handled" to the original government official at a deeply discounted price.

This was an unspoken rule that the government turned a blind eye to. As long as it wasn't blatant, no one would care. After all, for these officials, the amount of money involved was trivial.

Because the officials were the main guests and drove cars of this standard, businessmen couldn't arrive in vehicles worth eight or ten million yuan. While it was obvious they had money, flaunting it was frowned upon. Who were they trying to impress? Were they trying to insult anyone? Did they want to continue doing business once the event ended? If they acted too arrogantly, others might refuse to deal with them.

Thus, businessmen were very careful in such environments. Their cars couldn't be too flashy, but they also couldn't be too cheap. If they appeared too poor, the officials would take notice and it would be seen as a loss of face. Therefore, they were forced to drive cars that were equal to those of the officials, which was tacitly accepted.

Qi Li had never been part of such an elite gathering, so she was understandably confused.

With guidance from a security guard, Jiang Hai drove to the designated parking area. Du Famen seemed particularly interested in him, because while others were unaware, Du Famen knew that Jiang Hai still had his 400 million US dollars invested in oil futures.

So, Du Famen didn't wait for Jiang Hai. He parked his car in the middle of the second row of the lot.

As he parked, two Ford Tauruses pulled in from the distance, parking further away at the end of the row. When the cars stopped, a man in his thirties and his female companion stepped out of the first car, while three men got out of the second one. Jiang Hai recognized the three men immediately, and Qi Li was even more familiar with them. They were members of the An family.

The moment they got out of the car, their eyes met Jiang Hai's.

In that instant, Jiang Hai clenched his fists, exuding a cold, murderous intent, but Qi Li restrained him.

"It's not the right time yet." Qi Li's words calmed him, and he took a deep breath, knowing Azarina would help him resolve the situation.

He didn't say anything more, instead walking directly into the villa with Qi Li.

When the three members of the An family saw Jiang Hai and Qi Li, their hostility only intensified. They were particularly upset when they noticed Jiang Hai had parked in the second row. They couldn't stand seeing him climb the social ladder.

"Let's go. Don't say anything once we're inside. If our family didn't owe you a favor, would you even be invited?" The man leading the group spoke coldly, glancing at the An family members with visible disdain before walking in with his female companion.

Although the three An family members felt slighted, especially An Dexun, they had no choice but to smile and nod before following the man into the villa.

While the villa appeared modest from the outside, stepping inside was like entering another world. After passing through security, Jiang Hai and Qi Li were greeted by a vast hall, around 5,000 square meters in size.

A long table in the center was filled with fruits and cold dishes, while various foods were stationed in the four corners. One corner featured a bar with three bartenders mixing drinks, setting the perfect atmosphere for the event.

Another corner had a chef grilling skewers—an obvious nod to the Arab region's love for barbecue, something only those from the New Province could truly appreciate. Several Arab chefs were grilling kebabs, while many young guests gathered around to enjoy the food. In the remaining corners, one featured a chef baking cakes and bread, while the other prepared teppanyaki. Du Famen's cocktail party was clearly more than just a drinking affair; he seemed to take food as seriously as the drinks.

As Qi Li entered the hall, she was overwhelmed by the sights. Nearly a hundred people had gathered, both men and women, some chatting in groups while others were sampling the food.

Many appeared to be in their forties or fifties, and while Qi Li felt they looked familiar, she was sure she didn't know them personally. The only explanation was that she had likely seen them on TV before.

Among the crowd were a number of individuals she had only heard of—top tycoons from the capital's business circle.

Though no one particularly famous was present, the net worth of these people was undoubtedly more than 20 billion. While that wasn't far from Qi Li's own family wealth, it wasn't all hers—much of it belonged to her mother and two sisters. In reality, a net worth of 10 billion was just a starting point among these super-rich individuals. Only those with over 100 million were considered second-rate. To be considered a part of the upper echelons, one needed to have assets exceeding 2 billion, or even 3 billion.

Normally, people in this group would be the stars of any cocktail party Qi Li could attend, but tonight, they were merely background figures.

"Hey? Niece Qi, what are you doing here?" Just as Qi Li was taking in the scene, a familiar voice broke through the crowd. Turning, she saw an older man in his fifties, nearly sixty, with a slight bald patch and a beer belly. He looked surprised but pleased to see her.

"Hey! Uncle Zhou, you're here too. Let me introduce you—this is my husband, Jiang Hai, and this is Uncle Zhou, Zhou Yu, the current director of the Ministry of Land and Resources." Qi Li smiled warmly, gesturing to the middle-aged man as she made the introduction.

Jiang Hai had actually heard of this person, not from Qi Li but from her mother. Zhou Yu was an important ally of the Qi family in the capital, having come from the military and owing much of his success to Qi Li's father. After Qi Li's father saved his life, Zhou Yu had aligned himself with the Qi family, helping them build their influence. Without him, the Qi family might not have survived the loss of Qi Li's father.

Jiang Hai also knew that Zhou Yu had once hoped his son would marry Qi Li, but with Jiang Hai in the picture, that plan never materialized.

"Your husband? Oh, hello. I've heard of you. Niece Qi is a good person; you should treat her well." Zhou Yu smiled warmly, extending his hand to Jiang Hai.

"Uh, definitely," Jiang Hai replied awkwardly. What else could he say? Of course, he had to pretend to be a good husband at this moment, even if it was all just an act.

"Dad, you're here! Xiaoli, you came too? I was going to call you and invite you, but my dad said he was worried you wouldn't be comfortable, so I didn't." As they shook hands, another voice came from behind them. A younger man who resembled Zhou Yu, but with a much more striking appearance, walked up holding two glasses of mixed drinks.

This man, standing over 1.8 meters tall with a well-built physique, drew attention from everyone in the room. He wore a formal suit, his eyes bright and body exuding strength. His presence commanded attention as he walked toward Qi Li, his gaze immediately locking onto her.