The once lively dining table suddenly became subdued, silencing all conversation abruptly.
Even the sounds of serving food and chewing were gone.
The quietness of the scene was a bit frightening.
Niu Changchun wanted to tell himself it was an illusion, an auditory hallucination.
But that haunting voice was so distinctive, there was no way he could have misheard it!
How could this be possible?
How could it be!
How did the other party have that person's contact info?
I have a bracelet too!
"Right, he was one of the first, he went in before me, maybe there were fewer people then and he got more attention, that must be it."
Niu Changchun kept hypnotising himself, but soon, like everyone else, he realized another issue!
"Tao, Brother Tao, is it you who passed the assessment for an intermediate partnership?"
Zhang Lei stammered out the question.
We've been discussing it here for so long, thinking it must be some Inner City scion who made the cut by completing a series of tasks.
You're telling me the person is right here at this table, having dinner?
And showing off like crazy?
Truth be told, although Zhang Lei had kept quiet and appeared all smiles and slick, he couldn't help feeling some disdain when Tao Yu started gobbling down food like he'd never seen food before, he just hadn't shown it.
He thought that even though he hadn't dined here too many times, everyone present was a genius of the same calibre, getting acquainted was more valuable than any of these dishes.
This was too unseemly!
But now, after hearing what that voice had revealed, any previous disdain flew off to the Claw Wasteland Country.
This was having character, not sweating the small stuff!
"Actually, I had a feeling it might be you from the start."
Lin Chao didn't find it too strange; he had his suspicions from the beginning.
Inner City young masters?
Anyway, no one from the Inner City in the new Development Zone has given me the same impression so far.
It was just Lin Chao's nature to not gossip here, when Zhang Wei kept spilling Tao Yu's information in the Rainforest, he was somewhat disapproving.
He later gave Zhang Wei a serious ideological lesson.
Only now did the others recall Lin Chao's polite words and realize it wasn't just politeness!
They were all Grade A talents; how did he manage to do it?!
"Tao Brother, you've become an intermediate partner?"
Zhao Yan's eyes also gleamed, the beautiful Pioneer who had claimed she didn't want to be pregnant at a crucial moment seemed to be somewhat emotionally swayed now.
"Just luck I guess, I had enough points."
Tao Yu suppressed some thoughts that alarmed Lin Chao and didn't pay much attention to this matter; after all, the status of an intermediate partner was meant to avoid some troubles.
The reason he reconsidered some fleeting thoughts was actually related to the tone of Sun Shiyu's words, which were too familiar!
With such a gap in status, if the goodwill was excessive, it might not only bring benefits but could also lead to troubles he couldn't handle.
Actually, the extent of leveraging that he had used before was just right.
It would make others cautious, but not overly so.
I thought it would be about the Meditation Technique again; that would have been a rather formulaic conversation.
But I didn't expect it to be about coming over for casual conversation because of this.
"Uh, if I mentioned the Meditation Technique, I wonder if Niu Changchun would fall apart."
Tao Yu inexplicably thought of Niu Changchun's expression from before.
Fortunately, he had come to understand the speed of information dissemination in this world; even if these people knew, it would mostly spread within a small circle.
Without the various social circles, groups, and almost no telephones of the past life, the speed of spreading news was indeed quite awkward.
"To meet the points requirement for an upgrade to intermediate partner in such a short time, even with point bonuses in the new Development Zone, is quite incredible. It must be at least two or three hundred thousand Yuan Force or even more, unbelievable."
They had never even seen her!
Usually, it was Young Master Sun who addressed the broadcast, so only now did they truly understand what was going on!
This was even more shocking to them than the 'Intermediate Partner' information.
All present were at least Grade A- in talent and could someday reach the rank of an Intermediate Partner, provided they didn't die young.
Being lucky enough to stumble upon an opportunity at a time like this indeed provoked envy.
But it wasn't something they needed to look up to, they could all reach such heights in the future.
But now, a noble from the Floating City was actively seeking them out, which had a completely different significance!
From the tone of it, the two seemed to be quite familiar!
Earlier, Niu Changchun insinuated that the other party shouldn't wave the big flag of a noble, but it turned out they actually had a big flag to wave.
This wasn't just about being 'approachable.'
"Cough, Niu brother was right earlier, we can't just casually use the name of someone important because they are approachable. I don't like it either, so I hope no one spreads rumors," I cautioned the group.
This made the atmosphere somewhat comical.
It started with Niu Changchun orchestrating the gathering, wanting Tao Yu to 'clarify' and not misuse the noble's name.
Now, in turn, it was Tao Yu who was cooling things down and putting out fires.
"We wouldn't dare to gossip."
Zhang Lei also smiled awkwardly at this time, feeling more comfortable speaking to close acquaintances about the 'Intermediate Partner' matter,
But as for noble affairs, whether it's true admiration, fake admiration, contact through missions, or other private matters, they dare not speak recklessly!
Miss Sun was still unmarried, and careless words could be deadly!
As a result of this affair, the meal for the other Outsider geniuses turned truly joyless.
Even if the food had no taste in their mouths, the atmosphere at the table gradually shifted. Initially, the focus was around Niu Changchun as the core, but although they didn't exclude him now, the center of attention completely revolved around Tao Yu.
Zhao Yan's eyes nearly spun around Tao Yu, tossing aside those critical thoughts about not being able to get pregnant at the moment, and she kept fishing for hints.
Eventually, she simply grabbed Zhang Lei and switched places to sit by Tao Yu, even occasionally helping him with his vegetables.
Those nearby didn't even find it strange!
And Tao Yu, who had come to make acquaintances, had no problem mixing with others.
Although as a corporate drone he was well aware of the superficiality behind pleasantries, it didn't stop them from being really pleasant to hear, making the meal enjoyable.
Plus, since they weren't really eating their vegetables, Tao Yu took care of them all while chatting, not wanting to waste food.
The energy-rich blood food made Tao Yu's Qi-Blood exceptionally vigorous.
If it weren't for Sun Shiyu having something to attend to, he would have planned to go home and box to digest the meal.
And just as they had all finished dining, a floating motorboat landed in the courtyard!
What relieved Tao Yu a bit was that there was no one on the motorboat; it must have been sent remotely by Sun Shiyu using the Floating City's signal to come pick him up.
If she had come in person and had me riding behind her, that would have likely caused no small amount of trouble.
"This Miss has some consideration for me, huh... or could it be that she's just lazy?" Tao Yu wondered to himself, but still greeted the somewhat numb others,
"Sorry, folks, got an assignment, have to take off first."
After speaking, he leaped onto the floating motorboat and swiftly departed.
Watching Tao Yu's retreating figure, Zhang Lei's lips twitched as he turned to Lin Chao and said,
"Lin brother, you must be the most familiar with Tao brother here. Who exactly is he?"
The others around perked their ears up, too.
"Who else could he be? An A-grade Dynamic Vision talent, our fellow Pioneer from the same batch," Lin Chao responded meticulously, but a hint of wistfulness couldn't help appearing in his eyes as he looked up.
At the moment the voice of Miss Sun came through the wristband, along with the content spoken, he even momentarily felt a wave of a death threat!
A feeling of inescapable certainty of doom.
Fortunately, it seemed the thought only flickered in her mind without turning into action...
"Staying by his side is really exhausting, don't know why my heart has so many dramas," Lin Chao mused with a hint of helplessness, shaking his head. The nightmares from their time in the Rainforest still haunted him.
Well...
Things got even more severe after today...