Nobody can stop me from drawing cards in Gotham!

Chapter 92 Silence is golden, but it hides a hidden treasure.

As is well known, Gotham has three special products.

One is a constant stream of criminals, another is Batman, who is responsible for subduing the constant stream of criminals, and the last is Bruce Wayne... and his equally constant parties.

Although Bruce Wayne is a well-known philanthropist, most of his parties are actually charity dinners, and attendees usually have to pay out of their own pockets.

But often, people are happy to sacrifice that little bit of money for Bruce Wayne's sake.

One reason is that no one would pass up the opportunity to befriend the Wayne family heir.

Another reason is that no one would pass up the opportunity to build a positive public image for themselves and their company.

...While it's a bit humorous to talk about a positive image in Gotham, most people who can attend this kind of dinner have careers that extend beyond Gotham.

Of course, there's another small reason why certain groups are happy to raise money for the Wayne dinner... it's Bruce Wayne's face.

What if, I mean, what if?

What if Bruce Wayne, because of your donation, suddenly discovers your beautiful and kind soul, and then Gotham City's most famous playboy invites you to spend the night with him...← This is the beautiful fantasy of some dinner party guests who are not short of money but desperately lack romance, and who seem to have been spamming the #BruceWayne tag on Pingo too much.

Speaking of which, there's actually a rather interesting story about Wayne's dinner party.

That is, sometimes, for the sake of charity, even the kind-hearted Lord Wayne might not hesitate to sell his... right to a one-night stand.

The person who donates the most money at that dinner will be very fortunate to receive this opportunity.

According to a report by Gotham Daily reporter Vicki Weir, that night, the ladies of high society were throwing money around like madwomen, each displaying the ferocity of a Wall Street battle, determined to win over Bruce Wayne, who was watching from the stands, completely bewildered by their extravagant spending. (Note)

Okay, let's get back to the main topic.

In short, Wayne's dinner in Gotham is a combination of luxury, celebrity, and a whole host of other related terms.

……

Time flies since the night of the Iceberg Club incident.

That night, at a hotel owned by the Wayne Group.

Wearing the guise of "Landon Parrels," Jaeger was placing a check for a donation of twenty million dollars onto a waiter's plate, while pretending to ignore the waiter's and the stares of those around him.

"Wait, could that be the chairman of the Parelers Group...?"

"So this person really exists? Weren't they saying they'd never seen him in person?"

"I remember there was a claim that Langdon Parrels didn't actually exist, that those photos were all photoshopped, and that the real chairman of the Parrels Group was someone else..."

"No, I remember hearing a different version. Actually, Langdon Parrels is dead, and what's standing there now is an unknown ghost possessing him..."

Because of the toxic fog's sensing mist, Jaeger could clearly hear the whispers around him: "..."

It turns out that Langdon Parrels, because he was always nowhere to be seen, had become a unique and eerie legend in Gotham's high society.

However, Jaeger does agree with someone's view that Langdon is not actually the chairman.

A true chairman should be someone who diligently and multitasks every day, like a toxic fog, managing the company with unwavering focus...

Tears.

However, the money was donated, and the rumors that Langdon Parrels was neither a ghost nor had he secretly died somewhere were dispelled with his appearance.

Jaeger looked around, then abruptly stood up and left the table.

Although Langdon rejected social interaction, sometimes, these are things you can't simply not have just because you don't want them.

There will always be people who, coveting Parrels Industries' technology or the potential of social platforms like Pingo, want to dig out this reclusive mushroom from the shadows and discuss cooperation...

So, to avoid a similar situation from happening, he made a hasty retreat.

……

But others were unaware of Jaeger's thoughts.

So, in their eyes, Langdon Parrells, who already had a face that said "I'll die if you come near me" and whose table no one dared to sit at, suddenly stood up after donating the money.

"Sir, are you...?" the waiter asked, "Are you leaving? But after the fundraising session, there are other people speaking..."

"..." Langdon silently watched the waiter.

The waiter, facing those calm, deep blue eyes, suddenly felt a chill and deeply regretted his loose tongue—

No, Parrels never lingers in social situations; it's a miracle he even shows up. Why are you talking about him?

What if I anger this weird, socially awkward, rich guy?

Fortunately, at that moment, a voice came from behind the waiter, relieving the waiter, who was staring at Langdon in silence with a cold sweat trickling down his forehead:

"You must be the legendary Langdon Parrels, right? I've heard so much about you. Don't rush off after you've donated your money; how about we chat?"

That sound...

It's Bruce Wayne!

The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped back.

Bruce Wayne, who appeared out of nowhere and exuding an aura of wealth, was holding a wine glass that appeared to be filled with champagne in one hand. He gave Langdon a very ostentatious smile and said, "Bruce Wayne, you can just call me Bruce."

Langdon finally abandoned his deadpan gaze that kept everyone at arm's length and looked directly at Bruce.

But his gaze lingered strangely for a moment when it passed over the cup in Bruce's hand.

This made Bruce instinctively alert.

After all, Bruce usually doesn't drink alcohol in order to stay sober. The alcohol in his hand is either just for show or a non-alcoholic beverage that he has secretly substituted.

Fortunately, Langdon had already looked away and turned back to Bruce, managing to squeeze out a greeting, "Hello."

"..." Bruce looked at him.

"..." Langdon looked at Bruce.

Huh? That's it? Bruce thought.

He was used to the long, roundabout social conversations in social situations, so he was a little unaccustomed to Langdon's way of speaking.

However… Bruce sized up the young tycoon opposite him, whom he was also meeting for the first time, and knew that the man was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

After all, although the Parrels Group is low-key, its industrial technology and forward-thinking vision in building social platforms are not something that an ordinary person could control behind the scenes.

Moreover, this Langdon Parrells seems to have some connection with Jaeger Winchester.

Thinking of this, Bruce, seeing that the other party didn't seem inclined to speak, took the initiative to start a conversation: "Speaking of which, Langdon... may I call you Langdon? You seem to know Jaeger Winchester as well?"

At the same time, Bruce casually put his arm around the other person's shoulder and led them away from the dining area where countless people were secretly watching their conversation.

After all, Bruce and Langdon are two extremes in terms of social interaction, and given their high profile, it's natural that many people will pay attention to them.

It wouldn't be good if they heard anything about Jaeger Winchester.

Although Langdon remained silent, he clearly understood the deeper meaning behind Bruce's actions and obediently followed him.

Only when they reached a secluded spot did he suddenly speak, "Hmm."

"Huh?" Bruce didn't know why Langdon hummed, and after a pause, he realized that Langdon was answering his previous question.

This means that he did indeed know Jaeger Winchester.

However, Bruce was somewhat speechless due to this concise way of speaking.

So this is how he talks... Could this be the real reason he's socially awkward?!