At once, everyone could sense Yang Chunlei’s disregard toward the new leader of Tongcheng City. Li Shuangren, who was standing at the side, grew exhilarated while watching the scene.
Then, a flash of light blinked across Lin Huai’s eyes. Was he supposed to teach him a lesson?
Since he was one of the kings now, he needed to don the intimidation a king should possess. Although the man in front of him was of the old school era—unlike himself who was fairly fresh—he wouldn’t back down from any confrontation. After all, numerous figures of power were witnessing their exchange, so if he were to compromise in such a situation, he would never be able to make a name and stand up for himself.
Thereupon, he let out a cold laugh and gave Yang Chunlei a condescending stare. He calmly said in a subtly provocative tone, “Since we’re all on the same path, there’s no need to pretend to be clueless and act like I’ve betrayed the boss, is there? Besides, t
When Hou Junji walked over, every single person regardless of their position courteously greeted him by saying, “Mr. Hou.”“Mr. Hou.”Even the face of the mighty Public Security Bureau’s director was full of respect.In response to the greetings, Hou Junji simply smiled and nodded his head. He seemed amicable, and not a trace of boastfulness was to be found. However, the intimidation that came from the 70-year-old man disallowed anyone to underestimate him.When these few men arrived at the table of leaders, Hou Junji sat down while the eyes of the middle-aged man fell upon Lin Huai. He gave a broad smile and said, “Nice to meet you, Lin Huai. I’m Hou Yangsheng, and this is my son Hou Liang.”Naturally, Lin Huai didn’t dare to flaunt his ego when facing members of the Hou Family, so he sprung up from his seat to shake Hou Yangsheng’s hand before responding, “You’re indeed one of the finest, Mr. Hou. Old Master H
While Hou Yangsheng was giving a grateful speech on the stage, the lackeys on their respective tables were all out with their obsequiousness. At the end of his speech, he suggested a toast before everyone wished Old Master Hou a happy birthday, and that was basically it for the official procedure.When everyone had only started dining for a few minutes, Hua Manjiang stood up and said apologetically, “There’s a conference I need to attend, Old Master, and I might have to excuse myself first.”As Hou Junji was about to grab his walking stick and shakily get up to see him off, Hua Manjiang hastily stated, “Please remain seated, Old Master. I’ll visit you again when I have the time.”“All right.” As he looked at him, Hou Junji then said, “I’m already 70 years old now, and it’s only a matter of time until I lose my ability to walk, eat, and sleep. By then, I hope you can take care of my successors for me, Deputy Mayor…”For some
After returning to Wei Manor, Lin Huai found Wei Sihai in the study room. Seeing Lin Huai walk in, Wei Sihai smiled. “Come and take a seat. I’m surprised that you actually know Deputy Mayor Hua’s daughter too.”Lin Huai replied awkwardly, “We are just friends. Nothing is going on between us.”“Sure. I know there’s nothing between you and Li Liner too. It’s normal for a man to have various connections out there. I’ve never questioned you about Li Liner and Liu Meiqi because they don’t pose a threat to my daughter. However, that isn’t the case for Hua Shiting. Be honest with me—what’s the relationship between you and Hua Shiting? Who do you plan to choose?”Only then did Lin Huai understand—Wei Sihai must have thought that the family background of the other girls was mediocre, so he wouldn’t choose them. However, Hua Shiting’s family was even more outstanding than the Wei Family, so Wei Sihai couldn’t turn a blind eye to the situation anym
After the conversation with Wei Sihai, Lin Huai could roughly picture the situation in Tongcheng City. Although it sounded complicated, it was actually quite easy to understand. Currently, the situation in Tongcheng City had merely reached a stalemate.Following that, Lin Huai decided to ask about the crimes that the Hou Family committed over the years. Since the Hou Family used to be an underground force, it shouldn’t matter anymore since they had reduced their wrongdoings in recent years. After all, they were able to clear their names after dominating the underground forces for so many years, and this showed their capability. Therefore, it should be fine as long as they didn’t pose a threat to society in the future.However, after listening to Wei Sihai’s explanation about the Hou Family’s history, Lin Huai realized that the truth was more complicated than it seemed. The way the Hou Family cleared their family name wasn’t legitimate at all—even the
After Wei Sihai and Wei Qimian had a long talk, she roughly had a good understanding of the current situation. Nonetheless, she still couldn’t help but worry as she now knew that her boyfriend would be going up against someone that even the deputy mayor couldn’t confidently win against. “Dad, if the Hou Family is so powerful, can Brother Huai really defeat them? After all, he’s not much older than I am.”Upon hearing that, Wei Sihai sighed before replying, “It indeed is a challenge for him. Nevertheless, he seemed to be undefeatable ever since he joined Yulan College. Not to mention, he had been thriving in the underground scene. Do you see him as a nineteen-year-old boy? To be frank, I’ve never seen a boy quite like Lin Huai despite all the years I’ve lived. He’s so mature and determined. I dare say that he’s stronger than some who have a decade’s worth of training and experience.” “I know this doesn’t sound fair for him as it’s our own family’s re
Lying on the bed, Lin Huai was still surprised after ending the call from Hou Yangsheng, but he soon understood that the Hou Family must be trying to draw him to their side too. After all, Deputy Mayor Hua had been giving them trouble recently, so they were probably worried that Lin Huai would be drawn to his side too.Initially, they planned to invite Lin Huai over for a meal the next day, but Lin Huai declined and postponed the meal to the day after tomorrow. He was invited over for a meal at Deputy Mayor Hua’s place tomorrow and at the Hou’s the day after. All of a sudden, he had become a hotshot.After hanging up the call, Lin Huai charged his phone and went to sleep.The next morning, Li Liner tried to persuade Lin Huai to allow her to run the bar again like last time. Wei Qimian exhorted, “You should rest more, Liner. Take this opportunity to keep me accompanied since it’s the holiday season now. I’d be quite bored staying at home
Now that Lin Huai learned that Hua Shiting was the daughter of the deputy mayor, he made a mental note that he shouldn’t be in her bad books. After all, he had to build a good relationship with Deputy Mayor Hua in the future.Offering a chuckle in return, Lin Huai said, “I’ve never avoided you before. Didn’t I explain to you on the phone earlier today? I’ve just been too busy… To be honest, the first thing I thought of was to look for you as soon as I was done being busy. It just so happens that you beat me to it. Otherwise, I’d definitely meet with you.”Though she knew that he was merely spouting nonsense, she didn’t want to argue with him now that she could finally meet him. Time spent with him was precious after all.With her gaze fixed on him, a train of thoughts ran through her head. Ever since the day he helped her win a battle, she started having feelings for him. She seemed to like and admire him. After she went home that day
Hua Manjiang expected Lin Huai to agree. Even if he didn’t, Hua Manjiang believed Lin Huai definitely wouldn’t side with Hou Junji. Due to Lin Huai’s involvement with The General, the chances of him working with the Hou Family were slim. Hence, Hua Manjiang didn’t bother to beat around the bush and forced Lin Huai to pick his side. If he were to do the exact opposite and sided with the Hou Family, it would mean he’d become Hua Manjiang’s enemy.After a moment of silence, Lin Huai offered Hua Manjiang a smile. “Deputy Mayor Hua, since your daughter and I are friends, you and I are friends too.”Hearing that, Hua Manjiang put on a subtle smile as he took out a cigarette and put it between his lips. With a snap of the lighter, he lit the outer end of the cigarette before turning his gaze toward Lin Huai. “Whether it’s me or other people, I’d prefer to put things bluntly.”Lin Huai certainly didn’t see that coming. Although Hua Manjiang seem