Chapter 422: Accompanying Guests (Part 1)

Chapter 422: Accompanying Guests (Part 1)

Dinner was held at the Small Guesthouse. Though its name and exterior were unassuming, it remained the most prestigious reception venue in Shazhou. Directly funded by the municipal finance department, it did not operate for profit. Its primary function was to provide a comfortable environment for superior leaders, allowing figures like Zhou Changquan and other officials to find tranquility amidst the bustle, giving them a quiet space to contemplate the major affairs of Shazhou.

After the meeting concluded, Zhou Changquan went directly to the Small Guesthouse.

Building No. 1, usually quiet, was now brimming with energy. The two children, both only seven years old, possessed terrifying amounts of vitality. They refused to listen to Meng Ning and Zhu Xiaoyong, running around the courtyard kicking up dust and sand, trampling down patches of flowers and grass.

Wu Ying, the wife of the Provincial Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Provincial Water Resources Department, was a strict person in her work. Even the Director of the Water Resources Department feared her somewhat. However, she was exceptionally tolerant of her grandchildren. Having just finished a hot spring bath, her cheeks still carried a faint flush. She sipped fresh Qinglin tea from Yiyang and looked kindly at her grandchildren and her brother’s grandson running wildly around the yard. Although some plants were damaged, she made no special fuss, letting the two little ones play hide-and-seek with their mother and father-in-law.

When her gaze fell on Zhu Xiaoyong, her eyebrows twitched slightly. She thought to herself, “Zhu Xiaoyong is nothing but a bookworm. I don’t know what came over Ningning to insist on marrying him.”

Wu Ying was not very satisfied with her son-in-law. Zhu Xiaoyong’s parents were both teachers at a rural primary school in the suburbs of Lingxi. As the eldest child, he had a younger sister and a younger brother. In this era, family background was no longer an insurmountable issue. The key problem, in Wu Ying’s eyes, was that Zhu Xiaoyong worked as an ordinary teacher at a university. He had little room for advancement, which felt like a waste of her smart and capable eldest daughter.

However, since her daughter Meng Ning was determined to marry Zhu Xiaoyong, her parents had no choice but to accept it.

Shen Hao pulled Liu Mingming to the rooftop terrace to drink tea. Having seen Li Ying in the afternoon, his heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat. He said, “That guy we saw this afternoon is named Bu Gao. He is the son of the Executive Vice Mayor of Shazhou. He has made a fortune in construction over the past two years. Since you are in the same industry, you should exchange ideas.”

After making this serious remark, Shen Hao immediately revealed his true intentions: “Those girls are all from the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe. That woman Li Ying—I’m going to get her.”

Liu Mingming understood immediately and grinned, saying, “So the ‘Lingxi Girl Killer’ finally has a day where he fails to conquer. How rare.”

Shen Hao gritted his teeth and said, “After dinner, we’ll go to Xinning Song City. We must pursue the retreating enemy while we have the momentum.”

Xinning Song City was a comprehensive entertainment complex. The second floor housed a seafood restaurant, with dishes flown in from the coastal regions. The prices were high, but business was booming. In a luxuriously decorated private room, Xiaoman, Zhu Yingying, Li Ying, and others sat together. Bu Gao had a sudden matter to attend to and did not join them for dinner.

Xiaoman had been delayed after leaving the hot springs and only now had time to ask, “Who was that guy who appeared later?”

“Shen Hao. A famous young master in Lingxi. His father was formerly the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and has now been transferred out to become a Provincial Governor.”

Xiaoman smiled and said, “So it’s the Governor’s son chasing you. He looks good enough. Not bad.”

Li Ying shook her head and said, “Who has your luck? Bu Gao is a good man, with not a trace of the airs of a spoiled rich kid. Shen Hao, on the other hand, is a standard playboy—eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, he does it all. I can’t be bothered with such people.”

Seeing the scale of the Song City, Zhu Yingying sincerely remarked, “Among those of us who joined the troupe at the same time, Xiaoman is the luckiest. She is now the boss of Xinning Song City, while the rest of us still have to dance on stage. It’s really boring.”

At the Small Guesthouse, Zhou Changquan had dinner with Wu Ying, Liu Tiesong, and others. Shen Hao smiled and suggested, “Aunt Wu, Uncle Zhou and Uncle Liu are here tonight. You can all get together to play mahjong.”

As the wife of the Provincial Party Secretary, Wu Ying was noble and prominent, but she lacked the simple joys of ordinary families. She had few hobbies; in her spare time, she liked to invite people to play small-stakes mahjong. Of course, it was not easy to gather a complete team.

Shen Hao’s suggestion immediately triggered Wu Ying’s craving for mahjong. She laughed and said, “Xiao Hao, you definitely want to go out and play, so you’re deliberately leaving us old folks behind. Don’t deny it. We are one short, so you stay and accompany us.”

Shen Hao hurriedly waved his hands and said, “My mahjong skills are too poor. Brother Xiaoyong is formidable. He has a computer brain and is a worthy opponent for you.” Liu Mingming chimed in from the side, “Brother Xiaoyong has super high IQ. He should stay to play mahjong.” He turned to Zhou Changquan and said, “Uncle Zhou, whether a city is prosperous and whether its nightlife is rich and colorful are important indicators. Regions with developed nightlife are invariably economically developed.”

Zhou Changquan’s thinking was sharp. He said, “That is not a good indicator. Las Vegas’s nightlife is world-famous, but its economy is not necessarily developed. Its prosperity is built on illusion and cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.”

He turned to Hou Weidong and said, “Weidong, I’ll play mahjong. You take Shen Hao and Liu Mingming out to stroll around.”

After leaving the Small Guesthouse, Liu Mingming drove his BMW straight to Xinning Song City. His work nature was very similar to Bu Gao’s; both were in real estate. However, Bu Gao ran a solid company, while Liu Mingming operated a typical shell company combining official and commercial interests. His operating model was to buy land at low prices and then sell it with a twenty percent markup. Due to his good reputation, he had taken on many projects over the years and had unknowingly become a millionaire.

He knew that the root of his wealth lay in power. His father, now the Executive Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, was gradually moving away from the center of power. Therefore, Liu Mingming tightly held onto his father’s old relationship with the Meng family and used the Meng family’s connections to continuously build his own network.

As they walked out of the Small Guesthouse, Liu Mingming proactively said to Hou Weidong, “Weidong, you don’t need to call a car. Ride in mine.” After Hou Weidong got in, he handed over a business card and said humbly but directly, “I am a real estate businessman. Shazhou has been developing vigorously in recent years. I heard that the four major leadership teams are planning to relocate, so the volume of engineering projects will likely be substantial in the future. I want to enter the Shazhou market, and I hope Weidong can help me out when the time comes.”

When speaking with Wu Ying and Zhou Changquan, Liu Mingming always wore a childlike smile, making him appear open and innocent. But when meeting Hou Weidong alone, his attitude became polite and refined, suddenly transforming into a mature businessman and gentleman.

Hou Weidong, having followed County Party Secretary Zhu Yan, had met some department leaders in the province. Following Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Changquan, he had met some important provincial leaders and their children. At this point, he had completely moved from the hills of Qinglin Town to the stage of Lingxi. Therefore, in front of Liu Mingming, a member of the Lingxi young elite, he was not nervous. After taking the business card, he casually turned on the small light on the car roof and examined both sides of the card.

“Welcome, President Liu, to invest in Shazhou. If you are interested, I can introduce you to Director Gao Jian of the Southern New District in Shazhou another day.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for your call.”

Liu Mingming turned on the car music, which played some popular English songs, including tracks by the “Four Brothers” that Hou Weidong was familiar with. The luxury car paired with English tunes seemed harmonious.

Shen Hao drove his Desert Prince following behind. Unlike Liu Mingming, his father had served as a Prefectural Party Secretary and later as the Deputy Secretary of the Lingxi Provincial Party Committee, giving him a strong foundation in Lingxi. Theoretically, he should have developed better than Liu Mingming. However, his greatest hobbies were chasing beautiful women and drinking fine wine. Although he had undertaken many projects, he spent money like water, leaving him with very little savings in his pocket.

Thinking of Li Ying, Shen Hao called Bu Gao while driving. “Hey, it’s Shen Hao. Are those beauties of yours still there? Tell them not to leave. I’m coming over right away.”

Bu Gao hung up the phone and remained silent for a long time. Seeing his expression was off, Xiaoman asked, “Whose call was it?”

“Shen Hao.”

Xiaoman curled her lip and said, “That playboy. Li Ying finds him very annoying.”

“Shen Hao is indeed annoying, and he likes to get drunk and act crazy. Before, when his father was the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, I had to show him some respect. Now that Shen Enjie has left Lingxi, who cares about him?” Bu Gao complained, then added, “That middle-aged woman this afternoon was very special. Liu Tiesong, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Provincial CPPCC, was following her like a dog. It seems she has a big background.”

Xiaoman said, “Hou Weidong is accompanying them. He knows best.”

“Hou Weidong keeps his mouth shut. If he doesn’t speak up, asking is useless.” Bu Gao continued, “Give Li Ying a heads-up. It’s best if she avoids Shen Hao. Also, give Sister Li a heads-up to prepare a pretty girl who is willing to go out with him. If Shen Hao causes trouble, she can go up to put out the fire at any time.”

“Prepare a few bottles of better foreign liquor as well. These ‘crown princes’ have money and high consumption. We need to be courteous in our etiquette.”

Seeing that Bu Gao spoke seriously, Xiaoman felt a bit nervous and hurriedly went out to make arrangements. When she returned to the large private room, Shen Hao, Liu Mingming, and Hou Weidong had already arrived. Seeing Hou Weidong, Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief. With the Municipal Party Secretary’s full-time secretary present, surely nothing major would go wrong.

Shen Hao’s eyes were like X-rays. Seeing Xiaoman enter, he scanned her up and down systematically, his gaze almost stripping her clothes off. He was quite impatient and said, “Old Bu, why haven’t those girls come over? What’s the point of just us men here?”

In the past, during gatherings in the provincial capital, Shen Hao had never taken Bu Gao seriously. Indeed, a Vice Mayor of Shazhou was a small figure compared to a Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. Now, as the Governor’s son, Shen Hao maintained a dominant stance in front of Bu Gao.

Bu Gao explained, “Xiaoman’s friends are all from the Song and Dance Troupe. They came specifically to support Xiaoman today. They will perform in the main hall in a while.”

Shen Hao said, “Open the wine. Open the wine.” At the Small Guesthouse, in front of Wu Ying, Zhou Changquan, and Liu Tiesong, Shen Hao had dared not act recklessly. He had held back and not touched a drop of alcohol. Now that he was at the Song City, his craving for alcohol surged, and he repeatedly called for wine to be opened.

Liu Mingming was most afraid of Shen Hao getting drunk. He wanted to befriend Hou Weidong, so he stepped forward and said, “Don’t let Shen Hao drink too much. He tends to cause trouble when he drinks.” On the other hand, he also hoped Shen Hao would cause some incident. If things ended unpleasantly today and Shen Hao offended the local powers, he would find it hard to establish himself in Shazhou and would not be able to compete for Liu Mingming’s business.