Chapter 545: An Huaiguo’s Shock

Chapter 545: An Huaiguo’s Shock

Jingcui Garden had issued a notice earlier that afternoon announcing it would be closed for the day.

In truth, Tang Jingbin had booked the entire establishment. As a result, not a single guest could be seen upon entering the first-floor lobby. Even among the staff, only a select few were stationed in the corners; most of the others had been given the day off and barred from the reception.

Every surveillance camera inside Jingcui Garden had been shut down.

Tang Jingbin had brought his own personnel to handle reception, guide guests, serve dishes, and oversee operations. The chefs, however, had not been replaced. There was no need; the guests had come precisely to enjoy their craft, so they were left undisturbed in the kitchen.

Wu Chen, Li Maoren, and Gu Hongtu walked abreast.

Bodyguards trailed behind them.

From entering the lobby to taking the elevator and walking down the corridor, one could see sentries posted every few paces. Jingcui Garden was fortified to the teeth. Outsiders had no way of entering or knowing what was happening inside; slipping in unnoticed was virtually impossible.

Tang Jingbin hailed from a military clan.

The men in charge of his security were the absolute cream of the crop.

On the second floor, inside the largest private dining suite.

An Huaiguo and Tang Jingbin had settled into an easy, buoyant conversation.

“Boss Tang, if I remember correctly, you attended that auction in Xiangjiang last September in person, didn’t you?” An Huaiguo asked with a smile. “Word spread far and wide back then. A titan of your stature rarely shows his face at an auction, usually having an agent place telephone bids remotely… I heard quite a few people were kicking themselves for missing the chance to meet you.”

His words carried a touch of flattery.

They were peers of comparable elevation, after all. Yet in this prospective partnership, Tang Jingbin was obviously not the one asking for a favor—it was An Huaiguo petitioning him. Under the circumstances, such an attitude was only natural.

“Ah, yes, I was there,” Tang Jingbin replied with a genial chuckle. “I happened to be in Xiangjiang that day for a shareholders’ meeting with one of my funds. Once it concluded, I had time to spare, so I went in person… Going back to the hotel would only have meant lying around anyway. I’ve always rather enjoyed the atmosphere of auctions: the tension, the excitement, the psychological maneuvering. It feels remarkably like doing business.”

“Hahahaha, well said indeed…” An Huaiguo laughed.

Footsteps echoed outside the room—numerous and hurried, signaling the approach of a crowd.

Hearing them, Tang Jingbin and An Huaiguo both turned toward the double doors. Tang Jingbin stubbed his cigar into the ashtray as he spoke, and seeing this, An Huaiguo extinguished his own.

“They should be here,” Tang Jingbin said with a smile.

“Shall we go greet them?” An Huaiguo offered, gesturing with his hand. Since Tang Jingbin had kept their identities closely guarded, deliberately building suspense, An Huaiguo had already realized the newcomers could not be beneath Tang in status.

“We’re all our own people. No need for such formality,” Tang Jingbin said, though he rose to his feet all the same.

Creak!

The bodyguards outside pulled both doors open in unison, the panels parting with crisp precision.

Wide as the doorway was, three men entering shoulder to shoulder would still have been crowded. There was no call for that. At Li Maoren’s polite gesture of deference, Gu Hongtu, positioned on the far left, took the first step across the threshold. He swiftly turned sideways, motioning for Li Maoren in the center to proceed, while Wu Chen entered last.

An Huaiguo felt a long-absent flicker of nervous anticipation stir in his chest.

When he saw Gu Hongtu step through the doors… He naturally recognized this core second-generation figure of the Gu family of Modu. If one were to ask where the country’s elite wielded the vastest networks, knew the most people, or were recognized by the most faces, the capital stood on one side and Modu on the other!

Though An Huaiguo was not close with Gu Hongtu, they shared a nodding acquaintance; each knew precisely who the other was. The sight magnified his nervousness and excitement in equal measure!

The tension stemmed from the realization that a titan on par with Tang Jingbin had truly arrived! Did that mean this partnership was even grander than he had imagined? Just how massive was this windfall dropping from the heavens? How could he not be thrilled?

Then, he got a clear look at Li Maoren.

This man… Strictly speaking, Li Maoren’s standing was half a notch above Tang Jingbin and Gu Hongtu. The Li clan was inherently larger than the Gu or Tang families; it was only because the latter two were entrenched in Modu—a city endowed with unique political and economic weight—that their regional influence granted them an added boost. In a rigorous comparison, however, neither quite measured up to Li Maoren.

Li Maoren was already guaranteed to take the helm as the next patriarch of the Li family! He had already been elevated to an extraordinarily lofty station, akin to a vice minister in ancient times! And he still had room to climb!

The future head of a premier clan from beyond the capital!

An Huaiguo had savored his delight for barely a second when another thought struck him like lightning: wasn’t Li Maoren the father of Li Ruobing? And wasn’t Wu Chen her boyfriend? Did Li Maoren know about Wu Chen’s entanglement with his own daughter? Should he broach the subject with Li Maoren tonight?

These tangled thoughts flashed through his mind in a fraction of an instant.

Then, An Huaiguo saw Wu Chen.

Entering last. One could take him for an attendant, or read it as the grandest figure making the latest entrance… Though Wu Chen possessed no particular status to speak of, the sight shook An Huaiguo to his core. Especially when, after all three men crossed the threshold, Li Maoren actually paused, waited for Wu Chen, and tilted his head to whisper something while pointing toward the seats.

Wu Chen pointed as well.

It appeared… the two of them were conferring… on where they should sit together?!

Much had unfolded, yet the entire sequence spanned less than ten seconds. An Huaiguo failed to govern his expression; the excitement and delight on his face abruptly seized up, freezing into a stunned, bewildered mask!

“Hahahahaha! Brother Maoren! Welcome, welcome!” Tang Jingbin’s booming laughter shattered the awkward stillness threatening to take hold. He stepped forward to shake Li Maoren’s hand, then turned to Gu Hongtu… Because both were Modu locals, Tang Jingbin and Gu Hongtu were closest. Having formed a covert alliance, they could dispense with tedious polite rituals.

“Brother Hongtu,” Tang Jingbin said, shaking his hand.

Of everyone present, Gu Hongtu was the eldest.

“Come, come, allow me to introduce you both. Boss An, An Huaiguo—you know him already, don’t you? Haha.” Tang Jingbin waved toward An Huaiguo, who had followed him over.

“Boss An, it’s been a while!”

“Hahaha, looking sharp as ever, Boss An!”

“Boss Li!”

“Boss Gu!”

Indispensable social pleasantries followed—hollow greetings exchanged by men who barely knew each other, acting as though they were long-lost companions reunited at last. Tang Jingbin did not introduce Wu Chen. Just as An Huaiguo instinctively thought, He really is an attendant, and traded courtesies with the two grand figures, Tang Jingbin had already slipped past them and walked straight up to Wu Chen.

The two shared a brief handshake, standing so close that their shoulders practically brushed in an unmistakably intimate posture.

“Mr. Wu, every time you come to Modu, it’s business, business, and more business. I won’t allow that in the future. We ought to meet privately once in a while, shouldn’t we? Have a bite to eat, sit down for some tea.” Tang Jingbin adopted a scolding tone, yet his words radiated extraordinary familiarity!

Familiarity so thick it was downright chilling!

What jolted An Huaiguo’s heart even harder was…

What had he just called Wu Chen?!

Mr. Wu?!!