Li Ziming watched Liu Junfeng thoughtfully.

’We exchanged a few words earlier. I know this isn’t his true nature. It seems he must have received some secret instructions from President Lin.’

A surge of confidence welled up inside him. After exchanging a few more pleasantries to smooth things over, the four of them entered a private room at the clubhouse restaurant.

The clubhouse had its own restaurant.

For a business reception like this, there was naturally no need to go elsewhere. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The four of them took their seats.

Lan Yuzheng was quite confident.

He had come to an occasion like this all by himself, without so much as an assistant.

As the guest of honor, he was seated in the middle, with Li Ziming on his left and Liu Junfeng on his right.

On their side, the three men from the club had a clear division of labor: one good cop, one bad cop, and one ready to provide backup at any moment.

For their first time "collaborating," they surprisingly had a good sense of chemistry.

"You know, your President Lin is quite the young talent. I heard he’s only 24? Is that for real?"

Lan Yuzheng intentionally steered the conversation toward Lin Chu.

Li Ziming gave a noncommittal laugh and glanced at Liu Junfeng.

Liu Junfeng said calmly, "It’s true. What’s there to doubt? President Lan, you came here looking for business. Didn’t you do your homework beforehand? You’ve got some nerve. I’m impressed."

Those words...

Lan Yuzheng’s expression flickered. He detected a peculiar undertone; the words were polite on the surface, but they carried a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of mockery.

It made his heart skip a beat.

He thought about the information he’d dug up and felt a sense of doubt—a profound doubt, in fact.

’But it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out more, and then it’ll be clear.’

’In this world, there’s no deal that can’t be made.’

’Especially on my turf—the golf course business.’

With that thought, he put on a placating smile. "I have a rough idea, but I don’t know much, hahaha. Come now, no rush. Let’s eat and drink first. How about this? I’ll start us off with a round of toasts, one for each of you."

And so, the banquet officially began.

Lan Yuzheng had dared to come alone, and his tolerance for alcohol was certainly impressive.

In the blink of an eye, two bottles of Moutai were finished.

He was holding his own against the three of them, still chatting and laughing as if nothing was wrong.

"Sigh, you know, running a golf course in this country is getting really tough. Another course in Capital City just got shut down. Their license was revoked overnight, and the court ruled their lease contract with the village collective invalid. The owner... he’s a pretty good friend of mine, though we don’t do business together. I warned him so many times, but—heh—he didn’t take it seriously at all. So frustrating."

"And now look. He’s lost everything!"

Lan Yuzheng, feeling the time was right, said this with a nonchalant smile.

Liu Junfeng glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Oh? President Lan, speaking of which, we’re planning to open a new course. Do you have any connections for that?"

"If you do, the finder’s fee is negotiable. Just name your price. President Lin would be very impressed."

Hearing this, Li Ziming and Ma Lin kept straight faces, but inwardly, they were struggling to hold back their laughter.

’We’re about to fucking lose it.’

’This President Liu really knows how to put on a show.’

’If this Lan guy really had that kind of power, would he be here trying to make this kind of deal? Why not just open his own course?’

’Of course, you never know.’

’It’s hard to guess what a wily old fox like him is really thinking.’

Lan Yuzheng’s face was flushed, and his eyes gleamed. He waved his hand grandly, suddenly filled with an air of immense confidence. "Of course! No problem at all. I’ll pull the strings. Where are you looking to buy? The Imperial Capital? Shanghai? Yang City? Or any provincial capital? Even overseas is fine, no problem at all."

Liu Junfeng: ...

’For a moment, I couldn’t tell if he was just talking big or if he was the real deal.’

’But I’m definitely bluffing.’

’Still, I have to see this bluff through.’

’First, I’ll just get him to bring over the information.’

’As for Lin Chu, all I have to do is casually say he wasn’t interested and we’re not buying. That’ll be the end of it.’

"Alright then. Pick a few of the most complete dossiers and send them to me. I’ll show them to President Lin. You know him, if he sees something he likes, he moves on it immediately. He won’t even need a loan. Money... is the least of our worries."

"After all... Ahem..."

Liu Junfeng’s words stopped short. As if realizing something, he quickly reined himself in and changed the subject. "After all, we’re all friends here. When you follow President Lin, everyone gets a piece of the pie."

Lan Yuzheng watched his act and listened to his words, rapidly weighing the situation in his mind.

’Damn, this guy is something else. He’s unpredictable.’

’I can tell this Liu guy practically worships President Lin.’

’And he really does talk big.’

"Hey, brother, I’m dying of curiosity. There’s a question I have, not sure if I can ask... Just tell me, which family is President Lin from?"

Lan Yuzheng, emboldened by the alcohol, offered Liu Junfeng a cigarette and asked with a sly grin.

At these words, both Li Ziming and Ma Lin couldn’t help but prick up their ears.

’Here it comes.’

’He finally asked the crucial question.’

Liu Junfeng had been waiting for this. He leaned in with a wide grin. "You really want to know?"

Lan Yuzheng suddenly sensed something was off.

But just then, Liu Junfeng shot to his feet and grabbed his arm. "Let’s go! I’ll take you to him right now. You can ask him to his face."

Liu Junfeng was surprisingly strong. He practically yanked the man right out of his seat.

Lan Yuzheng was momentarily stunned. ’What the... This approach is wild.’

But he quickly composed himself.

Because Li Ziming and Ma Lin had also risen to their feet, rushing over to mediate. They pushed each man back into his seat and said a few placating words.

Lan Yuzheng took the opportunity and sat back down.

"What the fuck kind of worthless piece of shit are you?"

"Go on, you tell me! Who’s your dad? Who’s your mom? Who’s your grandpa? Go back three generations! Hell, go back four!"

"I’ve got a short fuse, but my Brother Chu’s is even shorter! What kind of dog-shit are you, coming here to play your games? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Liu Junfeng suddenly erupted in a stream of curses.

Ever since his race track was shut down, he had harbored a deep-seated hatred for people who threw their connections around.

Since Lin Chu had already pegged this Lan guy as a scoundrel and given him this role to play, he might as well go all in and tear him to shreds.

’As for messing things up...’

’If things are meant to go south, they will.’

’If he really wants to cause trouble, my attitude isn’t what’s going to stop him.’

After talking for this long, Liu Junfeng had pretty much sized him up. If he wasn’t mistaken, this guy was an opportunist who thrived on fishing in troubled waters.

’As for his background, he must have some.’

’But it can’t be that powerful.’

’Someone with a real background—who would be doing this kind of scut work?’

’People like that just have to say the word, and businessmen will come flocking to them.’

Liu Junfeng had seen someone from that truly top tier once before, and this wasn’t their style.

Lan Yuzheng’s face darkened, and he stared at Liu Junfeng, as still as a mountain.

His composure was impressive. Even now, he showed no signs of panic. He simply took out his cigarette case and lit one up.

Seeing this unfold, Li Ziming and Ma Lin fell silent.

’President Liu is on fire!’

This gave the two of them an even greater sense of confidence.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

"Had a little too much to drink?"

When Liu Junfeng finished his tirade, Lan Yuzheng just smiled and leisurely blew out a smoke ring.

Seeing him like this, Liu Junfeng was also slightly surprised. ’This guy... his composure alone makes him a force to be reckoned with.’

He chuckled.

He sniffled.

"I’m not drunk. Come on, I’ve had my say. Your turn."

Old Liu had seen his share of high-stakes situations. He sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Lan Yuzheng nodded.

He continued to smoke in silence.

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the spacious private room.

"I want to meet with President Lin. You three can’t make the final decision, so go ask him. I’ll be in Peng City until the end of the month."

"Vice President Liu, don’t worry. Business is business, friendship aside. Even if you slapped me across the face, if there’s a deal to be made, I’ll still make it."

"But only until the end of the month."

"That’s about it. I’ll toast the three of you one last time, and then I’m off."

He spoke with perfect composure, raised his glass from the table, and downed it in one gulp. Then, he clapped Liu Junfeng on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

...

...