20 years of restarting life

Chapter 3611 Liang Qian

"Qu Zhou and the others are treating you to dinner tonight. Liang Qian, Huang Shang, Chen Yilan, and Ye Ying are all in Xingcheng. Are you going to decline?"

Xia Wenzhuo meant that he didn't want Zhao Chang'an to attend this boring and pointless social gathering, but rather that the two of them should find a quiet and atmospheric place for a romantic dinner.

Despite the considerable influence of the Qu, Liang, Huang, Chen, and Luo families within the Southeast Asian Chinese community, their influence is limited to a small corner, somewhat like a wealthy family in a backward country unaware of the vastness of the world.

The claim of being richer than a country is nothing more than external flattery, media fawning, or mutual praise and boasting among families.

These five families, as long-established century-old families, have a total net worth of no less than six or seven billion RMB for their core members, and no more than two hundred billion RMB for the most.

While the total assets are still presentable when added together, they become somewhat insignificant when divided among the assets held by each core member individually.

To outsiders unaware of the truth, these things are completely incomprehensible. The group controls vast amounts of land, enterprises, and mines, and invests in infrastructure, real estate, banks, marine fisheries, and casinos. The total value of these assets is often in the hundreds of billions, giving people the illusion of being incredibly wealthy.

They are happy to use this feeling and title to seize beautiful women for pleasure and to dominate others.

Like Lanfang, who was the richest man for 31 years and whose assets were said to be two or three hundred billion, but when it was later exposed, he was actually just a front man. Almost none of the money was his; he didn't even have a fraction of it.

This phenomenon is very common in Southeast Asia. In the eyes of those powerful figures in Southeast Asian countries, these five companies are merely front-line agents for their own interests.

They are just there to help the people behind the scenes make money, and to take the blame when necessary, but they can't be given any real power or authority other than economic ones.

In reality, in the eyes of their backers and financial backers, they are just farmed cash crops and leeks, or beehives for beekeepers.

We allow those who become wealthy and powerful to enjoy life, but we do not allow them to grow wildly and unrestrainedly without any freedom.

At regular intervals, he would harvest chives with a sickle and collect honey, precisely controlling the size of the bee colony.

However, as agents, their power is still terrifying to ordinary people, and their wealth of tens or hundreds of billions is still very rich. For example, the GDP of a mountain city with a population of seven or eight million is only a little over 20 billion yuan a year, and the current average salary is only a little over 900 yuan, less than 1,000 yuan.

At the same time, their role as a matchmaker is even greater than their wealth and investment. They can play a positive role in promoting friendly neighborly relations, the flow of resources, and mutual benefit.

However, no matter how much power or advantage one has, these are only relevant to ordinary people or large countries. They are meaningless to a nanometer now, especially since Xia Wenzhuo has become the White Dragon King's closed-door disciple, and these resources are no longer of any interest to her.

When Xia Wenzhuo first arrived, he didn't understand these things and thought these big shots were very powerful. It was only after he was taken in by the White Dragon King that his horizons broadened.

Zhao Chang'an's current net worth exceeds 30 billion RMB, and his true global power and strength have surpassed those of these old-established Southeast Asian families. However, this time when Zhao Chang'an came, he only had the younger generation of his family host a banquet to entertain him. This was quite different from the level of hospitality Zhao Chang'an had shown when they visited Mingzhu before, which made Xia Wenzhuo very unhappy.

"It's just a meal, a chance to see old friends and catch up. Since they brought it up, we don't need to be formal. Besides, as Liang Qichao said about the young China, it's the same principle. In another ten or twenty years, as those conservative old guys retire, these people will take the stage. Of course, the premise is that their groups haven't collapsed by then."

Zhao Chang'an said to Xia Wenzhuo, "It won't take long, we'll just chat for a bit and then leave. We have all night tonight, perfect for a few drinks and some flirting." "You really like flirting? You slept in the same bed with Yang Yixin last night, didn't you? I had Wei Xuena buy you a nightgown and lingerie. Did they fit her? Did she wear my clothes while flirting with you?"

Xia Wenzhuo's words suddenly jumped to Yang Yixin.

"She's a little shorter than you, but about the same height. She's not as well-built as you; she's a bit too thin. But she wasn't wearing any underwear; she changed into the one she brought with her this morning."

"This is for your convenience."

Zhao Chang'an slipped one hand inside Xia Wenzhuo's trousers and whispered intimately in her ear, "In my heart, you are the best, and my love for you is the deepest."

A single sweet word made Xia Wenzhuo's whole body go weak, leaving him with no strength and no desire to resist.

-

Wang Meihong dropped Zhao Chang'an and Xia Wenzhuo off at the hotel where Liang Qian was hosting a banquet that evening, then drove away. With Zhao Chang'an, a martial arts expert, as Xia Wenzhuo's personal bodyguard, she was naturally at ease.

By this time, Xia Wenzhuo had already taken off his wig and walked side by side with Zhao Chang'an into the hotel's magnificent lobby.

"This hotel is owned by the Liang family and ranks among the top five in Xingcheng. In addition to restaurants and accommodations, it also has many entertainment facilities, including a casino."

Xia Wenzhuo and Zhao Chang'an explained, "Although Xingcheng banned gambling in 74, this ban referred to large-scale and overt activities. Private activities in these high-end hotels and entertainment venues were not severely cracked down on. Of course, there are no slot machines or similar things here; it's all private rooms, and only the wealthy and powerful can enter. Ordinary people simply don't have the qualifications to enter. Therefore, there are very few cases of families being ruined and deaths becoming public knowledge due to gambling. In the past two years, there has been internal debate about whether to open up this market, but it's highly likely that it will be gradually opened up in the next few years, like other places, by issuing licenses."

Seeing Zhao Chang'an's sharp eyes sweep over the slender and beautiful waitresses in the hall, he said with a smile, "If you have any ideas, you can probably become the groom tonight, as long as you're willing to spend money. And with your looks, you can find someone who'll pay you to marry you even if you don't spend any money."

"In my eyes, they are all ordinary and vulgar women."

Zhao Chang'an spoke at length, but Xia Wenzhuo laughed in disbelief.

The two entered the private room, and two female waitresses standing at the door quickly pushed open the exquisitely crafted door from the left and right, immediately silencing the noise inside.

Zhao Chang'an walked into the private room. Liang Qian, Huang Shang, Ye Ying, Qu Zhou, and Chen Yilan were all old acquaintances.

He saw joy in Liang Qian and Huang Shang's eyes, while Chen Yilan's gaze was complicated. Ye Ying wore a dark green bubble dress that accentuated her curves, and her black hair was styled in an updo, making her look like a classical beauty.

A faint smile played in his eyes, as if the unpleasantness, scheming, and even life-or-death struggles of a few years ago were long gone.

Zhao Chang'an smiled at the five people in the private room and said, "The last time we were all here was in Jiangcheng. I hosted a farewell banquet for you all. Time really flies; it's been more than a year and a half. Back then, you were all promising young students, and now you've all transformed into rising stars in the business world and elite professionals."