Age of Legends

Chapter 278 Hongmen Banquet?
Zhang Chen couldn't understand why Liu Qi, with whom he was sworn enemies, would invite him to dinner. Did he really want to resolve their differences over the meal? But he should know very well that his mother, Huang Huifen, would not compromise. Could he possibly use his silver tongue to change Huang Huifen's mind, or did he have some other trick up his sleeve?

Zhang Chen, however, was to be met.

Liu Qi hosted the dinner at a well-known seafood restaurant in Rongcheng at that time. Seafood is often expensive, making this kind of place perfect for entertaining guests. The restaurant was cleverly designed, separating VIP and regular dining areas. The VIP section had direct access via internal elevators to private rooms on their respective floors, ensuring complete privacy. This was incredibly convenient for many banquets where public appearances were undesirable.

The banquet was naturally hosted by Huang Huifen and Chen Xuran, with Wang Bowen providing support, and Zhang Chen now qualified to be a member of the think tank. Actually, Zhang Zhonghua also wanted to come, but he had many things to do in the early planning stages of his joint venture, and he was already considered a prominent figure in Rongcheng. Coming wouldn't offer any advice or make any decisions; it was better for him to remain a figurehead from afar.

There are rumors circulating that Liu Qi is a ruthless character of the new era, quite different from "big brother" figures like Zhao Tao.

For people in the underworld now, Zhao Tao has seemingly "turned over a new leaf," doing legitimate business and even leading a group of brothers in the courier industry. Although he does engage in some unbridled growth, such as fighting with rival companies or navigating the postal inspectors, these things are largely unrelated to the underworld anymore. Whether or not he's involved in the underworld is outdated.

The "Young and Dangerous" genre is no longer popular. Even Hong Kong films have adapted to the times: "Fighting and killing only makes you a small-time hoodlum; making money is what makes you a big shot."

Hong Kong's gambling tycoon Mark Gor pulling out a wad of cash to light a cigarette is considered a trendy thing to do in the new era, while many people in Fuzhou look up to successful people like Liu Qi.

"It's said that Liu Qi also has a stake in this seafood restaurant and is the major shareholder behind it." Looking up at the standalone restaurant, Wang Bowen calmly gave this piece of information about the other party.

Why didn't you tell me after I died? Zhang Chen thought to himself, "Godfather, you don't actually think you're proud of finding out this information, do you? This is someone else's territory from the start. Isn't this like a lamb being led to the slaughter?"

Of course, in modern society, there's no such thing as a "Feast at Hongmen." It's impossible for someone to ambush you and imprison you after negotiations fail. Liu Qi wouldn't stoop to that level. He's a smart man; he has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, but he would never truly be solely focused on one side. While his business dealings over the years have involved many underhanded tactics, they haven't reached the point of monopolizing the market or engaging in forced sales.

"General Manager Huang, General Manager Chen... This way please!" Liu Qi had arranged for someone to greet them downstairs. The person was a female supervisor from the restaurant, wearing white gloves and a black skirt suit, looking very capable.

The group went through the VIP passage, took the elevator, and arrived at the third floor. The third floor had a central atrium with a skylight that offered a view of the dining area in the main hall below. The other private rooms were located along the side of the corridor, with various styles and beautifully named rooms such as "Snow Among the Pines," "Bamboo Shadows in the Stream," and "Moon-Gazing Terrace." They were led to a private room called "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" at the end of the corridor.

The double doors opened, revealing a screen, vases, and antique yet luxurious decor. The air conditioning was blasting, sending out a burst of cold air. At the round table inside, Liu Qi, along with two men and a woman, who were sitting at a side table, stood up. Liu Qi smiled and said, "Hey, we've been waiting for you! President Huang, President Chen, Host Wang, Brother Zhang Chen, please take your seats!"

Huang Huifen was clearly not used to Liu Qi's enthusiasm. After all, the two had a very unpleasant falling out and things were awkward. But she had no choice but to sit in the main seat under Liu Qi's guidance.

Liu Qi surprisingly vacated the main seat directly opposite the door for Huang Huifen, which seemed rather humble. This was somewhat unusual, and of course, Huang Huifen didn't stand on ceremony with him.

Zhang Chen then sized up the two men and one woman beside Liu Qi. The woman, Chen Yan, was introduced as the office director of Yipin Group. She had a mole near her eyebrow, which gave her a rather charming air, but compared to Chen Xuran, she paled in comparison, hence her repeated scrutiny of Chen Xuran. She worked in public relations for Yipin Group and was frequently seen in media photos representing the company at events. The two men were dressed in a Zhongshan suit and spoke with a Cantonese accent; one introduced himself as Huang Heyan, the manager of Yipin's Hong Kong branch. The other was Zhou Kai, Liu Qi's vice president.

After the group took their seats, Liu Qi ordered the dishes to be served. Soon, large crabs, Australian lobsters, and wild triangular beetles, all sorts of seafood and river delicacies, were brought to the table. This meal would be considered a lavish feast in these days, probably costing tens of thousands of yuan. Zhang Chen had just seen wild triangular beetles at nearly a thousand yuan per kilogram when he passed by the seafood section.

The banquet laid out left Huang Huifen and the others puzzled. Huang Huifen said, "President Liu, you're going too far! We can't finish this, so please don't bring any more food! And the air conditioner is blowing directly on my back, it's too cold!"

Liu Qi called to the waiter, "Turn the air conditioning up a bit." He then laughed, "I won't even mention that Ms. Huang is a strong woman I admire. Even Xu Ran, the top female host of the provincial TV station, and Wang, the great host, are VIPs. We won't waste any money; they have the means, haha!" Huang Huifen, adhering to the principle of "he who eats another's bread sings his praises," preemptively stated, "Mr. Liu, let me make this clear first: I don't have the money to buy back the operating rights for you! You really need to manage the commercial area properly; everyone's criticizing it now. If I transfer the operating rights to you, even I, the local residents, will be unhappy with it."

Liu Qi's eyes flickered, and he waved his hand, "These are all negotiable. But the business side is not my idea. You keep complaining about us, which annoys my subordinates, and they might try to trip you up."

Huang Huifen said, "Then you should also tell your subordinates. You have to deal with it."

"Alright. I understand. I'll go back and tell them to be stricter in their management. They shouldn't disturb the residents," Liu Qi said.

"Don't just take any advertisement. If they keep targeting my project team, how am I supposed to sell my houses?" Huang Huifen frowned.

"Why wouldn't I make money from advertising? ... What can I do if people have commercial performances?" Liu Qi was getting impatient, but seeing Huang Huifen's eyes widen again, he also had a headache over this stubborn woman. Usually, other people were very polite to him, afraid of offending him and being punished by him. But Huang Huifen was different; she would complain about him all the time, and she never got tired of it, which gave Liu Qi a headache.

With Liu Qi's stiff attitude, the situation was about to become tense again. Huang Heyan glanced at him, and Liu Qi adjusted his tone, softening his voice: "Look at you, Mr. Huang, this temper is bad for your liver. You're getting impatient again."

"I'm anxious, but I can't help it. If you keep putting on these shows every day, my project will be complained about by residents, and it will also affect my promise to the Lanyuan project. We are building quality houses, and now everyone is worried that you will still be singing and drinking there in the middle of the night. Who will buy our houses then!" Huang Huifen was about to get up and leave.

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t make changes. Residents’ complaints are also affecting our business operations. I will make adjustments later and ask their investment promotion department to accept fewer large-scale commercial performances and promotions.”

“Then you have to do it, don’t try to fool me…” Huang Huifen said.

"I invited you to dinner, what are you trying to fool me for... Look at you, getting impatient again." Liu Qi laughed, then picked up the teapot and got up to pour tea for Huang Huifen.

Huang Huifen, being the type to not hit someone who's smiling, saw that Liu Qi had indicated there would be follow-up actions after she started complaining. At this point, the atmosphere wasn't so tense anymore, and she even laughed at what Liu Qi said.

Liu Qi poured tea, and she also picked up the teacup with both hands. After all, Liu Qi was a very influential person. If Huang Huifen were still a junior employee, she would definitely be intimidated by him. Obviously, the reason why she often clashed with him was simply because she was driven by her career and had no other choice.

Now that Liu Qiyi has softened his stance, Huang Huifen has revealed some weaknesses.

Liu Qi poured tea, then turned and smiled: "Oh, by the way, after your pre-sale, you plan to start the landscaping project in Shahe Village. So, have you found any plots you like?"

　There's more today, thank you to all the brothers and sisters who donated and voted.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)