The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

Fenghua Palace is a notorious money pit in Beijing, with elegant decorations; it costs at least several billion yuan to visit.

Zhou Yanqiu's first project after taking over the family business was a great success.

Among the four powerful families in the capital, Meng, Zhou, Lu, and Xu, the Meng family was the most prominent.

The heirs of the four major families grew up together and have a deep bond, which was a deliberate arrangement by their elders.

The relationships between families are intricate and intertwined; a single hair can affect the whole situation.

The heavy snow, accompanied by the cold wind, rustled against the carved windows of the glazed pavilion.

The pavilion was warm and cozy, with radiators hidden behind the carved railings, quietly maintaining the perfect temperature.

Zhou Yanqiu, wearing a white wool cloak, stood facing the lake and said, "This snow is falling strangely hard; the lake is almost frozen solid."

Lu Linchuan sat at the rosewood table, his fingertips twirling a jade thumb ring, his gaze fixed on the stage across the lake.

The stage, set against the backdrop of white snow, resembled a traditional Chinese ink painting. Actors, draped in fur coats, were moving about their positions, and the faint sound of string music drifted through the wind and snow.

He looked up at Zhou Yanqiu, "Hasn't Meng Jiangyu arrived yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pavilion door was pushed open, and a figure was swept in by the wind and snow.

Meng Jiangyu shook the snow off his black coat; the snowflakes fell onto the floor heater and instantly turned into watermarks: "There was a traffic jam on the road."

He took off his scarf, revealing a sharply defined jawline. "Where's Xu Mingxuan?"

"He just called to say something came up and he can't make it." Zhou Yanqiu smiled and handed over a teacup. "It's freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea, good for warming your hands."

On the artificial lake outside the pavilion, thin ice reflects the falling snow. Several painted boats are frozen to the shore, and red lanterns under the eaves sway gently in the wind and snow.

A waiter in a Tang-style round-necked robe entered carrying a fruit platter; the dark hem of his robe swept across the floor, and his footsteps were as light as a cat's.

"Gentlemen, the snacks are just heated up." He placed a plate of donkey rolls on the table, his sideburns neatly tied up.

Meng Jiangyu took the teacup, and only when his fingertips touched the warm cup did he feel his frozen knuckles warm up a bit.

"Did the Lu family bring the letter of intent for cooperation on the Southeast Asian port project?"

Lu Linchuan pulled a document out of his briefcase. The sunlight shone through the window paper onto the paper, revealing sharp and stern handwriting.

"Look, the terms have all been drafted as previously agreed." He paused, "The roads are slippery with snow, are there enough icebreakers over there? I had two transferred from Northern Europe, they can be sent over anytime if needed."

"No need," Meng Jiangyu said, flipping through the documents and raising an eyebrow. "My fleet just got new icebreaking equipment. We tested it last week, and it worked fine at minus twenty degrees Celsius."

Zhou Yanqiu peeled an orange, and the sweet fragrance of the orange segments mingled with the aroma of tea from the heating system.

"Can you two take a break?" He popped a segment of orange into his mouth. "We didn't come to Fenghua Palace to discuss business. Look at that stage across the lake; covered in snow, doesn't it look like the Penglai Wonderland from 'The Palace of Eternal Life'?"

Meng Jiangyu looked up and saw that the eaves of the stage were drooping low under the weight of the snow. The actors were walking on the stage wearing feathered robes, and when their water sleeves rolled up, they stirred up fine snowflakes, which really made them look somewhat like Yang Guifei.

"Oh, right," Zhou Yanqiu suddenly remembered something, "Cousin, I heard you've been quite interested in female students in Beijing lately!"

Information between them always travels very quickly unless they deliberately conceal it.

"You're quick with your messages, but don't scare her!"

Looking at the stage rising from the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Lu Linchuan said casually, "I have a cousin from a collateral branch named Lu Ying, who is roommates with that Miss Shen."

"Oh? What a coincidence?"

"What's even more coincidental is that she's the bartender today."

"Pure coincidence!"

After signing the documents, Meng Jiangyu said, "Understood."

Being in a high position, there are too many things that are deliberately arranged, so everyone is very concerned about it.

Everyone in the room is a shrewd individual, carefully selected from their families and honed through years of experience in the business world.

They understood each other with just a glance; Miss Shen, who could make Meng Jiangyu care so much, was definitely not an ordinary person.

He looked across the lake, and suddenly the sound of gongs and drums rose from the stage. Boss Mei's singing voice pierced through the wind and snow, clear as spring water breaking through the ice.

The waiter in Tang suit brought in hot tea again. This time, he had changed into a scarlet ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with lotus embroidery on the hem, which added a touch of vibrancy compared to the round-necked robe he had worn before.

"Sir, the snow outside has lessened a bit; the performance on stage is about to begin."

The three looked across the lake, where the light from the red lanterns pierced through the wind and snow, casting a warm yellow glow on the ice.

The pavilion was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of tea, creating an atmosphere even more relaxed than usual.

Meng Jiangyu leaned back in his chair, listening to the distant opera and watching the snow falling all around him.

Xu Mingxuan's assistant, Shen Xing, strode over and nodded apologetically to the three of them: "My young master was really unable to get away, so he specifically asked me to come and apologize."

After saying that, he gestured to the attendant behind him to present the gift box, "This is a small gift prepared by the young master."

The gift box was opened, and inside was a bottle of red wine.

Zhou Yanqiu raised an eyebrow and smiled: "I knew Xu Liu had something good up his sleeve. This wine was worth two million dollars more than ten years ago, wasn't it?"

Shen Xing nodded: "It was taken by the master in Hong Kong many years ago and has been kept in a cellar ever since."

After saying that, he turned to Meng Jiangyu and bowed deeply, "Young Master asked me to apologize again for Junhe's matter."

Meng Jiangyu leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tracing the cool rim of the glass, his expression indifferent: "When Mingxuan is better, have him come in person."

Shen Xing's heart skipped a beat: "Yes."

The flowing sleeves on the stage were still fluttering, but the atmosphere inside the pavilion quietly grew heavier.

Everyone knows that Meng Jiangyu's words gave the Xu family enough face, but also set a bottom line.