Rebirth: My Home Has Become a Gathering Place for Young Women with a "Crazy" Spirit

When Wu Yong saw Shen Jie, his expression changed drastically, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Shen Jie." Wu Yong's tone was very calm, but this time, he didn't call him "Old Shen" or "Brother Jie," but called him by his name directly.

Shen Jie clearly noticed the change in address as well. His憨厚 smile froze slightly for a moment, then vanished, leaving his face still bearing a gentle and憨厚 smile. His gaze shifted from Wu Yong to Qin Lang, giving him a once-over.

"And who is this?" Shen Jie asked.

"Qin Lang, my friend." Wu Yong didn't elaborate, his tone remaining calm. "He works in cultural media."

Shen Jie extended his hand to Qin Lang and said warmly, "Hello, hello, my name is Shen Jie. Lao Wu and I are brothers, so his friends are my friends. I work at the Development and Reform Bureau. Xiao Qin, you can contact me anytime if you need anything related to projects."

Qin Lang glanced at the hand, then at Shen Jie's face, and reached out to shake it. "Section Chief Shen, it's an honor to meet you."

Shen Jie was slightly taken aback. "You've heard of me?"

"I've heard Yong mention it." As Qin Lang said this, he glanced at Wu Yong out of the corner of his eye, but Wu Yong's expression remained unchanged.

Shen Jie's gaze swept back and forth between Qin Lang and Wu Yong twice, and he said with a smile, "Old Wu and I have been best friends for years, he must have said a lot of bad things about me, right?"

"No. Brother Yong said that Section Chief Shen is a righteous person, and he would go to great lengths for his friends," Qin Lang said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jie's expression changed slightly. He had a feeling that there was something more to what the young man was saying.

He didn't speak to Qin Lang again, but turned to Wu Yong and said, "Old Wu, how's your thinking about that contract from last time? Boss Wang is pressing hard, saying that if it's not settled by this week, he'll find someone else to cooperate with."

He spoke casually, as if he didn't care, but his eyes held an undisguised expectation.

Wu Yong looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and finally said, "I won't sign that contract."

Upon hearing this answer, Shen Jie's smile froze instantly. The corners of his mouth still held a slight curve, but his eyes had completely changed, from expectation to surprise, and then from surprise to blame.

"Not signing?" Shen Jie repeated, making sure he hadn't misheard, and questioned Wu Yong, "Old Wu, what do you mean by this? Didn't we agree on everything before?"

"We had an agreement before, but I looked at the contract carefully later." Wu Yong looked into Shen Jie's eyes and said, word by word, "What does the third page mean?"

Shen Jie's pupils contracted sharply, but the next second, he regained his honest smile, waved his hand, and said in a tone that said, "You don't need to worry about it at all," that clause was a standard addition by the legal department. Every contract has it; it's just a formality, so you don't need to take it seriously.

"Don't take it seriously?" Wu Yong's voice turned cold. "Shen Jie, I've been in this system for over a decade. I know exactly what I can and can't sign. Your 'standard clause' shifts all the risks and legal consequences onto me. If anything goes wrong, I'll be the primary person responsible. Do you think I'm stupid?"

At this moment, Shen Jie's smile vanished completely. He looked at Wu Yong, remained silent for a moment, and then lowered his voice to say, "Old Wu, what are you talking about? We've known each other for over ten years, would I ever cheat you?"

"You're already setting me up," Wu Yong said bluntly.

Shen Jie's lips twitched. He glanced at Qin Lang beside him, then turned back to look at Wu Yong, and suddenly laughed, a laugh that made people very uncomfortable.

"Hehe, alright, Lao Wu, you're something else." He nodded, took a step back, and said, "If you don't want to sign, then don't. You're the one who'll lose anyway. President Wang has already found a partner. If you miss this opportunity, don't regret it later."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Wu Yong watched his retreating figure, took a deep breath, and turned to Qin Lang, saying, "Sigh... this is what brothers of over ten years are like."

Qin Lang didn't reply. Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the other end of the banquet hall.

The crowd parted automatically, like Moses parting the Red Sea, making way for a path. A man in a gray suit stepped out from the crowd. He was in his fifties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a steady gait, exuding an aura of quiet authority.

Zhao Xiangcheng, chairman of Xiangcheng Industrial, is one of the top three private entrepreneurs in Liaobei City.

Behind him followed his son, Zhao Zhiheng, and next to Zhao Zhiheng was another person, who turned out to be Shen Jie, who had just left.

Shen Jie and Zhao Zhiheng stood together, very close. Zhao Zhiheng was whispering something to Shen Jie. After listening, Shen Jie nodded, glanced at Qin Lang and Wu Yong, but mainly focused on Qin Lang. Then, Shen Jie looked away and continued walking forward with Zhao Xiangcheng.

Zhao Xiangcheng walked straight to the large round table in the center of the banquet hall and sat down opposite the elderly man with gray hair. Zhao Zhiheng and Shen Jie stood on either side of him, without sitting at the table.

The elderly man with gray hair put down his teacup, looked up at Zhao Xiangcheng, and said calmly, "Xiangcheng, you've come."

Zhao Xiangcheng smiled, his tone clearly flattering, and said in a loud voice, "Old Zhou, it's been a long time. The last time we met was at the provincial economic work conference; more than half a year has passed in the blink of an eye."

Old Zhou… Qin Lang silently repeated the title in his mind, his brain rapidly searching for information.

A person surnamed Zhou who can sit in the central seat at such a high-level banquet, receive a greeting from Zhao Xiangcheng, and attend a provincial economic work conference... such people are extremely rare in the entire Donglu Province.

Soon, a name popped into Qin Lang's mind—Zhou Hongyuan.

Zhou Hongyuan, a former deputy high-ranking official in Donglu Province, retired to a secondary position three years ago, but his influence remains. His eldest son, Zhou Mingyu, is now the deputy mayor of Liaobei City, and his second son, Zhou Mingliang, works in the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The Zhou family is deeply rooted in both the political and business circles of Donglu Province, making them a truly powerful force.

It's an open secret in Liaobei City that Zhao Xiangcheng and the Zhou family are very close. Qin Lang remembers that in his previous life, when Zhao Xiangcheng got into trouble, the Zhou family was also implicated.

Shen Jie stood behind Zhao Zhiheng, his gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on Qin Lang once more. This time, his eyes held neither the naivety nor the slightest hint of a smile, but rather a distinctly sinister glint.

Qin Lang met that gaze and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had a premonition that Shen Jie seemed to already know that Wu Yong hadn't signed the contract because of Qin Lang's reminder. As for how he knew, Qin Lang wasn't sure. Perhaps Zhao Zhiheng told Shen Jie about what happened at the door earlier, and Shen Jie deduced it himself; or perhaps it was because Qin Lang was the only new face Wu Yong had been in contact with recently, so they guessed it.

Wu Yong clearly noticed Shen Jie's gaze as well. He subtly took a step closer to Qin Lang, standing in front of him.