From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Lu Yunzhou didn't turn around, but pushed open the door and left.

The night wind blew in from outside the door, ruffling the fabric of his clothes.

When he reached the car, he took out his phone and deleted the message Huo Lie had sent him, offering to buy his life.

The car door closed, and Lu Yunzhou sat in the driver's seat, but did not start the engine for a long time.

Huo Lie's action of firing the gun just now went through his mind again.

Decisive, skillful, without even hesitation.

Lu Yunzhou looked up at the lit windows of the manor and placed his hands on the steering wheel.

These seven disciples can be allies or enemies.

He needs to reassess Huo Lie's importance.

……

Lu Yunzhou left the Linshui Manor but didn't start the car immediately.

When Huo Lie fired, his arm was very steady, and he didn't hesitate when pulling the trigger.

This person is protective of their own, follows the rules, and knows how to repay favors.

Lu Yunzhou raised his hand to press down on his shoulder, and only after the bloodstains on his clothes stopped did he get into the driver's seat.

I drove two kilometers when my phone rang.

Come to Tiger Soul Hall tonight.

Lu Yunzhou gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"What's up?"

"drink wine."

After hanging up the phone, he turned his car around and drove towards the south of the city.

The Tiger Soul Hall's underground boxing ring is hidden beneath an abandoned cold storage facility.

Lu Yunzhou pushed open the last iron gate, and a commotion immediately erupted from it.

The boxing ring was surrounded by people, the chips on the gambling table were piled up like a small mountain, and two boxers were locked in a fierce struggle on the ring, with a few drops of blood on the ground.

Huo Lie sat at the very front of the stands, with two wine glasses beside him.

"sit."

Lu Yunzhou pulled out a chair and glanced at the boxing ring.

Huo Lie poured him a drink and got straight to the point: "Stand on my side, and we'll split the business in Nancheng and the port area."

Lu Yunzhou picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put it back on the table.

"I don't join any gangs. Business is negotiable, but loyalty is out of the question."

Huo Lie stared at him for a few seconds, then pressed his palm against the rim of the cup.

That's what I admire about you.

After saying this, Huo Lie's smile faded slightly.

He was willing to give Lu Yunzhou enough freedom, and he also knew that such a person would turn on him if pushed too far.

Lu Yunzhou leaned back in his chair and continued watching the boxing match in the stands.

Not long after, four women entered through the side door.

They were wearing the matching black miniskirts of the boxing ring, and each held a bottle of liquor.

The woman in the lead was named Qiao Yue, and she had shoulder-length short hair.

The three people behind are named Tang Ning, Xu Man, and Shen He.

Huo Lie raised his chin.

"They'll be with you tonight."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at the four people and picked up the empty cup.

"Just pour the wine."

The four people sat down separately.

Qiao Yue refilled his wine glass, paused her wrist on the table, and looked at him.

"Boss Lu, has Jubaozhai recently started accepting ore from other regions?"

Lu Yunzhou twirled the rim of his glass and casually replied, "The store is short of cash, so we'll take anything."

This statement may be true or false.

Jubaozhai did need funds, but the news of buying goods at low prices was deliberately leaked by him.

Tang Ning took the bottle of wine and asked about Fengming Group.

She asked very detailed questions, from the South Bay project to Feng Qianyi, and then back to the shares held by Liu Ruyan.

Lu Yunzhou covered his mouth with his cup, his reply still a mixture of truth and falsehood.

He said Fengming was preparing to reduce its investment in Nanwan, and that Feng Qianyi and Liu Ruyan had fallen out.

Both statements are believable, yet both contain ample room for misleading interpretation.

Xu Man sat down next to him and picked up a die, rolling it on the table.

"What about the Cloud Peak Club?"

"Su Qingwan has been keeping a tight rein on things lately, and the outside business has been temporarily suspended."

Xu Man noted down those words and continued pouring wine.

Lu Yunzhou observed her technique and knew that these people had received training.

They would sweep the table before pouring drinks, avoid repeating themselves when asking questions, and even their seating arrangements were constantly changing.

These four people weren't there to drink with him.

They were trying to find out what was going on with him.

A new boxer joined the ring, and the shouts from the sidelines grew louder and louder.

As Lu Yunzhou drank his wine, he deliberately mixed up several pieces of information and exaggerated the funding gap of Jubaozhai.

The four women took turns probing.

Some people asked if Feng Qianyi controlled Nanwan, some asked if Su Qingwan and Xiao Sihai had fallen out, and others took the opportunity of playing dice to find out where he lived and how many women he had around him.

Lu Yunzhou answered all of them.

The answer sounded satisfying; half of it was the truth, and the rest was made up on the spot.

After a few rounds of drinks, Shen He pushed a room key in front of him.

"There are rooms upstairs. The boxing ring is too noisy. Let's go there to rest."

Lu Yunzhou picked up the room key and placed it on the other side of the table.

"I'll sit here."

Shen He pursed her lips, shifted her position, and moved her shoulder closer to his arm.

"Boss Lu doesn't even dare to go inside the room?"

Lu Yunzhou finished the wine in his glass, his expression unchanged.

"I just don't want to cause trouble."

This statement made the four of them pause for a moment.

Qiao Yue immediately took over the conversation and asked about his marriage with Feng Qianyi.

She didn't ask too directly, but her words kept veering towards private matters.

Lu Yunzhou smiled and asked them if they should even include such things in their reports.

The wine bottle in Qiao Yue's hand stopped in mid-air, and the slight relaxation on her face disappeared.

That night, the four women took turns sitting, offering each other drinks, playing dice, asking for information, and even trying to take him upstairs.

Lu Yunzhou remained in the hall.

Someone put their hand on the back of his chair, and he got up to get the wine.

Someone slipped a room key into his coat pocket, and he turned to hand it to the waiter.

When someone gets close enough to elicit a conversation, he steers the conversation back to the boxing ring.

At three in the morning, a group of customers left the boxing ring.

Lu Yunzhou sat in the corner drinking tea; seven wine bottles on the table were already empty.

The four women received a lot of information, but very little of it was truly useful.

As dawn broke, Huo Lie entered the hall through the back door.

He glanced at the four women, then looked at Lu Yunzhou.

"Drank all night, and didn't take a single one?"

Lu Yunzhou put down his teacup, a dull ache returning to his old shoulder injury.

He raised his hand and pressed down on the edge of his clothes.

"You sent them to gather information, so why did you take them away?"

Huo Lie raised an eyebrow.

"You noticed?"

Lu Yunzhou looked at the room key on the table.

"The questions were all asked in the same order, the seating arrangements were changed too frequently, and even the drinks were poured in a specific order."

Huo Lie took out his phone, and four reports appeared on the screen.

The information obtained by Qiao Yue and the others was divided into three columns. Two of the columns were marked as pending verification, and the last column stated that Lu Yunzhou refused to enter his private room, did not reveal his real address throughout the night, and did not allow anyone to touch his mobile phone or personal belongings.

After reading it, Huo Lie put his phone away.

"My men say that the information you provided is half true and half false."

"They ask a lot of questions, so I have to give them something in return."

Huo Lie picked up the wine bottle and refilled it for the two of them.

"You don't even touch women, and you're not in a hurry to take the money. Lu Yunzhou, what exactly do you want?"

Lu Yunzhou picked up his wine glass and clinked it against his.

"I want freedom. Nobody should make decisions for me."

Huo Lie stared at him for a moment, then reached out and took the room key from the table.

"Alright. Tiger Soul Hall won't force you into this, nor will we use women to trick you into revealing information."

Lu Yunzhou stood up, and blood seeped out of the wound on his shoulder again.

"Business will continue as usual, and the rules will be followed as well."