"Come, come, Mr. Zhou, let me introduce you to everyone."
In Lu Conglin’s view, he couldn’t see the expressions of the people behind him changing. After greeting Zhou Wang, he proceeded to introduce the people behind him one by one.
"This is Lu Yuansong, the president of our group’s subsidiary responsible for new project development... Yuansong, this is Mr. Zhou Wang, whom I mentioned to you before. A self-made billionaire, as far as I know, he should also be the youngest billionaire in Ming City!"
"Hello, Mr. Zhou!"
Lu Yuansong immediately took Zhou Wang’s hand, saying with a beaming smile, "I’ve heard there was an impressive young entrepreneur from Yunan Province, and now I finally get to meet you."
From the concealed surprise in Lu Yuansong’s eyes, Zhou Wang knew he hadn’t heard of him before today, but in adult social settings, these "little details" were obviously unimportant.
What mattered was that Lu Conglin had invited Zhou Wang with a respectful attitude and himself as a host, which meant he had to treat Zhou Wang with more respect.
"Next to him is his son, Lu Chen. Mr. Zhou, if I remember correctly, you graduated from Cai University, right? Lu Chen is your fellow alumnus..."
Lu Conglin was introducing cheerfully when his tone suddenly paused.
His expression seemed unchanged, but Lu Yuansong noticed a flicker of displeasure in Lu Conglin’s eyes.
When Lu Yuansong saw his son’s behavior, he suddenly became furious.
His usually quick-witted son stood frozen in place, unable to even greet Zhou Wang!
"Lu Chen!"
Lu Yuansong’s face immediately turned dark.
"Yes!"
Lu Chen jolted, and despite his internal panic and resistance, he quickly forced a smile and extended his hand to Zhou Wang.
"Mr. Zhou, hello..."
Seeing Lu Chen’s timid demeanor, Lu Yuansong darkened even more.
What on earth are you doing!
Zhou Wang, however, just smiled and, instead of shaking Lu Chen’s hand, patted his shoulder and said meaningfully, "Brother Lu, we meet again..."
Sweating from his forehead, Lu Chen knew his behavior was embarrassing but had envisioned different scenarios when Zhou Wang discovered him, like Zhou calling in anger, and him sarcastically responding with Zhou having no means to retaliate.
Alright, he admitted that Zhou Wang was no longer the pushover he used to be. Still, it should at least be a grand confrontation on the Forbidden City’s roof under a full moon, right?
Zhou Wang declared war coldly, while he would respond with a devilish smile, daring Zhou Wang to try his best.
Yes, Lu Chen had imagined every scenario over the past two days except for this one.
Zhou Wang directly bypassed the high ground and went straight for the crystal.
Although nominally his second uncle, Lu Conglin was more a distant relative on the family register. If not for holidays, Lu Chen’s father wouldn’t call him "Second Brother" but respectfully say "Mr. Lu."
As Lu Chen struggled to maintain a pale smile, unsure of what to say, Zhou Wang patted his shoulder before letting him go, turning to smile at Zhang Ruifeng beside him.
"Ruifeng is here too, what a coincidence."
Who’s calling him "Ruifeng"!
"Ruifeng" is not for you to call!
However, thinking so, Zhang Ruifeng instinctively flashed a bright smile, "Ahaha, yes, yes, I didn’t expect..."
Ugh, how despicable!
Zhang Ruifeng inwardly despised himself but quickly comforted himself with the thought, alright, alright, a wise man knows when to yield, momentary forbearance, and a broader horizon opens. A real man can adapt...
After all, he’s "Ming City’s Batman." Why fight him here? Maybe when Zhou Wang goes to Zhe Province, that would be his turf.
"Mr. Zhou, do you know each other?"
Lu Conglin noticed something amiss and asked curiously.
"We just met not long ago."
Zhou Wang only replied with a smile, quickly moving past the topic to introduce Su Yajing, Tang Yiming, Ruan Jinghong, and others.
Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid Zhou Wang would confront him publicly, which would be the end. Yet, it seemed he celebrated too soon...
As Zhou Wang and Lu Conglin chatted and entered the private room ahead, Lu Chen was about to follow when Lu Yuansong grabbed him.
"Dad..."
"Tell me, what happened?"
Lu Yuansong’s face was expressionless, but his gaze was incredibly sharp.
Even a blind person could see the tension between him and Zhou Wang, and he was sure Lu Conglin saw it too. If he didn’t figure it out now, how could they continue the dinner?
"Dad, really, there’s nothing..."
Lu Chen began speaking nervously.
Lu Yuansong sneered, "Seems like you’re too stubborn. Fine, you can leave the company tomorrow and do whatever you want!"
"No, dad, I’ll talk, isn’t that enough?"
Seeing his father was genuinely angry, Lu Chen quickly wore a mournful expression and started reluctantly, "Back at school, I had a little conflict with Zhou Wang, and then, at our school reunion a few days ago, I... I kind of..."
Under Lu Yuansong’s intense pressure, Lu Chen stammered out the story.
Afterward, Lu Yuansong fell silent.
Seeing his father not speaking for so long, Lu Chen finally couldn’t help but look up, only to see Lu Yuansong trembling with anger, his hand raised halfway as if wanting to do something but holding back for some unseen reason.