At the same time.
Just across the street from Jingcheng Building, inside a high-end private dining restaurant called "Silver Banquet," in a street-facing third-floor room, Xue Mingyuan took a deep drag on a custom-made unbranded cigarette and then extinguished it in the ashtray.
With Xue Mingyuan’s action, his secretary Wan Xingyi hurried forward to remove the ashtray immediately, while a scantily clad waitress swiftly turned on the exhaust fan to clear the room of smoke.
"I heard once, when Old Qian from Qianjiang Real Estate hosted Yan Lingchuan for dinner, he didn’t know Yan couldn’t stand the smell of smoke. He smoked throughout the meal, and soon after, the project at Magic City Bund fell through."
Xue Mingyuan said indifferently, "It was only after that that Old Qian went to apologize, standing at the door for a whole day before meeting Yan."
"Of course, the rumor probably exaggerated things a bit, and maybe Old Qian did other things that upset Mr. Yan. But in any case, paying more attention to details is never wrong..."
"Mr. Xue, wise words indeed, that makes sense. Maybe Mr. Yan really can’t stand the smell of smoke, or maybe he was using it as a reason to put Mr. Qian in his place. But there’s no need for us to make the other side uncomfortable over trivial matters."
Wan Xingyi laughed, flattering him, and echoed.
"How long has Yan Lingchuan been inside?"
Xue Mingyuan gazed at the Jingcheng Building diagonally opposite and asked.
"It’s been about half an hour."
Wan Xingyi glanced at his Rolex watch and replied promptly.
"Half an hour... Given Yan Lingchuan’s usual style, they should have almost finished talking by now."
Xue Mingyuan murmured a sentence, then frowned, "So why isn’t he out yet?"
"Well... Boss, after all, it’s the opening ceremony of a club; some delays are normal, right?"
Wan Xingyi pondered and said.
"True." Xue Mingyuan nodded, "Is the kitchen ready?"
"It’s all ready, their manager is personally overseeing it. As soon as Mr. Yan arrives, the dishes can be served immediately. I’ve specifically arranged people at the building entrance to ensure Mr. Yan is guided promptly."
Wan Xingyi responded quickly, and when Xue Mingyuan nodded, he apparently remembered something and spoke quietly:
"By the way, boss, President Lin of the restaurant just informed me that he’s arranged several talented young ladies to entertain at the dinner, all proper college students, including one from Ukraine. What do you think...?"
"Cancel it!"
Xue Mingyuan frowned and said without thinking, "Are you familiar with Yan Lingchuan? Do you know what he likes or dislikes, to dare make random arrangements?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I’ll inform President Lin right away..."
"Forget it, wait a moment."
Xue Mingyuan stopped Wan Xingyi again, "Tell him to proceed as usual. I’ll decide when to let them in. If it’s not appropriate, those girls can be sent back."
"Yes!"
After Wan Xingyi hastily arranged everything and returned, Xue Mingyuan walked to the window, lit another cigarette, took two puffs, and asked:
"You visited Xiao Peng yesterday, right?"
Wan Xingyi was stunned, then understood why Xue Mingyuan lit another cigarette. He quickly signaled to the waitress, and after they left, he stepped forward and answered softly:
"Yes, boss, I went with the lawyer as you instructed..."
"What did the lawyer say?"
"Because Mr. Xue has a criminal record, the hope for probation is slim. The lawyer said we can only argue from an attempted angle to strive for a shorter sentence..."
"Spare me the nonsense."
Xue Mingyuan interrupted Wan Xingyi, took a deep breath, and asked, "Just tell me, how long might Xiao Peng stay inside?"
"Two to three years, at the minimum."
"Two to three years..."
A vein throbbed on Xue Mingyuan’s forehead but quickly calmed down. He remained silent for a while before speaking, "Visit again later, tell him to reform with peace of mind. Once he’s out, if he’s genuinely settled down, I’ll let him manage this club."
"Alright, boss, I’ll remember that."
"There shouldn’t be any surprises, right?"
Xue Mingyuan raised his head to look at the opposite Jingcheng Building, seemingly asking, perhaps talking to himself.
"You’ve connected with so many people lately, and with Mr. Yan stepping in today, how could there be any surprises?"
Wan Xingyi immediately laughed, with a hint of disdain in his words, "Things have progressed to this point; it’s not just our matter anymore. Zhou Wang, a stranger from out of town, even with some ties to Cloud Trust, can he possibly fight the entire Beijing Circle alone?"
"Even if you don’t allow it, Mr. Yan himself probably won’t let it happen either."
...
The Barovier&Toso wing-style crystal chandelier, same as those in the Royal Palace of Spain, emitted dazzling brilliance above the banquet hall. On the small stage laid with a black soft carpet, Zhou Wang leaned forward slightly, supporting himself with both hands on the platform.
The well-tailored suit crafted by Brioni’s chief designer accentuated the young man’s stature, and combined with the faint smile on his face, firmly drew the attention of many female guests present.
Miss Li secretly marveled; speaking of Zhou Wang’s looks, if he wasn’t already wealthy, pursuing a career in entertainment might also be a good path.
Glancing at Miss Gu beside her, who unconsciously sat up straighter, Miss Li couldn’t help but pinch her, reminding her not to keep her legs pressed together so tightly.
Miss Li didn’t know why Zhou Wang would choose to speak on the stage at this moment, but she guessed that perhaps Zhou Wang wanted to leave a final graceful impression before leaving...