「Jincheng Hotel.」

As soon as Xu Ke arrived at the entrance, Chen Qiang and Lin Chu were already there.

"Qiang Zi, Lin Chu." Xu Ke approached with a smile to greet them.

"Haha, we haven't had a meal together in a long time..." Chen Qiang stepped forward and opened his arms to embrace Xu Ke.

Xu Ke gave Chen Qiang's shoulder a playful punch. "Not bad. Looks like you've been working out."

"Of course. You're a fitness instructor now. How could I call myself your friend if I didn't get in shape?" Chen Qiang raised an eyebrow.

"Stop showing off, you jerk..." Lin Chu laughed. "If it wasn't for that web series you landed, the one with the role that requires you to be fit, would you have ever set foot in a gym?"

The latter part of his sentence was in their provincial dialect. Lin Chu was from the provincial capital, where the term he used was a common insult meaning 'jerk.'

"You're just jealous," Chen Qiang said, ignoring Lin Chu.

Xu Ke laughed heartily. "Come on, let's stop chatting and go inside."

"Alright," the two replied, nodding as they walked into Jincheng Hotel.

Looking at the splendid lobby, which had ancient bronzes and antique vases displayed in the corners, Lin Chu couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "I heard these are all real..."

"Yeah, the boss of the Dapeng Trading Company is ridiculously rich. He's not even afraid of someone stealing them," Chen Qiang clicked his tongue in wonder.

Anyone who had lived in Tianhai for a while and paid attention could easily find out who backed the Jincheng Hotel, and the two of them were no exception.

As Xu Ke looked at the antiques, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Only a powerful figure with a special status like Duan Chongfeng would dare to flaunt his wealth so blatantly. After all, smaller factions wouldn't dare to cross the Dapeng Trading Company, and larger ones would be wary of the consequences. As a result, the Dapeng Trading Company naturally grew more and more ostentatious.

「…」

「At the front desk.」

The receptionist was a girl in her twenties, dressed in a uniform.

"Hello, I'm Xu Ke. I made a reservation yesterday..." Xu Ke handed over his ID card.

As Xu Ke approached, the receptionist blinked, her eyes widening slightly.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Ke felt a bit helpless. Clearly, she recognized me.

Realizing her gaffe, the receptionist quickly lowered her head and started processing the check-in. As Xu Ke was being checked in and shown to his room, the people he had arranged to meet the night before began to arrive.

"Xu Ke, Lin Chu..."

"Old Xu!"

They approached Xu Ke, greeting him with cheerful laughs.

"Hello, everyone." Xu Ke greeted everyone with a smile. They had all been more or less in disguise the previous day, so they weren't worried about being recognized as the group that had caused a scene outside the Xu Ke Building.

「…」

Soon, everyone arrived at the private room Xu Ke had reserved. But when the waiter pushed the door open, he froze.

Xu Ke's expression immediately darkened.

The crowd behind him was taken aback.

Inside the room, there were three men. Two were wearing tight outfits and sunglasses, standing behind the third man, who was sitting in a chair, slowly sipping from a wine glass.

Xu Ke immediately recognized the man. It's Li Jun's brother, Li Lang. Although I've never spoken to him, I saw him three years ago at the graduation ceremony, taking photos with Li Jun. He looks so much like his brother; it's impossible not to recognize him. The fact that he's here... means he's looking for trouble.

"Mister Li, this room has been reserved by Mister Xu," the waiter said, stepping forward. "I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave."

Anyone working at Jincheng Hotel was sharp enough to see the conflict brewing between the Li Family and Xu Ke. If the waiter worked at any other hotel, he would have played dumb and stayed out of it. But Jincheng Hotel was the Dapeng Trading Company's territory, and with Boss Duan's backing, the staff didn't need to be so timid.

Hearing this, Li Lang feigned confusion. "Isn't this my room? Did I walk into the wrong one?"

He's doing this on purpose, Xu Ke thought immediately.

"Your room is?" the waiter asked.

"306."

"I'm sorry, sir. This is 304."

Li Lang shook his head with regret. "Then I truly apologize. I've come to the wrong place."

"It's no problem," the waiter said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Looks like he isn't here to cause trouble after all! he thought.

However, Li Lang immediately followed up with a sincere tone, "In that case, may I ask if I can still drink here? Perhaps Mister Xu could switch to another room? I find the ambiance here quite pleasant."

The waiter's face immediately showed his unease. "This..."

At that moment, Xu Ke said flatly, "No."

"Really? Not at all?" Li Lang asked, his expression still a mask of sincerity.

Hearing this, the waiter finally said, "I'm sorry, Mister Li. Mister Xu disagrees, and Boss Duan has made it clear that we must follow the rules."

Although Li Lang still looked earnest, a seasoned waiter from Jincheng could tell... he's faking it! He's still trying to provoke them! That's why he brought up Boss Duan directly.

Li Lang glanced at the waiter, a cold glint in his eyes. I hate these people from the Dapeng Trading Company, always using Duan Chongfeng's name to pressure people.

The waiter stood his ground, unafraid.

Seeing this, Li Lang sneered. Still, I have to give Duan Chongfeng some face, he thought.

With that, Li Lang stood up. "Fine. Since Boss Duan has his rules, I, Li Lang, will naturally show him some respect."

"However..." Li Lang turned his head to look at Xu Ke. "Are you sure you want to let this broke guy dine here? He was cheated on by his girlfriend and is now sponging off some rich old woman."

"If Boss Duan finds out such a shabby person was let in by you, I think you'll face punishment from him later on, won't you?" After Li Lang finished speaking, he maintained his earnest gaze on Xu Ke.

I'm just trying to rub salt in his wounds, to provoke him! Li Lang thought. He'd come up with this plan last night after learning Xu Ke would be dining here. Jincheng Hotel is Duan Chongfeng's territory. It doesn't matter which family you're from; you have to follow his rules and behave yourself. But if Xu Ke breaks the rules, he'll likely offend the Dapeng Trading Company. Better yet, he might even cause the Wang Family to offend them! My plan is simple: force Xu Ke to make the first move and break the rules. Of course, I'll probably get a little roughed up in the process. But what's a minor injury compared to the possibility of Xu Ke being targeted by the Dapeng Trading Company? It's nothing. And if Xu Ke manages to keep his cool and doesn't lift a finger? That's not a loss either. Insulting him in front of all these people while he can only stand there and take it... just thinking about it is amusing!

Upon hearing Li Lang's words, Xu Ke's expression remained unchanged. The others present, however, turned livid with anger.

"Kid, what the fuck are you saying?"

"What a load of bullshit!"

Lin Chu and Qiang Zi roared at him. They knew Li Jun, so of course, they knew this was his younger brother. If we let him insult Xu Ke in front of all these people without saying a word, we wouldn't have the right to call ourselves his friends anymore, they thought.

Hearing this, Li Lang sneered. "What's wrong with what I said? It's all true. The whole of Tianhai knows it!"

After speaking, Li Lang shot a provocative look at Xu Ke and turned his wine glass upside down. The dark, grape-colored liquid instantly soaked into the bright red tablecloth.

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