Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"You've got a future," Liu Baoqiang said with a laugh. "Just handle it as you see fit."

Yang Ce had not expected Liu Baoqiang to be such a kindred spirit—when it came to fleecing people, he was a match for Yang Ce himself. In the blink of an eye, those top-grade lobsters and Hawaiian crabs had been duly counterfeited.

"Brother Zhou, is this place a damn rip-off joint or what? How is it this expensive?" Zheng Lüzi cursed and grumbled.

"Rip-off or not, we've got no choice but to swallow it. Right now I don't want to stir up trouble," Zhou Xiaoming said. He was pained by the expense too, but what good was being pained?

"Exactly. At any other time, I'd have punched him already. Comparing fortunes with our Brother Zhou—that's just plain overreaching," Niu Xiaobo cursed, thoroughly annoyed as well.

"You two, give it a rest. This is a hot pot restaurant. A man like me counts as quite wealthy here, but you put me in a place like Celestial Paradise, and my little bit of money wouldn't go far at all."

"That's right, that's right. But Celestial Paradise isn't a place for the likes of us—that's for the level of Boss Wei," Zheng Lüzi nodded and said.

"Don't you two be envious. Before this demolition business, I'll take you out and show you a good time," Zhou Xiaoming said.

"Then we thank you in advance, Brother Zhou!" Zheng Lüzi and Niu Xiaobo broke into lewd, sniggering laughter.

Whether Zhou Xiaobo paid by card or in cash after the meal was no concern of Yang Ce's. Dining in the hall downstairs was lively too, with a charm all its own.

As for the lobsters, crabs, scallops and the like ordered afterward, all of it was crossed off the bill. The group had already eaten plenty; there was no way they could put away any more.

Besides, they still had a class reunion to attend shortly—they couldn't very well stuff themselves to the brim.

The four of them left the hot pot restaurant together, still unable to hold back smiles at the memory of what had just happened. Liu Baoqiang, though, had come by tens of thousands of yuan out of thin air, and was in excellent spirits.

The hot pot restaurant did make money, but there was only so much to be made, after all. A few thousand in profit a day was already quite something—and yet today alone they had earned several days' worth.

"It's still early. Let me treat you all to something to drink," Liu Baoqiang said after glancing at the time.

"That works. Oh, that's right—where is your class reunion?" Yang Ce said in agreement.

"At the Immortal Resort. It's quite far from here," Liu Ting said. "Neither Mengyan nor I have been there, but Liu Baoqiang knows the way."

Yang Puqi of the Xianren Resort was stunned. No way—this place again? Their junior high class reunion had been held here too.

"You're kidding. Last time our junior high reunion was right there." Yang Ce glanced at Chen Shutang and said with a bitter smile, "The setting's fine, but I've got no idea who picked the spot."

"Who else? Wei Jin, of course," Liu Ting said in exasperation. Only after the words left her mouth did she remember that Yang Ce certainly had no idea who Wei Jin was, so she quickly explained, "He was one of our Princess Chen's old suitors."

Yang Xu was speechless—why did it feel like his romantic rivals were sprouting up everywhere? Chen Shutang's next sentence, however, put Yang Ce at ease.

"Hardly. These days he's chasing Liu Ting for all he's worth," Chen Shutang said, her cheeks flushing. She did not want Yang Ce to get the wrong idea.

Yang Yu nodded, not reading much into it, and merely said to Liu Baoqiang with a smile, "You're under a lot of pressure, huh."

"No problem. I'm not afraid," Liu Baoqiang said, swinging his fist and speaking with perfect seriousness.

"Then why did he pick some Xianren Resort for the place? There are plenty of spots in town, aren't there?" Chen Shutang asked, a little puzzled.

"That Xianren Resort was opened by some cousin or uncle of his—I'm not sure which. Anyway, it's a relative of his family," Liu Ting explained. "Honestly, he just wants to show off to his classmates how much pull his family has."

Hm? So he's tied by blood to the owner of the Xianren Resort too? That would make this Wei Jin a relative of Sui Guangqi as well. Funny how, once you trace the threads, the people around you turn out to be connected in so many ways.

Yang Ce had nothing but ill will toward the Sui family. Still, ill will was all it was—there was no real hatred there. It was just that Zou Ruoguang rubbed him the wrong way.

Since the Sui family's business and direction of development were not in Songjiang anyway, there was little chance of a feud with Yan. So to this day, Yang Ce and they had kept the peace.

He hoped this Wei Jin fellow would know his place. Otherwise, if he provoked him, Yang Ce would show him no mercy—Sui family or no Sui family; had he not given Zou Ruoguang a lesson just the same?

Liu Baoqiang treated the four of them to Häagen-Dazs upstairs at Xinheng Department Store. It was a rather upscale kind of ice cream, but Yang Minlan had little interest in sweets, so the taste did not strike him as anything special.

Chen Shutang and Liu Ting, though, ate theirs with great delight. When the bill came, Yang Shuoxuan did not make a fuss about paying. Liu Baoqiang had already declared it was his treat; to insist otherwise would have smacked of looking down on him.

After the ice cream, the four of them wandered the mall for a while before driving out to the Xianren Resort in the West Star Hills.

By then, the Wei Jin that Liu Ting and Liu Baoqiang had spoken of had already arrived at the Xianren Resort and was in the lounge, chatting with a tall, lean young man.

"Honestly, cousin, you're doing pretty miserably. From what you tell me, you couldn't land either of the two girls?" Wei Jin lit a cigar and clamped it cockily between his lips—one he had swiped from his father's study.

"Don't even mention it. Of all the relatives in our family, mine's the worst off—my parents are too cowardly, and they don't know enough to ride the family connections to fortune. Look at our aunt's husband—he's made a huge name for himself in Songjiang. You've really got it good." Zou Ruoguang spoke with clear irritation. "You got any more cigars? Let me have one to try."

"Go easy on it—I've only got two." Wei Jin pulled out another cigar and tossed it to Zou Ruoguang, then laughed. "Would you believe it—at university I went after a girl I'd known since junior high, and I just couldn't land her. The girl turns around and takes up with some nouveau riche whose family runs a hotpot shop. Doesn't that burn you up?"

"No way." Zou Ruoguang looked thoroughly unconvinced. He took the cigar and sniffed it with relish. "I hear these are rolled on women's thighs—who knows if it's true. Does it carry a woman's scent?"

"Why would I lie?" Wei Jin smiled bitterly. "The guy's pretty ordinary-looking too. Who knows what she saw in him."

"Heh heh, cousin, I've got it—you're planning to use this junior high reunion to pull something off, aren't you?" Zou Ruoguang chuckled and suddenly asked.

"Haha, nothing gets past you." Wei Jin gave a sinister laugh. "I've got quite a show prepared this time. Hmph—Liu Baoqiang, I'll make sure you come but never leave."

"Who's Liu Baoqiang?" Zou Ruoguang blinked, startled.

"That girl's boyfriend—the nouveau riche whose family runs the hotpot shop," Wei Jin explained.

"Oh. So, cousin, what's your brilliant scheme? Tell me quick, so I can put it to good use myself." Zou Ruoguang's interest was piqued.

"What, cousin, you've got someone you want to settle scores with too?" Wei Jin looked at Zou Ruoguang and asked.

"Hmph." The moment Zou Ruoguang thought of Yang Ce's wicked grin, his teeth itched with rage—he had been thoroughly ruined by him last time. If there was a chance, he had to have his revenge. "You know about that business at Jingshan last time, don't you? I want revenge."