Chapter 2737: The Invitation of the Golden Leopard

A great reputation serves to guard against both gentlemen and villains. Bathed in the warm sunlight, Golden Leopard, who came from a background as a street thug and had little formal education, did not possess the ability to compose poetry by the river or recite verses while admiring the mist and clouds, but that did not hinder his insights into life. This had to do with learning, but it was not the deciding factor; what ultimately determined a person's state of mind was a sufficiently intelligent brain. Just like Du Yuesheng, who shook the world from the Shanghai Bund in the old society; starting as a fruit stall apprentice, he was likewise able to see through the affairs of the world and the vicissitudes of life, and he saw them more thoroughly than the average person. This was also the reason why Golden Leopard was able to "stand out" from among so many street thugs.

At this moment, at a parking spot one hundred meters below the villa, a nearly new Passat screeched to a halt. The car door opened, and a tall man wearing a casual jacket stepped out.

Nowadays, Golden Leopard, who had occupied the number one throne of the Xijing underworld for nearly twenty years, and a rising star destined to be extraordinary—to be precise, the two were not on the same path; one was black, one was white—had unexpectedly crossed paths because of a woman. Over time, Golden Leopard had also learned of Zhao Desan's methods and knew that this was no ordinary guy. If he couldn't be a friend, then he would be an enemy, but the best choice was to make friends, counting it as having one more human resource in the white path. Today, they were finally going to complete their first true exchange, or rather, a confrontation.

A small table, two chairs. Golden Leopard was like a different person compared to the arrogant old man from before. His attitude had done a 180-degree turn; he greeted Zhao Desan with a happy, beaming smile, inviting him to sit down. Zhao Desan was not restrained either; he exchanged greetings and sat down with a smile.

Golden Leopard took a quick look at Zhao Desan's attire and smiled: "Director Liu is a young man, after all. Young people should be a bit particular, because this is a society where people judge by appearances. However, that car of yours is a bit beneath your status. As a dignified director, why are you driving an old car worth ten or twenty thousand? At the very least, you should be in an Audi A6 or something. If Director Liu likes it, you can drive one away from my garage later. Drive whichever one you like, and when you get tired of it, bring it back and swap it."

He offered a car the moment he opened his mouth, and there were no low-end cars in Old Man Golden's garage. For the past two years, this old thing had been driving Mercedes and BMWs, but lately, he had been single-mindedly trying to wash himself clean, wanting to get a few proper titles for himself. He had also started learning from those officials, buying a few Audis to rotate between.

Zhao Desan, however, smiled and shook his head, saying: "Thank you, Boss Golden, but as a small director, my car is provided by my unit. If I swap cars for no reason, it wouldn't look very good. Besides, the quality of the car doesn't matter to me."

This was a polite refusal, and Golden Leopard didn't force it. Someone who could be bought with a car wasn't worth Golden Leopard's high regard, even if that car were a Bugatti Veyron. Golden Leopard looked at the Wei River before him with some emotion, as if he saw himself as a wave being pushed forward incessantly by the waves behind, unable to control his own path. "I heard you, Tong Lan, and the daughter of the Provincial Party Secretary are going to open a bar?" Golden Leopard changed the subject; this news had been reported to him by his subordinates.

"A small business. I'm just helping out; the main investment is from Tong Lan and Lulu. They are just trying to make a living, hardly worth Boss Golden's attention," Zhao Desan laughed.

"The starting point is too low; it wastes Director Liu's talent," Golden Leopard smiled and said. "Nowadays, which leader doesn't do a little business on the side? During holidays, one has to give gifts to the leaders above, and the gifts can't be too thin. With just that little salary, how could it be enough? A young man like Director Liu is in the golden age of building a career; time is more precious than money. Although Director Liu, you are very talented, as the saying goes, you can't get fat in one bite. If you don't build good relationships with the leaders above, it's not easy to move up. To build good relationships, you have to do some business on the side and get some other income so you can honor the leaders above. If the starting point is too low, even if your bar's business doubles every year, it won't catch up to other bars in ten years. It will delay you."

This statement indeed had a strong shocking effect on an ambitious young man.

Golden Leopard then changed the subject and smiled: "If Director Liu is willing, I have actually been wanting to expand my business and am preparing to open another bar with a higher grade and scale. Once the new bar opens, it will definitely be second to none in Xijing. By then, I can give Director Liu half of the equity. Within half a year, your net worth will definitely skyrocket. With money, isn't everything much more convenient? To be honest, as far as I know, Old Brother Sun's younger brother, Director Sun, relied on bribing leaders to climb up back in the day. Many big leaders now follow this path. Don't talk about who climbed up on real ability; that's all deceptive ghost talk. Director Liu, you probably haven't been in the unit for very long, while I have been dealing with government leaders for ten or twenty years. Although I am not in that system, I understand the things inside the system better than you do."

Sun Changsheng, in the end, could be considered a successful person within the system. Being able to sit in the position of a bureau-level cadre in a provincial capital city was not simple. At Zhao Desan's current age, even with his ability, he probably wouldn't reach Sun Changsheng's current status in ten years. But if he used those crooked paths to pull connections, it might be faster.

Besides, nowadays, people who are officials almost all have a common goal: not to serve the people and benefit society, nor to cultivate their character and contribute strength, but for Renminbi, for profit, so that after becoming an official, they can easily rake in a fortune within the scope of their power. Even if it's not for promotion, being able to get rich is the dream of many people. Just for the sake of millions or tens of millions in benefits a year, it's worth it. Even if one works in an international big enterprise and reaches the position of CEO, it's rare to get that amount—millions a year, what kind of concept is that? Before Zhao Desan entered the officialdom, when he was still a "loser" with nothing, hitting walls everywhere looking for work, where would he have thought that one day he would face someone offering such an olive branch?

However, Zhao Desan remained clear-headed in his mind; he was not muddled by the sugar-coated bullets of Jin Qianbao. Hot meat is delicious, but cold debts are hard to repay. Zhao Desan knew very well that once he colluded with Jin Qianbao, he would not know how many god-forsaken, thunder-striking deeds he would have to commit to trade for this wealth, because there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"Many thanks for Boss Golden's kindness, but I still want to do my own work well in the government and contribute my meager strength to promote the construction and development of the Chanba Development Zone." Zhao Desan laughed heartily, finding a reason to politely decline Golden Leopard's olive branch. "I am actually like a donkey—stubborn. If I don't hit my head until it bleeds, I won't know that the pot is made of iron."

"Director Liu, look at what you're saying. Since you can ascend steadily, why bother hitting your head until it bleeds? Walking up step by step steadily, isn't that better?" Golden Leopard said with a chuckle.

Zhao Desan laughed: "Boss Golden, a person's life is very short. If my own hands haven't struggled and fought, and this life hasn't had bumps and hardships, I'm afraid I'll regret it when I look back before I die."

Although Zhao Desan was speaking and laughing, his will was firm. The sharp-eyed Golden Leopard could see at a glance that recruiting Zhao Desan today was almost impossible. He thought to himself, does this guy really have to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit? This old man had long ago polished his state of mind to be as smooth as a pebble on all sides, so naturally, he wouldn't show his emotions on his face. He just smiled faintly: "Director Liu is indeed a young man with backbone. Well done. I was just saying it casually, and you can just listen to it casually. If you have new thoughts, you can come to me at any time. Today, I invited you here mainly to treat Director Liu to a home-cooked meal and let you taste the craftsmanship of my chef."

Keeping his own chef—this was taste and style. In this villa of Golden Leopard's, he had already invited many prominent figures to visit. Although this old thing came from the grassroots, he saw further than ordinary grassroots, so he stood higher and walked further.

The person Golden Leopard found to accompany him for the meal was also very particular; it wasn't those thugs and lackeys under him, but a proper professional manager. This kind of intellectual seemed more decent, and it also showed that Boss Golden was a proper businessman.

The one accompanying the meal was Shangguan Wan'er, the manager of the teahouse under Golden Leopard. This woman, who looked to be under thirty, could be considered a graduate of a famous university in Xijing. She had education, cultivation, and had always been a woman dressed elegantly but with a graceful charm, only she had been trained a bit too flirtatiously by Golden Leopard in the last two years. Although Zhao Desan was not familiar with this woman and it was their first meeting, this woman's reputation was actually not small at all. She could be considered another arm of Golden Leopard, always managing and taking care of the teahouse business for him. Because the people who often came to the teahouse were figures with some status, this woman could greet everyone from high-ranking officials and nobles down to ordinary people with a smiling face and a gentle demeanor. Businessmen value harmony to make money, and Shangguan Wan'er's harmonious and clever methods had brought Golden Leopard rolling wealth. From a small teahouse in the beginning to a very high-end large teahouse with four or five floors now, Shangguan Wan'er had made an indelible contribution.

As an important arm of Golden Leopard, even those juniors who were doing okay in society had to honestly call her "Big Sister Shangguan" or even "Sister Shangguan" when they saw her.

In that small parking lot one hundred meters below the villa, a red BMW slowly drove in. People under Golden Leopard all knew that this was Shangguan Wan'er's ride, which seemed a bit inconsistent with her usual elegant style. After this red BMW stopped, Shangguan Wan'er looked a bit stunned at the

old Passat beside her—when would there be such a low-class car in Boss Golden's parking lot?

Shangguan Wan'er associated it with the person Golden Leopard was going to invite tonight and immediately guessed that this broken Passat was probably that "VIP's." She smiled helplessly, thinking to herself, does even this kind of goods deserve to enter Boss Golden's eyes?

Shangguan Wan'er was a woman who could handle all sides and was very good at entertaining people, but that was all superficial work. Even if it were the most ordinary commoner, as long as you were a guest in my teahouse, I would greet you with a smile. All who come are guests, and one dollar is also profit. But from the bottom of her heart, precisely because she was knowledgeable and experienced, she was more picky than the average woman.

1493. Chapter 1476: Heroes Have Trouble Passing the Beauty's Gate

【Chapter 1 Main Text】 ===== CHAPTER 2738 =====