Chapter 991: No Shallow Romantic Fortune

"Wang Laoban, misunderstanding, misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

Glancing at Xiao Yangpu Xiao Liuzi and another underling lying on the floor, then rubbing his foot against the ground to scrape off a bloody tooth stuck to his sole, Wei Wei Hongqing, wearing the exaggerated air of a nouveau riche, laughed loudly as he stepped forward.

"The matter is simple enough; I intended to help Fan Zong and Boss Bao discuss business and make a deal, hoping to earn a share myself if possible. I didn't expect this Xiao Yangpu Xiao Liuzi to be so blind he couldn't recognize Taishan, offending Wang Laoban."

"Only through harmony can we prosper; Wang Laoban runs such a vast enterprise, surely he won't stoop to our level. I apologize on their behalf to Wang Laoban; today, all of Wang Laoban's expenses are on my tab. Let us become fri..."

"Wei Zong, it is not your place to be generous with my hospitality; today Wang Laoban's visit was invited by my Zhizhen Garden as the host." Seeing Seeing Lingzi spoke without even looking at Wei Wei Hongqing, instead fixing her expressive eyes on Wang Yan.

She had to speak, for Wei Wei Hongqing claiming he wanted to befriend Wang Laoban was truly a case of needing to piss in a mirror to see himself clearly; Tao Tao could befriend Wang Laoban because they knew each other before his rise, and Wang Laoban had always visited Night Tokyo to eat and chat with them, sometimes bringing back gifts for everyone when returning from distant business trips.

But what was Wei Wei Hongqing? Merely someone mixing in society relying on his father's fur business; for ordinary people, such as Xiao Yangpu Xiao Liuzi and the others lying on the ground, this was already quite sufficient, and for her, Seeing Seeing Lingzi, it carried some face, but before Wang Laoban it was utterly inadequate, let alone Wei Wei Hongqing, even if his father came, absolute respect would be required.

On the way over, she had specifically informed Wei Wei Hongqing about Wang Laoban's situation, yet upon arriving here, he was still laughing and playing the fool like Fengdan Fengdan Sihai; if allowed to continue speaking and provoke Wang Laoban's displeasure, resulting in a huge slap across Wei Wei Hongqing's face that knocked out all his teeth, the situation would become truly difficult to resolve.

Fan Zong also chimed in with a ingratiating smile: "Wang Zong, please do not get angry, it's all a misunderstanding; frankly, the fault lies with me, as I had an appointment with Boss Bao to sign a contract, but Wei Zong's hospitality was too hard to refuse, so I couldn't leave; think about it, Zhizhen Garden and Honglu are only a few dozen meters apart, I don't know what Boss Bao was thinking refusing to come, yet I couldn't leave either, so matters became deadlocked here."

"What does this have to do with you? How you conduct business with Boss Bao is none of my concern; I am simply good friends with Tao Zong, yet this one bullies me and that one curses me; I was just eating and drinking alone here, whom did I offend?"

Wang Yan waved his hand and said to Seeing Seeing Lingzi, "Today marks the opening of Seeing Seeing Lingzi's Zhizhen Garden, and you kindly invited me to eat and drink; causing injury and drawing blood is certainly improper, but circumstances were unavoidable and there was a cause; it would not do to accept someone's meal only to cause trouble, so let us leave today's matter as it is."

"Then many thanks to Wang Laoban; Wei Zong? Why are you still standing there? Have your brothers carried away." Seeing Seeing Lingzi turned her head to speak to Wei Wei Hongqing, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant.

Wei Wei Hongqing was naturally unhappy, for nothing provokes a person more than being ignored; however, he ultimately did not lose his temper, nor did he dare to, immediately waving his hand for others to come and carry away the two men lying on the ground.

He laughed loudly again: "Many thanks to Wang Laoban; I will invite you for a drink when there is an opportunity, farewell."

Fan Zong looked left and right: "Wang Zong, then I will take my leave first, farewell, farewell."

Tao Tao watched as Fan Zong scurried away crestfallen, then looked at Wang Yan, who was continuing to eat regardless, and then at Seeing Seeing Lingzi, who had already sat beside Wang Yan and begun pouring wine.

He said: "Wang Laoban, I will go inform Miss Wang; she and Ah Bao are waiting, and it would not do to keep them waiting long."

Having said this, he too trotted away briskly, leaving only Wang Yan and Seeing Seeing Lingzi in the spacious private room.

"Many thanks to Wang Laoban; I offer you a toast."

"You are too polite; it is I who should toast you; on such a grand opening day, having such an incident occur is ultimately not good."

"For a restaurant owner, aren't guest fights a common occurrence? However, that Wei Zong does possess some strength; although it means nothing to Wang Laoban, for me it remains an unnecessary trouble."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi clinked glasses with Wang Yan: "I must still thank Wang Laoban for showing mercy and not stooping to their level."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her cup to down it in one gulp.

Wang Yan grabbed her wrist and shook his head amidst her puzzled gaze: "Drinking like this takes all the fun out of it; I can understand your being polished and adept in all directions, but there is no need for such with me; having the sentiment conveyed is enough, I understand."

After speaking, he released her hand, but drank the entire ounce of wine himself in one swallow.

Seeing Seeing Lingzi smiled, yet ultimately did not drink again; instead, she took a new pair of chopsticks, picked up some food, and shook her head saying: "It has all gone somewhat cold; I will have them bring another table."

"This is already waste; how many years have we only just eaten our fill? As the saying goes, waste in this life means suffering in the next; let us leave an opportunity for the next life."

"Does Wang Laoban believe in Buddhism?"

"I do not believe; it is merely a manner of speaking."

Wang Yan knew that Seeing Seeing Lingzi would later become a nun, yet he did not know that even at this time she felt some stirring regarding fatalism; he shook his head and said nothing.

Seeing Seeing Lingzi did not dwell on the matter of Buddhism or not, but instead asked: "Is Wang Laoban's relationship with Boss Bao very good?"

"You should have heard that when I first came to Shanghai, I knew that group of people; however, if one really examines it closely, Teacher Ge, who is my landlord, has the best relationship with me, followed by Seeing Seeing Lingzi, then Tao Tao and Ling Hong, and finally Boss Bao; because Boss Bao is quite busy, the opportunities for us to eat together throughout the year are only a few times, unlike the others whom I basically see every day."

"However, I also owe Boss Bao a favor; in 1990, when the Shenzhen Stock Exchange began trial operations, Boss Bao saw an opportunity, wanting to utilize new share issuances and market expansion, knowing that major dealers would inevitably cut their losses, to make a profit; at that time I was also just starting out, he found me with this news, pulled me into the partnership, he would handle the operations, and agreed to give me sixty percent of the profits."

"By mid-1991, he gave me five million; of course, he earned much more himself, I estimate over ten million; that was the time he truly rose to prominence; at that time I was poaching talent in the Soviet Union; although by then I was not short of five million, that five million he gave me ultimately played a significant role."

"By the way, speaking of which, the first time I made money in the stock market was with Boss Bao's help; at that time Night Tokyo had just opened, and while chatting we spoke of stocks; I immediately took out one hundred thousand and asked Boss Bao's friend to help me buy Electric Vacuum; I caught a bull market wave in 1990, and later Boss Bao added another one hundred thousand for me; by September 1990 when we sold, we earned one million."

"Speaking of which, it is quite sigh-worthy; stocks are simply major dealers harvesting retail investors, and retail investors jumping off buildings; I have never really liked doing stocks because I feel stocks are about buying the future, not like now where major dealers take everything."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi's eyes flickered: "Since that is the case, why did you agree when Boss Bao asked you to join the partnership back then?"

"I had previously mentioned my thoughts to Boss Bao and the others; however, that time Boss Bao found me saying we would harvest the major dealers; this I was willing to do; I heard there was a major dealer in Shenzhen, the leader called something like Mr. A, acting quite mysteriously, with something called the Thirteen Bodyguards under him, seeming like a Hong Kong triad; honestly, I found it quite strange, why didn't they choose a Double Flower Red Pole?"

Seeing Seeing Lingzi showed nothing on her face, still smiling, she raised a single eyebrow at Wang Yan: "Isn't this Mr. A you?"

Wang Yan smiled and continued speaking: "Boss Bao said a considerable portion of their funds were borrowed, and some people's money allowed only for profits, not losses; so even if they knew prices would double later, inevitably some people would lose patience and need to withdraw funds quickly; therefore, this major dealer could not last long and would definitely sell many stocks at low prices, allowing us to collect their corpses."

"Regarding this I was happy to see it happen; there is no reason to allow major dealers to harvest retail investors but forbid others from harvesting major dealers; thus I put in one million to join the partnership, letting Boss Bao go south to make a fortune."

"Later I heard that Mr. A jumped into a river; however, later I heard Boss Bao and his group say the person didn't die, just disappeared; anyway, there were all sorts of stories."

"Then does Wang Laoban wish for this Mr. A to have jumped into the river, or wish that he didn't die and is living a toilsome life somewhere?"

"They were major dealers in Shenzhen; countless people were ruined, their families broken and lives lost, by them pushing prices down and then up; now having their wealth collected by others is only fitting; however, whether they live or die is irrelevant to me; plant what cause, reap what fruit, I consider this very fair."

Wang Yan then asked, "Just now when I mentioned Mr. A, your expression was somewhat unnatural; do you know him?"

"I do not know him."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi spoke with certainty, looking into Wang Yan's eyes.

"A lie." Wang Yan did not avoid meeting her gaze, smiling, "However, whether you know some Mr. A or not is of no consequence to me."

"Indeed, Wang Laoban is immensely powerful, naturally fearing nothing."

Wang Yan shook his head: "You misunderstand; I did not investigate you; I guessed it through your behavior; observing words and expressions is the most basic skill for traveling the Jianghu."

"You also misunderstand, Wang Laoban; I truly mean you are immensely powerful; among those doing business to the extent Wang Laoban has, there is only you in the entire country."

"There are always people beyond people, money beyond money, and one mountain higher than another; I may look splendid now, but who knows what the future holds."

"Wang Laoban has vision, methods, and courage; the future will only get better and better; the larger the industry and the more money one has, the easier it is to make money; unlike someone like me running a small restaurant, earning only hard-earned money."

"If what you run is still a small restaurant, then all the establishments on Huanghe Road must be fly restaurants; I understand this matter with Fan Zong; you wanted to organize a gathering to introduce business deals, taking a commission fee upon success."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi nodded with a smile, looking at Wang Yan with her large expressive eyes, her red lips parting lightly, her tone rising slightly: "Will Wang Laoban care to favor Zhizhen Garden's business?"

"You are not being honest; clearly earlier you accompanied Fan Zong and the others in conversation, yet here you merely showed your face, drank one cup of wine, and left; does this not mean you understand there is no money to be made from me?"

"Wang Laoban's family enterprise is vast; perhaps you wish to develop new businesses, so please consider Zhizhen Garden as well; I have looked into Wang Laoban's situation; besides Tao Zong and the others, your friends who can call you brother are all major figures, lacking mid-level company bosses; however, nothing can be achieved overnight; if Wang Laoban truly develops new business and sends people over, I can certainly help find cooperative partners."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "You could indeed look for transportation business for me; although my Cao Cao Logistics is doing quite well in Shanghai, there is still significant room for growth in business; if you can introduce business, later I can return some of the freight charges to you; one time may not be much, but the advantage lies in longevity; over a year, the figure should be considerable."

"Then thank you, Wang Laoban."

In fact, the symbolic significance of this cooperation was greater than its practical significance, building a good bridge for future communication between both parties; on another level, Seeing Seeing Lingzi was actually not wealthy; her money had all been invested into this shop; even a mosquito's share of meat is still meat, and Seeing Seeing Lingzi did not refuse.

Most importantly, although she was talking to Wang Yan about expanding new business and mid-level bosses, she knew very well that Wang Yan's power lay right there; he didn't even manage those affairs, otherwise how could he be so idle? She was merely following Wang Yan's lead, forcing conversation when there was nothing to say. Wasn't it precisely through this chatter that the logistics business emerged?

In any case, she was a matchmaker; any business was the same to her.

She raised her wine glass, clinked it against Wang Yan's again, took a small sip, and shook her glass at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan straightforwardly drained his cup in one go; the two exchanged smiles.

Just as they were smiling at each other, a voice rang out: "Oh my, Wang Laoban, you certainly enjoy no shallow romantic fortune."

Turning to look, they saw Young Lady Wang walking in through the private room door, which had not been closed. She had taken only two steps when she stopped, shifted her small high-heeled shoe aside, and a slightly yellowed tooth somersaulted onto the floor.

She pursed her lips in disgust, knowing this was the tooth Tao Tao had said Wang Yan slapped out with a huge slap; she kicked that tooth on the floor aside and walked straight in.

"Young Lady Wang speaks well; Li Li is indeed a great beauty." Wang Yan feigned ignorance, pretending not to catch Young Lady Wang's ill temper, and continued, "Let me introduce you: Li Li, the proprietress of Zhizhen Garden; Young Lady Wang..."

"... the Pearl of Building 27. I've long heard of Young Lady Wang's fame. We even sent an invitation to Young Lady Wang for Zhizhen Garden's opening, though we never received a reply."

While speaking, Li Li stood up, smiled, and extended her hand. "Li Li. Pleasure to meet you."

"Hello there." Young Lady Wang offered a fake, pretentious smile, completely ignoring Li Li's outstretched hand, and sat directly on Wang Yan's other side, sighing, "You really know how to enjoy yourself, Wang Laoban. Eating such a huge table of food all by yourself—aren't you afraid of bursting?"

Li Li glanced at her own hand, then at Young Lady Wang, and shrugged at the grinning Wang Yan: "Wang Laoban, shall I order some more dishes?"

"As I said before, we've already wasted enough; we can't waste any more. Young Lady Wang has a small appetite; this is more than enough."

"Very well. Then Wang Laoban, Young Lady Wang, please enjoy your meal at your leisure. If you need anything, just summon me. I won't disturb you further." Li Li smiled at Wang Yan, turned to leave, and closed the private room door behind her.

"I did call you; you said you wouldn't come, yet here you are eating cold appetizers."

"Now I understand why Fan Zong stubbornly refused to go to Honglu."

Wang Yan, being sensible, played the straight man: "Why?"

Young Lady Wang stopped eating, staring straight at Wang Yan: "Because the proprietress of Zhizhen Garden is beautiful. Fan Zong is old in years but young at heart; upon seeing this Li Li, he couldn't walk away."

"I understand now; you've come specifically for me." Wang Yan smiled. "Didn't Tao Tao tell you? I just blocked a disaster for you. Otherwise, if those little hooligans had gone over, who knows what would have happened? You would have suffered losses."

"They wouldn't dare."

"Why wouldn't they dare? With their overwhelming numbers, they could beat both you and Boss Bao first; who could save you? Afterwards, yes, you could seek retribution and make them cry for their parents and wail for their mothers, but by then they would have already beaten you. This is what they call 'a true hero avoids immediate disadvantage,' understand?"

"Then what about Li Li?"

"She kindly invited me to dinner. Look, how lavish it is, and the taste isn't bad either. What is there to say?"

Young Lady Wang chose to speak directly: "Do you have your eye on her?"

"A little." Wang Yan nodded with a smile. "She is quite charming."

"I knew it. People like you should be lined up and shot. Eating from the bowl while still eyeing the pot."

"The bowl is my bowl, and the pot is my pot." Wang Yan laughed heartily, stopped provoking Young Lady Wang, and continued, "I must explain one thing about Fan Zong: he isn't looking at Li Li because she's beautiful."

"Then what could it be?"

"It's that Li Li doesn't want to simply run a restaurant; she also wants to introduce business deals. Just now, I reached an agreement with her: henceforth, she will introduce clients to my logistics company, and I will give her a kickback from the shipping fees.

Don't look at me like that; I'm just stating the facts. Speaking of Fan Zong, the goods are currently in his hands, and it seems there is still a strong market. Li Li is helping Fan Zong drive up the price. After all, Fan Zong never signed a contract with Boss Bao, so now that this opportunity has arisen, naturally Fan Zong wants to make more profit. In a business worth over ten million, a difference of one yuan amounts to hundreds of thousands. If you were Fan Zong, how would you choose?"

"So that's how it is." Young Lady Wang suddenly realized. "No wonder he insisted on staying here. Looking at it this way, I'm afraid this deal between Fan Zong and Boss Bao might not go through?"

"Not necessarily. For a business worth over ten million, most people lack the capability."

This was precisely why A-Bao was so magnificent; he truly had money. Apart from state-owned enterprises and official speculators, among ordinary members of society, A-Bao was already sufficiently awesome. Especially now, due to Wang Yan's influence, A-Bao's capital was even more abundant than in the original drama, making him naturally even more awesome.

Wang Yan smiled. "I heard this business deal was meant to boost your promotion to section chief?"

"It's not needed at all; working for your Shanghai Hongyun is already sufficient. It's just that for all these years, my master has been in charge, and she performed excellently. Now it seems my master is facing a transfer, so I am the first in line for promotion. However, Uncle Ye said it's better to be cautious; after all, my former leader was my master, and since Shanghai Hongyun performed well, the credit largely belongs to my master.

Besides, I'm definitely not the main reason. Even without me, Boss Bao would still conduct business and earn the money he ought to earn."

Young Lady Wang pursed her lips, very dissatisfied with Wang Yan's statement.

"Should I go put in a good word?"

"Absolutely not. How would others view me then?"

"Do you think that if no good word is put in, others will view you any differently?" Wang Yan shook his head. "Let me warn you first: you must be more careful. You are carefree and oblivious, but many people are jealous of you."

"We are all comrades, united as one; the situation you describe will absolutely not occur."

"Don't come crying to me when the time comes."

"You should worry about Li Li instead." Young Lady Wang brought the topic back.

Naturally, she was unhappy. Previously, Wang Yan had been vague with her, then spoke of having a heart large enough to hold many women, which had depressed her for a long time. Yet Wang Yan showed no reaction whatsoever, carrying on as usual. Now, the moment she arrived, she saw the two exchanging affectionate glances, appearing very happy; how could she be glad?

As a result, when she casually asked just now, Wang Yan shamelessly admitted it, even praising Li Li's charm, proving he truly deserved to be shot.

Wang Yan smiled, seeing Young Lady Wang using her chopsticks to focus only on the dish in front of her, and considerately rotated the lazy Susan for her: "Taste them all; spread the favor evenly. The taste is quite good."

Before Young Lady Wang could respond with sarcasm, he continued, "What about Boss Bao? Did he leave?"

"Since Fan Zong didn't come, what was he waiting for? He left without even eating. However, he didn't want to lose the business for nothing, so he asked me to arrange another meeting with Fan Zong tomorrow. Seeing his confident and mysterious demeanor, he must still have some hope. As for Tao Tao, he caused you trouble and didn't dare to come see you. He pushed me forward instead; it's so annoying."

Concern breeds chaos; now that Young Lady Wang wasn't concerned, naturally she wouldn't busy herself blindly like a headless fly as in the original drama. Hence her sarcastic tone upon entering the private room, and hence her current tsundere appearance of 'I didn't want to come anyway.'

"Do you know what Tao Tao said?"

"He told me."

"Then let me repeat it for you." Wang Yan pointed at the door. "At that time, he was kicked through the doorway, ran to where you are sitting now, grabbed the chair I was sitting on, and said, 'Wang Laoban, save me! They want to cause trouble for A-Bao, but Young Lady Wang is with A-Bao. Looking at these people, they clearly aren't good folks; I'm afraid Young Lady Wang might get hurt, so I brought them over here.' No... problem with that?"

Wang Yan even mimicked Tao Tao's panicked tone, continuing, "Tao Tao also knows that I don't want you, Young Lady Wang, to suffer any harm."

Just as Young Lady Wang felt embarrassed, the private room door was pushed open, and Fan Zong walked in.

"Oh my, Young Lady Wang, you're here too."

Young Lady Wang gave him no good look. Wang Yan smiled: "Old Fan, why did you rush over here?"

Hearing Wang Yan use the familiar address "Old Fan," Fan Zong felt reassured, yet he still came over and sat at the table, saying: "I felt ashamed. Today's incident was all caused by me, making everyone unhappy. Look, the tooth is still there. This requires criticizing Li Li; she didn't even arrange for anyone to clean up."

"Enough, Old Fan. We are friends, aren't we? I said it has nothing to do with you, so it has nothing to do with you. It was merely that subordinate of that Wei President whose hooligan habits are hard to change; I didn't suffer any loss. As long as it doesn't affect you, I'm relieved. Look, you've already drunk quite a lot, yet now you want to raise your glass again. At your age, you shouldn't try to show off your strength."

"Oh my, since Wang Laoban considers me, Old Fan, a friend, this wine must be drunk. I'll drain it." Having said this, Fan Zong tilted his head back and drained the wine.

Wang Yan, of course, was no stranger to drinking; he also drained a cup and said, "Alright, Old Fan, go attend to your business. We'll drink another time."

Seeing Fan Zong forcing an awkward smile and about to leave, Young Lady Wang spoke up: "Fan Zong, wait a moment. President Bao said that since today's talks failed, he will give you one more chance: tomorrow night at 6:30, still at Honglu."

Fan Zong sat back down, smiling foolishly: "Young Lady Wang, you know the situation today; I didn't expect it either. Could you please speak to President Bao and add me into the deal? Working day and night to rush production is not easy for us."

Wang Yan had already explained Fan Zong's intentions earlier, so Young Lady Wang was not surprised, yet she still glared unhappily at Fan Zong: "This is raising the price while sitting on the ground, Fan Zong. You are an old hand in the business world; you know best that business relies on integrity."

"Oh, how could I not know? But the situation is somewhat different now; the goods in my hands have become a money tree. Wei Zong told me he is determined to get them! However, I value President Bao's reputation, and I also value the export quotas in Young Lady Wang's hands. I do not want to do private labeling or contract manufacturing; our Three Sheep brand is destined to become a Shanghai famous brand, and then a world-famous brand."

Young Lady Wang shook her head: "Let me tell you, President Bao will never agree. Also, I must remind you of one point, Fan Zong: before doing business with someone, should you not first understand their capabilities? The business between you and President Bao involves tens of millions; can that Wei Zong swallow such a deal? You had better clarify this point before talking about price increases."

"Oh, Young Lady Wang, you don't know; Wei Zong's family are major fur merchants in Haining, famous nationwide, so he definitely has the capabilities."

"I will convey your message; beyond that, I cannot get involved. Anyway, President Bao will be waiting for you at Honglu tomorrow night at 6:30; you make your own decision. Let me remind you, Fan Zong, do not try to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it."

Fan Zong responded with a foolish smile, offering no rebuttal, then stood up and said: "Wang Laoban, Young Lady Wang, please take your time eating; I will go back to meet with Wei Zong and the others."

Only after watching Fan Zong leave and close the door did Young Lady Wang ask: "Does that so-called Wei Zong truly have the capabilities?"

"His Laozi probably does; as for himself, it is hard to say."

"What difference does it make? Are they not one family?"

"Whether he has participated in the family business and whether he holds decision-making power are very important points. In a deal worth tens of millions, does his word ultimately count or not? Do you see any difference?"

Young Lady Wang nodded to indicate she understood, then immediately put down her chopsticks: "I am finished eating; this is far worse than pork rib rice cakes. You finish eating by yourself; I am leaving."

"I will drive you home."

"No need; you have drunk so much alcohol, how can you still drive? What if something happens? Whether you crash into something yourself or hit someone else, neither outcome would be good."

Having said this, she paid no attention to Wang Yan, wiped the grease from the corners of her mouth, and left with an air of haughty coquetry.

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, making no further insistence.

He had actually eaten quite enough already; he had consumed more than half of the dishes on the table. Although each large plate held only small portions, the table was huge and there were many plates. In truth, he could still eat more, but he needed to exercise control; this was already an astonishing appetite, and it would not be good to appear even more conspicuous.

Picking up a pack of Huazi cigarettes from beside the table and lighting one, Wang Yan rested his head against the chair back, looked up at the ceiling, and exhaled a long stream of smoke...