Chapter 180: Jiang Lan

Facing Jiang Lan's flattery, Ma Zijun responded with a polite smile, saying, "President Jiang is too kind. I am the one who has long admired your great name; seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved."

"Please."

Ma Zijun invited Jiang Lan to have tea, while simultaneously observing this Beauty Scorpion carefully.

Today, Jiang Lan had changed her attire, which was a far cry from the image of a housewife that night.

Her long, jet-black, lustrous hair was coiled at the back of her head, making her look very capable.

Her already peerlessly beautiful face was adorned with light makeup; without deliberate enhancement, it carried a natural, mature charm and stunning quality.

She wore a well-tailored black suit jacket with sharp shoulder lines and a slightly cinched waist, exuding a sense of power.

Underneath, she wore a white silk shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing a hint of her collarbone and adding a touch of sexiness.

Her high-waisted straight-leg trousers covered the tops of her high heels, and her pair of black pointed-toe heels, with heels a full 7 centimeters high, gave her an imposing aura.

She sat there drinking tea with elegant manners, her posture upright, back straight, and legs together, looking very graceful and poised.

Ma Zijun narrowed his eyes slightly and took a sip of tea to suppress his restless mood; even though he usually had good self-control, his mind was in turmoil at this moment.

He sighed inwardly: This woman is even more beautiful than the rumors suggest, and every gesture is filled with an effortless allure.

Furthermore, combined with that domineering temperament from her time in the underworld, it easily ignited a man's desire to conquer.

However, this Beauty Scorpion also exuded a dangerous aura, making one afraid to approach rashly, even if their heart was restless.

"President Jiang is a sensible person. We have no prior connection, so let's not beat around the bush; please state the purpose of your visit directly."

Ma Zijun looked straight at Jiang Lan, his eyes filled with vigilance and inquiry.

Jiang Lan set down her teacup and said, "Since that is the case, I will speak plainly. I have come to visit Ma Shao to inquire about someone."

Ma Zijun did not make a sound.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan continued, "I assume Ma Shao has also heard the recent news in the underworld. The person I want to ask you about is the head of the Qibao Association, Chen Che."

"What does President Jiang want to know?"

Ma Zijun asked.

"That depends on what Ma Shao is able to tell me."

Jiang Lan smiled.

Ma Zijun gave a faint smile and said, "Then let me ask it another way: does President Jiang want to know about Mr. Chen to estimate the possibility of winning the Gambling Battle, or is there another motive?"

"I discovered that the house Chen Che currently lives in was a gift from Ma Shao, from which I infer that your relationship is quite close."

Jiang Lan's gaze was profound as she countered, "If I state my true purpose, can Ma Shao keep it confidential for me?"

"That depends on what your purpose is."

Ma Zijun said, "If your purpose is to harm Mr. Chen, not only will I not keep it confidential for you, but I will stand on Mr. Chen's side and deal with the Scorpion Society together. Even if Gu Lao behind you blames us, the Ma Family does not care."

Jiang Lan's expression was one of surprise, and she said, "I never expected Ma Shao would go to such lengths for Chen Che. It seems he is not just a simple boss of the Qibao Association."

Ma Zijun did not speak, lowering his head to take a sip of tea.

This action, which was equivalent to an admission, fell into Jiang Lan's eyes and startled her once more.

The Ma Family is a powerful and wealthy clan; even with Gu Lao backing her, she had to be wary of them.

Yet such a family was actually willing to target the Scorpion Society for Chen Che, and even offend Gu Lao.

Moreover, Jiang Lan heard very clearly that Ma Zijun was not speaking for himself, but for the Ma Family!

The Ma Family is not run by Ma Zijun alone; if Ma Zijun said he personally supported Chen Che, that would at most mean their private friendship was truly good.

But if the Ma Family supports Chen Che, the significance is completely different!

While shocked, Jiang Lan also became more firm in her own ideas.

"I understand Ma Shao's warning. It seems this young and promising Mr. Chen is truly extraordinary."

Jiang Lan changed how she addressed Chen Che and continued, "My purpose is very simple, though Ma Shao may not know it. Although I am the head of the Scorpion Society, it is not an easy thing for a woman to intimidate those fierce and vicious men.

And this Gambling Battle, although it is said to be a struggle between the Scorpion Society and the Qibao Association, the person who initiated it is Bai Fengye, who is Bai Xiangjin's son.

As for Bai Xiangjin, the Second-in-command of the Scorpion Society, he was able to remain loyal when my late husband was alive.

But ever since I took charge of the Scorpion Society, he has been inciting people below to cause trouble, wanting to replace my position. If it weren't for Gu Lao protecting me, not only would I have to give up my position as head to him, but my life might not even be guaranteed."

Ma Zijun understood and said, "You came to me to confirm Mr. Chen's strength, and then use Mr. Chen to deal with Bai Xiangjin, thereby stabilizing your own position."

Jiang Lan did not deny it.

"And I can tell you clearly, there is no suspense in this Gambling Battle; the Qibao Association will win. To be precise, Mr. Chen will win.

Mr. Chen's strength is beyond what you can imagine; I can guarantee this with my own personal experience.

Furthermore, Mr. Chen is clear about right and wrong but also holds grudges; if Bai Xiangjin and his son insist on making trouble, they will undoubtedly die.

As for you, if you can prove in time that you have nothing to do with Bai Xiangjin and his son, then given Mr. Chen's character, he will certainly not implicate you.

There is one more thing I will remind you of: Mr. Chen is not a sharp blade, but a peerless divine weapon. The only one who can wield him is himself. If anyone else tries to grasp this weapon, unless he is willing, they will inevitably suffer a backlash!"

Ma Zijun took a sip of tea and continued, "I am telling you this for two reasons: first, because we have business dealings, and second, because I see you have no intention of harming Mr. Chen.

If you really want to use Mr. Chen to eliminate your rivals, you might as well try another way: cooperation.

I can guarantee with the Ma Family's reputation that if you can cooperate with Mr. Chen, not only will Bai Xiangjin surely die, but you will also get to know Mr. Chen himself.

Becoming friends with Mr. Chen—it would not be an exaggeration to describe you and the Scorpion Society as 'ascending to heaven with the Dao.'

You don't need to doubt my words, and I have no need to lie to you. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me now, but time will prove everything.

And I believe that this Gambling Battle will be the beginning of Mr. Chen shaking up the landscape of Jinling."

Jiang Lan froze. If she was only surprised when she first heard Ma Zijun's warning, then hearing Ma Zijun's evaluation of Chen Che now was pure shock!

Who is Ma Zijun, and what kind of existence is the Ma Family?!

For Ma Zijun's evaluation of a person to reach such a level of near-worship and faith, just how excellent and powerful must Chen Che be?!

Jiang Lan could not fathom it, but she did not doubt Ma Zijun's words in the slightest, because just as Ma Zijun said, he had no need to lie.

Moreover, Jiang Lan could also see that the light in Ma Zijun's eyes when he spoke of Chen Che could not be faked!

Most importantly, he had no need to act at all!

Jiang Lan's throat went dry; she took a sip of tea to soothe it, then couldn't help but ask, "Since that is the case, may I be greedy and ask one more question?"

"What else would President Jiang like to ask?"

Ma Zijun said, calm and composed.

"In Shanghai... I found out that Mr. Chen came to Jinling with Ma Shao, but regarding Mr. Chen's background in Shanghai, the only notable thing is his status as a leader of the Qibao Association."

Jiang Lan paused, her beautiful eyes filled with longing and curiosity, "I want to know, what happened in Shanghai? And what did Ma Shao personally experience that allowed you to say such things?"

Ma Zijun's smile was mysterious and meaningful as he said, "This involves Mr. Chen's private affairs, so it is not convenient for me to speak of them, but there is one thing I can tell you."

"The reason you didn't find out more is because the news was suppressed by Beijing."

Beijing?!

Jiang Lan's delicate body trembled again; her hand lost its grip, the teacup dropped onto the coffee table, and tea spilled all over the floor.

Ma Zijun had said nothing, yet he had already said everything.

The information contained in those two words, Beijing, was already more than enough.

She could not imagine what kind of earth-shattering thing Chen Che had done to actually alarm Beijing, and what kind of news it must have been that required Beijing to step in to suppress it.

Moreover, since such a huge incident had occurred, Chen Che was actually still completely fine!

Jiang Lan dared not think any further; she forcibly suppressed her rapid breathing, temporarily setting aside this amount of information that would take her an entire night to digest.

At the same time, she was also extremely glad that she had come to seek information from Ma Zijun today, otherwise she really would have invited disaster upon herself.

Jiang Lan closed her eyes to steady her breathing, and when she opened them again, she had regained her composure and had new plans in mind.

"Many thanks to Ma Shao for telling me this; I owe you a favor, and I will certainly repay it in the future."

Jiang Lan thanked Ma Zijun and then left the Yanyu Group.

After Jiang Lan left, Ma Zijun no longer had the interest to continue working; he stretched and asked, "Where is the Gambling Battle set?"

Lin Su replied, "Changxi Mountain, the Colosseum."

Ma Zijun nodded, his gaze revealing longing and anticipation: "Help me arrange my schedule; on the day of the Gambling Battle, I want to go to the scene to watch."

"Yes," Lin Su replied with an expectant look on her face as well.

………