Chapter 3098

Steve, having experienced the hardships of the common people, took a car to the entrance of the Antique Street.

After closing time, the Antique Street was as desolate as a piece of unfinished real estate.

In such a place, there are the most people when the market just opens in the morning and when it's about to close in the afternoon. At other times, it's basically in a state where there are more staff than customers. It's even more so after closing; even stray dogs don't bother to scavenge for food in the Antique Street because there's nothing there.

Steve didn't know what this place was for either, so he just followed the location Ye Chen gave him and found the entrance to Zhenbaoxuan.

Confirming it was this place, he called Ye Chen, his tone respectful and with a hint of flattery: "Mr. Ye, I've arrived. Sorry to trouble you to open the door."

"Alright, alright, wait a moment." Ye Chen hung up the phone and said to Zhou Liangyun, who was stacking dishes on a folding table, "Uncle Zhou, wait a moment, an old acquaintance is here."

After saying that, he stood up from the small stool, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Mr. Ye!" Seeing Ye Chen, Steve's face was full of smiles. He enthusiastically reached out his hand and said very politely, "Why did you suddenly invite me here? Do you have any instructions?"

Ye Chen laughed: "No instructions, just called you over to have a couple of drinks and meet an old friend by the way."

Steve smiled and said: "I only know you as a friend in Jin Ling, and I don't seem to know anyone else."

Ye Chen laughed: "You'll know once you come in."

After saying that, he invited Steve inside.

After Steve entered, he saw a person busy at a small table. Just as he was about to ask Ye Chen if this person was the old friend he mentioned, Zhou Liangyun happened to look up.

Their eyes met, and Zhou Liangyun smiled: "Mr. Rothschild, we meet again."

"I... damn..." Steve trembled all over in fear, then muttered: "Mr. Ye, I have something to do, I have to go back first..."

After saying that, he turned his head and turned around, intending to walk straight out.

Ye Chen stopped him: "Hey, hey, Steve, where are you going?"

Steve turned his head back, his expression almost crying. He said to Ye Chen with great grievance: "Mr. Ye, you're setting me up again... and you're going to get me killed..."

Ye Chen laughed: "Look at what you're saying. I invited you to dinner, how did that become setting you up?"

Steve looked at Zhou Liangyun, lowered his voice, and said to Ye Chen: "Mr. Ye, my father still doesn't know the whereabouts of Peter Zhou, nor does he know that Peter Zhou was able to leave New York all because I, his son, was working against him. Moreover, Peter Zhou has already left New York, and my father has no chance to figure out the inside story. But if the fact that I came here today to see Peter Zhou gets out, then I'm really finished! If my father finds out that it was me who sent him and the Sifang Treasure Pavilion out of New York, he'll definitely break my legs! Please stop torturing me, just pretend I never came tonight..."

Ye Chen patted him on the shoulder and comforted him: "Don't worry, Jin Ling is my territory. What you do here won't reach your father's ears."

After saying that, Ye Chen added: "We're old friends, could I set you up?"

Steve asked with a mournful face: "Mr. Ye, haven't you set me up enough? If it weren't for you, I would probably have become the head of the family by now."

Ye Chen laughed: "You can't blame me for this. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too subtle. If you had told me directly that you didn't want your father to live too long and wanted to succeed as the head of the family sooner, how could I have let Helena send the medicine over? The key is that you have to say it. If you don't say it, how would I know?"

Steve trembled all over in fear and hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, no, Mr. Ye, you must not say that. I never had that intention. As a child, of course, I hope my father is healthy and lives a long life. How could I not want him to live too long..."

Ye Chen asked back: "Then why did you just say that I set you up a lot?"

"I... I..." Steve didn't know how to answer for a moment, and could only say with great depression: "My wording wasn't precise enough, I take it back..."

Ye Chen nodded: "Then I'll give you a chance to do it again."

"Ah?" Steve didn't quite understand and hurriedly asked: "Do... do what again?"

Ye Chen patted his shoulder again and smiled: "We're old acquaintances, could I set you up? It's your turn."

Steve understood what Ye Chen meant and cursed inwardly with grievance: "Aren't you setting me up to death? If my father finds out that I ran to Jin Ling to drink and have fun with you two, especially with Peter Zhou, my position as heir will definitely be lost. You're just forcing me into the water!"

However, even though he had ten thousand dissatisfactions in his heart, he didn't dare to say it out loud at this moment. He could only bite the bullet and say: "No... no... Mr. Ye, you definitely wouldn't set me up..."

"That's right." Ye Chen smiled: "Come, the food and drinks are ready, let's have a couple of drinks together."

"This... I... he..." Steve panicked, turning half a circle to the left and half a circle to the right, hesitating for a long time.

In a trance, he suddenly looked up and saw a surveillance camera hanging in the corner of the ceiling. He immediately knew that he had been manipulated by Ye Chen again today.

Since he was already here, if he turned around and left now, the video evidence would be left behind, and he would have offended Ye Chen as well.

It would be better to just go all out. Let the video be left; at least he should serve Ye Chen well first.

Thinking of this, he simply hardened his heart and sighed: "Sigh! Then I'll listen to you, let's have a couple of drinks together!"

Ye Chen nodded with satisfaction: "That's more like it. We were allies who fought side by side in New York and Canada. It's not easy for us to reunite in Jin Ling this time, so naturally, we should have a couple of good drinks. It's just that the conditions at Uncle Zhou's place are a bit simple, please don't mind."

"How could I..." Steve said with a fawning smile: "It's my honor that you invited me here, treating me as a friend."

After saying that, he added: "Mr. Ye, I didn't want to leave just now because of anything else. I mainly felt that it was embarrassing to always let you treat me. You already treated me at Tianxiang Mansion last time, so logically, I should be the one treating you."

Ye Chen didn't expose him either and smiled: "Today, Uncle Zhou is treating. But if you want to treat back, that's no problem. Before you leave, see about arranging a meal, and I'll go with Uncle Zhou."

Steve wished he could slap himself, but he could only pat his chest and say: "Don't worry, you two, I will definitely treat you two to a good meal before I leave Jin Ling!"

Ye Chen greeted him to sit down on another small stool. Zhou Liangyun took out a bottle of loose white liquor without a box, poured a cup for Ye Chen and Steve each with a disposable paper cup, and then filled his own.

Ye Chen greeted Steve: "Conditions at Uncle Zhou's are limited, don't mind it."

"No, no..." Steve hurriedly said: "I don't have high requirements for material things..."

Zhou Liangyun smiled and asked him: "What kind of liquor does Mr. Rothschild usually drink?"

Steve hurriedly said: "Just call me Steve, no need to always call me Mr. Rothschild."

After saying that, he added: "I usually drink mostly red wine, and occasionally some whiskey."

Zhou Liangyun asked again: "Then how much does the liquor you usually drink cost per bottle?"

Steve thought for a while: "For table wine, the unit price is usually between 10,000 and 50,000 USD. For important banquets, I usually choose those over 100,000 USD."

Zhou Liangyun pointed to the white liquor in the yellow-capped glass bottle he bought and asked him: "Guess how much this bottle of liquor costs?"

Steve shook his head: "I don't usually drink Chinese white liquor, I don't know the market price very well..."

Ye Chen on the side laughed: "I'm asking you to guess, not to know. If you knew how much this liquor sold for per bottle, would that still be a guess?"

Steve hurriedly said: "Then... I guess it's about... 3,000 USD?"

"3,000 USD?" Zhou Liangyun shook his head and smiled: "It doesn't take that much, it's about 7 USD."

"7 USD?" Steve was stunned and blurted out: "Mr. Zhou usually drinks 7 USD liquor?"

Zhou Liangyun smiled: "When I was in the United States before, I hadn't drunk such cheap liquor. But yesterday, I just grabbed a bottle at a small restaurant and found that although this liquor is cheap, it doesn't taste bad."

Steve stared at the cup full of liquor in front of him, subconsciously swallowed his saliva, and said somewhat nervously: "Before drinking this kind of liquor, shouldn't we do a test to see if there's any problem with the ingredients?"

Ye Chen and Zhou Liangyun looked at each other and smiled. Then Zhou Liangyun said: "Just drink it boldly. If anything happens with the liquor I brought, it's on me."

Ye Chen also echoed: "Don't worry, if you really get sick from drinking it, I'll feed you a pill on the spot. Wouldn't you be making a profit then?"

Steve gave a dry laugh and said: "Then I'll drink two more bottles to get a pill from you to eat."

Zhou Liangyun smiled: "There's only one bottle of liquor. The three of us will share it, so it's about 150 grams each, a little over 5 ounces. With your build, you shouldn't have any trouble."

Steve sighed: "I knew Mr. Ye's pills wouldn't be so easy to get..."

Ye Chen smiled slightly: "That's not necessarily true. I've never been stingy with true friends. Let alone the kind of pill I gave your father, I don't even know how many Rejuvenation Pills, which are several times stronger than that, I've given away."

Steve said with a serious face: "Mr. Ye, you know, I have always treated you as a friend."

Ye Chen laughed: "Is that so? How come I didn't feel it?"

Zhou Liangyun fanned the flames on the side: "I guess Steve's friendship is expressed more subtly."

Ye Chen nodded, looked at Steve, and teased: "Steve, we Easterners are more subtle, you Westerners should always be enthusiastic and unrestrained. In the future, your expression of friendship can be more direct."

Steve knew Ye Chen was teasing him, and could only say with a humble face: "Mr. Ye, don't worry, I will definitely pay attention in the future and won't be so subtle."

After saying that, he hurriedly expressed his stance to Ye Chen: "Mr. Ye, if you have any place where you can use me in the future, just speak up. I will definitely do my best. How did the ancient Chinese say it? Oh, I remember, 'draw a sword for a friend,' I, Steve Rothschild, can do that too!"