Chapter 2440

Hu Quanyou pointed to the line of luxury cars; Lu Guojun glanced at them, knowing this was Hu Quanyou's hint that these people were powerful—he had always sneered at luxury cars, thinking, What's so special? Who doesn't have them? If I wanted to buy, I could buy more in a heartbeat.

But he did have some insight; one quick look revealed the license plates were unusual—these plate numbers belonged to special series, invisible to ordinary people, but Lu Guojun frequently traveled to Jingcheng and knew exactly who could own such plates.

Lu Guojun immediately hesitated; clearly, these people's background was immense. He knew Su Xinghui's family was influential—these must be Su Xinghui's friends from Jingcheng.

Lu Guojun hesitated: should he provoke a confrontation here? They'd humiliated him, and Su Xinghui had just rejected Deng Fuping's terms—they clearly wanted to teach Su Xinghui a lesson.

Yet though Lu Guojun was a playboy, he wasn't reckless; seeing so many luxury cars with special plates, he felt uneasy—he needed to consult his father, let his father decide, he couldn't act rashly.

Hu Quanyou noticed Lu Guojun's hesitation and felt a surge of relief—this matter might still be salvageable. He certainly didn't want conflict; Lu Guojun was at least an acquaintance, and Hu Quanyou could still talk to him about certain things. As for Su Xinghui's group, Hu Quanyou had just spent great effort establishing contact—if conflict erupted now, he'd be caught in the middle.

Hu Quanyou said: "Young Master Lu, do me a favor—let's drop this matter today."

Hu Quanyou had indeed done Lu Guojun favors; Lu Guojun owned several businesses that relied on the power bureau for electricity, and they'd dealt with each other several times—Hu Quanyou had always readily granted Lu Guojun's requests.

Though Lu Guojun was a scoundrel, he wouldn't turn his back on a favor; moreover, he recognized the license plates, so he took the offered exit: "Old Hu, I'm letting this go today only because of your face—let it drop."

Hu Quanyou was overjoyed: "That's the kind of magnanimity Young Master Lu possesses! Then, I'll host a banquet soon and treat you to drinks!"

Lu Guojun waved dismissively: "No need for a banquet—but that little bitch over there, she dares ignore me? I'll show her what happens when she defies me tonight!"

Lu Guojun was pointing at Xiao Tao; she instantly trembled all over, pleading: "Young Master Lu, please let me go—I'm still unmarried! Please, do me a kindness!"

Lu Guojun said: "I don't care if you're married or not—get her."

If Lu Guojun let Xiao Tao go today, he'd lose all face; so while he'd drop the matter with Yu Ruizhi and the others, he still intended to take Xiao Tao—he figured someone of Yu Ruizhi's status wouldn't care about a singing girl like her.

Unexpectedly, Yu Ruoqiu shouted: "Who dares come near?"

Lu Guojun's face darkened: "So you're determined to defend her today?"

Su Xinghui said: "Young Master Lu, if we hadn't seen it, we'd have ignored it—but now that we have, we must intervene."

Su Xinghui's use of "Young Master Lu" struck Lu Guojun as mocking, making him uneasy; he retorted: "Is Group Leader Su also interested in this girl? If so, I'll gladly yield her to you!"

Su Xinghui's expression remained blank: "No matter what you say, we're seeing this through today."

Lu Guojun burst into laughter: "If Group Leader Su has such refined tastes, I'll accommodate you—come on, let's go have fun! Let Group Leader Su join us too—I won't keep you waiting!"

Lu Guojun had found his exit—he turned and walked away; Deng Fuping, Xiong Wanhua, and others followed him into the Xiangxie Li nightclub.

Seeing Lu Guojun and his group leave, Hu Quanyou exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his forehead: "Group Leader Su, shall we go?"

Hu Quanyou desperately wanted to leave—Lu Guojun was the son of the Vice Governor; Hu Quanyou knew exactly how much power he wielded. He'd been terrified they'd clash, but thankfully, it hadn't happened—still, he felt they must depart quickly, lest Lu Guojun change his mind.

Yu Ruoqiu said to Xiao Tao: "Where do you live? We'll take you home."

Xiao Tao was a singing girl; originally, Yu Ruoqiu and the others held no fondness for such women—but Xiao Tao had fled the nightclub rather than accompany Lu Guojun, making Yu Ruoqiu feel she was different from the rest, and she now held a favorable impression of her.

Xiao Tao sweetly told Yu Ruoqiu: "Sister, thank you! I live in the Yanfang Group dormitory area."

Only now did they see Xiao Tao's face clearly—she was a very delicate girl, no wonder Lu Guojun had noticed her—but her makeup was heavy, though in a place like this, who didn't wear heavy makeup?

Su Xinghui asked: "Are you a worker at Yanfang Group?"

Xiao Tao nodded: "Yes, Group Leader Su, thank you—I've heard your name. You're a good official. My mother's surname is Gu; she said she met you the other day."

"Gu?" Su Xinghui recalled: "Was that the Comrade Gu who was a National Model Worker?"

Xiao Tao, delighted he remembered, said: "Yes, I'm her youngest daughter."

Su Xinghui said: "Didn't I tell the old factory director to inform you not to work in places like this? This month I'll arrange living allowances for you—Yanfang Group should resume operations soon."

Xiao Tao's expression darkened; she whispered: "My grandparents are in poor health, and our family is deeply in debt—I need to earn money with my sister to pay it off."

Everyone understood why she'd done this; Yu Ruoqiu felt pity and said: "Xiao Tao, don't come back here—it's too dangerous. How much debt do you owe? Let me help you pay it."

Xiao Tao shook her head like a rattle drum: "Sister, how could I let you pay my family's debt? No, thank you—I can earn enough to repay it myself."