Chapter 176 The 176th Day of Not Running Away The First Day of Not Running Away...

Chapter 176 The 176th Day of Not Running Away The First Day of Not Running Away...

"Yes, Mr. Chen, there's no time like the present; it's such a coincidence that we're here today."

Wang Xun smiled, the cheetah brooch on his tie gleaming. "So, I'll treat everyone to dinner today. I wonder if Mr. Chen would do me the honor?"

Hua Lingfeng rolled his eyes and was about to sneer and make a few sarcastic remarks when Chen Bo stopped him with a polite smile: "Then we'll shamelessly come and freeload a meal with you."

Wang Xun glanced at Chen Bozheng with surprise in his eyes, a half-smile on his face. "What's the big deal? It's just a meal. Do you think I can't afford it? Are you afraid you'll eat me out of house and home?"

Chen Bozheng laughed and said, "So, Mr. Wang, you're letting us eat and drink whatever we want tonight?"

Hua Lingfeng felt apologetic and continued, "Yes, Mr. Wang, we were just worried that you'd regret it later."

Wang Xun sneered inwardly. It's just a meal; how much could it cost?

Besides, he knew that Chen Bozheng and Hua Lingfeng were both proud and confident that they were just bluffing to scare him. "That's not the case. Although I, Wang, am not a billionaire, a meal costing ten or twenty thousand yuan is not enough to frighten me."

The table was laden with lobster, abalone, steamed grouper, sea urchin sashimi, salmon sashimi, and the wine was 1982 Moutai and Italian wine.

Wang Xun looked at the table full of food and wine, his face turning somewhat green.

This table of food and drinks would cost at least 100,000 yuan.

Putting everything else aside, that wine is the most expensive bottle in this restaurant, costing 60,000 yuan a bottle. No one is ever willing to order it, and the entire restaurant only has one bottle.

But today, Chen Bozheng and the others ordered it.

Wang Xun watched Hua Lingfeng devour his lobster with gusto, gritting his teeth in resentment. He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said sarcastically, "Doesn't Mr. Hua have some connections? Your neighborhood must be making a lot of money, right? What's with this uncouth way of eating?"

Hua Lingfeng is in a much better mood now.

He grinned and wiped his face with a tissue. Although Hua Lingfeng was rich now, he had never spent money so recklessly before.

His family was well-off, but his parents were honest and upright, so their financial situation was only considered moderately comfortable. Such extravagance was simply impossible for them. Hua Lingfeng, influenced by his upbringing, had always lived within his means after earning money, and had never indulged in such lavish spending as he had today: "Mr. Wang, how can we compare to you? We earn money with one hand and have to invest it in building houses with the other. Mr. Xiao, we're all insiders. You know how business people are; the money in the books looks good, but it's hard to say how much we actually have. So, we wouldn't dare spend money like this. It's only because Mr. Wang is so generous that we can enjoy ourselves like this tonight."

Mr. Xiao was very restrained in his appetite, only eating a few pieces of salmon sashimi and drinking some red wine. He had a smile on his lips: "Mr. Hua and Mr. Chen are young and have good appetites, so it's okay for them to eat more. But we are not like people our age, who would dare to eat and drink as freely as you."

Chen Bozheng said, "President Xiao, please don't make fun of us. You've seen it all before, so it's not surprising to you. As for your age, with your figure, everyone would think you're a young man."

Wang Xun glanced at Chen Bozheng warily and said calmly, "Mr. Chen, I heard that one of your friends was arrested by the police. What crime did he commit?"

Chen Bo's expression darkened slightly, while Wang Xun continued with a smile, "Could it be that your construction site has been reported again, causing some kind of scandal?"

A hint of doubt flashed in President Xiao's eyes as he looked at Chen Bozheng: "President Chen, what's going on?"

Hua Lingfeng sneered, "President Wang, please don't misunderstand me. If something had happened at our construction site, wouldn't we be the ones going in? Our Jingyun residential complex wouldn't have sold out."

Chen Bozheng explained neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Mr. Xiao, the person who was arrested is a personal friend of mine. He is not in the same industry as us."

Wang Xun ate a crab, put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands with a damp towel, and said casually, "You can't say that. Birds of a feather flock together. Your friend was arrested, so what about you guys—"

He paused, looked at Chen Bozheng, suddenly laughed, raised his hand and slapped himself several times, "Sorry, don't take it personally, I drank too much tonight. No wonder this wine is so expensive, just a few sips and I'm drunk."

President Xiao smoothed things over, saying, "Tonight we're just having a meal together, nothing more. There's so much good wine and food, so please don't waste it and eat to your heart's content."

To give President Xiao face, Chen Bozheng and Hua Lingfeng stopped arguing with Wang Xun.

The meal didn't end until after 10 p.m.

Chen Bozheng didn't drink and was driving. Hua Lingfeng drank a lot and reeked of alcohol, but he had a high tolerance for alcohol and finished a bottle and a half. He was still sober when he got in the car.

Chen Bozheng tossed him a piece of chewing gum.

Hua Lingfeng tore open the packaging, stuffed a few strips of gum into his mouth and chewed. He said worriedly, "Brother Chen, I don't think that Wang Xun is a good person. That Boss Xiao has a wide network of connections. If he helps Wang Xun, Wang Xun's things might not only be rented out, but sold off. Hong Kong people are known for being rich!"

Chen Bo was frowning, deep in thought.

He wasn't in a hurry to drive, but instead gripped the steering wheel, lost in thought. "I feel that President Xiao doesn't seem to have much interest in cooperating with Wang Xun."

Hua Lingfeng sat up abruptly, the movement so sudden that he felt dizzy and disoriented. He then leaned back against the car window. "Really? I think President Xiao and Wang Xun got along quite well."

Chen Bozheng said, "It's one thing to get along well, but in business, even mortal enemies can act amicably if they're willing. What I'm thinking is, Mr. Xiao isn't stupid. We all know that Wang Xun is taking too big a step and not putting his heart into his work, so how could Mr. Xiao not know that? Hong Kong people have been using underhanded tactics in business for much longer than we have. They still have a capitalist system, and there are only more and darker shady things happening in the business world there. As long as Mr. Xiao doesn't want to offend his connections, he's unlikely to introduce clients to Wang Xun."

After Chen Bozheng finished his analysis, applause rang out from outside the car window.

Chen Bo was looking out the car window. Who else could it be but President Xiao standing outside?

Hua Lingfeng and he were both startled, and the two quickly got out of the car.

"Mr. Xiao, didn't you go back?" Chen Bo asked with concern, glancing at a Mercedes with its headlights on beside him.

Mr. Xiao smiled and said, "I felt that there were too many people at the dinner party tonight, so it wasn't appropriate to chat. After thinking it over, I still wanted to talk to you guys. I wonder if you would be willing to give me a ride back to the Beijing Hotel?"

"Yes, of course I'm willing. Please get in the car." Hua Lingfeng was sensible and immediately opened the passenger door to let in some fresh air before climbing into the back seat.

Mr. Xiao is indeed a straightforward person.

He hadn't given a definite answer beforehand, and no matter how much Chen Bozheng treated him, he wouldn't budge.

This time, they probably did their research and knew that Chen Bozheng and his team were reliable, and that the construction of the Jingyang residential area was done with care. Therefore, without saying a word, they helped them sell more than 30 apartments, all of which were sold to people from Hong Kong.

Without saying a word, Chen Bozheng gifted President Xiao two apartments.

Mr. Xiao politely declined, requesting instead a courtyard house. He told Chen Bozheng, "There will definitely be more and more commercial housing in Beijing in the future, but courtyard houses will become increasingly rare. Scarcity drives up prices, and they will definitely be valuable in the future."

Hua Lingfeng and Wang Jianquan had not planned to buy a house before, as their families did not lack houses. After hearing what he, a Hong Konger, said, they each bought a courtyard house next to Mr. Xiao's house.