“Xiaolan!”
“Miss Xia—”
“Sister-in-law, you’re giving him too much face!”
All of Xia Xiaolan’s close associates disapproved, with Bai Zhiyong being the most adamantly opposed.
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t just his sister’s friend but also Captain Zhou’s romantic interest. Even if it meant facing disciplinary action for disrupting his wedding today, Bai Zhiyong couldn’t possibly allow Xia Xiaolan to meet with Ke Yixiong!
Xia Xiaolan waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Boss Ke is a businessman now, and we’re only discussing business matters.”
Despite everyone’s opposition, Xia Xiaolan agreed to speak with Ke Yixiong. To show his sincerity, Ke Yixiong had his people leave the gifts and withdraw his entourage to the end of the street, no longer disrupting the wedding reception.
Kang Wei smiled playfully. “What kind of business? Let me listen in too?”
Ke Yixiong had quite a vivid impression of Kang Wei. During his activities in Pengcheng, Ke Yixiong had wanted to deal with Kang Wei numerous times but had always been wary of Pan San.
Xia Xiaolan had come to attend the wedding, given a watch as a gift, presented a red envelope, and had only eaten a few bites before becoming thoroughly displeased. She took Kang Wei and Ge Jian, along with her uncle Liu Yong who had insisted on coming along, to “discuss business” with Ke Yixiong at the restaurant next door.
“If Captain Zhou finds out, he’ll be furious!”
Bai Zhiyong was quite angry himself, but Zhou Cheng had taught him countless times that when angry, he should think of the blood and sweat he’d shed at work and not joke with his career.
Bai Zhenzhu muttered, “Why do I feel like Ke Yixiong is deliberately provoking us, forcing Xiaolan to talk to him?”
Bai Zhiyong glanced at his sister:
“Ke Yixiong will pay dearly for today!”
The bride, having finally broken free from her parents’ restraint, came over just in time to hear the Bai siblings’ conversation, her mind buzzing.
A wedding was a major life event, and hers would truly be “unforgettable.”
“Zhiyong, should we continue with the wedding reception?”
The bride wanted to question her sister-in-law about what kind of friends she had invited, but in front of her husband, still wanting to marry Bai Zhiyong, she forcefully swallowed her words.
How could Bai Zhiyong focus on getting married now? His mind was filled with thoughts of crushing Ke Yixiong.
Bai Zhenzhu, noting their grandmother’s expression, said, “Brother, you and sister-in-law continue toasting the guests. Our Bai family hasn’t celebrated in ages. Whatever needs handling can wait until later. I’ll go check on Xiaolan!”
What else could they do but continue the wedding?
The bride had done nothing wrong; how could they just leave her standing there?
Bai Zhiyong nodded to his fellow disciples who were present: “Let’s follow Zhenzhu’s suggestion. We’ll settle accounts after the wedding.”
The bride clutched Bai Zhiyong’s arm weakly.
What accounts needed settling?
Her sister-in-law had brought this trouble, and now her husband would have to fight. Zhiyong had a promising future at work. The sister-in-law was truly restless. A proper young woman should find a regular factory job, marry a good man, and settle down. Instead, she insisted on running her own business, dressed ambiguously, and associated with questionable people.
She couldn’t lecture her now, but after the wedding, she’d find an opportunity to properly reason with her sister-in-law.
Bai Zhiyong also found today’s events vexing but needed to save face for his new bride by continuing the reception. Different paths had led them to the same household, and Bai Zhiyong didn’t even realize that his in-laws were about to explode, enduring only for the sake of their daughter’s wedding proceeding smoothly.
…
“Ke Yixiong, you’ve gone too far today. What’s the point of offending the Bai family so severely?”
Xia Xiaolan spoke straightforwardly.
Ke Yixiong poured her a cup of tea:
“Director Xia, if you had agreed to talk earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to meet you this way. The Bai family might feel they’ve lost face, but what can they do to me? The Bai Family Martial Arts School used to be famous, but now it’s fallen apart. Unless Bai Zhiyong is willing to give up his career and return to Yangcheng to revive the school, I have little to fear from him.”
The territory in Yangcheng couldn’t be abandoned.
Ke Yixiong had established himself in Pengcheng because he had people under him who were loyal and trusted him.
His face had once been ground under Pan San’s foot, and after enduring until today, Ke Yixiong deliberately chose to disrupt Bai Zhiyong’s wedding to show the underworld in Yangcheng the current state of affairs.
Though he often greeted people with a smile, it was merely a facade to deceive outsiders. In the underworld, those with soft temperaments would have been crushed long ago.
Conversely, occasionally stepping on others helped establish one’s reputation.
He spoke as if it were perfectly natural, and Xia Xiaolan found his round, friendly face quite punchable.
Would Bai Zhiyong accept this?
Having someone disrupt your wedding ceremony—if she were Bai Zhiyong, she wouldn’t be able to swallow this insult either.
Xia Xiaolan had agreed to talk with Ke Yixiong only because she feared the wedding would be ruined if things escalated.
“What could you possibly have to discuss with me? I’m not interested in any of the cooperation methods you’ve proposed before.”
No money, no connections, just a bunch of thugs at Ke Yixiong’s beck and call. Xia Xiaolan had no desire to be involved with gangsters—what could Ke Yixiong offer for cooperation? She looked down on all the resources he had.
Ke Yixiong still seemed to rely on Du Zhaohuei’s support. If Xia Xiaolan were to cooperate with anyone, she might as well turn around and make peace with Du Zhaohuei!
Xia Xiaolan’s bluntness deeply wounded Boss Ke’s pride.
He couldn’t help but carefully examine the Xia Xiaolan before him.
Two years ago, Xia Xiaolan had been quite down and out, a village girl taking trains to Yangcheng to purchase goods.
Two years later, Xia Xiaolan was handling multi-million yuan deals… No wonder she didn’t think much of him.
Ke Yixiong smiled slightly. “I dare not dream of cooperation. As I said earlier, Director Xia, just throw me a bone. You’re building houses—you’ll need someone to transport the construction waste. How about letting my people handle that job?”
Xia Xiaolan’s gaze turned investigative:
“Boss Ke, the Golden Sand Pool project only covers about 20 mu of land. How much construction waste could there be? Surely this business doesn’t warrant such a dramatic display from you.”
Ke Yixiong did not explain. “Don’t worry about whether the profit is big or small. Give this work to me, and I’ll ensure your project faces no troubles during construction.”
Xia Xiaolan’s interest was piqued: “My project is fine as it is. Why would there be any trouble?”
Ke Yixiong smiled meaningfully:
“Is it fine? Director Xia, with Golden Sand Pool’s land prices soaring, how many potential buyers have you turned down? You might think your project is secure because you surely have the backing to obtain the land permits, but while others can’t forcibly take the land from you, isn’t it easy to cause you trouble?”
Even an elephant could be killed by enough ants.
Xia Xiaolan held rapidly appreciating land, and too many people coveted it.
Not everyone was like Tang Yuanyue, who, after being “used” by Xia Xiaolan and failing to buy the land, had developed a romantic interest in her instead.
Some people were more vicious, wanting both money and beauty.
While Xia Xiaolan spoke with Ke Yixiong, the others had remained silent, but now Kang Wei couldn’t bear to listen anymore:
“If anyone wants to cause trouble, let them try!”
—Damn, just as Brother Pan San had cursed, some people just won’t take a hint. Here he was, content being a young master, honestly selling construction materials, making small profits on tiles, not causing trouble or bringing shame to the Kang family. Yet why were there so many shameless people who wanted to steal others’ money for themselves?