Inviting Reyes (Seeking Collection and Recommendation Tickets)

Zhou Yi's net worth was clearly higher than Reyes'.

The term "billionaire" could describe someone worth a hundred million dollars, or ten billion, or even a hundred billion. As for Zhou Yi's assets, he hadn't even bothered to tally them up himself—enough to squander however he pleased, anyway.

Moreover, although Reyes had a hundred million in cash on hand, not all of that money was his.

"So how should we start?" Gisele asked.

"Isn't it simple?" Zhou Yi replied. "When does Reyes come to the beach?"

"He's already here, at a beach hotel not far away, negotiating business with his clients," Gisele answered.

"Mm." Zhou Yi nodded, then waved in a direction. A subordinate who had been keeping his distance under Zhou Yi's orders but watching closely approached.

Out and about as a billionaire of status, he couldn't handle everything himself. Zhou Yi naturally hired some people to take care of tasks and coordinate arrangements—unavoidable and genuinely necessary.

"Any orders, sir?" the subordinate asked as he walked up.

"There's a 'businessman' here named Hernan Reyes," Zhou Yi instructed. "Find him, give him one of my business cards, and tell him I want to discuss a deal."

"Understood, sir." The subordinate didn't ask questions, replied briefly, and quickly set things in motion.

"This..." Gisele looked puzzled. "That's all it takes?"

"What else, have you seduce him?" Zhou Yi shook his head with a laugh. "When you have enough power, a lot of things can be solved directly."

"But... can your men find him that fast?" Gisele still seemed doubtful. "You didn't tell them Reyes's location—how can they contact him right away?"

"My men aren't useless freeloaders," Zhou Yi said. "If they've been in Rio for days and still can't get a handle on the basics here, then I'd have to question my own judgment in hiring..."

"And so far, my judgment has been flawless."

As a billionaire of his caliber, without subordinates to ensure his safety, he'd be targeted before long. Zhou Yi hired people not just to handle errands but also to avoid unnecessary trouble—like being marked by criminals.

Swatting flies wasn't something he wanted to do himself every time, was it?

Showing off and putting people in their place was fun, but only for specific targets. For extras whose names weren't even worth remembering... was it necessary? That was just a waste of energy!

So, as qualified subordinates, Zhou Yi's men handled tasks, kept tabs on the surroundings and potential dangers, and blocked out the riffraff.

That's why Zhou Yi said that if his men had been in Rio for a while and still didn't know the local big shot Hernan Reyes, they deserved to be fired.

While they couldn't track Reyes's exact location at all times, they'd definitely have his contact info and basic details. Once they reached out, the rest was easy.

Soon, Zhou Yi's subordinate returned.

"Sir," the subordinate said, "we've contacted Mr. Reyes. As it happens, he's at a beach hotel nearby. Should we have him come over? Mr. Reyes said he's available to talk now if you'd like."

Gisele's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

They actually got in touch that fast, and he was that eager?

This was the Rio big shot, the untouchable Reyes?

Gisele didn't know that while there was a saying about a strong dragon not crushing a local snake, nothing was absolute—it was all relative.

And right now, Zhou Yi, the dragon from across the river, was far stronger than Reyes, the local snake. Or rather, their positions and needs were too mismatched.

Reyes had already been pissed off by the mess Toretto's crew had been causing these past few days.

As Rio's big shot, a drug lord who treated the police station like his own backyard, when had Reyes ever had to worry about some petty gang?

Forced to gather all his money and stash it in a safe?

Sure, it was secure, but it was a matter of face!

What would people say—that the great Reyes was driven by a bunch of lowlife thugs to hide his money, and he still couldn't find them?

That was what pissed Reyes off the most!

First, a group dared to hit him, and it became public knowledge. Worst of all, his men still hadn't tracked them down!

The wanted posters he'd put out were practically a joke, yielding no useful results. Reyes felt like his face was being slapped in public over and over!

Under these circumstances, Reyes had to swallow his anger and explain things to his cooperating clients... Sure, he was the local big shot in Rio, but that only worked because people bought from him and sold to him, letting him rake in huge profits, grease palms, and hire muscle to build up to where he was now!

If he lost those clients, he wouldn't collapse overnight, but he'd definitely take a serious hit. Reyes knew that what had pushed him to this position was "profit," and if the profit dried up, he was finished.

So, while explaining things to his clients, he heard a subordinate report that a "business deal" client had shown up. At first, Reyes wasn't too interested, but after seeing Zhou Yi's business card and learning about his financial standing, he realized this was a client he couldn't afford to miss.

How much of that hundred million in the safe was actually his?

Reyes claimed it as his own, but he knew damn well that most of it wasn't his—it was pooled money from various factions.

But now, this guy who'd come knocking was a real billionaire!

If he could land a big deal with this man, even if something happened to that money—though Reyes believed nothing would—at least it was a precaution!

If he could close a major deal with Zhou Yi, he could not only calm those timid clients but also secure a fallback plan... how great would that be?

So Reyes gave that response.

Failed Author's Diary ↓

Padding? How could this be called padding? It's called reasonable polishing to drown out the nitpickers... Did I just let something slip?