Although no one would actually come up to Xu Yi and question whether he was qualified to attend, there were still plenty of people eager to sound him out.
Not long after Xu Yi appeared at the banquet, Moon Cruz, president of the Amli Merchant Guild, approached him with a glass of wine and a broad smile.
"President Xu, whenever we invite you to a banquet, you always say you're too busy to come. Why did you show up immediately when the city lord invited you today?"
Ever since he had reached an exclusive cement supply agreement with Xu Yi, then conducted numerous tests confirming that its performance was indeed outstanding and far superior to the building materials the Amli Merchant Guild had previously used, President Cruz greeted Xu Yi with a smile every time they met. Gone were the suspicion and veiled disdain he had shown when the Xinfei Merchant Guild first joined the Commercial Association.
Xu Yi smiled and raised his glass to clink it against Cruz's. "President Cruz, you're being unfair to me. I used to turn down almost all the city lord's invitations too. It wasn't just yours. I couldn't help it. There's simply too much to do at the guild. It wasn't only back then, either. Lately I've been so busy that I wish I could spend even my sleeping hours working. I had to fight to squeeze out enough time to attend this banquet today."
"Being busy with work is a good thing. Your Xinfei Merchant Guild's products have always been so popular. Of course you're busy as its president." President Cruz laughed, then suddenly moved a little closer to Xu Yi and deliberately lowered his voice. "President Xu, tell me honestly. How many of those new Magic Desk Lamps have you sold?"
Xu