Xu Yi followed Chairman Lanke into a small room at the back, only to discover that five other people were already seated inside. This was nothing like the private conversation between the two of them he had expected.
His gaze swept over their faces, and he smiled faintly. Chairman Lanke certainly isn't beating around the bush. He's brought all these people here-is he planning to lay his cards on the table tonight?
But on second thought, neither Xu Yi nor the Xinfei Merchant Guild probably amounted to much in the eyes of Chairman Lanke and the people seated here. There was no reason to waste time with him; they might as well state their intentions outright.
At that thought, a faintly mocking smile tugged at the corners of Xu Yi's mouth.
"Come, President Xu, please sit." Chairman Lanke gestured for Xu Yi to take a seat, then indicated the others. "Let me introduce you. These gentlemen are..."
Xu Yi raised a hand to stop him and smiled. "Chairman Lanke, these are all among the most prominent merchants in Bunta City. If I didn't even recognize them, what right would I have to run a merchant guild? Wouldn't you agree, Chairman Morgan?"
The man Xu Yi was looking at was a middle-aged man of average build with a few streaks of gray in his hair. He was Fuller Morgan, chairman of the Falkor Merchant Guild, whom Xu Yi had discussed with Viscount Leslie earlier.
Surprise flashed across Chairman Morgan's face when Xu Yi addressed him, but he promptly laughed. "You must be joking, President Xu. When it comes to fame, what merchant guild in Bunta City can rival your Xinfei Merchant Guild's prominence these days? Your name, President Xu Yi, appears in the Bunta Daily all the time. Never mind those