Enemies on a narrow road

"VV888."

At the mention of that private room, Wang Xuankai's eyes went wide. It was normally closed to the public and reserved exclusively for distinguished guests. Money alone could not get you a booking.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Chen Hao's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Liu Yan.

Honestly, if not for what the God of Marriage had told him last night, Chen Hao might not have been quite so excited. After all, she could very well be the woman connected to him by the thread of fate.

"Sorry, go on ahead. I need to take this call." Chen Hao stepped aside and answered.

"Hello," Chen Hao said.

"Where are you now? Has everything been sorted out? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?" Liu Yan asked.

Her three questions, all brimming with concern, gave Chen Hao a little thrill. He answered with a smile, "I'm fine. It's all sorted out."

"Oh!" After that reply, Liu Yan fell silent.

Chen Hao cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness. "So, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm having lunch with a client. What about you?" Liu Yan asked.

"Oh, I'm having lunch too."

"Where are you?"

Chen Hao raised his eyebrows. "A hotel called the Ancient Sovereign."

"What a coincidence! I'm having lunch with a client at the Ancient Sovereign too," Liu Yan said, sounding a little excited.

"Really? Which private room are you in? I'll come find you when I get a chance." Chen Hao sounded a little excited himself.

"I'm in V110."

"All right. I'll come see you later."

Right after hanging up, Chen Hao felt the urge to pee and hurried toward the restroom.

He had barely stepped through the door when he almost collided head-on with a man.

Looking up, Chen Hao could not help smiling. Enemies really did meet on narrow roads.

The man before him was none other than Zhang Liang, his former boss at his previous company.

Seeing Chen Hao, Zhang Liang laughed too. "Well, well, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's Chen Hao. What a coincidence. So, are you cleaning toilets here now?"

Chen Hao really did not want to waste words on Zhang Liang, so he shot straight back, "What, just finished eating in here? That would explain all the shit coming out of your mouth." Ignoring Zhang Liang's expression, he walked inside.

At Chen Hao's insolence, Zhang Liang gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

At the dinner with Brother Long a few days earlier, Chen Hao had drunk their entire group under the table, then simply walked away. In the end, Zhang Liang had been stuck with the liquor bill of tens of thousands.

The memory still filled Zhang Liang with fury. Now that Chen Hao was standing before him, he wanted to tear him apart. He sneered, "Chen Hao, why did you give up such a promising career as a designated driver to clean toilets here?"

As he spoke, Zhang Liang deliberately raised his eyebrows and surveyed the restroom. "Still, the Ancient Sovereign is nicely decorated, and the surroundings are pleasant. Cleaning toilets here isn't that embarrassing."

He had barely finished when another familiar voice came from outside. "Mr. Zhang, let's get inside. Director Yu and the others are already here."

"Liu Neng, come see who this is," Zhang Liang said with a smile.

Liu Neng leaned over to look inside and immediately gave a contemptuous laugh. "Well, isn't this Chen Hao? What a coincidence, running into you even on a trip to the restroom."

Zhang Liang owned the company, while Liu Neng had been Chen Hao's direct supervisor. They were cut from the same cloth and had often humiliated Chen Hao while he worked there.

Running into both of them today really was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road.

Chen Hao gave himself a shake and, not bothering to respond, headed straight outside.

The two exchanged sneers and watched Chen Hao leave with utter disdain.

But when they saw Chen Hao walking farther down the corridor, Liu Neng suddenly frowned in confusion. "Why's he going farther inside? Only premium members can come up to this floor, and the farther in you go, the harder the rooms are to book. Don't tell me he's here for lunch too?"

Zhang Liang dismissed the idea outright. "How could he be? Do you even believe what you're saying? Come on. Don't keep Director Yu waiting."

Liu Neng frowned and glanced once more at Chen Hao as he disappeared at the end of the corridor. After a moment's thought, he shook his head and followed Zhang Liang.

Chen Hao entered private room VV888 to find Chu Jinliang and his family already there, chatting and laughing.

Chu Mengling was the first to greet him with a smile. "Chen Hao, you're here! Come and sit down."

Chen Hao smiled and acknowledged everyone, then followed Chu Mengling over.

Seeing that Chu Mengling intended to pull Chen Hao into the seat beside her, Chu Jinliang quickly said with a smile, "Ling'er, let Chen Hao sit here."

Seating arrangements at meals carried considerable significance in Huaxia. You could not simply sit wherever you liked, and Chen Hao understood that perfectly well.

Seeing Chu Jinliang point to the seat of honor beside him, Chen Hao felt rather overwhelmed by the favor. "Grandpa, I can just sit here."

To his surprise, Chu Jinliang immediately looked displeased. "What are you saying? Our family invited you to lunch today. How could we put our guest in a lower seat? Come over here."

With Chu Jinliang looking so serious, Chen Hao did not dare delay and could only take the seat beside him.

Chu Mengling immediately came over too, insisting on sitting beside Chen Hao and practically squeezing Chu Huasheng out of his seat.

Just then, someone knocked on the door, and a man in a black Zhongshan suit walked in, his face full of smiles.

The moment he saw Chu Jinliang, the man beamed and hurried over to shake his hand politely. "Oh, Commander Chu, I'm so sorry I'm late. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Chu Jinliang did not rise, merely replying with a smile, "You're too kind, Mayor Jia. We only just arrived ourselves."

As soon as he sat down, the man Chu Jinliang had addressed as Mayor Jia noticed Chen Hao in the seat of honor, and a trace of puzzlement appeared in his eyes.

Just who was Chu Jinliang? In all of Huaxia, the people qualified to dine at the same table as him could be counted on one hand.

Yet Chu Jinliang was treating this young man as an honored guest. Just who was he?

As he pondered that question, Mayor Jia asked with great care, "Commander Chu, who might this young gentleman be?"

"Let me introduce you. This young man is Chen Hao, the person who saved my life. And this is Jia Zhengyi, the current mayor of Zhonghai City."

Jia Zhengyi? Sounds like 'fake justice.' Nice name. Although that was what Chen Hao thought, he did not dare be rude. He quickly greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Mayor Jia. I look forward to your guidance."

Hearing that Chen Hao had saved Chu Jinliang's life, Jia Zhengyi was stunned. He no longer dared underestimate him in the slightest. "Oh my, Mr. Chen, you actually saved Commander Chu's life! You have my utmost admiration. Rest assured, if you ever need my help with anything in Zhonghai City, just say the word. Please don't stand on ceremony."

Chu Jinliang immediately picked up on that. "Since you've said so, Mayor Jia, you really must take good care of Chen Hao from now on. I often have to go to Capital City. If I hear that he's been bullied while I'm away, I won't let you off."

Jia Zhengyi hurriedly chuckled and patted his chest. "Commander Chu, I can personally guarantee that. You can put your mind completely at ease."

Chen Hao naturally understood Chu Jinliang's intentions.

Most of Chu Jinliang's work was based in Capital City. If he happened to be away from Zhonghai City when Chen Hao ran into trouble, Chen Hao might truly have no one to turn to for help.

In fact, Sun Long, the chief of the Zhonghai City Public Security Bureau, would have been more than enough. Chen Hao had not expected Chu Jinliang to go straight to the top and invite the man in charge of Zhonghai City. Having such a powerful backer genuinely surprised him.

Not long after the meal began, Chu Jinliang quietly leaned toward Chen Hao's ear. "Chen Hao, that wine—you said you'd prepared some for me, didn't you? Where is it?"

Only at Chu Jinliang's reminder did Chen Hao suddenly remember. "I'll go get it right now."

Although the wine was in his WeChat Qiankun Bag, producing it out of thin air would probably arouse suspicion. Chen Hao could only pretend to leave, retrieve it, and then return to the table.

At the sight of the large bottle of Peach Blossom Wine in Chen Hao's hand, Chu Jinliang's eyes lit up. He reached out to grab it, but Chen Hao moved it out of reach.

"Grandpa Chu, this wine may be good for you, but you still can't drink too much. I've only prepared a month's supply for you. I won't give you any more until your next treatment is finished, so you can only have a small sip today."

Chu Jinliang burst out laughing. Like a child, he could only hold out his glass and wait for Chen Hao to pour him some.

Once Chen Hao had poured a small glass, Chu Jinliang could not resist picking it up. He savored its aroma for a long while before reluctantly drinking it.

The moment the Peach Blossom Wine reached his stomach, an incredibly soothing warmth spread throughout his body. A faint flush rose in Chu Jinliang's face, and his entire demeanor became more vibrant.

Beside him, Chu Mengling snatched the Peach Blossom Wine away and pouted. "From now on, I'm keeping this wine!"

Her declaration made Chu Jinliang point at her and shake his head with a rueful smile.

Once the joking was over, Chu Jinliang could not help asking again, "Tell me, Chen Hao, just what kind of wine is this? How can it have such miraculous effects? Even an old wreck like me feels a hundred times more energetic after drinking it."

Well, obviously. This is wine for immortals. Of course a mortal would feel pumped full of energy after drinking it.

That was what Chen Hao thought, but aloud he could only answer vaguely, "It's just a medicinal wine passed down through my family."

"Oh!" Chu Jinliang nodded, then asked, "Does it have a name?"

"Peach Blossom Wine," Chen Hao replied.

Ever since taking the Qi-Nourishing Pill, Chen Hao's body had become completely different from an ordinary person's. Thus, even when he drank the Peach Blossom Wine, his reaction was nowhere near as pronounced.

Only yesterday, Chu Jinliang had been an old man on the brink of death, yet today he could share wine and laughter with Chen Hao. There was no denying that this was thanks to the acupuncture techniques in the Yellow Emperor's Book of Changes. Those techniques truly defied the heavens and could bring someone back from death's door, but the Old Immortal of the South Pole's Peach Blossom Wine had also played a crucial role.

With that, Chen Hao gained a clearer idea of how to position the Peach Blossom Wine in the future.

It seemed he would have to cultivate a closer relationship with the Old Immortal of the South Pole. Once he opened up this market, demand would undoubtedly be enormous.