Right into the Line of Fire

Watching Director Yu and the other two go inside, Wang Kaixuan, who had just stepped out, frowned and pointed at their retreating backs. "Who is he? How did he get Mayor Jia to invite him in for a toast?"

Behind him, Wang Xuankai added, "He looks familiar. If I remember correctly, he's only an ordinary member of the Ancient Sovereign."

Wang Kaixuan and Wang Xuankai were brothers. The elder, Wang Kaixuan, was primarily responsible for the Ancient Sovereign's overall operations and held a fairly high position there. His younger brother, Wang Xuankai, was the lobby manager, mainly tasked with receiving important guests.

Wang Xuankai knew every prominent figure registered with the Ancient Sovereign by heart. Director Yu clearly wasn't on his list.

Hearing that only deepened Wang Kaixuan's suspicions. He quietly stayed outside the door and peeked in.

The moment Director Yu entered the private dining room, his shrewd eyes swept straight toward the seat of honor.

Seeing a young man sitting there, while Jia Zhengyi wasn't even the principal host, left him thoroughly confused.

At official banquets, etiquette and protocol were taken very seriously. The seating arrangement generally reflected the guests' ranks.

Yet today, the mayor of an entire city was little more than a supporting figure at this table. Director Yu couldn't help wondering who Chen Hao really was.

As soon as Zhang Liang and Liu Neng entered, they too looked straight toward the seat of honor. But when they saw who was sitting there, the smiles instantly froze on their faces.

What the hell was going on?!

Why was Chen Hao here, and why was he sitting in the seat of honor?

Countless questions flooded their minds, nearly short-circuiting their brains. They almost forgot to breathe.

Without a word, the two exchanged a glance, an ominous feeling rising within them.

"Since you're here, let me introduce you while we're at it!"

Jia Zhengyi led Director Yu farther inside, pointing toward the seat of honor as he spoke.

He had barely finished when he noticed Liu Neng and Zhang Liang holding their glasses and heading back out with their heads lowered.

"What are those two friends of yours doing?" Jia Zhengyi suddenly frowned, looking displeased.

Director Yu turned and saw the two cowards trying to leave just after entering. He cursed inwardly. These spineless fools were doing nothing but embarrassing him.

He hadn't wanted to bring them in to begin with, so if they wanted to leave, he had no intention of stopping them. "It's nothing. They probably aren't used to such distinguished company. Let them go."

"Boss Zhang, Boss Liu, since you're already here, don't rush off. Come have a drink." Still seated, Chen Hao smiled calmly at the two men, who were almost at the door.

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng stopped and turned back with strained smiles. "Haha, we won't disturb you. We'll be going now."

"What do you think this place is? Somewhere you can just come and go as you please?" Chen Hao's tone abruptly turned cold.

Qiao Shan, standing by the door, immediately understood. He shifted sideways to block the exit and gestured inward. "This way, gentlemen."

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng swallowed involuntarily. With forced smiles, they could only turn around and slowly walk back inside.

Everyone at the table could hear the change in Chen Hao's tone. Director Yu, in particular, had initially thought that since Zhang Liang and Liu Neng knew the man in the seat of honor, he might be able to use that connection to curry favor himself.

But the moment he heard Chen Hao's icy words, Director Yu's heart sank. Even an idiot could tell these men had a grudge between them.

What the hell was this? He had only brought them along to curry favor with Jia Zhengyi. Instead, they'd all walked straight into the line of fire.

Though Zhang Liang and Liu Neng had been forced to return and the atmosphere was painfully awkward, both had weathered a few storms before. They quickly composed themselves and approached Chen Hao with smiles, pretending they were close. "Oh, it's you, Chen Hao! What a coincidence. Long time no see, old friend!"

Beside him, Liu Neng could only smile apologetically and chime in. "That's right. Come on, let's raise a glass to you."

Chen Hao remained unmoved, staring coldly at them both. "What do you mean, long time no see? Don't act like we're close. Weren't you just saying I was a toilet cleaner?"

At those words, the already awkward atmosphere grew several degrees colder.

Zhang Liang chuckled. "Look at you, still upset. I was only joking."

"Fine. A joke, was it?" Chen Hao slapped his thigh, raised his glass, and stood, seemingly about to clink glasses with Zhang Liang.

But before their glasses touched, Chen Hao splashed his wine straight into Zhang Liang's face.

Normally, Zhang Liang would have flown into a rage and gone after Chen Hao. But the situation was overwhelmingly against him, so no matter how furious he was, he had to swallow it for now.

Completely ignoring Zhang Liang as he wiped his face, Chen Hao sat back down and turned to Jia Zhengyi, feigning ignorance. "Mayor Jia, I'd like to ask you something. I used to work for Boss Zhang here, but I left. As for my wages, when I left, he made it very clear that he'd rather spend the money feeding dogs than pay me. What should someone do in a situation like that?"

Zhang Liang, who had just wiped the wine off his face, was terrified. He hurriedly took out his phone and said to Chen Hao, "Chen, that was all a joke. Who said I wouldn't pay your wages? It was only a few days late. I'll pay you right now."

But Chen Hao didn't even glance at him. He simply kept his eyes on Jia Zhengyi.

Chu Jinliang spoke up. "There's nothing I hate more than withholding wages. Mayor Jia, this must be dealt with seriously."

Even without Chu Jinliang's reminder, Jia Zhengyi naturally knew what to do. "Rest assured, I'll deal with this strictly. I'll make sure you get a satisfactory resolution."

Hearing Jia Zhengyi's words, Zhang Liang's face turned ashen, his expression utterly grim.

"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Mayor Jia. Here, let me raise a glass to you."

While Chen Hao was toasting Jia Zhengyi, Director Yu, now drenched in sweat, hurried over to Zhang Liang and the others and addressed everyone. "Haha, we're terribly sorry. Look at this mess—we've spoiled your meal. We'll leave now. Please, carry on, carry on."

As he spoke, Director Yu frantically shoved Zhang Liang, signaling for them to hurry out.

"Wait." Director Yu had barely pushed the two men a few steps when Jia Zhengyi suddenly called out, making all three freeze again in fright.

Jia Zhengyi glanced toward the door and called to Wang Kaixuan, who was standing there. "Manager Wang, if you haven't left yet, come in for a moment."

The Wang brothers, who had been watching from the doorway all along, hurried inside. "We're still here. What can we do for you, Mayor Jia?"

Jia Zhengyi gave Director Yu and his companions a displeased snort, then told Wang Kaixuan, "If possible, put these men on the Ancient Sovereign's blacklist."

Standing outside earlier, Wang Kaixuan had heard enough of their conversation to know that Director Yu and his two unlucky companions had walked straight into the line of fire together.

Although he still hadn't figured out Chen Hao's background, anyone with eyes could tell he was no ordinary man. Otherwise, Commander Chu and Mayor Jia wouldn't have treated him with such deference.

"Rest assured, Mayor Jia. These three will never be allowed to set foot in here again."

At those words, the expressions of Director Yu, Zhang Liang, and Liu Neng all changed dramatically.

Director Yu, in particular, went white with fear and nearly dropped to his knees before Wang Kaixuan. "Wait, Mayor Jia, Manager Wang, please don't! I barely know these two. I only came in to offer Mayor Jia a toast. This has nothing to do with me!"

Seeing Director Yu scared out of his wits, Chen Hao couldn't quite understand. Wasn't he just being blacklisted by a hotel and barred from spending money here again? Was that really so frightening?

Suddenly, Chen Hao became deeply interested in the Ancient Sovereign hotel. If he had the chance, he would have to look into its background. There seemed to be much more to this hotel than met the eye.

With so many senior figures watching, Wang Kaixuan naturally had to handle the matter impeccably. At his call, the security guards outside came in and threw Director Yu and his companions out.

The moment they were thrown out of the private dining room, Director Yu's expression was as ugly as could be. He spat toward Zhang Liang and Liu Neng, then stormed off.

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng looked equally miserable. How could they have known they would run into Chen Hao here? Had they known beforehand, they would never have dared get involved in this mess, even with a hundred times the courage.

They followed Director Yu back to their private dining room. Zhang Liang was just about to explain when Director Yu flung the bank card into his face. "You two fucking bastards! You think you can make a monkey out of me? Let me tell you, as long as I'm around, you can forget about getting a single procurement contract in our district. Fuck!"

With that, he stormed furiously out of the private dining room.

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng were completely dumbstruck. What the hell was this? They had only gone in to offer a toast, yet it had caused all this trouble. They were so miserable that they began questioning their lives.

Bang!

Liu Neng slammed his fist onto the table in fury. "Fuck! It's all because of that Chen Hao. Do you know how much money and effort I put into this contract? Now it's all gone!"

Zhang Liang was furious too. Not only had they lost the contract, they had also offended Director Yu, their powerful backer.

Worse still, his company had caught Mayor Jia's attention. If the mayor deliberately made things difficult for him, he would be in for a world of trouble.

Fuming, Zhang Liang slapped himself hard across the face. He bitterly regretted everything he had done.