"Who are you?" Jiang Nan looked in confusion at the man whose power level reached 62. With a power level that high, could he be Tang Fei's uncle? He looked far too young!
The man introduced himself. "Brother Nan, my name is Pei Zheng. I'm Tang Fei's cousin."
Realization dawned on Jiang Nan, and he replied politely, "Hello, hello. Just call me Jiang Nan."
"You're too modest, Brother Nan. For an outstanding man like you, it's already an honor for me to presume to call you Brother Nan. How could I dare address you by name? Please get in the car. My father has prepared a banquet and is waiting for you to grace us with your presence." Pei Zheng had a polished phrase for everything, leaving Jiang Nan a little embarrassed.
"Um, I need to go home and change first." After every reaction-training session, Jiang Nan worried that he had picked up germs and wanted to get home to shower and change as soon as possible.
"Leave that to me," Pei Zheng said. "Just get in the car, Brother Nan."
Jiang Nan could only get in. Pei Zheng told the driver to ride in another car and took the wheel himself. Under the envious gazes of the nearby residents, the convoy slowly pulled away.
Sitting in the car, Jiang Nan curiously pressed this and touched that. The interior was incredibly luxurious. There were only two seats in the back, yet the space was so enormous that even with his legs stretched straight out, he couldn't reach the backs of the front seats.
Every surface within reach was upholstered in genuine leather. Jiang Nan gently stroked his seat. He had no idea what kind of leather it was, but it felt many times better than the leather car seats from his previous life.
The suspension was excellent, and Jiang Nan felt no bumps at all. Pei Zheng was also an excellent driver; neither acceleration nor braking caused Jiang Nan the slightest discomfort.
Soothing light music played through the surround-sound speakers. Jiang Nan unconsciously sank into the soft seat with a sigh. It's so good to be rich!
The convoy drove into the Green Peacock Hotel beside the Seek-Dragon River in the city center. It was the most upscale hotel in White Cloud City and belonged to the Black Tiger Hall. Pei Zheng usually arranged formal banquets here.
The entire hotel's exterior was painted green. Against the tinted glass, the green walls gleamed in the sunlight, truly resembling the colors of a peacock's feathers.
The convoy drove straight to the hotel entrance. Pei Zheng got out and opened Jiang Nan's door for him. As Jiang Nan stepped out, he was greeted by a towering portico and gleaming golden doorframes. Even in his previous life, he had never been willing to spend money at a hotel this luxurious.
A doorman had already opened the hotel's entrance. Pei Zheng led Jiang Nan inside, with Tang Fei following behind.
The hotel had forty-six floors, and the banquet was on the top floor. Pei Zheng first took Jiang Nan to the fortieth floor, where his subordinates had already arranged a suite for him to bathe in.
The hotel attendants had timed everything perfectly. Even the bathtub had been filled just right, and a set of clothes in Jiang Nan's size had been laid out on the bed.
Pei Zheng and Tang Fei went to wait in the neighboring room, while Jiang Nan hurried off to bathe.
As he pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was a dressing room. Freshly pressed bathrobes hung in the wardrobe, and opposite it stood an enormous vanity. The mirror above the vanity had been polished spotless.
Jiang Nan was used to roughing it and had no habit of putting on a bathrobe. He stripped in a few quick motions and went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was huge, easily as big as an ordinary household's living room. The spotless white bathtub was astonishingly large. Jiang Nan had no doubt it could accommodate ten people bathing at once.
There were speakers on the bathroom walls, currently playing a lilting piano piece.
Damn, rich people really know how to enjoy themselves. They even get to listen to music while taking a bath.
Jiang Nan took a quick shower and was astonished to discover that the showerhead was solid gold. He looked at the other faucets. Good grief, those were solid gold too.
This is way too extravagant.
Originally, Jiang Nan had planned to leave after a quick shower. But seeing the bathtub already full, he thought, Rather than waste all that water, I might as well enjoy myself too. With that in mind, he climbed into the tub.
It truly deserved its reputation as the city's most upscale hotel. Even the bathwater was filtered. The purified water felt so slippery against his skin that Jiang Nan thought he hadn't rinsed off all the shower gel and scrubbed himself over and over.
Just then, Jiang Nan heard the sound of a key card being swiped outside. Someone had come in. Had Pei Zheng and the others come to hurry him along?
As Jiang Nan was about to get out of the tub, two attractive female attendants with graceful figures pushed open the door and entered. What caught him completely off guard was that they wore nothing but bath towels. Startled, Jiang Nan covered Little Jiang Nan and hastily ducked back into the water.
"Sir, please allow us to assist you with your bath."
Without another word, the two attendants climbed into the tub and began massaging Jiang Nan's shoulders, one on either side.
This is a damn honey trap! I have to turn them down firmly!
Then Jiang Nan reconsidered. Judging by how composed the two attendants looked, perhaps this was simply their way of providing attentive service. He shouldn't make a fuss and look like some country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
After massaging his shoulders and arms, the two began working on his legs. Jiang Nan felt that this ought to be enough, but his body was far more honest: he sat motionless, accepting their service.
Just then, one attendant suddenly pulled off her bath towel. Under Jiang Nan's dumbfounded gaze, she took a deep breath and slipped underwater.
"Hey? Hey!" Jiang Nan cried out. "Stop, stop!"
The attendant quickly surfaced. Wiping the water from her face, she asked somewhat anxiously, "I'm sorry, sir. Was my service inadequate? Did I make you uncomfortable?"
Thoroughly flustered, Jiang Nan explained with a red face, "No, no. Your service was a little too good. I'm finished bathing. You can leave now."
After apologizing again, the attendants hurried away. Only then did Jiang Nan climb out of the tub. He let out a relieved breath. Thank goodness. I managed to pass the test after all.
When he emerged fully dressed, Pei Zheng and Tang Fei immediately came out of the neighboring room. Neither said a word about it, sharing an unspoken understanding as they led Jiang Nan to the top floor.
Pei Hu had received word well in advance and was waiting by the elevator to greet them. The instant the doors opened, Jiang Nan's attention was drawn to Pei Hu and the red lettering hovering over his head.
Power level: 84!
That was higher than King Chappa, the winner of last year's World Martial Arts Tournament, and even a little higher than Jiang Nan's current level.
"When Fei mentioned you the other day, my young friend, I was already impressed by your talents. Now that we've met, I see you truly are an outstanding young man!" The moment Jiang Nan stepped out of the elevator, Pei Hu took his hand with a broad smile and warmly patted his back.
Jiang Nan wasn't quite used to this ornate way of speaking and could only offer a reserved smile.
Pei Hu enthusiastically ushered Jiang Nan into a private dining room. It was equally spacious and luxurious, with an enormous dining table in the rectangular room that had to be eight meters in diameter.
The wall opposite the door was a glass curtain wall. The tinted glass filtered out ultraviolet rays while still letting in some light. Standing by the windows, one could look down over the beautiful Seek-Dragon River and gaze out at White Cloud City's sweeping streetscape.
Pei Hu led Jiang Nan to the seat of honor and sat him down. Pei Zheng and Tang Fei took their seats in turn.
Jiang Nan wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable. Even the usually oblivious Tang Fei was muttering to himself. I call Jiang Nan Brother Nan, but Uncle comes along and treats him like a younger brother. Doesn't that throw the generations all out of order? What am I supposed to call him now? Uncle Nan?
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