After that, Lin Beichen picked up the clothes again and said, "We'll take these clothes with us first. I'll pay you later."

How would Brother Biao dare let Lin Beichen pay? He hurriedly snatched the bag back, carefully wrapped up the clothes, and forcibly shoved them into Lin Beichen's hands. "Mr. Lin Beichen buying clothes from me is already giving me face. Take as many as you like, and this young lady can pick whatever she wants. Don't mention money—talking about money is like slapping me in the face."

Lin Beichen smiled and said, "I'll give you the money tonight, don't worry."

Afterwards, Brother Biao and the fatty respectfully invited Lin Beichen to go have tea, while the others were dispersed by Brother Biao's men. The fatty actually still had things he wanted to say.

"Mr. Lin, there are some matters I'd like to discuss with you." The fatty's expression suddenly turned serious.

Lin Beichen was slightly taken aback, then nodded. He understood the fatty's character; if there wasn't something going on, the fatty wouldn't主动 come to him.

"He's probably run into some kind of trouble. I have to help him." Lin Beichen thought to himself, then said to the fatty, "Let's find a place for tea. Whatever it is, just say it straight."

The fatty had been a bit uneasy, thinking he might have offended Lin Beichen somehow and worrying that Lin Beichen held something against him. But he was overthinking it. Lin Beichen was righteous and fair; he wouldn't be biased because of past grievances. On the contrary, he believed a person's character could develop, and he would adjust his view of someone based on that person's actions and attitude.

The fatty drove his Rolls-Royce and took Lin Beichen and Lan Zihua aboard. Lin Beichen glanced around the car and could tell it was anything but cheap—at least five million. He thought of how down-and-out the fatty had been in the past, and now he was driving such a luxury car; he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. It seemed the fatty had indeed made quite a bit of money recently. This invitation was probably related to financial matters.

Lin Beichen smiled faintly. No matter what kind of challenge it was, he wasn't afraid. After more than twenty minutes on the road, a hundred-story skyscraper that pierced the clouds came into view. The fatty parked, then obsequiously opened the door for Lin Beichen, his manner practically that of a servant.

"Mr. Lin Beichen, this restaurant is a joint investment between me and a friend of mine. My friend really wants to meet you." The fatty said with a smile.

"Oh? And who is this? He's not trying to kidnap me, is he?" Lin Beichen snorted coldly, deliberately testing the fatty. He said this to remind the fatty that his own status was distinguished, and that he shouldn't casually introduce random people to him.

Hearing this, the fatty hurriedly shook his head in denial. "Mr. Lin Beichen, please rest assured. You're my mentor—how could I introduce just anyone to you? He really is a good friend of mine, very capable, a standout figure in the business world. As soon as he heard you were here, he insisted I arrange for him to meet you, otherwise he wouldn't be able to rest easy."

Lin Beichen smiled slightly and did not comment. With Lan Zihua in tow, he walked straight toward the elevator. The fatty's status here was clearly not low; the lobby manager spotted him from afar and immediately led a small group over to greet him.

"Boss, what brings you here today for an inspection?" The lobby manager's face was wreathed in smiles.

The fatty only snorted coldly and pointed at Lin Beichen. "Are you blind? Didn't you see the gentleman next to me? He's my boss!"

The lobby manager was startled and looked at Lin Beichen, his whole body trembling. Lin Beichen let out a cold laugh and said to the fatty, "There's no need to overdo it like this. If you've got something to say, just say it straight—don't put on this kind of show."

Lin Beichen was straightforward by nature and despised such hollow, fake displays the most. The fatty nodded repeatedly and signaled for the lobby manager to withdraw.

He led Lin Beichen toward the elevator.

Those people were no fools; they could see the fatty was going all out to curry favor with Lin Beichen. With a look from the lobby manager, the underlings instantly understood and began clapping enthusiastically.

"A warm welcome to this distinguished gentleman for honoring us with his presence and guidance!"

Dozens of well-dressed men and women applauded Lin Beichen in unison. Anyone else would probably have been over the moon, feeling that this was the pinnacle moment of their life. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

However, Lin Beichen remained unmoved and instead furrowed his brows. "This fatty isn't as simple as he used to be. He's actually playing these little games behind the scenes—really displeasing." he thought to himself. But in consideration of his past relationship with the fatty, he didn't call it out directly. He decided to first see what kind of figure this boss the fatty wanted to introduce him to really was.

The group reached the thirty-sixth floor, and the fatty very deferentially ushered Lin Beichen out of the elevator. Just then, a bald-headed man strode out of his suite and instantly recognized Lin Beichen.

He hurried forward and enthusiastically extended his hand. "You must be Mr. Lin Beichen? I've heard so much about you—your reputation truly precedes you! To meet you in person is a great honor for me!" the bald man said with a broad, fawning smile.

Lin Beichen frowned slightly and shook his hand. He vaguely remembered having seen this man before, but for the moment couldn't recall exactly where.

"Mr. Lin, this way, please. Let's talk in detail in the room." The bald man invited politely, then led Lin Beichen into a luxurious presidential suite.

Lin Beichen looked around. The suite was elegantly furnished; the spacious reception room was equipped with all sorts of modern luxury amenities. What was even more surprising was that there was actually a golf practice area at the back of the suite. From this alone, it was clear the bald man was no ordinary character.

Lin Beichen and Lan Zihua sat down, while the fatty stood to the side, ill at ease, not daring to take a seat. Lin Beichen understood: the fatty felt his identity and status were nowhere near comparable to his, so he chose to stand respectfully.