As for... Uncle Nine...

Lin Chu was weighing his options. ’Should I use up a precious favor for this? Even if it’s outside my principles, he could at least point me in the right direction.’

But it hadn’t come to that yet. He decided to wait for Li Ziming’s feedback from tonight’s dinner.

...

After leaving Lin Chu’s office, Li Ziming went straight to find Ma Lin.

Ma Lin had just finished talking with Yang Huixian and was in the showroom assigning tasks to two designers.

"President Ma, there’s something I need to discuss with you."

Li Ziming said, his smile brilliant.

Ma Lin glanced at him, a little surprised. ’What’s going on? Have pigs started to fly?’

’This old bastard, smiling like that... he’s definitely up to no good.’

But rank is rank. He followed Li Ziming a few steps away to talk privately.

"A client from Capital City is coming tonight. He’s a big shot. President Lin wants you and me to host him together. His name is Lan Yuzheng."

Li Ziming didn’t bother setting any verbal traps, getting straight to the point.

He was sure Ma Lin knew the name.

Hearing this, Ma Lin shot him a look, licked his lips, and let out a derisive laugh.

’Now you remember me?’

"Your little scheme?"

Ma Lin suddenly asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

Back when Li Ziming was Zhou Ming’s right-hand man, Ma Lin would never have dared to use such a provocative tone.

But now... there was a new boss in charge, and that boss didn’t fully trust his number two. In Ma Lin’s eyes, Li Ziming’s authority had been significantly diminished.

In fact, he now felt that the new department he’d taken over was one of the focal points for the club’s future development.

After all, President Lin had even moved his own woman over, a clear injection of resources.

When Li Ziming heard that, his expression darkened. He stared intently at Ma Lin in silence.

It was a form of silent pressure.

It was one of his favorite tactics.

Because there was no good way to respond to a question like that. Admitting it was impossible, but a denial would be a sign of weakness.

Ma Lin was just testing the waters. Seeing Li Ziming’s stony expression, he just kept smiling. "All right, all right, just a joke. Don’t take it to heart, President Li."

"How about this: why don’t we pull someone else in? From what I can tell, the new Vice President Liu can hold his liquor. Plus, he used to work in Capital City—that accent of his is pretty authentic. What do you think?"

There was no refusing a task like this, not when the big boss was watching.

But... there were always ways to handle things. He wanted to drag Liu Junfeng into this.

After all, Liu was President Lin’s real right-hand man.

He had met and spoken with Liu Junfeng a few times over the past couple of days. He could tell the man was a seasoned veteran, as cunning as they come.

If something went wrong, well, one more person to share the blame would make things easier for everyone.

An idea sparked in Li Ziming’s mind.

"Fine. You call him, and I’ll run it by President Lin." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He agreed to the suggestion in an instant.

The two men went their separate ways, one to contact Liu Junfeng, the other to contact Lin Chu.

When Lin Chu got the call, he considered it for a moment, then agreed.

He knew what they were thinking. ’Right now, dealing with the outsider is the priority. I can sort out the internal politics later.’

Liu Junfeng sent a message asking about the situation. Lin Chu gave him a quick rundown and then said, "Go forth. We hereby appoint you Left Vanguard, Imperial Envoy, and Jinyi Guard, all in one."

Liu Junfeng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He chuckled and agreed.

’Son of a bitch!’

’Trying to shake us down?’

’I just made Vice President, and I’m feeling damn good about it. Now some bastard shows up trying to ruin things? You’re dead, you son of a bitch!’

...

A little after five in the afternoon, an Audi A8 with a Capital A license plate pulled into the LC Golf Club.

Inside, Lan Yuzheng wore a pair of sunglasses, a white polo shirt, and a pair of flashy pink pants. He had a slight potbelly and a receding hairline, but he exuded an air of wealth.

Li Ziming knew the moment the car entered the grounds. He notified security to escort it to the exclusive VIP parking spot.

When the car stopped, Lan Yuzheng got out. His eyes swept over the welcoming party, and though he didn’t see the young boss he was expecting, a smile still spread across his face. He politely shook hands with the three men.

"President Li, it’s been two years! How have things been?"

He asked with a hearty, friendly laugh that still carried a condescending tone.

Li Ziming replied casually, "It hasn’t been easy. We’ve been operating at a loss for three years. But now that the new boss has taken over, things are bound to look up."

"Exactly. That’s what I was thinking, which is why I wanted to pay a visit. I heard your club is planning to get rid of its low-end members to focus on a more exclusive clientele. It occurred to me that if you want to go high-end, you’ll have to upgrade your facilities, right? And as you know, in this particular field, my company’s capabilities and reputation are second to none."

Lan Yuzheng seamlessly steered the conversation toward business.

They hadn’t even left the parking lot.

"And where did you hear that?"

"I’m not saying we can’t work together. We can. I’m just curious... who’s the blabbermouth?"

Just then, Liu Junfeng cut in. His expression was placid and unsmiling, a complete departure from his usual demeanor.

They had just been introduced, so Lan Yuzheng knew this was the new Vice President Liu. He immediately guessed this must be the new boss’s right-hand man.

Showing a measure of respect, he smiled and replied, "I have my sources, of course. Besides, it’s not exactly a secret, is it? The news has already made the rounds at all the clubs in Peng City. Everyone is praising President Lin’s decisiveness."

Liu Junfeng stared at him for a few seconds, then let out a soft huff but said nothing more.