Although it was just a small detail, once Hao Jian heard it, he knew their sincerity. Naturally, he looked up to Baldy a bit more, realizing that Baldy paid attention to even such minor details. Instantly, his good impression of Baldy increased significantly.

He nodded, returned the gesture to this underling, and then the underling led Hao Jian inside. They walked through the lobby, went upstairs, and entered a private room. As soon as the door to the private room opened, there was Baldy sitting at the banquet with his underlings standing beside him.

As soon as Baldy saw Hao Jian come in, he stood up and walked over with a smile, saying, "Little brother, we meet again."

Hao Jian smiled, walked over, and shook hands with Baldy to show respect.

"Have a seat," Baldy said.

Hao Jian sat down, and Lin Dongyang followed suit, sitting beside Hao Jian. Ordinarily, aside from Hao Jian, any follower would stand like Baldy's underlings, but since Hao Jian had already told Lin Dongyang there was no need to stand if a seat was available, Lin Dongyang sat down unreservedly.

Hao Jian's logic was that since he brought Lin Dongyang out, he should expose him to the world, let him experience some things. If they came out only to act like common underlings, what was the point of all the effort?

Hao Jian looked at Baldy and was somewhat deep in thought. They were just street gangsters living off protection fees, yet this time, to thank him, they held a big feast to invite him to a restaurant to eat. Most strikingly, it was in such an expensive private room, and it seemed the dishes ordered were quite pricey. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

For these gangsters, having the next meal after this one was already great. Even if they were doing well, as long as their influence didn't expand, their lives were still quite miserable. But this time, to thank him, they spent such a large sum, making him feel extremely honored.

Since Baldy treated him with such respect, of course, he had to reciprocate with a bit more respect.

Baldy looked at Hao Jian, quickly poured a glass of wine, and then stood up, saying to Hao Jian, "Thanks to your intervention yesterday, who knows what would have happened otherwise. This glass of wine, I toast to you, you can drink at your leisure."

Hao Jian smiled. Saying "I drink, you drink at your leisure" might seem simple, but he naturally had to drink a glass too, otherwise, it would be disrespectful. He poured a glass of wine and drank it all in one go with Baldy.

At this moment, seeing that Hao Jian finished his glass, Baldy laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to be such a candid person."

Then Baldy said, "I am Yang Tienan. In the Jianghu, they call me Baldy, and the brothers like to call me Brother Guang. May I ask your name, little brother?"

"Hao Jian," Hao Jian replied with a smile, then pointed to Lin Dongyang, saying, "This is my brother, Lin Dongyang."

Lin Dongyang immediately performed a bow that Hao Jian had taught him to Baldy, who also returned a bow to Lin Dongyang.

At this moment, Baldy looked at Hao Jian with a smile, saying, "In that case, I'll take the liberty as an elder to call you Brother Hao. Last night, I truly owe you. Without you, I'd have been at a loss dealing with the Axe Gang. Moreover, you sent me to the hospital, which was quite a trouble, and I don't know what to say to express my gratitude."

Hao Jian laughed and said, "It's nothing, don't mention it. If Brother Guang keeps saying that, I might feel a bit unable to accept the compliment."

Baldy laughed and said, "No, Brother Hao, don't say that, otherwise it would be embarrassing for me. You assisted me greatly, and if I said that, it would seem I don't appreciate it."

Initially, Hao Jian thought Baldy was someone who acted more but spoke less. However, it seemed that Baldy also knew the ways of banquets, pulling people closer with a few words. In just a few sentences, he closed the distance, making them call each other brothers.

It seemed that people who don't often speak aren't incapable but are well-versed in knowing when to speak. When they do, it reveals their seasoned Jianghu nature. It made him suddenly feel that Baldy was somewhat underutilized and shouldn't just be a small-time gangster leader with a few underlings and some protection fees. With his strength and talent, he should aspire to be more, to be a leader of more people, lest his talent be wasted.

However, what Hao Jian didn't know was that Baldy's friendly demeanor was just to test him. Although he was grateful to Hao Jian, knowing that without Hao Jian's help, they really wouldn't know what might have happened or what consequences it might have led to.

Nonetheless, even so, he had to calmly think about it. To Hao Jian, he was merely a stranger. So why did Hao Jian immediately stand up for him when the incident happened last night, and even chased away Yellow Hair and others, sent him to the hospital when he fainted from blood loss, paid the medical bills, and arranged for him to stay in a VIP ward?

If he were just an ordinary stranger, why would Hao Jian, whom he hardly knew, treat him so well? If it were just wanting to spend money, this wouldn't be the way. It was unusually kind, which made him suspicious and puzzled.

Why would someone be so kind to a complete stranger? This kindness seemed sudden and somewhat excessive, inevitably making him suspicious. At the same time, it made him think, nobody does something without a reason; if they do it suddenly, they must have something to gain.

With this in mind, tonight's dinner was partly to sincerely thank Hao Jian for his rescue and partly to test what Hao Jian wanted after helping him so much.

In thinking of this, he smiled, raising his glass toward Hao Jian, saying, "Today is so joyful, let's drink without saying much, alright? Drink! Drink!"

Hao Jian too picked up his glass, smiling, and said, "Drink!"

Hao Jian and Baldy both stood up, and naturally, Lin Dongyang felt obliged to stand up as well. The three of them clinked glasses and downed a round of drinks.

At this moment, Hao Jian suddenly waved to Baldy's underlings, saying, "Brothers, come sit here, why are you standing? Let's drink together, no need to be so distant."

The underlings all looked at Baldy, and although Baldy hadn't expected Hao Jian to say this, he still waved them over. The private room was large; he only had about ten underlings, and a few got injured in last night's fight and were still in the hospital. Those present just numbered slightly over ten. They came over and joined the table, which could accommodate them.

After a few rounds of drinks, they sat down, and soon the remaining dishes were served, and everyone drank and ate together.

At this moment, Hao Jian looked at Baldy and suddenly asked, "Brother Guang, in my view, yesterday's group won't just let this go easily, will they? What are your plans?"

Baldy was eating and pondering when he heard Hao Jian's question. He paused, then replied, "We'll take it one step at a time; as you saw last night, their power far exceeds ours. If I brought my brothers against them head-on, it'd be like smashing an egg against a rock. It wouldn't be wise."

"However..." he paused and said, "the current society is full of opportunities. Everything shouldn't rely solely on brute force. To achieve great things, we still need to use our brains. Today, I may be bullied, but maybe tomorrow, I'll have the power to bully others. So we'll see how things develop; haste won't serve us well."

Hao Jian nodded and suggested they drink, and they both downed another drink. In truth, he was thinking something else altogether; he hadn't expected Baldy to be so insightful. From what Baldy said, Hao Jian could tell he wasn't ordinary, that he harbored ambitions and a vision "for the world."

In an instant, Hao Jian's impression of Baldy improved significantly. He saw Baldy as someone with potential; with enough resources, he could surely achieve great accomplishments, not just lead a small gang on a street corner.

But, in that moment, though he thought this, there were things he wouldn't say aloud. Having been in the Jianghu for so long, seeing Baldy today allowed Hao Jian to infer some things. He wasn't a fool and naturally knew Baldy's actions had a bit of probing intent.

So, he couldn't be too obvious about it, or it would seem like he was exploiting Baldy. Even though that was his intent—to use Baldy's connections—adult games are like that, where the intent isn't disclosed even if it's there.

For the rest of the dinner, Hao Jian only chatted with Baldy about this and that, never again mentioning last night or asking for help, nor talking about power or the Axe Gang.

Baldy tried to get Hao Jian to talk a few times, but Hao Jian deftly shifted the conversation with more engaging topics. Baldy then turned his attention to Lin Dongyang, but since Hao Jian had prepped him, Lin Dongyang didn't reveal any intent.

After several more rounds of drinks, having almost finished eating, Hao Jian exchanged a glance with Lin Dongyang, and they prepared to leave.