Chapter 74: Resorting to Trickery

How ruthless!

There was no telling how many people he had harmed with this trick, or how many had died from it.

After all, by simply swapping the drug on the decanter for poison, he could take a life in complete silence.

Wu Long, still unaware that everyone was now on guard against him, beamed and said, "Alright, let's be patient and wait for the wine's flavor to open up before we drink! First, let's eat! Eat!"

Mu Lin loudly agreed. "That's right! Chairman Wu prepared such a fine feast for us, and yet we're not satisfied. Aren't we going a bit too far?"

As he spoke, he gave the lazy susan in the center of the table a hard spin, bringing a dish in front of himself and, at the same time, causing the wine in the decanter to slosh violently.

Wu Long was urging everyone at the table to eat and hadn't anticipated Mu Lin's move. The wine had already coated the entire inner surface of the decanter.

With all that shaking, the drug had surely dissolved into the wine.

Wu Long's expression was incredibly foul as he shot Mu Lin a vicious glare.

Mu Lin, however, wasn't the least bit flustered, giving Wu Long a look of pure innocence.

"Chairman Wu, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

Wu Long thought, 'This little punk. He got his way and is still playing dumb. Just you wait, I'll destroy you later!'

Qiao Canhua said, "Speaking of which, Yuelong Group has plenty of projects on its plate right now, doesn't it? The total value must be quite large. Why the fixation on South Side Plot 6? With an appetite like yours, I'd think developing a few other locations would yield similar profits."

This was clearly a case of feigning ignorance, but now that the question had been asked, Wu Long had no choice but to answer.

"Ah, Chairman Qiao, you are absolutely right," Wu Long said. "The truth is, all of Yuelong Group's construction teams are already working at full capacity on other projects. We don't have much manpower to spare at the moment."

Qiao Canhua replied, "So you want to swallow the Li Group whole and use their workers to build your towers?"

Wu Long waved his hand dismissively. "Now, now, my friend, no need to make it sound so unpleasant. This Li Group... does it really belong to the Li Clan? That's a matter for debate, wouldn't you say?"

"Most of the mid-level management positions at the Li Group are controlled by confidants of Lu Baichuan and his son, Lu Yi. Personnel, finance, even crucial departments like procurement—they're all in the hands of the Lu Family's people."

"You could call it the Lu Group, and you wouldn't be wrong," Wu Long said with a smile. "And the Lu Family, father and son, along with their confidants, are all in unanimous agreement that the Li Group should be sold to the Yuelong Group. The Li Family is the only one staunchly opposed. I think the Li Family is being too conservative. They should respect the will of the majority and allow the company to move toward a brighter future."

'The audacity... Have you no shame!?' Li Xue was so furious she almost shot to her feet to curse him, but a look from Mu Lin stopped her.

Li Xue took a moment to reflect. 'If I get angry now,' she realized, 'I'll be falling right into Wu Long's trap.'

It would legitimize his claim that the Li Family was holding back the Li Group's future and that the Lu Family was on the side of justice.

'The whole thing... just thinking about it was infuriating.'

'But I have to bear it.'

Hearing this sophistry, Qiao Canhua's eyes narrowed. He chuckled and said, "If we're going by that logic, then the Shengding Group doesn't belong to the Qiao Family either. It belongs to every Tom, Dick, and Harry..."

"If the Lu Family is so envious of the Li Group's success, they should just quit and start their own company. They can even poach the core team. Let's see if they can get it off the ground, shall we?"

"I guarantee they'll go bankrupt within a month and come crawling back to the Li Group, begging for scraps!"

Hearing a big shot like Qiao Canhua actually speak up for her, Li Xue's eyes sparkled.

"Chairman Qiao, that was brilliantly said!"

Qiao Canhua chuckled. "All those Toms, Dicks, and Harrys working for me have tried striking out on their own. They all came back in under three months, drowning in debt. Ever since, they've been more loyal than lapdogs. You couldn't chase them away with a stick."

"Since you've never experienced this, Chairman Wu, it just goes to show your company hasn't reached that stage of development yet."

This was tantamount to calling Wu Long inexperienced, amateurish, and a brute who only knew how to use force.

That was not the kind of thing you could just let slide.

Wu Long was livid. He slammed his hand on the table and yelled toward the door, "Bring in the good wine!"

"Good wine" was, in fact, a code phrase.

It was the equivalent of Xiang Yu smashing his cup at the Feast at Hong Gate—a signal to attack.

Upon hearing it, his bodyguards and thugs were supposed to rush in, surround everyone, and then it would be Wu Long's time to shine.

But when the door opened, a waiter walked in slowly, carrying a tray with two bottles of Maotai.

"Where are they?"

Wu Long blurted out, "Guo Lei, where are my men!"

Guo Lei pointed behind him, playing dumb. "Chairman Wu, look who I ran into!"

Wu Long looked and saw it was Zhuang Sheng.

He happened to be hosting his own guests at the hotel and had just stepped out. He'd bumped into Guo Lei, who mentioned Wu Long was here having a drink, so Zhuang Sheng thought he might as well come over and build some goodwill.

And so he had.

'Damn it, I didn't ask for this old fox! I need my thugs! My thugs! How am I supposed to strong-arm them without my thugs!?'

Zhuang Sheng beamed, cupping his hands in a traditional greeting. "Gentlemen, I hope you are all eating and drinking well! My greetings to you all!"

Zhuang Sheng's status in Anhua City was considerable. While he didn't have the absolute power that Wu Long wielded, nor the province-wide influence of someone like Lin Tian, who was a big name throughout Nanjiang Province, it was enough that Wu Long couldn't afford to underestimate him. As the saying goes, it's easier to face King Yama than to deal with his troublesome demons. If Zhuang Sheng decided to stir up trouble behind his back, life could get very difficult.

So, a certain level of courtesy was required.

In front of everyone, Wu Long couldn't very well ask about his thugs and bodyguards, could he? Besides, Li Xue's bodyguard was still standing outside the door. If things went south, he could rush in and take someone out in an instant.

"Here, add another place setting!"

As Zhuang Sheng took his seat and glanced around the table, he was surprised to see a man with a swollen face sitting opposite him. It was Qiao Canhua.

He was quite shocked.

He had assumed Qiao Canhua would have left long ago, but here he was, still at the table.

"Boss Qiao, I didn't expect to see you again. May I ask what happened to your face?"

Qiao Canhua replied, "An allergic reaction."

He didn't mention that Wu Long had ordered him beaten. Seeing Qiao Canhua play along, Wu Long's expression relaxed slightly.

"In that case, you must take care of yourself. The climate here in Anhua City is rather strange—the rain, wind, and sun all come and go in spells. It would be troublesome if you were to catch some other illness."

Qiao Canhua smiled faintly. "Thank you for your concern."

Zhuang Sheng glanced around, noticed that the glasses were still empty, and immediately reached for the decanter to pour a glass for Wu Long.

"Chairman Wu, you've taken good care of me over the years. Allow me to offer this toast as thanks for all your support!"

As the wine poured from the decanter into the glass, the expression on every person at the table was grim.

Wu Long's face was a mask of horror. 'If I drink this,' he thought, 'something terrible will happen.'

The others found their answer in Wu Long's terrified gaze. Mu Lin's deduction had been correct.

But Wu Long had been navigating the world for many years. He quickly composed himself and said:

"Zhuang Sheng, thank you! I appreciate the sentiment! But we're here to discuss business today. No drinking until we're finished!"

Zhuang Sheng thought, 'I've never heard of such a rule!' But Wu Long was the host, and this was Huangshang Huang. Here, every word he spoke was law.

He decided to humor him.

"Then, if I may be so bold, what is everyone discussing? I get the feeling it's a major event, something that could change the power dynamics of Anhua City."

Wu Long said, "It's not that dramatic. Just a few trivial matters."

Qiao Canhua said slowly, "In truth, I simply wish for the Yuelong Group to stop making trouble for the Li Group. To that end, I have proposed very generous terms, but so far, Chairman Wu has been unwilling to agree."

That one sentence laid out the situation perfectly. Zhuang Sheng's eyes darted. Being the wily old fox that he was, he could already guess how this would end.

For Wu Long, the Anhua City market was his one and only home turf. He would never allow a challenger to exist on it.

Moreover, the Shengding Group had no roots in the city, which meant Qiao Canhua had very little leverage.

No matter what terms he offered, Wu Long could simply ignore them.

It would likely take a very long time for the two sides to reach an agreement.

'What a fucking idiot,' Zhuang Sheng thought, while saying to Qiao Canhua, "Chairman Qiao, please be patient. Chairman Wu is a very reasonable person. I'm sure if you both just open up to each other, he'll come to understand your difficulties."

Qiao Canhua smiled. "I hope you're right! I'm trying to have a slow and steady discussion with Chairman Wu right now. Zhuang Sheng, why don't you help me persuade him?"

Zhuang Sheng put on a troubled expression. "Me? I'm just a small fry. How could I have that kind of influence? Besides, I still rely on Chairman Wu's favor to make a living! If I say something that displeases him, I'll be in for a world of hurt!"