Chapter 399: Do You Dare to Come With Me?

Chapter 399: Chapter 399: Do You Dare to Come With Me?

Back at the hotel, the group didn’t go straight to bed. Instead, they gathered in Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian’s room to eat fruit.

The fruit, a complimentary gift from the front desk, was an abundant and varied selection. Someone had clearly made special arrangements for them.

"If it weren’t for the commotion you caused in Qiantang, Dai Xingfeng wouldn’t be treating you with such courtesy!" Once they were in the room, Luo Yuqing cut straight to the chase, looking at Wang Chenning with a grin. "And if it weren’t for Xiao’an and Xiaofei, as well as Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian, you wouldn’t be getting this kind of treatment either."

"That’s a lot of hypotheticals!" Wang Chenning replied with a laugh. "In the adult world, self-interest is king. People will always try to do things that are to their advantage, or at least things they think are to their advantage."

"Well said. Everything in this world is driven by self-interest!" Luo Yuqing plopped down on the sofa. "Those people who messed with you tonight are definitely screwed. And a decision will be made on how to deal with them quickly—the goal being to keep you happy."

Wang Chenning sat down next to Luo Yuqing, then looked with a grin at Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian, who had been very low-key all evening. "Felt like you two were just watching a play, didn’t it?"

"If you ask me, it felt exactly like a deliberately staged play!" Li Fuzhen replied, sitting down on another sofa with a broad smile. "I may not be very familiar with the way things are in Huaxia, but I feel like that sort of incident shouldn’t happen in a place like the one we went to tonight."

Li Fuzhen’s words stunned the others.

After an incident like that, conspiracy theories were bound to come to mind, but none of them—not Wang Chenning, not Zhao Xiao’an, not even Yang Xiaofei—had considered it from that angle.

Li Fuzhen’s theory did make a lot of sense.

"If someone really did set this up on purpose, then what’s their goal?" Zhao Xiao’an asked Luo Yuqing.

"There could be many motives," Luo Yuqing said, counting on her fingers. "For one, they might want to build a connection with you to get your investment or leverage your network. Never underestimate your connections—even Dai Xingfeng might not compare. Two, they might be trying to screw with Dai Xingfeng or someone else. Three, it could be a warning to let you know they can find you no matter where you go. And finally, it’s not impossible that it’s just some of you in this room scheming against each other."

"Older people really do have more complicated minds," Zhao Xiao’an said, looking at Luo Yuqing with a calm expression. "We’re not as experienced, so we wouldn’t think of things like that."

Luo Yuqing was instantly furious. "Zhao Xiao’an, who are you calling old?"

"Auntie, that’s not what I meant!" Zhao Xiao’an quickly waved her hands. "How would I dare say you’re older than us? When you’re with us, everyone must think we’re the same age. Same for Ms. Li Fuzhen—neither of you looks your age. I just meant that you’ve experienced more, so of course your thinking is more complex than ours when something happens. That’s why we need to listen to your opinions!"

Of course, Luo Yuqing knew that Zhao Xiao’an was displeased with her for showing up in Gusu to butt in, which was why her niece’s words were laced with barbs. She wanted to fire back, but for the sake of the happiness she hoped to enjoy that night, she decided not to argue with Zhao Xiao’an.

Wang Chenning looked at Zhao Xiao’an, then at Luo Yuqing, and ultimately decided not to say anything that would add fuel to the fire.

Before they returned to the hotel, he had thought the incident that evening was a mere accident.

But after hearing what Li Fuzhen and Luo Yuqing said, he started to feel there really was something strange about it.

’In the bustling old town of Gusu, things were supposed to be peaceful. Thugs like that—the dregs of society—should have been wiped out long ago. Even if a few petty hooligans were still around, they shouldn’t be brazenly harassing women in public.’

"Forget it. I’m done thinking about it," he said, shaking his head, unwilling to guess any further. "If someone really is pulling strings, let’s just see what other tricks they have up their sleeve over the next two days."

After a bit more conversation, Luo Yuqing asked Wang Chenning, "What’s the plan for tomorrow?"

Wang Chenning thought for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to Huqiu. If there’s time, we’ll visit Hanshan Temple in the afternoon. As for the evening... I suppose we’ll attend Dai Xingfeng’s banquet. We have to give him some face, after all."

Luo Yuqing asked again, "Are you still planning to go around throwing wads of cash into investments?"

"Well, you’re here now, aren’t you?" Wang Chenning said with a grin. "If you’re interested in investing here, then I’ll chip in a bit. After all, Gusu’s industrial parks are pretty good. The investment climate is probably no worse than in its provincial capital, Jinling. Each of the Thirteen Prefectures of Jiangdong has its own personality. A lot of people joke that Jinling is the capital of Hui Province. And besides, isn’t Gusu’s GDP higher than Jinling’s?"

"Gusu is certainly impressive," Luo Yuqing said after a moment’s thought. Then she asked, "The main thing you have to offer right now is pharmaceutical investments. You already made a huge investment in Qiantang, so you shouldn’t be investing in that sector again here in Gusu. Even if you wanted to, Wang Jiangxing would doubt your financial strength and integrity, and Dai Xingfeng would be suspicious as well."

Wang Chenning said with a grin, "Are you saying that this time, Dai Xingfeng isn’t trying to get something out of me, but out of you ladies?"

"Forget it, let’s not discuss this!" Luo Yuqing promptly changed the subject. "We’ll talk about it tomorrow! It’s getting late, everyone should go get some rest."

Then she turned to Yang Xiaofei. "When are you heading back to Yandu?"

"I was originally planning to go back to Yandu tomorrow afternoon, but it looks like I’ll have to postpone," Yang Xiaofei said, glancing at Wang Chenning before answering Luo Yuqing. "If I leave Gusu tomorrow, it will definitely give Dai Xingfeng the wrong idea. Besides, the Yang family has quite a few investments in Gusu, so I’ll just stay one more day."

Luo Yuqing looked at Wang Chenning with a grin. "I think you should have a private chat with Yang Xiaofei and Li Fuzhen tonight, and then touch base with me. That way, you’ll be able to face Dai Xingfeng with a clear plan tomorrow. After all, everyone was deferring to you today."

"Alright!" Wang Chenning agreed at once. "I’ll go talk with our President Yang first, and then I’ll have a chat with the two Miss Lis."

Although the women found this a little strange, none of them said anything.

Zhao Xiao’an planned to have a private talk with Luo Yuqing. If the aunt and niece didn’t have a good chat, more conflict was sure to arise between them.

Wang Chenning followed Yang Xiaofei to her room.

"Give me a massage!" Yang Xiaofei ordered Wang Chenning, pouting. "Hmph, you’re obviously picking on me!"

"Who’s picking on you?" Wang Chenning walked over to Yang Xiaofei and naturally wrapped his arm around her waist. "You could have gone to sleep early, you know. Wouldn’t that have been for the best?"

"Whatever, I won’t hold it against you!" Yang Xiaofei tilted her head and looked at Wang Chenning. "Who are you planning to sleep with tonight?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Wang Chenning reached out and gently tapped Yang Xiaofei on the head. "I’m sleeping alone, of course!"

"Do you dare come and stay with me?" Yang Xiaofei gave Wang Chenning a provocative look. "If you still dare to come looking for me after you’re... finished with your business, then I’ll give you the Lingyang Group!"