Chapter 409: This Is a Setup

Chapter 409: Chapter 409: This Is a Setup

After the bout of sparring at the banquet, Dai Xingfeng and the people around him no longer dared to look down on Wang Chenning, Luo Yuqing, Yang Xiaofei, and Zhao Xiao’an.

The resourcefulness and maturity these young people displayed was far beyond their imagination.

’They’re all absolute monsters!’

This was especially true for Dai Xingfeng. He previously had trouble understanding why Wang Jiangxing had hosted Wang Chenning’s group for several consecutive days. He found it even harder to understand why Li Baoguo and Zhao Jiefang held Wang Chenning in such high regard. But today, after witnessing a cunning in Wang Chenning that was in no way inferior to that of old foxes like themselves, his confusion vanished.

He was certain that Wang Chenning was destined for a meteoric rise.

After the banquet, Dai Xingfeng had another discussion with Wang Chenning, Luo Yuqing, and the others.

The two parties continued their in-depth discussion on the investment matters brought up during dinner, eventually reaching a preliminary agreement to cooperate.

"Miss Luo, Miss Yang, Mr. Wang, would it be possible to issue an official statement regarding the agreement we just reached?" Dai Xingfeng asked Luo Yuqing, Yang Xiaofei, and Wang Chenning with a smile as the meeting concluded. "If so, I can have our official social media channel draft a notice for you to review before we publish it!"

"Of course!" Luo Yuqing and Yang Xiaofei glanced at Wang Chenning, who immediately answered for the three of them. "I’ll be posting something shortly as well. After receiving such a grand reception from Mr. Dai, the least we can do is help promote Gusu!"

"Thank you so much!" Dai Xingfeng said, thanking Wang Chenning and the others.

Seeing that it was getting late, Luo Yuqing said she was quite tired and was ready to head back to rest.

Wang Chenning brought up the rear, making small talk with Dai Xingfeng as they walked.

"You two carry on!" Luo Yuqing said with a smile, waving goodbye to Dai Xingfeng. She then told Wang Chenning that the women would wait for him in the car.

However, once Luo Yuqing and the other women were in the car, she didn’t wait for Wang Chenning. Instead, she told the driver to head directly back to the hotel.

Only Li Yanxian was confused. "Aren’t we waiting for Wang Chenning?"

"I’m sure someone will give him a ride back later," Yang Xiaofei replied in Luo Yuqing’s place.

Li Yanxian seemed to understand and didn’t press the matter.

After the women left, Wang Chenning continued to chat with Dai Xingfeng. The others present seemed to take the hint and also excused themselves, leaving the two of them alone.

"Thank you again for your warm hospitality, Mr. Dai." After a bit more small talk, Wang Chenning prepared to leave. As he shook Dai Xingfeng’s hand goodbye, he slipped a USB drive into the man’s palm. "A small gift in return. I hope you’ll find it useful."

Dai Xingfeng’s heart sank as he took the USB drive. He knew what was on it without even looking.

It was a terrible feeling, being coerced, but Dai Xingfeng knew there were some things he simply had to do.

’Perhaps it wasn’t Wang Chenning and Luo Yuqing who wanted him to do this; they were merely messengers, conveying someone else’s will.’

’Therefore, he had no choice but to do it!’

Dai Xingfeng ordered his own driver to take Wang Chenning back to his hotel.

After the driver had seen Wang Chenning off, Dai Xingfeng immediately summoned several of his confidants, telling them he had something important to discuss.

Dai Xingfeng’s subordinates knew he must have further instructions, so none of them had left.

Hearing Dai Xingfeng’s words, they grew tense and began to prepare.

However, their preparations were focused on the investment project they had just discussed, not on the deeper conflict at play.

Dai Xingfeng had his secretary prepare a laptop. Once it was ready, he dismissed her.

He plugged the USB drive from Wang Chenning into the laptop and, with a heavy heart, opened its contents.

His eyes narrowed after he browsed through a few of the files.

By the time he was halfway through the material, a sense of dread had taken hold.

He couldn’t believe that Wang Chenning and his people had managed to gather such detailed information.

The USB drive contained a dossier of incriminating evidence on Miao Jianhang. If this information were submitted to the higher-ups, Miao Jianhang would definitely be finished.

Dai Xingfeng hesitated for only a few seconds before making his decision.

Since this hot potato had been dropped in his lap, he had no choice but to be the one to break the deadlock.

After reviewing the files one more time, he took out his phone and made a call.

Then he instructed his secretary to have the USB drive delivered to Jinling overnight.

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As Dai Xingfeng made his heavy-hearted decision, an old man and a middle-aged man were sitting together drinking tea and chatting in a quaint, traditional courtyard home in Yandu.

"Dad, why did you personally arrange this whole setup?" the middle-aged man asked the old man, clearly confused. "Is a young man like him really worth so much of your attention, to the point that you’d personally orchestrate all this?"

"He’s no ordinary young man," the old man chuckled. "He’s a prodigy! Just look at the waves he made in Qiantang. He used Wang Jiangxing to effortlessly break out of a tough spot and became the man of the hour. Who among his peers do you think can compare to him? Bai Qianxun is decent, but lacks his cunning, methods, and boldness. As for the rest, they’re not even in the same league."

"He is quite impressive," the middle-aged man sighed. "But with such an outstanding performance, the number of women who admire him will only grow, as will the number of people who want to plot against him."

"Are you worried about your daughter?" The old man was still smiling. "There’s no need to be overly concerned. Even if your daughter gets hurt, it will only be a little heartache. Nothing she can’t recover from. That boy seems quite experienced at handling these kinds of situations. And don’t worry about more people plotting against him. That’s how we’ll find out what he’s really made of. If others can’t give him a hard time, we can always set up a few obstacles for him ourselves!"

The middle-aged man looked at his father, speechless. "Dad, you’ve never placed this much importance on anyone before."

"Exactly. We must win him over to our side. We can’t let the other families snatch him away," the old man cautioned, then asked, "This play I had them set up in Gusu... what do you think the final outcome will be?"

"Perhaps his actions will once again exceed our expectations and give us a pleasant surprise," the middle-aged man laughed. "You’ve always respected Dai Xingfeng’s capabilities. If he can outmaneuver and control even someone like Dai Xingfeng, and leave his own mark on Jiangdong, then I’ll be truly impressed too!"

The old man nodded, then added in a low voice, "When you have the chance, you and your wife should have another heart-to-heart with your daughter. Give her a heads-up. Marrying him might not lead to happiness, but roping him in with affection will definitely yield no shortage of benefits. When you’re born into a great family, you must learn to be pragmatic."

"I understand," the middle-aged man nodded. "I’ll find a way to get her to come home early. Once she’s out of the picture, we can sit back and watch them put on their show."