"Was this thirty million dollars planned in advance?" Li Hao and Zhao Gao slapped Chen Zheng on the shoulder, almost bursting out laughing.
"Ahem… ahem… It was a pure accident! Thank God the money arrived. Otherwise, how could the few million I had left have been enough?"
That simple sentence landed like a ten-thousand-fold critical hit on everyone else. Huang Dazhi, in particular, clutched his heart, feeling his world crumble. He had spent half his life groveling before Boss Zhang, working like a dog just to earn enough to buy a BMW. Yet here was someone claiming a few million in savings was nowhere near enough.
For the love of God, could this guy be any more obnoxious?
Beside him, Wei Xuerou couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. Chen Zheng's wry humor was just like it had been in high school.
"So, what do you think, Boss Zhang? Is the house I bought decent enough? Why don't you appraise it for me? How much do you think it'll be worth in five years?" Chen Zheng glanced at Zhang Wei, handing him the phone.
Zhang Wei's expression soured, but he managed to suppress his emotions and force a strained smile. "You jest, young man. This is a top-tier property in the Garden Villas. Who am I, a mere manager at Dahong Real Estate, to make wild guesses…"
"Ah, then forget it! If it's only going to appreciate by a few million, it's not that significant. At worst, I'll just keep it to raise turtles!"
This statement nearly made Zhang Wei choke on his rage.
A luxury mansion worth over a hundred million, and this kid wants to use it to raise turtles? My life feels so worthless in comparison.
"Um, I just remembered I have something to do at home, so I'll be leaving first!"
"I also have some matters to attend to. I won't keep you company!"
The others around the table felt their lips twitch, unable to stand this blatant humblebragging any longer. There was no helping it. The so-called class reunion was just an arena for everyone to show off their achievements. But who would have thought an ultimate braggart would show up? His casual flexing was like a slap in the face, leaving them humiliated.
How were they supposed to compete with that?
In just two minutes, only six people remained in the private room: Chen Zheng, Zhao Gao, Li Hao, Wei Xuerou, Zhang Wei, and Huang Dazhi.
"Alright, CEO Wei, now that most people are gone, it's time to talk business," Zhang Wei said, his eyes narrowing.
"Boss Zhang, we should discuss this at the company," Wei Xuerou replied.
"CEO Wei, you should know how I operate. If I don't agree, your Smart Cloud won't get that project." Zhang Wei's smile vanished, his tone becoming aggressive. The frustration that had been simmering inside him finally boiled over.
"Heh, you're truly a disgusting person," Wei Xuerou huffed coldly.
"Oh? I don't care. You have one choice: agree to my request, and Dahong Real Estate will make concessions. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Seeing this, Chen Zheng immediately frowned. "Xuerou, what's going on?"
Before Wei Xuerou could answer, Zhang Wei cut in. "Chen Zheng, this is none of your business. You should leave now. You may have a lot of money, but money isn't everything. It can't solve all problems."
In truth, his anger had been entirely stoked by Chen Zheng. He had originally planned to just show off in front of a bunch of kids and put a little pressure on Wei Xuerou. He never expected a wildcard like Chen Zheng to appear and completely derail his plans.
Chen Zheng raised an eyebrow, ignoring Zhang Wei and looking directly at Wei Xuerou. "Xuerou, what happened?"
He could clearly sense Zhang Wei's malicious intent.
"It's just a business issue, nothing major." Wei Xuerou hesitated for a moment before explaining the situation.
The matter was simple. Dahong Real Estate owned a plot of land in the city where, according to a new official directive, an airport was to be built. Smart Cloud, for its part, had spent a considerable sum to acquire the development rights for that land from Dahong Real Estate. Everything had been proceeding smoothly until she discovered that the person in charge of the project was Zhang Wei. When Wei Xuerou tried to get the final contract signed, Zhang Wei kept being evasive. They had met several times with no result.
"He wants to sleep with me," Wei Xuerou said softly.
"In his dreams!" Chen Zheng's expression instantly turned ice-cold. Leaving aside the soft spot he had for Wei Xuerou, he wouldn't stand by and watch even if this were happening to any other classmate.
"Haha! Chen Zheng, don't look at me like that. In business, you always have to pay a price," Zhang Wei said coolly. "Besides, there are some things you shouldn't get involved in. Don't go looking for trouble."
"Don't worry, Chen Zheng, he wouldn't dare do anything to me. Besides, the company is sending someone else to take over, so I won't be responsible for it anymore," Wei Xuerou said, trying to reassure him. "Let's go."
She glanced at Chen Zheng, a flicker of warmth in her heart. However, she knew he was a married man; their relationship could never be more than that of classmates. As for the development project, she had already decided to give it up.
"Alright." Chen Zheng nodded, shot Zhang Wei a cold glare, and turned to leave.
"Thinking of leaving?" At that moment, Zhang Wei sneered and yanked the door open. Four burly men stepped inside.
"Zhang Wei, what do you think you're doing?" Chen Zheng's expression changed.
"I told you, this is not your business. One last piece of advice: leave now," Zhang Wei said icily. "You're young and have a bit of money, but don't let a moment of recklessness cost you your life."
As he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the four thugs began to surround Chen Zheng's group.
"Huang Dazhi, you're a real bastard! Using a class reunion as a front to target one of our own!" Li Hao and Zhao Gao roared in anger, grabbing chairs and preparing for a fight. "Wei Xuerou is our classmate!"
"Haha, classmates?" Huang Dazhi scoffed. "In the face of pure self-interest, what are classmates worth?"
This was supposed to have been his stage, but Chen Zheng's arrival had thoroughly humiliated him. He was filled with pent-up frustration. Now, he was actually eager to see Chen Zheng try to be a hero, only to end up running away in disgrace.
It's a reunion, after all! What's the fun if there's no brawl?
"Good! A very good 'pure self-interest'!" Chen Zheng's expression turned utterly cold. "Huang Dazhi, you've really shown me your true colors."
"Well, thank you for that," Huang Dazhi sneered.
"Do it. Cripple those punks!" Zhang Wei waved his hand with a cold laugh. "As for the woman, tie her up!"
At his command, the four thugs surged forward.
"Zhang Wei, did you really think I came unprepared?" Wei Xuerou lifted her chin, quickly sending a text message from her phone.
"Haha! Since I decided to make a move, do you really think I didn't make preparations beforehand?" Zhang Wei retorted. "Your people have been tied up. They won't be coming."
As his words fell, a look of panic flashed across Wei Xuerou's face.