Hai Mingzhu was surprised to see Shen Yue, who in her view, was a calm person. People who maintained their composure seldom acted on impulse, so what surprised her the most was seeing Shen Yue daring to stir up trouble.
Shen Yue and Jin Xin were supposed to bid for Giant Industries, so how could they still proceed if they had offended the third son and his mother from the Li Clan?
"President Jin, please advise Advisor Shen." Hai Mingzhu couldn't resist tugging Jin Xin's sleeve.
Jin Xin stood by like a spectator. "I won't advise him. He's actually advising me."
"What?" Hai Mingzhu asked in confusion.
"He stepped forward to prevent me from getting physical," Jin Xin explained calmly. "If I were the one confronting them, I wouldn't be dealing with it simply by reasoning. I'd make Li Jizu look foolish."
"Ah." Hai Mingzhu was dumbfounded, wondering whether they were still serious about their business proposal.
Meanwhile, Shen Yue's logical argument had already left Li Jizu and his mother fuming. But the woman, covered in heavy makeup, seemed more experienced. She scoffed and said, "I won't waste my time arguing with a rogue like you. Old Wu!"
Old Wu, the driver of the Bentley, instantly stood before her. "Madam, what can I help with?"
"Who is in charge of this area?"
"It should be Chief Zhao," Old Wu remembered well.
The woman, still in heavy makeup, issued her directive. "Tell him to arrive here within 15 minutes." Old Wu promptly acknowledged her. The woman glared at Shen Yue and challenged, "If you're daring enough, just stay here and wait for Chief Zhao."
Once again, Hai Mingzhu tugged at Jin Xin's sleeve. Regardless, Jin Xin acted as though nothing had happened, taking out his phone casually. Instead, her confusion towards Shen Yue and Jin Xin's relationship deepened.
Upon hearing that Chief Zhao was arriving, Shen Yue remained cool. He just smiled and said, "Could you hurry up? We still have business to discuss with Giant Industries."
Li Jizu and the woman were taken aback at first, but then both of them burst into laughter. Li Jizu laughed uproariously, pointing at Shen Yue. "You want to do business with Giant Industries? Did you not just understand who I am?"
The bodyguard added timely, "This is the third son of Giant Industries. You offended him and still want to do business with Giant Industries? Are you dreaming?"
Shen Yue's expression remained unchanged. "That's not what I've heard."
The woman was the first to stop laughing. She found Shen Yue's calmness rather unsettling.
"The real authorities in the Li Family are Li Jiye and Li Jixian," Shen Yue spoke casually. "The so-called third son basically holds no actual power. He was even sent to study abroad in North America two years ago. And of course, it wasn't because he was studious, but rather because he got into some legal troubles."
Li Jizu stopped laughing too. He exchanged glances with the woman, surprised how Shen Yue had gotten to know them so well.
Shen Yue cast a fleeting glance at Li Jizu's Lamborghini. "This car has been modified, hasn't it? Lights, chassis, engine... Ah, and the exhaust too. With so many modifications, why don't you just build your own car since you're so capable?"
Li Jizu was stunned, not expecting Shen Yue to say something like that out of the blue.
Hai Mingzhu couldn't help but want to laugh, finding that Shen Yue could be quite humorous at times.
"You do know that these modifications are illegal, right?" Shen Yue continued.
Li Jizu asserted arrogantly. "I thought you might bring up something remarkable to scare me. So what if I've modified this car? You're not a traffic cop, are you? Even if you are, what can you do to me? A few thousand dollars in fines? I can afford that." He knew the consequences of modifying a car – fines and penalty points.
"Yes, you're certainly not short of money." Disgust finally appeared in Shen Yue's eyes. "But your car, with its illegal modifications, has already had its license revoked. You've been driving with a fake license plate ever since, and haven't been seized only because you have connections, right?"
Li Jizu was taken aback, not knowing how Shen Yue found that out. The woman finally started to show signs of panic.
Hai Mingzhu noticed a subtly pleased smile on Jin Xin's face while he was scrolling through his phone.
Shen Yue stared at Li Jizu and casually touched his ear. "There's nothing remarkable about a modified car. Fines can't get to wealthy young masters like you. But driving without a license, using a fake plate, and causing a disability from racing in the middle of the night, then settling the matter just by paying some money... What do you think will happen if this story goes online? Will it cause a sensation?"
As the night deepened, the daytime restlessness of the city finally began to dissipate. Li Jizu's forehead was beaded with sweat, realizing that Shen Yue was referring to a hit-and-run accident he had escaped from in the past. His mother had managed to settle it with money and he didn't know how Shen Yue uncovered it. The woman, realizing that Shen Yue was no ordinary citizen, was unsure of how to react.
"Times are changing and the power of the internet is infinite. Matters can't be suppressed just by wishing them to disappear. When the time comes, not to mention Chief Zhao, even the head of the bureau or the department head might struggle to contain the situation. Madam Qian, don't you agree?" Shen Yue suddenly turned to her.
The woman was momentarily stunned as Shen Yue revealed her surname, which made her increasingly aware that Shen Yue knew everything about them. However, she knew nothing about him.
From ancient times, it was said that ordinary people should not fight against officials or the rich. The gap between them is not a simple numerical difference. Madame Qian had always had her way with the protection of her wealth and her network of connections in officialdom when raising her son's status. She never expected to encounter a tough customer this time. Shen Yue's words struck a nerve in her, causing some unrest in her heart.
Suddenly, sirens wailed, and a police vehicle arrived quickly clearing traffic. Seeing the nearby pedestrians clustering around, the police vehicle stopped by the roadside without blocking traffic. A police officer hurriedly got off the vehicle and almost ran towards them.
"He might be Chief Zhao, right? He seems committed to his duties," Shen Yue said with a smile. "I'm curious to see how he's going to handle this."
Chief Zhao, with his balding forehead, was wiping his sweat while greeting the woman enthusiastically. "Madam Qian, what is the matter?"
Madam Qian glanced at Chief Zhao and then at Shen Yue, before lightly saying, "It's nothing serious. We haven't seen each other for some time, Chief Zhao. How about we meet up some day for a cup of tea?"
Chief Zhao was a bit baffled and couldn't figure out what was going on. Since she had spoken, he immediately changed his tune. "No problem, I am executing a task now. I came here thinking there might be some unlawful disruptions taking place." He sensed that something was amiss and awaited Madam Qian's next move. However, Madam Qian simply waived her left hand, which was adorned with an extravagant diamond ring, as if to bid farewell, subtly flaunting her ring at the same time. Seeing this, Chief Zhao responded, "Alright then, I'll take my leave now."
She watched Chief Zhao leave, then abruptly yanked Li Jizu. "Let's go!"
"Mom!" Li Jizu was still a little unwilling but did not dare to go against his mother. When they made it into the Giant Building and no longer had to see Shen Yue, Li Jizu complained, "Mom, we can't just let this go. Didn't you hear him insulting you as well?"
"Of course we can't just let it go," Madam Qian's slender eyebrows almost stood up. "Didn't you hear them say that they are here to talk business with Giant Industries? I'll let them gloat for now, but once their business proposal doesn't go through, they'll realize the consequences of clashing with us!"
Li Jizu understood her plan and tried to please her. "Mom, you care about me the most. I love you."
Madam Qian smiled smugly, then chided, "If you understand how much I've done for you, try to behave like a responsible adult and stop causing trouble for me. This is the best opportunity for you to make your mark."