Ye Yongsheng immediately clenched his jaw, his gaze icy as he said, "Chu, clean up your mouth!"
Chu Zhiqing looked disdainful, ready to continue mocking, but he inadvertently saw Cao and Tan sitting in the private room. For a moment, Chu Zhiqing seemed taken aback. How were his two umbrellas dining with his sworn enemy?
Ye Yongsheng feigned surprise and quickly closed the door. In reality, this was all part of his meticulous plan.
At noon, he had instructed his undercover agent, Xiao Wu, who was close to Chu Zhiqing, to report on Chu Zhiqing's movements. At 7 PM, Xiao Wu provided a crucial piece of information: Chu Zhiqing was headed to Honglou for dinner.
Upon learning this, Ye Yongsheng contemplated and contacted Cao and Tan. He tested and confirmed that Chu Zhiqing wasn't dining with these two bosses tonight. He then devised a plan to invite Cao and Tan to Honglou. On one hand, this would ensure they wouldn't interfere with his conflict with Chu Zhiqing. On the other hand, it was to let Chu Zhiqing see him dining with these two bosses, applying pressure but mainly aiming to sow discord.
For Cao and Tan, it didn't matter who the benefactor was, as long as they got the benefits. They were also concerned about safety, but since Chu Zhiqing had been investigated recently, the security aspect would likely need reevaluation. Perhaps the two bosses were already considering replacements. Otherwise, they wouldn't have agreed so readily.
With the right timing, place, and people, Ye Yongsheng seemed to have all the advantages. In this war without gunfire, his chances of winning were high.
After a moment of daze, Chu Zhiqing forced a smile, pretended not to have seen anything, and said to Ye Yongsheng, "Mr. Ye, I just returned to the country last night. I heard my son beat up your son? That little rascal is always causing trouble for me. I apologize to you here!"
Ye Yongsheng snorted, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "No need."
Chu Zhiqing took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and smiled, "Alright, I actually don't think it's necessary... People always say dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes to phoenixes. This old turtle can only produce little bastards. Don't you agree, Mr. Ye?"
Ye Yongsheng tightened his lips, struggling to suppress his anger.
Chu Zhiqing continued to provoke him, "Hey, Mr. Ye, I heard you got married quietly? Why didn't you inform me? I don't even know if I'm familiar with your esteemed wife?"
Ye Yongsheng's fists clenched involuntarily. His eyes suddenly filled with murderous intent, coldly saying, "Mr. Chu, if you're drunk, just go home. Don't stay out too late; it's dangerous at night!"
"You're threatening me?" Chu Zhiqing said disdainfully, "No, no... Look at you, you really want to kill me! Tsk, tsk…"
As he spoke, Chu Zhiqing suddenly pulled out a gun from Xiao Wu's waist!
In an instant, everyone in the room broke out in a cold sweat. Ye Yongsheng, however, wasn't afraid; he just found it bewildering—such impulsiveness wasn't Chu Zhiqing's style.
Could it be that he's drunk and seeing him with his two umbrellas, his emotions are out of control?
"Mr. Chu, this is Honglou! How can you pull out a gun? Put it away!" Someone advised Chu Zhiqing.
Chu Zhiqing seemed genuinely out of character. After staring at Ye Yongsheng for a while, he reversed the gun's grip and, astonishingly, handed it to Ye Yongsheng, then even leaned his head forward, taunting, "Come on, here's your chance, kill me!"
Ye Yongsheng instinctively tightened his grip on the gun. Considering that Honglou had no surveillance, he could shoot if he wanted.
However, the lack of surveillance at Honglou was due to the fact that shooting here would be equivalent to digging his own grave.
"What? Afraid?" Chu Zhiqing said mockingly, snatching the gun back but not handing it to Xiao Wu. Instead, he held it himself. "You couldn't seize the opportunity, so don't blame me. Hehe…"
With that, Chu Zhiqing swaggered out with his entourage.
Ye Yongsheng stood outside the private room, watching Chu Zhiqing enter the elevator. After adjusting his mood, he returned to the room.
Cao and Tan said nothing, but from the moment they saw Chu Zhiqing, they knew it was Ye Yongsheng's doing.
"Mr. Ye," General Cao took a sip of tea and said, "Why do I feel like you're staging a false attack to achieve your real goal?"
Ye Yongsheng glanced at the two jade Buddha statues placed aside, adopting a humble posture, and smiled, "I'm a businessman who values cooperation and win-win outcomes. The Buddha is my witness, haha."
Outside the restaurant, Chu Zhiqing, drunkenly bidding farewell to his two friends from dinner, staggered toward his Maybach with Xiao Wu's support.
"Chairman, give me the gun. You just released the safety; it might accidentally fire," Xiao Wu said.
Chu Zhiqing smiled lightly but did not hand over the gun, sighing, "Xiao Wu, how long have you been with me?"
Xiao Wu was puzzled and didn't understand why the chairman suddenly asked this. "About six years, right? Yes, just two or three months short of six years."
"Hmm… How has Chu Zhiqing treated you?" Chu Zhiqing asked.
Xiao Wu suddenly felt an ominous premonition, swallowed hard, and replied, "The chairman has treated me well!"
Chu Zhiqing's smile grew wider, and he said mysteriously, "Ye Yongsheng is really bad, mixing with my two umbrellas, hehe... But I actually knew all along. Last year alone, Ye Yongsheng spent over 80 million on those two."
Xiao Wu was even more puzzled: What is the chairman getting at?
Chu Zhiqing continued, "I know Ye Yongsheng too well. If he knew I was at Honglou tonight, he would definitely follow me here. The next move would be to sow discord, hehe… But that's not important. What matters is, he stays at Honglou tonight."
Xiao Wu became increasingly confused, not understanding what Chu Zhiqing was trying to convey.
"Xiao Wu, I should thank you," Chu Zhiqing said, "If it weren't for you, that Ye Yongsheng wouldn't have known I was coming to Honglou tonight."
As he finished speaking, they arrived at the Maybach.
Xiao Wu suddenly trembled. Before he could react, the Maybach's door suddenly opened, and two bodyguards quickly pinned him to the ground.
Seeing his terrified expression, Chu Zhiqing sighed, "Xiao Wu, I'm different from Ye Yongsheng. He's cautious and ruthless. Once he discovers an undercover agent, he won't leave a second longer. But I'm the opposite. I knew you were an undercover agent from the second month you joined me. I kept you around for critical moments, hehe… That's it. Keep my secret, and I'll give your family some money."
Xiao Wu was taken to another car. Chu Zhiqing watched the Bentley in the distance, smiled, and left in the Maybach. About an hour later, Ye Yongsheng left the restaurant, pleased with himself, and walked toward his Bentley. Before getting in the car, he accidentally touched the hood and felt some warmth. He asked the driver, "Did you just drive out?"
The driver's gaze flickered, stammering, "I... uh... I took my girlfriend somewhere."
Ye Yongsheng patted him on the back of the neck and laughed, "What's there to hide? Afraid I'll dock your pay? Haha... Let's go home; we'll sleep well tonight!"
Whether it was Chu Zhiqing's backer or the Chu family's big house, all the necessary greetings had been made. Now, everything was ready, just waiting for the right moment. "I wonder if Chu Zhiqing will be able to sleep tonight? Hahaha... Tomorrow, we officially go to war with him!"
Ye Yongsheng's mind was already plotting how to devour Chu Zhiqing's group, control his resources, and even flatten the entire Chu family!
However, this grand blueprint was destined to remain a mere fantasy.
His sleep tonight was also bound to be restless.