"Fang Xu?" Chen Yang looked up and saw the person who had arrived, exclaiming in surprise.
Although Fang Xu knew Liu Zhengyi, Chu Xiaobai, and others, they weren't close, so Chen Yang hadn't invited Fang Xu along today. He was quite surprised to run into him at the Shangri-La Hotel.
"Fang Xu, hello!" Chu Xiaobai also stood up and greeted him with a smile.
Liu Zhengyi jokingly remarked,
"We bump into Young Master Fang just by having a casual meal out. Looks like our luck has been pretty good lately!"
Fang Xu, always forthright and easygoing, grinned at Liu Zhengyi's words,
"Nonsense! I just finished eating with some buddies here and was about to go out and find some fun! I didn't expect you guys to be here too! Little Bai's in Rongcheng, I have to toast you!"
He then called out loudly to those behind him,
"Hey guys, come in and have a drink! A friend of mine came all the way from Beijing."
Only then did Chen Yang and the others notice three or four people still standing in the hallway. Hearing Fang Xu's words, they entered the private room.
When Chen Yang saw one of the young men, wearing a blue Versace shirt and a large gemstone ring, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Hu Mingliang—this name was deeply etched in Chen Yang's memory from his previous life. His father, Hu Yuntian, worked in Rongcheng City for decades, rising from an ordinary street clerk to the mayor of Rongcheng. Later, due to age, he couldn't advance further and retired as a vice chairman of the provincial political consultative conference.
In his previous life, it was this same Hu Mingliang who almost plunged Fang Xu into an abyss of ruin. Because of Fang Hongda's connections, Fang Xu was always well-connected in the elite circles of Southeast Province. Hu Mingliang and his associates, knowing Fang Xu's temperament, frequently pandered to him and quickly became his friends.
However, the scheme they carried out using Fang Xu's identity yielded enormous illegal profits, while the unsuspecting Fang Xu received only two or three million yuan in so-called "dividends." Because of this small sum, when the truth came out, Fang Xu couldn't explain himself, and only the intervention of his grandfather resolved the matter.
Fang Xu was also strictly summoned back to Beijing by his family and confined for a year, not even allowed to leave the Fang family's ancestral home. Fang Hongda, because of this incident, was repeatedly attacked by his political enemies, almost jeopardizing his career. The Fang family paid a heavy price.
Now it seems history is repeating itself; Hu Mingliang appears to have gained Fang Xu's favor and is slowly pulling Fang Xu into their small circle.
This forces Chen Yang to take this very seriously. Fang Xu, unaware of the many thoughts flashing through Chen Yang's mind in that short time, continued to introduce the people on both sides with a smile:
"Mingliang, this is Chu Xiaobai, from Beijing, the boss of Chutian Culture. This is Liu Zhengyi, and this is Chen Yang, all my buddies! Go and offer them a toast to get to know them!"
Although Fang Xu didn't mention their family backgrounds, Hu Mingliang knew perfectly well that anyone Fang Xu called a buddy must come from a powerful family. He immediately poured drinks with a beaming smile and said:
"Young Master Chu, Young Master Liu, Young Master Fang, my name is Hu Mingliang. Please take care of me in the future! I'll have a big drink, you all can do as you please!"
Fang Xu smiled and said:
"Mingliang is the son of Chairman Hu of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference..."
Although Chu Xiaobai disdained associating with these local officials' children, he couldn't refuse Fang Xu's face, so he smiled slightly, picked up his small cup, and drank. Chen Yang and Liu Zhengyi didn't say much, just drank a glass of wine. However, Chen Yang kept observing Hu Mingliang with a playful look.
In his previous life, at this time, Hu Mingliang only had two years left to live. Their scheme had been exposed, causing a huge uproar. Even his father, who barely qualified for a vice-ministerial level position, couldn't protect him. In the end, Hu Mingliang and several ringleaders were executed, meeting a violent end.
Chen Yang noticed that although Hu Mingliang was fairly handsome, his lips were thin, and his eyes were somewhat small, occasionally flashing with a cunning light—the face of a wicked person.
The men Hu Mingliang brought also came over to offer toasts, their attitude even more humble. Out of respect for Fang Xu, Chen Yang and the other two didn't refuse, but each only took a small sip as a token gesture.
Finally, Fang Xu personally raised his glass, toasting each of them before smiling and saying, "We brothers are just about to head to the Royal Dynasty Nightclub for some fun! Xiao Bai, Zheng Yi, Chen Yang, why don't you come along? The more the merrier!"
"Yes! It's my treat today, how about you do me the honor?" Hu Mingliang chimed in, a hint of obsequiousness in his voice.
He could tell that these men were at least on par with Fang Xu, scions of prominent families. And Chu Xiaobai was from the capital; any spoiled brat from that place was bound to be a good person. So he was eager to befriend them.
Liu Zheng Yi had to rush back to the military camp after dinner; he couldn't possibly continue at another venue. And Chen Yang, naturally, couldn't associate with the likes of Hu Mingliang. Chu Xiaobai had initially been somewhat tempted to join them to pass the long, boring night, but seeing the expressions on Liu Zhengyi and Chen Yang's faces, he smiled and said,
"You guys go ahead! The three of us haven't seen each other in ages, we just wanted to chat a bit longer, so we won't go..."
Hu Mingliang's face showed a hint of disappointment, but he quickly masked it, reaching for a business card and bowing as he handed it to Chu Xiaobai, saying,
"Alright then, we won't disturb Young Master Chu's reunion. This is my business card; I hope to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with Young Master Chu in the future."
Chu Xiaobai, with a reserved smile, took the business card and casually put it in his pocket, without exchanging cards with Hu Mingliang. Hu Mingliang's initially expectant expression quickly turned to embarrassment; he chuckled awkwardly and left.
"Then you two have a good chat! I'm leaving first!" Fang Xu said casually, also heading out the door.
Just then, Chen Yang suddenly remembered something and quickly stopped Fang Xu, saying,
"Fang Xu, stay a moment. Let Young Master Hu and the others go ahead. I need to talk to you about something!"
Fang Xu looked at Chen Yang with a hint of doubt, but didn't say much. He turned to Hu Mingliang and said,
"Mingliang, you guys go ahead. I'll be there in a bit!"
Hu Mingliang nodded quickly and left with his men. Fang Xu walked to the table and sat down, looking at Chen Yang, wondering what he had called him back for. Chen Yang thought for a moment and asked,
"Tomorrow, Brother Xiaobai and I are going to Nanpu County to inspect a local pyrite mine. You know the area well, so why don't you come with us?"
Fang Xu looked troubled upon hearing this, scratching his head and saying,
"Originally, since Xiaobai came to Southeast China, I should accompany him wherever he goes—I'm the host! But I really can't go tomorrow. I made plans with Mingliang and the others a few days ago to inspect an import-export trading company in Xiamen. Mingliang wants to get a few of us to invest in this company, so we need to go to the site to check things out… Chen Yang, how about this? I'll call Brother Dahai. He's the deputy secretary of Nanpu now; he'll definitely be helpful if you need anything!"
Upon hearing about the import-export trading company in Xiamen, Chen Yang couldn't help but frown. That was exactly what he was worried about! In his past life, the scandal involving this company shook the entire Chinese political arena, resulting in the downfall of countless officials, both high and low, and those most deeply implicated, including Hu Mingliang, were sentenced to death.
Just as Chen Yang was about to say something more, Chu Xiaobai spoke up:
"Chen Yang, since Fang Xu is busy, let's forget about it. We'll just go and see for ourselves anyway. Besides, Fang Xu just said that Brother Dahai from the Han family is also in Nanpu; it'll be more convenient to contact him if anything happens!"
Chu Xiaobai was unaware of Chen Yang's thoughts, so her suggestion was quite reasonable. Seeing that Chu Xiaobai had spoken, Chen Yang couldn't argue further and could only nod in agreement.
He thought that since Hu Mingliang's real trouble wouldn't occur for over a year, it shouldn't be a big deal for Fang Xu to get closer to him or even get involved during that time. Moreover, the company was in Luzhou City, Ning Kuncheng's stronghold, where Chen Yang could still leverage considerable resources; they definitely couldn't cause any major upheaval.
Moreover, Hu Mingliang was an important link that Chen Yang would need to utilize in the future, so it wasn't wise to expose him too early.
Thinking of this, Chen Yang felt slightly more at ease. The group chatted for a while about anecdotes among the prominent families of Beijing. Although Chen Yang was quite familiar with their topics, he could only pretend to understand and listen.
Fang Xu, still thinking about his trip to the nightclub, got up to leave after a short while.
After Fang Xu left, the three didn't stay long either. Liu Zhengyi had to rush back to his post to report for duty, and Chen Yang and Chu Xiaobai had to travel the next day, so they all got up and went home.
Back at the villa, Chen Yang directed the driver to park the car. In the past, Chen Yang would occasionally skirt the rules, but ever since Xu Qingya's warning, he resolutely refused to drive after drinking.
Chen Yang went inside and saw Su Jun sitting alone on the living room sofa playing on his phone; everyone else had probably gone back to their rooms. Upon seeing Chen Yang return, Su Jun quickly stood up to greet him.
Chen Yang remembered his daunting task upon returning to Nanpu: persuading his mother, Han Xuehua, to rejoin the family. Seeing Su Jun, Chen Yang couldn't help but think of Su He. Hadn't his mother been wanting to see Su He during his last trip back to Nanpu? If he could bring her home with him, perhaps she'd be in a better mood and agree?
Thinking this, Chen Yang's eyes darted around. He beckoned Su Jun over and whispered, "Xiao Jun, I'm going back to Nanpu tomorrow. Would you like to come along for a couple of days?"
Most of Su Jun's classmates and friends were in Nanpu. Hearing Chen Yang's words, his eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes!"
Chen Yang smiled mysteriously and said, "It's simple for me to take you back. I'll give you a task. If you complete it well, I'll definitely take you with me tomorrow!"
"Brother Fang, what task is it?" Su Jun asked.
"Go and persuade your sister to agree to come back to Nanpu with us..."