Translator – Ink Hub
Editor – Ms. B

Although Qi Dengxian had cleared the immediate hurdle thanks to Xiang Dongqing’s impartiality, it was clear that even greater difficulties awaited him.

Lin Wanqiu had already declared that she would never let this go and would mobilize the power of the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce to deal with him.

Xiang Dongqing did not fear Zhao Heilong, but there was no need to offend him. Their statuses were roughly on the same level, but their circles did not overlap, so there was no reason to go head-to-head.

Wang Wanjin, Zhao Heilong, and Xiang Dongqing. These three were essentially at the peak of the pyramid among Zhonghai City’s many entrepreneurs. The rest were merely fragmented families and smaller enterprises.

“Oh, Zhao the Loach? Then it’s fine…” Qi Dengxian said indifferently, his tone dripping with nonchalance.

Hearing this, Xiang Dongqing couldn’t help but steal a few deep glances at him.

Through the previous incident, she knew Qi Dengxian had some skill. However, if he thought a bit of martial prowess allowed him to look down on the world’s heroes, he was being far too ridiculous!

Zhao Heilong was a formidable hegemon. No matter how well Qi Dengxian could fight, could he take on the thousands of subordinates under Zhao Heilong’s command?

‘This man has talent, but his temper is foul, his mouth is unfiltered, and he’s a magnet for trouble,’ Xiang Dongqing judged Qi Dengxian in her heart.

Right at that moment, a foreign couple made their entrance. They were blonde-haired and blue-eyed, both appearing to be in their fifties.

They were the famous Mr. and Mrs. Smith from Wall Street. The woman was named Kimmy, and the man was Kent.

“Welcome, you two!” Xiang Dongqing clapped and offered a smile. Although it was a professional mask, she remained radiantly beautiful, causing many men’s hearts to flutter.

Led by Xiang Dongqing, everyone began to applaud, fixing their gazes on the couple.

Wang Hu also clapped coldly. He suspected Xiang Dongqing had organized this banquet as a show of force against the Humen Group, a sort of military review intended to intimidate him using these two.

The reputation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith was far too resounding. A few years ago, during the global Subprime Mortgage Crisis, they had demonstrated staggering foresight and operation!

In a financial crisis where countless people lost everything, they had dominated the market. As if they could foresee the future, they swept through the industry with the force of a storm, raking in a total of three billion USD!

“Hahaha, you must be the Second Master!” Kent bypassed Xiang Dongqing entirely, walking straight to Qi Dengxian and extending his hand with a beaming smile.

Xiang Dongqing’s extended hand froze in mid-air. The smile on her face stiffened as well, though she calmly retracted her hand into the pocket of her suit trousers without showing any outward emotion.

She turned her head to look at Qi Dengxian, her eyes filled with an incredible sense of disbelief.

Could it be that Kimmy and Kent were brought here by Qi Dengxian?!

Qi Dengxian blinked, stunned. “Oh? Do you know me? I don’t recall ever locking up someone like you.”

“Ahem… Mr. Gussinsky’s people showed us your photograph. They specifically asked us to rush from America to Huaguo to assist the Xiang Group,” Kent replied with an awkward smile.

“Oh… Right, right, I get it. When you get back, tell him I’ll give him two extra chicken legs,” Qi Dengxian said impatiently.

He didn’t do business and felt absolutely no need to deal with these financial experts. Thus, he simply waved them off and walked to the side.

Kent was stunned by Qi Dengxian’s cold reception. This was truly the first time he had ever experienced such a thing!

“My god… Mr. and Mrs. Smith were actually brought to Huaguo through your connections?!” Li Yunwan’s gaze toward Qi Dengxian changed completely, now filled with pure adoration.

“I just made a random call to a prisoner and told him to handle it. I didn’t know who he’d send,” Qi Dengxian said with utter indifference.

“Uh…” Li Yunwan was nearly choked by his words. “Could you introduce me to a couple of similar figures? Our Muzi Group needs to develop too!”

Qi Dengxian replied, “I don’t have that kind of free time!”

“Shit!” Li Yunwan couldn’t help but curse under her breath, sticking her middle finger out at Qi Dengxian’s back.

After chatting with the Wall Street power couple for a moment, Xiang Dongqing walked over to Qi Dengxian and asked, “You were the one who contacted them?”

“Not me personally. I asked someone to find some financial experts to help you. Why? Are they very famous?” Qi Dengxian asked.

Xiang Dongqing was speechless at Qi Dengxian’s ignorance. She rolled her eyes and waited a long moment before slowly saying, “They are the most famous financial experts in the world. Their hourly consulting fee alone is over six figures in USD!”

Qi Dengxian thought about it and said, “Then I’ll give you a fifty percent discount. Just give me the consulting fee you were going to pay them as a finders’ fee.”

“…” Both Xiang Dongqing and Li Yunwan were left speechless, simultaneously feeling a sudden urge to beat this man to death.

Xiang Dongqing ignored Qi Dengxian and turned to Li Yunwan. “Miss Li, come to my office tomorrow. I have a new project that just happens to be suitable for a collaboration with the Muzi Group.”

Li Yunwan was pleasantly surprised. “Really? Thank you, President Xiang!”

This was Xiang Dongqing’s way of repaying Qi Dengxian’s favor, allowing the Muzi Group to participate in a profitable project.

Wang Hu walked up holding a wine glass, smiling as he addressed Xiang Dongqing. “Congratulations, Dongqing. To actually invite two top-tier masters of the financial world, the future of the Xiang Group is truly promising!”

Xiang Dongqing also took a glass of champagne and raised it. “President Wang must be joking. The future of the Xiang Group is already bright and ideal enough. There’s no need for ‘promising’—it is already here.”

Although both were smiling, their tones carried a sharp edge of confrontation.

Li Yunwan silently shrunk back to Qi Dengxian’s side. When gods fought like this, she didn’t want to be the mortal who got caught in the crossfire.

“Heh, Dongqing, surely you don’t think that just because two experts have arrived, victory is in your grasp?” Wang Hu asked.

“It’s not bad. After all, they are fierce individuals who could rake in money even during the Subprime Mortgage Crisis,” Xiang Dongqing replied.

“Is that so? There is an old saying: even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.” Wang Hu set his glass down. “For example, if there is no wine in this glass, what use is it to invite the world’s greatest sommelier?”

Xiang Dongqing’s fist clenched slightly. Recently, the Xiang Group’s capital had indeed encountered some minor issues.

Because the pressure coming from various sides was too intense, much of her liquid capital was struggling to return to her hands, stuck behind various procedural hurdles.

Wang Hu smiled and added, “By the way, I should introduce you to a friend of mine!”

“President Xu, come over and say hello!”

At his shout, a woman in a white dress stepped out from the crowd.

The moment she appeared, the surrounding men immediately stopped to stare.

The woman wore a long white evening gown with a slit that reached almost to the root of her thigh. Her beautiful legs were partially visible beneath the fabric, her fair and delicate skin sparking endless imagination.

Furthermore, those legs were exceptionally long.

“Why is Xu Aoxue bothering with business? It’s a waste that she didn’t become a Leg Model,” Qi Dengxian said, turning to Li Yunwan.

“Please, just say a few words less, Brother…” Li Yunwan pleaded, her face full of entreaty, terrified that Qi Dengxian would draw fire to himself again.

The people around them were also speechless. They felt that this unfiltered guy, Qi Dengxian, would sooner or later die because of that mouth of his.

—

Footnotes:
TN1: “Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice” (巧婦難為無米之炊) is a common idiom meaning that even the most capable person cannot succeed without the necessary resources (in this case, cash flow).

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