Soon, they arrived at the third floor.
Many people recognized Wang Yousheng. Surprised that the Zhong family had managed to invite such a prominent figure, they came forward one after another to greet him.
However, Wang Yousheng merely nodded lightly in response to these people without saying a word, following closely behind Qin Ning the entire way.
This dumbfounded many of the people present, who secretly guessed the background of this young man.
"Dad."
Soon, they arrived at the host's table.
Old Master Zhong sat in the seat of honor. A group of high-ranking officials sat around him; some were his former subordinates, while others were current department directors or group leaders.
Seeing Zhong Wenyan approaching, Old Master Zhong looked over and immediately spotted Wang Yousheng walking beside him. Startled, he quickly stood up to welcome him. "Captain Wang actually came as well."
"Wishing you boundless fortune and a long life, Old Master."
Wang Yousheng smiled faintly. He and the Old Master didn't have much interaction. The reason he came was that he received a call from his old comrade Zhou De during the day, learning that Zhou De had come to the capital for official business at noon and would drop by here in the evening.
Out of curiosity, Wang Yousheng asked and found out from Zhou De that Qin Ning would also be coming tonight.
"Haha, thank you, thank you. Captain Wang, please take a seat," Old Master Zhong said with a hearty laugh, pulling the other party toward his own seat.
Wang Yousheng was about to follow when he realized that Qin Ning and the others behind him had disappeared.
He scanned the area and found them at a table not far away.
This, of course, was not Zhong Wenyan's arrangement. In his mind, a big shot like Qin Ning was more than qualified to sit at the main table.
But there were simply too many people at the main table, and Qin Ning didn't want to interact with too many people, so he simply had Zhong Wenyan arrange a separate table for their group.
"No need, Old Master Zhong. I'll go sit over there."
Seeing that Qin Ning did not go to the main table, how could Wang Yousheng dare to sit there? He quickly turned around and eagerly scurried toward Qin Ning's table.
"This..."
Old Master Zhong was slightly taken aback. Not understanding the situation, he followed. "Captain Wang, how can we let you sit in that seat..."
"It's fine, I'm perfectly fine sitting here. Go busy yourself with your matters, don't worry about me." Wang Yousheng waved his hand, feeling that this guy was getting a bit annoying. He had finally found an opportunity to sit at the same table as Qin Ning, and he couldn't let him ruin it.
"This..."
The Old Master didn't know Qin Ning's identity, so naturally, he didn't understand the reason behind this.
But since Wang Yousheng had said so, he couldn't say much more.
He glanced at Zhong Mingyuan and the others sitting there and found that they were all young people. He figured they must be friends Zhong Mingyuan had made in his daily life.
The Old Master looked at Zhong Mingyuan and said, "Entertain Captain Wang well for me. If you neglect him, don't blame me for punishing you later."
"Understood, Grandpa." Zhong Mingyuan wanted to laugh.
His grandfather didn't even know that a true giant was sitting right in front of him, mistakenly believing that Wang Yousheng was the biggest VIP.
However, due to Qin Ning's special status, Zhong Mingyuan naturally couldn't say anything in front of so many people. He could only see if he could find a chance later to explain the situation clearly to his grandfather.
"You sit here too, and entertain Captain Wang well," Old Master Zhong instructed Zhong Wenyan before leaving.
"Okay, Dad."
Zhong Wenyan nodded, but his heart was burning with anxiety. He was really afraid that the Old Master would offend Qin Ning without knowing anything.
Because he hadn't fully believed his son's words before, Zhong Wenyan naturally hadn't mentioned Qin Ning to the Old Master. What if Zhong Mingyuan was just joking? Wouldn't that be a massive disaster?
But looking at it now, Qin Ning's background was truly not simple; otherwise, why would Wang Yousheng act like this?
Zhong Wenyan really regretted it. He should have given the Old Master a heads-up earlier.
Now, with so many people present, it was inconvenient for him to pull the Old Master aside to talk.
"Director Zhou is here."
Just as the Old Master was about to turn back to the main table to entertain the other distinguished guests, a voice came from the direction of the door.
He subconsciously looked over and found the newcomer somewhat familiar before realizing that this was Zhou De, the top leader of Liu City.
Although Zhou De was based in Liu City, his rank was much higher than many people present.
Old Master Zhong did not dare to be negligent and immediately went up to welcome him with a beaming smile.
"Wishing you boundless fortune, Old Master."
Zhou De spoke with a smile, while his eyes scanned the banquet hall.
"Director Zhou is too polite. Please, come sit with me." The Old Master took his hand and was about to lead him to the main table.
"No need, Old Master."
Zhou De quickly waved his hand, then walked toward a table not far away. "I'll just sit here."
Saying that, he sat down directly in the empty seat next to Wang Yousheng.
The Old Master was stunned for a moment. He had heard that Zhou De and Wang Yousheng used to be comrades-in-arms, so he didn't overthink it. Instead, he gave Zhong Wenyan a look, signaling him to entertain them well.
Zhong Wenyan smiled bitterly in his heart, his thoughts completely different from the Old Master's.
In his view, the reason Zhou De chose to sit at this table was absolutely because of Qin Ning, not Wang Yousheng.
"Old Master Wu."
Just as Old Master Zhong was about to return to the main table, it seemed someone else had arrived at the door.
He subconsciously looked over and was subsequently astonished.
The newcomer was none other than Xia Fei's maternal grandfather.
But he had heard that Old Master Wu was terminally ill and didn't have many days left.
How could he suddenly appear here full of vigor?
And accompanying Old Master Wu were his son-in-law, Xia Zhenye, the richest man in Liu City, and his daughter, Wu Shuyun.
"Brother Wu, how are you..."
Old Master Zhong went up to meet him, his face full of surprise.
He didn't understand why Old Master Wu's health had suddenly recovered, and he even seemed to have grown much younger, with his hair turning black.
Could it be that he looked younger because he dyed his hair?
"Brother Zhong, it's been a few years since we last met. Congratulations, congratulations," Old Master Wu chuckled, while his eyes also searched the venue.
"Brother Wu, I heard your health was poor earlier. Please, quickly come with me to take a seat."
"No need, no need."
Old Master Wu waved his hand, then led Wu Shuyun and Xia Zhenye to Qin Ning's table. "I'll just sit here."
"This..."
Old Master Zhong was completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Why did everyone who arrived want to sit here?
Was it because of Wang Yousheng?
As he was thinking this, another person walked in from outside the door.
It was an old man wearing a white lab coat, looking as if he had just come out of some laboratory and rushed here without even having the time to change his clothes.
"Elder Xu, Academician Xu!"
Many people were astonished. This was a true pillar of the nation, someone ordinary people could never hope to meet. Even figures like Old Master Zhong and Old Master Wu were previously completely unqualified to interact with him.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
