The guests arriving were mostly people Xie Sui recognized – young masters he had saved before, and friends who had provided him with venture capital, now part of his network.
After having some soup with Xie Sui, they considered asking for another round, but Xie Sui had already given up on making money from this. Opportunities came only once; always looking for shortcuts would eventually lead to downfall.
He had told them this, but they hadn't taken it to heart, so there was nothing Xie Sui could do.
The host and guests enjoyed themselves. Xie Sui was adept at handling such occasions; he had spent most of his previous life in similar settings.
However, midway through the banquet, uninvited guests arrived.
Luo Rui of the Green Gang, accompanied by his subordinates, barged in aggressively, clearly with ill intentions.
Du Feiyang exploded, "Damn it, who leaked the information? How did this bastard show up?"
Xie Sui's smile remained unchanged, though his eyes held a chill. "Feiyang, don't talk like that. He's here to give me a gift. There's no offense in being overly polite. But you really need to fix that big mouth of yours; you'll regret it someday."
"I'll remember, Brother Xie," Du Feiyang replied. He might not listen to his father, but he had to listen to Brother Xie. Everything he had now was thanks to Brother Xie's promotion.
Xie Sui greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Luo, thank you for coming to warm my new house. With so many people here, I'm truly grateful. A new house needs people to make it lively. Thank you. Feiyang, have the guests present their gifts. Record the monetary gifts on the list."
Du Feiyang couldn't help but chuckle. Brother Xie was truly unwilling to let even a mosquito's leg go. He actually made them pay a gift fee? He had the nerve to say it out loud!
"Alright, line up. At least a thousand yuan. This mansion of Brother Xie's, you can't enter without that kind of net worth, right? Old Tang, you have beautiful handwriting. I'll collect the money, and you keep the accounts."
The faces of these hall masters turned green. It was the first time they encountered people who demanded payment for crashing a party.
Du Feiyang's face darkened. "What? You don't want to give the gift money? Then why did you come?"
Everyone looked at Luo Rui, awaiting his command.
Luo Rui sat down heavily. "Mr. Xie, stop playing this game. Is it fun? The Green Gang is here today to ask you one question: are you really going to fight us to the death?"
Xie Sui sneered, "Mr. Luo, I don't understand what you mean by that. Whether to be friends or not, isn't that up to you, Mr. Luo? I, Xie Sui, have also given you face with sincerity, but you didn't accept it, so I can't be bothered. I'm not a masochist, and you're not some peerless beauty that I have to grovel to. If you're here to congratulate me today, you're welcome, plenty of food and drink. If you're here to cause trouble, then lay down the rules. If I, Xie Sui, flinch, I'll take your surname!"
The guests stood by Xie Sui's side, watching Luo Rui with cold eyes. What did he intend to do?
Luo Rui's face flickered with uncertainty. This young man was more troublesome than he had expected, remaining calm under pressure and speaking without flaw. He felt some regret for crossing him earlier. However, since things had come to this, he couldn't show weakness and lose face.
"Mr. Xie, then I'll be direct. Yao Qiguang is my man. Sending him to the police station is going too far. Matters of the underworld should be settled within the underworld; you've broken the rules. As long as you withdraw the lawsuit and get him out, I'll leave immediately."
A mocking curve appeared on Xie Sui's lips. "Master Luo, your words puzzle me. Secretary Yao was a legitimate hire of mine. This is a business matter, not an underworld affair. Since you brought him up, I'll share something amusing with everyone. This Secretary Yao came to my office early this morning, sat in my chair, used my things, and arrogantly said he was going to replace me. It made me laugh. I swear, I truly didn't know he was your man. He confessed it himself. It's a bit pathetic to have someone like him as a mole here. Next time, please send someone more capable. Opening champagne mid-game, I even felt embarrassed for him."
Du Feiyang burst into laughter. "Something like that happened? Brother Xie, why didn't you tell me? No, where were you then? He didn't see you?"
Xie Sui looked a little embarrassed. "I was in the restroom. This guy just walked in and completely stunned me. I couldn't even finish my business."
*Poof!*
Someone snorted wine, and then a wave of laughter erupted. Even the Green Gang members were stifling their laughter, their shoulders shaking.
Luo Rui, enraged, slammed his cup. "Xie, don't push your luck! Just say whether you're going to release him or not!"
"May your broken cup bring you peace, Master Luo. Are you angry? That's not good. You're getting old; if you get sick from anger, it'll be my fault. Calm down, let's talk properly."
The more Xie Sui acted playfully, the more Luo Rui felt like he was hitting cotton with a punch, leaving him infuriated.
"Also, if you want to release him, you should go talk to the police station. It's no use talking to me. The person isn't with me either, Master Luo, you've come to the wrong person."
Luo Rui was so angry he wanted to smash his house. Xie Sui gestured for everyone to move back a little. "Master Luo wants to smash my new house? It's fine, smash away. Everything has a price, after all. We'll just listen to the noise for fun. Ten times the compensation will be enough."
Xie Sui elegantly took a sip of wine, his words capable of driving someone to their death. This mainland bumpkin was like a rogue; Luo Rui regretted coming here.
It wasn't over yet. More people entered. Dressed in a custom-made suit, sharp and refined, his appearance, though not handsome, was at most decent, yet he was instantly memorable. Gold-rimmed glasses concealed his sharp eyes.
Luo Rui shot up, his face filled with fawning subservience. "Young Master Huo, you, you, why are you here?"
Young Master Huo disdainfully glanced at him. "Mr. Luo, you're here to harass my tenant on my property, and you ask me why I'm here? Mr. Luo, my Huo family doesn't want to make trouble with you, but that doesn't mean we'll tolerate you crossing my family."
Luo Rui explained, "I didn't mean that. I wouldn't dare oppose Young Master Huo even if you gave me a hundred guts. I was just here to discuss something with Mr. Xie."
"Discuss something?" Young Master Huo glanced at his men, his meaning clear: coming to discuss something with so many people? Do you take him for a fool?
Luo Rui quickly pleaded with Xie Sui, "Mr. Xie, you tell him, didn't we come to congratulate you on your housewarming?"
Xie Sui replied, "But you didn't offer any gift money, and you even broke my cup. I can't quite accept this kind of congratulation."
"Gift money, present gift money immediately! Everyone, quickly take out your money and give Mr. Xie a gift!"
Tang Ling chuckled. Brother Xie was truly amazing to have invited Young Master Huo as well. Luo Rui himself gave a gift of ten thousand yuan. Their group alone brought in fifty thousand yuan in gift money, enough to cover today's expenses.
Young Master Huo watched them silently. Luo Rui bowed and said, "Then, I wish Mr. Xie a prosperous business and a harmonious family. We'll take our leave now."
"Aren't you staying for the feast? If you leave like this, I'll feel bad. People will say I didn't host properly..." Xie Sui even held his hand, startling Luo Rui into a hasty escape. "Next time, next time we'll have drinks together. My treat. I have other matters today. Another day. Goodbye, please stay, please stay..."