Chapter 1: Hidden Chessboard
作者:Jerry      更新:2023-12-15 23:53      字数:2193
    In the luxurious Earl Hotel, a melodious violin sound is ringing. A violinist wearing a suit and shirt with a bow tie is playing the "Serenade" by the famous Austrian composer Schubert. The beautiful melody is lingering in the luxurious compartment room. The violinist is slightly closing his eyes, looking somewhat intoxicated. The light and graceful tune seems to melt people into the music. His dexterous hands are sometimes rapidly pulling and shaking the strings, and sometimes gently swaying left and right with the body.

    In the private room, with its dark red carpet and soft lighting, four beautiful women in red cheongsam stood by, ready to serve the four guests in the room with tea, wine, hot towels, and remove the leftovers from the guests' cups on the table.

    At the table, several guests were in high spirits, with glowing faces and frequent toasts. The sumptuous dishes were spread out on the large table like a stream. A slender and beautiful woman stood out among the crowd as she walked away from the table and approached a man wearing a linen suit, raising her glass.

    "General Manager Lin, you are free to do as you like, I'll go first!" The words had not yet fallen to the ground, but the glass was already empty.

    Seeing the man's indifference, several guests around him kept urging him to drink, but the man who was being toasted was helpless and frowned as he sipped half a glass. Under the influence of alcohol, his face was flushed and he was obviously not able to handle the alcohol.

    "General Manager Lin, you can't be partial. I respect you too, brother!" A man wearing a dark red suit also stood up at the table, obviously with the intention of adding insult to injury.

    "Sorry, I feel a little dizzy!" The man who was persuaded to drink didn't seem to buy it.

    At the table, everyone was still smiling, but the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

    "Good!" A sudden voice sounded, and a young man in a dark blue suit crossed his legs and shouted in approval beside him. The applause came from him, which was extremely harsh in the large room.

    At this time, the violinist just finished playing. The applause saved the embarrassing atmosphere on the scene.

    "It's really not…… wrong!" The man in the dark red suit also agreed with him and cheered, his face now red, as red as his clothes, making it impossible to tell if he was embarrassed or really drunk.

    The man in the dark blue suit waved to the violinist, who walked forward cautiously and bowed to the guests sitting in front of the seat with a gentlemanly gesture, holding the violin. The man in the dark blue suit took out several hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and generously placed them on the violin, then smiled and waved him to step down.

    The violinist was not expecting the guest to directly place the money on the violin. Seeing two banknotes sliding from the violin to the ground, he suddenly became flustered. He collected the banknotes with embarrassment, but forgot to say "thank you" to the guest.

    "Thank you, Mr. Wang!" the man in the red suit reminded the violinist, obviously annoyed that the violinist did not know proper etiquette.

    The violinist bowed several times and thanked him before turning and leaving.

    "Oh, Mr. Wang and Mr. Qiu are both elegant people. I'm not talented, and I know nothing about music. Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Wang. This trip has opened my eyes!" The man who spoke was about 30 years old. His handsome face and bright eyes immediately showed his smart and capable personality. He was Lin Mujie, the chairman of the famous Jutian Group in Jiangnan City.

    "Mr. Lin is too modest. This is the 'Serenade' by the great Austrian composer Schubert, which tells the story of a young man confessing his love to his beloved girl……" Wang Chenming was showing off his knowledge to Lin Mujie, but who knew that Qiu Tianming sitting next to him couldn't help but vomit, and the pungent smell filled the compartment.

    The four beautiful women standing by suddenly became busy, handing out towels, heating water, and cleaning up the mess. The four of them were all in a flurry.

    "What a waste! He was so drunk after only a few drinks! He said he could handle others, but instead he was handled by others!" Wang Chenming cursed Qiu Tianming in his heart. If there were no guests in front of him, he really wanted to slap him a few times to get even.

    When such a situation occurs at a banquet, even if several people want to drink, they will not be in the mood to continue.

    “Mr. Wang, it's getting late today, and I see Mr. Qiu is also a little drunk. As for the land near the Golden Emperor Hotel, I need to discuss it with other shareholders when I get back to the company. If I have any news, I will notify you as soon as possible. Don't worry, since you were introduced by my brother, as long as the conditions are right, I will definitely give priority to you.” Lin Mujie looked at his watch and saw the clock pointed to 8:20 pm.

    "Thank you, Mr. Lin. I have long heard that you are a generous man. It's a pity that I didn't meet you earlier! It seems that I have to bother you, Mr. Lin, to deal with this matter. I hope we can cooperate successfully this time and hope to have more opportunities for cooperation in the future!" Wang Chenming stood up and extended his hand to Lin Mujie.

    "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Wang! I believe we will have more opportunities for cooperation in the future!" Lin Mujie also extended his hand.

    "You're welcome! Mr. Lin, I think it's still early. Do you want to have a program tonight for entertainment?" Wang Chenming asked Lin Mujie in a ambiguous tone.

    I'm really sorry, but I have to rush back tonight! I've been traveling for days and haven't been home for days! Thinking about not seeing my cute son and gentle and virtuous wife for days, Lin Mujie wishes he had wings and could fly home.

    "Understand! Understand! Wow, I didn't know that Mr. Lin is not only an entrepreneur, but also a good husband and father!" Wang Chenming smiled flatteringly. "Driving after drinking is not safe. Later, how about I have someone send Mr. Lin home?"

    As he spoke, Wang Chenming raised his hands and slapped them forcefully. With a few crisp claps, three tall, sturdy men rushed in from outside the door. As soon as they entered the compartment, the three men stood respectfully behind Wang Chenming.

    At first glance, these three men are extraordinary, each of them is strong and full-bodied, with their clothes pulled up high. It can be seen that these people have been carefully selected, but there seems to be a sense of evil hidden in their cold, unsmiling faces. They are wearing neatly matching black T-shirts, with tacit expressions and professional movements, which suggests that they must have undergone special training.

    After the men came in, the relaxed and happy atmosphere in the box disappeared, and Lin Mujie felt that the atmosphere in the scene suddenly became subdued. Although Wang Chenming still had a smile on his face, that smile seemed to Lin Mujie like a dark, ancient well, with inexplicable mystery.

    Lin Mujie looked at the bodyguards-like men, and a feeling of depression came over him. He felt a bit upset. What was Wang Chenming up to? Why did he arrange for those bodyguards-like men to break in and show off in front of me? Was he showing off his local power or his arrogance and pomp?

    "Who are these people?" Lin Mujie hesitated for a moment, and stared calmly into Wang Chenming's eyes.

    "Don't worry, Mr. Lin! I didn't see your driver today. After drinking so much, for your safety on the way, how about asking them to give you a ride?" Wang Chenming asked.

    The bodyguards, upon hearing Wang Chenming's words, immediately walked up to Lin Mujie, still with a blank expression on their faces.

    At this moment, Lin Mujie was slightly drunk, but his mind was still clear. He thought to himself, "I am the chairman of the Giant Heaven Group. How could I not even afford a driver? " He felt that Wang Chenming was too polite, "It's okay, my driver Lu Xiong should be waiting downstairs. Without my orders, he won't run around. I'll call him upstairs."

    Lin Mujie reached into his pocket for his phone, but he was somewhat resentful of Lu Xiong's clumsiness. Lu Xiong had been with Lin Mujie for several years, and he was quite conscientious in his work. Today's performance really made Lin Mujie feel dissatisfied. He just went out to do some business, but he didn't see him come back for a long time. He had to call him and tell him to come up. At least his identity and status would not be inferior to Wang Chenming in front of him. Even if compared to Lu Xiong and his three bodyguards, he would not lose to any of them.

    Lin Mujie took out his phone and dialed Lu Xiong's number, but the voice prompt said the other party's phone could not be reached.

    Wang Chenming still smiled at Lin Mujie. Lin Mujie was somewhat annoyed. He was angry at Lu Xiong. If he had known that Lu Xiong was incompetent, he should have brought someone else with him today. This time, coming to the Count Hotel alone to discuss cooperation matters, from the perspective of business negotiation, is a big taboo for businesses. Generally, for negotiations that are not particularly close or very sure, both parties will not easily go to the other party's venue, but will try to arrange an occasion that is not pressure for both parties.

    There is a saying in China that big stores bully customers. Lin Mujie always believed that his group had strong financial resources, so he did not take this negotiation with the Earl Hotel seriously. Because even if this deal did not go through, there would be no loss for the Jutian Group. This time, he came to deal with his cousin Lin Mufeng's face, after all, his cousin had helped him a lot. Secondly, there were too many rumors about the Earl Hotel in Jiangnan City, and Lin Mujie wanted to see for himself who the boss of this Earl Hotel was.

    Lin Mujie has always been low-key, so he didn't want others to think he was too aggressive and bullying. After thinking it over, he only brought Lu Xiong. However, when Lu Xiong arrived at the Count Hotel, he happened to have an important matter that needed to be handled. As a result, Lin Mujie lost his momentum.

    The thought just came up, and suddenly I thought, why should I compete with them? The business has not been signed yet, and there will be many things to open their eyes in the future. This time on the other side's territory, it is reasonable for them to show off.

    “My driver should be down there. I'm going down first!” Lin Mujie resumed his natural expression, although his mind had gone through several turns just now, his face remained calm as if nothing had happened.

    Wang Chenming saw every subtle movement of Lin Mujie, and he winked at a bodyguard next to him. Immediately, one person stood behind Lin Mujie tactfully.

    "Goodbye, sir!" A girl in a slightly different dress among the hotel staff had already opened the door and waited at the entrance. She bent down and made a gesture of welcome, and the other waiters followed her and made the same gesture.

    Wang Chenming slightly bowed and stepped aside to let Lin Mujie go first, and then came out himself. Qiu Tianming, who was swaying, was held up by a bodyguard.

    Mr. Qiu seems to have had too much to drink today! Lin Mujie casually said as he watched Qiu Tianming cling to the bodyguard next to him like a piece of mud.

    "I'm not drunk! I……I'm really not drunk! I……I can still drink……drink……!" Qiu Tianming began to argue as soon as Lin Mujie said he was drunk.

    "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Wang Chenming said to Lin Mujie apologetically. "Mr. Lin, Mr. Qiu has been drinking heavily today. I'm sorry to embarrass you!"

    "You're welcome. Mr. Qiu is a generous man," Lin Mujie said to smooth things over.

    As they walked along, Qiu Tianming, despite his unsteady gait, never stopped talking. He would praise Lin Mujie's drinking capacity and then desperately claim he wasn't drunk, which made Lin Mujie laugh.

    "Stupid, you are not capable of accomplishing anything, but only making trouble," Wang Chenming turned around and glared at Qiu Tianming, cursing in his heart.