The two bid farewell after cleaning their ears, as Zhou Tong had a client with an urgent matter, and Li Chonglou had already reached Manager Xian.
The two then sat down in a coffee shop.
"Let me introduce myself first, Xian Yan, manager of Xing Street." After introducing herself, Xian Yan got straight to the point, "Mr. Xiao, Xing Street will be holding a small appreciation and exchange meeting in a week, and I happen to have two spots available."
"You want to give one of the spots to me?"
Xian Yan's face showed admiration, and she nodded, "That's right."
"Why?"
Li Chonglou raised an eyebrow, awaiting the woman's reasonable explanation.
He had only met the woman once, and she didn't even know his background, yet she was suddenly inviting him to an exchange meeting?
It seemed strange no matter how he thought about it.
Xian Yan smiled slightly and frankly said, "This exchange meeting can also be considered a confrontation for people in my position. There is competition in every industry, and ours is no exception."
"Mr. Xiao, do you remember the golden pass I gave you? I only have two of these, one was given to a senior, and the other is the one you have!"
Xian Yan paused here and then continued, "Mr. Xiao, you can understand it this way: there are four people competing with me at the same level. Now, each of us is sending out a chosen golden pass member. Whoever's person can suppress others in this exchange meeting will be able to climb higher."
Xian Yan could have chosen to deceive Li Chonglou into participating, but she gave up. Her intuition told her that doing so would likely backfire with Li Chonglou.
So she chose the most foolish, but also the most sincere method.
It had to be said that women's intuition was sometimes terrifying. Li Chonglou indeed hated lies the most, and this kind of sincere directness was exactly what Li Chonglou liked the most.
Therefore, Li Chonglou didn't beat around the bush and directly asked, "Then what do I get?"
Xian Yan's expression brightened, and she immediately promised numerous benefits.
About half an hour later, Li Chonglou and Xian Yan parted ways at the coffee shop and then returned to the hotel.
Li Chonglou accepted Xian Yan's request because one of Xian Yan's many offered benefits was something Li Chonglou greatly needed: membership in the Capital's Antique General Association.
This general association was different from the Antique Association in Qin Zhou that Li Chonglou was familiar with. The one in Qin Zhou was a civilian organization, initially founded by a group of antique enthusiasts. Although it later became affiliated with the national branch due to policy needs, it had always considered itself a private entity.
The association in the Capital, however, was supported by the state. The word "General" represented its national status, and its significance and position were incomparable to the Qin Zhou Antique Association.
Of course, if Li Chonglou had revealed his identity as the president of the Qin Zhou Antique Association, entering the general association would have been a piece of cake, and he might even have secured a certain position.
But unfortunately, Li Chonglou had no intention of using that identity.
Upon returning to the hotel, Li Chonglou called the woman from the Green Gang.
"It's me. If possible, let's meet tomorrow at noon."
After hanging up the phone, Li Chonglou began to search for rumors about the Green Gang online. Zhou Tong provided somewhat professional information; he wouldn't include anything unverified.
Part of the reason Li Chonglou didn't plan to use his other identities was this.
He had only been in the Capital for a short while but had already met all sorts of people: underground members of the Green Gang, Xian Yan from his industry, and second-generation rich individuals from corporations. And this was just the tip of the iceberg in the Capital. Li Chonglou was still completely unaware of the entanglements between various forces.
And the Green Gang alone had completely exceeded Li Chonglou's expectations.
"A gang that illegally divides territories and engages in theft actually has an excellent public reputation in the Capital?"
After a brief look at some online rumors about the Green Gang, Li Chonglou felt even more strongly that he needed to keep a low profile now.
In this era, an organization with gray industries having a good public reputation clearly indicated its immense power, possibly even having people within the Capital's authorities.
"This Green Gang, it seems I need to understand it thoroughly. It might have some unexpected uses."
Although the search results were unexpected, they were exactly what Li Chonglou wanted. After all, it would be nearly impossible to achieve the status he desired in a short period through legitimate channels.
The more complex the Green Gang was, the greater his opportunity.
The next day at noon, Li Chonglou met the woman again, accompanied by Sanyang.
Upon meeting, Sanyang greeted him with great enthusiasm, calling him "brother" and acting like his subordinate.
Led by the woman, the three entered a private room at a club. The woman then introduced herself to Li Chonglou.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Li Meixia, and this is my brother, Sanyang."
Sanyang? Such a name? Li Chonglou looked at Sanyang curiously. The latter explained, "I'm an orphan and don't have a name. My sister gave me this name."
Li Meixia said nonchalantly, "One sheep costs a thousand yuan. I spent three thousand yuan on him when I bought him, so I named him Sanyang."
"Ah? Sister, didn't you always say you named me Sanyang because you dreamed of three sheep before buying me?"
The man was struck by lightning, looking at Li Meixia with disbelief. The latter ignored him and asked, "What is your name, sir?"
"Xiao Fang."
Just as Li Meixia was about to reply, the door to the private room was suddenly kicked open.
With a loud bang, Sanyang instinctively jumped up and shielded Li Meixia.
"You damn b*tch, I finally caught you!"
There were seven or eight intruders, all burly and fierce. The leader was a bald man with a long scar crisscrossing his face like a centipede. His eyes gleamed with fierceness.
His words also caused Sanyang's face to change drastically.
"Brother Xiao, you protect my sister first, I'll hold them off!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sanyang grabbed a nearby wooden chair and hurled it at the scarred man. Several people quickly dodged. Three men guarded the door, and three rushed towards Sanyang.
One of them delivered a flying kick, sending Sanyang staggering backward. Another had already grabbed another wooden chair and swung it at Sanyang. Just as Sanyang narrowly dodged, a fist landed squarely on his face.
"Stop!"
Seeing that the men were about to gang up on Sanyang, Li Meixia quickly shouted. At this moment, the scarred man quietly walked up, his palm raised. But just as it was about to fall, it was caught by another large hand.
"You brat, do you want to die too?"
The scarred man's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he reached for the short knife at his waist. Li Chonglou, with quick reflexes, grabbed him from behind and pinned the scarred man onto the dining table.
"Damn it, kill him!"
The scarred man roared in anger.