It was evident that Zhang Ren was acquainted with the lobby manager of Eternal Han Palace.
The lobby manager, being a discerning individual, had initially intended to step forward and inquire about the situation. Upon hearing Zhang Ren's words, he immediately understood the unspoken message.
"Mr. Zhang, please do not be angry. Who dared to provoke you?" Manager Wang glanced at Li Chonglou, noting his unusual attire and demeanor, clearly indicating he was not from Yong'an. His words immediately began to favor Zhang Ren. After all, Zhang Ren was a regular patron of Han Palace, possessing a permanent presidential suite. He frequented the establishment, bringing young women for entertainment, and was known for his generous spending. Over time, everyone had become familiar with him. Why wouldn't he side with him? Furthermore, having worked in this industry for many years, he was well-acquainted with Yong'an's dignitaries. As long as someone wasn't a local power player, even a formidable outsider posed no threat.
"This person is from my university. He's a bumpkin from Qin Zhou. His family was poor and lacked necessities since childhood. After graduation, he became a live-in son-in-law," Zhang Ren said with a sneer, growing even more presumptuous. "Someone like that, in ancient times, would have been forcibly conscripted into the army. What right does he have to stand here?"
"Am I supposed to endure such harassment even after paying so much for the presidential suites at Han Palace every year?"
His implication was that Li Chonglou had found a way to enter and was now bothering him. A cold glint flashed in Li Chonglou's eyes. He didn't want to engage with Zhang Ren, but this fellow was escalating the situation and even fabricating lies. He had initiated the conversation, and now he wouldn't let him leave. This was blatant troublemaking.
"Exactly! Some people always take advantage of knowing my dear by coming here to borrow money. What's wrong with your security?" the woman clinging to Zhang Ren's arm added fuel to the fire.
Wang Changlin understood. Zhang Ren wanted to humiliate and trample Li Chonglou, using this opportunity to display his authority. This kind of situation, while not an everyday occurrence at Eternal Han Palace, happened several times a week. He had considerable experience handling such matters.
"May I ask what brings you to Eternal Han Palace?" Wang Changlin asked Li Chonglou, feigning politeness.
"Looking for someone," Li Chonglou replied nonchalantly. He had been in a hurry to go upstairs earlier, but now he had abandoned that thought. Instead, he wanted to stay and see what tricks Zhang Ren had up his sleeve.
"So, you're not a guest of Eternal Han Palace." Wang Changlin's expression instantly changed. "I'm sorry, but we don't welcome people like you into a high-class hotel like Eternal Han Palace." If there was a hint of superficial politeness in his service industry smile earlier, it had now completely vanished. He was probing, trying to ascertain Li Chonglou's identity. The result was that he was looking for someone. It seemed Zhang Ren was right; this person had likely spent a lot of money to spruce himself up and enter Han Palace to associate with the powerful. Was it that easy to associate with the powerful? He had been a lobby manager at Eternal Han Palace for many years, and despite his subservience, he hadn't caught the eye of any influential figures. For such a young, immature fellow, his thinking was indeed naive. No wonder he became a live-in son-in-law right after graduation; he was a prime example of someone who reaped without sowing. What else should he consider with such a person?
"Heh..." Li Chonglou was amused by Wang Changlin's words. "I've never seen a hotel dare to refuse guests like this."
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not refusing you. Our hotel operates on a membership basis," Wang Changlin said with a cold smile, distancing himself. "To patronize our hotel, you must be a member. Since you're not a member, I have the right to ask you to leave. Furthermore, you've had an unpleasant encounter with our esteemed member, Mr. Zhang Ren. Regardless of the circumstances, our hotel must protect the rights of its members!" These words were spoken with righteous conviction. If Li Chonglou hadn't been involved, he might have actually believed them.
Zhang Ren, standing beside him, was beaming with pride and a sense of superiority. He tightened his grip on the woman's waist and snorted, "Old Wang, why waste words on such a good-for-nothing who can even be a live-in son-in-law? Just call security and throw him out..."
"Living off women, what a pathetic loser," the woman chimed in with disdain.
"Just as Mr. Zhang suggested!" Wang Changlin said respectfully to Zhang Ren. He didn't want to remain a lobby manager forever. However, he couldn't find a way to associate with the truly powerful. While this Zhang Ren wasn't quite a powerful figure, his company was of considerable size, and he had many weaknesses that Wang Changlin knew about. If he could serve this man well, perhaps he could get some favors from him later. After all, being a lobby manager sounded good, but wasn't it still just a service role?
Having said that, he picked up the intercom and instructed, "Send two people over. There's someone causing trouble in the lobby."
"May I ask what the conditions are to become a member of your Eternal Han Palace?" Li Chonglou asked calmly upon seeing this. Wang Changlin's eyelids twitched. Li Chonglou's composed demeanor made him feel that something was amiss. Most people in such a situation would have erupted in anger and lost control. Then he could have seized upon their behavior, leading to arrest in severe cases or expulsion from the premises in milder ones. But Li Chonglou's expression showed no hint of anger, as if he were an uninvolved bystander. Could it be that this young man's mental fortitude was this strong? Had he reached a point where he disregarded honor and shame? Perhaps it was due to being a live-in son-in-law for too long.
"What, you want to become a member?" Zhang Ren interrupted Wang Changlin, mocking him. "The lifetime membership is eight million. It's pocket change for me, but for you, you probably couldn't afford it even if you sold your kidneys!" "If your kidneys are gone, then as a live-in son-in-law, you'll truly be useless except for washing clothes and cooking." Based on his understanding of Li Chonglou, he had struggled to come up with eight hundred yuan before. Even if he was now a live-in son-in-law, the woman's family was said to be a small family from Qin Zhou. It was likely a pipe dream for him to come up with eight million yuan for membership. There were differences between people, vast gulfs between the rich and the poor.
"If you become a member, then I naturally won't have the right to ask you to leave," Wang Changlin added as a reminder.
"I won't," Li Chonglou replied, shaking his head. Let alone eight million, he would have to consider carefully even for eighty thousand in this place. He had no need for business interactions. But today, Zhang Ren wasn't capable of driving him out. As for this lobby manager, whose name tag read Wang Changlin, he would have to pay for his actions today. He was nobody, yet he was full of confidence.
"If you can't afford it, then you can't. Why pretend? You're not joining, you're really making people laugh their heads off!" Zhang Ren guffawed uncontrollably.
At this moment, two security guards approached. "Escort this gentleman out," Wang Changlin said, trying his best to appear faultless. While his words were polite, his actions were firm. The security guards didn't care about the guests' identities; they only listened to their superiors. Upon hearing the order, they moved to flank Li Chonglou, grabbing his arms. Li Chonglou remained expressionless, waiting for the security guards to touch him before subtly retaliating. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he wouldn't be easily restrained.
"Stop!" Just then, a stern and sharp female voice echoed from the staircase. "What are you doing?" Hearing this voice, Wang Changlin trembled, his pupils dilating as he quickly turned around. On the spacious staircase behind them, a middle-aged woman dressed in a black OL suit was elegantly descending. The woman, in her prime, was still alluring. Between her brows, she exuded an air of command. Her expression was indifferent, and she possessed an imposing presence without needing to show anger. It was Xiao Yun, the head of the Xiao family, whom Li Chonglou had met once in Qin Zhou, and who had invited him to the banquet today.
"Miss Xiao... Chairman Xiao, why are you coming down the stairs?" Wang Changlin's face contorted, and he quickly scurried forward with a fawning expression. "Some guests have a dispute, and I am in the process of resolving the issue." Eternal Han Palace was one of the Xiao family's businesses. Lin Ying had informed Li Chonglou about this before he came, which was why he hadn't lost his temper until now. He had to give Xiao Yun some face when he was on her territory. Unless the matter escalated to a great extent, he wouldn't overreact. He just hadn't expected Xiao Yun to come down herself. And moreover, she had come down the stairs. It turned out she had stumbled upon this scene.
"I'm coming down to pick someone up," Xiao Yun said, glancing at Wang Changlin, her footsteps unwavering as she walked towards Li Chonglou.
"Chairman Xiao, you are an esteemed guest. It would be better to let me handle such disputes," Wang Changlin said, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart as he tried to intervene.
"What dispute?" Xiao Yun asked as she walked.
"It's like this, Mr. Zhang over there is a long-term member of our Han Palace. His university classmate, a live-in son-in-law, tried to curry favor and came to Han Palace looking for someone, likely to borrow money or seek influence," Wang Changlin embellished and fabricated. "Zhang Ren was annoyed by the disturbance, so he asked me to handle it. I asked him, and he's not one of our members, so I told the security guards to escort him out." As Wang Changlin told it, his actions seemed entirely reasonable, as if he were diligently fulfilling his duties and resolving difficulties for the company. With this narrative, he might even receive great praise from his superiors.
*Slap!* To Wang Changlin's surprise, Xiao Yun stopped and slapped him across the face. "Insignificant wretch! How can someone like you be the lobby manager at my Han Palace?" "How did I not notice this before? You are truly ruining the reputation of my Xiao family!" "He is looking for me!" Although the slap wasn't hard, it left Wang Changlin stunned. He had been fantasizing about receiving praise, only to be slapped by the chairman instead. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Chonglou, it's fortunate that I received a call from the front desk and came down personally. Otherwise, you would have been wronged today!" The next moment, Xiao Yun walked up to Li Chonglou, a smile on her face, and extended her hand. Li Chonglou reached out and clasped Xiao Yun's soft, fair hand, addressing her as "Sister Xiao." This scene not only shocked Wang Changlin but also froze the triumphant expression on Zhang Ren's face.
What... Chonglou? When did this bumpkin Li Chonglou become so familiar with the young lady of the Xiao family? After all, in this world, fairness was relative, and the barriers between social circles sometimes required a lifetime or even several generations to break. Unless one was exceptionally fortunate, social climbing was a laughable notion. Yet, here was a live-in son-in-law being called so familiarly by the head of the Xiao family, who had even come down personally to greet him. This was impossible. Could it be that Xiao Yun had mistaken him for someone else? Could it be a case of mistaken identity?
"Miss Xiao, he's just an incapable bumpkin and a live-in son-in-law. He's my university classmate. I know him too well. Just last month, I heard from our classmates that his mother was dying and he had no money for medical treatment. How could he possibly be so familiar with you?" Zhang Ren, thinking he was looking out for Xiao Yun, reminded her with a subservient tone.
"And who are you? How is it that dogs can just wander into my Han Palace now?" Xiao Yun retorted, glancing back at him. Her words sent a shiver down his spine.