Jing Lei arranged the braised dishes she bought onto the coffee table, set out bowls and chopsticks, opened a bottle of white wine, and poured a cup for the senior and one for me.
Jing Lei didn't drink, so she poured herself a glass of orange juice and joined us.
I knew how much the divine doctor could drink, but I wasn't sure about the senior's capacity. However, seeing that he didn't stop Jing Lei from pouring wine for him, his tolerance was likely not poor.
High-proof white wine, in three liang cups, one for each of us.
I picked mine up and toasted the senior.
I said, "Thank you for your powerful assistance, Senior. Youngsters Li Hua and Jing Lei sincerely toast you. I won't say any more pleasantries; it's all in the wine!"
After speaking, I drained my cup. Jing Lei imitated my action, toasted the senior, and also finished hers.
The senior picked up his cup and, without a word, drank it down to the last drop.
As expected, good tolerance. Jing Lei refilled our cups, and I said, "Let's eat something quickly. What time is it? We must be starving."
The senior smiled, "I am immune to hunger; it doesn't bother me. Unlike you young people, you're still growing, not meant to go hungry."
I replied, "Senior, our family has gone through some changes. I endured hardship when I was at the age where I needed nutrition the most. I never knew where my next meal would come from, so I am basically immune to hunger."
The senior: "I didn't expect you to have suffered such hardship at such a young age."
I said, "It's all thanks to Principal Sun. In fact, he is still targeting me and our entire family."
The senior: "Oh, is that so?"
I said, "My father was a colleague of Principal Sun. Perhaps he offended him or got in his way at school. He framed my father, causing our family's life to plummet into the abyss."
The senior: "It seems that if this scourge is not removed, the consequences will be endless!"
I raised my cup and said, "He may have harmed our family, but that's a minor issue. His primary offense is harming society and the common people, which is a crime deserving of death!"
The senior: "Exactly! We, father and son, will work together to bring him back to his original form!"
After speaking, he drained his cup before I could offer another.
Jing Lei was about to pour again, but the senior said, "There will be many more opportunities to drink. Let's stop here for today. We don't know what might happen tonight, so it's better for us to remain clear-headed."
The senior is truly a straightforward and decisive person; when he drinks, he finishes it in one go, and when he stops, he abstains completely.
I said, "That's fine. We'll head to the Grand World later; it might be very lively there today."
As we finished eating and Jing Lei was preparing tea, Wen Siqiang's call came: "Boss, Chen Li Ben's people are here."
I asked, "How many are there?"
He replied, "At least over a hundred, a dense mass, blocking the entrance. Mr. Wu's men are confronting them at the entrance."
I told him to hold the inside steady, and I would bring the remaining people from the Raw Stone Base to provide support.
Just as I expected, they didn't succeed outside and concentrated their forces to attack the Grand World.
The Grand World is my central nervous system. If anything happens here, all our businesses will be affected.
I said to the senior, "If you are tired, I can arrange for someone to take you to rest. I'll take the men."
The senior: "What kind of talk is that? Do you look down on this old man? Let's go, don't delay."
I had no choice but to ask Jing Lei to go through more trouble and take us to the Grand World.
The subordinates of Wu Lao San arranged cars to follow us.
In such a situation, I didn't arrange for our men to go. It's a clash of experts; our men going would be sending them to their deaths.
I watched them get into the vans, then asked Jing Lei to lead the team to the Grand World.
On the way, I told Wen Siqiang that I would call again and tell Wu Lao San's men to retreat, letting them enter the main hall.
Wen Siqiang said, "Okay." He added that they were already smashing cars outside, making a lot of noise.
I said I was arriving soon and told him to have Wu Lao San's men prepare and retreat gradually to let them in.
Next to the Grand World entrance was a parking lot, containing our cars and those of guests. Among them was Lan Ya's Rolls-Royce, which was likely the first to be smashed.
I told Jing Lei, "Faster, faster."
Jing Lei really had a hard day, not only enduring fear with me but also risking her life to transport us.
The car stopped at the entrance of the Grand World. I called Wen Siqiang and told them to retreat and let them in.
Outside, in the parking lot, many people were still wielding clubs and smashing things. I told everyone to get out of the car and beat anyone they saw to death, leaving none alive!
They quickly dispersed from the cars and charged towards the men in black still at the entrance.
Wu Lao San's men had already begun to retreat, and everyone at the entrance had gone inside, and instantly, sounds of fighting erupted.
I led my men to deal with the few outside and then rushed into the main hall, joining the battle.
I told Jing Lei to park the car further away and wait for us. The senior and I entered the hall behind them.
The guests in the hall had already been evacuated, and the entire venue was handed over to Wu Lao San and Chen Li Ben's men.
The senior said to me, "You go quickly and rendezvous with Wen Siqiang to prevent them from going to the second floor. I'll cover the rear here."
I instructed the security guards to seal the main entrance, not letting a single person escape.
I pushed through the crowd and went to the stairwell to find Wen Siqiang.
He and Wu Lao San were standing at the stairwell, staring intently at the fighting people, fearful that a few might run towards them.
I came over and told him to use the walkie-talkie to instruct all service staff to guide guests out through the side door, and to have all waiters and attendants escort all guests out before leaving for the night.
Wen Siqiang went to make arrangements. I said to Wu Lao San, "Tomorrow, send an additional hundred men. The remaining men will be stationed at the villa to protect the General's safety. I fear he might make a desperate move."
Wu Lao San: "I've considered this as well. All my subordinates have been ambushed near the barracks, and another hundred are on standby near the border."
I didn't expect Wu Lao San to be so meticulous; it was truly a far cry from the image of the Third Prince. It seems what Wu Guo Dong said was true; he staged a performance, a bitter flesh strategy, deceiving everyone.
I must admit, the play was performed very successfully, which allowed us to deploy our troops today.
If Wu Guo Dong had arranged for the Third Prince to hold a position in the military back then, he would probably have been apprehended.
Old ginger is spicier. Wu Guo Dong's final chess piece surprised everyone.
It's likely that only now has Chen Li Ben realized what's happening, but Wu Lao San's wings have already grown strong. If Chen Li Ben tries to break these wings now, it might not be so easy to succeed.
I sized up the young man beside me, who still had a touch of the hippie about him. He was somewhat born at the wrong time. When his father was at his peak, he hadn't even been born yet. By the time he grew up, his father was in his twilight years, and he had to bear the responsibility of saving Wu Guo Dong's military empire. This was undoubtedly a heavy shackle pressing on his tender shoulders.
Perhaps he hasn't realized yet that this war has just begun, and it will only become more difficult and brutal. What awaits him are cliff after cliff.