Chapter 1 The Dragon City Rises

The three of them, Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, and Yu Mingyuan, waited in a third-floor suite of the Carle Hotel from a little after three in the afternoon until about seven-thirty in the evening, without seeing You Yifan himself. Apart from the room service bringing water twice, no one else had entered the room to speak or even acknowledge them.

Inside the room, even Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan, known for their patience, were beginning to grow impatient. They constantly checked their watches, smoked cigarettes, and drank the now-cold tea.

Su Tianbei had always been quick-tempered. If it were up to his old self, he would have left long ago. But this time was different. Old Tong had made it clear that Wei Xiangzuo's ability to rise in power was heavily influenced by the Navy, and the survival of the association depended entirely on whether Old Wei could take control of Zha Nan. Only if he became the leader could maritime trade reopen, and the Tongji Association would have a stable income to support its people.

Considering all of these factors, Su Tianbei didn't complain even after waiting for several hours. He was just a little absent-minded and fell asleep on the sofa.

At first, Yu Mingyuan and Su Tianyu still talked, but as time passed, they became numb. Neither of them spoke, staring blankly at the door.

Time flew by, and it was already after eight o'clock when footsteps finally sounded outside the long-silent door. The young man who had brought them in earlier looked surprised to see them. "Oh, you guys haven't left yet?"

"Hehe, no," Yu Mingyuan said with an awkward smile, standing up.

"I thought you had all left. I got so busy, I forgot there were still people in this room." The young man greeted them with a smile. "Sorry about that. Brother Fan was playing business mahjong with some friends. He just finished. We're going to a nightclub in Longkou. Why don't you guys head back first, and we'll reschedule?"

Yu Mingyuan suppressed his negative emotions and asked with a smile, "Brother, when will Brother Fan be done? We can follow along and wait a little longer."

Yu Mingyuan's humble attitude was out of necessity. If he didn't see You Yifan today, rescheduling would require bothering Old Tong again, and more importantly, there was no guarantee they could even secure another meeting. He wanted to meet You Yifan today, and whether it succeeded or not, he needed to at least get acquainted.

"Hehe, so eager?"

"Yes, we really want to talk to Brother Fan!"

"Then follow us. We're going to Dingzun Entertainment City." The young man glanced at his watch. "But I can't say when we'll be done."

"Okay, no problem, we'll wait," Yu Mingyuan immediately nodded, stepping closer to the young man and quietly prompting him, "Please remind Brother Fan to take some time to chat with us later. Let's exchange contact information. We can meet privately later, and I'll definitely thank you in person... because I really didn't prepare anything today."

The words were quite blunt, but the young man didn't seem to appreciate it. He just smiled and replied, "You can talk to Brother Fan. I can't make any decisions."

With that, the young man left the room without saying much more.

After watching him leave, Yu Mingyuan turned to look at Su Tianyu. "Let's go?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Su Tianyu hadn't eaten anything since the afternoon. He had been sitting on the sofa drinking tea, and he was exhausted, but he forced himself to nod.

The two of them called Su Tianbei and quickly left the hotel, driving directly to Dingzun Entertainment City in Longkou District.

In fact, Su Tianyu and the others arrived at the entertainment city less than five minutes after You Yifan and his group. So, they opened a small private room next to theirs and ordered some drinks.

To express his sincerity, Yu Mingyuan called the sales manager of Dingzun Entertainment City, directly swiped 50,000 yuan into the manager’s account as a deposit, and told him that all the expenses for You Yifan's room tonight would be deducted from his account, with any surplus being refunded.

The manager was definitely an understanding person. When he went to You Yifan's room to offer a toast, he specifically mentioned this matter, but You Yifan just smiled and didn't say anything.

...

Inside the small private room, Su Tianyu stared blankly at Yu Mingyuan and suddenly said, "I feel like you've matured a lot overnight."

Yu Mingyuan took a sip of beer and replied faintly, "No one can help me unconditionally anymore."

Su Tianyu was silent.

"Order some takeout. I'm hungry," Yu Mingyuan said with a smile, without any hint of sadness on his face.

Su Tianyu nodded and ordered some takeout using his phone.

After Yu Jinrong's sudden death, Yu Mingyuan's entire demeanor changed. The air of a young master had disappeared, along with the lavish spending and the composed and unrestrained manner of someone sitting in an executive chair. Instead, he looked like a grassroots entrepreneur who was cautious and submissive in everything he did.

Yes, society is so cruel, and there is no room for capriciousness in the adult world. Today, Yu Mingyuan was like a real estate agent running around with a briefcase. The clients were difficult, and if you dared to show them a bad face or turn around and leave, you wouldn't have anything to eat tomorrow.

In the past, Yu Mingyuan might have splashed a glass of wine in You Yifan's face because of his attitude, but today, he had to bow down and even pay for the room.

Time and experience will always make you grow.

...

The three brothers sat in the private room eating takeout, waiting until after one o'clock in the morning when You Yifan finally appeared. He didn't know if he was pretending or really drunk, but his face was flushed, and he staggered as he walked in.

"Oh, President Yu, I'm really sorry. Two superiors from District One came, and I had to take care of them. I made you wait so long," You Yifan said with a smile, cupping his fist in greeting.

"Hehe, it's okay. We just rested here for a while," Yu Mingyuan said, shaking his hand.

You Yifan held Yu Mingyuan's hand, swaying as he said, "I drank too much. I threw up twice. I'm so sorry, so sorry!"

"Sit down and rest for a while," Yu Mingyuan offered him a seat.

"No, no, I have to see my friends off." You Yifan waved his hand stiffly, his breath reeking of alcohol. "The matter you wanted to discuss isn't urgent... I'll set aside a day to chat with you separately. Hey, we're all friends, it's just a matter of a word! Well, it's getting late... I'll see them off first. Give your phone to Mingming, and I'll call you later. Sorry for making you wait so long."

After speaking, You Yifan staggered out, and his follower came over with a phone, saying softly, "President Yu, please give me your number."

Yu Mingyuan smiled broadly. "Okay, okay!"

"I'll transfer the money for the bill later."

"What are you saying? Aren't you slapping my face? Let me give you my number...!" Yu Mingyuan said, exchanging contact information with him.

On this day, the three brothers waited for about ten hours, and in the end, they only met You Yifan briefly and didn't even have the chance to talk.

The three of them left.

Sitting in the car, Su Tianbei frowned and asked, "What does he mean by all this?"

"Hard to say." Su Tianyu's eyes were red with exhaustion. He looked up at Yu Mingyuan and said, "Prepare some money. It's never wrong to do that."

"I prepared a hundred before!" Yu Mingyuan replied.

"Not enough," Su Tianyu shook his head.

In another car, You Yifan was closing his eyes, in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

"Brother Fan, what do you think about the Yu family's matter...?"

"Let them wait. We'll talk after the government order comes out," You Yifan replied impatiently.

...

After the three brothers returned home, they continued to wait for You Yifan's call, but to their dismay, he didn't contact them even after a week had passed.

During this time, Su Tianyu called Old Tong several times, asking him to subtly inquire about You Yifan's intentions, but Old Tong said that it was also difficult for him to talk to You Yifan, and told Su Tianyu to wait a little longer. If there was still no movement, he would have to put aside his pride and try to arrange another meeting.

If You Yifan didn't budge, the trade at the seaport couldn't reopen. Without income, the association could only rely on the small profits earned by the sanitation company and the Zhou family's investment to keep operating.

But this wasn't a long-term solution, so Yu Mingyuan was so worried at home that his hair was turning white.

This morning, Zhou Tonghui, who had come from Hua Du to participate in the startup, prepared breakfast for the five lazybones and shouted, "Breakfast is ready!"

Since Zhou Tonghui moved into the Yu family and took on the title of vice president, his basic job duties were to cook, fill up the car with gas, and clean the house.

At first, Yu Mingyuan was very embarrassed and wanted to hire two new maids, but Zhou Tonghui seemed to enjoy it. He didn't seem to care about such things, and he was actually quite happy doing them. He even took the time to look at the information of the sanitation company to understand the association's situation.

Zhou Tonghui's humility and optimism were ingrained in his bones. After leaving home, without the supervision of various elders and three or four older brothers, he became much more relaxed, feeling happy every moment.

"Little Zhou, you're so diligent, it's kind of acting us out, making us look like good-for-nothings." Da Bai walked down from upstairs. "Tell me, you're a purebred Hei Er Dai (second-generation gangster). Why don't you just eat, drink, gamble, and do some capital crimes at home? Why did you come here to suffer with us? Aren't you sick?"

"I think it's pretty good. My teacher said I have a service-oriented personality."

"Then why don't you become a gigolo? You can enjoy yourself and serve people at the same time."

"Get lost!" Zhou Tonghui cursed and waved his hand, shouting, "Come and eat."

Everyone came over at the sound of his voice, bent over and sat down at the dining table, while Su Tianyu habitually turned on the Yu family's half-wall-sized television to watch the morning news.

"Today, the District One Autonomous Supervision Council and the Longcheng Autonomous Government jointly issued the No. 1 Foreign Trade Control Order for the New Era 63. Due to the continuous escalation of the war situation in the southern areas of Longcheng, such as Sinalo and Casalo, most areas are in a chaotic state, which has seriously affected the safety of our city and the District One border. After repeated unsuccessful negotiations, the District One Government, Military Affairs Department, Autonomous Supervision Council, Longcheng Autonomous Government and other units, after multi-party consultation, jointly decided to completely cut off trade transportation relations with the Menan and Sinalo regions, and to launch a recall of laborers who have been active in the Sinalo region for a long time..."

Su Tianyu watched the news, his brows tightly furrowed. "It's over. The upper echelons are fighting with the Sinalo government army!"

...

In an apartment in Tianhong Port, You Yifan rushed to the living room with a toothbrush in his mouth, excitedly asking, "The order has been issued?!"

"Yes, it's sealed off." A man in the living room nodded with a smile.

In a mountainous area of Sinalo, at the headquarters of the Chi Army, Zhao Weihu slammed the table and stood up. "Damn it, it finally happened!"