The greeter, with trembling hands, pulled out his phone and dialed his manager. Soon, a stout man, sweating profusely, rushed out.
"Apologies, Young Master Shao, for the late welcome."
Liu Dayou, the manager of Xiyuan Restaurant, mistook Xiao Hui for someone with a Tianhai Gold Diamond Card. Long Xiao's attire cost only a few hundred yuan, so he completely ignored Long Xiao, acting as if he weren't standing at the entrance of Xiyuan Restaurant.
Before Xiao Hui could speak, the greeter secretly tugged at Liu Dayou's clothes and whispered, "Manager, that card doesn't belong to Young Master Shao. It belongs to this gentleman."
Reminded by the greeter, Liu Dayou finally noticed the other person standing there. He sized up Long Xiao and, seeing the Tianhai Gold Diamond Card in his hand, said, "Sir, may I see your card?"
Long Xiao handed the card to Liu Dayou. Liu Dayou had never seen a Tianhai Gold Diamond Card before and, after examining it for a while, couldn't tell if it was real or fake.
Seeing Liu Dayou hesitate, Feng Yuyan said, "Manager Liu, this guy is my classmate. He's just a poor loser, a gigolo who lives off his wife. He couldn't possibly have the highest-level VIP card from Tianhai Group."
Liu Dayou, observing Long Xiao's simple attire and easygoing demeanor, noting his lack of the arrogance common among rich young masters, didn't think he looked like a wealthy person.
"Sir, forging or stealing our Tianhai Group's Tianhai Gold Diamond Card is a criminal offense."
Liu Dayou's face darkened, and he glared at Long Xiao sharply. The greeter quietly moved behind Long Xiao, worried he might escape. He was convinced Long Xiao had a fake card.
"Manager Liu, your Tianhai Group should investigate this properly. Two days ago, he was willing to sell his wife for two hundred thousand yuan. Today, he has this kind of card. How is that possible?" Xiao Hui also started to pile on the accusations.
Losers are just losers. Who gives you a chance to rise above? How can you possibly make a comeback? Poor people are always poor. The so-called comeback of a loser only exists in stories.
"Honestly, where did this card come from?" By now, Liu Dayou was certain Long Xiao's card was either stolen or fake. His voice became much more forceful.
Long Xiao remained calm. He pointed at the card in Liu Dayou's hand and said, "There's a phone number on it. I'm Long Xiao. Just make a call and you'll know."
"I gave you a chance, and you didn't take it. Fine, let's see how I expose you."
Liu Dayou took out his phone and dialed the number on the Tianhai Gold Diamond Card.
After a few rings, the call was answered by a deep male voice: "This is Ji Tianfu. Who is this?"
Hearing Ji Tianfu's voice, Liu Dayou's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone.
Although he rarely saw Ji Tianfu, he heard him speak at the annual Tianhai gala every year. It was definitely his voice.
"Mr. Ji, I am Liu Dayou, the manager of Xiyuan Restaurant. A person named Long Xiao is using a Tianhai Gold Diamond Card, and I wanted to verify if it's genuine."
"Long Xiao, is he a young man in his early twenties?"
Hearing that someone was using a Tianhai Gold Diamond Card at Xiyuan Restaurant, Ji Tianfu became instantly excited.
Since Long Xiao had left, Li Yizhen had been researching how to remove the蛊 (gu) worm, but he hadn't figured out a good method yet.
The people Ji Tianfu had sent out were searching everywhere for Long Xiao, but there was no news.
Ji Tianfu was worried sick, and suddenly he had news of Long Xiao.
"Yes, he's in his early twenties, with a kind face..."
Liu Dayou looked at Long Xiao and carefully described his appearance. Ji Tianfu said joyfully, "Yes, that's great! It's him! I'll be right there."
After ending the call, Liu Dayou, with trembling hands, respectfully returned the Tianhai Gold Diamond Card to Long Xiao.
"Young Master Long, I'm so sorry. I was wrong. I judged you by your appearance. Please forgive me."
Long Xiao took the Tianhai Gold Diamond Card, put it in his pocket, and nodded. "My wife is dining here. I've come to find her."
Liu Dayou quickly said, "Please follow me, sir. I'll immediately arrange for someone to find Madam Long."
Long Xiao glanced back at Xiao Hui and Feng Yuyan and said, "I don't want to see these two. Get them out of here."
Liu Dayou nodded and shouted, "Security, escort these two out!"
Four security guards heard the shout and came over, starting to drive Xiao Hui and Feng Yuyan away.
Feng Yuyan shouted, "Manager Liu, we have a Tianhai Group silver card. You can't drive us away."
"What good is a silver card? Even if it were a silver diamond card, you'd still be kicked out for offending Young Master Long. You're not welcome here. Leave now!"
With that, Liu Dayou, without another glance at Feng Yuyan and Xiao Hui, led Long Xiao into Xiyuan Restaurant.
Liu Dayou thought to himself, no card matters now.
Ji Tianfu was the chairman of Tianhai Group, a figure who could control everything.
Outsiders might not know, but everyone within Tianhai Group understood that defying Ji Tianfu meant more than just being fired; one might lose their life or some body parts.
On the surface, the Ji family appeared to be ordinary businessmen, but those who knew them well understood that their rise to power was stained with blood.
Currently, the Ji family owned diamond, gold, and jade mines overseas. They not only employed over a thousand mine security guards but also maintained a mysterious private army specifically to deal with the Ji family's enemies.
Watching Long Xiao enter Xiyuan Hotel, Xiao Hui felt immense shame, his face burning hot. Why was a live-in son-in-law better than him? Why could a nobody like him get in, but not him? Staring at Long Xiao's retreating back, Xiao Hui's resentment towards him grew even stronger.
Feng Yuyan watched Long Xiao's back, her heart feeling heavy and stifled. In school, she had never even looked at the poor guy, and now he was acting so arrogantly over her head. Sooner or later, she would trample him under her feet.
Following Liu Dayou into Xiyuan Restaurant, a waiter rushed to greet them and informed Liu Dayou that the person they were looking for was in Room 207 on the second floor.
Long Xiao didn't want Liu Dayou to accompany him. He said, "Manager Liu, you're busy. If there's anything, I'll send for you."
Given Long Xiao's special status, Liu Dayou had intended to build a relationship. Hearing Long Xiao's words, he dared not say more. He took out his business card and said, "Young Master Long, please call me directly if you need anything. I won't trouble you further."
After Liu Dayou left, Long Xiao went upstairs.
As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Long Xiao saw from a distance a woman in a short skirt in a corner, handing a small bottle to a waiter.
"Don't worry, Sister Yang. I'll handle this properly."
The woman in the short skirt patted the waiter's shoulder and said, "If this is done well, I can help you get a job at the bank in the future."
Long Xiao found it suspicious and stood at the top of the stairs, watching the woman in the short skirt and the waiter.