46: Chapter 043: [Self-righteous] 46: Chapter 043: [Self-righteous] Night had fallen, the early lights were on, and Hanghu was illuminated with thousands of lights.

The luminous glow enveloped the entire city, hazy and indistinct, resembling a classical beauty, half-hiding her face with a pipa, stunningly beautiful to behold.

On such a beautiful night, He Fenghua, known as a rising star in the Jiangnan business world, was not mingling in the pleasure grounds like those spoiled children of wealth, instead, he was sitting alone in a teahouse by West Lake, sipping tea and enjoying the night view of the lake.

“Bang bang—”

The knocking sound brought He Fenghua’s gaze back from the night scene of West Lake.

He gently set down the teacup and said calmly, “Come in.”

Creak!

The door opened in response, and Xu Weize appeared at the doorway.

He was still dressed in his favorite Armani, carrying a classic Hermes men’s bag and wearing gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, exuding an air of a career elite from head to toe.

Even, due to the confidence accumulated from his own efforts, there was already a hint of a business magnate about him.

Only—

Upon seeing He Fenghua in the room, his confidence evaporated as if it had been steamed away, leaving behind an indelible inferiority complex of a phoenix man.

The first thing he did was bend his normally proud spine in the eyes of others and bow, saying, “Young Master He.”

“The teahouse owner’s privately hoarded Longjing Yu Tea tastes pretty good.

Try some,” He Fenghua said, lounging with one leg over the other, picking up the teapot to pour tea for Xu Weize himself.

“Thank you, Young Master He.”

Xu Weize thanked him somewhat flatteredly, aware that there were not many in the Jiangnan real estate industry who could have He Fenghua pour tea for them.

“I’ve called you here today, first, to confirm the bid price for Lv Hu Group Jiangnan Company’s phase one project in Binhe New District, and secondly, to give you some well-deserved rewards.” As Xu Weize excitedly took the tea with both hands, He Fenghua got straight to the point of their meeting.

Upon hearing this, Xu Weize, instead of drinking the tea first, set down the cup gently and said, “Please rest assured, Young Master He, I am the deputy head of the entire bidding team, the final bid was decided by our meeting, there will be no mistakes.”

“It seems you have deeply gained the trust of Su Yuxin or rather the entire Su Family.”

He Fenghua smiled contentedly; he knew that if it wasn’t for starting with a low platform, the man before him would have achieved no less than himself in the future.

But…

there are no ifs in this world.

A Mercedes driving on muddy roads, no matter how good its performance, could never surpass a Nash running on a highway, and he was certainly no Nash.

This predetermined that Xu Weize would spend his life looking up to him.

“You flatter me, Young Master He.

To gain the complete trust of the Su Family probably still requires a long way to go,” Xu Weize said modestly with a smile.

He Fenghua seemed to enjoy the sight of a grassroots elite tempering his pride in front of him and smilingly changed the subject, “If I hadn’t asked you for tea tonight, you would definitely have gone to the sports stadium to watch Zhou Xinran’s commercial performance, wouldn’t you?”

“Hmm.”

Xu Weize nodded unreservedly, much like he never hid his infatuation with Zhou Xinran in front of He Fenghua.

That infatuation penetrated deep into the bone!

“As I said earlier, the second purpose of inviting you today is to give you some rewards,” He Fenghua slowly concluded his speech.

“Uh…”

Upon hearing He Fenghua say this, Xu Weize’s heart stirred, but he feigned reluctance, “I just did what Young Master He instructed, it’s not worthy of a reward.”

“What if I said that after tonight’s performance, Zhou Xinran will be waiting for you in her room, would you refuse?” He Fenghua asked with a smile.

No answer.

The fleeting possessiveness and the unmistakable excitement betrayed Xu Weize’s true feelings, giving He Fenghua the answer he had anticipated.

“Consider this an advance reward for your unremitting efforts and unwavering loyalty over the years.”

He Fenghua leaned back in the mahogany chair, looking at Xu Weize like an emperor inspecting a vassal, and said, “Once this matter is concluded, I will give you a villa on the Qiandao Lake, Zhou Xinran will stay there at least one night a month, until you tire of her.”

“Thank you, Young Master He!”

Xu Weize stood up excitedly and bowed.

To him, a villa on the Qiandao Lake was nothing noteworthy, but…

having the woman he had been infatuated with for years lying beneath him was enough to make his blood boil.

“You deserve it.”

In contrast to Xu Weize, He Fenghua appeared calm, as if using a billion to long-term secure Zhou Xinran, a front-line star, for Xu Weize was a trivial matter.

Perhaps sensing the subtext in He Fenghua’s words, or perhaps already confident that the woman he was infatuated with would serve him like a slave tonight, Xu Weize calmed down.

It was just a moment, and he had calmed down.

There was no trace of excitement on his face, only gratitude and loyalty, “Please rest assured, Young Master He, if life is like a game of chess, I am willing to be your pawn on the board, helping you win the game!”

“Hehe…

Truly a Harvard scholar, eloquent,” He Fenghua laughed joyfully, signaling Xu Weize to take a seat with his eyes, “Though you are but a pawn now, I believe, one day, you will become the rook and cannon in my business empire.”

Xu Weize nodded vigorously.

“Alright, Zhou Xinran’s performance should end now, go enjoy her to your heart’s content,” He Fenghua waved his hand and added, “No need to worry about being followed, my people are experts in counter-tracking.”

Hearing this, Xu Weize couldn’t help but admire He Fenghua’s thoroughness—he could think of what you could think of, and even what you couldn’t!

In his admiration, Xu Weize didn’t add anything unnecessary, instead, he picked up that classic Hermes men’s bag and left the room.

“For an Xu Weize, to spend a billion, is it worth it?”

After Xu Weize had left, a woman dressed in a white cheongsam gracefully walked into the room, and started to brew tea for He Fenghua again.

Watching the enticing curves wrapped in the cheongsam, He Fenghua said calmly, “Money breeds money is the best way to make money—to make money, you must be willing to spend it, especially if it is to make more money.”

“Just like how you initially tried to win my father’s heart by spending two billion on a few broken vases?” the woman joked while she skillfully brewed the tea.

Faced with the woman’s teasing, He Fenghua smiled and remained silent.

On one hand, he knew that the woman was not mocking him but appreciating him, and on the other hand, it was because the woman before him was the only daughter of a juggernaut in the Jiangnan officialdom, and also his fiancée.

Because of this woman’s admiration, he had captured her heart, and by leveraging his exceptional emotional intelligence, he had managed to win over her father, who held immense power in Jiangnan’s officialdom, thus becoming the undisputed successor of the He Family!

Now, he and this woman named Han Jing had reached the point of discussing marriage.

“Buzz…

Buzz…”

A moment later, just as Han Jing had finished brewing tea for He Fenghua, his phone on the tea table began to ring.

Perhaps due to her absolute trust in He Fenghua, Han Jing didn’t reach for his phone, nor did her expression change; instead, she gracefully poured tea for He Fenghua.

He Fenghua picked up the phone, and his pupils slightly constricted upon seeing the caller ID.

After a thought, he answered the call in front of Han Jing.

“Young Master He, I have fine wine and beautiful women here, would you grace us with your presence?” as the call connected, Liu Qin’s seductively enticing voice came through the receiver.

He Fenghua’s expression unchanged, he replied calmly, “I like tea, not wine, and as for…

beautiful women, out of the myriad, I choose only one.”

No woman dislikes sweet nothings, and Han Jing was no exception.

Hearing He Fenghua’s half-joking compliment, a deep smile emerged on Han Jing’s calm face, radiating happiness and contentment.

She liked He Fenghua’s talent and capabilities, and even more his loyalty.

At least, since she had been with He Fenghua, she hadn’t heard of him being involved with any other women.

“Young Master He is absolutely right, compared to Miss Han, all the beauties here pale in comparison,” the voice on the phone, known as Jiangnan’s top socialite, complimented with a smile, but her smile carried a hint of sarcasm.

It seemed she had guessed that Han Jing was next to He Fenghua, and she also knew that for the past two years, He Fenghua had been playing the role of a good man just to fully step into the Han Family’s door.

After all, in her view, there are no cats that don’t steal, and no men that don’t cheat!

“Miss Liu, you didn’t call me today just to talk about the romantic moonlit nights, did you?” After the brief exchange and joking, He Fenghua swiftly moved on to the main topic.

Liu Qin paused for a moment then said, “That’s right, Master Eight wishes to lend you a hand, Young Master He.”

“Oh?” He Fenghua’s pupils constricted again, and he asked indifferently, “What do you mean?”

“Master Eight knows that Young Master He wants to trample the Su Family underfoot, and he wants to help you in that,” Liu Qin confidently revealed without beating around the bush any further.

“What kind of help?”

He Fenghua scoffed, knowing well that people like Qiao Bazhi could not be deeply trusted, yet could not be completely ignored, so he had always maintained a proper distance.

Now that Qiao Bazhi was attempting to close that distance, He Fenghua saw it clear as day—Qiao Bazhi wanted to use him to connect with Han Guodong, who held immense power in Jiangnan’s officialdom.

“As for the Su Family, Young Master He, you know it better than me or Master Eight.

Su Hongyuan is the linchpin, Su Ming has mediocre abilities and can only maintain the status quo, Su Qin has limited help mingling in officialdom to the Su family’s industry, the only one truly capable is Su Yuxin, who can propel the Su family to new heights.”

“Originally, Su Yuxin was suffering from a strange illness and the future of the Su family was bleak, but now a previously unknown rural doctor has brought her back, and Su Hongyuan sees a ray of hope, so much so that he uses a harsh tactic to put his chosen successor, Su Feiyu, in jail.

It serves both to appease Su Yuxin and attempt to toughen Su Feiyu through adversity, effectively killing two birds with one stone,” Liu Qin paused a moment, then in a heart-stirring tone said, “Master Eight’s idea is simple, indirectly make Su Yuxin leave this world—break that rural doctor’s legs, ensuring he never dares step into Hanghu again!”

“Tell Master Eight that such a victory would be hollow for me, I appreciate his good intentions,” He Fenghua said upon hearing this, disdain showing in his eyes.

“Are you really not going to reconsider?”

Although Liu Qin knew He Fenghua was always proud, she hadn’t expected him to reject so cleanly and decisively, especially since she knew that how well He Fenghua handled this matter against the Su Family would determine whether he could earn extra points in Han Guodong’s view, and whether he could proudly step into the Han Family.

“Brawling and killing are the affairs of gangsters; I am a businessman and cannot be so violent,” He Fenghua’s tone was even more disdainful, now tinged with contempt.

Perhaps sensing the contempt in He Fenghua’s tone, Liu Qin did not continue to pursue the matter out of false hope, instead, she said with an ugly expression, “If Young Master He has already made up his mind, then I won’t waste any more words.”

“Goodbye, Miss Xu.” As he finished speaking, He Fenghua didn’t wait for Liu Qin to reply and hung up the phone directly.

“What happened?” Han Jing passed the brewed tea to He Fenghua and casually asked.

“Qiao Bazhi wants to trade a small person’s legs for a favor from me.

In his eyes, my favors must be really cheap, huh?” He Fenghua laughed derisively, as if commenting on a particularly ridiculous matter.

What he didn’t know was, sometimes a minor figure might just don a cape backward and turn into a superhero!