At the same time,
Bin Chen, Zhi Xu, Hong Zhang, and Elton Leng—four old men—were gathered together playing mahjong.
Not far away, a beautiful young woman was playing the guzheng. An elegant fragrance wafted from the incense burner, filling the entire hall with aroma and the refined tones of classical music.
The four old men played with varied expressions.
Elton Leng had now completely stepped back from the front line. He no longer held any control over the Qingfeng Group.
The other three had expected him to be deeply discouraged.
A man who had craved power so intensely, reaching his age only to be stripped of authority by his own daughter—by all reasoning, he should have been furious, despondent, and even left hollow and ashamed, like a walking corpse.
Yet, contrary to everyone's expectations, Elton Leng turned out to be the most lively one there today.
Bin Chen, playing his tiles, glanced up slightly. His eyes sneakily swept over the other three, a cold smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.
Zhi Xu rubbed a tile between his fingers, brows tightly furrowed. On the surface, he seemed to be studying his hand, but in reality, his mind was occupied with matters and pondering people.
He lifted his head and glanced at Hong Zhang and Bin Chen. He wasn't as smug as Bin Chen, instead appearing very serious.
As for Hong Zhang, he was different from the other three.
He didn't look at anyone—didn't try to read anyone's expression or gaze. But though his eyes weren't watching, his mind never stopped thinking.
What Elton Leng was thinking at that moment was: Now Qianfeng has stabilized.
Who would have thought that Fyren would be so loyal? I thought the Leng family was just a usable asset to him; Eliza was merely a pawn on his chessboard.
But unexpectedly… This time, Fyren truly gave without asking for anything in return.
I don't know what came over me—at my age, I nearly made a terrible mistake over a woman. How utterly shameful.
Fortunately, the outcome is the best possible.
Not only does Eliza hold over half the shares of the Qingfeng Group, but she also hasn't been devoured by these three old foxes, nor has she been sidelined.
It's all thanks to Fyren!
I misjudged the situation!
I misread him!
Fyren—that kid is really fucking righteous.
I've gotten old. I'm so muddled even I can't stand myself.
It seems Fyren's feelings for Eliza are genuine. He's not some greedy,野心勃勃 (ambitious) figure.
The future of Qianfeng may very well rest on these two young people.
Thinking of this, Elton Leng smiled faintly and played a tile, deliberately feeding Hong Zhang.
Hong Zhang laughed heartily: "Haha, great tile! I'll take it!"
Zhi Xu chuckled.
"Elton, now that you've retired, has your mahjong skill retired too? Feed him like that a couple more times, and Hong's going to win!"
Elton Leng laughed aloud: "Ah, I'm old and useless now. Really had no idea he needed this tile. What a terrible move."
Zhi Xu smirked coldly, rearranging his tiles while pondering.
This old fox!
Based on the tiles he played earlier, there was no way he would've played this one. It's clear he never intended to win this round.
He absolutely fed that tile on purpose!
His daughter received a huge favor from Hong's son—I heard he sold some unprofitable small company in the suburbs for 30 billion!
If it weren't for Fyren, Qianfeng would probably be being dismembered and swallowed up right now.
Bin Chen was silently calculating in his heart.
Hong Zhang is now riding high, basking in his son's success.
That kid Fyren has been stirring things up, and somehow actually managed to revive that shantytown project.
But does he really have enough money to keep pouring into it later on?
Still, if this project actually succeeds, it could really turn a profit down the line—maybe even make a fortune!
Thinking this, Bin Chen also played a tile.
Hong Zhang was immediately overjoyed: "Pung! Haha, the last one, Bin!"
Bin Chen deliberately said with a laugh, "Well, you… you didn't pung the last one, but you had to pung this one from me?"
Hong Zhang also laughed: "Didn't have a pair back then! Two Circles."
What Hong Zhang was thinking was completely different from the other three.
I'm done for!
All three of their daughters have been messed around with by my son at my place!
Right now, this hasn't gotten out yet. If someone were to leak this and let these three find out, they'd probably have zero interest in playing mahjong anymore.
They'd be coming after me instead.
I've got to keep up the act! Just keep a straight face and pretend to be totally focused on the tiles!
Once these four rounds are over, I'll pull a strategic heart attack and hurry home.
Elton Leng, now retired to a backseat role, was the calmest among them.
He then fed another tile to Hong Zhang: "Eight Character."
Hong Zhang was thrilled: "Chow!"
"Wait a second!" Zhi Xu said, "I pung."
Hong Zhang pretended to be displeased: "Why didn't you pung the last one?"
"I feel like punging this one now."
Zhi Xu thought to himself: These two are both feeding you tiles, but I'm just not going to let you have your way.
Others might fear you, Hong Zhang, and think your son is something—but I'm not afraid!
Bin Chen could tell, and so could Elton Leng: Zhi Xu was picking a fight!
Zhi Xu deliberately brought up a topic, pretending to arrange his tiles casually:
"Hong, your son's really on a roll lately. I heard he's making some big moves. That kid's got something. I tell you, he's definitely going to surpass you one day."
"Hey, I'm semi-retired now. He can do whatever he wants. I'll just play mahjong, drink tea, grow flowers, keep birds—live the good life, haha!"
Zhi Xu narrowed his eyes, staring at the old fox Hong Zhang, and said with a smile:
"How come there's no news about your Fyren and Eliza's engagement ceremony? Shouldn't it have been held last month normally?"
Then he glanced at Elton Leng.
Elton Leng looked at his tiles, utterly calm: "Hey! These kinds of matters… adults better not interfere. Let them handle it themselves. But I really think that kid Fyren has talent."
Bin Chen laughed: "Hey now, I heard it was you, Elton, who personally called off the engagement!"
"Tactics! Those were tactics!" Elton Leng said. "The engagement ceremony can happen anytime! If they want, it could be tomorrow! Those two, heh… they really do look like a couple."
Elton Leng didn't feel ashamed at all. Instead, he seemed excited and proud as he said:
"This round, I've lost for sure! Young people these days are too sharp! That pair pretended to have a falling out and even dragged me into their game. Next thing you know, they're as close as can be, and damn it, I'm out of the picture. Haha, who can you even complain to about that?"
"Hahaha, not out of the picture—just taking a break!" Hong Zhang quickly chimed in with something nice: "Actually, everyone knows Eliza is more capable than anyone. My Fyren can't compare to her. Eliza has vision; Fyren is always hung up on small change."
"That's not right! This time, your Fyren has made quite a stir!" Zhi Xu said.
"Him? Hmph. I'd be thanking heaven and earth if he doesn't lose all my money."
Elton Leng thought for a moment: "I've heard that a lot of girls have taken a liking to Fyren lately. Tsk tsk tsk. Oh, and I also heard that recently Cora and Xena have been getting pretty close to Fyren too?"
Bin Chen and Zhi Xu both looked at Elton Leng, immediately displeased.
Hong Zhang was very nervous.
It's not just "close"… it's more like… they've all fucking been inside!
Hong Zhang quickly explained: "Ah, well, they've always played together since they were kids! It's normal, totally normal. Let's just play cards."
Zhi Xu looked at Elton Leng: "My Xena is different from your kids. Your kids are talented; my Xena is just a doctor. Xena, the famous physician of Northlandia—these past few days she went south to perform three surgeries. Her flight back is tonight."
Zhi Xu played a tile and said dismissively: "Doctors and entrepreneurs think differently. Their perspectives aren't the same! She hates capitalists. Think having a few bucks means you can marry my daughter? Hah, dream on!"
Hong Zhang swallowed hard, thinking to himself: That was aimed at me.
He stared at his tiles, grinning awkwardly and scratching the corner of his mouth, pretending not to understand, pretending it had nothing to do with him.
Bin Chen also chimed in quickly: "My daughter is even less that kind of person. I know what she's like. Once she sets her mind to something, there's no turning back—she'd go through hell and high water to do it!"
That was exactly what Elton Leng wanted to hear from them!
He was getting excited now!
Good! You two are completely blind!
You still think Fyren is a piece of shit, don't you?
Still acting all noble and high and mighty, huh?
Well then, Fyren is as good as my son-in-law!
Elton Leng immediately slapped the table: "Well said, you two! I think what you said is absolutely fucking right! A jewel like Xena—she's a talent for all of Northlandia, no, the entire Mainland! She's got to find someone from the same background. Maybe a doctor, or a pharmacist."
"And Cora—don't even get me started! That girl has had a mind of her own since she was little. After she and Fyren broke up back then, she hardly contacted him for three years. That kid has spine!"
Then he shifted his tone: "But my Eliza is different. She's withdrawn, doesn't mix well. Since she was small, she hasn't really socialized much with this group. But I genuinely took a liking to that boy Fyren. If Eliza ends up with Fyren… Ah, really, Hong, why don't our two families settle this one of these days? What do you say?"
Hong Zhang was so embarrassed he could've dug a hole with his toes.
"Huh? Ah, haha! Good, good, good! I genuinely like Eliza. That girl is beautiful! Those celebrities on TV with all their makeup—none of them are as pretty as Eliza. And Fyren has feelings for her too."
Then Hong Zhang also shifted his tone: "But this matter… we still need to think it over carefully. At the very least, we have to consider the kids' opinions. Elton, if Eliza agrees later, don't you go changing your mind! Haha!"
Hong Zhang was saying whatever sounded good—the subtext was lowering his own status to save face for the other.
What he meant was: I agree! My son would be more than willing! I'm just afraid your Eliza might not be interested!
But the core message was: Let's see about those two; I haven't quite figured out the situation yet.
My son is currently sinning all over the place!
As for which family's daughter will end up most unfortunate, I honestly can't tell yet.
Elton Leng wanted to nail this down.
After all, he was still the former chairman of the Qingfeng Group!
His mind was plenty sharp. He immediately said:
"Good! Old Hong, with those words of yours, I'm relieved! You agree, I agree—later we'll ask the kids what they think. If they have no objections, we'll start preparing on our end!"
"Hahaha! Zhi, Bin, you'll have to come for the wedding drinks!"
Such artistry in speech.
First, he locked down Hong Zhang's words.
You agreed! And so did I!
Later, if the two kids are on the same page, you won't be able to hem and haw anymore!
As for that time I called off the engagement—water under the bridge!
Besides, inviting Zhi Xu and Bin Chen to the wedding celebration had a core message:
You were both here today, you both heard everything clearly! So don't try to steal my son-in-law later!
Zhi Xu and Bin Chen were both old foxes who'd been around for a thousand years. So what if they understood?
Would we use our daughters to fight you for that troublemaker Fyren!?
What are you even thinking?
Hong Zhang thought to himself: I can't stay here any longer; this could turn deadly.
Just then, Elton Leng grabbed Hong Zhang's wrist: "How about this, Hong? Call him right now—we're all here. Put it on speaker! Ask your son directly what he thinks! How about it?"
Hong Zhang was stunned.