At this moment, out of the corner of Qin Siyang's eye, he saw Yan Ran walking toward him from the reception hall.
Yan Ran had arrived at the reception hall early with Zhao Longju and the others.
At first, Zhao Longfei had been worried that Yan Ran's cold and aloof appearance was an act, and that she might actually be the type who liked running around making connections and currying favor with others.
To prevent her from disrupting the order of the venue, he had Zhao Longju keep a close eye on her the whole time.
But from beginning to end, she had simply sat quietly in an inconspicuous corner, like an ice sculpture.
Earlier, when Qin Siyang had been chatting with Zhao Sifang inside the reception hall, he had almost failed to notice her.
Yan Ran's efforts to make herself as inconspicuous as possible showed that she had a very clear understanding of her own position. The reception was a gathering of the big shots of the Safe Zone, while she was only a minor figure.
Now that she had come outside to look for Zhao Longfei, she must have something to discuss.
Yan Ran walked over and first nodded to Chu Xiaoang in greeting, "Commander Chu."
Chu Xiaoang looked Yan Ran over and said, "You're… You look familiar, but I can't remember for the life of me."
Zhao Longfei smoothed things over by introducing her, "Commander Yan's daughter, Yan Ran. She was also invited to attend today's Crystal Coin launch."
"Oh! Right! Right! Yan Ran! Look at my memory. I'm getting old and really can't remember things anymore," Chu Xiaoang patted his head and said with a smile, gesturing toward Yan Ran, "The last time I went to the Yan Legion, you were still a graceful young girl. And now, just like that, you've become a formidable female general."
Yan Ran smiled, "You flatter me, Commander Chu. I'm not a great general who commands an entire legion like you. I'm only a Sequence brigade commander."
Chu Xiaoang nodded, "You two talk. I'll go inside first."
Zheng Mubian and Zheng Cong also temporarily took their leave of Zhao Longfei and followed Chu Xiaoang.
Zheng Cong activated the conversation privacy screen, "Father, why didn't commander talk with Yan Ran?"
Zheng Mubian shook his head, "What's there to talk about with some little girl?"
"She got an invitation from the Zhao family, which means the Zhao family thinks highly of her. The Yan Legion is a complete mess right now. Shouldn't we invest in a potential winner?"
"Invest? The Yan Legion is currently scattered into more than a dozen forces. Without a war, there's no chance of unifying them again, and if they go to war, the United Government will definitely intervene. So what's the point of investing?"
"But the Zhao family…"
"The Zhao family has a layer of merchants' skin. We don't. The Yan Legion is ten thousand miles away from us. Getting involved in their affairs would simply waste time and resources. Besides, a divided Yan Legion is much more beneficial to us than a powerful, unified Yan Legion. Let them fight among themselves."
Zheng Cong's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Father is right!"
Listening to the father and son's conversation, Chu Xiaoang sighed, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness, "Zheng Cong is becoming more and more mature in the things he considers. He's so young, yet he already has the bearing of a great general, steady and strategic. Unlike my son, who fools around all day, doesn't apply himself to anything, and has not even the slightest bit of seriousness in him… Sigh!"
As he said this, his gaze unconsciously passed through the open doors of the reception hall and landed on Chu Baxing.
He had originally hoped that his son would be able to shoulder the burden, allowing the Chu family's wealth, reputation, and power to pass peacefully into Chu Baxing's hands. But now, it seemed that all he could do was sigh.
Zheng Mubian was just about to say a few words to comfort his old friend when a sudden commotion came from inside the reception hall. Immediately afterward, Chu Baxing shouted again, "Third Brother Hu, are you done yet?"
The moment Chu Xiaoang heard this, his expression became dark. He immediately rushed into the reception hall, taking three steps in two.
"What kind of ridiculous nickname are you giving Saint Hu?", Chu Xiaoang pointed at Chu Baxing and cursed the moment he entered, "What if an outsider hears you? Won't they say you're 'insulting someone else's faith'? Do you believe they could tie you up in a matter of minutes?"
The commotion in the reception hall quickly died down, but Qin Siyang figured Chu Baxing was going to suffer today.
Zhao Longfei looked at Yan Ran beside him, "Brigade Commander Yan, is there something you need?"
"Principal Zhao, I used the establishment quota of a Sequence regiment to obtain this invitation. I did so so that I could represent the Yan Legion at this Crystal Coin launch and negotiate on behalf of the Yan Legion. You should understand that, right?"
"Of course. That's the basic understanding."
"I'm glad you recognize that. I just received word that my elder brother, Yan Xiaowu, came here together with Wei Rulai, the commander of the Wei Legion. He'll probably be attending the Crystal Coin launch as well."
Zhao Longfei frowned when he heard this, "Is that so? Wei Rulai didn't tell me anything."
"Principal Zhao has extensive connections. I'm sure a little asking around will be enough to verify what I've told you."
Zhao Longfei looked ahead, "There's no need to verify it."
"Hm?"
"Wei Rulai is here."
Qin Siyang was stunned for a moment, "Principal Zhao, you can even monitor where he is?"
"Monitor my ass! Don't slander me outside, kid!"
"Then how did you know?"
"See that flashy pink vehicle? That's his ride. There's only one like it in the entire Safe Zone."
As soon as Zhao Longfei finished speaking, the roar of an engine came from the distance.
Qin Siyang looked ahead and, sure enough, saw a bright pink motorcycle with a sidecar speeding toward them.
The vehicle was extremely ostentatious. Besides its exaggerated pink color, it was covered in graffiti, as if it had been specially customized by some street artist.
Screech!
After a sharp brake, the motorcycle came to a stop.
A tall man in his forties jumped down from the driver's seat. His appearance was nothing remarkable, but several strands of his jet-black hair had been streaked yellow, making them particularly eye-catching.
His outfit was just as exaggerated as his ride. A large silver hoop hung from each ear, and he wore sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. He was dressed in a metallic-looking black sleeveless leather jacket, black ripped jeans, and a pair of black tactical boots. The whole person looked like some senior veteran from the underground rap scene.
Yet several strings of Buddhist prayer beads hung from his wrists.
The strange combination made it impossible to tell what exactly he was supposed to be.
Wei Rulai took off his sunglasses, pressed his palms together, and bowed with a smile, "Oh? Second Boss Zhao, what a grand setup today! Congratulations!"
This performance made Qin Siyang curl his lip.
At the same time, Wei Rulai's gaze also wandered over Qin Siyang, sizing him up.
Zhao Longfei put on a warm smile, "Commander Wei, long time no see. You look younger than ever."
"Haha! I guess it's because of my hair color! They all say that after I streaked these few strands of yellow hair, I look especially young!"
Qin Siyang sneered inside.
With that outfit and that way of getting around, he looked just like one of those young people riding flashy motorcycles back in the pre-apocalypse days. No wonder he looked young.
"All right, Second Boss Zhao, we're all old acquaintances. I won't disturb you while you're greeting guests outside. I'll head in first."
"Commander Wei, wait."
Zhao Longfei stopped Wei Rulai with a smile, the corner of his eye catching a glimpse of a young man following behind him.
"Don't rush inside. Good food is worth waiting for. I still have something I'd like to discuss with Commander Wei."