On July 5th, various luxury cars entered and exited the gates of a white grand hall in the center of Liuyang City.
Dozens of Bodyguards in black suits stood at the entrance.
Inside a blue luxury SUV, Chen Xingwen, dressed in a black Tang suit, watched the cars queuing to enter the parking lot.
He remarked with emotion, "It's truly lively. No matter what, this is a grand gathering for Liuyang City's business community."
Chen Yeliu, wearing a long black gown, sat beside him, looking at the familiar faces in the vehicles.
The car entered the parking lot, and the two walked towards the hall not far away, protected by Bodyguards.
Inside the hall, long tables laden with various delicacies were set up, and many men and women in luxurious, high-end attire stood chatting.
Smiles occasionally appeared on their faces, and waiters carrying trays weaved through the crowd.
As Chen Xingwen appeared, someone immediately noticed him.
A Middle-aged Fatty in a white suit quickly approached with a smile, "Oh, I didn't expect Old Master Chen to also attend this evening party. I thought it was Young Miss Chen who came."
As he spoke, he nodded and greeted Chen Yeliu, who was beside Chen Xingwen.
Chen Xingwen also smiled, "A Wen, what kind of talk is that? Old Master, I am also a person. The Liuyang City business community hasn't had a gathering in so many years. Now that someone has finally organized one, of course I'll come to join the fun."
Several more people came over to greet them at the banquet.
Not long after, a man wearing glasses and a casual blue suit walked in.
The Middle-aged Fatty A Wen saw this and said, "Old Master, Young Miss Chen, Lei Xiangchen is here."
Chen Yeliu turned to look at the man with glasses, "I heard that a company Lei Xiangchen invested in recently had a product that sold out, earning two hundred million in just a few months. His foresight is truly sharp."
"Speaking of which, where is An Conghao? Why isn't he present at his own banquet?" Chen Xingwen scanned the hall but didn't find An Conghao.
A Wen waved his hand, "I don't know what he's up to; I haven't seen him since I arrived."
Just as everyone was discussing, a rugged-looking middle-aged man in a floral shirt and white shorts, with a woman draped over his left shoulder, swaggered in arrogantly.
Behind him were more than a dozen Bodyguards, a grand entrance that drew everyone's attention in the hall.
The man scanned the hall, and upon not finding An Conghao, he showed annoyance, "An Conghao has such airs! He doesn't even come out to greet me when I arrive."
A Wen looked displeased, "This Shi Qingtong really knows how to put on a show. Isn't it just good luck that he took on a big official project and made some money?"
"It's not just 'some money'; I heard he made tens of billions. And that project was even snatched from An Conghao. He was just lucky, allowing his net worth to double," another man chimed in, his eyes full of jealousy.
"I didn't expect An Conghao to invite even him," Chen Yeliu mused, watching Shi Qingtong enter the hall.
Shi Qingtong was originally a real estate boss with a net worth of several billion, who had been suppressed by An Conghao to the point of being unable to breathe.
He suddenly rose during an opportunity, his net worth exceeding ten billion. After his rise, he constantly opposed An Conghao. Whenever An Conghao opened a new property, he would immediately follow suit and open one nearby to compete, engaging in price wars, which led to their relationship becoming almost like fire and water.
"Hahaha, President Shi, wasn't I busy? How could I have time to greet you!" Just then, a loud laugh came.
An Conghao, in a red suit, was accompanied by a handsome, aloof-looking man in a white shirt and gray trousers.
This man's appearance was precisely what Jiang Yan had transformed into using his Weaver of Illusions ability.
Shi Qingtong didn't speak when he saw this, merely smiling.
'Just make money, but you invited me here. I'll expose you then!' His eyes flickered; as long as An Conghao didn't make money, he would be happy.
An Conghao ignored him and walked directly towards the front of the banquet with Jiang Yan.
An assistant handed him a microphone.
Dong! The lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, leaving only a few small lights, and the attendants began to withdraw.
Only the podium where An Conghao stood was lit in the entire banquet hall. He looked at the gazes of everyone present and spoke.
"I believe you all want to know why I, An Conghao, called everyone here today. I won't keep you in suspense any longer."
"Has it started?" Below, Chen Xingwen, Chen Yeliu, Lei Xiangchen, Shi Qingtong, and others perked up, eager to hear what he would say.
An Conghao's lips curled up, "I wonder if any of you have heard of or encountered Awakened Ones."
As soon as he spoke, the crowd below began to discuss.
"Awakened Ones?" Many below looked puzzled; some of them had never even heard the term, feeling as if An Conghao was talking about something from a movie.
Chen Xingwen, however, looked thoughtfully at An Conghao, "Could this kid have come into contact with those beings?"
Chen Yeliu and A Wen, hearing this, turned their heads curiously and asked, "Old Master, are there really Awakened Ones? Isn't it all just rumors?"
Chen Xingwen looked at them and replied without hesitation, "Yes, I, the Old Master, have seen them twice decades ago, but they rarely interact with us ordinary people; they are basically from a different world."
"Grandpa, you really have seen them?" This time it was Chen Yeliu's turn to be shocked. She had seen videos before, but like normal people, she dismissed them as special effects or fake videos.
Chen Xingwen ignored his granddaughter and instead looked at An Conghao above, wondering what he was up to.
Not far away, Shi Qingtong, embracing his female companion, sneered, "This An Conghao is truly crazy, to actually use something like this to deceive people."
His female companion in his arms also chimed in, "Hahaha, darling, if all your rivals have such brains, then the Liuyang City real estate industry will eventually be yours to lead."
An Conghao waited for the crowd to discuss for a while before continuing, "I know many of you won't believe me when I say this, but I will make you believe."
Saying that, he turned to the side of the podium and respectfully said, "Mr. Jiang!"
It was then that everyone present noticed the handsome, aloof-looking man in the white shirt and gray trousers standing there.
Originally, those people thought he was either a junior or a subordinate following behind, but it seemed he had a very significant background.
Jiang Yan walked calmly towards the podium. Before he could speak, someone below couldn't hold back.
When Shi Qingtong saw Jiang Yan's youthful appearance, he felt he could no longer restrain himself and wanted to expose him.
He looked at An Conghao and shouted, "An Conghao, it's one thing if you're an idiot, but do you think everyone else is an idiot too? Bringing such a young pretty boy to hold a meeting for us, have you lost your mind?!"
As these words came out, although everyone present showed no change in expression, their hearts were all in a state of watching a show, wanting to see how An Conghao would resolve this farce.