As Zhuang Keluo drove into the parking lot outside the sports center, he was spotted by someone on the eighth floor.
That person used high-powered binoculars to see him clearly, noticing Zhuang Keluo and Lu Chen chatting intimately inside the burgundy Lamborghini.
The man's face immediately darkened, and he said fiercely, "Damn it, Zhuang Keluo actually brought that kid along! Brother Jin, you have to help me think of a way to get back at him! I got beaten up so badly!"
As he spoke, he lowered his binoculars, revealing his bruised and swollen face.
This man was none other than Shangguan Mingbo!
He angrily yelled at a young man sitting on a nearby sofa.
The man, around thirty years old, had a buzz cut, and a chiseled face with distinct features. He exuded a sinister aura, making him appear somewhat like a wild beast. His eyes were small, almost slits, but a razor-sharp light shone through them.
Few dared to look directly into such eyes.
Clearly, he was a martial arts practitioner, at least level four.
He had a curvaceous woman in his arms, wearing a tight-fitting, revealing miniskirt that exposed most of her fair breasts, the deep cleavage seeming to welcome any man's advances.
She nestled against the man called Brother Jin, peeling a banana and gently feeding it to him.
Around them sat three or four men, all dressed in designer clothes, their faces radiating arrogance, yet also carrying a faint scent of excessive drinking and womanizing.
They all looked at Shangguan Mingbo's pig-like face with amusement.
Behind them stood several burly men in suits and sunglasses. Their muscles were solid, their aura fierce; they were clearly either thugs or bodyguards.
The man called Brother Jin glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows and vaguely saw the Lamborghini. A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth, a sinister glint in his eyes. He slowly said, "Mingbo, are you sure that kid named Lu Chen, Hu Yifei said he's Beibei's boyfriend, and Zhuang Keluo said he's her boyfriend too?"
"No mistake!" Shangguan Mingbo's eyes flashed with jealous and venomous light. "Damn, does this kid know some kind of love potion? He's got two young ladies hooked, vying to be his girlfriend?"
"Oh ho, that's really interesting!" A tall, slender young man dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, a typical playboy, slapped his thigh. "To have the daughters of two of Yunzhou City's biggest families fall for him, I must have misheard, right?"
His words were laced with a mixture of mockery and astonishment.
Shangguan Mingbo looked at him, a hint of ingratiation in his eyes: "Young Master Shen, you heard me right. The sleeping potion might not be real, but I reckon that kid is just too good at sweet-talking, and he's got good luck, so he's got those two girls completely bewitched. Humph, those little bastards are the most despicable!"
He then looked at Brother Jin: "Brother Jin, we absolutely must stop him from being so arrogant. Luo Luo is completely infatuated with him and ignores me. And Bei Bei, we can't let her be seduced by that kid! If Bei Bei really falls for it, I reckon a lot of the Shangguan family's assets will fall into that kid's hands!"
He swallowed hard and continued, "Then it will be a threat to you. So, we must take precautions and nip his scheme in the bud!"
This Shangguan Mingbo, a good-for-nothing who indulges in pleasure, is quite adept at sowing discord.
His words caused everyone present to become thoughtful, their faces showing wariness. Except for the young master Shen from earlier. He seemed quite relaxed, gazing at the lush green football field outside the window, as if it were none of his business.
Of course, it really had nothing to do with him.
This young master Shen was named Shen Hong, the same young master Zhuang Keluo had mentioned to Lu Chen earlier—the heir from Qingyang City, Longjiang Province, and the owner of the Yongda Football Team.
The people around him were all playboys from the Shangguan family.
Of course, saying they were all playboys wouldn't be accurate. For example, there was Brother Jin, whose full name was Shangguan Jinwang. He was completely different from Shangguan Mingbo, considered a leading figure among the younger generation of the Shangguan family.
The old man, Shangguan Yingneng, had two younger brothers. Shangguan Mingbo was on the third brother's side, while Shangguan Jinwang was on the second brother's side. He managed two rare earth mines, one tin mine, and one jade mine for the Flying Eagle Group. His greatest achievement was purchasing advanced equipment, which significantly increased mining output and expanded the market.
Therefore, many of the Shangguan family's children followed his lead without question.
After a moment of silence following Shangguan Mingbo's words, everyone started chattering:
"Mingbo's right. That kid Lu Chen is seeing Zhuang Keluo and Beibei at the same time. He's definitely up to no good and has some ulterior motive. We need to find out!"
"If he succeeds, I reckon he can squeeze a lot of benefits out of our Shangguan family! Forget everything else, just take Beibei's Flying Eagle Biotechnology—that's our Flying Eagle's sunrise industry!"
"Yeah, he beat Mingbo up so badly; he clearly doesn't respect us. Look, even Beibei is siding with that kid. We have to teach him a lesson!"
...
Shangguan Jinwang raised his hand, stopping everyone's chatter.
He smiled faintly. "I've heard about Lu Chen too. To become the research director of Flying Eagle Biotechnology, he must have some skills. Don't underestimate him."
"Skills what!" Shangguan Mingbo said fiercely. "I bet he just used some trick to drug Beibei and get her the research director position! Everyone knows how important this position is. How could a young man in his twenties have that kind of ability?"
These words sparked another round of malicious speculation and mockery directed at Lu Chen.
"Enough! Quiet down! Do you all enjoy making Young Master Shen laugh at you?" Shangguan Jinwang said coldly.
Instantly, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone looked at Shen Hong. He seemed not to have heard anything, only a hint of mockery on his face as he leisurely gazed out the French windows, appearing remarkably relaxed.
Shangguan Jinwang surveyed the surroundings, his voice growing even colder.
"First, I want to warn everyone that if you think Beibei is not to be underestimated, then don't think you can underestimate Lu Chen. Beibei started her own biotechnology company before she was even twenty. Which of you could do that? Is she the kind of person who would casually give the most important position in a company to someone incompetent?"
"Second, today is not the time to talk about this. Have you forgotten today's game? Today's game is extremely important. It's not just a crucial match between us and that kid Zhuang Sicong, but also a chance to make big money. You all have your own tasks. If this delays you, don't blame me for being impolite!"
This reprimand silenced the Shangguan family scions, who all lowered their heads.
Shen Hong clapped his hands, making the group even more embarrassed, especially Shangguan Mingbo.
Shangguan Jinwang looked at him coldly and said, "Mingbo, if you have the ability and want revenge, I'll support you. But wait until after this match, and don't cause any further trouble, understand?"
Shangguan Mingbo quickly agreed, looking as if he dared not disobey.
Shangguan Jinwang nodded with satisfaction, clearly somewhat pleased with his own authority. He thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, you also have a way to get some revenge, but I don't know if you can do it."
Shangguan Mingbo's eyes lit up immediately: "Brother Jin, what way?"
The people around him also put on an attentive listening expression.
Shangguan Jinwang chuckled, "Simple. Aren't we betting on the game? If you can lure that kid Lu Chen in and have him bet with you, wouldn't that be incredibly exciting?"
"Awesome!" Shangguan Mingbo's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh:
"Brother Jin is amazing! We've got this game covered! I'm going to bet with him, haha! If he doesn't dare, I'll laugh at him mercilessly! If he does dare, I'll make him lose everything. So satisfying!"
He was practically dancing with excitement.
Shangguan Jinwang said sharply, "Betting is betting, but if anyone leaks our secret, well, don't blame me for being ruthless. Did everyone hear that?"
Everyone responded enthusiastically.
Shangguan Jinwang looked at Shen Hong, a hint of eagerness in his voice, and said, "Young Master Shen, are all the experts here?"
Shen Hong nodded, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
He looked up at the sky and chuckled, "What a beautiful day!"
Shangguan Jinwang also looked up and smiled, "Yes, perfect for winning!"
Meanwhile, Zhuang Keluo parked the car and led Lu Chen into the elevator, going up to the ninth floor.
Upon reaching the ninth floor, Lu Chen's eyes lit up.
Not bad at all. A row of floor-to-ceiling windows faced the stadium. There were also rows of semi-circular sofas facing outwards. Quite a few people were already seated, enjoying coffee and wine while watching the game.
Many young people were moving around, including several wearing football jerseys.
Lu Chen immediately understood: this was a place for wealthy people to watch the game, much more luxurious than any ordinary seating area. It was set up like a café, truly high-class.
Zhuang Keluo was quite well-connected here and highly respected.
Almost everyone who passed her would respectfully call her "Miss." Zhuang Keluo gave a casual reply, then patted Lu Chen's chest and said nonchalantly, "My boyfriend, you can call him Brother Chen!"
The others were all surprised, glancing at Lu Chen, then at the obvious hickeys on Zhuang Keluo's neck, and couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. Of course, they all respectfully called him Brother Chen.
Once the two had walked away, the noise carried.
"When did Miss get a boyfriend? That's strange."
"Yeah, I thought Miss didn't like men."
"Haha, is this the legendary Mr. Right? That Brother Chen is quite charismatic, he's a good match for Miss."
"I wonder which family's young master he is, I don't think I've seen him in Yunzhou City."
"Anyway, they must be deeply in love, look at Miss's neck, it's all turned into hickeys."
...
Zhuang Keluo began to introduce the place to Lu Chen. Because of this ball game, her cousin Zhuang Sicong had booked the entire nine floors, invited many people to watch, and brought a lot of people to help.
The eighth floor downstairs was booked by the Shangguan family.
As she spoke, she stomped her foot on the floor and chuckled:
"That Shangguan Mingbo is downstairs too. He originally came from here with me to pick you up. What an annoying guy, just imagine, you're stepping on him, wouldn't that be great?"