Chen Kezong sighed, his expression a mixture of wanting to let go and being unable to.
Li Jingjing continued, "Chen Shuxian did indeed anger the Chen family, but that's in the past. Who told her to give birth to such a good daughter, and who told her that Zhao Qiang would take a liking to her? This was our Chen family's only chance and link to get closer to Zhao Qiang. Now you're turning away this link. Aren't you senile?"
Chen Weimin couldn't help but say, "Li Jingjing, don't forget who our enemy is."
Li Jingjing said, "Uncle, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Your vision is too short-sighted. Do you want to see our southern technology stagnate? Do you think that will allow us to distance ourselves from the enemy? Hmph, in the end, we may have distanced ourselves, but the result will be that we will soon be defeated by the enemy."
Volume 2 [539] Snacks
【539】Snacks
There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. The so-called North-South faction conflict is ultimately about interests. Why did Chen Kezong invite people from the North to his birthday banquet? It all comes down to interests; he needed their support.
After being scolded by his niece, Chen Kezong became much more sober. In fact, his initial intention was to use Chen Xinxin to win over Zhao Qiang and to use Zhao Qiang to enhance the technological strength of the South. However, he strayed further and further from the right path. This was partly due to Chen Guangmin's nagging in his ear. However, Chen Kezong was not the kind of person to shirk responsibility, so he would not turn around and scold his son.
Chen Guangmin poured cold water on Li Jingjing's enthusiasm: "It's not that your grandfather wants to shut them out, but their behavior is shameful to the Chen family. What kind of style is that? They're just country bumpkins, smashing and destroying things everywhere, completely disgracing the Chen family."
Li Jingjing glanced at her brother, Li Zhongyuan, and said, "Second Uncle, I think we can't deny that there might be other reasons for this. If you want to see the specific results, I can go down and investigate. What do you think, Grandpa? Although my scouts aren't as good as Yang Shiqi's, they can still investigate a small fight without any problem."
Chen Kezong remained silent, while Chen Guangmin said, "If you hadn't mentioned that transvestite surnamed Yang, things would have been fine. They were also leading the way in leaving the venue. Isn't this making things difficult for our Chen family?"
Li Jingjing asked, "Second Uncle, what do you think they came for?"
Chen Guangmin said, "For what? Of course, it's to celebrate your grandfather's birthday."
Li Jingjing snorted, and Chen Kezong said, "Do you really think they can give an old man like me that much face? Now it's me who needs their help, not the other way around. Although the virus has been suppressed in big cities, it is still spreading in rural areas. Our military industry also needs super batteries. In addition, our economy is being infiltrated by them little by little. If we don't maintain good relations, we will be the ones who suffer in the end."
Chen Guangmin muttered resentfully, "If that's the case, why did they even come here?"
Li Jingjing said, "Of course it's because of Zhao Qiang."
Li Zhongyuan said, "Now that Zhao Qiang has been turned away, what are they still doing here? So naturally they have to leave."
Chen Kezong waved his hand: "Guangmin, go and find Chen Xinxin and Zhao Qiang and have them attend the birthday banquet."
Chen Guangmin still wanted to argue: "But they..."
Chen Kezong said, "No buts, I've accepted them, mother and daughter." He was indeed a decisive old-generation proletarian communist.
Chen Guangmin said, "I don't know where they are. Let my older brother go find them."
Chen Kezong snorted coldly: "This is the task I gave you. If you can't find them, don't come back. Go out and start your own business like your elder brother. Come back to the Chen family only if you satisfy me. Otherwise, stay outside forever."
Chen Guangmin's expression changed drastically. He didn't have his elder brother's courage and opportunities. If he had a beautiful daughter, he might still have a chance. Otherwise, he could forget about it. So he could only complete the task his father had assigned him to find the person.
Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin were discussing where to eat. Chen Xinxin seemed a little downcast, so Zhao Qiang asked her, "Are you still thinking about the Chen family's affairs?"
Chen Xinxin said, "Yes, I feel uncomfortable because I couldn't make a scene at Chen Kezong's birthday banquet. I feel like I was looked down upon."
Zhao Qiang said, "The matter is not yet at its final conclusion, it's a bit premature for you to draw that conclusion now."
Chen Xinxin pointed to her watch and said, "It's almost 11:30. Is this not the final result? I bet everyone has already taken their seats and started eating."
Zhao Qiang said, "If I say it's not the ending, then it's definitely not the ending. Turn off your phones."
Chen Xinxin said, "It's been closed for a while. Should I call my mom and ask?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No need, let's go to the food street ahead and grab a bite first."
Chen Xinxin hugged Zhao Qiang's arm: "Okay, but you have to treat me. It's your fault for making an inaccurate prediction."
This snack street isn't famous, but the food is fairly authentic. Just as Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin sat down, a wealthy woman with a pet dog came over. She sat down next to Chen Xinxin, and the dog rubbed against Chen Xinxin's legs, leaving shed fur on her clothes. The dog's nose was sniffing between Chen Xinxin's legs, and it even seemed to be sniffing further down her thighs. And it was a male dog! What a bad habit. Who knows if it's used to sniffing its owner?
Chen Xinxin is a clean person and doesn't want the dog to spy on her most private parts, so she said, "Excuse me, could you please pull the dog away?"
The wealthy woman glared at Chen Xinxin. "If you don't like staying here, you can leave. It's not your home. I can let the dog stay wherever I want."
Chen Xinxin disapproved of the wealthy woman's attitude and said, "How can you be like this?"
The noblewoman shouted, "What have I done? What have I done? Give me a reason!"
Chen Xinxin said, "No one cares if you keep a dog, but it's wrong for your dog to rub against me. I'm just reminding you to pull it away, is that alright?" Chen Xinxin was relatively good-tempered today; if it were yesterday, she would have started a fight.
The food stall owner came over and kept winking at Chen Xinxin and Zhao Qiang. Seeing that Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin were unmoved, the food stall owner could only say, "Gentlemen, please leave. I don't serve you here."
Chen Xinxin got even angrier: "Why? It's not like we're not going to give you money."
The food stall owner said, "I won't serve you even if you pay double. Go away, go away," and then pushed people out.
Zhao Qiang remained seated: "You need to give us a reason, otherwise we won't leave."
The food stall owner said, "This lady is the owner of this stall on our street. Do you understand now? Hurry up and leave, don't cause me any trouble. I still want to continue working here."
The wealthy woman smugly taunted Chen Xinxin, and her pet dog, emboldened by its owner's presence, barked twice and even rubbed against Chen Xinxin's socks. Chen Xinxin didn't dislike dogs; she just didn't want to get her clothes dirty. Coupled with her bad mood and the woman's deliberate provocation, she kicked the dog. The dog yelped, rolled on the ground, and then hid behind the woman, tail between its legs, too ashamed to show itself.
The wealthy woman leaped over and slapped Chen Xinxin, yelling, "You've gone too far! How dare you hit my dog? I'll beat you to death!"
Zhao Qiang grabbed the lady's wrist and said, "That's enough. Your dog is just like you, a bully who takes advantage of its master. If you tie the dog up, nothing will happen."
The noblewoman scolded, "You've had enough of living, tying you up to the side? Beating my dog on my turf? You should consider the owner before beating a dog. You're in trouble now."
Zhao Qiang shoved the wealthy woman aside and then said to the stall owner, "Give us two bowls of braised meat." This snack stall served authentic Shandong cuisine, and Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't try it before leaving.
Seeing the wealthy woman's face flushed with anger as she pulled out her phone to make a call, the shopkeeper waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I'm not selling to you. Get out of here, get out of here, don't drag me down with you."
Zhao Qiang said, "If you don't sell to us, I'll smash your stall right now, do you believe me?" As he spoke, Zhao Qiang punched the iron pipe supporting the sunshade next to him. The iron pipe, which was slightly thinner than the rim of a cup, immediately bent, and the sunshade above his head swayed a few times. The owner was so frightened that he could only say repeatedly, "I'll sell to you, I'll sell to you." Then he went to get the snacks.
"Menzi" is a starchy dish. It's cut into small pieces, fried in an iron pan until a hard outer skin forms, and then served with sesame sauce and garlic sauce. Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin had never tasted this before, so they insisted on eating a bowl before they were satisfied. In fact, they were also partly motivated by their commotion yesterday. After all, they had already caused so much trouble, what's one more? Besides, it wasn't Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin who started this; this rich woman was just bullying people on her own turf.
Before Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin had even finished eating half of their meal, more than a dozen people arrived in Jinbei vans. The wealthy woman pointed at Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin and said, "That's them."
The shop owner was so frightened that he immediately ran away, abandoning his stall. This showed how intimidating these people were. These dozen or so men, carrying rubber batons and iron pipes, looked menacing; their mere presence would scare most people away. Unfortunately for them, Zhao Qiang was no ordinary man, and Chen Xinxin already knew they were no match for him. So, the two of them remained unmoved and continued eating their braised meat. Chen Xinxin even commented, "The taste is really good, but the garlic sauce gives it a slightly off-putting smell."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't worry, I don't mind. As long as we like it, that's fine. By the way, speaking of which, I just remembered something. We need to develop a better chewing gum and mouth spray that can completely eliminate the odor from all kinds of food. It should eliminate it from the stomach, not just cover it up."
Chen Xinxin said affectionately to Zhao Qiang, "You're so kind to me and Zhao Lingzhen. As for developing the chewing gum, you're in charge."
Zhao Qiang chuckled. Being praised by girls was certainly a good thing; it meant he had successfully won their hearts.
The wealthy woman was trembling with anger when, just then, her pet dog, oblivious to the situation, ran up to her, trying to win her affection. It rubbed itself against her legs, getting even more fur on them. The woman kicked the dog, which yelped and rolled on the ground a few times before staring at its owner from a distance with pitiful eyes, not understanding what was wrong with her.
A dozen men surrounded Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin, pointing an iron rod at Zhao Qiang: "Kid, you're pretty arrogant, come out." These men didn't want to hurt Chen Xinxin yet, after all, she was a beautiful girl, and the men all felt reluctant to harm her.
Just as Zhao Qiang was about to stand up, several more cars stopped in the distance. Since vehicles couldn't get into the food street, they got out of their cars and ran over. Initially, the group that the wealthy woman had summoned thought they were her accomplices coming to help, but after looking back, they didn't think so. Unsure of the situation, they weren't in a hurry to attack Zhao Qiang and watched as the group rushed over.
"Little Xin Xin, Zhao Qiang, it's so nice to see you here! We've been looking for you for ages!" The leader of the group said with a mix of delight and politeness.
Zhao Qiang put down the braised meat in his hand and glanced at it: "Oh, it's Young Master Chen."
Chen Xinxin asked, puzzled, "Which Young Master Chen?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's Chen Yaohui, the eldest son of your second uncle's family."
Upon hearing that it was someone from the Chen family, Chen Xinxin's face first flashed with brief surprise, then returned to normal. She was happy because, just as Zhao Qiang had predicted, the Chen family had come to invite her to the birthday banquet, which meant she would have a chance to cause trouble.
(Thanks to the Royal Ancient God, D**ID Asking Heaven for their generous donations, and to Sasha's Lover and Lone Goose = Dead Monthly Tickets for their support.)
Volume 2 [Chapter 540] I am your brother
[540] I am your brother
Chen Yaohui grinned and said, "Xin Xin, my little sister?" Chen Yaohui was older than Chen Xin Xin.
Chen Xinxin turned her face away; she couldn't be bothered to talk to Chen Yaohui. Just by looking at his face, she knew he was no good.
Chen Yaohui was quite persistent, and continued to turn around to face Chen Xinxin, "Xinxin, don't you recognize me?"
Chen Xinxin said coldly, "Who are you?"
Chen Yaohui said, "I am your brother Yaohui, your second uncle's Yaohui. This is probably the first time we have met, but I felt a special connection with you the moment I saw you, just like when I saw my eldest uncle."
Chen Xinxin said, "Let me make one thing clear: I have no relation to you. Don't try to claim kinship with me."
Chen Yaohui was so angry he was grinding his teeth. He thought that countless people wanted to curry favor with him, but now even those who tried to flatter him were ignored.
Suppressing his anger, Chen Yaohui said to Chen Xinxin, "You are my uncle's daughter, that's an inescapable relationship, it's not about whether you admit it or not, isn't it Zhao Qiang?" Chen Yaohui decided to find a breakthrough from Zhao Qiang, but Zhao Qiang just snorted and didn't respond to him at all.
Chen Yaohui was at a loss. He was both angry and anxious. He was angry that Chen Xinxin had embarrassed him, and anxious because his father had given him a deadline. If he didn't complete the task, he would be kicked out of the house. The Chen brothers relied on the Chen family for their livelihood. Although Chen Kezong had stripped them of their power, they were still financially secure. If they were kicked out of the Chen family, not to mention whether those they had offended in the past would take advantage of their misfortune, who would provide for their future luxurious lifestyle? Therefore, he had to complete the task.
He immediately spotted a group of people standing around him, looking completely dumbfounded. There was also a wealthy woman with her pet dog, staring at him with a dazed expression, as if she'd seen a once-in-a-lifetime handsome man. Chen Yaohui jumped up: "Damn it, where did this wild dog come from? Beat it up!"
Chen Yaohui didn't bring many men, but the Chen family's bodyguards were all highly skilled. Just two of them were enough to handle the group of thugs wielding rubber batons and iron pipes, taking down half of them before they could even get into a fighting stance. Although the group didn't recognize Chen Yaohui, they saw the impressive license plate of his car and none of them dared to really fight back. They scattered in all directions, leaving only the wealthy woman standing there dumbfounded.
Chen Yaohui stepped forward and kicked the wealthy woman in the stomach. Judging from his kicking posture, he was quite agile. As he kicked, he cursed, "**Mother, you dare to bully even someone from the Chen family! Die!"
The wealthy woman had no power to resist. She was kicked to the ground and cried out, "Oh my god, what bad luck I've had! I can't take it anymore! Just kill me!" This was a typical tantrum from a shrew, but Chen Yaohui wasn't buying it. He stepped forward and kicked the woman repeatedly with his leather shoes, yelling, "Damn it, you don't know what's good for you! You want to die? I'll grant your wish!"
Chen Yaohui was kicking with gusto, which allowed him to vent his pent-up frustrations. Meanwhile, more people arrived. The group of young men who had come to deal with Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin earlier had already notified the wealthy woman's husband. Fearing for his wife's safety, he rushed over. He had encountered his scattered men at the intersection earlier and knew things had changed, so he hurried even faster, shouting from afar, "Stop!"
Chen Yaohui, tired from kicking, stopped and looked up. He snorted, "Little sister Xin Xin, let your cousin avenge you."
The wealthy woman scrambled to her feet and staggered towards her husband: "Husband, save me!"
The newcomer was somewhat surprised and stared at the noblewoman who had gotten up from the ground, asking, "Who are you?"
The noblewoman said, "I am your wife."
The newcomer took two steps back. Her appearance was completely different from the elegant lady she had just been. Not to mention her husband, even Chen Xinxin and Zhao Qiang, who had witnessed the beating, found it hard to accept. This showed just how vicious Chen Yaohui was.
The wealthy woman threw herself at the newcomer: "Husband, I... I've been disfigured! You must avenge me!"
The newcomer screamed, "I will never let him get away with this!"
Chen Yaohui snorted coldly and said to the bodyguard, "Take care of him too, to avenge my sister Xinxin."
The bodyguard stepped forward and grabbed the wealthy woman's husband. The man quickly scanned the scene, staring at Chen Yaohui with extreme shock. Everyone in Shanghai knew how famous Chen Yaohui was. Although he had never seen him in person, he had often seen him in rumors and photos. Cold sweat poured down the wealthy woman's husband's forehead. His earlier boasts vanished instantly. He cried out, "Young Master Hui, it's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Put me down!"
The bodyguard hesitated, and as soon as he loosened his grip, the lady's husband broke free. Instead of taking the opportunity to run away, he took two steps forward and knelt down in front of Chen Yaohui with a thud: "So it's Young Master Hui who has arrived. I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly." As he spoke, the lady's husband began to slap himself repeatedly. Chen Yaohui glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, still letting out a disdainful snort.
The wealthy woman's husband gritted his teeth, suddenly pulled a dagger from his waist, placed his hand on the table where they were eating braised meat, and with a swift motion, cut down. A finger rolled to the ground, and blood gushed out. The wealthy woman fainted from fright, letting out a scream as she collapsed to the ground.
The wealthy woman's husband gritted his teeth and pinched his wound, saying, "Young Master Hui, I'm sorry, please forgive me." A street thug like him could be arrogant and domineering in front of ordinary people, but in front of Chen Yaohui, a Shanghai tycoon, he was nothing. This was why he was trying so hard to atone for his sins. If Chen Yaohui gave the order, even if he didn't die, he would be sentenced to ten or eight years in prison on some pretext.
Chen Yaohui said, "I didn't get enough of beating your wife just now. You've interrupted my enjoyment. You'd better deal with it yourself."
The wealthy woman's husband immediately rushed to his unconscious wife, grabbed her, and began slapping her repeatedly. Surprisingly, he woke her up. Seeing that the person hitting her was her husband, the woman was stunned: "You...you're crazy?"
The wealthy woman's husband roared, "Are you crazy? You actually dared to offend Young Master Hui? Do you have a death wish?"
The noblewoman was slapped until blood and foam came out of her mouth, but the man still didn't dare to stop. Chen Yaohui ignored them and went straight up to Chen Xinxin and said, "Little sister, I think you've calmed down a bit. Why don't you come with me to Grandpa's birthday banquet? It would be impolite not to go on such an important day."