Jiang Tian calmly nodded with a relaxed and composed expression, then smiled and said, “Long Wu, you didn’t hold back on this gift. It’s an antique. Looks like it’s from the Qing Dynasty. Have a seat!”
“That’s right, rhinos are protected animals now, you can’t hunt them…”
Only then did Long Wu dare to sit down. Beaming, he lowered his voice and said, “I called in a favor with some connections up in the Northeast. It cost me five million to get this.”
Jiang Tian gave a slight nod and placed the box on the round table beside him.
“Didn’t they come for me?”
Jiang Yangming’s face was frozen in embarrassment. He stood there dumbfounded for a good while before snapping out of it. He walked over to Long Wu, glanced at Jiang Tian with a puzzled look, and chuckled, “Master Long Wu, why don’t you come sit in the inner hall? We’ve prepared a spot for you in there. The courtyard is for the younger generation and the general guests!”
“And what if I prefer to sit here?”
Long Wu, who was so deferential and agreeable in front of Jiang Tian, immediately put on the airs of a big shot from Linzhou’s underworld when facing Jiang Yangming. He puffed out his chest and glanced at him disdainfully.
Zhou Zhenghao was even more hot-tempered, directly barking, “We don’t know you, get lost!”
“This, this…” Jiang Yangming was incredibly embarrassed, but didn’t dare to act rashly. He just stood there awkwardly.
“Forget it. Long Wu, Zhenghao, since you’re here, go pay your respects to the old man,” Jiang Tian said with a faint smile.
“Yes, Grandmaster Jiang!”
Long Wu and his two companions treated Jiang Tian’s words like a royal edict. They obediently nodded and headed towards the inner hall together.
This left Jiang Yangming standing there with a twitching eyelid, staring at Jiang Tian as if he’d seen a ghost, utterly unable to believe his eyes.
Nearby, everyone was stunned.
Long Wu was the undisputed king of the Linzhou underworld, controlling assets worth tens of billions. And yet he showed such respect to Jiang Tian, even giving him gifts.
In an instant, shockwaves rippled through everyone’s hearts. They could no longer remain calm, and murmurs broke out.
“So Long Wu actually came for Jiang Tian! Could it be that Jiang Tian has some connection with Master Long Wu?”
After paying their respects to the old man, Long Wu and his two companions left the inner hall and sat behind Jiang Tian, as quiet and well-behaved as elementary school students.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qingfeng, Jiang Ran, Jiang Banxia, Jiang Chao, and many other young people were also drawn by the commotion. They were utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.
“How does Jiang Tian know him? Could it be because of the Zhao family, the one Jiang Tian married into?” the eldest aunt asked incredulously.
“That’s very possible!”
Everyone immediately glanced at Zhao Xueqing beside Jiang Tian. A wave of envy and sourness washed over them:
“Zhao’s Pharmaceutical has really turned things around. I heard their annual sales are two billion now, even higher than the Medicine King Group. They’re at their peak. Long Wu must be here to congratulate the old man out of respect for the Zhao family!”
Inside the inner hall, Jiang Shouren and many other uncles and elders were also buzzing with discussion.
“Is that really Long Wu? How could Long Wu possibly know Jiang Tian? Could it be that Jiang Tian hired some actors?” the second aunt muttered.
“Impossible! Do they look like actors to you, with that kind of presence?”
Zhang Wanqing heard this and said angrily.
“Wanqing, say less!”
Jiang Zhixing was full of doubt and couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“Is it so insulting to think my son couldn’t know a few important people?” Zhang Wanqing was about to start an argument with the second aunt.
Fortunately, several more guests arrived, forcing everyone to go and greet them, which gradually calmed things down.
“Chairman Ye Gufeng of the Donghai Voyager Group, accompanied by Liu Zikun and Jiangzhou’s Xue Mingyi, here to offer birthday greetings!”
Just then, the announcer at the gate called out again.
“Elder Feng is here!”
“Isn’t he from Donghai? Why would he come to Jinling to wish the old man a happy birthday!?”
“The one next to him is ‘Dog-Face Kun’, right? He looks so fierce!”
“Maybe it’s because of Ye Ziwei. I heard he might…”
At the news of Ye Gufeng’s arrival, the entire venue was shocked. No one could stay seated; everyone rose and moved towards the entrance.
The Overlord of Jiangbei, Elder Feng!
What a fearsome reputation!
In recent years, Ye Gufeng had risen to become the de facto power in Jiangbei. His influence ran deep, with intricate connections in politics and business. He controlled several listed companies and held sway over both the legitimate and underworld spheres. The big shots of Donghai and Jiangzhou all submitted to him.
In Lingnan, he could sit as an equal and drink happily with mayors and party secretaries. His assets were massive, reaching the scale of twenty billion.
The mention of Ye Gufeng’s name even stirred the elders and uncles inside the villa’s inner hall.
The whole villa erupted into a frenzy, like a pot of boiling oil that had just had a ladle of hot oil thrown in.
“Elder Feng, I never imagined you would come. You truly grace our humble home!”
Even Jiang Shouren couldn’t remain calm. He quickly left the villa, his face beaming with smiles as he went forward to greet him.
He was merely a deputy departmental-level official, while Ye Gufeng was someone that mayors treated with respect on a normal day.
Ye Gufeng, standing in the center, was dressed casually in a leisure suit with gold-rimmed glasses, appearing refined and scholarly. If one didn’t know his identity, they might mistake him for a scholar buried in his books.
Ye Gufeng’s status was too high, his power too great. Not only did Jiang Shouren, Jiang Yangming, the eldest and second aunts, and other Jiang family members come out, but also many officials including the Deputy Secretary-General of the Jinling Municipal Committee came out together to greet him.
“Hehe, old man, how could I not come to offer my congratulations? I’ve come to deliver a significant gift to Secretary Li!”
Ye Gufeng laughed heartily, shaking hands smoothly with Jiang Yangming and the others one by one.
He was refined and scholarly, elegant and graceful, yet his presence was immense, commanding and natural, dominating the entire scene.
Not to mention Jiang Yangming, even the Municipal Secretary-General paled in comparison beside him.
“Even Deputy Secretary-General Lin came out to greet him. Elder Feng’s bearing is truly extraordinary.”
All the wealthy individuals present watched with fervent eyes, full of admiration and envy for Ye Gufeng.
Donghai is one of China’s special economic zone cities, a key hub for reform and opening-up, a bridgehead for economic construction. It stands alongside Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou as a first-tier city.
And in all of vast Donghai, Ye Gufeng was the richest man. Compared to him, these minor wealthy men of Jinling were like country bumpkins next to a phoenix.
“So he’s not here for Jiang Tian either! That scared me! Turns out it was a false alarm!”
Jiang Qingfeng, Jiang Chao, Jiang Banxia, and the third-generation heirs finally breathed a sigh of relief, casting a lingering, fearful glance at Jiang Tian, who was chatting intimately with Zhao Xueqing.
True, Jiang Tian was already married to Zhao Xueqing. Although Ye Ziwei had deep feelings for him, with Ye Gufeng’s shrewdness, how could he let his daughter get close to Jiang Tian?
“Excellent, excellent, Elder Feng, please, come sit inside!”
Jiang Shouren quickly made an inviting gesture, motioning for him to enter the villa.
Ye Gufeng, assuming Jiang Tian was inside the villa, was about to enter when his attendant tugged his sleeve. He then noticed Jiang Tian sitting in a corner of the courtyard.
“Everyone, please excuse me for a moment!”
Ye Gufeng, who had been heading towards the villa, suddenly changed direction. Under the shocked gaze of the crowd, he quickly walked up to Jiang Tian, respectfully clasped his fists, and smiled: “Grandmaster Jiang, we’ve found the item…”
“Grandmaster Jiang!”
At that moment, Dog-Face Kun, Xue Mingyi, and other powerful figures from Donghai and Jiangzhou all bowed respectfully to Jiang Tian and shouted in unison.
These were men of the underworld, regional bosses. Their collective shout was incredibly imposing. An immense pressure swept across the entire venue, silencing the entire courtyard. Dead silence.
This overwhelming momentum, sweeping across everyone present, made the hearts of the wealthy attendees leap with a mix of shock and fear as they stared at Jiang Tian.
The entire venue was shocked!
Just moments ago, everyone was chatting and laughing. But now, no one could make a sound. Their eyes were wide as saucers, their hearts pounding as if they might leap from their throats!
Jiang Shouren’s smile froze on his face, vanishing completely.
Jiang Yangming’s eyelid twitched, his eyes bulging so wide they seemed ready to pop from their sockets in disbelief.
“What’s going on?” Jiang Chao’s mouth hung open, revealing the half-eaten candy inside.
“What did he call Jiang Tian… Grandmaster Jiang?” Jiang Banxia’s mind was in turmoil.
Even if the Zhao family was doing well, it didn’t warrant such deep respect from Ye Gufeng, or even such behavior from Long Wu and the others. Could it be that all of this was because of Jiang Tian?
In that moment of realization, all one could hear was the mournful cry within their own hearts. Could it be that I’ve been wrong about Jiang Tian all along?
“Oh, put the item down. Go meet my parents and the old man!”
Jiang Tian said with a lazy smile, waving his hand.
Ye Gufeng nodded, then walked up to Jiang Zhixing and his wife. Clasping his fists apologetically, he smiled:
“Brother Zhixing, Sister Wanqing, thank you for taking care of Ye Ziwei all these years. I, Ye Gufeng, will surely repay you handsomely one day!”
“I see!”
“So Ye Gufeng isn’t here for Jiang Tian, but for Jiang Zhixing and his wife!”
“I heard Ye Gufeng is well-connected in all three cities of Jiangbei. Long Wu was probably acting out of respect for him earlier, too!”
Seeing this, everyone let out a long sigh of relief, thinking they understood, and inwardly scolded themselves for making such a fuss over nothing.
Previously, the father-daughter relationship had been strained, and Ye Gufeng didn’t interact much with the Jiang family.
Now that they seemed to have reconciled, it was perfectly normal for Ye Gufeng to thank Jiang Zhixing and his wife for raising his daughter and to come and congratulate the old man.
Ye Gufeng and his entourage, accompanied by the crowd, entered the inner hall to offer birthday greetings and chat with the old man.
Inside the courtyard, however, calm could not be restored. Many people looked towards Jiang Tian with expressions vastly different from before.
“Brother Qingfeng, it seems we’d better try to get along well with Jiang Tian from now on. After all, Ye Ziwei is his sister! And now Ye Gufeng is here!”
Jiang Chao’s gaze towards Jiang Tian now held a hint of fear.
Jiang Qingfeng made no comment, maintaining his composure, his eyes fixed deeply on Jiang Tian as if lost in thought.
But Jiang Banxia snorted disdainfully:
“Hmph, so what if he’s close to Ye Gufeng? It doesn’t change the fact that he’s a useless good-for-nothing! The future hope of our Jiang family still rests on my brother. How can relying on outsiders lead to lasting success?”
“But why did Ye Gufeng call Jiang Tian ‘Grandmaster Jiang’ and show him such respect? That doesn’t seem like how you’d treat someone from the younger generation!”
Someone else voiced their confusion.
But this point was overlooked by Jiang Banxia and Jiang Qingfeng, drowned out by the noisy chatter.
They simply assumed Ye Gufeng was treating Jiang Tian’s family with such courtesy out of respect for his daughter, and didn’t believe Jiang Tian himself had any outstanding qualities.
Less than five minutes after Ye Gufeng entered the inner hall, the announcer at the gate called out again:
“Master Tang Guozhu of the Linzhou Tang family, accompanied by his beloved sons Tang Hongtu, Tang Weimin, Tang Wannian, and his virtuous granddaughter Tang Linglong, here to offer congratulations!”
The Linzhou Tang family!
The news spread like a Category 12 typhoon, throwing the entire venue into chaos.
It was even more shocking than Ye Gufeng’s arrival!
Tang Hongtu held a key position in the General Staff Department and had just been promoted to Major General. Tang Weimin had just been appointed Party Secretary of Guangzhou and a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee – a true regional satrap, a figure who might one day ascend to the very pinnacle of the Republic’s power pyramid…
It could be said that the entire Tang family, over the past year, had been on the rise, reaching their zenith.
“Elder Tang and General Tang are here!”
Inside the inner hall, Jiang Ran was the first who could no longer stay seated. His eyes burning with fervor, his face flushed with excitement, he abruptly stood up.
