207: Chapter 208 One Million for Five Minutes! Even Big Players Have to Follow the Rules and Throw Real Money

Chen Fei pushed open the door to the second-floor restroom and stopped in front of the mirror above the vanity.

He reached up to straighten the tie of his haute couture suit and took a deep breath.

When he looked up again, the trace of respect and excitement that had been in his eyes while speaking with Shen Du had completely vanished without a trace.

All that remained was a hint of feigned difficulty and a shrewdness that spoke of deep cunning.

If you're going to act, you have to play the whole part.

Returning to the corner of the first-floor hall, Chen Fei pulled out his chair and sat back down.

This time, he didn't take the initiative to pour drinks for everyone as he had before.

Instead, he furrowed his brows slightly, leaned heavily back against the chair, and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the solid wood tabletop.

The smile on his face had completely faded.

Kim Cheon-sik was quite the shrewd operator.

He keenly sensed the shift in Chen Fei's aura—a sense of being "kept at arm's length"—and his heart immediately tightened.

He quickly leaned forward slightly, probing, "Mr. Chen, what did you find out? As for Mr. Shen..."

"Mr. Kim, let me be honest with you."

Chen Fei sighed, picked up the whiskey on the table—which had already become somewhat diluted by melting ice—took a sip, and said in a grave tone:

"The person you want to see has a threshold that is simply too high.

The level of security around him and the confidentiality of his schedule are not things that can be broken through just by throwing money at them.

This matter is difficult to handle."

Upon hearing the words "difficult to handle," a flash of undisguised disappointment instantly crossed the faces of Kim Cheon-sik and his several Korean assistants.

However, just as they thought all hope was lost, Chen Fei suddenly changed his tone.

"However..."

Chen Fei set his glass down heavily on the table with a dull thud, his gaze fixed on Kim Cheon-sik like a hawk:

"Since you've asked, Mr. Kim, even if it means risking offending people, I, Chen Fei, will force a path open for you!"

Kim Cheon-sik's eyes instantly lit up, and his breathing quickened slightly: "Mr. Chen, do you mean..."

"Three days from now, Mr. Shen will be coming to the Yonglu Tingquan Pavilion to handle some private matters."

Chen Fei deliberately lowered his voice and leaned forward, creating an atmosphere of extreme confidentiality and pressure:

"I can find a way to delay him on the way, creating an 'absolutely coincidental' opportunity for you to meet.

But at most, at the very most, I can only secure five minutes for you.

Any longer, and my cover will be blown."

At this point, Chen Fei narrowed his eyes, a mercenary, wolf-like smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth:

"Five minutes, that is my limit.

I just don't know if Mr. Kim can afford the risks and costs involved in this..."

The air froze at that moment.

However, faced with this almost blatant shakedown by Chen Fei.

Kim Cheon-sik didn't hesitate at all, nor did he waste a single word trying to bargain.

It was as if he had been prepared all along.

He reached directly into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a cash check that had already been prepared.

He placed both hands on the table and solemnly pushed it toward Chen Fei.

"Mr. Chen, this is a bearer check for one million RMB. Consider it a down payment; you can cash it at the bank at any time."

In Kim Cheon-sik's eyes flickered an almost fanatical determination to succeed:

"As long as I can sit and talk with Mr. Shen for those five minutes three days from now.

Once the matter is settled, I will immediately pay you the remaining four million!"

One minute, one million!

Looking at the thin check on the table.

Even for Chen Fei, who was accustomed to seeing big scenes, his pupils contracted imperceptibly.

For a high-level executive of a multinational conglomerate like Kim Cheon-sik, five million might not be a crippling sum.

But in this kind of "gray intelligence bureau" with no tangible contractual guarantees.

Being able to promise five million in one go, and throwing down a one-million deposit without batting an eye, was absolutely rare!

These Koreans were truly fucking determined!

"Straightforward!"

Chen Fei was secretly shocked, but on the surface, he naturally folded the check and casually tucked it into his suit pocket.

He nodded in satisfaction and set the final rules: "Three days from now, when he arrives, I will call you."

"But I'll say the ugly things first: you only get this one chance.

If you miss those five minutes because you didn't seize the opportunity... I, Chen Fei, will still keep the money!"

"That is only right!"

Seeing Chen Fei accept the money, Kim Cheon-sik felt not a hint of pain, but instead let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted:

"As long as I can see Mr. Shen, I will bear all consequences myself!"

After accepting the check, Chen Fei didn't linger in the booth any longer.

He stood up, casually buttoned his suit jacket, and gave a slight nod to Kim Cheon-sik.

Leaving behind the words, "Mr. Kim, wait for the good news."

He then turned and left without any hesitation, quickly disappearing into the deep, decadent shadows of the hall.

Not until Chen Fei's back was completely out of sight did the suffocating pressure in the booth finally dissipate.

A young Korean assistant accompanying him wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking at the empty spot on the table with a face full of confusion and worry.

"Director Kim..."

The assistant lowered his voice and asked cautiously in Korean, "You didn't even make him sign a receipt just now, and you just gave him that one-million bearer check.

What if this local snake takes the money and runs, or simply can't get the job done? Wouldn't we have lost this huge sum for nothing?"

Hearing this short-sighted remark from his subordinate, Kim Cheon-sik did not get angry.

He picked up the glass of whiskey in front of him, where the ice ball had half-melted, and a mocking smirk curled the corners of his mouth.

"Saying you haven't seen the world really isn't doing you an injustice."

Kim Cheon-sik shook his head.

He reached out a finger and tapped lightly on the Macallan whiskey bottle on the table, which was only a little less than half full, producing a crisp sound against the glass.

"Do you know what kind of liquor this is?"

Several assistants looked at each other, shaking their heads in bewilderment.

Although they usually accompanied executives to social events in Seoul, how could they recognize such a top-tier collection piece that was usually kept out of reach?

"This is a fifty-year-old Macallan collection single malt whiskey."

In Kim Cheon-sik's eyes, there was a deep sense of wariness and awe:

"In top international auction houses.

This kind of vintage liquor, in this condition, is not only priceless but even the starting bid would definitely not be less than one million RMB!"

"Hiss—"

Upon hearing this, the young assistants all collectively gasped.

They abruptly lowered their heads.

Looking at the crystal glasses in front of them that they hadn't finished drinking yet, their hands trembled, and they nearly knocked them over.

That small sip they had swallowed just now to bolster their courage was actually worth tens of thousands of RMB?!

Watching his subordinates look terrified.

Kim Cheon-sik coldly gave them their first lesson in this top-tier vanity fair of the Magic City:

"Someone who can casually take a bottle of famous liquor worth a million from their wine cellar.

And without batting an eye, use it to treat strangers—an 'underground emperor'..."

Kim Cheon-sik's gaze passed through the amber liquid as he looked into the depths of the hall, his tone carrying an incomparable clarity and trembling:

"Do you think he has any need to cheat me for a mere one-million RMB down payment?

To ruin his all-powerful reputation in Shanghai?"

The Korean assistants instantly woke up as if from a dream.

Stunned by Chen Fei's terrifying background and stature, they were left speechless, and even their breathing became cautious.

Kim Cheon-sik set down his glass, while deep in his eyes, an unprecedented, fanatical gleam flickered.

If even a "white glove" working on the front lines could possess such terrifying financial power and vision.

Then just what kind of bottomless, earth-shattering power must that Mr. Shen, who stands behind him and is worshipped as a god by the entire Shanghai business circle, wield?

This five-million-yuan stepping stone was absolutely worth it!