66: Chapter 66 Small Place

Hand in hand with Zhang Tao, they walked a full circle around the venue.

After being lovey-dovey for a while longer, it was already afternoon.

The guests invited by Manager Li arrived one after another.

At this time, Zhang Tao was actually not busy.

Most of the people coming were local entrepreneurs or wealthy second-generation heirs from the capital.

Manager Li had to handle the socializing personally.

Zhao Jian stood beside Zhang Tao, nudged her gently with his shoulder, and whispered:

"There are so many young talents here; is there anyone you fancy?"

She looked over, gazing at Zhao Jian with a playful, smiling glint in her eyes.

Then, she leaned close to his neck.

Whispering into his ear, she said, "There is."

There is?!

Zhao Jian was shocked inside. Even though his rational side analyzed that Good Older Sister couldn't possibly have a change of heart,

his internal worry only increased rather than decreased.

At the same time, he thought to himself: *Damn it, I've been played by this woman!*

Zhao Jian kept a straight face, stiffly turned his head away, and whispered back:

"Who is it? Tell me so I can vet them for you."

"Let me tell you, these rich guys are heartless playboys. You have to look carefully—who knows how many mistresses they might be keeping in their villas!"

"Who is it that you like?"

Zhao Jian pricked up his ears to listen.

He didn't hear a sound; instead, soft, red lips pressed against his cheek.

In the instant his heart skipped a beat, he felt warm breath against his ear:

"You, of course."

When he turned his head, he met Zhang Tao's clear, smiling eyes.

Zhao Jian was so captivated that he couldn't bear to speak, fearing he might ruin this incredibly beautiful moment.

But even if he didn't ruin it, someone else did.

He heard Manager Li call out: "Taozi, come over and pour a drink for Manager Shangguan for me."

Shangguan? Shangguan Mingyan?

Hearing those two words, Zhao Jian immediately recalled today's intel.

This was the very person who caused Zhang Tao to end up in the hospital.

Although it hadn't happened yet, that didn't stop Zhao Jian from holding a grudge in advance!

He grabbed Good Older Sister, who was about to go over, and signaled for her not to go.

"Manager Li is calling me. I'll be right back."

Do you think you're Guan Yu? "Right back," indeed!

If you go, you'll end up in the hospital!

However, Manager Li paid a very high salary and trusted Zhang Tao quite a bit.

It could be considered a debt of gratitude for recognizing her talent.

Zhao Jian couldn't force her to stop, so he had to let go and follow her.

"Taozi, Manager Shangguan says you two have had some misunderstandings. Offer him a drink. I believe Manager Shangguan is a magnanimous man and won't hold it against you."

Manager Li took a glass of sparkling wine and handed it to Zhang Tao.

"Hey, Manager Li? That's not right. Who uses a soft drink for a toast? Switch to baijiu!"

Most of the people standing beside Shangguan Mingyan were corporate representatives who relied on Hanhai Group for their livelihood.

They had long since noticed that Zhang Tao had offended the Shangguan family.

Jeering at this moment was just a way to curry favor with Shangguan Mingyan.

If Zhang Tao were sensible and backed down,

Shangguan Mingyan would naturally play the good guy and stop her from having to drink it.

If she didn't know what was good for her, then it would be one drink after another until she drank herself to death right here!

But their calculations were wrong.

Zhao Jian blocked the way and said, "Drinking sparkling wine is indeed not right!"

Shangguan Mingyan thought this was just a lackey coming to pledge loyalty, and he smiled disdainfully.

Too many people tried to suck up to him. People from a small place like Xiong City wanting to become his underling through flattery? Not good enough!

However, Zhao Jian's next sentence made his smile freeze on his face.

"Why would you drink when you're injured? Just use air as a substitute for wine to show the gesture."

Shangguan Mingyan's underlings were quick to react.

"She must drink!"

"That's right, what kind of air-substitute nonsense is that? Where did you come from? This has nothing to do with you!"

"People from small places really have no class. Poor mountains and treacherous rivers breed unruly people."

"Get out of the way, will you?"

Their voices were loud; the whole venue could hear them clearly.

There were not only second-generation heirs from the capital here, but also local powerhouses of Xiong City.

Although their family businesses couldn't compare to the companies behind the heirs,

they didn't rely on them for a living either.

Immediately, some locals stood up to object:

"Isn't that a bit uncalled for?"

"There are people with high class and low class everywhere; you can't paint everyone with the same brush!"

"I think those few are the ones with the lowest class, yelling and screaming."

"Kick those stinking outsiders out!"

It looked like the two sides were about to get into a fight.

Manager Li had a splitting headache.

She hurriedly tried to mediate, trying to prevent the conflict from escalating.

But Zhao Jian hadn't finished retorting yet; he didn't want to take a step back only to get angrier the more he thought about it.

"Where did I come from? Go home and ask your grandma."

Manager Li slapped her forehead—it was over.

She had finally managed to calm these heirs down, and with one sentence, Zhao Jian had riled them up again.

The banquet had turned into a circus.

Especially the heirs from the capital, who didn't know Zhao Jian, could only widen the scope of their attacks, desperately belittling and insulting Xiong City.

This, in turn, caused dissatisfaction among the local bosses of Xiong City.

The argument gradually developed into regional discrimination.

"Enough!" Compelled by the situation, Manager Li yelled frantically.

The whole room instantly went quiet.

She was the organizer; everyone had come to the banquet out of respect for her.

At this moment, they naturally didn't want to disregard her face and continue arguing.

Seeing everyone quiet down, Manager Li let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she glared fiercely at Zhao Jian.

She thought to herself that it was this guy who had almost ruined her big plans!

"Everyone here is a distinguished guest I invited, and a person of status. Perhaps you will cooperate with each other in the future and make money together. You are all business people, so please keep some decorum!"

The main reason they could argue was because they had no intersection.

The funding source for local enterprises in Xiong City was local banks and a few local investment companies.

Capital money rarely flowed into this place.

Since they had no vested interests, they naturally wouldn't leave any face for the other side.

"We have no ill will toward the local entrepreneurs of Xiong City." Shangguan Mingyan raised his glass, gesturing to Manager Li and the other bosses of Xiong City.

Then he continued:

"Having traveled thousands of miles at Manager Li's invitation to attend this banquet, we have not only given enough face but also brought enough sincerity. We have brought a piece of news, news regarding the investment direction for the next five years!"

After he finished speaking, he waited for everyone to cast surprised, eager, and fawning gazes at him.

But there were none.

There was one thing they hadn't been wrong about: Xiong City was a small place.

The local, home-grown enterprises were mainly based on manufacturing.

A small number of trading companies also relied on local manufacturing to survive.

When you talked about the investment direction in the capital, their first thought was: *None of my business.*

Manager Li was one of the few whose eyes lit up.

Others didn't understand, but she knew.

The direction of the capital's investment circle for the next five years not only meant profitable areas in the investment industry,

but also guided the booming development of manufacturing in those fields.

Whoever they invested in would be able to make money.

Zhao Jian understood too, but he didn't care.

If he had to rely on sucking up to some wealthy second-generation heir from the capital to get second-hand information in order to make money,

then what was the point of having a system!

So, he faced Shangguan Mingyan directly and softly spat out two words: "Moron."

Shangguan Mingyan's face turned black.

He hadn't even participated in the insults and attacks, so why was Zhao Jian cursing him in such a roundabout way?

Why was he so direct with him?

Too vulgar!

What was even more hateful was that Zhao Jian had said such vulgar words.

Yet Zhang Tao, standing behind him, not only didn't show a shred of disgust,

but she also grabbed Zhao Jian's hand and praised him affectionately: "Well cursed! You're amazing, little brother!"