158: Inner Struggle

The soldier patted his shoulder and said approvingly, "Not bad, you're exactly my type. How about a drink sometime?"

"That would be my honor," Xu Ning said.

The soldier laughed heartily, "Remember, young man, my name is Golovdev. Don't forget our agreement."

Golovdev turned and returned to the car, preparing to lead his troops away. Xu Ning glanced at Miss Tanya in the rain, then called Kadeyafu over.

He quietly gave him a few instructions, telling him to take Grigory back to Malyshev to handle affairs, while he himself planned to return with Miss Tanya for the dinner.

He didn't want to miss the opportunity for an in-depth conversation with Mr. Makarov, especially regarding the cooperation with Nikolaev Shipyard.

Ivanyafu, who had been standing silently by the side, walked over as everyone was preparing to leave and knocked on Xu Ning's car window.

The window slowly rolled down, revealing Xu Ning's surprised expression.

"What's wrong?" Xu Ning asked.

Ivanyafu took a deep breath, "I'm a straightforward person and don't like to beat around the bush. To be honest, I don't like you, but this time I have to thank you. Thank you for saving Kadeyafu and the others' lives."

After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Xu Ning through the car door and said, "Xie Xie."

Xu Ning was stunned, clearly not expecting such a situation. He muttered to himself, "Isn't the sun rising from the west? Ivanyafu actually said Xie Xie?"

However, Xu Ning could feel the other party's sincerity, so he smiled and said, "You're welcome. We are partners."

Xu Ning started the car and drove away, leaving Ivanyafu standing there alone, his eyes revealing complex emotions.

On the way back, the rain gradually lessened, and the jeep's protective cover was retracted. The assistant sitting next to him finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Boss, what's this car called? You didn't make it yourself, did you?"

"Who else would it be if not me?" Xu Ning glanced at the assistant, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's give it a name... Let's call it 'Lingxi'."

When Xu Ning and the others returned to the hotel, it was already near dusk. After learning that he was safe and sound, Mr. Makarov prepared the dinner as promised.

Xu Ning changed into the formal attire placed on the bedside, tidied himself up a bit, and prepared to attend the banquet. As he went downstairs, he muttered to himself, feeling puzzled by the high artistic taste of these outwardly rough people.

Despite thinking this, Xu Ning politely greeted Miss Tanya, who was already waiting, and then got into the black volga sedan prepared for him.

Just as he was about to close the door, Tanya stood at the entrance, looking at him with a hint of reproach, "Mr. Xu, this isn't the behavior of a gentleman."

Xu Ning was startled, immediately realizing his lapse in etiquette. He quickly moved inward, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He had originally thought they would take separate cars, but he didn't expect to share a car. Tanya maintained her composure and intelligence, gently tugging at her knee-length skirt and elegantly settling into the car.

Under the illumination of the lights, her slender legs were particularly eye-catching. Xu Ning's gaze lingered for a moment unconsciously, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to look out the window.

As they drove, Xu Ning always felt that Tanya's gaze towards him was somewhat unusual, as if there was some special meaning hidden in her eyes. The feeling was like a fierce beast encountering its prey, with a strong sense of pressure.

Every time their eyes met unintentionally, Xu Ning would involuntarily get goosebumps.

He swallowed hard, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, not wanting to show his uneasiness.

He didn't understand why Tanya was treating him this way, after all, there wasn't much interaction between them. Could it be that his talent had attracted her attention?

Xu Ning shook his head, trying to dispel these distracting thoughts and calm his mood. Soon, the car arrived at the venue where the banquet was being held.

As soon as the car stopped, a waiter quickly stepped forward to open the door for them. After Tanya got out first, Xu Ning followed.

When he looked around, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. This was actually the same ballroom where he had first met Talia. Was this the only place in Hulifuka that could host banquets? Xu Ning couldn't help but wonder.

Tanya pushed up her glasses and, seeing Xu Ning standing there in a daze, said, "Please follow me. Mr. Makarov is already waiting for us inside."

"Ah, okay, thank you for the trouble," Xu Ning nodded in response and followed closely behind her.

Upon entering the banquet hall, before Xu Ning could observe his surroundings carefully, he heard Mr. Makarov's loud voice, "Oh, my dear friend, my future partner, it's so good to see you safe and sound."

Mr. Makarov walked towards him and gave him a warm hug.

Xu Ning quickly returned the greeting, "It was just good luck. I'm also very happy to see you again."

"You are too modest, Mr. Xu."

"Heh heh, you flatter me."

"Actually, I didn't do anything special."

"Oh? Is that so?" Mr. Makarov raised an eyebrow and said playfully, "But I heard that the jeep you drove that time was quite special. Not only did it have iron horns on the front, but it also had a heavy machine gun mounted on the roof. It was truly imposing."

"Our Captain Golovdev was envious and kept pestering me to get a car like that too."

Only then did Xu Ning remember that at the time, he was focused on interrogating Grigory and completely forgot to put away the heavy machine gun on top of the Rhino car and the armor on the front.

But he quickly adjusted his emotions and said with a smile, "What, Mr. Makarov, are you interested too?"

"I don't mind sharing my modified car design, but shouldn't you also show some sincerity, for example, regarding the cooperation with Nikolaev Shipyard?"

When Mr. Makarov heard that Xu Ning was willing to share, his eyes lit up, but then when he heard the topic of cooperation, his eyes dimmed again, and he even shivered.

After learning about the situation on the battlefield from Tanya, Mr. Makarov developed a strong interest in that strange jeep. However, when it came to cooperation, he fell into an internal struggle.

At the time, he never expected Xu Ning to actually win, so he casually agreed. But now it seemed that this had become his own trap.

This young man looked young, but he was not someone to be trifled with.

Mr. Makarov hesitated for a while, his face sometimes showing pain, sometimes a smile, as if making a difficult decision.

Finally, he made up his mind and heavily patted Xu Ning's shoulder.

"Okay, I, Mr. Makarov, am not someone who breaks promises. How about this, I will leave Hulifuka tonight and head to Nikolaev."

"After the banquet, you can come find me. Miss Tanya will tell you where I am."

"Of course, if you have time then..."

At this point, a cunning smile appeared on Mr. Makarov's face.