185: Chapter 185 Zhao Dahu's Prestige

When Liu Hongbo walked into the cigar bar next to the Western restaurant with Qin Lang, a waiter immediately bowed and came forward, skillfully opening the carved wooden door of the VIP private room.

The room was filled with the rich aroma of cigars. Dark leather sofas surrounded an ebony coffee table, and a painting of "Galloping Horses" by Xu Beihong hung on the wall. The crystal chandelier in the corner cast a warm yellow light, stretching their shadows long.

Liu Hongbo walked to the cigar cabinet, where the waiter was already waiting with a humidor. He picked out two oily cigars, tossed one to Qin Lang, and then waved the waiter away:

"Have a Cuban Cohiba."

As the gold-plated lighter slowly ignited, the flame reflected the calculation in his eyes:

"Old Qin, were you unable to keep your composure outside just now because you haven't recovered from that previous incident yet?"

Qin Lang sat on the sofa, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. He grabbed the whiskey on the coffee table and took a large gulp, the glass thudding heavily against the table as he set it down:

"Recovered? Mr. Liu, our whole family was almost raided by that bastard Su Ye. How could I possibly recover from that?"

He had now completely defected to Liu Hongbo, so he was much less guarded; after all, he was meat on the chopping block in Liu Hongbo's hands.

Qin Lang's face was slightly twisted with anger, his voice lowered to a whisper, filled with spite:

"Your family was there too at the time. To put it bluntly, it was just because I didn't hand over a woman to Su Ye. My son Xiaotian was also beaten. I was even thinking of making peace, but who knew that this bastard would be so overbearing, actually trying to crush our Qin Family directly? If it weren't for you stepping in, I suspect our Qin Family would already be eating prison food by now. You tell me, with a grudge like this, how can I recover?"

Liu Hongbo sat slowly opposite him, gently twirling the cigar between his fingertips. Amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes grew more profound:

"That is why you should understand even more that Su Ye is not a soft persimmon you can just touch at will."

Liu Hongbo flicked the cigar ash:

"What do you think I was trying to achieve by striking up a conversation with him today? Future Technology Group's drone R&D department and AI algorithm team—the people I sent to scout them out a few days ago found that their industrial-grade drone payload capacity has already exceeded 500 kilograms, and their AI warehousing system is being scrambled for by Jingxi and Kuaifeng. At this rate, a market value of 50 billion within five years is a conservative estimate."

Qin Lang was stunned for a moment, then sneered:

"So what if his prospects are good? Every time I see him now, I want to tear him to pieces!"

Liu Hongbo glanced up at him and said:

"Will tearing him to pieces return the Qin Family to its peak?"

Liu Hongbo's tone carried a hint of mockery:

"How many nightclubs, entertainment centers, and hotels do you have left in your hands now? Compared to before, after this ordeal, even with my intervention, the Qin Family's strength has been severely damaged, less than fifty percent of what it used to be. And while Su Ye's Future Technology is a piece of fat meat, the power behind him is even tougher than the meat. I won't hide it from you: ever since the matter with the Qin Family was resolved, I've had people investigating Su Ye. I was about to finish the investigation, but unexpectedly, I discovered something hidden even deeper."

The look of confusion in Qin Lang's eyes grew, and he asked in bewilderment:

"Isn't the power behind Su Ye just the Yu Family and a district party secretary? Who else is there?"

Liu Hongbo put the cigar to his mouth and took a light puff, exhaling the smoke while simultaneously spitting out four words.

"The Number One of Sichuan Province—"

Qin Lang's anger was instantly extinguished by more than half, and he silently rubbed the side of the glass. The previous desperate situation was still vivid in his mind; the methods Su Ye had used, each step had hit his vital point precisely. It was clearly not something that could be achieved by "good luck," and as it stood, it seemed Su Ye was only "playing around" with the Qin Family and hadn't even gotten serious yet.

After a long while, Qin Lang looked up and asked, his tone finally softening:

"Then what do you want to do?"

Liu Hongbo leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping even lower:

"First cooperate, then seize power."

"My investment company will inject capital into Future Technology in the name of 'strategic investment' to obtain a seat on the board, and then slowly infiltrate his R&D team—his drone flight control system and AI chip design blueprints are what I truly want. Once the technology is in hand, I'll find an excuse to kick him out. Then, Future Technology will be ours for the taking. The problem now is how to enter the game—after all, I want to ruin the person, but I also want to eat the meat."

Qin Lang's eyes lit up:

"What about me? I just want revenge!"

Liu Hongbo smiled, a flicker of darkness flashing in his eyes:

"There will be plenty of opportunities for revenge. The goal right now is how to get this Su Ye to agree to let me enter the game. This is a big problem; after all, I've investigated, and he doesn't lack funds at all. Furthermore, there are no listed groups under his name, and the shares are basically all held in his own hands, so many methods cannot be used."

Qin Lang also said somewhat distressfully:

"Indeed, when I wanted to counterattack before, I discovered that this Su Ye is like a hedgehog, covered in spikes from head to toe, with absolutely nowhere to bite."

Liu Hongbo flicked the cigar ash and said:

"That's why I need you to coordinate. As for how to do it—that needs careful consideration. There is only one goal: make Su Ye agree to let me invest in Future Technology. As long as I can get in, I can play him to death."

The abacus in Qin Lang's mind instantly began to clatter:

"If I can find a way, I can both get revenge and use Liu Hongbo's power to revitalize the Qin Family, and even get a share of Future Technology's technical dividends. This deal is a guaranteed profit. If things go well, the Qin Family might become even more glorious than before, not to mention being able to completely wash clean, with no further risk of imprisonment."

Liu Hongbo suddenly raised his hand and pressed it on Qin Lang's shoulder:

"There is one more thing—stay away from that Zhao Sihan by his side."

Qin Lang sneered and said:

"That girl from the Northeast?"

"Except for being loud, there's nothing special about her."

Liu Hongbo's tone became serious instantly:

"She is the only daughter of Zhao Dahu from Shenyang. I think you shouldn't be unfamiliar with the name Zhao Dahu."

Qin Lang's face instantly turned pale, and he said with some fear:

"That richest man in Shenyang, Zhao Dahu? The ruthless man who, when he was young, chased over a hundred people for three streets with a knife in his hand? How could his daughter be mixed up with a small fry like Su Ye?"

Liu Hongbo nodded, the smoke exhaled from his mouth obscuring his face:

"Yes. If this were the North instead of the South, to be honest, I really wouldn't dare to target this Su Ye."

Qin Lang quickly stated his position, his tone full of wariness.

"I understand. I will absolutely not touch her."

He had heard plenty of stories about Zhao Dahu of Shenyang. Compared to him, the Qin Family was the difference between an ant and an elephant. Even Liu Hongbo, when compared, was slightly inferior. If it really came down to Zhao Dahu getting involved, no one would come out unscathed.

Liu Hongbo nodded in satisfaction and raised his glass:

"Come, a solution will be found. I don't believe this Su Ye is really like a stone egg with no cracks at all. Let's toast to a happy cooperation. Once Future Technology's drone and AI technology are in hand, never mind Chengdu, the entire Southwest's technology market will be ours!"