Chapter 353: Just Friends

Li Zijian knew exactly how much he was worth.

He had come to Yebai in the first place, partly to see if he could make something happen with Jin Lu.

And secondly, to find a way to squeeze some money out of Tang Xingyu.

But he never expected that this bastard would owe so much money.

He lit a cigarette and fell into deep thought.

"Heh, and here I thought it was a lot of money. It's just over two million; is that really worth me getting involved?"

After a while, he waved his hand dismissively and looked at Zheng Qian with a sidelong glance. "I'm not trying to look down on you, but for Jin Lu's boyfriend, your vision is really too limited. How about this? I'll give you a chance to join the Shanghai Americas Club. What do you say?"

Cui Jinghui frowned tightly. He had no idea what the Shanghai Americas Club was.

He had hoped he could get some money, but the guy kept beating around the bush.

If it weren't for Zheng Qian being there, he would have wanted to smash a bottle over his head.

"Shanghai Americas Club? I've heard you mentioning some 'club' or another just now. What exactly is this place?" Zheng Qian took a deep drag of his cigarette, pretending not to know, and asked, "Can joining this club cover the two million plus debt?"

Li Zijian's back was already soaked in cold sweat.

But thanks to his years of experience in swindling and bluffing, he managed to barely keep his composure.

"Heh, no wonder your business can't grow big. You don't even know about an organization of this level."

Li Zijian suddenly perked up. He shook his leg and talked eloquently, "The Shanghai Americas Club is mostly composed of members with overseas backgrounds, especially from the United States. Their capital is immense. If you don't have a net worth of several hundred million, you can't get in."

"So... what does that have to do with those two million plus?"

Zheng Qian couldn't help but interrupt.

"Listen to me, okay?" Li Zijian tapped the table and sneered, "How about this? I'll show you just the tip of the iceberg of my influence. Hey, you said Tang Xingyu owes you money for drinks, right? At our level, settling things with money is meaningless. I advise you not to be ungrateful. With one word, I can make sure none of your shops have any alcohol to sell. Believe it or not?"

Cui Jinghui raised an eyebrow, ready to snap back.

But then he thought about how many nightclubs in Yezhou had become their downstream partners.

The daily demand for alcohol was huge. What if this guy was telling the truth?

The most important thing was Zheng Qian's stance. He quietly glanced at his "brother-in-law" and noticed he was non-committal, so he smiled.

"Oh? Then please, Young Master Li, show us a trick to open our eyes?"

"Heh, if I'm not mistaken, your supplier is the Susheng Group in Subei, right?"

Li Zijian crossed his legs, looking like he had everything under control.

His status, to put it bluntly, was just that of a broker.

Although he wasn't a member of the Shanghai Americas Club himself, he did know some high-level people and could facilitate simple introductions.

So he made sure to be fully informed about the resources he could access, so that his bragging would sound convincing.

Mentioning the Susheng Group just now actually involved a bit of gambling.

After all, the Su Family could be considered one of the top alcohol suppliers in Jiuzhou, and they had deep ties with many nightclub businesses. What if Cui Jinghui happened to be working with the Su Family?

"Susheng Group... that's right. What about it? We usually get our stock from them."

Cui Jinghui nodded and said suspiciously.

"That makes things easy. I'll give you a chance now: voluntarily wipe out that two million plus debt. Do me a favor, and let's call it even. If you remain stubborn, I'll make a call to the Su Family and blacklist all your nightclubs."

Li Zijian got more and more excited as he spoke, fiddling with his phone as if ready to make the call at any moment.

This actually made Cui Jinghui a bit unsure.

He knew about the influence of the Su Family.

They weren't just limited to the JZH area; they had deep involvement with many upstream and downstream industries, and people in the business would all give them face.

If the Susheng Group really wanted to blacklist them, it might actually be possible.

Tang Xingyu's eyes lit up.

Although he hadn't been very clear about the details regarding the acquisition of Yuehua Shipping a while back.

He still knew something about the famous families in the JZH area, and this Su Family from Subei was one of them.

It was said that in this year's recruitment, they had a very good chance of entering one of the three major clubs.

Their energy was astonishing, and their influence was immense.

"Young Master Li, I... I really don't know how to repay you. From now on, I will follow your lead!" Tang Xingyu cupped his hands and said excitedly.

Li Zijian smiled and waved his hand, looking indifferently at Cui Jinghui and Zheng Qian in silence.

He raised his wine glass with great elegance, as if everything was under his control.

"Tang Xingyu, I've raised some money..."

Just then, a girl walked in from the door.

But the moment she spoke, she saw Zheng Qian and the others sitting in the booth and immediately panicked.

The person who arrived was none other than Lu Shanshan. Since parting ways with Zheng Qian last time, this was their first meeting.

Logically, the two had already cut ties, but seeing each other again, it was hard not to feel a slight flutter in their hearts.

When she saw Jin Lu beside Zheng Qian, her eyes trembled slightly.

She...

Must be Zheng Qian's official girlfriend, right?

Yeah... clearly she had met her once before, but now she seemed even prettier. She... shouldn't know about the relationship between me and Zheng Qian, right? Sigh, why would they appear here too...

"Heh, no need to raise money anymore. Young Master Li has already helped me settle everything."

Tang Xingyu waved his hand and pulled Lu Shanshan to sit beside him.

Li Zijian's eyes lit up, feeling that Lu Shanshan was very beautiful. "Your girlfriend?"

"I..." Tang Xingyu couldn't help but freeze slightly. How could he not see the look in Li Zijian's eyes?

So he quickly changed his words, "Ah, this... a friend, heh, just a friend. So, Shanshan, hurry up and toast Young Master Li, get to know him well."

Seeing Lu Shanshan's stunned expression, he quickly lowered his voice and said:

"If you serve Young Master Li well, hasn't your mother's factory been facing an economic crisis recently? Young Master Li is a young master from Shanghu with great power. Tossing out tens of millions for him is like child's play."

Lu Shanshan's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

She gripped her wine glass tightly, her eyes filled with tears.

She had originally thought that Tang Xingyu truly liked her, but now he was actively pushing her into someone else's arms.

How was this behavior any different from her mother's?

More importantly, it was right in front of Zheng Qian. Doing this would only make Zheng Qian look down on her even more.

"Young Master Li, I..."

Lu Shanshan fought back her tears, holding up her glass, unable to speak for a long time.

"What? I can't hear you."

Li Zijian waved his hand, "Sit a little closer. Come, come over to my side."

As he said this, he patted the sofa beside him.

Jin Lu sighed slightly.

"Zheng Qian, that's enough. Look at the poor girl... I remember I met her once during your class reunion. If you can help, then help her."