Chapter 82: The Hongmen Banquet
The next evening, Chen Mo brought Su Yan a neatly ironed custom-made suit. It was dark blue, elegantly cut, made of expensive fabric, and perfectly sized.
Su Yan changed silently. The boy in the mirror, wrapped in a fine suit, lost some of his inherent fragility and became more cold and distant. However, the vigilance hidden deep in his eyes revealed his inner restlessness.
When Huo Shen saw him, his gaze lingered on him for a moment, without commenting, and he simply said, "Let's go."
The car drove to one of the city's most exclusive private clubs, hidden deep in a bamboo forest, understated yet luxurious. Passing through a winding corridor, the waiter led them to a private room called "Listening to the Pine."
When I pushed open the heavy wooden door, I saw several people sitting inside.
Su Yan's eyes immediately locked onto the gloomy-looking man sitting on the left side of the main seat—his "brother", Su Chen.
Su Chen didn't look well. The bruises under his eyes were noticeable, and the corners of his mouth were tense. When he saw Huo Shen and Su Yan behind him, his pupils shrank sharply, and his fingers gripping the teacup suddenly tightened, their knuckles turning white. His eyes were filled with shock, anger, and a hint of betrayal—a complex, indescribable pain.
Besides Su Chen, there were two other unfamiliar men. One was a vigorous, gray-haired old man, and the other was a middle-aged man with a potbelly and a mellow smile. Huo Shen briefly introduced the old man as the highly respected Mr. Lin and the middle-aged man as Mr. Zhao, the CEO of a certain industrial group.
"Mr. Huo, who is this?" Mr. Zhao's eyes fell on Su Yan with undisguised inquiry.
Huo Shen sat down in the main seat, his posture calm, as if he didn't see Su Chen's almost angry eyes. He gestured for Su Yan to sit on his right, and then spoke slowly:
"Su Yan." He paused and added, his voice not loud but clearly heard by everyone, "My people."
These four simple words are like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake.
Su Chen suddenly looked up and looked at Huo Shen in disbelief, then stared at Su Yan. His chest heaved violently, and he was obviously trying hard to suppress his emotions.
A flash of understanding flashed across Elder Lin's eyes, and he continued to sip his tea calmly. Boss Zhao was stunned for a moment, then his smile grew even warmer, and his gaze towards Su Yan was filled with meaning. "So it's Young Master Su. I've heard a lot about you."
Su Yan's hands curled slightly on his knees, his nails digging into his palms. Huo Shen's words practically put him on the fire. He felt Su Chen's gaze that seemed to penetrate him, and he also understood the contempt in Mr. Zhao's eyes, which regarded him as Huo Shen's "appendage."
But he couldn't show any fear. He nodded slightly, a greeting, his face expressionless, neither friendly nor fearful.
The dinner began in an eerie atmosphere. Huo Shen chatted and laughed with Mr. Lin and Mr. Zhao, discussing macroeconomics and policy trends, as if Su Chen and Su Yan didn't exist.
Su Chen remained silent the whole time, just drinking silently. Occasionally, he looked at Su Yan with eyes full of disappointment and questioning.
Su Yan sat quietly, nibbling his food, but he was actually listening intently to their every word and observing everyone's expressions. He could sense that this dinner was more than just a simple bonding session. Elder Lin seemed aloof, but his occasional words of advice hit the nail on the head. Mr. Zhao, on the other hand, was constantly testing Huo Shen's interest in certain projects.
After three rounds of drinks, Mr. Zhao seemed to have had a bit too much and started talking more. Holding his glass, he looked at Huo Shen and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Mr. Huo, I heard that your capable Assistant Zhou had an accident a while ago. I'm afraid you'll have to take some time to manage the follow-up of the 'Prometheus' project and the assets under your name."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the private room instantly froze.
Su Chen suddenly raised his head and looked at Huo Shen. Elder Lin also put down his teacup and watched calmly.
Everyone knew this was the moment when the real motives were revealed. Assistant Zhou's downfall left behind a power vacuum and a profit pie that countless people were eyeing.
Huo Shen shook the wine glass in his hand, and the red liquid formed a beautiful arc on the wall of the crystal glass. His face was expressionless, and his eyes swept lightly over Mr. Zhao, and finally fell on Su Yan, who had been silent beside him.
"Yes, there was an accident." Huo Shen's voice was steady, and no emotion could be heard. "However, when it comes to managing assets, sometimes you don't necessarily need a very 'capable' assistant."
He turned his head and looked at Su Yan, with a very faint, almost gentle arc at the corner of his lips, but his eyes were so deep that it was frightening.
"Xiaoyan seems to be quite interested in this aspect recently?" He seemed to be asking, but also seemed to be stating a fact.
In an instant, all eyes, including Su Chen's almost murderous gaze, were focused on Su Yan.
Su Yan's heart suddenly stopped beating.
Huo Shen had thrust him into the spotlight. Was he telling everyone that Assistant Zhou's position might be filled by a new, unexpected candidate? Or was he using him as a shield to divert attention?
He felt Su Chen's gaze like a poisoned knife, as if saying: You really have joined forces with him! You betrayed me! You betrayed the Su family!
Su Yan clenched his fists, his fingertips cold. He knew that any reaction he had at this moment would be interpreted infinitely.
He raised his eyes and met Huo Shen's deep gaze. He neither admitted nor denied it, but spoke softly in a calm, almost indifferent tone:
“Still learning.”
The three words were light and airy, but like a pebble thrown into deep water, they stirred up ripples.
Huo Shen looked at him, a barely perceptible glimmer flashing in his eyes. He then chuckled, turned back, and raised his glass to Mr. Zhao: "Mr. Zhao is thoughtful, but don't worry about these trivial matters."
He lightly brushed off the topic, but the atmosphere at the dinner table had completely changed.
Su Yan knew that from this moment on, in the eyes of these cunning people, he was no longer the insignificant "little thing" dependent on Huo Shen, but a variable with an ambiguous identity and unclear intentions, who was pushed to the forefront by Huo Shen himself.
And this is exactly the effect Huo Shen wants.
The dinner ended with a bland conversation. When leaving, Su Chen almost slammed the door.
Sitting in the car, isolated from the outside world, Huo Shen leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, and suddenly spoke:
"Well done."
Su Yan looked at the night scene rapidly receding outside the window without saying a word.
He knew that this "not bad" was not a compliment, but a confirmation - confirmation that his chess piece had landed in the designated position on the chessboard according to his wishes.
At a Hongmen Banquet, he became a tool used by Huo Shen to intimidate Su Chen and confuse outsiders.
He also clearly realized that if he wanted to escape the fate of being a chess piece, he had to quickly equip himself with the capital to become a chess player.
The USB drive hidden in the shower gel bottle seemed to have become even heavier.
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