The next morning.
At the Liu family villa, eight or nine people were having a meal in the dining room.
It's rare for so many people to gather like this, but it's because things haven't been peaceful lately, and the core members of the family have been staying at Liu Zhentian's villa for the past few days.
Not only for safety, but also to discuss matters at any time.
"Five members of the Bai family were assassinated last night, and the Bai family has not yet reacted."
“There are quite a few people investigating our businesses in various places. I know of the Huang family, the Hu family, and even the government.”
"The Mohists want us to increase our dowry and are demanding 20% of the gladiatorial arena. It's blatant robbery."
"The authorities want us to make a clear statement, otherwise they won't support us with concrete actions."
Each core member ate breakfast while reporting on the situation.
Liu Zhentian sat at the head of the table. He hadn't eaten. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke up to answer the questions raised by the crowd.
"The Bai family will continue killing until the day before the engagement ceremony. We don't need to worry about our businesses in various places. As long as the capital is in chaos, no one in any other place will dare to touch our businesses."
If the Mohists want a stake in the arena, then give them 10% and let them send their ghost hunters to participate in daily maintenance. Our ghost hunters can take this opportunity to withdraw some of their own.
As for the official stance, we absolutely cannot make any explicit statements, otherwise other families will immediately isolate us.
"We could propose a condition to the authorities: if they can intervene and retrieve the Fenggui Chessboard from Xia Tianqiong, the Liu family will explicitly state that they accept the authorities' condition."
Upon hearing this, everyone present immediately stopped eating and turned to look at them.
"Can the authorities get the Fenggui chessboard back?"
"If they really want to come back, are we, the Liu family, really going to become pawns of the government and be manipulated at will?"
"The official attitude towards Xia Tianqiong is intriguing; it's unlikely she'll be brought back."
Everyone was puzzled and felt that there was something wrong with the suggestion.
Liu Zhentian smiled and said, "Zhengyang is right. The official attitude towards Xia Tianqiong is very intriguing. Given the past assertiveness of the Capital Bureau, such a mysterious and important figure will definitely be controlled first."
However, the authorities seem to be quite tolerant of Xia Tianqiong. They have not sent any experts to forcibly recruit him, but instead allow him to travel all over the country and have even given him the title of deputy captain of the inspection team.
It's possible that the two sides have reached some agreement, or perhaps the authorities have some concerns. Our request to reclaim the "Deceptive Chessboard" could be a test for the authorities, to see if they are willing to intervene.
If we can get it back, there will inevitably be a rift between the official authorities and Xia Tianqiong. If we take back the treasure and temporarily become the official henchmen, that would be barely acceptable.
If we can't get it back, we'll have an excuse to continue arguing with the authorities. As long as we get through this current crisis, and the high-level anomalies descend on a large scale, neither the various families nor the authorities will have the time or inclination to deal with us.
His words caused everyone to fall into deep thought.
They then nodded in agreement.
...
Chu Xu slept until noon, while the rules challenge last night did not end until after four o'clock in the morning.
He got up and washed up, then went to the living room and found that Mo Beihan and Mo Ling were already waiting there.
"When did you arrive? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Chu Xu has been staying in the villa arranged for him by the Mo family for the past few days. The Mo family's goodwill towards him couldn't be more obvious, so he's enjoying it without any worries. Anyway, with his boss backing him up, he's not afraid of anything.
"I did want to call you, but my second brother wouldn't allow it."
Mo Ling turned her head and looked over, giving a sweet smile that seemed to be both a complaint and a coquettish gesture.
She wore an exquisite dress today, exuding a mature yet innocent charm, and Chu Xu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
Mo Beihan, who was standing to the side, said with a faint smile, "The party doesn't start until six o'clock in the evening. There's still time. Let's go buy a couple of outfits together this afternoon."
He didn't actually lack clothes; he just wanted to buy some for Chu Xu.
"Okay, let's go then."
So a group of six or seven people went shopping for clothes, chatting and laughing.
The afternoon passed quickly.
At six o'clock in the evening, Mo Beihan drove Chu Xu to a five-star hotel.
The party was held on the rooftop, where one could look up at the star-studded night sky and overlook the brightly lit cityscape of the capital.
"Rich people really know how to enjoy life!"
Chu Xu was just an ordinary person before, and had never attended such a high-end gathering.
The waiters here are all handsome men or beautiful women. The venue is not luxurious, but it is very stylish.
"If you like it, you can come to this kind of place often in the future."
Mo Beihan picked up two glasses of champagne and handed one to Chu Xu.
Chu Xu took it, took a sip, and laughed, "Forget it, I'm not used to it."
There were already thirty or forty people here, and more were constantly arriving.
Most of them were young people, with only a few middle-aged people.
Chu Xu took the opportunity to go to the restroom, and when he returned, Xia Tianqiong had replaced him.
Xia Tianqiong hadn't originally planned to come; he just wanted Chu Xu to gather some information. But then he thought that since everyone attending the banquet was an important member of the younger generation from various families, perhaps he could stir up some trouble here.
It would also be beneficial for him to disrupt the relationships between the various families.
After all, they will be enemies sooner or later.
After he came out of the bathroom, he followed Mo Beihan, silently drinking wine and eating exquisite food, rarely speaking, so as not to give himself away.
This also perfectly matches what Mo Beihan asked him yesterday.
The party was lively. Some groups were chatting enthusiastically, laughing and joking, while others were mocking and testing each other, creating a tense atmosphere.
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