Chapter 231 Banquet Clash
Dong Cunshan's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously stood in front of Bai Shuwang.
"Young Master Huo, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner." Dong Cunshan forced a smile, but his words were wary.
Huo Qishan didn't even look at Dong Cunshan. His gaze passed through the old man and landed directly on Bai Shu. The undisguised aggression made the surrounding temperature drop a few degrees.
"Uncle Dong, you flatter me." Huo Qishan walked to the front of the stage, raised his wine glass, and pointed it toward Bai Shu.
"I'm just curious, what kind of extraordinary woman could make Uncle Dong publicly acknowledge her as a relative? May I ask how this young lady is addressed?"
All eyes were on Bai Shu, waiting for her answer.
Bai Shu remained composed as she calmly stepped out from behind Dong Cunshan. She gently pulled her hand away from Dong Cunshan's, picked up a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray, and gracefully raised it to Huo Qishan in a distant toast.
"The Dong family, Atractylodes macrocephala."
Her voice was clear and cold; those three words, spoken with conviction, directly declared her identity and affiliation.
Huo Qishan's eyes showed even more amusement. He tilted his head back and drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp, then casually put the empty glass aside.
"Bai Shu? What a nice name. I've heard that the Dong family still has many old friends in the mainland. I wonder if Miss Bai has conveyed any greetings from Uncle Dong's hometown friends to him during this visit?"
That's a very insightful question.
It sounded like casual conversation, yet also like a probe into her background. If she truly was a descendant of the Dong family, she should have some understanding of the Dong family's network of connections. If she was imposter, this question would be enough to expose her.
Dong Cunshan's heart was in his throat as he nervously watched Bai Shu.
Bai Shu simply smiled faintly, a gentle smile, and spoke.
"Mr. Fok is joking. The old friend is gone, and the past is like smoke. I came to Hong Kong Island this time not to reminisce, but to find a way out."
She paused, then looked directly at Huo Qishan. Her composure and sharpness made him squint.
“I’ve heard that Mr. Fok’s Fok Group is a leader in the Hong Kong business community. I happen to have some of the latest technologies and extensive market channels in mainland China, and I’m looking for a visionary and decisive partner.”
She parted her red lips slightly and continued, "I wonder if Mr. Huo is interested in expanding our territory in the mainland?"
A few words, yet they achieved a great effect with minimal effort.
Not only did she avoid the trap, she turned the tables and shifted the blame. She positioned herself as a collaborator, an investor with substantial funds and future technology, rather than an orphan girl who needed to rely on the Dong family for survival.
The surrounding guests were dumbfounded.
This is hardly a down-on-her-luck heiress from the mainland! She's clearly a shrewd and powerful business queen! This insight and courage are something even seasoned veterans like us, who have spent half our lives in the business world, would find hard to match, let alone a twenty-year-old girl.
For the first time, Huo Qishan's smile vanished. He looked intently at Bai Shu, as if he were getting to know her all over again.
"Miss Bai is indeed very straightforward." He paused for a few seconds before speaking again.
"We can discuss the cooperation later. Now that you're in Hong Kong, you're a guest. If you need any help in the future, feel free to contact me anytime."
He handed over a pure black business card with gold foil lettering.
Bai Shu let Yi Yue step forward to take it, while he himself nodded slightly: "Then I thank Mr. Huo in advance."
This brief exchange ended in a draw. But everyone could see that this woman named Bai Shu was no ordinary person. Huo Qishan's gaze towards her had changed from initial curiosity to deep scrutiny and apprehension.
...
At the same time, in a secluded back alley on Hong Kong Island, the night was deep.
Several figures dressed in plumbing and electrical repairmen's uniforms were quietly approaching a heavily guarded white building—the Sacred Heart Clinic—under the guise of inspecting the power lines.
Qin Zheng pulled his baseball cap down low, used a professional tool to open a manhole cover, and gestured to the two team members behind him. The team members immediately put down the detector and began scanning and mapping the underground pipeline structure.
Everything was done in silence.
Just then, a cacophony of footsteps and foul language came from the alley entrance.
"Damn it, these streets are now under our Triad control. How dare a bunch of bastards wander around here?"
More than twenty thugs, wielding water pipes and machetes, staggered over and surrounded Qin Zheng and his group. The leader, a bald man with a face full of scars, pointed his machete at Qin Zheng, reeking of alcohol: "Hey! What are you doing? Paid your protection money yet?"
Qin Zheng's teammates' eyes turned cold, and their hands were already reaching for their waists.
Qin Zheng raised his hand to stop them. He slowly straightened up, his tall figure casting a powerful sense of oppression under the dim streetlights.
"roll."
He only said one word.
"Hey, they're pretty tough!" The bald man chuckled. "Brothers, loosen their bones! Let them know who's in charge here!"
A group of thugs rushed up, shouting.
Qin Zheng made a move.
He didn't use a gun, or even any other weapon. His figure moved through the crowd, each strike accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering and piercing screams. His movements were simple, direct, and efficient, all aimed at vital points.
Dislocate the jaw, break the wrist, shatter the knee.
In less than three minutes, the alley was filled with thugs lying on the ground, howling and rolling around in pain. None of the twenty-odd men were still standing.
Qin Zheng stepped on the bald man's hand, slowly grinding his toes into it, causing the bald man to let out a pig-like scream.
"Now, who's in charge?" Qin Zheng's voice was completely calm.
"You...you decide! Grandpa, I was wrong! I was wrong!" the bald man cried and begged for mercy.
Qin Zheng withdrew his foot, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the toe of his shoe, and then threw the handkerchief at the bald man's face.
"Go back and tell your master that I'm in charge of this street from now on."
After saying that, he led his team and disappeared into the darkness without looking back.
Deep in the alley, inside an inconspicuous car, someone put down their binoculars, picked up a walkie-talkie, and reported in a still-shaken voice: "The target was extremely strong. Our men... were all wiped out in one move. They were professionals, definitely top-notch in the military!"
...
The banquet at the Central Town Hall is still ongoing.
After Bai Shu's confrontation with Huo Qishan, she became the focus of the entire event. Countless people stepped forward with wine glasses, eager to befriend this "Daughter of the Dong Family" who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Atractylodes macrocephala handled the situation with ease and without any flaws.
Lu Jingyan did not step forward. He stood in a corner of the banquet hall, holding a glass of wine in his hand, but his eyes never left Bai Shu.
His presence was extremely strong; the murderous aura he exuded from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood formed an invisible aura that made all those with ill intentions afraid to approach Bai Shu.
His eyes held admiration, pride, and an undisguised, intense possessiveness.
This radiant woman is his.
After the banquet, back in the Peninsula Hotel's penthouse suite, Bai Shu took off her high heels and rubbed her slightly sore ankles.
"Young Miss." January handed over a glass of warm water and placed a small note on the table. "It was slipped under the car door."
Bai Zhu picked up the note.
There was no signature on it, only a sentence printed on an English typewriter.
"The hawk is watching the new bird. Be careful. —B"
(The eagle is watching the new bird closely. —B)
The eagle, of course, refers to "Eagle's Nest," and also to Huo Qishan. The new bird is her.
And this "B" can only be Benjamin.
Bai Zhu placed the paper in the ashtray and lit it with a lighter. The flames leaped up and quickly turned the paper to ashes.
The hidden move left by her mother has already been activated.
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