Chapter Forty-Three: Conflict

“All right, now that everyone’s here, let’s eat.”

At the sight of the table spread with lavish dishes, Deng Cheng was a little impatient.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks at once, and the atmosphere quickly turned lively, with Uncle Zhou Changxing’s delighted praise for the food rising now and then from the table.

After several rounds of drinks, Wang Ximing was the first to speak. “Zhou Xuan, you didn’t come up here just for a vacation this time, did you? If there’s anything you need, just say it. Deng Cheng and I still have a bit of pull in Rong City. Anything that can be handled, we’ll get handled for you.”

“Thanks, Brother Wang. I mainly came for two things this time. First, the company registration. Second, the contract with the University of Science and Technology Press,” Zhou Xuan said.

Wang Ximing thought for a moment and replied, “For the company registration, I’ll call Section Chief Wang at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau later. It should be possible to get it done for you as soon as possible. As for the University of Science and Technology Press, Brother Jiang has already said a word in advance, so there shouldn’t be any problem. When the time comes, just set up a meeting with their publisher and sign the contract. I’m sure the terms won’t shortchange you. If anything, they’re the ones getting the better end of the deal this time.”

“Exactly. The Ming Dynasty is selling so well now that for their press to publish the later volumes is practically free money,” Deng Cheng agreed.

“Mm, I doubt they’ll come up with anything too harsh. Thanks, Brother Wang, Brother Deng. Come on, everyone, let’s have a toast.”

Zhou Xuan agreed completely with Deng Cheng’s assessment. At this point, he was still receiving calls from all kinds of publishing houses, all of them hoping to publish The Ming Dynasty and his other two books. Their offers kept getting higher and higher, but Zhou Xuan had turned them all down.

The meal went on for a little over an hour before everyone prepared to leave.

Deng Cheng directly handed Zhou Xuan the hotel’s VIP card and told him to stay there as long as he liked.

Zhou Xuan did not stand on ceremony. This was a five-star hotel; he had never stayed in one before in his previous life. He had not expected to come back after being reborn and immediately enjoy such treatment.

Wang Ximing had gone to the restroom, so Zhou Xuan and the others waited in the lobby.

Sitting on the sofa and watching successful people coming and going, Zhou Xuan could not help but sigh at the extravagant lives of the rich. They drove luxury cars, carried beautiful women with them, came and went from grand hotels, and could spend more than ten thousand in a single meal without batting an eye.

Just then, the entrance stirred. Two men and four women came in, openly embracing and clinging to one another in public. Zhou Xuan knew at a glance that they were the sort of idle young masters who did nothing but eat, drink, and drift through life. He looked down on people like that.

He was especially unwilling to have any dealings with such people, because they often came with indulgent families behind them. If you hit the son, the father came after you; before long, trouble would keep coming in one form or another. Zhou Xuan was not afraid of trouble, but until he had the strength to crush it outright, he did not want to invite annoyance upon himself.

Sometimes, however, trouble was not something one could simply avoid.

One of the young men, around twenty-four or twenty-five, spotted Zhou Xuan’s group, gave a sly laugh, and walked over.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Deng Cheng. Here again to freeload?”

Zhou Xuan turned and glanced at Deng Cheng, then asked in a low voice, “Who’s that? An enemy of yours?”

Deng Cheng shot the man a look of clear displeasure and ignored him completely, saying loudly to Zhou Xuan, “He’s just an upstart. Knows nothing all day but eating, drinking, chasing women, and wasting his time.”

Zhou Xuan had no fear of getting dragged into trouble over someone like that, especially since the man was already on bad terms with Deng Cheng. He nodded and said, “Exactly. People like that waste air when they’re alive, waste land when they’re dead, and waste money while they’re half alive.”

“Haha, Zhou Xuan, that’s vicious. No wonder your novels are so good,” Deng Cheng said, bursting into laughter at Zhou Xuan’s words.

Seeing Deng Cheng ignore him and hearing Zhou Xuan’s venomous remark, the young man immediately felt embarrassed.

When he realized Zhou Xuan was only a middle school student and that all the clothes on him together probably did not even cost a thousand yuan, he flew into a rage. “Damn it! You little brat, how dare you talk about your elders like that? Do you have a death wish?”

At that, Deng Cheng exploded. Zhou Xuan had saved Jiang Yun, and that was a favor as great as a mountain to his family. Moreover, Zhou Xuan was being insulted because of him. How could he possibly endure that? “Liu Ze, are you looking to die?”

Deng Cheng stood up and glared furiously at Liu Ze, looking ready to throw down at the slightest disagreement. Zhou Xuan and the others also rose silently to their feet, especially Uncle Zhou Changxing, who rolled up his sleeves as if waiting for the signal to strike. He had long disliked this boy. He had come in provoking Deng Cheng, and now he was insulting Zhou Xuan too. He was practically asking for trouble.

Over there, Liu Ze seemed startled by Deng Cheng’s agitated reaction and unconsciously stepped back.

“What now? You want to fight?” he snarled, only to remember that he had grown up brawling and had little reason to be afraid.

Just as the confrontation was about to erupt, a voice rang out from nearby. “Liu Ze, this is not the place for you to make trouble.”

“Damn it, who’s talking to me like that?” Liu Ze turned his head, only to see Wang Ximing. His curses died on his lips.

Seeing Wang Ximing return, Zhou Xuan found the whole thing rather amusing. Liu Ze did not take Deng Cheng seriously at all, yet he seemed to fear Brother Wang in particular.

“What happened?” Wang Ximing asked Deng Cheng.

The anger on Deng Cheng’s face had not yet faded. “Brother Wang, Liu Ze came over looking for trouble the moment he arrived. He mocked me for eating and drinking for free here. Xiaoxuan and I ignored him, but he only pushed further. When he saw Xiaoxuan looked easy to bully, he started cursing him too.”

He turned to look at Liu Ze and went on, “I think he’s the one who wants to die.”

Hearing that Liu Ze had cursed Zhou Xuan, Wang Ximing was furious as well. But the conflict between Liu Ze and Deng Cheng was complicated and involved too many people; he did not want a fight breaking out here and making everyone look bad.

Still, given Liu Ze’s background, he felt it necessary to warn him. “Liu Ze, let me warn you: my brother here is not someone you can afford to provoke. Open your eyes and think clearly. As for everything else, you’d better stay out of it. It will do you no good.”

Liu Ze glanced at Zhou Xuan, and his earlier arrogance vanished completely. He replaced it with a fake, ingratiating smile.

“Right, right. Young Master Wang, I understand. I’ll be more sensible from now on.”

After saying that, he had no face left to stay. He shook off the two women and the hangers-on beside him and walked out without looking back.

Once Liu Ze was gone, Deng Cheng said awkwardly to Zhou Xuan, “Xuan, I’m really sorry about this. I dragged you into it. But you should still be careful around him. He may not dare do anything openly, but he’s very likely to use underhanded tricks behind your back.”

“Who is he?” Zhou Xuan asked.

“Rising Group. You know it?” Deng Cheng replied.

“Rising Group?” Zhou Xuan was startled. How could he possibly not know Rising Group? Ten years later, the company would be brought down for black-market dealings and commercial crimes, a case that would shake all of China.

That Liu Ze had to be the son of Liu Teng, the chairman of Rising Group.

Thinking of the struggle of interests between Rising Group and Blue Sky Group, Zhou Xuan immediately felt his head grow heavy.

He had not expected that, just as he was beginning his career in Rong City, he would run into such a period of turmoil.