Chapter 365 A Big Appetite
In fact, not only Yao Lan, but everyone else looked at each other in bewilderment, very curious about where Jiang Bai had gotten such a huge sum of money.
However, everyone present wisely chose to keep quiet.
Chang Shiyun was all smiles. He was the most satisfied with this matter. Developing the Imperial Hotel was his wish, and Jiang Bai helped him realize it. He was overjoyed.
As for where the money came from, he didn't care. He was just an employee, and whether Jiang Bai's money was stolen or robbed was none of his business. As long as he could realize his dream, that was all that mattered.
Naturally, they wisely refrained from inquiring about the matter.
The meeting ended quickly, and Jiang Bai returned to his office, followed closely by Yao Lan and Xu Jie. Of course, Zhang Yang was also present.
As soon as he entered the room and sat on the spacious sofa in Jiang Bai's office, Zhang Yang said, "Boss, I've already inquired. Ji Mingjie has recently offended someone. They've threatened him several times and even attempted to assassinate him. They almost killed Ji Mingjie, but one of his bodyguards took a bullet for him, and he escaped by the skin of his teeth."
"The attacks have been frequent lately. His son and daughter have both been attacked. His daughter was almost kidnapped when she went out, and his son was almost run over by a car. The whole family is under threat, and Ji Mingjie is now extremely nervous."
"We called the police, but it wasn't very effective. As you know, people in our line of work are highly educated and intelligent, but they don't have much contact with society. Ji Mingjie is also a proper overseas-returned PhD. He used to work for a large overseas internet company and held a senior position. A few years ago, he started his own business and created Hengxun Networks, which exited TT. He has both wealth and reputation. However, given the people he comes into contact with, it's difficult for him to handle this kind of thing."
"So he went around asking people for help, hoping to resolve this matter. He even said that if someone could help him solve this problem, he would be willing to transfer or give away some of TT's shares."
One sentence made Jiang Bai's eyes light up. He was an expert at this kind of thing. No matter who was causing trouble for Ji Mingjie, Jiang Bai was confident that he had the ability to handle it.
"Contact your friend and ask him to arrange a meeting with Ji Mingjie for me. Tell him I can help, and ask where Ji Mingjie is." Jiang Bai thought this was a good opportunity.
"Yangcheng!" Zhang Yang replied.
This gave Jiang Bai even more confidence.
Several provinces in southern Xinjiang are Cheng Tiangang's territory, but Cheng Tiangang's attention is not on money, so he will not be interested in Ji Mingjie's matter.
However, Jiang Bai is different.
Jiang Bai was confident he could resolve the matter satisfactorily on Cheng Tiangang's turf, regardless of who Ji Mingjie had offended, unless Cheng Tiangang himself took action against him.
Jiang Bai doesn't take anyone else seriously.
However, this matter definitely has nothing to do with Cheng Tiangang. If it were Cheng Tiangang's doing, Ji Mingjie is just a small businessman. If Cheng Tiangang wanted to deal with him, he could bankrupt him and ruin his family in no time. Why would he need to hire someone?
It's no use talking to anyone!
Nodding without saying anything more, Zhang Yang told his friend the news in front of Jiang Bai, and the friend immediately agreed with great joy.
They were all people in the IT industry and knew each other well. The other party approached Zhang Yang because they valued the background of Empire Enterprise. Now that Zhang Yang had replied, he immediately agreed and began contacting Ji Mingjie.
A few minutes later, Zhang Yang's phone rang. A deep male voice, full of fatigue, said, "Is this Mr. Zhang?"
"I am Zhang Yang, and you are?" Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment before asking. He then subconsciously looked at the source of the phone number, opened his mouth towards Jiang Bai, but did not make a sound. However, the shape of his mouth was clearly the character "Ji".
It was Ji Mingjie calling just a few minutes later; it seems Zhang Yang's friend is quite efficient.
Ji Mingjie was clearly desperate, otherwise he wouldn't have called immediately upon hearing that someone could help without thinking it through.
"I'm Ji Mingjie from Hengxun. Mr. Zhang, Brother Ye just called me and asked if you could help me with my matter?" Ji Mingjie introduced himself and then asked tentatively.
Actually, he didn't have much hope, especially after his friend mentioned that Zhang Yang worked in Tiandu. He didn't have much hope at all, even though his friend said that Zhang Yang's boss was very influential in Tiandu and a real big shot, and that if the other party was willing to help, his problem could be solved.
Ji Mingjie remained skeptical about this. After all, Tiandu and Yangcheng were thousands of kilometers apart. No matter how much influence Tiandu had, it was too far away to have any effect here. He knew many people in Yangcheng, including several high-ranking officials. They had all intervened, but the situation had not improved and had instead become more serious.
But now that things have come to this, Ji Mingjie is unwilling to give up as long as there is even a glimmer of hope, which is why he called Zhang Yang.
"I don't know the specifics of your situation, but my boss said he can help you with anything. Why don't you talk to him yourself?"
Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment, looked at Jiang Bai, and said this.
Having followed Jiang Bai for so long, especially after what happened with Wei Shao, Zhang Yang's admiration for Jiang Bai had reached an unprecedented level.
Although he didn't know what kind of trouble Ji Mingjie had encountered, whether it was as his friend had said before, or something more serious, none of that mattered to Zhang Yang.
Even someone like Wei Shao was dealt with by the boss, let alone some clueless petty thieves.
After saying that, he handed the phone to Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai answered the phone and then said with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Ji, this is Jiang Bai from Empire Enterprise. You can tell me what trouble you have. I have long admired you and your company. Haha, I was just discussing with someone how to become your partner and invest in Hengxun. I didn't expect to get in touch with you now. It's really fate."
One sentence silenced Ji Mingjie. He was a smart man. Jiang Bai's words seemed like a greeting, but in reality, he was already asking for a price. However, Jiang Bai's appetite seemed to be huge, and he couldn't be satisfied with just a little money. This made Ji Mingjie hesitate.
However, he quickly realized that since his friend had described the other party as so capable and powerful, Jiang Bai must be no ordinary person. People of this level either don't speak at all, or when they do, their appetite is astonishingly large.
Jiang Bai's reaction was understandable, but Ji Mingjie hesitated. TT's development prospects were very bright, and TT shares were currently in high demand but not readily available. Once acquired, the future profits would be several times the initial investment. He was reluctant to give them up.
More importantly, he knew Jiang Bai had a big appetite, but just how big was that was another question.
That's why he remained silent, unsure of how to begin.
Chapter 366 Let's meet
Ji Mingjie remained silent for a moment, which was within Jiang Bai's expectations.
He knew that Ji Mingjie had understood his meaning, so he had to remain silent. Ji Mingjie was weighing the pros and cons, and only after weighing the pros and cons could he give Jiang Bai an answer.
Torn between choosing life safety and wealth.
Jiang Bai wasn't in a hurry; he knew that it wouldn't be long before the other party gave him a satisfactory answer.
"It is my honor to meet Mr. Jiang. If this matter can be resolved, I am willing to give you a portion of shares worth hundreds of millions for free, as a way to make friends with Mr. Jiang and make you my partner."
After a long pause, Ji Mingjie spoke, saying this:
Worth hundreds of millions?
That's a flexible question. How much is hundreds of millions?
Anyway, it's within 10, not including 10, with a maximum of 900 million?
Based on the price of TT's third round of financing, the total valuation is around 28.5 billion. Hundreds of millions of shares sounds good, but even at the highest price of 900 million, it's only a little over 2%, and definitely won't exceed 3%.
You think you can buy Jiang Bai off with just this few shares? Make him take the lead?
Dream on!
Moreover, this amount of several hundred million is probably not as much as nine hundred million; Jiang Bai estimates it to be around five or six hundred million.
This amount of money is indeed a lot for the average person, let alone when it's given away for free.
But for Jiang Bai, this was clearly not enough to satisfy his appetite.
"Hehe, I, Jiang Bai, dislike taking advantage of others the most. You want Mr. Ji to give it to me? What would that make me? A beggar? If I were to cooperate with Mr. Ji, it certainly wouldn't be like this."
Jiang Bai smiled and said, clearly rejecting Ji Mingjie's suggestion.
This is a subtle way of telling Ji Mingjie that this price is just a cheap bribe, and he doesn't care about it; he has much bigger ambitions!
His words caused Ji Mingjie to fall silent again. Jiang Bai's appetite was too big, exceeding Ji Mingjie's ability to accept it. However, he was now in a dilemma. Although Jiang Bai's appetite was big, he seemed to be very confident.
As for the other people he found, let alone whether they had big appetites, there was no way to guarantee anything.
Furthermore, Ji Mingjie felt it was unreliable that Jiang Bai would pay the fee in advance. Although he didn't know Jiang Bai, based on his friend's introduction and Jiang Bai's brief words, Ji Mingjie felt that this Mr. Jiang, who had an unusually large appetite, was more reliable.
For a moment, Ji Mingjie was caught in a dilemma.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath and slowly asked, "I wonder how Mr. Jiang intends to cooperate?"
"Twenty percent! I want twenty percent of the shares!"
One sentence almost made Ji Mingjie curse on the spot, and he slammed down the phone.
Twenty percent?
Are you kidding me!
He only has control over about 57 percent.
Of this 57%, a portion will be used as a reward for his own startup team, and another portion will be diluted when the company goes public, with 20% going to Jiang Bai.
Then he'll only have 37% left. How much will be left after completing all that?
Jiang Bai would suddenly become the second largest shareholder, even rivaling him in Hengxun, which was absolutely unacceptable to Ji Mingjie. More importantly, he felt that Jiang Bai wanted to take it all for free!
Get shares worth billions for free?
That's outrageous, an absolute rip-off.
However, Jiang Bai's words quickly calmed him down.
Jiang Bai continued, "Of course, I won't take this 20% for nothing. Besides helping you, I will purchase it from you personally at the price of your company's third round of financing some time ago. Moreover, I guarantee that I will not interfere with the company's operation in the future. Unless there is a personal interest involved, I will fully support you."
This caused Ji Mingjie to fall silent again. He had only been on the phone with Jiang Bai for a few minutes, and the usually very talkative Ji Mingjie had already fallen silent several times.
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Mr. Jiang, I wonder if you have the time? If you do, please come to Guangzhou. I think such an important matter needs to be discussed in person."
"Okay, my flight is this afternoon, I'll make it there," Jiang Bai replied with a smile.
He then hung up the phone and immediately called Xiaotian, asking him to arrange a first-class ticket to Guangzhou. Only then did he turn his attention to the several dumbfounded people around him.
"Boss, you have quite the appetite, twenty percent... Ji Mingjie probably almost cursed when he heard that." Zhang Yang spoke first, repeatedly expressing his astonishment at Jiang Bai's appetite.
"Hey, it's his problem that he's in trouble, and it looks like it's pretty serious. Zhang Yang, I guarantee it's not as simple as your friend says, but since he's found the boss, even the biggest trouble can be resolved for him. But when you ask the boss for a favor, you can't expect to pay a price."
Xu Jie lay on the sofa in a completely paralyzed position, and chuckled lazily.
Among this group, Xu Jie knows Jiang Bai the most and has the most knowledge about him.
He knew most of what was going on with Jiang Bai.
Firstly, because he was one of the earliest followers of Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai trusted him and told him many things.
Secondly, he was well-informed and did some things that were not in accordance with the law, so he knew much more about Jiang Bai than others.
That's why he dared to speak so confidently, unafraid of making a fool of himself.
"The situation is good. If we can reach an agreement to buy TT's shares at the price of the third round of financing, it will be a sure thing for us. TT has a very good market prospect. Otherwise, those international investment giants would not have agreed to invest at such a price. Conservatively speaking, once it goes public, we can make several times the profit."
"The problem is, we just formulated a plan to support the expansion of the Imperial Hotel. Boss, you need to get an extra 8 billion from outside. Even if we mortgage the Imperial Enterprises to the bank, it's impossible to raise that much money. According to the price of the third round of financing, 20%, that's 1.6 billion."
"Even if we mortgage our entire group to the bank, we might not be able to get this much money, unless you, boss, use connections and irregular channels to get us a loan of 70% or 80% of the collateral, or you borrow at least 1.6 billion from elsewhere?"
Sitting there, Yao Lan frowned at this moment and said noncommittally, her big eyes fixed on Jiang Bai, waiting for his answer.
Buying TT's shares at the price of the third round of financing would undoubtedly be a good deal, but the key issue is that their Empire Corporation doesn't have that much money right now.
Even mortgaging the company wouldn't be enough.
Unless Jiang Bai is willing to wait a few more months, but even if Jiang Bai is willing to wait, Ji Mingjie has to agree first.
Aside from that, there are only two options left: mortgaging the company, having Jiang Bai use connections to go through irregular procedures, or borrowing money from others.
Chapter 367 Fat Dragon and Skinny Tiger
The problem is that Jiang Bai had already promised to provide Chang Shiyun with 8 billion, and now he's adding another 1.6 billion, making it a total of 9.6 billion!
It wasn't that Yao Lan doubted Jiang Bai's ability to do it, but rather that the task was simply too difficult.
That's 9.6 billion, not 96 yuan!
"You don't need to worry about these things. I have a way to handle them. You just need to manage the group well for me. Also, have our group's legal representative prepare the contracts and wait in Guangzhou. Leave everything else to me."
Jiang Bai knew what Yao Lan was thinking, so he smiled and said nonchalantly.
Instead, Xu Jie spoke up: "Boss, should we prepare some people? We can't have you do everything yourself if something happens."
"I see. Then you can make the arrangements."
After thinking it over, Jiang Bai agreed, but he didn't explain it too clearly to Yao Lan and Zhang Yang. He simply extended a hand to Xu Jie.
Xu Jie understood that he needed to prepare fifty people, so he nodded slightly.
Afterwards, Jiang Bai chatted with a few people for a while, talking about some work-related matters and some personal matters. They had a pleasant chat, had lunch together, and then Xiao Tian took Jiang Bai to the airport.
At the airport, bored, Jiang Bai suddenly remembered the matter of pledging his shares in the Portuguese Group, so he called Mr. He and told him his thoughts.
Jiang Bai hoped the other party could help him contact a bank in Hong Kong to get a loan, with the amount set at 10 billion to round it up to a whole number.
Unexpectedly, Mr. He was taken aback at first, but then said that Jiang Bai didn't need to take out a bank loan. The Portuguese Group itself had a lot of idle funds in the bank, and he could lend them to Jiang Bai, charging him according to the bank's interest rate.
Jiang Bai did not readily agree to this, and thought about it for a long time.
He also knew that Mr. He was a cunning old fox and wouldn't agree to him so easily. Although the 10 billion Portuguese Group was not of much use sitting there, lending it to him was a different matter.
This money doesn't belong to Mr. He himself; it belongs to the group company and requires the consent of all shareholders.
He agreed so easily; he must have some ulterior motive.
As expected, the old man proposed that Jiang Bai should pledge his shares to the group or himself, saying that he needed to give the shareholders a reason.
Jiang Bai chuckled and agreed, stipulating that if he could not repay the principal and interest within three years, the shares would return to the group or go to Mr. He.
Both parties were happy and the deal was settled. They agreed that once Jiang Bai went to Portugal to sign the agreement, he would immediately transfer the money to Jiang Bai.
They chatted for a couple more minutes before hanging up. Jiang Bai then sent the flight information to Ji Mingjie and boarded the plane.
After sleeping for a while on the plane, Jiang Bai arrived in Guangzhou in the evening.
As soon as Jiang Bai got off the plane, he saw several men in suits holding up a large sign with three bright red characters that read: "Mr. Jiang!"
These men, all dressed in black suits and ties, white shirts, and sunglasses, were burly and expressionless. They stood there holding a large sign, forming a row of four or five people. No one dared to approach them.
This caused a row of black lines to involuntarily appear on Jiang Bai's forehead.
Jiang Bai couldn't stand the kind of attention that everyone was looking at, but with their actions, it was hard for him not to be noticed.
He greeted the other person, then turned and left. After getting into his car, he was surprised to find a young woman with a curvaceous figure and striking good looks sitting in the front passenger seat.
After seeing Jiang Bai get into the car, she first reached out to shake hands with him, and then introduced herself: "Hello, Mr. Jiang, I am Mr. Ji's secretary, my name is Zhang Yan. I'm sorry, I had some things to take care of earlier, so I didn't get out of the car to pick you up. Please don't mind."
He was being polite, but judging from his expression, he seemed to have a lot of prejudice against me. He was arranged by Ji Mingjie to pick me up at the airport, but he didn't even come down to see me. He said he was busy or something. Who are you kidding?
However, she is a woman, and not very old. More importantly, she has already apologized. If Jiang Bai insists on holding a grudge, it will only make him seem petty.
So he smiled slightly, didn't say anything, nodded as a greeting, then sat in the back row, lit a cigarette for himself, and started smoking.
The movements were casual, especially when the other person took out the seven-yuan Hongtashan cigarette; Jiang Bai noticed that the other person's brows furrowed.
However, she quickly recovered and continued to give Jiang Bai the formulaic smile, saying, "Mr. Jiang probably hasn't eaten yet. Mr. Ji has already arranged dinner and is waiting for you. Shall we go over now?"
Jiang Bai was a guest, and the other party was the host. How could Jiang Bai refuse the invitation to dinner?
This is his first time in Guangzhou, and he's completely unfamiliar with the place. What can he do?
He nodded silently without saying a word, which was taken as an agreement.
The other party smiled awkwardly, then gave Jiang Bai a very subtle glare, and decided not to bother with Jiang Bai any longer, instructing the driver to start the car.
More than half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of a rather magnificent hotel in the city. Led by Zhang Yan, Jiang Bai entered a private room.
Jiang Bai had assumed it was just Ji Mingjie and himself talking, but as soon as he entered, he realized he was completely wrong. The room was already full of people, with a large table seating twenty people.
As soon as Jiang Bai entered the room, he immediately attracted everyone's attention, and they all looked at him.
Standing behind Jiang Bai, Zhang Yan stepped forward and said, "Mr. Ji, I've brought Mr. Jiang to you."
"Haha, hello, hello, Mr. Jiang, please have a seat. It's really too much trouble for you to make this special trip for me. Come, come, please take a seat."
Ji Mingjie was not the dull IT guy of legend; he was extremely enthusiastic. He stood up when he saw Jiang Bai, and upon hearing Zhang Yan's introduction, he quickly came up to shake hands with Jiang Bai and pulled him inside.
Before Jiang Bai could even speak, a bald, fat man with a thick gold chain immediately chimed in: "Hey, another one? I thought Mr. Ji was asking our boss for a favor, but it seems he doesn't trust us. So many people? But they don't seem very good to me, especially this one... just a young man. Mr. Ji, don't be fooled."
"Yes, Mr. Ji, there are too many swindlers in this world. Everyone claims to be very capable and talented. When eating and drinking, they boast more and more than the other, and their methods of swindling money are more and more sophisticated. But when it comes to real skills, they have none at all! I have seen too many people like this."
As soon as the bald fat man finished speaking, another skinny guy spoke up. He had sunken eyes, a listless expression, and a very hoarse voice.
Jiang Bai frowned as soon as he saw him, and it was almost certain that this guy was a drug addict.
Moreover, it's been around for a long time, its body has been hollowed out, and you can tell at a glance that it's not a good bird.
Chapter 368 None of them are simple
The two of them sat next to a middle-aged man, looking exactly like two fat and thin monks; this must be the boss the fat man had mentioned.
The leader, dressed in a black suit, had a cold and stern face and a calm expression. He sat there without saying a word, glanced at Jiang Bai, and did not speak or greet him, but there was a deep disdain in his eyes.
Jiang Bai didn't know where this person came from, but judging from his appearance, he shouldn't be a good person. He could smell a bloody scent on the person, so he must have killed people and seen blood before. He probably wasn't involved in legitimate business.
The fat man and the skinny man's words made Ji Mingjie somewhat embarrassed, but he was a man of importance after all, and his embarrassment was only fleeting. He quickly smiled and said, "Brothers Fat Dragon and Skinny Tiger are joking. I specially invited Mr. Jiang to help me. Although he is not well-known in Yangcheng, my friend told me that Mr. Jiang has a lot of influence in Tiandu!"
"I am definitely not some charlatan, please don't misunderstand."
After saying that, he ushered Jiang Bai into the banquet and very politely arranged for him to sit to his left, which caused Fatty Dragon and Skinny Tiger to snort coldly.
Fortunately, it was a long table, not a round one; otherwise, the dispute over the seat of the guest of honor might have caused quite a stir.
After sitting down, Jiang Bai observed the people present. Besides Fat Dragon, Skinny Tiger, and their leader, there was a group of people who didn't seem like good people, about four or five of them, chatting together.
Jiang Bai had sharp ears and could clearly hear that the other person spoke with a Hong Kong accent, but he didn't know where they came from.
However, after vaguely hearing things like "Number Gang" and "Wo Shing Wo," Jiang Bai deduced that the other party was probably from Hong Kong and had a less-than-honorable background, though he didn't know which triad they belonged to.
During his last trip to Hong Kong, Jiang Bai stirred up a storm, leaving the head of Xinji in a sorry state, forcing Yin Tianchou to step forward and plead with Jiang Bai on his behalf.
However, the number of people who know Jiang Bai is actually limited, and the number of people who have seen Jiang Bai is even more limited. There are more triads in Hong Kong than there are small shops in Jiang Bai's hometown, and there are countless of them, big and small. It is impossible for Jiang Bai to know them all.
However, judging from the tone of the other party, they seem to be quite fierce.
Of course, they were just boasting to themselves; Jiang Bai had no idea whether it was true or not.
In other places, Jiang Bai would be curious about why Ji Mingjie brought these people here, but it's not surprising here. Guangzhou is very close to Hong Kong, separated only by the sea, and many things are related.
These people were invited by Ji Mingjie, and I guess they were recommended by some friend of his, just like me.
Besides these two groups, which were clearly not legitimate businessmen, there was another group of people dressed in sharp suits. Their origins were unknown, but they seemed to be respectable people. They were led by a middle-aged man wearing glasses in the center, with a young man and a young woman following on either side.
Judging from their demeanor and expressions, they should all be highly educated people.
If these three groups were considered normal, then the other two groups surprised Jiang Bai. One group of foreigners, dressed in black and white, sat there drinking water and communicating in English with a blond foreigner in a sharp suit.
There was also a group of people who were noticeably shorter, sitting there with their eyes fixed straight ahead, their expressions cold and stern, not uttering a sound. There were about three of them, all dressed in sharp suits. But next to these three smartly dressed men was a middle-aged man covered in tattoos with a ferocious face. His suit was open, revealing a geisha holding a knife. He was looking around menacingly.
Good heavens! Regardless of north or south, or even China or the world, I wonder how many people Ji Mingjie has invited. Judging from this, they're all here to help.
I just don't know who has the real ability.
Who will Ji Mingjie ultimately choose?
Jiang Bai was very curious. He originally thought he was his only choice, but now it seemed that he was one of the six?
He wasn't angry. Ji Mingjie had just used connections and connections to find him through a friend. His friend probably only knew a little about him, only saying that he had power, but didn't really know what was going on with him, relying mostly on hearsay.
If I were in Ji Mingjie's position, I would inevitably have other thoughts as well.
A smart person would do this: find more people and buy more insurance policies for themselves.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's begin. Thank you all for coming. I'd like to propose a toast to you all."
After Jiang Bai took his seat, Ji Mingjie stood up, raised his glass of red wine, and smiled at the guest, speaking with great politeness and maintaining a high level of decorum.
Although everyone present knew that Ji Mingjie was actually extremely anxious during this period.
Everyone stood up and raised their glasses. Jiang Bai was no exception. He took a sip, but some people drank it all in one go, while others only took a small sip.
That's normal, after all, this table is full of all sorts of people.
As for how to solve the problem later, it will naturally be a matter of natural selection.
Jiang Bai believed that the people present who were willing to come had big appetites, and no matter how capable or wealthy Ji Mingjie was, he couldn't possibly use all of his money at once.
Putting aside the possibility of causing trouble or making things worse, the combined compensation for these people would probably be too much for Ji Mingjie to bear.
This is why Ji Mingjie called everyone together; it seems he wanted to test the waters.
After a glass of wine, a waiter immediately came to refill the glass. Then the door was opened, and dozens of waiters placed various dishes that had been prepared on the table. After that, everyone left, leaving only Ji Mingjie's bodyguards and his very attractive female secretary inside.
Judging from the appearance, they're there to make the environment more private.
After all, it's really not convenient for outsiders to know what I'm about to say.
Before Ji Mingjie could even speak, Jiang Bai started eating on his own, prompting Fei Long and Shou Hu to snort coldly. Everyone around, including Ji Mingjie's female secretary Zhang Yan, couldn't help but cast disdainful glances at him.
Perhaps he thought Jiang Bai was too uncouth? The host hadn't even spoken, and no one else had touched their chopsticks, yet he started eating first? And without any restraint at all?
Do you really think they're here to freeload?
"Hey, I just got off the plane and I'm a little hungry, so I'll eat first. You guys can talk to me if you need anything..."
Jiang Bai glanced at the people around him, seemingly unconcerned, and politely said a few words, but his actions showed no sign of dissatisfaction. He picked up two pieces of abalone and some sea cucumber for himself and ate heartily.
This provoked everyone's disgust, but Ji Mingjie laughed heartily. Although somewhat surprised, he still praised, "Mr. Jiang is indeed a straightforward person. He doesn't concern himself with trifles when it comes to important matters. It's me, the host, who didn't consider this issue. It's getting late, and everyone is hungry. Come on, let's eat... let's eat!"
Chapter 369 The Great Waves Wash Away the Sand?
Ji Mingjie called out to the people around him to eat, but unfortunately, no one present had the appetite. They weren't there to eat, but to discuss important matters!
Fatty Dragon and Skinny Tiger both snorted coldly. Fatty Dragon spoke up, saying, "Mr. Ji, my boss is only here to give you face. You asked others to say so many good things to my boss. My boss thinks you are someone important, and you also have Uncle Qi speaking up for you. We are from the same place, so he decided to give you face and help you with this favor."
"But what do you mean by this? You called so many people? And a bunch of Hong Kongers too? Are you looking down on our boss? Or do you not believe in our capabilities?"
"Absolutely not, absolutely not...I am..."
Upon hearing this, Ji Mingjie's expression changed. He knew that what he had done was not very ethical, but he was unaware of many things happening outside.
Having studied and worked abroad in my early years, I was just an ordinary person with no connections in China. Later, I returned to start my own business and have been working hard for the past few years, with very little contact with the outside world. Now that this has happened, I have asked many friends for help.
Fortunately, everyone was very accommodating and invited quite a few people, including the six most confident ones.
It's not that he's bad at handling things, it's just that he doesn't know who to ask for help.
I don't know which one is more reliable.
He certainly wanted to invite them all.
This way, not only would it not offend a friend, but it would also be more useful. Just as Jiang Bai thought, it is true that these six families all have some ability, but the problem is that they all have an unusually large appetite.
If you really put them all together, Ji Mingjie really couldn't afford to hire them.
So, following the advice of an experienced elder, they invited all these people together to meet and see who was stronger and who was weaker.
Although this might offend some people, Ji Mingjie had also prepared some gifts, so no one would leave empty-handed. Even those who withdrew from the competition for some reason would receive a small gift worth millions, which would lessen their bad feelings.
He was about to explain, but before he could finish speaking, the man known as "Hong Kong Boy" immediately objected, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "No one in Hetu dares to look down on us! What do you mean by that? What, is it wrong for Mr. Ji to invite us here?"
"Do you still think our combined team is inferior to yours?"
"Want to have a contest? Do you think our combined force of over 10,000 people is fake?"
Judging from their expressions, they were very dissatisfied with what the fat dragon and thin tiger had said, and they were slamming their fists on the table, indicating that they were about to fight.
Everyone else watched coldly and silently.
Jiang Bai, on the other hand, ate without any restraint, glanced at the food, and then buried himself in his work.
Zhang Yan, who had been drawn to the conversation between the two groups, frowned when she saw Jiang Bai's expression and muttered under her breath, "Eat...eat you to death!"
Jiang Bai took a bite of food, then tilted his head and suddenly made a funny face, which startled Zhang Yan. After realizing what he meant, she turned red with anger.
While Jiang Bai was indulging in a feast, the atmosphere over there was already a strong smell of gunpowder. Skinny Tiger stood up, pressed his hand on the table, and said in his hoarse voice with extreme arrogance, "It's true that there are more than 10,000 people in Hetu, but there are at least 60 or 70 leaders in Hetu. They're everywhere, and everyone claims to be from Hetu, but what's the use of that?"
"This is Guangzhou! My boss is from Guangzhou. Don't you even know who in Guangzhou would dare to disrespect my boss, Black Panther? Don't even mention you little punks. Even if the head of Hetu came here, I, Skinny Tiger, would dare to tell him to his face that he's no match for him here!"
One sentence stunned the group of Hong Kongers, and no one dared to speak. One of them leaned close to the leader's ear and whispered something, causing the leader's expression to change several times.
Jiang Bai didn't listen attentively, but he roughly knew that they were talking about the black leopard's background.
It seems this person is quite a figure in Yangcheng, as even those Hong Kong people know him.
However, he quickly came to his senses. This was Guangzhou, so close to Hong Kong. With the economic development of the mainland, the exchanges between the two places have become increasingly close.
Jiang Bai wouldn't believe it if you said that there wasn't any collusion or connection between people like them.
It's normal to know that.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Fatty Long slammed his hand on the table and roared at the group of Hong Kongers from Hetu, "What are you looking at! If you keep looking, do you believe I'll gouge your eyes out? Do you guys not want to leave Guangzhou tonight?"
One sentence caused the other party's face to change several times, turning ashen. He coldly stared at the fat dragon and skinny tiger in front of him, and finally threw out a very low-level, clichéd remark: "Black Panther, you're ruthless! We admit defeat this time, but we'll meet again someday."
After saying that, he turned and left with a few people without looking back. At Ji Mingjie's signal, one of Ji Mingjie's bodyguards quickly picked up a small box and chased after them.
What's inside is self-evident.
This businessman doesn't seem to want to offend anyone.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. He found these people through a friend, and now they've lost face and left. If he doesn't make amends, he'll inevitably be resented. As a businessman, he doesn't need to offend these desperados.
It's just a loss of some money, not a lot, and Ji Mingjie can afford it.
After the group left, Fatty Dragon and Skinny Tiger burst into laughter, their laughter extremely blatant. As for Black Panther, who was sitting in the center, he didn't say a word, remaining expressionless and giving off an air of profound mystery.
However, Jiang Bai clearly noticed that the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, indicating that he was quite happy inside, but he just didn't show it.
In contrast to Black Panther's composure, Zhang Yan's eyes shone as she watched everything before her. Although she didn't make a move, her expression seemed to be full of admiration for Black Panther, which Jiang Bai noticed.
Jiang Bai rolled his eyes at the other party without any politeness.
My inner thought: "Another brain-dead idiot."
The dinner party didn't continue. Three men and women who were clearly highly educated spoke up, the oldest one in their group.
The man, who was about forty years old and had a refined demeanor, glanced at Ji Mingjie and said, "Mr. Ji, our boss has already contacted the Yangcheng Police Bureau and the Provincial Department and found several capable leaders, including the deputy director of the Yangcheng Public Security Bureau. If you are willing, they can come to your aid at any time. Of course... our boss needs you to agree to his conditions."
Upon hearing this, not only Ji Mingjie, but even Jiang Bai frowned.
Ji Mingjie is a businessman with considerable influence. Although TT's development is only in its mid-stage and has just begun, Hengxun is not a very large company in Guangzhou.
But to say that Ji Mingjie, a powerful leader, doesn't know him?
That's impossible.