Hearing the man's words, Jiang Hai chuckled softly while popping another sunflower seed into his mouth.
The young man hadn't stated his identity outright, but Jiang Hai already understood his significance. For someone of his status to be here meant he had been observing him. The fact that he even knew Jiang Hai enjoyed crosstalk meant he had investigated him thoroughly—down to the smallest details. There was no way this man lacked basic intelligence networks.
His presence alone was proof enough that he had been monitoring Jiang Hai for some time.
With the bodyguards standing outside and the man's calm self-assured demeanor, Jiang Hai estimated a seventy percent chance that this was the person backing Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong. His standing in the country was clearly substantial…but so what?
Jiang Hai sneered inwardly. Nonsense.
He simply didn't care.
His interests weren't in the domestic market. He lacked ambition, but that lack was precisely what made him unshakeable. Jiang Hai had always been a man who was sought after—not the other way around—because he never acted without having two fallback plans.
And though the man before him was not someone ordinary people could afford to offend, Jiang Hai was certainly not someone he could casually manipulate.
Perhaps Jiang Hai couldn't shake the foundations of the country, but he definitely wouldn't let himself be pushed around by some privileged young master. In Jiang Hai's view, there were indeed people within China who had the power to cause him trouble—but this man was not qualified.
"I like dealing with smart people," the young man said with a faint laugh when Jiang Hai remained silent. "Smart people save me effort. I only need to hint at something and they understand what lines they can and cannot cross."
He sipped his tea slowly, speaking whether Jiang Hai listened or not.
"But I don't like dealing with people who are too smart. These people have no sense of fear. They look at me without flinching, without lowering their heads. When someone can sit on equal footing with me…" He tapped his teacup lightly. "I'm not pleased."
"Heh. You're sick—you need treatment," Jiang Hai replied without looking at him. "I don't believe in equality for all, but I don't believe in superiority either. This isn't an imperial era anymore."
There were indeed people Jiang Hai viewed with respect—the great American families, the President, high-ranking officials. In China, there were the Emperor figures, the twelve at the very top of power.
Even a sitting minister would require him to be polite.
But a minister's son or grandson?
Jiang Hai had absolutely no need to give them face.
"Hehe… you really are too clever. It's a good thing you're not living in China right now, isn't it?" the young man said with a strange smile.
"A good thing I'm not in China?" Jiang Hai raised a brow. "Is that what you think?"
Their conversation, on the surface light and disjointed, was in truth a confrontation of intentions.
The young man's meaning:
You can't beat me. Don't pretend you can stand equal to me. You're just a rich man.
Jiang Hai's response:
Maybe I'm just rich, but you can't touch me. You can't control me. Your power has nothing to do with me. This is a lawful nation, not some imperial playground.
They raised their cups at the same time, took a sip, and set them down.
The man stood. "I think we'll meet again."
Jiang Hai shrugged. Whether they met again or not didn't matter. Whether he sold anything or not was entirely up to him.
He wasn't worried. With his current abilities, he could live comfortably even without bodyguards.
As for Qi Li, Du Ning was beside her—there would be no immediate danger.
The real concern was internal.
Fortresses fall from within.
Now that the young man had met him, the Qi family would likely move.
Luckily, when Qi Li wanted to open the restaurant, the Qi family's shareholders opposed it. She opened it independently—with only her and Jiang Hai holding shares. That made outside interference far more difficult.
"Still, I'd rather not let things grow messy. I should settle the Qi family situation quickly…" Jiang Hai murmured, rubbing his chin. Handling Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong like he handled the An family was no longer possible.
But he was far stronger now than he had been back then.
"Problems solvable with money aren't real problems. If a hundred million isn't enough, then two hundred. If two hundred fails, then five hundred. If five hundred fails—one billion. Everything has a solution." Jiang Hai grinned, narrowing his eyes.
What others called a crisis was rarely a challenge for him.
After idly watching the crosstalk performance for a while, Jiang Hai left, returned to his car, and followed Azalina's earlier instructions. Opening a sonic-detection app, he scanned the vehicle.
As expected, two tiny listening devices were hidden inside.
They didn't need GPS—someone with this kind of power could locate him via satellite if they wished. All they needed was audio.
But Jiang Hai wasn't about to let them listen in.
He removed the bugs, crushed them with a flick of his fingers, and drove off. He hadn't planned on visiting Qi Li's company, but after tonight's meeting, he felt it was better to check on things.
Soon, the Qi Group building came into view.
Parking at the main entrance, Jiang Hai stepped out. The receptionist didn't stop him, nor did security. At this point, everyone in Qi Group—down to the cleaning staff—knew this tall, plain-looking man was CEO Qi's husband and absolutely untouchable.
He took the elevator up to Qi Li's floor, mind racing with plans on how to resolve the problem cleanly.
But the moment he stepped out, he sensed something wrong.
The floor was unnervingly quiet—everyone was deliberately keeping their voices down.
When they noticed Jiang Hai, staff members looked startled, lowered their heads, and hurried by.
He didn't question them. There was only one reason for such an atmosphere.
Qi Li was in trouble.
Jiang Hai's stride quickened.
Reaching her office, he found several security guards blocking the doorway. They hesitated at the sight of him. Earlier they had been ordered to let no one in—but Jiang Hai?
No one wanted to risk their job… or their bones.
After a moment, they silently stepped aside.
Jiang Hai pushed open the door.
Qi Li's once spacious office was densely packed—at least twenty people, men and women of various ages. Qi Li sat behind her desk, expression cold. Du Ning stood protectively beside her. The crowd was clearly divided into two sides: a large semi-circle facing the desk, and a small group standing behind Qi Li.
"Who are you? This is a shareholders' meeting of Qi Group. Outsiders must leave immediately." A middle-aged woman near the door snapped the moment she saw Jiang Hai.
Her outfit screamed obsession with luxury brands—every item on her body was designer. Seeing Jiang Hai in casual sportswear, daring to enter, her disgust was obvious.
Jiang Hai gave her a single glance, curled his lip, and brushed past her. Under everyone's hostile stares, he made his way directly to Qi Li.
"What's going on?" he asked quietly.
"These people have their eyes on our restaurant," Qi Li replied, letting out a faint breath—as if relieved to see him. "They're here to force us to give it up."