Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 106: The Two-Faced Hypocrisy (First Update to Celebrate the Alliance Leader’s Resilience)

Is there a need to ask? Feng Jun gave a slight smile, and replied in a low voice, “Nine out of ten times, it’s someone from the Penglai Grand Hotel.” “Damn,” Wang Haifeng almost instantly cleared the confusion in his mind, smiled, and extended a thumbs-up. “You’re really playing a deep game.” “There’s no game,” Feng Jun responded seriously, “The hotel lobby already approached me just now, wanting to comp my stay… Do I look like the type to take advantage of small perks?”

The situation had taken a dramatic turn, with the Penglai Grand Hotel actually taking a strong hand in the matter.

The hotel was well aware that Feng Jun was not lacking in money; they couldn’t pressure him, and he had the capacity to make this matter known to the public. So they had no choice but to coordinate with the police, attempting to suppress this matter as much as possible-once Zhengyang reported it today, the police might not care, and might not be affected, but our reputation at Penglai would be damaged.

Those in the service industry care most about reputation, and the hotel has competitors in Zhengyang. What if someone took this opportunity to make a fuss?

The Penglai Grand Hotel is four-star, and its behind-the-scenes owner has considerable clout. The incident Feng Jun encountered wasn’t anything too extraordinary in Zhengyang City, so the next day, Feng Jun was actually allowed to leave the police station with the four pieces of jade.

Of course, this matter couldn’t just end like this. Although Feng Jun had acted in self-defense, he still seriously injured three people, and the police hoped he would leave a deposit before he left.

This time, Feng Jun was adamant that he wouldn’t leave any deposit. “I was being robbed, and you want me to leave a deposit? Is this the level of case-handling by Zhengyang Police? Do you believe I would disclose this to the media outside the province?”

“Then feel free to throw me in detention-I absolutely won’t pay this money!” By now, he was considered wealthy, and in these times, money equated to status. The police couldn’t forcibly demand anything and in the end, could only tell him, “You are not permitted to leave Zhengyang in the near future. If the police need you, you must be available on call.”

After completing these negotiations, Feng Jun came out, and it was nearly noon the next day.

No sooner had he left the police station than two people approached him. “Boss Feng, can we find a place to sit down?”

Feng Jun recognized one of them; it was Manager Wang from Jubaozhai. During the last auction, he nearly sold the Mutton-Fat Jade to this man.

He originally had no particular animosity toward Manager Wang, but the latter’s nephew had angered him to such an extent that he resented the man by association. He shook his head, his face expressionless as he spoke, “No need to sit. Your nephew almost made me spend the night in detention.”

Manager Wang’s brows furrowed. He held a position of authority in Jubaozhai and was long accustomed to ordering people around. But now, this young man in front of him dared to dismiss him, fueling his indignation beyond question. He took a deep breath and said slowly, “Regarding this matter, Weimin did act improperly…”

”Stop right there,” Feng Jun waved his hand, unapologetically cutting him off, ‘Listen to how you phrase that- ‘he acted improperly’? Let me ask one thing… did he do anything right?”

Then he waved his hand again, speaking with finality, “Don’t bother speaking further. Your nephew not only wanted to rob me of my money and jade, but also aimed to break my legs… I won’t drop this case, and you’d better relay a message to him: don’t let me run into him.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Wang became anxious. His nephew might be incompetent, but he was the only son in the Lao Wang family. Of the three siblings, only the eldest had a son, the rest had daughters-if the case wasn’t dropped, the sole successor of the Lao Wang family wouldn’t be able to walk in the sun.

So he stated bluntly, “What exactly do you want? Just name your price, and as long as it’s not too excessive, I’ll accept it.”

Feng Jun gave him a strange look, “Who are you trying to impress with that grin? Who’s the victim here, me or your nephew? Look, Manager Wang, I’m in a good mood today and can’t be bothered to squabble with you, but if you rile me up, I’ll take care of you too!”

Manager Wang, trying not to let his distress show, laughed and said, “You’re young, but you’re certainly not short of confidence.”

Feng Jun couldn’t be bothered with him and turned to look at Wang Haifeng, You see, this is their attitude. When their family wants to commit robbery and assault, it’s just ‘a bit wrong.¹ If I don’t give them face, it becomes a grave mistake… What kind of morals is this?”

Despite the insult, Manager Wang suppressed his displeasure, took another deep breath, and began once more, “Boss Feng, Weimin is young and foolish. On his behalf, I apologize to you…”

It was not easy for him to speak so humbly after so many years.

But Feng Jun simply scoffed at the apology, “If his being young means he doesn’t know better, then I’m younger than him, so obviously I can know even less. Besides… why should you apologize for him? Just because you have a big face?”

It was at this moment that laughter rang out from nearby. “Manager Wang’s face has always been big; after all, he’s a person of stature.”

The speaker was none other than Liang Haiqing from Henglong, smilingly approaching. “Manager Wang, before your nephew took off yesterday, he did call your boss. You should advise him to take it down a notch… don’t get yourself dragged into this as well.”

Manager Wang was taken aback by this revelation. Before his nephew fled he had indeed contacted Chairman Wang, and the Chairman’s advice was to lay low for a while and return after the storm had passed.

For the Sect Leader of Jubaozhai, this matter was not trivial nor insignificant. Given the current scrutiny, Wang Weimin certainly couldn’t stay in Zhengyang. If given some time, however, the Chairman was confident he could smooth things over.

The conversation was highly confidential; though the police obtained some leads by retrieving the call logs, very few people were actually in the know.

Manager Wang found it odd that Liang Haiqing would know about this, but on the surface, he didn’t betray any emotion, merely commenting indifferently, “I’m not familiar with the things you’re talking about, but I must say, Boss ‘ Liang, your ability to overhear things is really something I’ve witnessed today.” Henglong and Jubaozhai were at loggerheads like fire and water. Liang Haiqing didn’t give any face in his remarks either; he sneered, “Whether it’s hearsay or not, you know best. But, I must say, I really admire Director Wang… Aren’t you worried at all about being charged with harboring a criminal?”

These words seemed to be directed at Manager Wang, but in fact, they were also an instigation against Feng Jun: the chairman of Jubaozhai openly supports his son, showing no regard for you. If you have any tricks you haven’t yet played, now’s the time to use them.

Manager Wang sensed this full-on malice and snorted, “Whether it’s harboring a criminal or not, it’s not for you to decide. Is Boss Liang here today just to make things difficult for Jubaozhai?”

“I’m not that bored,” Liang Haiqing replied dismissively, “I’m here to welcome Boss Feng, to have a good drink at lunch, to clear away some bad luck.” “Boss Liang is too kind; thankyou,” Feng Jun gave a polite bow to Boss Liang, smiling as he spoke, “I’ve been busy all night and have only just come out, I must first express my thanks to a friend who has helped me.”

Whom did he want to thank? That’s right, thanks to his former boss, the general manager of Hongjie, Zhang Weihong.

Sister Hong didn’t make an appearance this time, but the message was indeed sent, and Wang Haifeng could testify to that.

This was the second time Zhang Weihong stepped in to help Feng Jun. The difficulty this time was certainly not as great as the last, but without a doubt, without her intervention, Feng Jun would have faced quite a bit of trouble.

In fact, even with her stepping in, Feng Jun’s jade was almost seized. This was an era where money mattered more than life.

Therefore, Feng Jun was profoundly grateful; he had cast aside the minor grievances with Hongjie, seriously acknowledging the help he received this time, and he had to personally thank Sister Hong.

Feng Jun didn’t think of himself as a good person. He didn’t have much interest in being one, either. But he was willing to be a person of principles.

Initially, it was Coach Wang who called Sister Hong on behalf of Feng Jun to extend the dinner invitation. She indicated that it was a trivial matter not worth mentioning and that there was no need for a special meal; it would be fine to talk about it sometime later when they were free.

Generally speaking, when people these days say “sometime later when we’re free,” it is roughly equivalent to the “look back in a hundred years” type of looking back.

In the end, it was Feng Jun who took Coach Wang’s mobile phone and personally extended the invitation, which Sister Hong finally accepted.

For this reason, Feng Jun and Coach Wang made a point of arriving at the predetermined restaurant early, standing at the door of Fushouju Restaurant waiting for the arrival of Sister Hong.

Sister Hong walked over. The Hongjie Clubhouse was not far from here, and since it was nearly late autumn, she didn’t bare her legs anymore but wore a pair of deep purple, wide-leg pants with a strong sense of draping.

On the upper body, she donned a lace-trimmed white floral blouse covered by a teal vest, and over that, a beige short trench coat. She also wore a pair of large sunglasses on her face.

By the time Feng Jun started working at Hongjie, it was already late May, and he had never seen Sister Hong not baring her legs. He paused briefly before approaching with a smile and greeting, “Hello, Sister Hong. Are you… afraid of sunburn?”

“Zhengyang’s autumn sun is the most harmful,” Sister Hong replied with a smile, surprisingly amiable, “I seem to have forgotten, Xiao Feng, that this is your first autumn in Zhengyang, right?”

“Yes,” Feng Jun nodded with deep feeling, “but I believe it won’t be the last. Let’s not talk about this now… Speaking of which, it’s also my first time seeing Sister Hong wearing pants.”

Uh, that remark seemed a bit off, so he quickly corrected himself, “I mean, you never used to wear them…”

A snicker came from beside them. It was a receptionist who couldn’t help herself and was covering her mouth, giggling.

Sister Hong glanced at her casually, and the receptionist was so frightened that she immediately fell silent, though her shoulders were still shaking.

“Xiao Feng, you’ve changed,” she said as she stepped towards the door, “You used to be such a simple boy, but now you’ve been led astray by Wang Haifeng.” Walking in front, Wang Haifeng couldn’t help turning back at the comment, “Sister Hong, I take offense at that. How have I turned bad, and how is Feng Jun still good? Are you suggesting that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Are you trying to make me resign too?”

”I was fired; you resigning would be a no-go,” Feng Jun replied with a smile, “Besides, what does it matter if Sister Hong thinks you’re handsome? I think you’re overdue for your wife to set you straight.”

Coach Wang’s reputation for being whipped was known throughout Hongjie. “Hey hey, you two… enough already,” Sister Hong huffed lightly, “With all these cunning thoughts, go charm some young girls; don’t tease me, an old lady.”

“How could you be considered an old lady,” both expressed in unison, experienced men know exactly what to say at times like this.

(First update, a tribute to Sect Leader Ying Lei; from the start of the book, you said you wanted ‘moe’, and indeed, it’s very ‘moe’.)