First, a shoe stepped out—young and stylish.
Then, a hand rested on the car door—a young hand.
Finally, a person emerged—a young man, strikingly handsome, but with a powerful aura. His eyes carried a quiet, oppressive dignity. Just one glance around, and people found it hard to breathe. The imposing presence of a big shot was obvious in a single look. Even if you didn’t know him, even if you had no clue who he was, nobody dared underestimate him now.
In an instant, everyone’s expressions changed for different reasons and to varying degrees. Overall, casualness turned into caution; indifference gave way to genuine humility. The background guy’s reaction was the most dramatic—his eyes nearly popped out, his jaw dropped so far it looked dislocated. Someone in the crowd even tugged his sleeve, trying to get him to stop making such a face and embarrassing the company.
"You—you, you, you—!" The background guy managed some self-control, or else he’d be pointing and shouting, "How could it be you!"
This person was way too familiar—he’d just seen him a couple of days ago. Had even thrown some shade his way!
It was Jack Young!
Wait, hold on—maybe it’s just someone who looks like him? That was the only explanation the background guy could come up with.
Zhu Ming’s expression shifted subtly but profoundly in a split second. His smile was still there, but the meaning behind it had completely changed. It wasn’t so natural, wasn’t so warm, wasn’t so exaggerated—he was struggling to keep smiling.
He stopped smiling, but Jack Young started.
Jack Young extended his hand, his smile free of hostility yet sharp as a mountain peak. "Well, isn’t this a coincidence? Didn’t expect to run into you here—Zhu Ming." Jack’s voice was calm and unhurried, like a mountain talking to a molehill—polite, but with a hint of condescension. "So, you’re the department head here? Congratulations, really. Young and promising."
Young and promising—totally the tone of an elder giving advice to a junior.
It really was him—ahhh! The background guy just wanted to grab his hair and bang his head on the floor!
Zhu Ming’s pupils narrowed, staring hard at Jack Young’s face, but his mouth mechanically spat out the rehearsed lines: "Mr. Young, pleasure to meet you. Ms. Luo sent me to greet you, and asks you not to mind her absence." These words were almost automatic, so they came out stiff, flat, and awkward.
To others, Zhu Ming’s performance seemed lacking in manners and poise.
"Oh? Mr. Young and Director Zhu know each other? Small world!" Someone quickly jumped in to smooth things over—exactly what the second string of the reception team should do.
"It’s true—life’s full of coincidences. The world’s too small. We should definitely connect more in the future." Jack Young’s idea of "connecting" was loaded with meaning. He let go of Zhu Ming’s hand and strode ahead: "Let’s go. We’re here on business today—don’t keep your boss waiting."
"Ah, yes, right this way!" The second person saw Zhu Ming freeze up and quickly led Jack Young forward. A crowd headed for the main building. Zhu Ming took a deep breath, forced a smile back on, and caught up. As the lead greeter, he naturally walked in front, tossing out polite phrases as they went. After a few steps, he got his groove back.
Interactions between people are always subtle—especially when Jack Young made no effort to hide his hostility. Outsiders might not feel it, but those involved definitely did. Jack saw Zhu Ming’s forced smile—the kind Huang Silang gave Zhang Mazi—and knew he’d processed the shock and steadied himself. No worries, though; this was just the opening act.
Now for the main event.
Jack Young strode forward, Zhu Ming deliberately staying half a step ahead, eyes full of provocation. Jack didn’t care—these petty tricks were beneath him. He wasn’t interested in palace-intrigue-level squabbles; he was here to crush his opponent on the real battlefield.
What’s the real battlefield?
This bidding war counts. It’s not the biggest deal ever, but as an opener—this business battle, crucial to Eternal Night’s strategy and full of the other side’s tricks—is more than enough!
The meeting room was on the 72nd floor. When Jack Young walked in, people were already there.
To be precise, there were a lot of people, but Jack’s eyes immediately landed on one woman: blonde hair, blue eyes, stunning presence—Deborah Zade, the sixteenth in line for the Zade business empire. He knew the Zade family had a tradition of letting their heirs loose, giving each child total autonomy for their own turf.
Even Jonathan, the son basically considered a throwaway, was put in charge of a group like Dingcheng. According to Jonathan, when he first took over Dingcheng, it was third tier in Hong Kong. Don’t let “third” fool you—it’s still a big company.
And Deborah Zade wasn’t just running a construction company. According to Apollo’s intel, she was actually the chief director of Tomorrow Trading Group’s China division. The Zade family’s main business wasn’t in China, but even so, Deborah Zade was a major player in Shanghai.
Their energies connected—Deborah Zade looked right at Jack Young.
Her eyes sparkled as she gracefully stood up, wearing a mysterious, elegant smile—like a goddess working her magic. She spoke, her voice pleasant and her Chinese flawless. Few foreigners speak such perfect Mandarin; it showed her strong learning and adaptability. "You must be Mr. Young from Eternal Night Group? I’ve heard all about the dazzling stars trading places in the night sky, always wanted to meet you. Today I see it’s you lighting up everything. Coming here from Hong Kong, I wonder if you’re sleeping well?"
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Her words were gracious, but every sentence had an edge—praise mixed with subtle digs. The real message: you were hot stuff in Hong Kong, but this isn’t Hong Kong, and your skills won’t get you far here! Come at me!
"Trading barbs, huh? Sure, I’m game." Jack Young was fired up—(for clarity, simplified Chinese will be used in the brackets)—"Ms. Zade, you’re too kind. You should worry about yourself, really. I’ve always kept to Beijing time, but you’ve crossed who knows how many time zones. Far from home, you should rest up." (You’re a foreigner bragging about home turf? Please.)
"Heh, thanks for your concern. But in business, there’s no time for slackers—rest is secondary. Like this bidding war: work hard, fly high, and you’ll achieve something." (You showed up late and kept everyone waiting—your attitude alone should get you booted!)
"Ms. Zade, your business spirit is admirable—I’ll definitely learn from you. But this is business, so may the best win." (Stop with the talk—if apologies worked, nobody would need to hustle! Enough talk, let’s see what you’ve got!)
Was that last bit boring to read? Honestly, it was even more boring to write—and a real brain drain. But when business rivals meet, there’s always a round of verbal sparring. Even if you want to stab each other, you’ve got to keep up appearances. That’s one of the unwritten rules of high society. Jack Young was just having a little fun—not super professional, but good enough.
But Deborah Zade kept her cool, tossing out witty remarks with ease—clearly a master at this game. In comparison, Zhu Ming was way out of his league. A guy in his thirties who shot up from low-level staff to a top position—he’s still got a lot to learn.
Jack Young took his seat and stopped talking. His mind raced, weighing options. No matter what, trading barbs or squeezing people was just detail—the real focus was the bidding project. On this project, his team had the edge in tech, strength, prep, and determination. The only thing they lacked compared to Deborah Zade’s company was time. Eternal Night was a newly acquired and reorganized company, so it was easy to criticize.
But that wasn’t a big issue—hard power was solidly in their favor.
If hard power’s fine, then the problem must be the soft factors. According to Apollo’s intel, Zhu Ming’s words twisted and turned, but his attitude was tough—he seemed hell-bent on blocking Eternal Night from winning this project. Who knows, maybe he’s made some secret deal—or has a secret relationship—with Deborah Zade?
Don’t blame me for thinking dirty—just look at those two! Deborah Zade’s practically leaning all the way over. That’s some obvious charm-offensive PR!
Whatever his reasons for blocking Eternal Night, the point is—winning this project means a major victory. Win this, and it’s a slap in his face!
This is the opening battle of our war.
Now that Zhu Ming’s just a henchman, Jack Young’s attention shifted to the mysterious new CEO. Since this TOP meeting was thrown together last minute, everyone was basically a stranger—nobody had solid intel. Jack Young made up his mind: if the new CEO didn’t cooperate, he’d pull out every trick in the book.
If reason didn’t work, he’d use his vocal skills; if that failed, sugarcoat it; if that didn’t work, flip the table! Our company’s strengths are crystal clear—no way we’ll lose to you. If I spot any favoritism, the next day the media storm will be on your head. Public opinion can destroy reputations—if I really get things rolling, you’ll be crying!
If all else fails and you’re totally stubborn, I’ll handle it myself… and by then, you won’t even be able to cry.
Thinking this, Jack Young flexed his fingers. Apollo, seeing this queen-like habit, made a quick sign of the cross in his mind—Amen, Buddha bless the new CEO of Tianding Group, don’t do anything stupid!
"Don’t worry," the background guy whispered to Zhu Ming. "He’s here to bid, you’re here to judge. The new CEO, Ms. Luo, barely does anything—she’s only been in charge a few days and never gives her opinion. This time won’t be any different. No matter how many tricks Jack Young has ready, if Ms. Luo doesn’t speak up, he’s got nothing. In the end, he’ll be begging you!"
That perked Zhu Ming up a bit. But he didn’t know Jack Young had heard every word. Jack’s eyebrow twitched—so the new Ms. Luo doesn’t get involved?
Meanwhile, Deborah Zade whispered to her assistant, "Go swap out the gifts!" It’s standard to exchange small gifts at first meetings, but why switch? "Just got word—the new CEO at Tianding Group hates bottles. No porcelain vases, jars, anything like that in her line of sight. Swap out the blue-and-white porcelain for something else!"
Jack Young’s eyebrow went up again—no bottles or jars allowed? What a weirdo. Weird people always have weird quirks.
Looks like it’s almost time to flip the table and start playing hardball.
But wait—Luo… bottle… Something about those two clues together felt oddly familiar.
The next moment, Jack Young heard footsteps—distinct, light, steady, nearly silent on the carpet. No ordinary person could walk like that; it had to be someone with serious martial arts training. And not just any training—every style has its own sound, and from these steps, Jack could tell: this person was trained in the Standing Ring Stance!
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How many people in the world have practiced the Standing Ring Stance?
Click—the door swung open, crisp and clean. A group entered, everyone stood to greet them. At the front, a woman in her thirties suddenly looked thunderstruck, eyes wide as she stared at Jack Young.
"Mas—!" She didn’t finish the word, biting it back because it wasn’t right for this setting. But her face couldn’t hide her joy, her clenched fist and the step she took forward—all of it was real.
Suddenly, everyone’s gaze changed.
All eyes darted between Jack Young and the woman, full of amazement and suspicion.
"You two know each other?" Deborah Zade asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"Sorry, sorry—old friends meeting again, I lost my manners." The woman shook hands with Deborah Zade, her smile dazzling and genuine. "Nice to meet you. My name is Luo, Luo Yuxi."
Jack Young glanced at Zhu Ming, who finally lost his forced calm—his face turned dark and sour. Nothing makes Jack happier than his enemy’s misery, so he smiled and shook his disciple’s hand: "Long time no see. Hmm… better call you CEO Luo now."
"Yeah! Long time no see!" Luo Yuxi gripped Jack Young’s hand tightly, leaning in to whisper so only he could hear: "Master!"
Looks like there’s no need to flip the table after all—this is a total power move.
Jack Young knew he’d already scored the first win.
This world really is way too small.