Part Two: The Great Sugar of the East, Chapter 105

it into darkness. Only the broken motion sensor light in the far corridor flickered on and off, casting an eerie glow. They entered without switching on any lights, embracing in the gloom. Their sense...Before working with Whale Finance, Yuan Qi had been severely damaged and needed to recover slowly. Gu Ruandong understood that helping him with the project was a quick fix, but not a long-term solution. Teaching someone to fish is better than giving them a fish. He introduced his network to Lu Kuo, who, with his social skills, would surely be able to quickly build his own network and develop projects. This was the real long-term solution.

This trip, accompanied by Dafang, Chen Xinmin and Xiao Cai, because there is an industry summit being held here, all the bigwigs in the industry are coming. Gu Ruandong has already made arrangements, after the meeting, he will treat everyone to a meal.

Of course, those who issued invitations to him were all people with relatively clean backgrounds. They wouldn't bring any shady characters over to Lu Kuo's side.

At the evening banquet, Lu Kuò finally understood Gu Ruǎn Dōng's intentions. When he was truly moved, he became taciturn and only said one sentence: "Thank you."

Gu Ruandong: "You're welcome, I do it for YaoYao."

Men are most afraid of being overly emotional.

In this setting, Lu Kuo was indeed in his element. While he had heard that Jing Finance was already quite well-known in the business world, Lu Kuo had previously just gone with the flow and didn't participate much. Coupled with the fact that his previous company had been investigated and fallen into a trough, he hadn't had many opportunities to meet bigwigs in the industry.

Those who came to the banquet were all there because of Gu Ruan's face, so after he introduced them, everyone was naturally polite to Lu Kuo.

Seeing Lu Kuo and the others chatting happily, Gu Ruandong didn't pay him any mind afterward. He found a quiet corner to himself. He'd had too many days of clinking glasses, so now he would avoid them if he could.

He seemed to be casually drinking in the corner, but for half an hour now, he’d barely touched his glass. He had promised Yao Yao he wouldn’t drink, and while he wasn't actually keeping it, he was putting on a show. His attention was constantly on the ballroom. His eyes, like radar, scanned every guest, automatically bringing up their current net worth and ongoing projects in his mind. He mentally categorized them: potential partners or not.

The nature remains unchanged, still a wolf. Instinctively able to smell these things, but now the mindset has changed. This desire can be easily suppressed, no longer wanting to find every way possible to obtain it like before.

People gradually relaxed, chatting with Yaoyao on their phone. She reported to him that she was home, had just finished showering, and was getting ready for bed. She purposely sent him a picture of herself out of the bath, being quite flirty.

But in this situation, looking at the photos wouldn't elicit any reaction; I just think her disheveled appearance is adorable and would really like to hug her.

He lowered his head to read the message, when a faint rustling sound suddenly reached his ear. It wasn't loud, but noticeable enough to draw his attention. He looked up and saw an unexpected guest appear in the banquet hall: Zhao Tingxing, his arch-nemesis.

As soon as Zhao Tingxing appeared, many guests in the ballroom felt a bit awkward. They weren't sure whether to greet him or not. As people in the same circle, they had intricate business relationships. However, this was Gu Ruandong's turf, and everyone knew that he and Zhao Tingxing didn't get along. So, out of respect for the host, they hesitated to approach him openly. Besides, Zhao Tingxing had an innate coldness that kept people at bay.

Zhao Ting walked in, his eyes scanned the room before landing on Gu Ruandong. He walked straight towards him.

"Young Master Gu, it's good to see you again!"

"Mr. Zhao, have a seat," Gu Ruandong still leaned leisurely on the sofa, making an inviting gesture, as if he were just an ordinary guest, not taking Zhao Tingxing seriously at all.

The air in the entire banquet hall seemed to stop circulating. The lively chatter and clinking of glasses that had filled the room moments ago dwindled to a murmur, then fell silent altogether. All eyes turned towards Zhao Tingxing as he sat down.

Lu Kuo had only heard of Zhao Tingxing's name before. This was the first time he met him, so he held a glass of wine and prepared to sit beside Gu Ruandong. Although he couldn't do much, it was always possible to give him some support on stage.

"Stop, don't go over there," he said.

The Big Boat knew Gu Shao definitely didn't want to implicate Lu Kuo, so he stopped him from going past.

Gu Ruan Dong, this person, in the business world is decisive and rarely shows mercy. But on a daily basis, he always appears "polite and courteous," seldom taking the initiative to start trouble.

He remained silent, staring at Zhao Tingxing, even beckoning a waiter to bring him a glass of wine.

Zhao Tingxing picked up his glass, stood up, and addressed the silent banquet hall: "Zhao, I apologize for my bold intrusion. Let me toast to you all, and then continue with your festivities. I'd like to catch up with Shao Gu." He drank a full glass in one go.

Everyone also felt it was rude to just stand there silently, so under the greetings of Lu Kuo and others, they moved their positions.

Here, Zhao Tingxing put down his wine glass and looked at Gu Ruandong. Finally, he stopped acting and said coldly, "Gu Shao, are you here to steal my job again"

"I dare not."

This area in the southwest is Zhao Tingxing's stronghold. This industry summit was held here this time, with well-known figures from all over the country attending. Zhao Tingxing also prepared a banquet, but unexpectedly, Gu Ruandong got there first and invited important figures to this place.

Zhao Tingxing, acting without restraint, charged directly at them.

The two have been sworn enemies for years. Outsiders see them as the same, doing things without rules and being ruthless and merciless. But only those who have truly worked with them know the difference.

Gu Ruan is loyal and righteous, sticking to his principles and boundaries even when he's acting wild.

Zhao Tingxing is different. He doesn't have any principles or bottom lines.

The two first met many years ago, both vying for the same municipal project. After a fierce competition, Zhao Tingxing emerged victorious. However, on the eve of signing the contract, he was exposed for bribing the official in charge of the project. The contract was forced to be halted, and he was not only investigated but also saw his network of relationships, painstakingly built over years at a cost of nearly 100 million yuan, instantly crumble.

And Gu Ruandong almost effortlessly obtained this project, making a fortune.

Zhao Tingxing began to target Gu Ruandong from that point on. Whenever Gu Ruandong took an interest in something, Zhao Tingxing would inevitably try to sabotage it, whether intentionally or not. The two clashed countless times in the business world, a true battle of wits where there were both victories and defeats.

This time, the mining company in southwest China, which was originally Zhao Ting's target, was unexpectedly snatched away by Gu Ruandong halfway through. This is a combination of old and new grudges.

Gu Ruandong, these two years have been considered a reformation, not wanting to associate with Zhao Tingxing much. In addition to shifting his career focus, he tries to avoid him as much as possible.

This mining company this time, purely coincidental.

“Although I’ve been eyeing this mining company for a long time, if Shao Gu wants it, just have Dafang let me know and I’ll gladly step aside. It wouldn’t be gentlemanly to openly fight for it.” Zhao Tingxing’s tone was icy cold, laced with a threat. Southwest was his territory; anyone who wanted to enter had to ask his permission first.

Gu Ruandong is not a person who is afraid of threats. He knows that this is him taking the opportunity to make a fuss, and this mining company may not have really caught his eye before.

So, with a slight smile, he replied, “I’m all yours!” taken aback and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong Are you feeling unwell""What's wrong Tell me about it.""Hormonal fluctuations, and a naturally bad mood. Does that even need to be said"The tone was qui...