Judging from its gate, it was a hotel, opening to the public. They entered from the inner door of the hotel and passed by a five-story building on the side, then saw a hotel named Full Moon Pavilion, accommodating the members of the club, in which every room was well decorated.
The club was overgrown with luxuriant clusters of trees, and there were various flowers and trees on both sides of the road. After a few minutes, they had arrived at their destination, Panlong Hall.
Panlong Hall was the best assembly hall of the Dragon Triumph club.
Only the relatively high level was decorated in a retro style, seeming like a palace.
On the four intersecting lines of the tiles on the roof were furnished with four gold dragons, hovering downwards, with their four large dragon heads at the edges, which looked magnificent.
The lamps in the hall were so brilliant, lightening the surrounding areas. Not only the environment, but also the decoration showed the meaning of luxury.
“How magnificent this is.” Xu Ruoyu’s agent whispered.
It was the first time that she had been on such occasion.
“That’s ok. We’ll attend such gatherings more and more often in the future.” Xu Ruoyu’s slightly raised her chin.
She and Meiqi walked into the hall, in which many sofas were placed, along with plenty of rectangular tables in front of the sofas, with a lot of snacks on them.
The waiters in suits were carrying wine trays, carrying glasses of red wine. Although they seemed to be of high quality, they were actually of an average kind.
The decoration inside the hall was more luxurious, including the sofas and furniture.
A small number of people were lounging on the sofas and chatting with each other.
More people were standing in the middle of the hall, talking with others while holding a wine glass.
A professional was playing the piano nearby, and the melodious sound of the piano made the atmosphere very pleasant.
Meiqi directly looked inside a few times. After finding that Wu Chengdong was sitting in the head seat inside, she walked over.
“Childe Li is there!” Xu Ruoyu’s agent pointed to the corner at the front-left side, seeing Li Cheng was talking with Gu Pengfeng and some other men with a smile.
“Let’s go over to greet them,” Xu Ruoyu said, then took the lead to walk over.
At that moment, Li Chang and five other men having a chat.
“Are you sure Zi Yan will come here?” Gu Pengfeng asked Li Cheng.
Li Cheng’s eyes were still bruised. After hearing Gu Pengfeng’s words, he nodded and said, “I’ve asked her and she promised to come. Maybe she’ll arrive soon.”
“Great!” Gu Pengfeng’s eyes lit up, speaking excitedly.
“Hey? It seems that Brother Feng is confident to get her. Is that so?” The yellow-haired youth asked with a smile.
“Of course! As long as she dares to show up, I dare to take action!” Gu Pengfeng replied with a solemn expression.
What he said shocked everyone else around.
Li Cheng asked in doubt, “Do you want to snatch her, Brother Feng? Today’s party is so grand, so I think that’s not a good idea.”
If they clashed with each other, he thought that Gu Pengfeng would not be able not settle things down. How could his father, Wu Chengdong and some other powerful big shots allow him to snatch Zi Yan since they were still on the stage?
“You talk nonsense. How can I snatch her in front of them? I’m not stupid.” Gu Pengfeng glared at him, then he took a small bag from the inside pocket of his suit as his eyes narrowed. The stuff inside the bag was like flour. He said proudly, “I prepared this.”
“My gosh, 666.” The yellow-haired man’s eyes widened.
“It turned out to be this thing? Huh…” Li Cheng swallowed and said, “Will it work? What would you do if you make a ruckus? Zi Yan is accompanied by several powerful bodyguards.”
“The bodyguards aren’t allowed to come in, and I made thorough preparations!” Gu Pengfeng snorted and said, “Besides, I look down on ordinary bodyguards. My uncle and a few of his friends will come here today. They’re real big shots. As long as my uncle is here, he can solve any problems even if I make trouble!”
“You father is sitting on the stage.” The man with yellow hair pouted his lips to the head seats inside.
What he meant was that his father would probably disagree even if his uncle was there. If that thing were to be spread around, it would bring discredit on their reputation.
“I told my father, otherwise I wouldn’t have prepared thoroughly. Hum, it is not a big deal.” Gu Pengfeng put the small bag back into his clothes, then waved his hand and said,
“He is in a good mood today and told me that my uncle will bring even more powerful friends. Moreover, I can do whatever I want to as long as I make sure nobody dies, and he will solve all the problems! In fact, I can get those unknown stars if I threaten them.”
“Brother Feng is so awesome!” The yellow-haired man’s eyes brightened, and he also felt relieved. He clapped and said, “Zi Yan is undoubtedly a beauty. Brother Feng, don’t you let us…”
“Get out, get out, no. I just want to enjoy myself!” Gu Pengfeng curled his lips and said, “If I can get her later, you won’t have the opportunity until I get tired of her. Stop thinking about her. I will call you when Nini comes over in a few days.”
“OK.” The man with yellow hair nodded with a smile.
“Hey? You can have a try if you are interested in that girl.” Gu Pengfeng suddenly looked forward.
“Who?” The yellow-haired man and some other men turned and looked over, then saw Xu Ruoyu and two of her companions.
The other two women were ordinary-looking, while Xu Ruo was gorgeously dressed. She especially wore a deep V-neck gown, which added to her sensuality.
“Is she Li Cheng’s person?” Gu Pengfeng said.
“Yes. I asked them to come here. If you are interested in her, I will introduce her to you later, and then she can stay here at night,” Li Cheng said with a smile.
“Okay!” The yellow-haired man’s eyes narrowed, and he was in high spirits at that time.
As they talked with each other, Xu Ruoyu and her two companions approached. Xu Ruoyu smiled sweetly and said in an affected tone,
“Hello, Childe Li, Childe Gu and all of you childes.”
“Hello, come and sit here.” The man with yellow hair waved his hand casually.
After Xu Ruoyu sat down, the yellow-haired man put his arm around her shoulder, intending to probe her attitude. To his surprise, she was really unperturbed, as if she were used to this.
At that point, the yellow-haired man knew that he could surely get her, therefore, he asked with a smile, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Xu Ruoyu.”
“Oh, it’s really a good name. My name is Dachao.”
“…”
The group of people started to chat with each other. Although Xu Ruoyu and her companions joined their conversation, Gu Pengfeng and the others did not say anything.
To Xu Ruoyu’s surprise, Gu Pengfeng seemed to show no interest in her and didn’t even greet her. Didn’t she look sexy that day?
The chat there carried a color of conspiracy.
The atmosphere in other places was much better. Many people were chatting with great enthusiasm. Entertainers were getting together in groups, and their topics went along these lines:
“Are you planning to release a new album soon?”
“I heard that you got the heroine role of a movie.”
“Boss Gu has won several scripts recently and many of us have a chance to get a role.”
“…”
There were also a lot of bosses who went there for the sake of Gu Fang. At the moment, they were also chatting with each other in the hall.
“Ah Qiang, how’s your company’s recent benefit? I heard that you’re intending to develop a good project.”
“Boss Liu, do you want to change trading partners in Macao? I think we can cooperate.”
“…”
All in all, the atmosphere of the hall was in high spirits, but that was just the beginning.
At that time, the head seats inside were made up of a row of golden sofas.
Gu Fang and the other masters were sitting on them, and their female companions were dressed in bright and cheery colors. He was already over fifty years old, but his lady was less than thirty, besides, he and his wife had been living apart since a few year ago. Although they had not divorced, their marriage had been on the rocks.
Beside Gu Fang and his lover, plenty of his partners were seated, who were all of a high status. Of course, some girls, as his lover’s friends, were also sitting there and chatting with each other.
There were about fifteen or sixteen people in total.
Wu Chengdong and Meiqi were sitting in the corner. By right of Wu Chengdong’s identity, he was qualified to sit there, but Meiqi wasn’t.
“Brother Gu, I heard that you planned to shoot a movie with nearly 300 million yuan budget recently.”
A middle-aged person, who was sitting not far from Gu Fang, asked with a smile.
Laymen might regard a movie with a budget of nearly 100 million yuan as a big-budget production. After all, film and television works with low investment abounded. However, in the coteries’ view, a film with an investment of one or two hundred million yuan could not be counted as a big-budget production.
Take Hollywood for instance; it was not only the birthplace of global fashion, but also the center of the global music and film industry. It possessed the world’s top entertainment industry and luxury brands, leading and representing the highest level of global fashion, like DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. and other movie giants.
In their view, only Hollywood could be regarded as the holy land of films, where fashion and technology were mutually constrained and developed. With profound fashion deposits and majestic technology, it was imitated by the whole world all the time.
Those companies owned good movie series, and the budget of a movie could sometimes reach one or two billion yuan. Such works could be counted as big-budget productions.
After hearing his words, Gu Fang nodded and said with a smile, “Yes, I got two relatively good scripts, which are recently being prepared.”
“You should tell me in advance since you have good scripts, I can invest in them,” The middle-aged man laughed and said.
“Well, if you are interested, we can talk about it in detail,” Gu Fang said with a smile.
In general, a movie would have several producers, who were eager to gain investment shares if there was a good script. After all, it was a chance to share a piece of cake. Furthermore, more investors meant less risks. The resources of each company would speed up the filming, realizing a higher efficiency. That was also the reason why the company logos were to be showed for a few minutes before a movie truly started.
Affirmed by Gu Fang, several people, including Wu Chengdong who was next to him, smiled with great satisfaction.
The scripts, which could be discussed in public, were of good quality. After expanding on those scripts later with Gu Fang, he considered to participate.
“Brother Gu, has Uncle Chuanlong returned recently? I heard that he has reached a higher stage.”
Suddenly, the man on Gu Fang’s right side, who was about the same age as him, said.
Gu Fang smiled and said with a nod, “Yes, he did break through.”
“Congratulations, Brother Gu. With Uncle Chuanlong, you will certainly be successful!” A hint of envy flashed across the man’s eyes, then he saluted to Gu Fang and said with a smile.
Others also rushed to congratulate him.
“Brother Gu will definitely be promoted.”
“With Master Gu, you will have a meteoric rise easily.”
“…”
Most of people present not only knew some information about the martial artist, but also the meaning of Gu Chuanlong’s rise in cultivation.
A Heaven-stage Master.
He was the real upper-level figure, who had various means and was extremely powerful.
They were all really envious and made up their minds to foster a good relationship with Gu Fang.
However, Meiqi, who was sitting outermost, was totally confused.
“Master Gu? What is a master?”
She did not know what it meant as she seldom heard of it.
“My elder brother will come over later, too. He just finished meditating in seclusion and wants to take a rest.” Gu Fang shook his head and said, “By the way, another big shot will come here later.”
“Who is it?” Everyone’s eyes brightened and they asked in succession.
“He Yunfei!” Under everyone’s gaze, Gu Fang calmly said that name.
The instant he finished speaking, everyone’s faces changed.
A burst of exclamation was heard constantly.
“It turns out to be He Yunfei.”
“Protector He will come! Hiss, Brother Gu, I think you are bound to rise!”
“My God, it will be the first time that I meet him in person if he comes over.”
“…”
Everyone sighed with emotion.
Although they were all bosses, they were completely unappreciated and unqualified in front of people like Gu Chuanlong.
When people reached a certain level, their strength would be very significant. Among the factors taking effect on their strength, the most important one was martial arts.
Having plenty of money mattered, but holding on to it was more important. Only the people who owned great strength could achieve things.
They all knew that Chairman Liu, Liu Qingfeng, who had won their respect, had not been promoted because of that restriction, let alone them. Although they were rich, they still had a long way to go if they wanted to develop further.
“Boss Wu, Boss Wu.”
Seeing that Wu Chengdong’s face also changed, Meiqi, next to him, brought her head closer and asked in a low voice, “Who is He Yunfei?”
“He…” Wu Chengdong came to his senses as his eyes were filled with reverence and said, “He’s a real big shot. If we were soldiers, He Yunhei would be a general. Do you know this concept? Protector He is much more powerful than Master Gu.”
“How awesome.” Meiqi’s facial muscles trembled.
She wanted to ask him who Master Gu was, but she was too embarrassed to ask. In the meantime, she was really shocked by the comparison between the general and the soldiers, because the gap was simply too big!
While everyone was chatting, the noises in the hall diminished all of a sudden. The atmosphere seemed to be contagious and the voices gradually became died down, starting from the door to deeper inside. In the end, only less than ten percent of people talked with each other.
That made many people feel a little weird. As they looked at the door, many men’s eyes lit up, while a lot of women’s eyes were suffused with envy.
Under everyone’s gaze.
Zi Yan, in a white dress, and Zhou Fei, wearing a red dress, slowly walked into the hall.
Zi Yan dressed up amazingly, and even Gu Fang’s lover was jealous of her. But she also admitted that she was a really beautiful lady.
“That beauty is Zi Yan.”
“Here is Zi Yan.”
“So beautiful!”
“She looks prettier than in her photos.”
“…”
Some exclamations lingered around the hall.
“My gosh! She’s so beautiful!” Gu Pengfeng’s eyes immediately narrowed and his heart rippled, filled with a long-lost tension and excitement, as if he had seen his first love.
He was somewhat surprised at Zi Yan’s appearance in reality, as he had not expected her to be so beautiful.
“An exceedingly charming stunner. What an exceedingly charming stunner. I have only seen two beauties who are so charming in my life. The first one is a mixed-race beauty, who was married to an aristocratic son of the British Royal family. I did not expect that this beauty would actually be as beautiful as her!” A child next to Gu Pengfeng sighed with emotion.
After finishing speaking, he looked at Gu Pengfeng again, the he thought for a while and said, “The beauties like her are not easy to be harnessed. Pengfeng… do you want to reconsider your plan?”
The man with a flattop haircut was of a high status, although he was a low-key person, whose family was more powerful than the Gu family. He just sat there and never said anything. At that point, seeing Zi Yan, he was not only surprised by her appearance, but also worried that she would be Helen of Troy.
He was aware that there were a lot of beautiful women provoking various disputes. Those who wanted to pursue exceedingly charming beauties needed to figure out all their detailed information. However, for Gu Pengfeng, it was easy to get into trouble if he only wanted to get Zi Yan by using tricks.
But at the moment, Gu Pengfeng was so excited that he was deaf to his suggestion. He didn’t even turn his head but said directly, “Brother Hui, I made up my mind. I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
“Alright.” Brother Hui nodded and did not say anything then.
He planned to stay there a bit longer. Since he could touch the core of his family, he knew a lot about martial arts. Although Heaven-stage Masters seemed to be at a high level, some people still looked down on them. He remembered that he and several elders of his family visited the general manager of the National Security Agency of Hong Kong in the beginning of that year, and he… was a Wu Dao Grand Master!
He remembered that the general manager had said that Wu Dao Grand Masters were just at the initial stage.
He did not even dare to claim that he was one of the top ten powerful masters in Hong Kong. There was no denying that the martial arts world was very complicated!
Those masters present were not very formidable, but most people were too ignorant to reach a higher stage!
The horizon determined the height. Although he did not agree with Gu Pengfeng since he planned to play tricks on Zi Yan, he did not want to say anything more.
He always listened more and talked less, pursuing the principle of being a low-key person.
Everyone’s admiration made Xu Ruoyu feel really jealous, and she just stared at Zi Yan, who was surrounded and worshipped like a moon by all the men present.
She was so angry and was confused, wondering why she had witnessed such a scene when she had showed up!
Under everyone’s gaze, Zi Yan and Zhou Fei slowly walked to the head seats.
Leng Yue and other bodyguards were all held back in the hotel lounge, for no bodyguards were allowed to enter the party.
Soon, the two of them went to Gu Fang.
“Director Mei, Boss Wu.” Zi Yan greeted the people of her company first, then looked at Gu Fang and said while smiling, “Boss Gu, happy birthday to Mrs. Gu. This is just a little token to show my respect to her.”
While speaking, she took a small gift box from her handbag and handed it over.
Gu Fang’s lover took it with a wide smile and thanked her.
“Just sit down, Zi Yan.” Gu Fang said and waved his hand, while his eyes narrowed.
“Okay.” Zi Yan acted naturally and gracefully. After glancing around, she finally sat on Wu Chengdong’s side. She and Zhou Fei sat beside Meiqi.
“Beauty Zi of Royal Entertainment Company does deserve her reputation.” Gu Fang gasped in admiration and said, “Boss Wu, I think the heroines of the movies I invested in recently are really suitable for Miss Zi. Can I ask my subordinate to discuss our cooperation?”
“Well, I’ll wait for you at any time.” Wu Chengdong’s eyes slightly brightened.
He thought he would realize a good performance.
After hearing what he said, everyone present shook their heads and sighed with emotion.
Some spoke highly of Zi Yan’s beautiful appearance, and some praised Wu Chengdong for achieving a good cooperation.
Among them, Meiqi was also very excited. She looked at Zi Yan beside her, thinking that Zi Yan was likely to become famous soon.
She was relatively sensitive. Judging by Gu Fang’s gaze, she felt that he seemed to be interested in Zi Yan. However, in her view, as long as she could succeed, it did not matter if she paid some price. She also had a complicated relationship with Li Cheng as a way to get the position of director.
However, she did not know that Gu Fang was just excited by what his son, Gu Pengfeng, was about to do.
“Why don’t we have a drink first?” The middle-aged man next to Gu Fang picked up a glass of red wine and said, “Happy birthday to Mrs. Gu.”
Everyone picked up their wine glasses and took a sip together.
The instant they finished drinking, five other people broke into the hall all of a sudden.
Among them, Gu Chuanlong, Gu Fang’s eldest brother, was the first person in the group. If others sized them up more carefully, they would find that the middle-aged man in his forties, near Gu Chuanlong, was standing nearly one meter ahead of him.
Even those who were not familiar with him knew that the person was the highly reputed He Yunfei!
The two of them walked forward, followed by three people, one of whom was Jiang Zonghao, who had been thoroughly beaten a few days ago, while the other two Earth-Stage Masters were Gu Chuanlong’s friends.
When everyone approached, Gu Fang and the other masters all stood up. Many greeted them with great enthusiasm, although they were somewhat cautious.
“Hello, Master Gu.”
“Hello, Protector He!”
“It’s my honor to invite Protector He to come over,” Gu Fang said with a smile.
Everyone stood up, including Zi Yan and Zhou Fei. Sometimes, they had to follow the general trend in some aspects. Even if they did not know them and had never heard of them before, you would offend them if some remained seated while others stood up.
“You’re welcome. Sit down please. I am off duty today, therefore, I came here.” He Yunfei nodded and smiled.
Everyone sat down once again, leaving all the head seats unoccupied, while He Yunfei, Gu Chuanlong and three other masters, who were the most powerful men among the people present, sat in the center.
At that time, Gu Pengfeng, who was playing on the other side with his friends, could not contain his excitement any longer. So, he got up and walked over. As he approached them, he took out a gift box and said, “Happy birthday, stepmother.”
His gift gave rise to a burst of his stepmother’s laughter.
She still felt a bit awkward when she saw the eldest son, who was about the same age as her.
“Protector He, let me introduce my son, Gu Pengfeng. Pengfeng, greet your Uncle He,” Gu Fang said.
“Hello, Uncle He.” Gu Pengfeng greeted him honestly.
“You’re welcome.” He Yunfei waved his hand casually.
After Gu Pengfeng finished his greeting, he glanced around, then walked to Wu Chengdong and sat next to him. He picked up a glass of wine on the tea table and said,
“Hello, Boss Wu, Zi Yan.” He greeted and raised his toast.
Wu Chengdong, Meiqi, Zi Yan and Zhou Fei all raised their glasses and took a sip of red wine.
During that period, Meiqi was a little depressed, feeling that she was completely unappreciated.
Then, Gu Pengfeng stared at Zi Yan’s wine glass. Looking at the remaining red wine, he was lost in thought.
In another place, a group of people including He Yunfei were chatting casually.
Seeing the people passing by him in succession, He Yunfei picked his glass up and took a sip of wine, then said with emotion,
“It’s been three years since I’ve participated in such a lively gathering.”
Although his cultivation was rising constantly, he felt that he had gone further away from those secular situations.
“Since you like noisy environments, you can attend such parties later, Brother He,” Gu Chuanlong said with a smile, “There are some stars here. I will help you get whichever girl you like, Brother He.”
“Oh?” He Yunfei glanced at him. He chuckled and glanced around, then he focused on Zi Yan and said, “I think this lady is the most beautiful one present. Can I get her?”
If others had made such a claim, he would arouse Gu Fang’s lover’s dissatisfaction. However, she did not dare to say anything because she thought everything he said was alright since he was a big shot.
As soon as he finished his words, three people’s faces immediately changed.
Two of them were Zi Yan and Zhou Fei.
It was really rude for him to say that since Zi Yan was there.
Another one, whose face changed, was Gu Pengfeng.
He was a little depressed. In fact, as long as He Yunfei asserted this claim, his plans for that night would be totally destroyed!
At that point, he was in great anger and even wanted to curse him. However, he was indeed somewhat of a coward.
He also knew that if he said it, his father and uncle were likely to break his legs, not to mention that He Yunfei would probably punish him.
“That is not true, is it?”
Gu Pengfeng looked at He Yunfei with tearless grief.
Under everyone’s gaze, Gu Chuanlong glanced at Zi Yan and spat out two words faintly, “Of course!”
