"You say he's really your friend? Humph, fine, then tell me how you met. If you can give me a general idea, I'll consider you truthful today!"
Mu Qi looked at Li Chonglou with a troubled expression, her mind frantically trying to concoct a plausible story, but none seemed reliable. The main reason was that she knew too little about Li Chonglou; she couldn't even recall the name of his company.
Li Chonglou sighed deeply. As expected, in situations like this, he couldn't escape being the center of attention. After a self-deprecating chuckle, Li Chonglou took another step forward, positioning himself behind Mu Qi.
"Um, Xiao Cheng, right? I'm sorry, but I don't think QiQi has any obligation to explain these things to you."
Xiao Cheng's expression changed abruptly. The two underlings behind him glared at Li Chonglou, looking as if they were ready to act. However, even after they had made a move earlier and failed to deter Li Chonglou, it was even less likely now.
Li Chonglou completely ignored the two and continued, "Also, regarding your brother's matter, I apologize, but what preparations he makes are his own business, and QiQi has no obligation to cooperate with him."
"Next time, don't say such nonsensical things. We have other matters to attend to, so we won't be staying any longer."
Li Chonglou smiled faintly and directly took Mu Qi's hand. At this moment, the entire hall fell silent. Almost everyone's eyes were wide open, looking at Li Chonglou with astonishment.
"Damn! Whose subordinate is this! How can he be so brave!"
"That's awesome! He's directly confronting two influential figures from two circles. What's this guy's background?"
"Uh, could he be from the Wu family?"
Someone connected Li Chonglou to the Wu family, but it was quickly refuted.
"It's impossible for him to be from the Wu family. If he were, they would have acted long ago. Why would they let Xiao Cheng be so sarcastic like this!"
"If it were the Wu family, An Wei wouldn't have had that attitude earlier."
The crowd erupted like a boiling pot, discussing in hushed tones. Most were surprised by Li Chonglou's boldness, and the deepest impressions were made on An'an and Sisi, apart from the main parties involved. When the two had separated earlier, Mu Qi had arranged to meet with them for a small gathering. As close friends, they naturally knew Li Chonglou's background! That's why they were even more shocked by Li Chonglou's assertiveness.
An'an's eyes even sparkled with little stars. "This guy is too manly! If I could find a husband like this, wouldn't I feel so secure?"
Her boyfriend beside her immediately coughed lightly. "Hey, I'm not dead yet."
An'an rolled her eyes. "Humph, who was it that wouldn't let me go over just now!"
The man chuckled wryly but didn't get angry. For him, as long as An'an didn't go over, it was the best outcome. Since his girlfriend couldn't help anyway, it was normal for her to be upset.
Sisi was in a similar situation, but her feelings towards Li Chonglou were more of admiration.
"This is a true man."
Her boyfriend beside her also dared not speak out of turn.
In the center of everyone's attention, it wasn't until Li Chonglou led Mu Qi away that Xiao Cheng finally reacted. It wasn't that he was intimidated, but Li Chonglou's actions had completely exceeded his expectations. With Li Chonglou leaving, he was momentarily unsure whether to stop him or not. After all, An Wei had just appeared and warned him. If he attracted more attention again, it wouldn't be resolved with just a misunderstanding!
The farce thus came to a temporary conclusion. Mu Qi also hadn't expected the problem to be solved so simply, so simply that it made her feel a bit unsettled.
"Brother Li, isn't this a bit too much?"
Li Chonglou shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm the one who said it. They shouldn't trouble you afterward."
Mu Qi might be a bit slow with words, but her status was no lower than Xiao Cheng's, which was evident from Xiao Cheng's attitude. And people of equal status naturally wouldn't seek trouble with each other.
Mu Qi quickly explained, "No, Brother Li, you misunderstood. I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about you."
Li Chonglou waved his hand. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm just here in the East District to handle some business, and I'll be leaving once it's done."
Mu Qi reminded him, "Brother Li, the Xiao family has some influence in Shangjing."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Li Chonglou didn't take it to heart. He was here on a mission from the General Bureau, and if they really targeted him, he could naturally deal with them using his identity from the General Bureau. Moreover, he now had another identity. If a situation like the one with Lin Qianqian's senior brother happened again, he could directly seek out Old Tie for a resolution! If all else failed, he could find the Captain! In any case, Li Chonglou would never allow similar situations to happen again!
A cold glint flashed in Li Chonglou's eyes. He could accept situations like with Lantian Company because that was just commercial competition. If the Xiao family wanted to impose an industry blockade, he certainly wouldn't deal with them like he did with Lantian Company!
Although Mu Qi didn't know the details, she could see the seriousness on Li Chonglou's face, which reassured her somewhat.
"Damn, even Ying Shen is here!"
A sudden exclamation from the side drew their attention. Both looked towards the entrance, and the next second, Mu Qi directly covered her small mouth. It was a man dressed in black casual attire, slightly older than the others, but still around twenty-five or twenty-six. His appearance wasn't particularly outstanding, but he seemed to carry an unusual aura. Li Chonglou could sense it even from ten meters away. The crucial point was that he was also a cultivator, but Li Chonglou couldn't sense his specific realm! Coupled with Mu Qi's reaction, it was not difficult to guess that he was also a prominent figure.
Li Chonglou asked in a low voice, "Who is this?" For someone whose realm he couldn't sense, he was at least at the fifth level! If that were indeed the case, this guy's talent was probably the strongest he had encountered! To reach the fifth level at only twenty-five or twenty-six years old was an understatement to call him a prodigy!
Mu Qi was stunned for a moment, seeming not to have heard Li Chonglou's question. It wasn't until Li Chonglou asked again that she explained, "Brother Li, this is our universally recognized strongest of the younger generation, Wu Ying, Ying Shen! My dad said he had already broken through the limit of the third level three years ago!"
Although Mu Qi was an ordinary person, she had some understanding of cultivation realms, given her environment. Reaching the third level, even at seventeen, was only considered astonishing. But true geniuses were those who broke through the third level! This was because too many cultivators in this world were stuck at the third level. Some reached this realm very early but ultimately never succeeded in breaking through! Therefore, Mu Qi was very clear about the significance of Wu Ying breaking through the third level! Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed. So, this guy had truly broken through to the fifth level?