The venue, once packed with nearly a thousand people, had seen more than half its attendees depart, leaving only a hundred to two hundred.
Su Yuhua’s gaze swept across them. Among them, those he recognized, or had intentionally gathered information on, were few, a mere dozen or so.
“Mr. Su!”
A voice called out from beside him.
Su Yuhua turned to see Lin Shuzheng.
“Patriarch Lin also wishes to leave?”
Su Yuhua suppressed the chill and killing intent in his heart, his face adopting a calm and composed expression as he asked with a smile.
“I just wanted to ask, will the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce continue?”
Lin Shuzheng inquired.
“Of course!”
Su Yuhua answered decisively, his attitude firm and unwavering. “Why wouldn’t it continue?”
“Even if I were the only one left, the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce must still be established!”
He said in a deep voice, “Without members, we can develop slowly. With a phoenix tree, we can attract phoenixes!”
“Moreover, aren’t there still many like-minded friends who have stayed? Those who were watching and hesitating, and have already left, will sooner or later return and ask to join the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce!”
His voice was calm and steady, as if the shift in momentum caused by Chen Fan’s appearance, leading to the apparent downfall, had never happened.
“Good!”
Lin Shuzheng clapped his hands. “It is precisely this unyielding spirit of Mr. Su in the face of adversity that makes me believe in Mr. Su’s ability and talent.”
“I am willing to be the first member of the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce, to support Mr. Su and realize Mr. Su’s grand blueprint!”
Su Yuhua was not particularly surprised by this.
Those with true ambition would see that the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce was an excellent tool for profit.
Just as Chen Fan had said, once the chamber of commerce integrated its strength, it could harvest the leeks.
And Lin Shuzheng clearly intended to be the farmer who harvested them.
As the patriarch of the Lin family, Lin Shuzheng had the qualification and strength for it.
The two men shook hands with smiles, each seeing ambition and greed in the other’s eyes.
“In that case, does it mean there’s no place for me, Wen, in the chamber of commerce?”
Wen Zezhong interjected with a smile, extending his hand as well.
“How could that be?”
Su Yuhua smiled, taking Wen Zezhong’s hand with his left and placing it onto his own clasped hand.
He then turned his head and said, “Liangping, a temporary setback is nothing. Young people should become braver with each setback. Put your hand up!”
Yuan Liangping, after a moment of hesitation, complied.
The hands of the four were placed together, and photographers clicked their shutters.
The remaining audience members also stood up, as if inspired by Su Yuhua and the others, and began to clap.
It was as if no complications had occurred during this grand event.
After a while, Su Yuhua released his hands, picked up the microphone, and bowed to the audience.
Then, he began his speech.
The collective strength of these people would still be a significant force in Hangjiang.
Although Chen Fan had made the dangers clear, some people still harbored different intentions.
Some, their greed undiminished, wanted to use the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce to harvest leeks and reap huge profits.
Some were betting that the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce would still be able to achieve something and wanted to get a share of the pie.
And yet others had simply not made up their minds, deciding to stay and observe. Under Su Yuhua’s subsequent speech, they were unknowingly influenced, feeling that fewer people might mean more opportunities!
Thus, after the speech, staff members began registering member information, collecting membership fees, and deciding on the meeting date.
…
Outside the convention center.
Chen Fan arrived at his car.
“Mr. Long?”
Li Xiangbei, who had followed Chen Fan, rubbed his hands together. “Are you heading home? Would you like to take my car?”
“No need!”
Chen Fan glanced at Li Xiangbei and said, “Let’s have tea next time.”
“Okay, okay!”
Li Xiangbei was extremely excited. “I’ll make the arrangements, I’ll make the arrangements!”
“Why not go to my Purple Bamboo Forest?” Old Tang walked over with a smile. “Mr. Long, when would be a good time?”
“Then how about tomorrow afternoon!”
Chen Fan knew that Li Xiangbei, having found him, would not leave easily.
While what happened earlier wasn’t exactly a debt of gratitude, Li Xiangbei had left Su Yuhua’s side without hesitation, without any lingering mess. A tea chat was appropriate.
“Alright!”
Old Tang said joyfully.
Nodding, Chen Fan got into the car.
Yan Rong eagerly shook Tang Qingying’s hand.
“I’ll take you tomorrow, alright?”
Tang Qingying rolled her eyes.
Watching Chen Fan’s car drive away, Yan Rong sighed. “This is Mr. Long’s influence. With a few simple words, he scattered the Liangjiang Chamber of Commerce. If only I could achieve that one day, it would be so awe-inspiring!”
When Chen Fan drove back to his apartment building, Jiang Tiansheng’s car was already parked there.
“Mr. Chen!”
Jiang Tiansheng approached and greeted him.
Chen Fan nodded. “Let’s go up for a sit!”
Back in his residence, Jiang Tiansheng was already familiar with the place and began to make tea.
“Mr. Chen, I don’t think Su Yuhua and Yuan Liangping will let this matter go so easily,” Jiang Tiansheng said with some concern.
Chen Fan nodded. “Su Yuhua is outwardly gentle but inwardly ruthless. If you ruin his plans, he naturally won’t give up.”
“However, he won’t be able to stir up much trouble.”
Jiang Tiansheng nodded. “I found out that before Jiang Shaolong entered the convention center last time, he seemed to have met with Su Yuhua alone.”
“In that incident, I wonder what role Su Yuhua played.”
Chen Fan paused. “That gun?”
He hadn’t thought much about it before, as the henchmen with Jiang Shaolong, like Scarface, were all armed. So he didn’t find it particularly strange that Jiang Shaolong had a gun.
Now that Jiang Tiansheng mentioned it, he connected the dots.
Jiang Tiansheng nodded.
He had been deeply bothered by that incident and had been investigating it.
A hint of coldness appeared in Chen Fan’s eyes.
If that were the case, Su Yuhua could not be let off the hook.
“Su Yuhua brought back quite a few people. Have you investigated them?” Chen Fan asked again.
“Most of them are Siamese. I had my subordinates make deliberate contact with them. Many of them are skilled martial artists, practicing Muay Thai. And it’s evident that many of his subordinates are fierce individuals, possibly with lives on their hands!”
Jiang Tiansheng said solemnly. “I believe Su Yuhua is an extremely dangerous person.”
Chen Fan took a sip of tea. “Have your people increase their presence, protect A Xue secretly, and also station some people near Nannan’s kindergarten.”
“Understood.”
They drank tea for a while longer before Jiang Tiansheng took his leave.
Chen Fan took out an item from the safe. Upon opening it, it revealed three dragon-patterned compasses.
Su Yingxia wanted one of them back, and her attitude was extremely insistent.
Logically, Su Yingxia had given it to Xiao Xing’er and had no reason to ask for it back.
Unless she already knew some of the value of the dragon-patterned compasses?
But this dragon-patterned compass had been in the Su family for who knows how many years. It wasn’t known before, but now suddenly it was?
“Su Yuhua?”
Chen Fan mused. “Does Su Yuhua know the value of the dragon-patterned compass fragments? Or, does the Su family still have another one?”