Initially, Chen Hao had promised to have lunch with Zhang Min. But now, Chen Hao decided to have lunch with Meng Kang instead as he wanted to learn more information from Meng Kang. So, Chen Hao called Zhang Min to cancel the date.
“So, how is it? Is he coming?” Zhu Lili asked anxiously.
“He’s not coming. Maybe he’s afraid to meet you guys!” Zhang Min answered with a slight disappointment in her tone.
“Luckily he’s not coming. As Wang suggested, we shall have our lunch at the Grand Hotel of Long Jiang straight away and take this opportunity to experience what the best hotel in Long Jiang has to offer!” Zhu Lili was thrilled at the idea, while Zhang Min simply nodded in a sulky mood. Later, all of them headed toward the Grand Hotel of Long Jiang.
“I’m sorry but the hotel is completely booked today. Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps you can go to another hotel instead. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience!”
Surprisingly, they were stopped by the staff when they arrived at the entrance of the hotel. This really disappointed the enthusiastic Zhu Lili. She even had her cell phone ready for some great photographs once she was in the hotel. But, now, she could not even enter the premises.
“Well, there must be a lot of people inside to have the hotel fully booked. But, it’s such a big hotel, are you sure there’s not even a single place for us?” Zhu Lili questioned.
The staff shook his head.
“Oh, damn!” Zhu Lili angrily stomped her feet on the ground.
“Forget about it then. Let’s just go someplace else instead. It won’t make any difference anyway,” Zhang Min advised.
They decided to leave the hotel. The reluctant Zhu Lili, however, kept glancing over at the place.
At the same time, several luxurious cars drove toward the hotel and halted at the entrance. Many notables of Long Jiang came out of their cars. They smoothed out their suits and stood in front of the entrance. They seemed to be waiting for someone in front of the hotel.
“Hey guys, come quick, see this! Isn’t that Mr. Lu Zongyuan, the Head of the Lu Family?” Zhu Lili exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Min nodded. “Yeah, that is Mr. Lu. It turned out that the whole Grand Hotel of Long Jiang was booked by Mr. Lu. No wonder!”
“But Mr. Lu had never organized such a grand arrangement for any of the previous exchange conventions. There’s only one possibility—he’s expecting some really important guests this time!” Zhang Min speculated.
“Important guests?” Zhu Lili and the others watched the crowd curiously.
Suddenly, doors of a car in the middle of the motorcade sprang open. An elderly man came out of the car. The man then politely invited a young man out of the car. Mr. Lu stepped forward and shook the young man’s hand with respect.
When Zhu Lili saw the young man, she was completely dumbfounded. “Ah! Isn’t… that Chen Hao?”
Zhang Min, too, covered her mouth in surprise. “Yes. It is Chen Hao. He said he couldn’t come because he had some important business to attend to. It turned out he came to the Grand Hotel of Long Jiang to meet Lu Zongyuan!”
“But Zhang Min, look, Mr. Lu and the others treat him well with respect. Why did they treat a loser like Chen Hao with such respect?”
Zhu Lili was in a daze; seeing Chen Hao receiving such treatment from Lu Zongyuan and other notables in Long Jiang was a real slap to her face. It was unbelievable that the person she had looked down on would be so well-connected. She was unsure whether it was an illusion, but she suddenly thought Chen Hao—though still in his simple and plain clothes—looked rather dashing when he stood among those wealthy notables. Zhu Lili bit her lips, regretting her previous perception of Chen Hao.
Meanwhile, Chen Hao, who was oblivious to Zhu Lili’s dreamy stare of admiration, had entered the hotel with Lu Zongyuan, the Head of the Lu Family, Meng Kang and the others. Chen Hao thought that it would be just a simple lunch with Meng Kang; he did not expect that Meng Kang would invite Lu Zongyuan too!
“Meng, are you sure the young man is a martial arts practitioner with extraordinary ability? He looks like an ordinary young man to me!” Lu Zongyuan whispered to Meng Kang while following behind the crowd.
“Zongyuan, have I ever lied to you before? Don’t underestimate Mr. Chen. His capability is beyond us!” Meng Kang reassured.
“It’ll be great if he is what you said he is. I’m sure we’ll be able to overcome the Lu Family’s crisis with ease. If we manage to survive this time, the Lu Family will be indebted to you and we’ll honor you with great respect!”
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