Chapter 535 — Young Master Bing Has Arrived

"No, I won't." Wei Zhao sounded a little helpless.

"All right, then, I'll let you off for now!" Only then was Feng Xiaoxiao satisfied enough to hang up, though once the call ended she pumped her fist in excitement. "Yes! When we get back to school, you're treating me to beef noodles, and won't that just make Tang Zhi furious!"

In Songshan City, inside the finest private room of the Starlight Grand Hotel, Li Cihua bustled attentively around a young man, filling the glass before him and then saying, "Young Master Bing, I don't suppose the boss has sent any new instructions?"

"Oh, my dad didn't say much. He just told you to cooperate with me on this little matter." Zhao Qibing waved a hand carelessly, as though he did not regard Li Cihua at all—this underworld boss whose stamp of the foot could shake Songshan City three times over.

But Li Cihua was not offended. He knew his place: in the eyes of the man behind the curtain, he was nothing but a dog. Zhao Qibing might be his illegitimate son, but a young master was a young master—and if one served him poorly, would one ever come to any good end?

"Naturally, Young Master Bing. Whatever you command, I shall do it!" Li Cihua said respectfully.

"How is the real estate company I asked for coming along? I hear there's money to be made in property—have you got the company sorted out?" Zhao Qibing asked bluntly.

"It's already been established. All the paperwork is in order, and I've notified Jin Gubang—he'll be here shortly." Li Cihua hurried on: "All that's missing is for you to give the real estate company a name, Young Master Bing!"

"Jin Gubang? Has he managed to become the chairman of the Gu Group yet?" Zhao Qibing clearly had some impression of the name.

"Still no match for that old fox Gu Pengzhan—the old fox had him cleared out of the company!" Li Cihua said. "But it doesn't matter; it won't hold up your company, Young Master Bing! Jin Gubang put up his own money to open a real estate company for you!"

"Oh, so the man has some sense after all!" Li Cihua nodded in satisfaction. "Since he funded the whole thing himself, then give him twenty percent of the shares. Make him general manager—he can manage the company for me."

"If Jin Gubang hears that, he'll be overflowing with gratitude and serve you with utter devotion, Young Master Bing!" Li Cihua flattered.

Just as he was speaking, there came a knock at the door of the private room, and Li Cihua called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Jin Gubang." Jin Gubang's voice came from outside.

"Come in," Li Cihua said mildly.

At that, Jin Gubang pushed the door open and entered. Seeing Li Cihua standing respectfully beside a young man, he was momentarily taken aback, but at once he realized that this must be the legendary Young Master Bing. He hurried to fawn, smiling, "Young Master Bing, Brother Cihua!"

"So you're Jin Gubang? Have a seat and tell me about the real estate company!" Young Master Bing nodded, gesturing to the seat opposite, and spoke to Jin Gubang.

"Thank you, Young Master Bing!" Though his heart was bleeding, Jin Gubang had no other choice. His earlier maneuver had been a case of losing the wife and the troops besides: not only had he failed to take the high seat of the Gu Group's chairman, but he had been purged from the company, and now every last asset in his hands had gone into founding this real estate company. The moment he walked out of this private room's door, he would be penniless.

"Cihua, tell him what I just said, so he knows where he stands," Zhao Qibing ordered Li Cihua.

Li Cihua nodded and said, "Old Jin, Young Master Bing is a fine master. He will never treat those of us who are loyal badly!"

"Yes! Yes!" Jin Gubang answered aloud, but inwardly he smiled bitterly. That's true for you—he won't treat you badly! You swindled a real estate company out of me to give him as a gift, so of course he'd reward you in his delight. But what about me? I've given you the company, and I have nothing left at all!

"Young Master Bing says that since this company was funded by you personally, he intends to award you twenty percent of the shares and appoint you general manager, to work for him from now on. Do you have any objection?" Li Cihua asked.

Jin Gubang was stunned. He would still be given shares? And made general manager? This was a good thing, surely? True, being rewarded with shares in a company he had paid to found himself was a bit much, but circumstances forced one's hand—that he should be treated this way at all was far beyond Jin Gubang's expectations!

Besides, he had been swept out of the door by Gu Pengzhan, and the client relationships he had built at the Gu Group were all but useless now. He had no capital left either; to make a comeback was all but impossible.

And yet Zhao Qibing had actually given him a chance—a stroke of unexpected joy for Jin Gubang. What was more, working under Zhao Qibing had its advantages: with such a powerful patron behind him, the company was sure to flourish.

At the very least, Li Cihua was now on his side of the line. They were both working for Young Master Bing, and in time his own standing would rise with the tide. Then he would settle accounts with Gu Pengzhan once and for all!

"Young Master Bing! You've been so good to me. I, Jin Gubang, am not much with words, but I will work myself to the bone and never let you down. I'll gladly risk life and limb for you, and think nothing of it!" Jin Gubang clenched his fists, feeling that life was once again full of hope.

"Enough. Don't think I don't know what's going through your head. You want to borrow my strength to grow your company, and then go take revenge on Gu Pengzhan, isn't that right?" Zhao Qibing said flatly.

"That... Young Master Bing, I never meant any such thing..." Jin Gubang was startled. He had taken this Young Master Bing for nothing but a spoiled rich kid, and had never imagined he possessed such sharp insight, seeing straight through him in so short a time.

"Whether you meant it or not, you know best in your own heart!" Zhao Qibing curled his lip. "But you needn't be afraid. I like my men to have ambition, and I'm glad to see you use the power I give you to destroy your enemies! What I want, though, is your loyalty! So long as you're loyal to me, I can give you whatever you want!"

"Yes! Young Master Bing, rest assured, I will carry out every task you assign me!" At this, Jin Gubang gritted his teeth. "I am your dog, Young Master Bing. Whomever you tell me to bite, I'll bite!"

It was a little demeaning to say such a thing, but Jin Gubang had thought it through. Finding a patron like this was no easy matter, and whether he rose in the world from here on depended entirely on Zhao Qibing!

Zhao Qibing nodded in satisfaction. "All right, since we're all family now, there's no need for formalities. Eat and drink as you please, and let's discuss how to develop the company together!"

"Yes!" Jin Gubang was still somewhat nervous and uneasy. He could not tell whether Zhao Qibing's earlier words had been a test or spoken in earnest, and so he dared not declare himself too readily.