Chapter 581: Chapter 537: Brother Nie San from Jingcheng_1
 

The door to the private dining room was kicked open, and everyone in the room stood up. All seated were individuals of status and position. The lowest ranking was Xiong Feng, but as the head of the Wanghai City Office in Beijing, he had seen many high-ranking officials and heirs of famous families in Jingcheng. Yet, very few were bold enough to kick the door open in the Capital Restaurant.

The Capital Restaurant, famous for its imperial dishes in Jingcheng, is run by an owner who is said to be an heir of a prominent family in Jingcheng, with a deep-rooted background. Moreover, the restaurant’s dishes were a favorite of Prime Minister Yun, who often ordered meals from them for the state banquets at the Great Hall. The status that comes with this fact served as an amulet to the Capital Restaurant.

Director Guo furrowed his brows but remained silent. Having been in Jingcheng for a long time, Director Guo knew how deep the waters were and that it was better to tread cautiously with his capabilities. At this moment, Minister Yin also didn’t make a move.

All eyes were directed towards the entrance. Standing guard at the entrance of the room were two hulking brutes. Tall and stalwart, they displayed an extraordinary stance and demeanor, such personnel not being available in the provinces. They seemed to be well-trained bodyguards. In Jingcheng, since when did the children of such families begin to use guards from the Central Security Bureau? The implied backing of this family was all too clear; the family patriarch was at least a Vice State-level official.

Before the person even entered, a voice rang out, “Doesn’t anyone know that I’ve always reserved this No.2 room? Who dares to take what’s mine? Get lost!”

As the smoke cleared, a very familiar figure walked in, Guo Tao, the precious grandson of CPPCC Chairman Guo.

No wonder guards from the Central Security Bureau were used. Given Chairman Guo’s national leader status, it was nothing to assign two bodyguards for the safety of his grandson in Jingcheng. It was completely normal.

At this point, Guo Tao had already walked in, an intense sense of superiority in his gaze as he casually swept over everyone. Upon spotting Minister Yin, a smirk cornered Guo Tao’s mouth. “Oh, Minister Yin, my apologies for interrupting your meal. This number two room is my favorite, what about moving to another room instead?”

Although his words were wrapped in polite language, the tone was devoid of any respect. It was clear to anyone that Guo Tao’s words carried an implicit attitude of rejection being unacceptable.

Minister Yin’s face changed slightly. At this moment, despite wanting to save face, he knew of Guo Tao, the little tyrant of Jingcheng. Besides, Guo Tao was narrow-minded and very vengeful. As the saying goes, it’s easier to deal with the Hell’s King than his little imps.

Just as he was about to speak, Nie Zhenbang stepped forward from behind An Guoyu and others, looked at Guo Tao, and smiled, “Good to see you in your element, Young Master Tao.”

“Who the f…” Before Guo Tao could finish his sentence, his mouth dropped open in surprise. The greatest humiliation in Guo Tao’s life was being beaten by Nie Zhenbang in front of all of Jingcheng’s famous heirs at the Asia-Europe Castle.

The problem was, being beaten was one thing and taking revenge was another. But when Guo Tao mentioned this to his older brother, Guo Bo, he was scolded again. He didn’t get a chance to take his revenge.

“You… what are you doing here?” Guo Tao had a subconscious fear of Nie Zhenbang. After a while, he managed to squeeze out these words.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang didn’t want to make a bigger scene. Chairman Guo was due to retire in three months. Beating this young man up at this point, would be overbearing and unreasonable.

He then smiled and said, “Young Master Tao, why can’t I be here? This time, I’m hosting a dinner for Minister Yin. How about this? I’ll have Room No. 1 opened for you. Won’t you humble yourself to dine in Room No. 1 today?”

Room No. 1. At the mention of it, not only did Guo Tao freeze, but Minister Yin, Director Guo, and Xiong Feng were also taken aback.

Beside them, An Guoyu, who was in the dark, whispered, “Director Xiong, what’s the deal with this Room No. 1?”

Xiong Feng, who had been mingling in Jingcheng for a long time, naturally knew some of the city’s anecdotes and simply explained, “Secretary-General, the private rooms at the Capital Restaurant are in great demand. For dignitaries who frequent the place, Room No.1 is always kept available and is never open to the public. At most, one can only book Room No. 2 in advance. We only managed to reserve this room three days after your call. Room No. 1 represents a status and position. One could only wonder, what sort of person is Mayor Nie to wield such prestige in Jingcheng.”

Guo Tao, being shrewd, understood the implications. Plus, Nie Zhenbang intentionally gave him a way out. Guo Tao well aware that if this carried on, he would undoubtedly be the one at a disadvantage. Nie Zhenbang’s formidable power had already deeply rooted in his mind.

Soon after, Guo Tao also laughed and said, “Brother, if you put it that way, I’ll feel awkward. I’ll switch to another private room.”

Nie Zhenbang wrinkled his brows and replied, “Why switch? The first private room is fine. It seems you’ve even had the audacity to kick doors at the Capital Restaurant, I assume it’s to make a show. Just go to the first private room, I can’t be bothered to move. Next time, send my regards to your brother.”

In Jingcheng, no family was really at odds with each other, except for the Li family, of course. Nie Zhenbang was now at a life-or-death struggle with the Li family. As for the other families, it was always better to resolve, not escalate conflicts. Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t miss any opportunity to improve his relations with the Guo family.

Gratefulness appeared on Guo Tao’s face. Before, he had been intimidated by Nie Zhenbang, especially after acting rashly at Asia Europe Castle under the influence of the Li family, which ended up with him getting in a fight. Now, after this calm and peaceful interaction with Nie Zhenbang, he had a sudden enlightenment and realised that he had been used by the Li family, which explained why his brother had scolded him. Now, after interacting with Nie Zhenbang, it didn’t seem hard to get along with him at all.

Then, with a shy face, Guo Tao laughed and said, “As you say, Brother, I’ll do as you say. It’s good, I’ll enjoy the privileges of the first private room today and see what’s so special about it. This time, I’ll gain big face. Among the younger generation in Jingcheng, I’m probably the first to enter the first private room. Haha.”

Speaking, Guo Tao was very happy, turned around and walked out of the room. Then, as if he remembered something, he turned around again, walked back in, and looked at Director Yin. Guo Tao smiled and said, “Director Yin, let me introduce you to my big brother, the mayor of Wanghai City. If there’s anything you can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate.”

Although Guo Tao, as a scion of a political family, was reckless and took his family’s influence for granted, it didn’t mean he didn’t understand anything. He could tell at a glance that Nie Zhenbang was lobbying. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t say certain things, but it didn’t mean he could also not say them.

Director Yin, at this moment, had also recovered from his shock. There was some resentment in his heart, but he didn’t dare to reveal it. You can imagine, Nie Zhenbang, why are you hiding such a profound background? If you reveal your identity, won’t things be handled smoothly?

Looking at Guo Tao’s penetrating gaze, Director Yin also laughed and said, “Young Master Guo, don’t say that. As long as it is within my power and does not violate principles, I will support you.”

At this moment, Guo Tao nodded satisfyingly, “Director Yin, you said it well. I, Guo Tao, will remember this kindness. In the future, if there’s anything, just find me.”

Saying this, Guo Tao deliberately said to Nie Zhenbang, “Big brother, I’ll take my leave first.”

In his words, the respect for Nie Zhenbang was clear to see. Nie Zhenbang also laughed, this spoiled youth was quite clever. He even managed to owe someone a favor. Nie Zhenbang didn’t expect this. For a moment, he had a drastic change of opinion towards Guo Tao. This child might be among the spoiled ones, but his heart was not bad.

After Guo Tao left, the atmosphere in the private room got awkward for a while. Watching the scene, Nie Zhenbang knew that if he didn’t break the silence at this moment, it would be hard to wrap up the situation. He then said with a smile, “Come on, Director Yin, Director Guo, let’s all sit down. It was just a little interlude. If we don’t start eating soon, the food will get cold.”

At this moment, Director Yin had regained his composure. He picked up the wine bottle on the table, filled a glass and stood up, saying, “Mayor Nie, it’s really a case of the water leaking into the Dragon King temple. We’re all one family but we don’t recognize each other. If I had known of your relations with Young Master Tao, we wouldn’t need to be so formal. It’s just one phone call away. Today, it’s my pleasure to meet you, I’ll drink first in respect.”

Next to him, Director Guo also stood up with a wine glass and said, “Mayor Nie, forgive me if I’ve offended you with my words. I want to apologize to you.”

Under such circumstances, Director Guo didn’t care about saving face anymore. It was better than offending people and ruining his career. How much was face worth?

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang also stood up, poured a glass and said, “Director Yin, Director Guo, both of you are too courteous. There are a lot of people lobbying at the local level. There are more monks than porridge. I understand that it is also difficult for you. There’s no need to apologize. Everyone, let’s drink up. From today, we are friends.”

Nie Zhenbang’s attitude made Director Yin very grateful. After a bite of food, Director Yin also began, “Mayor Nie, I don’t know if you have anything that needs our help for your visit to Jingcheng this time. If it’s a problem with road construction funds, I can definitely help—a matter of a dozen or so million.”

PS: Let’s keep it up, brothers and sisters. We’re nearing 1000 votes. We’ll have five updates today, Old Cai is going all out. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to the starting point (qidian.com) and vote for a recommendation, monthly ticket. Your support is my biggest motivation.)