Chapter 47: The Banquet at Hongmen

The autumn rain drizzled softly, and the cold wind howled bleakly.

Nie Yunyang was holding an umbrella as he had just stepped out of Jinke Jiuchu River when a BYD SUV suddenly stopped right in front of him. Three men got out of the car, all looking aggressive and imposing.

Nie Yunyang instinctively halted, raising his guard. He wondered to himself, could it be that the matter concerning Sun Yufan had been exposed?

“Are you Nie Yunyang?” the leader asked. He was dressed in casual white clothes with a flamboyant hairstyle, exuding an artistic aura.

Nie Yunyang nodded slightly and replied, “I am Nie Yunyang. Who are you?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with who we are. Someone wants to see you,” the flamboyant man said arrogantly.

Nie Yunyang sneered coldly, unwilling to waste time on them, preparing to walk around the BYD SUV toward the bus stop.

One of the henchmen couldn’t stand it and shouted, “Brother Wang is talking to you! Are you deaf?”

Seeing Nie Yunyang ignoring them, the henchman grew angry and reached out to grab Nie Yunyang’s shoulder. But Nie Yunyang swiftly sidestepped and delivered a flying kick to his abdomen, sending the man flying and crashing heavily to the ground.

The flamboyant man’s expression changed drastically. Suddenly, he remembered the instructions their boss had given before leaving. Immediately, he suppressed his arrogance and became respectful.

“Mr. Nie, please don’t be angry. It was just our subordinates being rude,” Wang Xu apologized humbly.

Nie Yunyang was in a hurry to go to work and said casually, “If there’s nothing important, don’t delay me from catching my ride.”

“Mr. Nie, our boss wants to meet you. He has already booked a banquet and will treat you well this evening,” Wang Xu said.

Nie Yunyang shrugged. “I don’t even know your boss. Why should I meet him?”

“My boss is Ni Jie of Geheng Company. Although you haven’t met him, Mr. Ni has seen you and wants to make friends,” Wang Xu explained.

That name was somewhat familiar to Nie Yunyang, though he had never met Ni Jie in person.

After some thought, he said, “Address and time.”

“Yayuntai Riverside Restaurant, 7 p.m. After work, I’ll come,” Nie Yunyang replied.

Wang Xu nodded thoughtfully as Nie Yunyang turned and left.

“Brother Wang, what exactly is Nie Yunyang’s background? His skills are so formidable,” one henchman asked.

Wang Xu frowned and said, “You know nothing. You almost spoiled the boss’s big plan and embarrassed us. Now scram...”

After cursing a few times, the three got into their car and left.

When Nie Yunyang arrived at Jinxiu Huating, apart from the security guards, few employees were present.

The Security Department, second only to the Reception Department in importance, had one manager and two deputy managers. Regardless of day or night, a manager was always on duty.

Nearby, there was a police station, and so far, no one dared cause trouble in the area.

After changing into his work uniform, Nie Yunyang encountered Hou Feipeng, the deputy manager of the Security Department who had been on duty last night.

Nie Yunyang had already familiarized himself with the heads of various departments in Jinxiu Huating and naturally recognized Hou Feipeng. This was their first meeting, though the man looked unwell, with swollen eyes and a sallow complexion.

“Brother Hou,” Nie Yunyang greeted with a smile.

Gao Chen had introduced Nie Yunyang to the two deputy managers of Security, so Hou Feipeng was aware of him, though this was the first time he had seen Nie Yunyang in person.

“Are you the new employee?” Hou Feipeng asked.

Nie Yunyang smiled and nodded.

Hou Feipeng patted Nie Yunyang on the shoulder. “Work hard. Jinxiu Huating can help you make something of yourself.”

“Brother Hou, you’re off duty? You don’t look well. Take care of yourself,” Nie Yunyang kindly advised.

Hou Feipeng said a quick thank you and left.

Nie Yunyang wandered around the main building a few times. Soon, the cheongsam-clad hostesses began arriving one after another.

Gao Chen was on the day shift; another deputy manager was responsible for the night. Miao Ye was the first to arrive in the Reception Department, a truly outstanding employee. He Lei arrived just on time. Once everyone was assembled, the busy work began.

However, no members came in the morning, and no events were scheduled.

Nie Yunyang followed Miao Ye to a meeting in the Reception Department. He Lei formally introduced Nie Yunyang to everyone. Nie Yunyang greeted each person and realized that aside from himself, there were few men in the Reception Department, mostly women—truly a world of female dominance.

But men in the Reception Department were truly fortunate in love. Sadly, Dai Zhenxuan had explicitly forbidden company employees from dating one another, threatening dismissal for violations.

After the meeting, Nie Yunyang studied the company rules with Miao Ye. At lunch, he approached He Lei to request two days off to return to his hometown to handle some personal matters.

He Lei frowned slightly. “Yunyang, you just started working and want to take time off? That doesn’t look good.”

“Sister He, it’s really urgent this time. It won’t happen again,” Nie Yunyang said.

Today, He Lei wore a tight pink outfit, resembling a ripe peach. She squinted and said, “Yunyang, you young people are too impatient. Life is about seizing opportunities. You’re still in your probation period; don’t make things difficult for Director Dai.”

“Sister He, I understand, but I have no choice but to take leave,” Nie Yunyang said.

He Lei hesitated, then said, “Go and speak to Director Dai. If he agrees, I won’t object. I’ll inform the administrative department.”

“Thank you, Sister He,” Nie Yunyang said.

Nie Yunyang immediately called Dai Zhenxuan and explained the situation truthfully—that he needed to go to Chaiping to handle some affairs. Dai Zhenxuan agreed right away.

He then informed He Lei of Dai’s decision, and the matter was settled.

During his probation, Nie Yunyang finished work promptly at 7 p.m. Several groups of members came today, but Nie Yunyang didn’t have the chance to serve them directly. Instead, he followed closely behind Miao Ye, assisting him.

After work, Nie Yunyang didn’t rush back to Jinke Jiuchu River. Instead, he called Cao Weihua and asked, “Uncle Cao, do you know anything about Ni Jie of Geheng Company?”

“Ni Jie of Geheng Company? Why are you involved with him?” Cao Weihua asked in return.

Nie Yunyang smiled wryly. “I don’t know him. He just invited me to a meal.”

“Could it be a trap? Has the Sun Yufan matter been exposed? No, that can’t be. Sun Yufan is backed by the Wei family. Ni Jie is a rising star with a different faction and no connection to the Weis. What could he want with you?” Cao Weihua said slowly.

He sensed something fishy about the whole situation.

Hearing this, Nie Yunyang asked, “Should I go or not?”

“You have to go. Since they sincerely invited you, you can’t just refuse. But if anything feels off, find a way to slip away,” Cao Weihua advised.

“Got it.”

Before hanging up, Nie Yunyang added, “By the way, I took two days off to accompany Mu Qingyao back to Chaiping to handle some fallout.”

“Have you told Director Dai?” Cao Weihua asked.

Nie Yunyang smiled. “I already called him.”

“All right. Hurry up and come back safely. If you run into trouble in Shaanxi, find Wei Yi,” Cao Weihua said.

Nie Yunyang ended the call, hailed a taxi by the roadside, and headed for the Yayuntai Riverside Restaurant.

On the way, he messaged Tan Weibo, telling him to be ready outside the Himalaya Executive Residence on Xi Shihao Road in Nan’an District, prepared to come to his aid at any time.