Two luxury sports cars arrived one after the other at a five-star hotel, drawing attention from passersby with the roar of their engines.
One was a blue Lamborghini, top configuration worth around 4 million; the other, a red Ferrari 488, also over 4 million.
They stopped at the entrance of the hotel. From the cars, two middle-aged men dressed in luxury brands worth tens of thousands stepped out, flaunting trendy hippie styles.
The middle-aged man from the Lamborghini held a cigar between his fingers and a bunch of keys in his other hand. With an air of superiority, he beckoned to the doorman and tossed him the car keys.
"Be careful, if it gets scratched, you canât afford to pay back even in eight lifetimes!" The Lamborghini man patted the doormanâs face, warning him.
The humble doorman nodded obsequiously: "Alright."
The man from the Ferrari also threw his car keys to the doorman, not bothering to look directly at the low-level employee.
"Bro, letâs hurry inside; this Mr. Wei is not someone to keep waiting." Ferrari man leaned in closer to Lamborghini man, speaking cautiously.
Lamborghini man nodded, then walked confidently toward the hotel entrance.
"Sir, Iâm sorry, but smoking is not allowed inside the hotel," the waiter stopped them and reminded them with a professional smile.
Lamborghini man took a puff of his cigar and blew it right in the waiterâs face.
Choked, the waiter covered his nose and started coughing.
Lamborghini man chuckled: "No smoking? Is this an ordinary cigarette? This single cigar is worth a dayâs salary for you, get outta my way!"
The waiter didnât dare offend him, but it was the hotelâs policy; if he didnât fulfill his duty, heâd be punished. He had to insist: "Sir, you really canât go inside."
Lamborghini man got angry, raising his hand as if to strike: "Will you get out of my way or not? Believe it or not, Iâll beat you up! How dare someone of your low class oppose me!"
In Lamborghini manâs eyes, the small waiter wasnât worthy of respect, like a guard dog, even less.
"Bro, Mr. Wei is waiting." Ferrari man reminded again, visibly nervous about meeting this "Mr. Wei."
Lamborghini man grunted, tossed his half-smoked cigar onto the ground, and commanded the waiter: "Clean it up for me."
After saying this, he swaggered off into the hotel with Ferrari man.
The waiter watched their backs, then looked at the cigar on the ground, his eyes red with grievance and helplessness; the arrogance of the wealthy left him powerless, his dignity trampled.
"I curse you!" The waiter muttered quietly before crouching down to clean up the cigar butts.
Inside the hotel, in a luxurious private room.
Wei Jiansheng was in casual attire, sitting at the coffee table, leisurely brewing tea.
An assistant came in: "Third Young Master, the Ye Brothers are here."
Wei Jiansheng took a sip of tea and said, "Let them in."
The assistant went to the door and soon brought in the two exaggeratedly dressed middle-aged men from the hotelâs entrance.
"Mr. Wei!"
"Mr. Wei!"
The two middle-aged men, who were so arrogant and bossy to the doorman previously, now lowered their heads, nodded humbly, and sported wry smiles, showing utmost respect.
"Come and sit." Wei Jiansheng said flatly, gesturing with his fingers.
"Thank you, Mr. Wei." The duo grinned awkwardly, carefully seating themselves opposite Wei Jiansheng.
"I donât recognize you. Introduce yourselves." Wei Jiansheng looked up, glancing at the two.
Lamborghini man smiled: "Mr. Wei, Iâm Ye Wen, and this is my brother Ye Wu."
Wei Jiansheng grunted: "Do you guys know why I asked you here today?"
The Ye Brothers shook their heads; they had no idea why the third son of the richest man in Jiangnan suddenly wanted to meet them. It was more shock than delight for them, so they came as invited.
Wei Jiansheng said: "Your father, Mr. Ye Shaode early on founded Shaode Industry. The business once flourished. After Mr. Ye passed away, the company fell into your hands. But looking at the performance of Shaode Industry over the years, itâs really an eye-opener. How could a good company collapse like this? Seeing you two today, I understand why; you are true-to-form second-generation wastrels."
If anyone else had said this, the Ye Brothers would have been furious, Ye Wenâs hot temper would have wanted to grab something and smash it.
But faced with Wei Jiansheng, the brothers grinned awkwardly, not daring to utter a word.
Wei Jiansheng continued: "They say industry builds the nation; seeing the current state of Shaode Industry, I feel pity for Mr. Ye. I heard you brothers are gambling addicts, often traveling far to Macao casinos, spending lavishly. Youâve emptied the companyâs treasury. Today, Shaode Industry is more of a shell. If it werenât for Mr. Yeâs legacy, it wouldâve collapsed long ago. But now, itâs almost over, right?"
The Ye Brothers exchanged a glance, their faces full of embarrassment. Wei Jiansheng was so straightforward, where could they hide their faces?
"Mr. Wei, did you call us today to lecture us?" Ye Wen bravely asked, wondering how Shaode Industryâs collapse was any of Wei Familyâs business.
Ye Wu quickly tugged at Ye Wenâs shirt with a smile and said: "Mr. Wei, my brother means we donât understand why youâre suddenly concerned with our company. Weâre just too dull to figure it out, please enlighten us."
Wei Jiansheng chuckled: "Iâll be direct then, both of you are shareholders of Yun City Weiâs Company; together you own 20% of the shares, I need your shares."
"What?"
The Ye Brothers looked at each other in disbelief; they hadnât expected Wei Jiansheng to invite them for the Wei Shares!
Ye Wen was puzzled: "Mr. Wei, you mean you want to buy our Wei Shares? But our Ye Family and Yun City Wei Family have always been close; our father and Elder Wei were best friends. We canât just sell these shares at will!"
Ye Wu added: "Mr. Wei, why do you need Wei Shares?"
Their familyâs good relationship with Elder Wei made him wary, in case Wei Jiansheng meant harm to Yun City Wei Clan?
Yun City Weiâs Company, compared to Wangu Group, is like a small mosquito. Itâs hard to fathom why Wei Jiansheng would be interested.
Wei Jiansheng said: "Frankly speaking, I want to take over Wei Corporation and need your help."
Wei Jianshengâs directness stunned the Ye Brothers; it was as if he was saying, I want Elder Weiâs head, you who are Elder Weiâs close friends, help stab him.
Wei Jiansheng watched the shocked wastrels, quietly pushed a paper across the table: "Look, at my offered price, can you accept it?"