Chapter 67: The Wu Family of Lecheng
After meeting Guan Hai, Yang Haoran and Guan Hai didn't immediately go to see the client. Instead, the two grown men went shopping.
The client had set the meeting for noon, but it was still early. The two of them felt that arriving too soon would diminish their image as masters of their craft, so they decided to wait until the appointed time.
According to Guan Hai, this client was a big one, immensely wealthy. Therefore, Yang Haoran needed to tidy himself up and dress in a way that exuded more value, to ensure they could extract more benefits once the job was done.
As the saying goes, "clothes make the man. " Yang Haoran considered this. With his current attire, not only would outsiders mock him, but even his boss, Deng Feng, found him quite amusing, especially that yellow shoulder bag.
He was different now; he was a man with real ability. Given that, what was wrong with dressing a little more ostentatiously?
Guan Hai's suggestion sparked a desire in Yang Haoran to change his image. So, while he still had time, he decided to splurge a bit and give himself a proper makeover.
At eleven o'clock, Yang Haoran sat in Guan Hai's car. Guan Hai drove towards the client's residence, while Yang Haoran pulled out a mirror and meticulously examined himself.
At this moment, Yang Haoran was completely transformed, dressed in a white shirt and black suit, looking quite presentable. Before, he had appeared ordinary, as unremarkable as a grain of sand in the desert. But now, with this makeover. . . hehe, he was still ordinary, but relatively speaking, he looked better, exuding a touch more poise.
On his left pinky finger, there was now an extra ring, set with a minuscule object that resembled a gem, yet didn't quite look like one.
With this new look, he actually exuded a hint of a successful businessman. Yang Haoran had never been particular about his clothing in his life, mainly because he lacked the energy to be. Never in his entire life had he dressed as respectably as he did today.
Seeing Yang Haoran admire himself in the mirror with a look of pure self-satisfaction, Guan Hai couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't help but tease, "Stop looking. You're handsome enough. I never realized you were so narcissistic before."
Yang Haoran didn't lower the mirror. He continued to gaze at himself, left and right, and nonchalantly replied, "I'm not narcissistic. I just want to get to know myself up close, to see myself clearly. That's all."
Guan Hai's face was a picture of disdain. He had intended to discuss the client with Yang Haoran, but seeing Yang Haoran so engrossed, he gave up and decided not to bring it up for now.
Twenty minutes later, Guan Hai slammed on the brakes, and the sedan came to a smooth stop.
"How much longer are you going to stare at yourself? We're here. Don't you want to make money? " Guan Hai said with a helpless expression.
Yang Haoran reluctantly put down the mirror and said with a look of regret, "I've lived for thirty years, and I've never once realized how beautiful a mirror can be. Don't you want to take a look? Observe it closely, and you'll find that this two-yuan mirror is truly worth every penny."
"Worth my ass! Is it worth it? Do you want to buy a house? Do you want to get a wife? " Guan Hai asked impatiently.
Yang Haoran chuckled and didn't argue with Guan Hai, because he had already noticed the car was parked outside a villa.
He knew that this wasn't the time to bicker with Guan Hai; otherwise, the two of them would inevitably engage in another war of words.
"Whose villa is this? It's huge! " Yang Haoran said, a little surprised.
Yang Haoran had been in a state of excitement all morning, and with the inconvenience of shopping, Guan Hai hadn't detailed the client's identity to him.
He had originally intended to tell Yang Haoran on the way there, but the guy's entire focus had been on staring at his own utterly ordinary face. Guan Hai had no choice but to concentrate on driving and didn't disturb him.
It was precisely for this reason that, even now, at the client's doorstep, Yang Haoran still didn't know the client's specific identity, only that this client was considerably wealthy.
Judging by the villa before them, Guan Hai hadn't lied to him; this client was indeed quite rich. But Yang Haoran was very curious: who exactly was this client?
"The Wu Family of Lecheng, you must know them, right? This villa belongs to the Wu Family," Guan Hai replied.
"The Wu Family? " A flicker of surprise crossed Yang Haoran's face, which then blossomed into a wide smile, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
Although Lecheng was poor, that didn't mean it had no wealthy residents. Anywhere there were people, there would inevitably be both rich and poor.
The reason the wealthy were wealthy wasn't solely due to their starting point; more importantly, it was their intellect and diligence.
As for why the poor were poor, their starting point also played a role, but this wasn't the main reason. The primary reasons were still their intellect and diligence.
Perhaps some poor people possessed intellect but lacked sufficient effort. Others had the drive but not the intellect, or applied their efforts in the wrong direction – these were all key reasons why they struggled to rise.
In Lecheng, the number of poor people was astonishing, but there were also quite a few wealthy ones. And the Wu Family, mentioned by Guan Hai, was absolutely one of the top families in Lecheng.
The Wu Family's business was vast and touched upon many sectors. Not just in Lecheng, but in several other cities, both large and small, surrounding Lecheng, the Wu Family had successful enterprises, and so they grew increasingly wealthy.
Yang Haoran hadn't expected the client to be the Wu Family, so he was a little surprised. However, the reason for his subsequent smile was simple: in his eyes, the Wu Family was a fat sheep, and if he handled this matter well, he and Guan Hai would definitely reap considerable rewards.
"Not bad, Haizi! You're going from no business for a month to enough business to eat for half a year! " Yang Haoran couldn't help but chuckle as he teased.
Guan Hai hadn't brought him a single piece of business lately, but now, almost at the end of the month, Guan Hai had unexpectedly reeled in a big fish for him.
Guan Hai wasn't as optimistic as Yang Haoran. With a wry smile, he said, "Brother Yang, if this goes well, the benefits will definitely be substantial. But if it doesn't, you and I could be in danger. While I do have some connections, the Wu Family is a giant I can't afford to provoke. If I didn't know you had real ability now, you could beat me to death, and I still wouldn't have dared to take this job for you."
"Tsk, if I didn't have real ability, even if you took the job, I wouldn't dare do it! But I'm very curious, how did you land such a big client? Don't tell me you have some romantic entanglements with a young lady from the Wu Family? " Yang Haoran asked, intrigued.
At Yang Haoran's words, Guan Hai's body involuntarily trembled. He thought Yang Haoran knew something and hastily explained, "I only know her. Don't go spouting nonsense!"
Yang Haoran flashed a smile that all men understood. He didn't press the issue, but he knew in his heart that Guan Hai was able to take on this job, more likely than not, because of "her" – the woman he spoke of.
Yang Haoran's smile made Guan Hai feel a little uneasy. He knew that Yang Haoran had definitely misunderstood. He wanted to explain further, but just then, an old man led two burly men out of the villa gate and walked towards where their car was parked, forcing him to abandon his attempts to clarify.
"Mr. Guan Hai, hello. I am the Wu Family's butler. Welcome," the leading old man said with a smile as he approached the car window.
His smile was perfectly judged, neither fawning nor overbearing.
At the butler's invitation, Yang Haoran and Guan Hai both got out of the car. As for Guan Hai's sedan, the butler had a bodyguard park it elsewhere.
"Miss already mentioned this morning that Mr. Guan Hai would be coming, and she even showed me Mr. Guan Hai's photo. So, I, this old man, arranged for people to constantly watch outside the villa."
As they walked into the villa, the old man spoke to Guan Hai with a smile. Guan Hai had initially wondered how the butler knew him, certain he had never met the man before. Now, hearing the butler's explanation, he understood the reason.
In front of this old man, Guan Hai spoke with extreme caution. The two chatted as they stepped into the villa.
Yang Haoran, on the other hand, didn't say a word the entire time. His gaze swept around, marveling at the villa's luxury while also remarking to himself on the heavy Yin Qi within it.
Although Yang Haoran hadn't activated his Ghost Eye, he could clearly sense the Yin Qi inside the villa. The Underworld Office's unique Sense Yin ability was unparalleled by any other sect, absolutely accurate.
Earlier, when the car was parked at the villa's main gate, Yang Haoran was still inside and had already sensed the villa's intense Yin Qi, but he hadn't mentioned it.
One's abilities should be revealed little by little to truly shock others. Revealing them all at once would greatly diminish the effect.
And since Yang Haoran wanted to extract more benefits from the Wu Family, he certainly wouldn't immediately declare, "Your house has a problem," and then tell them, "I can fix this in a minute. " What he wanted to do was to maximize the value of his every word and action.
Led by the butler, Yang Haoran and Guan Hai arrived at the living room. However, upon stepping inside, the scene before them left both men slightly surprised.
There were quite a few people in the living room; some were seated, but more stood respectfully, creating a grand spectacle.
The butler gave Yang Haoran and Guan Hai an apologetic smile, then hurried over to bow to the seated individuals before proceeding to introduce them to Yang Haoran and Guan Hai.
The seated individuals were all members of the Wu Family. Yang Haoran and Guan Hai were surprised because they both assumed these Wu Family members were waiting for them.
How could they not be surprised that all the Wu Family members were waiting for them? However, the events that unfolded next made them realize they were mistaken.
These Wu Family members weren't waiting for them at all; they were waiting for someone else.
Nevertheless, the Wu Family didn't deliberately slight Yang Haoran and Guan Hai. After the butler's introduction, the Wu Family members learned that Guan Hai was Wu Xiaoxiao's friend, and Yang Haoran was Guan Hai's friend.
This Wu Xiaoxiao was the young lady the butler referred to, the only daughter of Wu Senior of the Wu Family. Within the Wu Family, Wu Xiaoxiao was absolutely like a precious pearl in their palm.
Upon learning that Guan Hai was a guest invited by Wu Xiaoxiao, Old Master Wu invited them to sit down, then instructed the butler to fetch Wu Xiaoxiao, while the rest of the family continued to await someone else.
The attitude and reactions of the Wu Family members caused doubt to sprout in Yang Haoran's heart. Hadn't he been told he was here to exorcise a ghost? What was the meaning of this lukewarm reception?
Carrying his doubt, Yang Haoran glanced at Guan Hai, who also looked utterly bewildered, unsure what the Wu Family was up to.
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