He hadn't thought he would run into another acquaintance, Cleo, the second son of the Lewin family.
Cleo's attitude was completely different from before.
The fatty wasn't interested in Cleo and just raised the juice in his hand. "Young Master Cleo." He didn't say anything else.
Chen Mu nodded at him. "Young Master Cleo."
Cleo didn't seem to mind that kind of treatment as he turned to the two of them with an eager face. "I never thought I would see Mr. Cao here. What a surprise.
In a few days, it will be Cleo's coming-of-age ceremony. Would Mr. Yang An and Mr. Cao be able to come? "
Coming-Of-Age ceremony?
Chen Mu didn't understand that, but he wasn't interested in the Lewins.
The eagerness in Cleo's eyes made him feel a little uncomfortable, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm busy." He then closed his mouth.
The fatty's response was even more direct. "I'm also busy. I'm sorry, Young Master Cleo."
Cleo couldn't hide the disappointment on his face as he said a few more words and then left unhappily.
The fatty took a look at Cleo's departing back and said disdainfully, "The Lewins are regressing more and more.
Their two sons only care about scheming and don't even care about the family business. What a stupid guy! "
Then the fatty saw Chen Mu's puzzled expression and explained, "For a family like the Lewins, when the children of the family come of age, they will hold a banquet.
They will also invite some reputable and powerful friends at that time, which counts as some kind of support.
Ha, there are already very few families who still keep that tradition. I never thought the Lewins would keep it. "
The fatty's words seemed to be quite disdainful of that tradition.
Chen Mu understood a little, but he didn't have any good feelings toward Cleo, so he naturally didn't care.
He had saved Cleo, and not only hadn't he treated him sincerely, but he was also constantly scheming. Chen Mu had to stay at a respectful distance from such a person.
Seeing Chen Mu's expression, the fatty showed a look of understanding and said in a low voice, "The two sons of the Lewins aren't up to much, and their decline is a foregone conclusion.
Doing business with them is fine for the short term, but not for the long term. "
"What do you mean?" Chen Mu was a little curious.
The fatty's expression was indifferent. "When business gets to where we are, we don't just do things. More important are our connections and channels.
It's hard to do business now, and it's as hard as ascending to the heavens if you want to rely on your own strength to grow.
No matter how huge the profits were in the short term, it was still very limited.
Long-term and stable profits are more important. A long-term partner is worth spending a lot of money on.
Only a talented person like Brother Cao is worth that price! "
Chen Mu was stunned by the fatty's theory. He didn't have any experience in business, but what he had said still made him realize something.
Chen Mu smiled. "You think too highly of me."
"No no no!"
The fatty shook his head like a rattle-drum, making people worry that it would fall off. "Brother Cao, you don't have to be so modest. Although I don't always hit the mark, I'm not far from it.
Brother Cao has a calm temperament and an unwavering gaze. One look and I can tell that you are someone who will do great things. You have a tenacious temperament and you are a man of your word. "
Chen Mu was taken aback again, never having heard anyone praise him like that.
Just then, someone called out to the fatty from not too far away. The fatty's eyes were sharp, and he quickly excused himself to Chen Mu, getting up to greet him.
It was hard to imagine that such a fat guy could be so agile.
The fatty left, and Chen Mu once again stayed in the corner by himself.
A beautiful tune was playing in the hall, and attendants were shuttling back and forth among the guests with red wine, fruit juice, and desserts.
Everyone who had a name in Pomelo was there, gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing from time to time, occasionally glancing toward the center of the hall.
As for those noble ladies in exquisite evening gowns, they were whispering to each other. Their gazes were always on Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai, who were in the middle of the room.
The young kids were staring at Butchie in the middle with burning gazes that carried a bit of greed.
The main characters of the banquet were those two men and one woman.
As for himself, he was no more than a nobody, and it would save him trouble if no one recognized him.
He didn't notice that the guests who were passing by were looking at him with the same kind of amazement.
There weren't many high-level card artisans at such a banquet.
While high-level card artisans were certainly targets that every power would fight to rope in, it was extremely difficult for them to enter the upper echelons of society.
Of course, that was excluding students who had graduated from the Big Six. Once you entered the Big Six, that meant you had already begun to step into the upper echelons of society.
Like Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai, their expressions were always indifferent and reserved.
That was a condescending attitude, and no one around them found it strange. On the contrary, they felt it was perfectly normal.
Even Ren Wenzhou naturally accepted it.
There was a saying in the federation that only the five flourishing districts and the capital had true aristocracy.
In the eyes of many of the citizens of the five flourishing districts and the capital, a local tyrant like Ren Wenzhou was nothing more than a rich landlord.
They had an innate sense of superiority, and those who came from the Big Six showed that sense of superiority even more clearly.
By comparison, Butchie looked a lot more pleasing to the eye.
But it was clear that she wasn't a match for those two. Whether it was in terms of momentum or power, she wasn't strong enough to contend with them.
If it had been that half-masked man, he might have been able to compete with those two.
But what did that have to do with him?
Chen Mu continued to drink his juice in satisfaction. He drank seven or eight glasses in one breath, each one of which tasted different.
As far as taste was concerned, it was a lot better than what he had been drinking before.
Once he thought of the Clear Cloud Flowing Water, Chen Mu thought of Copper, who he didn't know where he was, and he suddenly felt melancholy.
He stayed in the corner like that, with no one to disturb him.
Many of those who had wanted to make friends with Chen Mu left when they saw Chen Mu's unapproachable expression.
After the banquet ended, Chen Mu quietly left.
He didn't even look at the four people who had seemed to be chatting happily.
When he returned to his quarters and opened the door, Chen Mu was stunned to see Wei-ah sitting impressively on the floor.
"When did you get back?" Chen Mu went to Wei-ah's side and sat on the floor.
Seeing Chen Mu return, Lu Xiaoru rushed to prepare something to eat and tea.
"Just now." Wei-ah didn't even lift his eyelids.
Chen Mu then noticed there was a pure brown little animal in his arms, and Wei-ah was teasing it from time to time.
"What is this?" Chen Mu asked curiously.
The little animal had thick brown hair all over its body, and it looked a little like a dog, but its body was a lot fatter, and it looked like a brown meatball.
Wei-ah shook his head. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Chen Mu's expression became a little strange. "Where did you get it?" Given Wei-ah's personality, Chen Mu wouldn't believe he would buy a little pet.
If there was one time he might buy one, it would be when he was hungry.
"I stole it." Wei-ah still didn't lift his eyelids as he happily teased the little guy.
The little guy was slow enough to curl up on Wei-ah's lap, snoring away.
"Stole it?" Chen Mu became a little interested. "Where did you steal it?"
"Amedal."
"Where is that?" Chen Mu couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Lu Xiaoru quickly followed up from the side. "Amedal is another commercial center in the Ming Zheng District. It's about as flourishing as Pomelo.
It's very far from here. "
"What are you doing in Amedal?" Chen Mu asked curiously.
When Wei-ah had asked him for money the last time, he had thought it was inconceivable.
It turned out the guy had run off to Amedal, and Wei-ah must have had something to do there. Chen Mu believed it certainly wasn't because of that brown meatball.
"I stole it." Wei-ah's response nearly petrified Chen Mu.
"It?" Chen Mu opened his mouth wide, pointing at the chubby brown dog with a stunned expression.
Lu Xiaoru, who had been pouring tea, nearly spilled it.
"Mmmm."
"You ran all the way to Amedal just to steal it?" Chen Mu wondered if he was hearing things.
"Right."
"Why did you steal it?"
Wei-ah tilted his head and thought for a moment. "It looks familiar."
Chen Mu's forehead was full of black lines. "So, you stole it?
And you ran all the way to Amedal to steal it? "
"Right." Wei-ah then took out a money card and handed it to Chen Mu. "This thing is useless."
"Useless?" Chen Mu was stunned. The money card was useless?
There were four million Oudi in that money card, and Wei-ah had actually said it was useless!
He was suspicious. "So, how did you get to Amedal?"
"I took the shuttle train."
"You need to buy a ticket for the shuttle train. Didn't you check it?" Chen Mu asked.
"What is that?" Wei-ah asked back.
Lu Xiaoru's hand shook again, and the tea spilled onto the table.
Chen Mu described it with his hands. "It's something like a card to call a ticket.
You can only get on if you have a ticket. You didn't buy one? "
"No." Wei-ah shook his head.
"So, how did you get on?" Chen Mu asked curiously. "If you don't have a ticket at the gate, you can't get in."
"Oh, you're talking about that machine that barks?
I patted it once, and it stopped barking. "Wei-ah's expression was extremely natural.
Chen Mu broke out in a cold sweat.
Patted it once?
Glancing at Wei-ah's hand, Chen Mu couldn't help but imagine the scene at that time.
Given Wei-ah's strength, a pat on the ticket machine would have destroyed even the hardest instrument, never mind the machine.
Swallowing hard, Chen Mu asked, "You didn't eat?"
"I ate."
"How did you eat?" Chen Mu was curious.
"I saw a lot of cooked meat hanging in a lot of places, so I took it down and ate it." Wei-ah smacked his lips. "The taste was a little bland, but it was better than what you made."
A scene immediately floated into Chen Mu's mind: Wei-ah had walked to the door of a delicatessen shop and saw a row of cooked meat hanging there. He flashed with shocking speed and calmly plucked a few skewers off, then swaggered off.
"Did you use the same method to come back?" Chen Mu looked speechless, but he still asked.
"Right."
His gaze fell back to the dog sleeping soundly in Wei-ah's arms. Could that dog have something to do with Wei-ah?
If they didn't, why would Wei-ah have run so far away?
But Wei-ah said he didn't know, which meant he probably hadn't remembered.
Chen Mu suddenly thought of another question. "How did you know the dog was in Amedal?"
"I saw it on the fantasy card receiver."
Chen Mu suddenly realized what Wei-ah had said earlier. "It was also snatched?
Snatched?! "
"It was locked in a cage, and I broke the cage.
Six people chased me, and I killed them. "Wei-ah's expression didn't change. His tone was natural as he recounted a rather bloody matter.
Lu Xiaoru's face turned white, and her hands trembled, spilling a lot of tea.
No matter what, Wei-ah's return put Chen Mu at ease.
Given Wei-ah's strength, he actually didn't need to worry, but Wei-ah was completely unfamiliar with the world outside the jungle.
What he had done that time was actually quite dangerous.
If the adversary had been very powerful, if he had run into a real powerhouse, or if he had provoked public anger and been besieged, Chen Mu wasn't sure whether he could have survived, even given Wei-ah's valiance.
Maybe an ace like the president of the Big Six could survive the simultaneous bombardment of hundreds of card artisans, or even more.
But, the other card artisans, even those famous aces, would have to flee when faced with hundreds of card artisans.
Unfortunately, Wei-ah didn't understand the ways of the world and was prone to getting into trouble.
Chen Mu wasn't afraid of getting into trouble, but he didn't think it was necessary to get into trouble.
Lu Xiaoru's face had been a little white, as though she had been greatly stimulated.
So much so that when Wei-ah praised her cooking, her expression became extremely unnatural.
The dog seemed rather clever, waking up as soon as it smelled something to eat.
After the meal, Wei-ah was still watching over his fantasy card receiver as usual, except that there was a brown ball of meat at his feet.