Chapter 148: Washing Hands in a Golden Basin

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, August arrived. Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong were enjoying their vacation, while Xiaojia and Lao Jiu had both returned home. However, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong stayed behind because of Elder Hu's golden basin hand-washing ceremony scheduled for the fifteenth of August.

After so much time had passed, Liu Sheng had finally emerged from the shadow of Xiaoya. He stopped messing around and simply lived each day quietly. Coupled with the fact that he was about to become the second-in-command at Huayong, he had become a lot more sensible.

On the morning of the fourteenth of August:

"Let's do an interview with President Liu. How are you feeling right now, knowing you're about to become the second-in-command at Huayong?" Ren Xiadong sat in the driver's seat, holding a lighter and pointing it at Liu Sheng's mouth like a microphone.

Liu Sheng sat in the passenger seat, pushed the lighter away from his mouth, and said, "Stop fooling around. Just start driving, or we won't make it to Elder Hu's golden basin hand-washing ceremony."

With that, the two of them dressed extremely formally and headed toward Yunhai City.

Since it was daytime, the journey went smoothly. They grabbed a quick bite at a service area, refueled, and finally exited the highway a little past four in the afternoon.

As soon as they came off the highway, a line of luxury black cars was parked there. Seeing Ren Xiadong's R8 emerge from the off-ramp, the people by the luxury cars hurriedly flagged them down.

"Welcome, President Liu and President Ren. I've been sent by the eldest miss, Hu Yingqi, to escort the two of you. Please follow behind us, and we will lead the way."

A man in a black suit and sunglasses walked up to Ren Xiadong's car and spoke to the two inside.

Seeing this scene, Ren Xiadong felt as though he didn't even recognize himself anymore. He couldn't help muttering, "Damn, this is so badass! I never imagined I could look this glorious!"

Liu Sheng retorted, "Get over yourself. They're here to pick me up, and you're just the driver. Step on it and drive!"

Though displeased with Liu Sheng's remark, Ren Xiadong saw that the lead convoy was already pulling away and feared losing them. Without wasting any breath on Liu Sheng, he floored the gas to catch up, driving aggressively so no one would mistake that the leading convoy was there for him.

When they arrived at Elder Hu's estate, Zhan Long was already waiting for Liu Sheng at the main gate. As soon as Liu Sheng stepped out of the car and saw Zhan Long, he greeted him with a warm embrace and said, "Long time no see. Care for another match?"

"You bet! I was just thinking the same thing!" Zhan Long replied with excitement.

At that moment, Liu Sheng wanted nothing more than to slap himself across the face. Why did he have to run his mouth? It was meant to be just a polite greeting, but he hadn't expected Zhan Long to accept so readily.

Ren Xiadong chimed in, "Fight me instead! I've been learning some new moves lately, and taking you down will be a breeze!"

Hearing that Ren Xiadong had learned new techniques, Zhan Long grinned eagerly and said, "Awesome, let's start right now!"

Looking at Zhan Long's eager expression, Liu Sheng wanted to tell Ren Xiadong to forget it, but seeing Ren Xiadong also strike a fighting pose, he felt a headache coming on and was left speechless. Just then, Steward Jin walked out and intervened, "Alright, alright. Ren Xiadong just arrived and must be exhausted from the trip. If you want to fight, do it tomorrow; there's no rush for a little while."

Steward Jin then looked at Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong and said, "Elder Hu wants to see the two of you. Follow me."

"I'll show you tomorrow!" Ren Xiadong declared to Zhan Long. He had never accepted losing to Zhan Long the last time, so he had been training rigorously ever since, just waiting for another chance to defeat him.

After Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong stepped into Elder Hu's study, the old man smiled and said, "Youth is truly wonderful. The two of you are exceptional talents indeed. With your support in the future, Huayong will be like a tiger given wings."

Elder Hu then poured them each a cup of tea and said, "Drink this tea, and from this moment on, you will essentially be the foundational veterans of Huayong."

Hearing the word "veterans," Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong were eager to drink the tea immediately. But just as they reached for their cups, Elder Hu suddenly spoke up, "Hold on, I need the two of you to swear an oath."

"About what?" Liu Sheng asked with curiosity.

Elder Hu sighed and said, "To be honest, I never expected that both of you were people belonging to Hu Yingqi, and that the two of you hold the power to decide who the successor will be. You are both formidable, and I have no choice but to guard against this. After all, Huayong bears the surname Hu, not Liu, nor Ren. Therefore, I need you both to swear that you will wholeheartedly assist Hu Yingqi in the future without any ulterior motives."

Liu Sheng suddenly chuckled to himself, thinking, *So Elder Hu is afraid that I might pose a threat to Hu Yingqi. But I never had any intention of seizing Huayong; being the second-in-command is plenty for me.*

With that, Liu Sheng said, "Elder Hu, rest assured. I harbor no secondary intentions, and I will loyally assist Eldest Miss Hu Yingqi."

"There is one more condition," Elder Hu continued. "You are not permitted to marry Hu Yingqi, and in the future, you must keep an eye on her. If she marries and has children, they must take the surname Hu!"

Hearing this, Liu Sheng thought to himself, *This old man is truly calculating. He means that I'm not allowed to marry Hu Yingqi because if I did, Huayong would undoubtedly become mine. And by having me 'keep an eye on her,' he wants me to ensure she marries someone without a background—a man who will marry into her family and take her surname—so that Huayong's bloodline of power remains firmly in the hands of the Hu family for generations to come.*

Having figured this out, Liu Sheng replied instantly, "Very well, I agree to all of this."

Once Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong had taken their oaths, they drank the tea together. Elder Hu then announced he needed to rest and dismissed them.

As they walked away, Ren Xiadong whispered to Liu Sheng, "That scared the hell out of me. I thought there might be poison in the tea. If you hadn't drunk yours, I wouldn't have dared touch mine."

Liu Sheng sneered, "If the head of Huayong wanted you dead, do you really think he'd resort to such methods? Taking you out would take a split second. Besides, with Hu Yingqi taking over, Huayong has to rely on the two of us. Elder Hu watched with his own eyes as we dismantled his two grandsons; he knows our capabilities all too well."

Just as they stepped outside, Zhan Long blocked their path.

Liu Sheng forced a bitter smile and said, "Big brother, have mercy! Can you let us get some rest before we fight? It's been a whole day of traveling!"

"You've got it all wrong. I'm not here to fight you; I'm here to invite you for a drink."

Hearing that it wasn't a fight, Liu Sheng immediately lit up. "That's easy! As long as we're not fighting, we'll do whatever you say."

With that, Zhan Long led Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong to a large barbecue restaurant. "I know both of you are northerners, and northerners love skewers and cold beer. That's why I brought you here. This meal is on me to welcome you two."

"Now that's what I like to hear," Liu Sheng said. "As long as you're not looking for a fight, you're still a pretty great guy in my book."

Ren Xiadong chimed in, "You wouldn't be able to outdrink us either, so why bother trying to compete with me?"

Zhan Long burst into laughter at Ren Xiadong's comment and replied, "I'm just trying to build some rapport. Why make it sound like I'm so petty?"

"Haha, Big Brother Zhan Long just wants to spend a little more time with us. Look at how small-minded you are," Liu Sheng said, taking Zhan Long's side against Ren Xiadong.

Feeling ganged up on, Ren Xiadong replied unhappily, "Fine, whatever you two say goes!"

When the waiter walked over to take their order:

Zhan Long spoke first, "Bring us ten skewers of meat, two cold vegetable dishes..."

Ren Xiadong looked at the frugal-looking Zhan Long and teased, "What's wrong? Didn't bring enough cash?"

Zhan Long pulled out his wallet to prove a point, saying, "I need to set the record straight. I brought plenty of cash—enough to feed you for a month. Besides, it's just a few dishes."

Liu Sheng leaned over and whispered, "Zhan Long is a southerner. People from the south have different dining habits than we do."

Hearing this, Zhan Long handed the menu over to Ren Xiadong and apologized, "My apologies, I forgot you two are guests. Alright, you order."

Ren Xiadong tossed the menu aside and told the waiter, "Give us two catties of mutton, one catty of beef, peanuts, edamame... and finally, three crates of beer along with three large beer mugs!"

Turning back to Zhan Long, Ren Xiadong declared, "For us, meat is ordered by the catty and beer by the crate. We're drinking till we drop today! We northerners make friends through drinking; the more you drink, the deeper the bond. Unlike you guys who make friends over tea—I can't drink that stuff, I'm not old enough for that yet."