The Hongqi sedan pulled over to the side of the road, and Jiangyang and the other two men rolled down their windows and began puffing away.

After a long while, Jiangyang finally spoke up. "Sicong, what do you know about that Su Chen?"

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Sicong’s heart tightened. His expression grew complicated as he looked toward the back seat at Jiangyang and... Chen Yao!

The two of them saw the look on his face and, guessing his thoughts, smiled faintly. "You don’t think we have designs on Su Chen, do you?"

"Uh... Brother Yang, you mean you’re just asking..." Sicong asked tentatively.

"Haha... Sicong, I didn’t realize you two were so close," Chen Yao chimed in, teasing him.

Sicong jolted at his words and quickly explained, "It’s not like that! I’m just worried you’ll start a conflict, and it’ll get messy for everyone!"

Jiangyang and Chen Yao, who had been perfectly calm, suddenly frowned. Listening to Sicong’s tone, if the two of them really did have improper designs on Su Chen...

’Could it actually end in mutual destruction?’

’Does that mean Su Chen’s power could rival ours? Or even our families’...’

They instantly squashed that last thought. ’That’s impossible!’

Jiangyang flicked his cigarette butt away. It hit the curb, scattering tiny sparks.

"Now I’m genuinely curious what this Su Chen is capable of. Go on, Sicong. Enlighten me!"

"Relax. We have no designs on him. Besides, Brother Cheen already gave the word: befriend him, don’t mess with him," Chen Yao added.

Sicong breathed a long sigh of relief, but a second later, he stared at Chen Yao in shock. "Brother Yao, did you just say Brother Cheen? Does Su Chen know him?"

He knew who "Brother Cheen" was—a top figure among the second-generation heirs in the Imperial Capital. He rarely showed his face, and Sicong himself had only met him once, thanks to Jiangyang and Chen Yao.

"Mhm, of course they do. We met Su Chen through Brother Cheen. By the way, that courtyard house you saw earlier? Brother Cheen sold it to him," Jiangyang said nonchalantly.

Sicong fell silent.

’So that’s why,’ he thought, recalling when he had asked Su Chen to sell him the courtyard house and what Su Chen had told him. ’It was all because of Brother Cheen. Everything he said was true.’

"Feeling better now? So, spill it. You seem to know Su Chen quite well."

With his worries dispelled, Sicong paused to gather his thoughts before speaking slowly. "Su Chen is the largest individual shareholder in the world’s three major luxury conglomerates. He holds a 10% stake in each!"

"The three major luxury conglomerates? You mean LVMH, Kering, and Richemont?" Jiangyang asked urgently.

"Yes, exactly. Those three," Sicong confirmed with a firm nod.

LVMH, Kering, and Richemont are the undisputed big three of the luxury industry. The combined market capitalization of these conglomerates was a staggering six hundred billion US dollars. If Su Chen owned 10%, didn’t that put his net worth at sixty billion US dollars?!

The moment he said it, the car fell dead silent. Even Jiangyang and Chen Yao, men who thought they’d seen everything, were now staring wide-eyed with their jaws agape, their eyes filled with utter shock.

’How many people in the entire country could possibly compare to that kind of wealth!’

’Thank God we’re friends, not enemies!’

Seeing their reaction, Sicong chuckled to himself. ’I wasn’t much better when I first found this out,’ he thought.

After a long moment, the two of them slowly came back to their senses.

Jiangyang pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Chen Yao, and lit his own...

His face was a picture of melancholy.

Chen Yao wasn’t any better. He leaned against the window, smoking in silence, his gaze lost somewhere outside.

Before the two could fully recover, Sicong continued, "And before this, I went to Xiangjiang with him. Su Chen shorted gold one day before Wall Street did. He only invested a hundred million, and in less than a month, he’d earned 1.2 billion!"

Sicong felt a pang of regret as he said this. ’Why the hell did I have to be so stubborn back then? If I’d just been a little braver and thrown some money in with him, my net worth would’ve at least shot up by half!’

This new information hardly registered with Jiangyang and Chen Yao. They had a clear sense of priorities, and an income of 1.2 billion paled in comparison to a net worth of sixty billion US dollars.

Jiangyang now felt a genuine admiration for Xiao Chen. ’He got close to Su Chen so early on,’ he thought. ’And I initially thought Su Chen was just some cash cow the Xiao family had found. How ridiculous that seems now...’

’Looks like my judgment is leagues behind Xiao Chen’s.’

"Alright, it’s getting late. We should all head home and get some rest."

Jiangyang and Chen Yao just wanted to go home and process this information; it was crucial for their future plans.

Taking the hint, Sicong opened the car door and stepped out.

"Brother Yang, Brother Yao, drive safe!"

Watching the Hongqi sedan depart, Sicong smiled to himself and hummed a tune as he walked toward his own car.

-----------------

"Did you plant a bug in my house or something? You timed your arrival perfectly for breakfast, didn’t you!"

Su Chen griped, watching Sicong across from him wolf down a bowl of Eight-Treasure Lotus Seed Soup.

"Hehe, of course not. I just casually asked Old Jiang yesterday what time you wake up. Total coincidence!" he said, grabbing a scallion pancake.

"Mmm, Aunt Tang’s skills are amazing. This pancake is delicious!"

Su Chen sighed and shook his head. "Let’s get to the point. Why are you in the Imperial Capital this time?"

Su Chen would never believe he came all this way just to hang out. Sure, Sicong goofed around a lot and often took girls out, but that was always after he’d taken care of business.

Before Su Chen even came to the Imperial Capital, Sicong had told him he was swamped with work. He wouldn’t have time to just come and hang out, especially since he didn’t have a girl with him this time.

Sicong swallowed his bite of scallion pancake before answering. "Official business, you could say. I have a meeting this afternoon to establish the Huaxia Esports Federation!"

"The Huaxia Esports Federation? You mean, like, a gaming league?" Su Chen asked, looking surprised.

"Yep. It’s an esports federation spearheaded by me and Hero Interactive Entertainment, in partnership with sixteen other major gaming companies. We’ll be setting the industry rules, and I’ll likely be the first rotating chairman."

Su Chen gently tapped his fingers on the table. ’This is a signal,’ he thought. ’The gaming industry is about to see explosive growth. It’s going to change how a lot of people see things.’

Noticing Su Chen’s thoughtful expression, an idea sparked in Sicong’s mind. He paused for a moment before saying, "Old Su, have you ever thought about starting a game company? In the future, games like DOTA and LoL are all going to go pro. The gaming industry is going to be one of the most profitable sectors out there."

Su Chen knew Sicong was a pioneer in the gaming industry and had contributed a great deal to the field.

And while Su Chen hadn’t played many games himself, that didn’t stop him from being interested.

"Forget starting a whole company. Don’t you have a club called IG? How about I buy a stake..."

Sicong nearly choked on the soup he’d just swallowed. "Dude, my club is only worth ten, maybe twenty million right now. It can’t handle the ’patronage’ of a tycoon like you..."

"Don’t worry about it. I believe in the future of the esports industry. As for starting my own club, forget it. I don’t have the time or energy for that."

"How about this... I invest ten million for a forty-nine percent stake. I won’t meddle in anything; you’ll be completely in charge."

A glint flashed in Sicong’s eyes. Though he’d already made up his mind, he still put on a show of being deep in thought.

After about ten seconds, Sicong nodded as if making a tough decision. "Fine. Ten million for a 49% stake!"

Inside, Sicong was ecstatic. ’I was just thinking about how to tie my fate more closely to Su Chen’s,’ he thought. ’Shared business interests are the most reliable bond.’

’And just like that... a golden opportunity lands right in my lap.’

If Su Chen knew what was going through Sicong’s head, he’d point a finger at his nose and curse, "You business guys are all so damn calculating!"

Sicong stayed until noon, leaving only after he’d had lunch.

During his visit, Su Chen went ahead and transferred the ten million to him. They’d sort out the contract once Sicong wasn’t so busy.

Su Chen wasn’t worried. ’It’s not like Sicong would dare to just pocket my ten million, right?’

BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ—

Su Chen had just been about to take an afternoon nap. The moment his eyes closed, the phone on his desk began to vibrate.

"You’ve really got great timing," he grumbled.

Su Chen muttered under his breath as he got out of bed, but his irritation faded when he saw the caller ID: Xiao Chen.

"Brother Cheen! To what do I owe the pleasure? What’s up?"

"Can’t a guy call you just to chat?"

"I was just about to take a nap! I’d barely closed my eyes when you called," Su Chen grumbled, a hint of just-woken-up crankiness in his voice.

"Hahahaha, my apologies. Next time I’ll try to call you ahead of time."

Xiao Chen laughed sheepishly at that.

"Hey, has that injury from the shooting range healed up yet?"

The moment he heard that, Su Chen knew exactly why Xiao Chen was calling.

He rolled his shoulder; there wasn’t the slightest discomfort. "It’s been days. It’s all healed up!"

"Brother Cheen, are you about to show me some of the big toys...?" Su Chen asked, his voice filled with anticipation as he stared at his phone.

"You figured it out that quick, huh? Well, come on out. I’m right at the gate of your courtyard house!"

At those words, Su Chen practically flew out of bed, threw on a fresh set of casual clothes, and headed out the door.

The moment he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Xiao Chen leaning against a brownish-green Jeep, smoking a cigarette.

Su Chen made a point of walking a full circle around the vehicle. The moment he saw the red-and-black license plate, he understood everything.

As the Jeep slowly pulled away from Shichahai, Xiao Chen glanced at Su Chen and asked casually, "So, Jiangyang and Chen Yao went to your house yesterday?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine happened to be visiting, and they knew each other, so we all had dinner and some drinks..."

Su Chen frowned slightly. ’Why is he asking about this?’ he wondered. ’Is there something I’m missing?’

As it turned out, Xiao Chen gave him the answer a second later.

"I was wondering why those two called me first thing this morning, telling me to invite you out to the base. So that’s what it was all about!"

Xiao Chen’s words sparked a realization in Su Chen. He thought about Sicong’s relationship with them. ’They must have gotten the full story on me from Sicong last night.’

Putting that together with what Xiao Chen just said, Su Chen understood that the two of them wanted to befriend him for real.