A hot-tempered woman was pointing at the server and scolding him.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we don't serve outsiders here," the server said stiffly, refusing her entry.

"Then how did they get in?" Li Wenwen asked, pointing at the Rolls-Royce Phantom inside.

"They are VIP guests of our venue. Can you even compare?" the server smirked with contempt. "You're not even members. This is a members-only establishment, and we do not welcome strangers. Am I making myself clear?"

Li Wenwen was rendered speechless.

She looked to her brother, asking him what to do.

As the only man in the group, Li Feng couldn't falter now. He stepped forward.

"How does one become a member here?"

Upon hearing this, the server's expression changed in a flash, and he broke into a smile.

"A one-year membership costs five hundred thousand, and it must be paid in full upfront."

There's a threshold, yes, but it isn't prohibitively high. He could afford it.

"So we can go in now?" Li Feng asked, looking at him.

"Of course, please come in, esteemed guests!" The server led them in.

「Fisherman's Courtyard.」

Despite its rustic-sounding name, the pavilions and corridors were actually quite elegantly designed, similar to the style of Suzhou gardens. Especially here in pricey Dahu City, building such an expansive garden on this land showed that the owner was a person of considerable power.

"This is the Tian Jia Number One private room. Please enjoy your meal."

The private rooms here were also quite interesting, not your usual sort. They were constructed on corridors built over a central pond, like secluded villas on the water. Each private room was set far apart from the others, not only ensuring privacy but also offering scenic views—truly a place that could only be described as exquisite.

The host of today's meal was none other than the owner of the shooting gallery, Zhao Gang.

Sun Dasheng sat down with an imposing air and asked casually, "Was it really necessary to go to all this expense?"

He only had to glance around to know that a meal here was incredibly costly.

Was he spending this much just because I visited his gallery once? That seems unreasonable. Because of Da Yong? That makes even less sense.

Zhao Gang smiled and said, "What expense? President Sun, a man of your stature has tried every delicacy there is. This is just a simple meal to show my sincerity. I'll be happy as long as you don't find it lacking."

"Da Yong, go out and ask the owner if they have any twenty-year-old Maotai."

Da Yong was a bit stunned. He looked at Sun Dasheng, and after seeing him nod, he left, scratching the back of his head.

"You sent him away," President Sun said, getting straight to the point. "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

"Heh..." Zhao Gang chuckled as he poured the tea. "I knew a little trick like that wouldn't escape your sharp eyes, President Sun."

"Alright, just say what's on your mind. Da Yong was right, you have become all coy and hesitant, like a young maiden."

At this teasing remark, both men broke into laughter, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

Zhao Gang no longer tried to be mysterious and said directly, "President Sun, you saw for yourself that business at my shooting gallery is good, right?"

Sun Dasheng nodded, took a sip from his teacup, and said, "Indeed, it was certainly busy."

"Sigh," Zhao Gang lamented. "The plot for the shooting gallery is actually quite large. I had the complete blueprints for the facility drawn up long ago. However, due to a shortage of funds, many parts of the design are still just on paper, unbuilt. This has led to the current situation where we have lots of customers but not enough space."

Sun Dasheng only believed a third of this and asked, "Didn't you anticipate funding issues when you were planning to open?"

"Hah..." Zhao Gang slapped his thigh in frustration. "How could I not have thought of it?"

He took a sip of tea before continuing, "When I first started, the funding was actually all secured. Who would have thought that partway through construction, some shareholders would pull out? That's what caused the funding shortage."

Zhao Gang spread his hands. "It's my fault for being too hasty at the start. The backers I found were all in real estate. Now they're using their own companies' financial strains as an excuse to pull out. What can I do? These people are all connected to my family; I can't very well fall out with them, can I?"

That explained it. Anyone who followed the real estate industry knew what was going on. Several of the domestic giants were in deep trouble, let alone the smaller companies. A firm without financial problems was a rare bird indeed.

"So you're coming to me now because...?" Sun Dasheng prompted.

"Well! I saw how capable you are, President Sun, and you seem to enjoy the sport. So, I was hoping to ask if you'd be interested in investing in our shooting gallery."

Fearing rejection, he quickly added, "Rest assured, there's no limit on the shares. You can take as large a stake as you want. You could even buy the whole thing. As long as the shooting gallery can be built according to my original vision, I'd be willing to stay on as general manager with no equity, just drawing a salary."

Heh... Putting it that way, the offer was certainly full of sincerity. There was nothing to pick apart.

"Alright, I'll give it some serious thought," Sun Dasheng nodded.

"Thank you, President Sun! Just hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

With this tentative promise, Zhao Gang felt the matter was practically settled.

Just then, Da Yong returned, carrying several boxes of aged Maotai.

"The manager said they're out of the twenty-year, but they have plenty of the ten-year, so I brought it all over."

"Excellent, excellent. Thank you for the trouble, Da Yong. Please, sit down." Zhao Gang took the boxes and immediately opened one.

"Server, you can bring in the food now," he called to the attendant outside.

A server stationed outside the private room heard him and called back, "Right away, esteemed guests! The food is on its way."

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