"Brother Yi! Don't leave! It wasn't easy for me to invite you here, how can you just walk away?" Ou Xiaolong said quickly. "Brother Ren, that mouth of yours is really something else! Hurry up and apologize to Brother Yi! Say you're sorry!"

If he had known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have invited Ren Xingsheng over. Although Ou Xiaolong had felt in the past that Ren Xingsheng could be unpleasant, he had never taken it to heart. He figured Ren was just a bit abrasive with outsiders or people he didn't know well, making him seem unapproachable. But within their circle, among familiar friends, Ren Xingsheng was usually quite agreeable. He knew what to say, what not to say, and what was appropriate for any given occasion. Today, however, Ren Xingsheng's behavior was a true disappointment; even he himself could barely watch.

He knew perfectly well that today's banquet was specifically to host Yi Anguo and ask for his help. He had only called Ren Xingsheng over to help entertain and drink with them, since having another person around could liven up the atmosphere. Besides, Ou Xiaolong felt that when it came to wining, dining, and entertainment, Ren Xingsheng really knew his stuff.

In the business world, when asking for a favor, even among friends, you must ensure the guest eats well, drinks well, and enjoys themself. This is a fundamental rule in the business world. If you can't even ensure your guest eats, drinks, and has a good time, then what business can you possibly discuss? What favors can you ask? The more economically developed a place is, the more developed its hotel and entertainment industries become. Why do so many people spend money in hotels, KTVs, and nightclubs every day? To put it bluntly, it's all for business—to discuss deals and partnerships. You strengthen friendships over meals, drinks, and karaoke, which in turn makes negotiations smoother. If not for these reasons, who would spend money entertaining guests in such places? And if no one was footing the bill, who would go out to these places every day? The costs are certainly not cheap. For an ordinary, honest worker, how many times could they afford to visit these places on a month's salary? Most Chinese business deals are sealed at the dinner table.

"Brother Ou, I wasn't looking down on Mr. Yi! I was just a little confused at first. I thought the driver he brought was actually his brother, so I just asked a couple of questions," Ren Xingsheng said, sounding defiant and unwilling to apologize.

A brother is a brother, and an employee is an employee. We've dined together so many times, and I've never seen anyone bring their driver along. After dropping someone off, the driver leaves. They only come back to wait by the car at the entrance after we've finished eating and drinking and are ready to go. Ren Xingsheng was convinced he had done nothing wrong. A driver's status was simply not on their level. How could one stay and join their party, eating and drinking with them? Wouldn't that just lower his own standing for no reason?

Now, Ou Xiaolong was getting genuinely angry. So you think you're a cut above the rest and refuse to treat your employees and drivers like friends. Do you have to demand that everyone else act the same way you do?

"Mr. Ren! I'm sorry, but I arranged to discuss something with Brother Yi today. If you have other plans, you should probably leave first. We can talk some other time," Ou Xiaolong said. He pulled Ren Xingsheng aside and whispered, "I think you should just go for now. Don't make things awkward for everyone and put me in a tough spot."

"What? Brother Ou! We're the real friends, the real brothers, aren't we? Are you seriously taking his side and telling me to leave?" Ren Xingsheng asked, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.

"In the state you're in, I can't get through to you. Just leave for now, cool off, and think carefully about what you said wrong and what you did wrong. Why did you have to ruin a perfectly fine evening like this?" Ou Xiaolong said, clearly furious.

Meanwhile, Yang Hai spoke to Yi Anguo. "You didn't have to do that. You could have just told them I'm your driver and bodyguard. There's no need to offend your business partners on my account."

"Even though you are indeed my hired driver and bodyguard, you are also my brother. You are not inferior to anyone. When they look down on you, they're looking down on me," Yi Anguo said earnestly.

"If that means they won't do business with me, then so be it!

"There's money we can earn, and there's money we shouldn't. If we try to earn everything, we compromise our integrity as human beings.

"I brought you to this banquet, and they looked down on you. Tell me, is there any point in me doing business with them?

"There are plenty of opportunities to make money. If we miss this one, countless others will come along. But once your dignity has been trampled, it's very difficult to hold your head high again."

Yi Anguo could speak so boldly because he had the confidence to back it up. He hadn't been set on buying the property in the first place. While it was profitable, money is endless, and there were many other ways and opportunities to earn it. He didn't have to go through with this deal. He was completely different from the person he was when he had just been reborn. At this point, whether he bought the property or not was irrelevant to him.

After finally managing to persuade Ren Xingsheng to leave, Ou Xiaolong turned back to Yi Anguo with a smile.

"I am so sorry about that. I've sent that annoying fellow away. I had no idea he would act so crazy and have such a foul mouth. Brother Yi, please don't be angry."

"And this must be Brother Yang Hai! Please don't take it to heart. I've never looked down on anyone or thought myself superior."

"Actually, my story is quite similar to Brother Yi's. I also came to Shenzhen from another province to make my way. My family was very poor, I had many siblings, and I entered the workforce right after junior high."

The three men chatted as they walked into the restaurant.

"Speaking of which, Brother Yi and I are from the same place, Xi Jiang Province. Brother Yi's success today comes from his own courage and drive. As for me, my success is thanks to my father-in-law. To put it bluntly, I'm just a live-in son-in-law. Tell me, what right does someone like me have to look down on anyone else?

"And even though I've worked hard to manage the company, making it many times larger than it was, many people still believe it's all due to my father-in-law's connections."

...

The more Yi Anguo listened, the more it felt like Ou Xiaolong's personal pity party. This guy sure knew how to spin a sob story, making it sound like his life was one of utter hardship and misery.

"Brother Ou, if life is so tough, why not just divorce your wife? I'll start a real estate development company, you can come work for me, and I'll give you twenty percent of the management shares. How about it?" Yi Anguo teased.

"This...! Brother Yi, you have a strange sense of humor. It's an old saying: you should help couples reconcile, not separate. As my brother, how can you suggest I get a divorce?" Ou Xiaolong complained with mock indignation. "Brother, that's not very cool of you. If your sister-in-law heard about this, she'd definitely give you an earful."

"Haha! If your sister-in-law knew you were living in such deep misery every day, I wonder if she'd still let you sleep in the bed at night?" Yi Anguo chuckled.

"Sigh! Honestly, it's because your sister-in-law is pretty good to me. If it weren't for her, I would have left long ago," Ou Xiaolong said with a shake of his head.

"Since your wife treats you well, what more could you be unsatisfied with?" Yi Anguo asked.

"My wife is good to me, but her uncles and cousins are another story. None of them are easy to deal with!" Ou Xiaolong lamented with a sigh. "In their eyes, I'm an outsider, and the company is theirs, so they're always scheming to seize power.

"On top of that, my father-in-law is a bit indecisive. While he doesn't fully trust his siblings and nephews, he doesn't fully trust me, either. It always feels like he's on guard against me.

"What am I supposed to do? Go and tell my father-in-law not to trust his own brothers and nephews?

"If I actually did that, he probably wouldn't believe a word I said. It would backfire, and he'd become even more wary of me."

"Even if your father-in-law doesn't trust you and is on guard against you, surely he doesn't distrust his own daughter, does he? Is he on guard against her too?" Yi Anguo couldn't help but ask. "Besides, don't you and your wife have any children? Your children are his own flesh-and-blood grandchildren, after all."

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