Zhou Shang. The name might sound ordinary, but it represented a legendary figure from a previous generation in the Inner Circle of Jiangnan Province.

As mentioned before, the founder of this Dongyun International Private Club was a man surnamed Zhou, the young nephew of the leader of Jiangnan Province from two terms ago. He was exceptionally capable and skillful. Strictly speaking, even Xiao Qianrang was not qualified to be compared with him, which spoke volumes about his standing.

And the man standing before them now, Brother Shang, was none other than Zhou Shang, the son of that major figure, Mr. Zhou, the founder of the Dongyun International Private Club!

As the saying goes, a tiger father will not have a dog for a son.

Although their Zhou family lineage wasn't large—all told, there were only a few of them—this Zhou Shang, Brother Shang, had always been a dazzling existence. He was so renowned that his fame extended even to the Capital City, rivaling that of his father in his prime. This alone was a testament to how formidable he was.

But hadn't he been in America's Chinatown for the past few years? It was strange that he had suddenly returned.

"Brother Shang."

Dong Jianhui couldn't help but bow slightly to the newcomer, greeting him very politely.

"Brother Shang, I…" As for Xiao Hao, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, he now looked as if a mouse had seen a cat. His face was ashen, and his lips had unknowingly turned a dusky shade of blue as he trembled, unable to utter a complete sentence for the longest time. His eyes even held a trace of terror.

Damn it, why is this harbinger of doom back? Didn't he have to flee to America for refuge years ago because he'd made a mistake and killed the wrong person? Why is he back now?

"Young Master." Manager Liu, however, showed no surprise at all. Instead, he bowed respectfully to the visitor, having clearly met him before.

"Isn't that Jianhui? How are your father and grandfather? It's been several years. Time really flies," Zhou Shang remarked with a faint smile on his chiseled face upon hearing Dong Jianhui's greeting.

Then, his gaze flickered, swiftly landing on Chen Fei beside Dong Jianhui. He sized him up for a long moment, after which his pupils seemed to constrict slightly. He asked, stunned, "And this is?"

"Brother Shang, right? My name is Chen Fei. A pleasure," Chen Fei said with a faint smile, extending his hand before Dong Jianhui could even react. His dark eyes flashed.

Half-Step Innate? Interesting.

Even Chen Fei hadn't expected to encounter such a figure here in Tongzhou, the provincial capital. A man at the Half-Step Innate level in his early thirties, while not quite a peerless genius or a rare talent, was still astonishingly impressive and unexpected. At least, before Chen Fei received the legacy from that expert of the Cultivation World, he had never even dreamed of reaching such a level…

"Brother Shang, my father and grandfather are both very well," Dong Jianhui finally snapped back to reality and began to introduce Chen Fei. "This is Brother Fei, Chen Fei. My grandfather and he are good friends."

"So, it is Brother Chen. A pleasure to meet you."

Zhou Shang showed little surprise at this. Instead, he solemnly reached out and shook Chen Fei's hand. Only then did he slowly turn to face the still-trembling Xiao Hao, his tone cold. "Xiao Hao, I believe you owe me an explanation for today's events."

"No, Brother Shang, I, you…"

The pale-faced Xiao Hao stammered for a while before finally clenching his teeth and saying defiantly, "Brother Shang, this matter has nothing to do with you, right? Are you planning to stand up for that kid?"

"Nothing to do with me?" Zhou Shang's expression grew colder as he stared at Xiao Hao, his voice laced with displeasure. "Weren't you the one who asked our Dongyun Club to guarantee your bet? If I'm not mistaken, it looks like you lost. What, are you planning to renege on your debt?"

It was clear that although he had remained behind the scenes, he had been watching everything unfold. Xiao Hao himself had requested the club guarantee the wager, and now that he had lost, he was trying to back out? Did he take the Dongyun Club for a mere decoration, for thin air?

"Brother Shang, that's not what I meant…" Xiao Hao's expression was extremely ugly. He hadn't expected the man to be so disrespectful as to publicly call him out on this.

"If that's not what you meant, then what did you mean? All you have to do is answer me: will you honor the terms of the bet or not? I don't have time to waste on someone like you," Brother Zhou Shang said icily, clearly unwilling to give him any face and getting straight to the point.

"Brother Shang, my uncle is that man from the Xiao Group! Not to mention my surname is Xiao. For you to do this for a mere outsider… aren't you going too far?" Xiao Hao couldn't help but retort angrily.

Logically, while he, Xiao Hao, might not be at the very top of the Inner Circle of Jiangnan Province, he was still a Xiao, wasn't he? He came from the number one illustrious family in the province, and his uncle was Xiao Qianrang. As the saying goes, even if you disregard the monk, you should still respect the Buddha. For Zhou Shang to act like this, to bully him with his authority, wasn't it going too far?

"Heh, that's an interesting thing to say. So, according to you, just because you have a 'powerful' background, the words that come out of your own mouth can be treated like farts? Tsk, tsk. So this is the so-called Xiao Family… The old one is like that, and the young one is no different. It's true what they say, birds of a feather flock together."

At this, Chen Fei sneered, his dark, translucent eyes flashing with a light as sharp as a blade. He shook his head in disdain.

It's true, a man is known by the company he keeps. The old Xiao Qianrang was of that ilk, and now this younger one before him is much the same—utterly shameless. They truly are cut from the same cloth, a whole kennel of dogs.

"What did you say!?" Xiao Hao exploded with rage, his expression twisting fiercely as he pointed a trembling finger at Chen Fei. He never imagined that a 'nobody' like Chen Fei would dare to be so audacious in his presence, slandering the Xiao Family in public.

"The man from the Xiao Group, you mean Xiao Qianrang? So what if he's your uncle? What does that have to do with me?" Brother Zhou Shang suddenly cut in again, his authoritative eyes filled with disdain. He then said coolly, "You still haven't answered my question. The bet. Will you honor it, or not?"

"Brother Shang! I haven't lost yet! That kid clearly cheated…"

Xiao Hao tried to continue his brazen denial, but Zhou Shang cut him off with a wave of his hand. He turned and gave an order to Manager Liu beside him. "Manager Liu, revoke his VIP card and put him on the permanent blacklist. From this day forward, we will no longer serve him. Also, find out who his recommender was."

"Yes…" Manager Liu immediately nodded.

Before he could finish, however, he was interrupted by Xiao Hao's frantic voice. "Don't, Brother Shang! Please, we can talk this out…"

The Dongyun International Private Club was one of the foremost symbols of status in all of Jiangnan. Countless people took pride in simply becoming a member, let alone obtaining one of its VIP cards. That was a true representation of status and position, publicly acknowledged by everyone in their circle.

The VIP cards of the Dongyun International Private Club were graded from low to high: Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Amethyst.

Putting aside the highest-tier Amethyst VIP Card, even the lowest-tier Silver VIP Card had an annual fee of three hundred thousand, on top of various other stringent requirements.

The Diamond VIP Card Xiao Hao held was considered top-tier among Jiangnan Province's younger generation, a symbol of his status and standing. He had spent an immense amount of money and effort to obtain it.

If this card, the very symbol of his identity as Young Master Xiao Hao, were to be revoked, and he was blacklisted from the Dongyun International Private Club forever, the consequences would be dire.

"Talk it out? It's too late."

Zhou Shang merely shot him a cold glance before turning back to Manager Liu. "Is it done? And who was his recommender?"

"Young Master, it has been done. Xiao Shao's Diamond VIP Card has been permanently revoked, and he has been placed on the permanent blacklist. As for Xiao Shao's recommender, it was… President Xiao." Manager Liu began in a professional tone, but his voice trailed off toward the end.

The person who had recommended Young Master Xiao Hao was none other than their club's Amethyst member—President Xiao Qianrang!

"President Xiao, Xiao Qianrang? I knew it was him. It seems I'll have to give him a call." Hearing this, Zhou Shang showed no surprise or apprehension, merely muttering to himself coolly.

When Xiao Hao heard these words, the expression on his face became even more panicked and terrified than when he had learned his Diamond VIP Card was being revoked.

"Brother Shang! Brother Shang, I was wrong, I was truly wrong! Please, let's talk! I was blinded by greed! I'll honor the bet! I'll do it right now! I'm begging you, please don't call my uncle!" Like a madman, he lunged for Zhou Shang's legs, becoming a blubbering mess.

This was no joke. He had already lost enough face today, and his losses were substantial. If his uncle, Xiao Qianrang, found out about today's humiliating events, and how the Xiao Family's name had been dragged through the mud, he would be punished severely.

But that wasn't what he feared most. His greatest fear was that this incident would cause his uncle to become disappointed in him. That would be a true disaster, something he could not bear. He knew very well that while his uncle doted on him, there was a limit. If his actions crossed that line and utterly disappointed Xiao Qianrang, the consequences would be unimaginable. He couldn't afford them.

"You should have thought of that before doing it," Dong Jianhui said with contempt. No one felt any sympathy for him now.

This was the fate of someone who didn't know their place and failed to understand their own standing.

Did he really think he could do whatever he wanted just by relying on Xiao Qianrang? Please. The world doesn't work that way.

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