Chapter 280 - 195: Familiar Faces (2)

Chapter 280: Chapter 195: Familiar Faces (2)

Finally having a reason to hold his head high, Xu Gang demanded during the meeting that the site selection and development team redouble their efforts and speed up their expansion. They absolutely had to meet President Xu’s store opening requirements before the end of February!

As Jiangzhou City’s only six-star hotel, the Carmen Lake Hotel was the pinnacle of luxury and a gathering place for the social elite.

Of course, there were also those who aspired to high society and came here to soak in the atmosphere. For instance, by sitting in the ground-floor coffee shop for a while, they could feel as if they had already blended into the upper echelons.

Chen Xiao was surprised to run into Meng Jianshu here.

He couldn’t help but scratch his head. He’d had nothing to do this weekend when Bai Lu texted, asking him out for tea. That made him think of his system task, so he’d suggested this place. He wanted to get an advance look at the hotel that would, in all likelihood, soon become his own asset.

And of all people, it had to be an old classmate. He had zero interest in reunions nowadays, especially with a snob like Meng Jianshu. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

He was still with Lili.

Spotting Chen Xiao, Meng Jianshu stood up. "What a coincidence. Here to talk business?"

He knew Chen Xiao was in sales, which was why he asked.

Lili also stood up to say hello. Chen Xiao disliked her overpowering perfume and took a slight step back.

"I’m meeting someone here for tea."

Meng Jianshu gave him a knowing look and snickered. "It’s a woman, isn’t it? The same one as last time?"

Chen Xiao shook his head coolly. "No."

Meng Jianshu sighed. "Don’t take it too hard. A girl that beautiful isn’t someone an ordinary guy can handle."

Chen Xiao was instantly displeased. ’What’s that supposed to mean, you dumbass?’

There was no point in talking further. "You two carry on," he said. "I’ll go sit over there."

He picked a table as far away from them as possible, then sent the table number to Bai Lu to let her know he’d arrived.

Meng Jianshu froze for a second, then whispered to Lili, "He’s still bitter about it. A goddess of that caliber isn’t someone a mere mortal can have."

"Just you wait. Let’s see what kind of ’quality’ woman he’s meeting today."

Lili smiled. "Maybe it’s another stunning beauty."

"Impossible. There aren’t that many beautiful women in the world. And even if there were, there’s no way every single one of them would be into him!"

Lili had to agree he had a point. Even if Chen Xiao was wealthy enough to drive a CLS, there were plenty of people with that kind of money.

Truly beautiful women were a scarce resource—far rarer than people who could afford a CLS.

Since Chen Xiao was giving them the cold shoulder, they didn’t want to press their luck. The two of them were here to get a taste of the so-called high-society lifestyle anyway.

This was probably the most budget-friendly way to do it.

"Brother Meng, rich people really know how to live, don’t they? This hotel even has luxury shops and a car dealership inside. Sigh, the 7+1 Express Inn we usually stay at definitely doesn’t have this!"

Meng Jianshu’s face flushed. He quickly glanced around, relieved that no one had overheard.

’Why does this Lili have to say everything out loud? The 7+1 is a good value! Besides, a battle is a battle, no matter the battlefield!’

"I’ll take you to check out Shanyun Auto in a bit. I’m thinking of trading in my BMW 3-Series. Electric cars are all the rage now, and Shanyun Auto’s models look great."

"This dealership is their flagship store, a real showroom. It’s a prestigious spot; the rent must be insane!"

This was their other reason for coming today: to look at cars. Shanyun Auto had rented an impressive 300-square-meter showroom in the Carmen Lake Hotel.

They had probably spared no expense on the decor to create a sense of luxury. The place was dripping with class.

Just then, Lili saw a man walk in. He had an impressive bearing, looked to be about thirty, and radiated success.

She couldn’t help but stare, and Meng Jianshu’s eyes followed hers. He seethed with jealousy. ’A fucking tall, rich, handsome guy. They all just have rich dads!’

The man came in, initially looking for a table, but his eyes lit up when he spotted Chen Xiao in the corner. He immediately headed straight for him.

"Holy crap, Chen Xiao! Finally caught you!"

Chen Xiao was speechless. ’I really picked a bad day to meet Bai Lu here,’ he thought. Of all people, he’d run into Jin Wuxian.

’What is going on? There are only a handful of people in this coffee shop, and I know all of them!’

’Good thing this isn’t a secret rendezvous, or the whole world would know by now.’

"Why are you ’catching’ me? It’s not like I stole your chickens."

Jin Wuxian plopped down in the seat across from him. "Your two posts have screwed me over! Aren’t you a Key Opinion Consumer for Junxing Auto? Could you please stop speaking on behalf of my Shanyun Auto from now on!"

Originally, when Chen Xiao went on Xiangzi’s 7:30 show, he was registered as a Key Opinion Consumer for Junxing Auto. Of course, the show itself wouldn’t announce which KOC represented which company.

Only Xiangzi and Jin Wuxian knew about this. In fact, only Jin Wuxian knew that Chen Xiao wasn’t a KOC at all; he had just used that title to get on the show.

But this joker went on the show with a "Shanyun Auto" profile picture, which made the entire audience assume he was a KOC for Shanyun Auto. And now that idea is completely entrenched!

So when Chen Xiao attacked Feichi Auto, it immediately triggered a fan war between Shanyun Auto and Feichi Auto.

Luckily, neither company had a massive fan base. If it had been someone like Prince Di or Hongmeng Intelligent Selection, the internet would have exploded.

This trend couldn’t be allowed to continue. Jin Wuxian had been planning to make Junxing Auto take the fall for him, but now the tables had turned—he was the one taking the fall *for* Junxing Auto!

He was starting to wonder if this was karma. So far, it hadn’t even occurred to him that Chen Xiao might be doing this on purpose; he couldn’t think of any possible motive.

"Fine. I won’t speak up for Shanyun Auto anymore."