Chapter 164: Rejecting the Invitation

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Rejecting the Invitation

Zhang Yun had been trained to be very cautious; he had even run into people trying to hack him to death just going out to buy breakfast. It wasn’t impossible that Tang Zhiwei had arranged for others to wait outside Vienna and tail him all the way here.

Besides, that Liu Yandao from the Liu Family might possess a great deal of Energy; it was also possible they had locked onto him overnight.

Zhang Yun smiled at Yang Xiaoyun, keeping his suspicions to himself, and walked over to look through the peephole.

Sure enough! It wasn’t Yang Xiaoyun’s best friend arriving; the person outside was a man.

Except... it was a familiar man!

Zhang Yun opened the door halfway, looking at the man outside with suspicion.

"Boss He, are you following me?"

The man outside was He Xiong from Liu’s Restaurant. Just yesterday at noon, he had come to Zhang Yun’s house to pick up the ginseng, yet here he was knocking on the door. This was too damn coincidental!

Zhang Yun felt like today might not be a good day to go out. He was running into completely unrelated people one after another.

He Xiong, however, looked pleasantly surprised. "Brother Zhang Yun, it really is you!"

Then, noticing Zhang Yun’s displeasure and suspicion, he hastily explained.

"No, no, it’s pure coincidence. How could I possibly follow you? I didn’t even know where you went!"

Seeing He Xiong suddenly reminded Zhang Yun of something: when he borrowed Zhang Youcai’s car yesterday, He Xiong had been right there. Uncle Zhong had arranged for someone to drive the car, but where the hell did it end up?

Because the incident happened so suddenly, escalating straight into knives, guns, and bombs, he hadn’t had the spare time to think about the car. Could it have been parked in the courtyard and blown up when the gas tank exploded?

Seeing him stay silent, He Xiong quickly said, "Haha, how about we chat in my room if it’s convenient?"

Zhang Yun frowned even deeper upon hearing this. It meant He Xiong had not only seen him but had also seen Yang Xiaoyun. Could there really be such a coincidence?

He turned back to Yang Xiaoyun and said, "It’s a friend. I’m going to step out for a bit."

Then he walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Please!" He Xiong opened the door to the room right across the hall.

Zhang Yun stared at him coldly. "You even specifically requested the room opposite mine?"

He Xiong ushered him into the room, then let out a bitter smile. "Brother Zhang, Boss Zhang, could I possibly be that kind of person? Come take a look!"

He specifically grabbed his room key card sleeve and showed it to Zhang Yun. The check-in time clearly stated it was from last night.

"I really checked in here first. I was just waiting for someone and heard a noise outside. Thinking they were looking for me, I peeked through the peephole, only to see you checking in. I found it quite unbelievable—the silhouette was the same, and the voice was familiar too. I didn’t expect us to have this kind of fate, which got me a little excited..."

Zhang Yun shot him a sidelong glance. "Couldn’t you have sent me a message?"

He Xiong pointed at Zhang Yun’s pocket and smiled wryly. "I did send a message, but you didn’t reply. I was afraid I might miss you when I went out later, so I figured you had settled in and came over to ask..."

Zhang Yun took out his phone and checked. This guy really had sent a message asking if it was him, but Zhang Yun hadn’t looked at his phone at all just now.

He Xiong patted his chest and promised, "We’re both men, I understand! I absolutely won’t tell anyone, please rest assured about that. If I were truly a scheming person, how would I dare to approach you so openly? I would definitely just keep tabs on you secretly, right?"

Zhang Yun realized He Xiong had misunderstood. He was just concerned about his safety and annoyed by the sudden visit. He Xiong must have caught a glimpse of Yang Xiaoyun and suspected him of hooking up with someone else’s wife, which was why he emphasized keeping it a secret.

He snorted. "I’m not married, and I haven’t done anything guilty. What is there to worry about?"

"Right, right! You’re still young, it’s perfectly normal for you to go out and have fun with whoever," He Xiong quickly chimed in.

Zhang Yun looked at He Xiong, cutting straight to the chase. "Spit it out! What do you want from me? We’ve only known each other for a few days, and we just saw each other yesterday. Is seeing me really enough to make you this excited and happy? Just tell me what’s going on!"

He Xiong smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. "Didn’t I mention last time that I needed to show off a bit? Your two roots of ginseng, especially the one from yesterday, filled me with confidence. So, seeing that you were here too, I wanted to invite you to come along."

"Are you afraid others will question their origins and want me there to corroborate?" Zhang Yun chuckled.

"No, no, I didn’t mean that at all. It’s purely to show my friendliness and sincerity. Because this is our family-style convention where we compete over our medicinal ingredients, I wanted you to experience it too," He Xiong said earnestly.

Zhang Yun stared at him for a moment. Seeing that he indeed wasn’t flustered, Zhang Yun guessed He Xiong probably wanted to secure him as a business partner and genuinely take him to broaden his horizons.

"Is it in this hotel?"

"Uh... no, there’s another venue. But I’ll arrange for a car to pick us up and drop us off," He Xiong said, his face full of anticipation.

Zhang Yun considered it for a moment, then shook his head in refusal. "Forget it. This is your family gathering; it’s inappropriate for an outsider like me. Besides, I’m personally not really interested."

If it had been an event involving antiques and the like, he would have been interested, as he could have taken the opportunity to secretly rake in some Energy.

But medicinal ingredients were different. Even if those genuine decades-old or centennial ginseng and other herbs contained Energy, he couldn’t just absorb it. What if absorbing it stripped away their medicinal efficacy? That would be screwing over the people who bought them!

Ancient Artifacts appreciate in value as collectibles, meant at most for handling and appreciation, but medicinal herbs could very well be a matter of saving lives. A true gentleman knows what to do and what not to do.

He Xiong was a little surprised. He had thought that since Zhang Yun could get his hands on centennial ginseng, he might also be able to procure other precious herbs. Tagging along to take a look should have really sparked his enthusiasm.

Then, thinking back to how Zhang Yun had first asked if it was in this hotel, he instantly had his answer.

Young people were just so full of vigor! He had rushed all the way here for a date and had just checked into the hotel; of course, they had to get in a good workout! If it were inside this hotel, he could just pop over during a halftime break. If he had to go somewhere else, he couldn’t be bothered to make the trip.

He Xiong felt a bit of regret. "We’re both men, I understand!"

"???" Zhang Yun was utterly baffled. What did this have to do with both of them being men?

With business out of the way, they transitioned into simple small talk. He Xiong guessed that Zhang Yun was still thinking about the beautiful babe in his hotel room and felt bad keeping him any longer. Yet, strangely enough, Zhang Yun seemed intent on staying there to chat.

"Um... Brother Zhang Yun, you should get back to your business. I’ve said my piece, so don’t leave her out in the cold. We’re both men, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about."

That line again! Zhang Yun was speechless. He wondered, "Do I look like I’m burning with impatience and just chatting here to hide my embarrassment? I’m just waiting for her best friend to arrive so they can talk. Otherwise, it’d be awkward for me to be in there."

Just then, the sound of high heels clicking approached from outside, stopping right across the hall. After the doorbell rang, the voices of two women greeting each other could be heard.

"You got here so fast!"

"Hehe, of course! You’ve got a young stud here!"

Hearing them go inside and close the door, He Xiong gave Zhang Yun a thumbs-up. "My apologies, I underestimated you! When I was your age, I didn’t even come close to this level!"

Booking two at once, and two who were familiar with each other at that—was this the power of throwing money around, or a victory of sheer good looks?

"..." Zhang Yun secretly rolled his eyes, knowing the man had misunderstood, but there was no need to explain it to He Xiong. "I’m just too handsome. I can’t help it."

"No wonder you didn’t want to go! I get it! Do you need some medicine? Not the little blue pill, but Six Records’ secretly formulated Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pill and Golden Cabinet Kidney Qi Pill!"

"You’d better keep those for yourself, Boss He. My back is strong, my stamina is excellent, and my tadpoles are plentiful. I don’t need that stuff yet!"

"Hurry up and go! Don’t make me jealous!" He Xiong laughed and playfully kicked him out. He had actually experienced all sorts of wild times himself. Though he was still in the prime of his life, his energy was now focused entirely on his career.

Zhang Yun had no choice but to head out. He could hold back in front of Yang Xiaoyun, but he absolutely couldn’t show any weakness in front of another man.