Chapter 367: Deceiving and Outwitting

Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Deceiving and Outwitting

Bai Qianxun was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "It looks like Miss Li has taken a liking to our Teacher Wang as well?"

"I deeply admire Teacher Wang," Li Yanxian replied bluntly. "He’s not just multi-talented, he’s also better-looking than you, Eldest Young Master Bai, and he has a great sense of humor. If you could win over your opponents completely when you go to Seoul, it won’t just be me—many more girls in South Korea would come to like you."

Finally, she added with a beaming smile to Bai Qianxun and the curious onlookers, "Our Teacher Wang’s popularity in South Korea and Japan is soaring. Countless lovestruck girls see him as their dreamboat, and so many of them are saying they want to have his babies. Hee hee, next time you go to Seoul, you’d better be careful. Don’t get snatched away to be some bandit queen’s husband."

Li Yanxian’s reply was an iron fist in a velvet glove. She didn’t get angry at Bai Qianxun’s bluntness, but she didn’t give him any face either. She repeatedly put him down, saying there was a huge gap between him and Wang Chenning—not just in looks, but also in talent. This made Bai Qianxun burn with quiet frustration.

Before Bai Qianxun could react, Li Fuzhen also chimed in, "Teacher Wang is truly outstanding. Even an old woman like me can’t help but like him. If he visited Seoul more often, he’d quickly become an idol for all the women in South Korea."

Bai Qianxun dared to speak casually in front of Li Yanxian, but he didn’t dare to be so arrogant in front of Li Fuzhen.

"Miss Li has a point. Even I admire Teacher Wang." He turned, clapped Wang Chenning on the shoulder, and smiled. "Chenning, my brother, you should visit Seoul more often and pick up some more fangirls."

Although he knew Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian had come to Huaxia mainly for Wang Chenning, Bai Qianxun still hadn’t expected two generations of "princesses" from the Shanxing Group to hold him in such high regard. Hearing them praise Wang Chenning one after another, he couldn’t help but feel provoked.

There was an element of pique in what he said to Li Yanxian—that was Nature. But Bai Qianxun was still worried that Li Yanxian would just flip out on him.

Fortunately, Li Fuzhen gave him an out, and he took her cue to smooth things over.

But Luo Yuqing wasn’t going to let it slide.

Seeing Bai Qianxun’s rudeness in front of Li Yanxian and Li Fuzhen, Luo Yuqing directly reprimanded him.

"Bai Qianxun, don’t drag us all down with your crudeness! If the Bai family didn’t teach you any manners, I’ll teach you some for your parents!"

Seeing how awkward the atmosphere had become, Bai Yanni quickly tried to smooth things over. "Aunt Luo, my brother is just jealous of Chenning. He loves to joke around, please don’t mind him!"

Bai Qianxun was a man who knew when to bend and when to stand tall. He immediately followed his sister’s lead and humbled himself. "Miss Luo, I was just trying to liven things up. Please don’t take it to heart! And to the two Miss Lis, you shouldn’t mind either. I just have a habit of joking around."

Because Wang Chenning had described Bai Qianxun’s personality to them on the way over, and because both Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian were in good moods, they didn’t hold a grudge. However, they still gave him the cold shoulder. For the rest of the night’s festivities, they barely interacted with Bai Qianxun and his sister.

Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian chatted quite a bit with Li Mingchao, however. After all, they all shared the surname Li; who knows, they might have been from the same clan hundreds of years ago.

Luo Yuqing, however, was not ready to let Bai Qianxun off the hook. She used the incident to mock him, both openly and in veiled terms, saying that the older he got, the more foolish he became—unable to correctly assess situations or seize opportunities.

"Bai Qianxun, did you get beaten up so badly your brain went soft?" Luo Yuqing asked, pointing to her own head. "I don’t remember you being this stupid!"

Fearing her brother would lose his temper, Bai Yanni quickly jumped in. "Aunt Luo, my brother was in the hospital for a while. He didn’t get much rest, and it’s made him irritable. He’ll be back to normal in a few days. In a little while, we’ll treat everyone to a meal to apologize for his rudeness today."

Bai Qianxun immediately agreed, saying he would host a dinner in a couple of days and sincerely hoped everyone would grace him with their presence.

He made a point of inviting Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian.

But Li Yanxian refused him outright, saying she and Li Fuzhen wouldn’t be in Yandu for long and might even leave tomorrow, so they couldn’t make it. She added that she would be happy to attend next time.

"Next time you two ladies come to Yandu, I’ll personally greet you at the airport!" Bai Qianxun said with a dry laugh, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

Zhao Xiao’an and Yang Xiaofei were also annoyed by Bai Qianxun’s thoughtless comments and largely ignored him.

When Bai Yanni went over to make conversation, Zhao Xiao’an and Yang Xiaofei only offered a couple of polite phrases, a far cry from the long chats the women usually had.

The reception Li Mingchao enjoyed was far better. This eldest young master of the Li family, once humiliated by Wang Chenning, was now somehow able to get along swimmingly with all these women.

’My performance today was a miscalculation.’ Bai Qianxun finally began to truly reflect on his actions, and his suspicion toward Wang Chenning diminished a little more.

Wang Chenning had been watching Bai Qianxun’s reactions. Seeing his eyes occasionally dart toward Yang Xiaofei and Zhao Xiao’an, he brought his drink over, sat down, and raised his glass. After a toast, he asked in a low voice, "Eldest Young Master Bai, I heard you were secretly attacked a few days ago. Did you find out who was behind it?"

"It’s more or less confirmed," Bai Qianxun said, giving Wang Chenning a meaningful look. "The person who could orchestrate such a move is no simple character, and neither is the person who can command such underlings. Based on those two facts alone, the list of suspects is very short. A proper investigation, and the answer is practically jumping out at you."

"I heard that you initially suspected I was the one behind it," Wang Chenning said, watching Bai Qianxun with a lighthearted smile. "I was just thinking, Eldest Young Master Bai, we may not know each other well, but our few encounters have always been pleasant. It would never get to the point of me ordering a sneak attack, right?"

"There are plenty of people who’d want to attack you, Teacher Wang, and plenty who’d want to slander you," Bai Qianxun said, patting Wang Chenning’s shoulder with a smile. "Don’t take all those rumors to heart. Yandu isn’t as great as you imagine. Our circle is a mess—everyone’s always scheming. You need to be able to tell friend from foe."

Wang Chenning replied with a smile, "Then I’ll be relying on your guidance in the future, Eldest Young Master Bai."

The two men raised their glasses again, clinked them together firmly, and downed the contents in one gulp.

After finishing their drinks, both men laughed heartily, each inwardly satisfied.

Wang Chenning knew Bai Qianxun’s suspicions toward him were now all but gone. The methods he had put in place were gradually showing their effects.

’Those two women, Wang Liqing and Wang Liyu, are certainly resourceful.’

Bai Qianxun, for his part, felt that Wang Chenning had neither the courage nor the capability to make a move against him. He could even use this incident to strengthen their relationship.

’Wang Chenning didn’t make a big deal out of my nonsense today,’ he thought. ’That’s a good sign.’

After another glass of wine, Wang Chenning lowered his voice. "Li Fuzhen came to Huaxia this time to discuss a potential partnership with me in the pharmaceutical industry. If you’re interested, Eldest Young Master Bai, you could get in on it too. Li Mingchao has already clearly stated his willingness to join."

"Deal!" Bai Qianxun agreed without hesitation. "Let’s go talk to Li Fuzhen about it together in a little while!"

"Great," Wang Chenning agreed with a smile.

Bai Qianxun also smiled.

Both men smiled brightly, each convinced he had outsmarted the other.