Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 343: The Powerful Beast_1

"How so, you don’t believe me?" Fang Muye, straightforward by nature, immediately showed indignation and said, "Let me tell you, Xiao’s formidable abilities don’t stop there, there’s also..."

"Sir Fang."

Xiao Ming smiled and interrupted him, "The only beauty in this room is currently focused on playing the zither, and praising me to the four elders here won’t do any good!

Besides, I’m not as good as you make me out to be; it’s all just coincidence."

Not being a fool, Fang Muye picked up the hint that Xiao Ming was not interested in befriending the heads of the four families and chuckled without saying more.

The elderly man surnamed Shi was naturally that highly esteemed businessman among the domestic merchants, Shi Qianshan, who had once devoted his family’s fortunes to support the military.

Being old and seasoned, he saw things more clearly than Fang Muye.

It’s not that Xiao Ming was unwilling to befriend the four families; he clearly disliked them intensely.

Driven by curiosity, he spoke up, "Old Sir Hao, given our years of friendship, I won’t stand on ceremony with you.

Today, I had the rare opportunity to meet Xiao, and I would like to spend time to get to know him better. You all go ahead with the meal; we can make another appointment some other day."

Hao Taixing’s eyes flashed, and he rose to his feet with a polite smile, "Since Old Sir Shi has spoken, we naturally yield to our guest’s preference.

You may call me at any time when you have the availability."

"Please, stay seated; no need to get up."

Shi Qianshan waved his hand and headed for the door, and Fang Muye promptly followed him.

Xiao Ming, leaning on his cane, nodded to the four elders as a gesture of respect, but his gaze passed over Hao Taixing and landed on the woman playing the zither.

Perhaps sensing something, the woman also lifted her face at that moment and gave him a restrained, faint smile.

"What’s the meaning of this Mr. Shi?"

As soon as the door closed, Wu Family Head Wu Mengsong furrowed his brows and said, "He suddenly brings some unknown youngster and leaves, and the excuse is even more laughable.

Could it be that he has perceived something?"

"It’s hard to say." Master of the An Family An Xianhe shook his head, "Fang Muye’s excuse for praising Xiao Ming was too far-fetched. With Shi Qianshan’s capabilities, he shouldn’t be acting so frivolously."

"Unless he simply doesn’t regard us at all, deeming it unworthy to use his intellect on us," Master of the Chang Family Chang Chunbai added, "Speaking of which, where is this Xiao from? I have never heard of him in the Antique Circle."

"He was invited by me." The woman playing the zither suddenly spoke, her voice regal and ethereal, free of any mundane affliction.

All four elder men turned around, and Hao Taixing even brought his hands together in a gesture of respect and asked, "Esteemed one, you know him?"

The woman revered as "esteemed one" gently pressed the zither strings and spoke indifferently, "Your four families have been peaceful for too many years, and you’ve become rather disdainful of others."

The four elders exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat awkward.

"We would ask the esteemed one to enlighten us."

With her eyelids lowered and her long lashes quivering slightly, the woman said, "Shi Qianshan is renowned throughout the world and holds a revered position. If he wanted to support a junior, a simple greeting would suffice; what qualifications do you have that he should put on such a charade for you?

Though Fang Muye might be foolish, his close personal ties to Shi Qianshan mean that if even you can see through such a lame excuse, how could Shi Qianshan not?

As for using Xiao to express contempt or dissatisfaction towards you, that is even more ludicrous.

The combined wealth and power of your four families aren’t even comparable to Xiao’s, so how could Shi Qianshan possibly take you seriously?"

The woman appeared to be under thirty, and with three consecutive questions, she showed not just a lack of politeness, but no quarter whatsoever.

Yet not one of the four elders showed an expression of displeasure, only shock and embarrassment.

"Does Xiao Ming really have such an impressive background?"

"His current net worth is a mystery, but I estimate it to be no less than five billion. And he started from scratch to reach this point in less than half a year," she continued.

The old men’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Those who deal with antiques year-round can’t possibly be poor, and though their four families have never been extremely rich, they’ve never suffered poverty in over a hundred years.

After managing their businesses for most of their lives, their four families could finally be considered wealthy, but their average net worth was only about ten billion each.

A man in his twenties surpassing the combined wealth of their four families in just half a year was absurd!

However, since the words came from the revered elder, they dared not disbelieve.

"Moreover, what makes Xiao Ming significant isn’t his wealth but his background," the woman added.

"In Lingnan, he once mobilized the Infinite Society forces to bloodily cleanse the Lu Family Ancestral Hall; he brazenly took the Lu family’s eldest daughter and the influential Guan Qingchang’s wife as his mistress, while Guan Qingchang himself ended up resigning and under investigation."

Nowadays, even Furukawa Shizuka, the daughter of the Counselor of the Fusang Consulate, suspected to be a spy, has come to him.

Each of these incidents, if put upon your heads, who among you could withstand it?"

The introduction made the four old men break out in cold sweat, and even with their self-pride, they didn’t dare to give a definitive answer.

After all, while they too might be considered noble families, compared to a powerful local clan like the Lu Family, they weren’t even worthy to carry their shoes.

To have bloodily cleansed a family’s ancestral hall and then take their daughter as a mistress was the act of a tyrant, a beast!

But also a powerful beast!

At this point, the woman seemed tired, her fingers once again lightly brushing over the strings of her instrument, "You may go now! "

"The reason I invited him is that he discovered ’Empress Dowager’s Love Letters’ and donated them to the museum, making him a natural friend of the Antique Circle.

During the appraisal conference, try to get on good terms with him; if necessary, send the smartest and prettiest daughter from your family to approach him, as he is fond of beauty and can be used to your advantage.

Remember to instruct your younger family members, if anyone dares to be arrogant and displeases him, they better prepare for their final affairs!"

The heads of the Hao, Wu, An, and Chang families didn’t dare raise any objections and respectfully left the private room.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ming was sitting in the first-floor lobby with Shi Qianshan.

"Old man, if you’re too reluctant to spend money, let me treat you to a meal, no need to just sit around here, right?"

Shi Qianshan raised an eyebrow: "What, you really planning on making the old man pay?"

"Why not?" Xiao Ming replied matter-of-factly, "If it weren’t for you, right now I would be in my room chatting about life with a foreign beauty. If I can’t even scrape a meal together, that’s a big loss."

Shi Qianshan laughed heartily, looking at Fang Muye and said, "Sir Zhou and Sir Duan were right, this kid is really interesting."

Damn! In their mouths, Sir Zhou and Sir Duan were affectionately called Zhou and Duan, and despite lacking fame, Xiao Ming didn’t dare show any temper in their presence due to their ages.

Fang Muye followed with a chuckle, pointing at Xiao Ming’s cane: "I’ve been wanting to ask, what’s with your leg?"

"Suffered a small injury, it’s almost healed."

"This cane’s not bad." Shi Qianshan picked it up to examine, "A fine combination of luxury and elegance, obviously crafted by a master."

Xiao Ming made a face: "This was a gift from a junior to show their respect; don’t dwell on it too much, I’ll get you a better one later."

Shi Qianshan glanced at him sideways: "Kid, do you have any idea how many businessmen are breaking their necks trying to give me gifts every day?"

Xiao Ming nodded, "I’m even more aware that those who receive your help don’t need to give you gifts; anyone who has to give a gift wouldn’t even catch your eye."

Shi Qianshan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled again: "You’re quite eloquent; with the affair of commandeering the Shen Family Qianshan Corporation, you’ve passed the test."