Chapter 462 - 462: 462 city girls, too white!
The dog arena's grand opening was set for the evening, but the hustle and bustle began from the morning.
By mid-morning, Ye Qing's subordinates had all hurried over to lend a hand. Li Lianshan brought even more people, but fortunately, the dog arena was spacious enough to accommodate everyone without feeling crowded.
Qin Jing had just finished collecting all the money in the morning and then rushed over in Black Bear's car. Astonished by the scale of the dogfight arena, Qin Jing couldn't help exclaiming all the way there. Upon seeing Ye Qing, he couldn't help but say, "Ye Zi, this... is this also your place?"
Ye Qing replied, "I only own a part of it; most of it belongs to Big Brother Li!"
"Even a part isn't small at all!" Qin Jing excitedly looked around and said, "This place, it's even more luxurious than our other venues. Look, look, those small houses over there, they're made so beautifully!"
Tiger King had previously invested heavily in the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, which occupied a much larger area than Ye Qing's orphanage. There were several buildings inside and even a divided villa area, essentially combining entertainment and accommodations. Staying a night in that villa area could cost tens of thousands, but when the arena was at its busiest, even the thirty-something villas were not enough.
With a generous wave of his hand, Li Lianshan declared, "Once it's less busy here, you all can come over for a vacation, free stay!"
"Really?" Qin Jing immediately got excited and said, "Big Brother Li, you mean it! I'll call home someday and bring over Xiao Hua'er's parents from the neighboring village for a day's stay. Hmph, then I'll see if they still dare to prevent me from seeing Xiao Hua'er!"
"Damn, is that all you aspire for?" Chen Jun glanced at Qin Jing and said, "You've come all the way to the big city, and you're still thinking about your home's flowers and grass? Any girl you pull off the streets here is prettier than your Xiao Hua'er."
Qin Jing shook his head like a rattle drum and said, "It's not what you say, these city girls may look fair, but I think they're not quite honest. Just look, what's the weather like now, and they're still showing off their legs and arms, marrying one home would be so worrisome. But my Xiao Hua'er, she's the one to bring home assuredly!"
"Hey, you have a point there, Jing! What you said is right," Li Lianshan nodded in agreement and said, "When choosing a wife, you can't pick someone too good-looking. Being gentle, virtuous, and able to manage a household is key. But for girlfriends, not so many demands, nobody's forcing you to marry!"
Chen Jun's eyes brightened, and he laughed, "Big Brother Li is truly a master in this field, enlightening indeed!"
Li Lianshan smiled and said, "Too kind, too kind, there's always a chance to show you around."
"Show around what?" A woman's voice suddenly came through; everyone turned to look, only to see Lin Mengjie leisurely walking over.
Today, Lin Mengjie was wearing a black long dress, a round-neck top that clearly showcased a deep cleavage, involuntarily drawing everyone's attention. Coupled with light makeup on her face and her shoulder-length hair cascading down, she exuded an alluring glamour, leaving the men around her dumbstruck.
"Big Brother Ye!" Lin Mengjie ignored these men, walked straight up to Ye Qing, and giggled, "Big Brother Ye, everything at the arena has been arranged, tonight the focus is all here. Is there anything you need my help with?"
Ye Qing said, "Nothing for now, you go upstairs with Jing and get familiar with the layout, you might need it later."
"Alright." Lin Mengjie gave Ye Qing a gentle smile, turned her head and gestured at Qin Jing and the others, "What are you waiting for? Let's go upstairs."
As she walked ahead, Qin Jing and the others exchanged glances for a while. Suddenly, Qin Jing whispered, "I need to correct what I said earlier, I think, getting a city girl is actually a good idea!"
Chen Jun Hou San and San Yuepeng all looked at him and said, "Why? Man, your resolve is really flimsy!"
"It's not about resolve..." Qin Jing looked at Lin Mengjie's retreating figure, drooling, "City girls are just too fair!"
"Damn!" A dozen middle fingers were directed at Qin Jing, unitedly expressing their disdain for him through action.
After a busy morning, all the exterior decorations were finally set in place. Li Lianshan arranged for lunch, and Liu Yuan along with everyone else joined Ye Qing and his group for the meal. After lunch, Li Lianshan casually took out money to settle the bill with Liu Yuan, but Liu Yuan adamantly refused.
"It was just a small favor, why talk about money? Ye Zi, Big Brother Li, you both are my friends. Today's your grand opening, and I didn't have much to gift, so I came to help out, that's my present. If I took money for it, what kind of friend would I be?" Liu Yuan firmly pushed the money back and said, "Big Brother Li, count me as your friend and stop giving me money."
Seeing Liu Yuan so adamant, Li Lianshan and Ye Qing couldn't insist further. They had Liu Yuan sit for a while longer, and Ye Qing asked Lin Mengjie to quietly settle the wages of Liu Yuan's workers, ensuring Liu Yuan didn't end up spending his own money.
It was just past two o'clock when Liu Yuan took the workers with him and left, as guests were expected to start arriving at the dog field after three. Though Liu Yuan was on good terms with Ye Qing and Li Lianshan, he was foremost a legitimate businessman and wanted no part in such matters. Ye Qing did not want him involved either, fearing it might implicate him.
By three-thirty, several groups of people had arrived at the Dog Field, primarily friends of Li Lianshan from Shenchuan City. These individuals were not particularly influential and came merely to add to the crowd, which was nonetheless beneficial for appearances.
Between three-thirty and five-thirty, more than a dozen batches of people arrived, almost all of them friends of Li Lianshan and all properly managed by him.
At five-thirty, someone of slight significance arrived—it was Pi Junchao.
Honestly, Pi Junchao was very reluctant to come. However, he had received an invitation from Ye Qing, and not showing up would have been disrespectful. After much deliberation, he ultimately felt compelled to make a personal appearance. Of course, he secretly hoped that the Tianqing Gang or the Fu Bang would disrupt the opening ceremony of the Dog Field so that he could revel in the chaos.
Ye Qing and Li Lianshan together received Pi Junchao and escorted him to a large private room.
Ye Qing smiled and said, "Brother Pi, today I have specially arranged for two old friends of yours to be here. It's a great opportunity for you all to sit together!"
"Old friends?" Pi Junchao was surprised. He didn't recall having any old friends, especially not anyone known to Ye Qing. Who could they be?
This question troubled Pi Junchao for about fifteen minutes, until Ye Qing brought Li Wenyuan into the room and Pi Junchao suddenly understood who Ye Qing was referring to. It seemed like Ye Qing planned to gather the three major factions of Shenchuan City in one place!
Seeing Li Wenyuan entering the room made Pi Junchao furrow his brow immediately. This old fox, Li Wenyuan, had been trying to swallow up the Fierce Tiger Gang ever since the Tiger King had died. He and Pi Junchao had clashed covertly several times, with Pi Junchao always ending up on the losing side. Frankly, Pi Junchao was somewhat apprehensive of Li Wenyuan. Now, finding himself in the same room was an extremely uncomfortable affair.
Ye Qing smiled and said, "Gang Leader Li, today is a joyous occasion, and it's not easy for everyone to come together like this. I thought that since Gang Leader Li and Brother Pi are old friends, and since it's a good opportunity for a meeting, I arranged for everyone to be in one room. I wonder what you think of that, Gang Leader Li?"
"Hahaha…" Li Wenyuan laughed heartily as he strode into the room and sat down in front of Pi Junchao, saying, "You know, I actually haven't seen Wise Nephew Pi in quite some time. Brother Ye, your arrangement is really good. I am very pleased!"
When Li Wenyuan called Pi Junchao his wise nephew, yet referred to Ye Qing as his brother, it was clear he was intentionally belittling Pi Junchao. Pi Junchao was furious inside, but there was nothing he could say. His father was from the same generation as Li Wenyuan, which indeed made him Li Wenyuan's junior.
"Brother Pi, you don't have any objections, do you?" Ye Qing said with a light smile, looking at Pi Junchao. "If you find this room too crowded, I can arrange another one for you."
Pi Junchao cursed inwardly, thinking, How can I answer that when you ask me outright like this? If I ask to change rooms, wouldn't that imply I'm afraid of Li Wenyuan?
Pi Junchao moodily waved his hand and said, "No need!"
"Since that's settled, please enjoy your talk. I'll go take care of other things. Waiters, these two are my distinguished guests. Make sure to take good care of them!" After giving these instructions, Ye Qing headed directly out the door and downstairs.
Li Lianshan was downstairs receiving guests. When he saw Ye Qing come down, he rushed over excitedly and asked, "How did it go? What was the old man's reaction?"
Ye Qing repeated the conversation that had occurred between Li Wenyuan and Pi Junchao after they met, prompting Li Lianshan to burst out laughing, saying, "I knew it! That old guy wouldn't give Pi Junchao any face. It'll be even livelier if Shangguan Tian goes in as well. I want to see how Pi Junchao manages to withstand that situation!"
Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, "Neither Li Wenyuan nor Shangguan Tian will give Pi Junchao any face. After tonight, the enmity between Pi Junchao and them will deepen. We'll just sit back and enjoy the show!"
"You rascal, this move is quite shameless!" Li Lianshan slapped Ye Qing on the shoulder and laughed, "But I like it!"
As the two were talking, Scarface hurried over to tell Li Lianshan that Shangguan Tian had also arrived. Ye Qing and Li Lianshan went to greet him. Shangguan Tian had just reached the doorway.
Li Lianshan had met Shangguan Tian before. He went up to greet him and introduced Ye Qing to Shangguan Tian.
On seeing Ye Qing, a sharp gleam flashed in Shangguan Tian's eyes. He scrutinized Ye Qing for a long time before nodding slowly and said, "They say 'heroes emerge young,' and indeed, today I see that your reputation is well-deserved!"
Ye Qing responded with a slight smile and quietly said, "Gang Leader Shangguan flatters me. Gang Leader Li and Brother Pi have already arrived. This way, please; I'll take you upstairs!"