81: Chapter 81 Hidden Powerful Family Emerges

The tea room was filled with curling sandalwood smoke, isolating it from the debauchery outside.

Zhang Feng skillfully scalded the purple clay teapot, pouring boiling water over the tea pet, which sent up a puff of white steam.

He poured Chen Muyang a cup of Dahongpao tea; the tea soup was clear and orange-yellow.

"Young Master Chen, doing business is just like brewing tea." Zhang Feng set aside the sycophancy he displayed at the banquet table, adopting the steady demeanor of a seasoned veteran. "The first pour is too intense and must be discarded; this is called removing the 'heat.' Just like how you dealt with Wang Tiansheng today—your thunderous methods were to establish authority. But now that authority is established, you need to simmer things with warm water to sort out all the monsters and demons in the company one by one."

Chen Muyang picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded slightly.

Although this old fox's character was mediocre, he had been grinding in the Jiangcheng business circle for decades, and he really did have a lot of genuine knowledge.

"As for the vice presidents in the company, Old Liu, who is in charge of procurement, isn't clean, but he has extensive connections in the supply chain. Old Zhao, who is in charge of sales, is a drunkard, but the clients only recognize him." Zhang Feng lowered his voice, dissecting Tiansheng Group's personnel structure thoroughly. "Although the President Chen Han you sent is capable, even a powerful dragon has to be wary of local snakes. You still need to use these people in the beginning. Once you've stabilized the situation, you can replace them one by one."

Chen Muyang listened intently, occasionally interjecting with a remark that hit the nail on the head.

After chatting for over half an hour, seeing that Chen Muyang had taken his advice to heart, the heavy stone in Zhang Feng's heart finally settled.

As long as he still had value to be used, his wealth and status would be secure.

"Young Master Chen, as you walk through Jiangcheng in the future, Yunding Clubhouse is a great place to be." Zhang Feng set down his teacup, putting on that fawning smile again. "News travels fast here, and the people who come and go are all extraordinary figures. However, they operate on a membership invitation system, and the threshold is terrifyingly high. I have a gold card, which I only managed to get after pulling many strings."

As he spoke, he took out his phone. "It just so happens that I know the general manager here, Qin Mei. She's a formidable woman who is adept at socializing. I'll use my old face to ask her to give you the green light and get you a membership card."

Chen Muyang was noncommittal; having another path was never a bad thing.

Zhang Feng dialed the number and spoke a stream of pleasantries on the other end. Less than five minutes later, there was a soft knock on the private room door.

A woman wearing a black velvet qipao walked in. She was in her early thirties, with her hair tied up in a high bun. Her figure was as voluptuous as a ripe peach, and she swayed gracefully as she walked, yet she exuded an unassailable air of capability.

The general manager of Yunding Clubhouse, Qin Mei.

"Oh, Manager Qin! You're a busy woman!" Zhang Feng immediately stood up, warmly greeting her as he pointed to Chen Muyang to introduce him. "Come, come, let me introduce you. This is the new boss of Tiansheng Group, the Young Master of Huihuang Group, Young Master Chen, Chen Muyang!"

Zhang Feng's face was full of smugness. In his view, given Chen Muyang's current net worth, getting a card was doing the clubhouse a favor.

"Manager Qin, Young Master Chen is young and promising; he will be our Jiangcheng's God of Wealth in the future. Can you do us a favor and get Young Master Chen a platinum card?" Zhang Feng continued to ramble on.

However, Qin Mei paid no attention to Zhang Feng.

Her gaze fell on Chen Muyang's face. Her professional smile vanished instantly, replaced by an extreme sense of respect, and even... a trace of trepidation.

She walked quickly to Chen Muyang, folded her hands over her lower abdomen, and bowed deeply. Her waist was bent so low that the collar of her qipao almost touched her knees.

"Young Master."

Qin Mei's voice was not loud, but it struck Zhang Feng's head like a thunderbolt.

The smile on Zhang Feng's face froze, and he nearly dropped the teacup he was holding.

"Young... Young Master?"

Not Young Master Chen, not President Chen, but Young Master? This form of address was only used by house servants toward their masters!

Chen Muyang was also taken aback. He put down his teacup and looked at the woman with great interest. "You know me?"

"Answering the Young Master," Qin Mei straightened up, but her head remained slightly bowed, not daring to look Chen Muyang in the eye. "I was personally interviewed and hired by Mr. Chen Fan. Mr. Chen Fan instructed that as long as you set foot in Yunding Clubhouse, you have the highest authority to access all resources here."

Zhang Feng was trembling so hard that his legs were shaking, and he couldn't help but interject. "Manager... Manager Qin, you're not joking, are you? Is this Yunding Clubhouse... also part of the Chen family's assets?"

Qin Mei turned to look at Zhang Feng, her eyes instantly turning cold—it was the gaze of a superior looking at an ant.

"Manager Zhang, since the Young Master brought you here, it doesn't hurt to let you know a few things."

Qin Mei turned around and pointed to the huge relief decorative painting on the wall. The painting depicted three mountain peaks soaring into the clouds.

"Yunding Clubhouse was established five years ago, jointly initiated by three founders." Qin Mei's tone was calm, yet she spoke of earth-shattering secrets. "One is the current head of the Hong Kong Li family, and another is the patriarch of the Southeast Asian Guo family. And the third, who is also the largest shareholder, is our boss, Mr. Chen Fan."

Clatter.

The purple clay cup lid in Zhang Feng's hand fell onto the table and shattered into pieces.

The Hong Kong Li family? That was a behemoth that controlled half of the UK's infrastructure! The Southeast Asian Guo family? That was a super conglomerate that monopolized the sugar and shipping industries!

Which of these two families wasn't a hidden elite family with assets exceeding two trillion? Which one wasn't an entity that could make the global economy tremble with a single stomp?

And Chen Fan... was actually the largest shareholder among these three?

Zhang Feng felt it difficult to breathe, and the clothes on his back were instantly soaked with cold sweat. He had originally thought the Chen family was just a nouveau riche family with some money, at most on the scale of tens of billions. Now it seemed he was truly a frog in a well, looking at a divine dragon in the sky!

"Young Master." Qin Mei no longer paid attention to the terrified Zhang Feng. She took out an exquisite black sandalwood box from her bosom and presented it to Chen Muyang with both hands. "This is your identification. In Yunding Clubhouse, there is no need for any platinum or diamond cards. You are the rule."

Chen Muyang opened the box. Inside lay a badge made of pure gold, engraved with the traditional Chinese character for "Chen," and the back featured complex anti-counterfeiting patterns.

"In addition, given your status, you can access the core business intelligence database shared by the clubhouse's three founding families at any time." Qin Mei added, "Whether it's the latest trends on Wall Street, domestic policy windfalls, or dirt on certain competitors, it's all here."

Chen Muyang picked up the heavy badge, his fingertips tracing the cold metal patterns.

This "family foundation" his father gave him was even more substantial than he had imagined.

"Understood." Chen Muyang put away the badge and stood up.

Seeing this, Zhang Feng hurriedly scrambled to his feet, his legs so weak he almost couldn't stand steady. The way he looked at Chen Muyang now was not just with awe and reverence; it was as if he were looking at a living ancestor.

"Let's go." Chen Muyang didn't stay any longer.

Qin Mei escorted them all the way to the elevator entrance.

The elevator doors opened. Just as Chen Muyang was about to enter, Qin Mei suddenly stepped forward and, using her body as cover, quickly slipped a black business card into Chen Muyang's hand.

The business card was pure black, with no patterns, only a gold-stamped phone number.

"Young Master." Qin Mei lowered her voice, speaking extremely quickly in a tone only the two of them could hear. "Mr. Chen Fan said that money alone cannot solve all troubles. If you encounter anything in Jiangcheng that is 'inconvenient' to go through legal channels, or if there are any shady people blocking your path..."

She raised her head, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. "Call this number and ask for 'Shadow.' They will clear all obstacles for you and handle things cleanly."

Chen Muyang's pupils constricted slightly.

Shadow.

Clearing all obstacles.

He looked at Qin Mei's beautiful yet dangerous face and instantly understood his father's well-intentioned efforts. A commercial empire is not just built on flowers and applause; beneath the foundation, there are often buried corpses.

"Understood."

Chen Muyang tucked the black card into his inner pocket and turned to walk into the elevator.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Zhang Feng's face, filled with fear and fawning, disappeared from view.

Chen Muyang touched the cold card against his chest, watching the elevator floor numbers descend rapidly.