Feng Yue and the woman beside her walked into the restaurant. The moment Qian Gang, standing in the lobby, saw them, his face lit up in a broad smile as he eagerly went forward to greet them.
Xu Mu was watching from a distance, too far to hear what they were saying. But through his Perception, he could roughly tell they were just exchanging polite greetings.
After that, Qian Gang led Feng Yue and the other woman upstairs. He himself stayed behind, quietly waiting — clearly for Chen Bei's arrival.
Xu Mu continued observing and saw Feng Yue head up to the fifth floor, this time to a different private room — the one right next to where they had met before.
About ten minutes later, a BMW X5 stopped in front of the restaurant. Chen Bei stepped out.
When Qian Gang spotted him, he immediately went out with a grin. "Old Chen! You finally made it, I've been waiting half the day for you!"
"Old Qian, what's going on? Suddenly thought of treating me to dinner?" Chen Bei asked with a light smile.
"It's been ages since we've had a meal together. Come on in, we'll talk inside."
Qian Gang clasped his arm and led him into the restaurant.
Xu Mu didn't move right away. He waited until the two of them entered the private room before following them inside.
As soon as he stepped through the door, a smiling waitress came forward.
"I'm here to meet someone," Xu Mu said.
Before he could say more, he noticed a familiar face — the young man who'd helped him last time.
He immediately walked over and gestured for him to follow.
They stepped outside together, and the young man asked, "Sir, what do you need from me?"
"I'm here to pay you. Same deal — five thousand."
Xu Mu handed him a small listening device. "Room number 520."
The young man blinked in confusion. He hadn't even spent the last five thousand yet — and now there was another five thousand coming his way. Was money really this easy to earn?
"What? You don't want it?" Xu Mu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"N-no, of course I do!" The young man nodded quickly. "You're so generous, sir — leave it to me."
Xu Mu smirked, reopened his previous transfer record, and sent him another five thousand yuan on the spot.
When the young man saw the money hit his account, he smiled faintly and turned back toward the restaurant.
Xu Mu, meanwhile, walked toward a nearby bank. It was closed at this hour, so he sat down on the steps outside, connected the listening device to his phone, and pressed it to his ear — pretending to be on a call, while extending his Perception into the private room.
"Gentlemen, this is our signature dish. Please enjoy."
The young waiter carefully placed the plates on the table before leaving the room.
"Old Qian, what's this about? Got yourself a new lady?" Chen Bei asked with a teasing grin.
"Don't talk nonsense. Let me introduce you — this is Feng Yue, the owner of Moonlight Bar."
Qian Gang pointed toward her with a smile.
Feng Yue returned the smile gracefully. "President Chen, nice to meet you. This is my elder sister, Zhou Wen. She runs a beauty salon."
"President Chen," Zhou Wen greeted him with a mature, alluring smile.
There was no denying it — women like these were pure poison to men like Qian Gang and Chen Bei.
"Haha, hello, hello," Chen Bei said, still pretending to be clueless. Then he turned to Qian Gang. "Alright, what's this really about?"
"No need to play dumb between brothers," Qian Gang said, pouring him a drink. "But let's have a few rounds first. After three, I'll tell you."
"What is it that's got you acting like this? You're making me nervous," Chen Bei frowned.
"President Chen," Zhou Wen said sweetly, lifting her glass, "President Qian has told me you can really drink. Allow me to toast you first."
She drained her glass in one go.
Seeing this, Qian Gang clapped Chen Bei on the shoulder. "Don't make me look bad — even the lady's already drinking!"
Chen Bei could only sigh and drink along.
After several rounds, everyone was a little tipsy.
Qian Gang finally let out a long sigh and said, "Old Chen, I messed up. I need your help."
Chen Bei frowned. "What happened?"
"The formula Boss Xu had me keep… I let someone else get hold of it."
Qian Gang rubbed his face in frustration.
"No wonder the material prices suddenly spiked these last few days. So it was you!"
Chen Bei already suspected as much, but a man who'd followed Xu Shou this long couldn't show it. His expression was full of staged surprise.
"I had no choice," Qian Gang said bitterly. "You know my son — he's as much trouble as Xu Mu. They set him up. If I didn't hand it over, he'd be in prison right now!"
He threw back another glass of baijiu.
"Old Qian, you know the Chairman's character," Chen Bei said, patting him on the shoulder. "He's lenient with old brothers like us. Just admit it — he'll forgive you. Besides, they might have the materials, but without the process or proportions, they'll never replicate it."
"It's too late. They still have my son's dirt," Qian Gang said, gripping his shoulder tightly. "Please, brother, I need your help — give me your copy of the data."
"Qian Gang! Are you insane? You want me to commit the same crime as you?"
Chen Bei's expression darkened.
Of course, any veteran like him knew handing over company data outright would be suicidal.
"I'm begging you," Qian Gang said, voice cracking. "I just want to save my son! If you help me, I'll give you everything I own — all my assets!"
He stood and bowed deeply. "Brother, I'm begging you!"
"No! This isn't up for discussion. I've followed the Chairman for decades — I'll never betray him!"
Chen Bei's voice hardened as he pushed his chair back to stand.
Before coming, he'd already called Xu Shou, told him the location, and explained his plan — to reject Qian Gang outright the first time, and leave immediately.
Xu Shou had agreed. That way, when they later gave Qian Gang fake data, he wouldn't suspect a thing.
But as Chen Bei stood, a wave of dizziness hit him. His legs went weak, and he collapsed back into his seat.
"Old Qian… there's something wrong with the wine…"
He struggled to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids refused to obey.
"Sorry, Old Chen," Qian Gang sighed. "The wine's fine. It's your cup that's the problem."
"I know you too well. You'd never give it up — so I had to use other means."
"What are you trying to do?"
Chen Bei's mind reeled — he couldn't believe Qian Gang would stoop this low, drugging him on their first meeting.
"That Miss Zhou Wen will take a few intimate photos with you," Qian Gang said coldly. "If you don't hand over the data, those pictures will go public."
"Then your wife… and Chairman Xu… will both know. You'll be ruined."
"Qian Gang! After twenty years of brotherhood, this is how you treat me?" Chen Bei roared.
"I'm sorry," Qian Gang said heavily. "I truly have no choice."
Moments later, Chen Bei slumped over the table, completely unconscious.
Watching remotely, Xu Mu shook his head slightly. The saying was true — the business world is a battlefield.
He began to consider whether or not to intervene.