Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 199: Chapter 174: Wolf Pack and Wolf King

"Don’t worry."

"We all understand."

Qian Zhengxing added, "I only mentioned it to Chairman Gu in passing. I figured since Dean Jiang is here today, she wasn’t planning on hiding it from us. I hope you don’t mind me running my mouth, Dean Jiang."

"Of course not."

"You’re overthinking it, Qian Hang."

Jiang Man shook her head.

While they were talking, Gu Heng had already opened the bottle of liquor.

Jiang Ruan was holding a tray, on which rested an exquisite decanter.

As the liquor poured, a rich and mellow aroma immediately filled the air.

This was ’Guo Mao,’ or State Banquet Maotai.

Compared to the common Feitian Maotai, State Banquet Maotai is brewed using the traditional Maotai process with a base liquor that has been cave-aged for over fifteen years. It is considered a top-tier masterpiece among Maotai for its quality and has reached collector’s-item status.

This case alone was worth over 350,000 yuan.

Six bottles to a case, that’s nearly 60,000 yuan per bottle.

Even for someone with Wang Baoshan’s net worth or Qian Zhengxing’s social status, they would only bring out a bottle or two for important business banquets, just for a taste.

But for someone like Gu Heng to casually bring out a whole case and drink State Banquet Maotai as if it were the common variety—they had to admit, they could never bring themselves to be so extravagant.

"Alright!"

"Let’s have a drink!"

"An early toast to Dean Jiang’s swift success and smooth sailing!"

Jiang Ruan distributed the pouring pitcher and glasses to Wang Baoshan and the others, while Gu Heng took the lead, raising his glass for the opening toast.

"Cheers!"

"Welcome home, Chairman Gu!"

"We’re not leaving until we’re drunk!"

Seeing Gu Heng standing, Wang Baoshan, Qian Zhengxing, and Jiang Man all quickly rose from their seats. Amid the lively cheer, everyone clinked glasses, took a drink, and then sat down again to start on the hot pot.

...

Swishing fresh slices of lamb in the steaming bronze pot for just a few moments quickly cooks them in the boiling broth. Then, coating them in a traditional sesame paste mixed with chive blossoms and popping them in your mouth with a piece of sweet pickled garlic—the feeling of satisfaction is truly beyond words.

The raging blizzard outside only deepened the sense of cozy, leisurely tranquility within.

"Qian Hang, President Wang, have either of you ever dealt with Chu Zhengxiong?"

Gu Heng noticed everyone’s chopsticks had slowed down significantly. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, raised his glass toward the others, and casually posed the question to Qian Zhengxing and Wang Baoshan.

"Chu Zhengxiong?"

Qian Zhengxing took a sip of his drink. "You mean Chu Zhengxiong from Xingchuan International?"

"That’s the one."

Gu Heng nodded.

"I’ve dealt with him once."

"It was a brief encounter, you could say. We don’t know each other well."

"But I do hear him mentioned often by people I know."

After giving his honest answer, Qian Zhengxing followed up, "Why are you suddenly asking about Chu Zhengxiong, Chairman Gu?"

"Oh..."

"A while ago, Xingchuan International was looking for financing."

Gu Heng smiled at Qian Zhengxing and the other two. "As it happened, I had a little spare cash lying around, so I invested a tiny bit."

"How much is ’a tiny bit’?"

Wang Baoshan asked instinctively.

"Not much."

"Just four hundred million."

Gu Heng replied nonchalantly.

"Four hundred million!"

"And that’s ’not much’?!"

Wang Baoshan’s voice shot up an octave, his eyes bulging like a bull’s.

To put it in perspective, Wang Baoshan’s entire net worth was just over three hundred million, most of which was tied up in illiquid fixed assets. For Gu Heng to casually throw down four hundred million in cash—how could he not be stunned?

Although Qian Zhengxing and Jiang Man remained silent, their pupils constricted in shock, their faces filled with astonishment. Their mouths suddenly felt dry.

"For four hundred million, I acquired a 34% stake in Xingchuan International."

Gu Heng added with a smile, "I’m about to go to Xingchuan International to take possession of my equity, which is why I asked if you knew Chu Zhengxiong."

"Chu Zhengxiong is a formidable man."

"The people I know all speak very highly of him."

"He’s got the vision, the cunning, and the quick wits to match."

"To put it in the words of my friends, if Xingchuan International is a wolf pack, then Chu Zhengxiong is its Wolf King."

"With him, the pack is invincible."

"Without him, the pack would likely scatter in an instant."

Qian Zhengxing took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

Compared to Jiang Man and Wang Baoshan, he was actually the most shocked person at the table.

Gu Heng had spent four hundred million to acquire a 34% stake in Xingchuan International, yet his CMB account had seen no activity.

What did this mean?

It meant that Gu Heng controlled other pools of capital, and from the looks of it, they were by no means small.

"Chairman Gu, there are no outsiders here today."

"Some things I’m about to say should stay in this room."

"As I just said, Chu Zhengxiong is like the Wolf King of Xingchuan International."

"And what is a Wolf King?"

"He can size up any situation, knowing when to advance and when to retreat."

"He’s not afraid to be ruthless, but is also a master of disguise."

"His decisions are swift and decisive; he never hesitates."

"He has both courage and cunning, and his will is unyielding."

It might have seemed that Qian Zhengxing held Chu Zhengxiong in high regard, but in truth, these were likely assessments he had picked up from others. The fact that he was repeating them to Gu Heng and the rest probably meant that he had heard these same opinions from many different people.

However, the people Qian Zhengxing considered friends were certainly not from a low stratum of society. Their individual opinions might be subjective, but the consensus that reached Qian Zhengxing was likely quite objective.

"If you’re strong, it will respect you."

"If you’re weak, it will prey on you."

"In my personal opinion, Chairman Gu, before you officially meet with Chu Zhengxiong, you absolutely must be fully prepared. The goal isn’t to completely dominate him in the first meeting, but you must at least make a strong enough impression that he won’t dare to look down on you."

Qian Zhengxing paused, catching his breath slightly before continuing, "Chairman Gu, since you’ve decided to invest in Xingchuan International, I presume you’re aware of its development history?"

"I am."

Gu Heng nodded.

"For Xingchuan International to have grown to its current size, it relied entirely on blood transfusions from its early cash cows: the Platinum Association, the Xiyue Club, and the Celestial Bath Spring. And as for what kind of places those are, we all know what’s what."

"To be blunt, Chu Zhengxiong’s rise to fortune wasn’t clean."

"You couldn’t call it outright organized crime. If it were, he would’ve been taken down long ago during the government’s crackdowns over the past few years. But while he might not be ’black,’ he is most certainly ’gray.’"

At this point, Qian Zhengxing subconsciously lowered his voice a little.

"Take the Platinum Association, the Xiyue Club, and the Celestial Bath Spring. To maintain long-term stability and make sure customers feel safe spending their money, Chu Zhengxiong has to keep a lot of people on his payroll."

"In old-fashioned terms, they’re the ones who ’watch the premises.’"

"In modern terms, they’re what you’d call ’in-house security.’"

"Given the circumstances, the men under Chu Zhengxiong are bound to have a bit of a gangster-like, underworld swagger. Why else would I have compared Xingchuan International to a wolf pack? This is the very reason."

There’s an expression about speaking too deeply with a shallow acquaintance. Normally, Qian Zhengxing wouldn’t have said so much, or gone into such depth, with Gu Heng today. It was just that the news Gu Heng had revealed had truly shaken him.

Gu Heng was simply too important to Qian Zhengxing.

He had been stationed in Ji Province for three years now, and his next rotation was just around the corner.

The coming year was a critical moment for him.

If he could secure even a little more support from Gu Heng at this juncture, he would receive a higher evaluation from headquarters, allowing him to angle for a more favorable reassignment.

So...

Even though Qian Zhengxing knew he was overstepping the bounds of their new acquaintance, he still laid out everything he knew about Chu Zhengxiong for Gu Heng, holding nothing back.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!