Chapter 250: Miss Gu, I Believe You Are a Reasonable Person
“Is everyone here? Can we start the banquet now?” Jiang Che glanced around at the people present and asked calmly.
“Yes, the Xuanyuan and Ouyang families probably won’t be coming. We don’t need to wait any longer.” Su Hongwen echoed, noting that Tang Tianlong was the last to arrive.
The banquet was originally scheduled for 9 PM, and it was already fifteen minutes past that. Since the Xuanyuan and Ouyang families weren’t coming, there was no need to wait any longer.
“Everyone, please start.” Jiang Che smiled faintly, picking up his chopsticks and placing a piece of fish onto Jiang Yun’er’s plate.
“What are you thinking? It’s time to eat.” Seeing Jiang Yun’er lost in thought, Jiang Che pinched her tender cheek and said with a helpless smile.
“Oh, oh…” Jiang Yun’er snapped back to reality from Jiang Che’s touch and started eating.
After taking a bite of the fish, her eyes lit up.
“Mmm, this fish is so good! Brother, you have to try it!”
“If you like it, eat more.” Jiang Che added a few more pieces of fish to her plate and took a bite himself.
It was smooth, not greasy, and quite tasty.
“Young Master Jiang, I toast to you.” Ren Tianchou raised his glass from the side, smiling at Jiang Che.
Jiang Che also raised his glass, clinking it with Ren Tianchou’s before taking a sip of the white liquor.
“This liquor is quite good. Who prepared it?” After taking a sip, Jiang Che asked curiously.
“This is Tantanxiang from the Wang family. It was brewed by a famous master distiller for my wedding, and it’s over forty years old now.” Wang Defa, sitting nearby, stroked his goatee and said with a smile.
When he got married, he had sealed thirty-odd jars of Tantanxiang in the Wang family courtyard’s cellar. Today, he had taken out fifteen jars at once!
Over the years, he had consumed about ten jars, leaving only five at home now. If it weren’t for today’s banquet to entertain the various young masters, he wouldn’t have taken out this precious liquor, which held special meaning for him.
“Well done, you’ve been thoughtful.” Jiang Che praised lightly, taking another sip of the white liquor.
The longer this pure grain liquor aged, the more intoxicating it became.
“This is my duty. I’m glad Young Master Jiang likes it.” Wang Defa said, somewhat flustered yet pleased by Jiang Che’s praise.
“Young Master Jiang, I toast to you.” As the toasts continued and the banter flowed, the atmosphere gradually became lively.
After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, Jiang Che glanced around at everyone present and smiled.
“I can guess why everyone is here today, but the mineral deposit was found in Tianhai City, within Jiangzhou.”
“Logically, it belongs to the Jiang family. Would you all give me face and voluntarily give up the right to contest this deposit?” Although his voice was gentle, it carried an undeniable authority.
Upon hearing Jiang Che’s words, the prominent families of Tianhai City fell silent. Clearly, they had no chance in this matter.
“Of course, since the deposit is in Jiangzhou, it’s reasonable for your Jiang family to take over. Anyone who disagrees would be opposing my Su family.” Su Hongwen spoke first, his tone as calm as if stating a simple fact.
“I, Ren Tianchou, agree and support Young Master Jiang’s statement.”
“I, Chu Mingcheng, also agree…”
“Miss Gu, do you think what I said is reasonable?” Jiang Che turned his gaze to Gu Menghan, who was sitting across from him, and asked with a smile.
“Do I have the right to refuse?” Gu Menghan glanced at Jiang Che and sneered.
It was clear that Jiang Che had already colluded with the Su, Ren, and Chu families, effectively cornering her. Did she have any choice?
Refusing Jiang Che meant opposing these four young masters, a consequence the Gu family couldn’t afford.
“Miss Gu is a smart person. I trust you’ll make the right choice…” Jiang Che swirled the wine in his glass with a detached expression.
A blatant threat! Not giving Gu Menghan any choice!
Seeing Jiang Che’s insufferable demeanor, Gu Menghan gritted her teeth, seething with anger. The negotiation hadn’t even started, and she had already lost, but she had no choice but to accept this outcome.
“I agree. This should belong to Young Master Jiang.” Taking a deep breath to suppress her anger, Gu Menghan replied coldly.
“But sister, are we really going to give up just like that?” Gu Qing, sitting beside her, was stunned. He hadn’t forgotten the task their father had given them before coming to Tianhai City.
They were to gain some leverage and share of the benefits if possible.
“We have no choice…” Gu Menghan said helplessly. What could she do against superior strength?
If she had the chance, she would argue with Jiang Che, but his domineering attitude left no room for negotiation. This was Jiang Che’s territory. She couldn’t just beat him up, could she?
Moreover, Jiang Che gave her a deep, unfathomable feeling, making it hard to gauge his strength. This made Gu Menghan even more cautious. She didn’t believe the young master of the Jiang family had no cultivation.
Hearing his sister’s words, Gu Qing fell silent as well. He wasn’t a clueless child. With the Su, Ren, and Chu families all supporting Jiang Che, resisting was futile. If these three families had opposed Jiang Che, they might have had a chance.
This trip had been in vain…
“Since everyone agrees, I’ll take over the mining rights.” Seeing the silent Gu siblings, Jiang Che smiled, feeling pleased.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. He thought he’d have to deal with these people for several more days.
He hadn’t expected Ren Tianchou and Chu Mingcheng to support him so much. But this worked out well, saving him a lot of trouble.
Wang Defa, being perceptive, took out the pre-prepared contract and handed it to Jiang Che.
Jiang Che picked up a pen and was about to sign the contract when a sudden voice interrupted.