Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Appointment

  Ma Baocheng has made the call, so things are easier to handle. Ning Yuan is really worried that Ma Baocheng will pretend nothing happened and remain silent, which would be more worrisome.

  As the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite. It's the ones that don't make a sound who are truly formidable. If Ma Baocheng, this snakehead, can really keep his temper in check, then he would be a truly venomous snake.

  At eight o'clock in the evening, after handing over the shift, Ningyuan also didn't greet Gufeng Lin, alone, and first went to the teaching building of the second-year Chinese literature department to put the blood qilin back in its original place. Only then did he leave the school gate alone, hailed a car and rushed to DiHao.

  Today's Di Hao is the same as yesterday when Ningyuan came, still brightly lit and quiet, the only difference is that there are no more curious onlookers at the entrance of Di Hao.

  Arriving at the entrance of Di Hao, the sliding doors on both sides were still locked, leaving only the revolving door in the middle. The middle-aged man with glasses from yesterday was standing at the entrance.

  Ning Yu pushed open the door and entered, and the middle-aged man hastily smiled and greeted: "Doctor Ning has arrived."

  Ning Yuan nodded and looked around, suddenly feeling pleased. The Emperor's suite was still in disarray, just like when the four of them left yesterday. It was unclear whether Ma Baocheng had forgotten to have someone clean up or did it on purpose, leaving it for Ning Yuan to see.

  The middle-aged man with glasses looked at Ning Yu and glanced around, not saying a word. After Ning Yu had looked around the room, he politely said: "Dr. Ning, General Manager Ma is waiting for you in the conference room upstairs."

  "Let's go then." Ning nodded, the middle-aged man hastily led the way in front of him, taking Ning with him into the elevator. The elevator stopped on the sixth floor and the doors opened to reveal a corridor lined with men wearing suits.

  "Ah!" Ning Yuan smiled faintly and stepped out of the elevator. The middle-aged man continued to lead the way, bringing Ning Yuan to a conference room at the end of the corridor. He pushed open the door and said, "Please, Dr. Ning."

  Ni Yong stepped inside, and the conference room was still packed with dozens of men in suits. By rough estimate, there were at least over twenty people, plus those outside in the corridor, totaling over a hundred people. This lineup was quite impressive.

  It's also unknown whether Ma Baocheng did this on purpose to give Ningyuan a warning, or if he was short of confidence and arranged for so many people to boost his own courage.

  "Dr. Ning, please take a seat, I'll go inform Director Ma." The middle-aged man with glasses still had an extremely polite attitude, entering the conference room to help Ning Yuan pull out a chair and instruct someone to pour tea before excusing himself and leaving.

  Not long after the middle-aged man in glasses left, a side door next to the conference room opened and a fifty-year-old man walked out from inside.

  The middle-aged man was not very tall, only about 1.7 meters, and his figure was slightly plump. The hair on the top of his head had completely fallen off, but when he walked out, his steps were steady and there was a hint of ferocity in his eyes.

  After walking out the door, the middle-aged man did not greet Ning Yuan, but instead took a step to the side and made a slight inviting gesture, and several more people walked out of the door one after another.

  A nearly seventy-year-old man with white hair, still holding a cane in his hand, walked in with a faint smile on his face and looked at Ningyuan with a smile.

  The old men following behind were also several elderly people of similar age, with the older ones being about the same as the previous one, and the younger ones in their fifties. In the crowd, Ningyuan caught sight of an old acquaintance at a glance, who was Lichuan River.

  Li Chuan walked in fourth place, and after entering, he saw Ning Yuan sitting inside. Subconsciously, he was stunned for a moment, and his face flashed with a hint of unnaturalness. It was clear that he had not expected to be paired with Ning Yuan this time instead of Ma Baocheng.

  Ning Yuan sat quietly in his chair, slowly sipping tea from a cup he held in one hand, watching the people who came in without making a sound. This scene was not unfamiliar to him either.

  Don't look at the people who came in, more than half of them are old men. However, Ningyuan guessed that these old men were all big shots in Shangjiang City, and they had also mixed with the Taoist masters back then. At this time, they were invited by Ma Baocheng to serve as witnesses.

  Tea houses are also a place for gossip, which is an old custom and atmosphere of the Jianghu. The rough and uncouth people of the Jianghu like to pretend to be refined, once they have some status, they like to cultivate some hobbies and affect elegance. Antiques and tea ceremonies are the two fields most suitable for pretending to be refined and easiest to enter.

  Antiques are not to be mentioned, the water in this industry is too deep, no one dares to say how proficient they are, even masters have moments of confusion. It's precisely because of this that anyone can call themselves a master and claim to love antiques.

  As long as you have a little common sense and can say a few words of jargon, it's basically considered entry-level. If you put a few high-priced antiques at home, that's absolutely face-saving. Even if you have fake goods, you won't be afraid. Who doesn't have times when they're careless? If you happen to get a few genuine items, that's something worth bragging about.

  The art of tea is naturally not to be mentioned, the art of tea is also very particular, when it's particular, it's very particular, but when it's not particular, there's actually nothing particular about it. Just get a set of good tea utensils, some rare tea leaves, and have someone brew a pot, that's absolutely the best way to show off. After all, people who truly understand tea are few and far between, unless you encounter an expert, otherwise it's rarely a problem.

  It is precisely because of this that in the Jianghu, discussing matters in a teahouse has become a norm, and there are many sayings and rules about drinking tea. In the Hung Men, there are many similar secret codes, and the act of throwing cups as a signal is not limited to wine tables, but also applies to tea tables.

  When two giants have a conflict that cannot be reconciled and are not willing to suffer mutual losses, if someone is willing to mediate, they will invite some local big shots as witnesses. The two parties meet in a teahouse, speak openly before the big shots, and set the rules.

  At this time, Emperor Hao is not a tea house, but Ma Baocheng's move is just that. Ningyuan smashed his scene last night, and this matter cannot be discussed by only two people, Ningyuan and him. A witness is indispensable, otherwise Ma Baocheng will lose face.

  A group of people, including Li Chuanhe, totaling six individuals, sat down in the conference room. Ma Baocheng then walked over to a spot about one meter away from Ning and stood still, smiling as he said: "So you're Doctor Ning, indeed a heroic young man, fearless like a newborn calf facing a tiger."

  Ma Baocheng's words can be said to have a double meaning, on the one hand warning Ning Yuan not to forget his identity, after all he is just a junior, and on the other hand also telling Ning Yuan that Ma Baocheng is not afraid of him, but rather admires his courage.

  Ning Yuan's face wore a faint smile as he glanced at Ma Baocheng and said in a soft voice, "Director Ma, let's skip the pleasantries. What do you want to say?"

  Ma Baocheng let out a cold snort and stretched out his hand to beckon someone outside the door. The conference room door opened, and a young man in his mid-twenties walked in.

  A young man wearing casual clothes, with a somewhat swaggering appearance, still had an absent-minded smile on his face, and walked into the conference room with a big stride, looking around before fixing his gaze on Ning Yuan.

  "Bang!" Ma Baocheng suddenly slammed his hand heavily on the conference table, causing the teacups on it to shake violently. Many people around him were startled and jumped in fright, while the young man also trembled involuntarily.

  However, Ning Yuan still sat on the side with a calm and peaceful expression, one hand holding up the tea cup that had been shaken and swaying, taking a light sip before putting it down.

  Ma Baocheng thought he was just going to give Ningyuan a warning, but unexpectedly, Ningyuan didn't back down. He pointed at the young man who had come in and shouted: "You good-for-nothing thing, you only know how to cause me trouble! Don't you apologize to Doctor Ning?"

  Ma Baocheng cursed loudly, and the young man suddenly felt a bit wronged. Before he could speak, an old man next to him smiled and said, "Baocheng, don't be in a hurry. Let's discuss who is right or wrong after we've talked it through."

  "Yes, Old Master Qiao, you are right." Ma Baocheng hastily put on a smiling face and politely said to the old man.

  The old man who spoke was the first to come in with a crutch. He had spoken to Ma Baocheng and looked at Ningyuan, smiling: "Little brother isn't from our local Jiangshi City, is he?"

  "Not so." Ning Yuan nodded and asked with a faint smile: "What does the old master mean by this, is he planning to bully the host?"

  "Heh heh, what a sharp-toothed and sharp-tongued young fellow." The old man smiled faintly, not getting angry, and continued: "We people from the upper reaches of the river also understand the rules of the rivers and lakes. Young brother, you've just arrived and already smashed several of Ma Lao's establishments. Isn't that a bit excessive?"

  PS: For two consecutive weeks, the ranking is always at the back. Book friends, isn't XiaoXiao's writing good? Give XiaoXiao some confidence, okay? The new book period recommendation votes are very important, don't let XiaoXiao lose confidence.