Chapter 43: Do Not Say That You Were Not Warned

Solitary Shadow on a Cold River: @Longteng Sihai, Chairman Lin, thanks.

There was no immediate reply.

That made sense.

A big shot like a director of the Sifang Group wouldn't be glued to his phone all day, let alone managing a million affairs.

Jiang Chen put his phone back in his pocket and continued walking toward the dormitory.

Linrilang.

Forty-two years old this year.

A graduate of Architecture from Huaqing University, he had worked for several companies before being hired by Sifang Group. Through steady promotion, outstanding results, and solid talent, he had gradually grown into a figure in the real estate industry that could not be ignored.

If he went to inspect a third- or fourth-tier city, he would basically be received personally by the local top official.

Facing such a massive figure, it wasn't surprising at all that Bai Haoran had taken the initiative to self-mutilate as a way to beg for forgiveness.

A wise man knows when to yield.

In the underworld, if one doesn't understand the principle of knowing when to bend and when to stand, they will surely meet a bad end.

"A stroke of unintended luck," Jiang Chen mused to himself.

If it hadn't been for a twist of fate—spending millions on gifts for Li Shuirui to gain entry into this "Emperor Group"—he truly wouldn't have known how to handle this crisis.

Linrilang might not even know who Bai Haoran was; perhaps he had only made a passing inquiry, which was enough to drive Bai Haoran into a corner, forcing him to "sever his own wrist" to save the situation.

Is this the power of influence?

According to the information he found online, excluding connections, social status, and industry influence... Linrilang's visible net worth should be around one to two billion. But what about himself? A full ten trillion, equivalent to ten thousand Linrilangs!

Of course.

Jiang Chen understood that wealth wasn't calculated that way. Perhaps one day he could surpass Linrilang, and by a wide margin, but for now, it was no exaggeration to say he wasn't even worthy of carrying Linrilang's shoes.

The road ahead was still very long.

"Brother Chen, why is there blood on you?"

Back in the dormitory, the observant Bai Zheli quickly noticed the faint bloodstains on Jiang Chen's cuff.

"Jiang Chen, are you hurt?" Li Shao asked with concern.

"No, a friend of mine got into some trouble and was hit by a car, so I went to the hospital to check on him."

Jiang Chen glanced at his sleeve. There was indeed some blood; of course, it wasn't his own, but clearly transferred from Bai Haoran.

Although the scene had looked harrowing, Bai Haoran was actually fine. As expected of someone used to living on the edge, his movements were steady and precise. After simple bandaging, he hardly needed to be hospitalized.

"Brother Chen, you have friends out there too?"

"Colleagues from a previous job," Jiang Chen lied casually.

"It's not serious, is it?" Li Shao asked.

"It's fine, just a minor injury."

Jiang Chen shook his head and took off his shirt to change.

"Where's Luo Peng?"

"He went to buy food."

In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed.

"I'll have him bring one for me too," Jiang Chen said, taking out his phone to make a call.

————

In the dormitory.

The four young men had pushed their chairs together, and Luo Peng had even brought beer.

While they were eating, Luo Peng's phone rang.

He pulled it out to look, and his face immediately crumpled into a frown.

"Damn, that was pretty fast."

"Brother Luo, what's up?" Bai Zheli asked curiously.

"Didn't Jiang Chen and I go to sign up for the Mountaineering Club at noon? The notice came out—I got rejected."

Li Shao gave a half-smile. "Didn't you say you were very close with the club president? They won't even give you that much face?"

Bai Zheli also wore a look of schadenfreude.

"Dammit, just wait until I curse him out!"

Luo Peng grabbed a can, took a heavy swig of beer, and stopped eating. He pulled out his phone and started dialing.

"Hu Heng, you bastard! I waited in line for ages! You think I actually care about joining your crappy club? If it wasn't for my buddy, I wouldn't even show up if you invited me!"

Clearly, being rejected by the club had made Luo Peng feel like he had lost face.

"What's the situation?" The club president on the other end sounded bewildered.

"Don't play dumb, the notification already came through!"

"Pengzi, did you really go to sign up? I really didn't know."

The Mountaineering Club president, Hu Heng, gave a bitter laugh. "I didn't see your application form at all, and I'm not the one in charge of the screening process."

"Passing the buck, are you?"

"I'm really not passing the buck. Pengzi, if I had seen your application, do you think I wouldn't give you face? I'm not managing the new recruitment this time."

"Then who is? Li Shuirui? Are you the president or is she?"

"If she wants it, I'll give it to her immediately," Hu Heng replied candidly, then laughed. "Pengzi, calm down first. How about I have someone bring you a form so you can fill it out again?"

"Screw you!"

After venting, Luo Peng hung up.

"Brother Luo, I believe you now. You really are close with the club president." Bai Zheli adjusted his glasses with a serious expression.

Luo Peng took another gulp of beer.

"This has nothing to do with him. It must be Li Shuirui causing trouble. She's acting willfully just because she's got a bit of looks. If I were Hu Heng, I would have purged the club and kicked such a black sheep out long ago!"

"I heard it's precisely because of Li Shuirui that the club's recruitment is more successful than ever. If you were the president and tried to kick her out, you'd probably trigger a mutiny. Then it wouldn't be you kicking people out, it would be them kicking you out."

Li Shao's words were sharp, vivid, and incisive.

Luo Peng was instantly rendered speechless.

Jiang Chen sat to the side, chuckling inwardly.

"Don't laugh. The notification will definitely hit your phone any second now," Luo Peng "reminded" him irritably.

It truly was a case of "don't say I didn't warn you."

Just as Luo Peng finished speaking, Jiang Chen's phone chimed.

"Tsk, here it comes," Luo Peng grinned predictably.

They had applied together and filled out the forms together; if one was rejected, they would both be rejected.

Jiang Chen pulled out his phone, not actually holding much hope for the result.

After all, if Li Shuirui wouldn't even let Luo Peng off, how could she let him go?

He mechanically pulled out the phone and glanced at it, intending to put it back in his pocket, but then he froze.

Something seemed wrong.

Jiang Chen focused his eyes.

"What are you looking at? Stop looking. Even if you stare until your eyes turn into flowers, it won't change anything. Come on, cheers!" Luo Peng raised his can.

"I passed."

"What?" Luo Peng didn't hear him clearly.

Jiang Chen looked up.

"I passed the Mountaineering Club screening."

The three of them froze in unison.

"Jiang Chen, I know you must be feeling terrible, but you have to accept reality..."

After a moment of silence, Luo Peng spoke with heavy, comforting words. But before he could finish, Bai Zheli, who had snatched Jiang Chen's phone to read the text, cried out in shock: "Brother Chen actually passed!"

Luo Peng's expression froze in disbelief as he hurriedly snatched the phone.

*Dear classmate Jiang Chen, we are honored to inform you that you have officially become a member of the Mountaineering Club. May we walk together and experience the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas together.*

Luo Peng was stunned.

How was this possible?!!!

(End of Chapter)