Chapter 157: Deliberately Provoking Trouble
Two days later, at the Jinling Hotel.
In the name of Chu Tian, the Qingxue Group held a promotional event for the Qingxue Spirit Liquid in Jinling.
As the newly appointed Alliance Master, invitations issued under his name naturally received responses from various prominent families.
At this moment, numerous luxury cars were already parked outside the entrance of the Jinling Hotel.
The heads of various families who had previously participated in the arena competition had gathered here once again.
In addition, there were also several family heads who had not taken part in the North-South Conflict; they had come by reputation this time, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new Alliance Master's demeanor.
Taking advantage of the time before the banquet officially began, Chu Tian had already entered the main hall in advance, sitting on a sofa in a corner.
Perhaps due to his low profile, no one noticed him at all, as if he did not belong to this bustling banquet hall.
At that moment, two young men walked into the main hall.
The leading youth was Zhao Zishan, and the one accompanying him was Qin Wenzhong, who had previously consumed the Qingxue Spirit Liquid.
Both of them had arrived in Jinling. Earlier, in order to purchase the Qingxue Spirit Liquid, they had been delayed for some time in Tianmen City and missed the matches of the North-South Conflict.
Hearing that the North-South Conflict had already concluded, they were greatly surprised by the identity of the chosen Alliance Master.
The throne of the Alliance Master had fallen neither to the Jiangbei families nor to the Dragon and Situ families; instead, it had gone to an unknown young man.
Filled with astonishment, Zhao Zishan had managed to dig up only a few vague clues with great difficulty, yet he still remained in the dark regarding the specific details of the new Alliance Master.
Beyond that, he could extract no further information.
Today's promotional event for the Qingxue Spirit Liquid had brought together the heads of major factions from both the North and the South.
It was rumored that the Qingxue Group shared a profound connection with that new Alliance Master.
This thought terrified Zhao Zishan!
One had to bear in mind that back on the beach, Zhao Zishan had offended Liu Qingxue. Once Liu Qingxue lodged a complaint with the new Alliance Master, the Zhao family would undoubtedly suffer a catastrophic disaster.
Having offended the new Alliance Master, even with the protection of the Situ family, the Zhao family could never possibly survive!
After much deliberation, Zhao Zishan still decided to come to the venue, intending to find an opportunity to express his apologies to Liu Qingxue and win the forgiveness of the Qingxue Group.
"Qin Wenzhong, are you certain that that new Alliance Master will also be attending today's promotional event?"
Zhao Zishan asked with a hesitant expression, feeling somewhat uncertain.
"There is absolutely no mistake about this information. I spent a hefty sum to unearth it."
Qin Wenzhong smiled, sweeping his gaze across the venue as well, seemingly searching for someone.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a young man, and he immediately walked over.
"Young Master Bai."
Qin Wenzhong's face was wreathed in smiles, his tone filled with reverence.
Zhao Zishan also bowed deeply; naturally, he was well aware of the identity of the youth before him.
This handsome young man was none other than Bai Hanfeng, a scion of the Bai family from the imperial capital.
Although today's promotional event was aimed at the Two Rivers region, quite a few guests from other places had come to participate.
They had all come drawn by reputation!
Perhaps they wished to catch a glimpse of Chu Tian's true identity, or perhaps they were simply drawn by the allure of the Qingxue Spirit Liquid.
As for Bai Hanfeng, he was motivated by both reasons.
At this moment, Bai Hanfeng paid no heed to the greetings of Zhao Zishan and Qin Wenzhong; his gaze was fixed on the corner of the banquet hall, locked tightly onto the side of Chu Tian.
He was not sizing up Chu Tian, but rather the beautiful woman sitting beside him.
"Who is that youth beside the eldest young lady of the Dragon family? Do you two know him?"
Bai Hanfeng suddenly spoke up, questioning the two men beside him.
Hearing this, Zhao Zishan's gaze followed the direction of Bai Hanfeng's pointing, looking toward Chu Tian once again.
"It turns out to be him?"
Zhao Zishan's pupils constricted, and a flash of malice instantly crossed his eyes.
Upon second thought, however, since Chu Tian was Liu Qingxue's kept boy toy, and had previously appeared at the Qingxue Group's auction, it seemed logical that he would show up again at the Qingxue Group's promotional event.
Yet he never could have imagined that the new Alliance Master whose forgiveness he desperately sought was actually the very Chu Tian he had always looked down upon!
"You know him?"
Bai Hanfeng held a glass of red wine, swirling it gently.
"More than just knowing him! We even had a bit of bad blood between us before!"
The malice in Zhao Zishan's eyes grew even more intense, though he dared not display it too overtly in front of Bai Hanfeng.
"Who is he?"
Bai Hanfeng's face sank, his tone carrying a heavier weight.
"He's nothing more than a kept man—a kept boy toy of the female CEO of the Qingxue Group!"
"If not out of consideration for Miss Liu, I would have already found people to cripple him!"
Zhao Zishan spoke with an arrogant expression, completely unaware that he had stirred up a colossal catastrophe.
"Are you certain you aren't lying to me?"
Bai Hanfeng asked thoughtfully, turning his gaze to fixate on Zhao Zishan.
"Young Master Bai, even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare lie to you!"
Terrified, Zhao Zishan hastily bowed in submission.
At this, Bai Hanfeng nodded.
He concluded that Zhao Zishan would never dare deceive him, yet he could never have guessed that Zhao Zishan's information was entirely erroneous!
Chu Tian was by no means a kept boy toy of Liu Qingxue!
This misunderstanding had escalated to the point where it had not only misled Zhao Zishan and Qin Wenzhong, but had now also misled Bai Hanfeng.
"Let's go over and take a seat!"
Bai Hanfeng chuckled softly, taking the initiative to walk toward the sofa where Chu Tian sat.
Seeing this, Zhao Zishan and Qin Wenzhong exchanged glances and hurriedly followed behind.
In an instant, the three of them surrounded the sofa where Chu Tian was seated, looking down patronizingly at Chu Tian and Long Tianjiao by his side.
Bai Hanfeng's gaze lingered on Long Tianjiao, momentarily unable to tear his eyes away, wearing an expression of barely restrained desire.
In his eyes, Chu Tian was merely an insignificant small-time character, completely unworthy of his attention.
The eldest young lady of the Dragon family was his true target!
According to rumors, Long Tianjiao and Liu Qingxue were martial arts sisters, and since Chu Tian was Liu Qingxue's kept boy toy, it made sense that the two women were sitting together.
Still, in Bai Hanfeng's eyes, scum like Chu Tian was utterly unqualified to sit shoulder to shoulder with Long Tianjiao.
At that moment, Zhao Zishan cast a stealthy glance at Long Tianjiao, then observed Bai Hanfeng's expression once again.
Seeming to have grasped Bai Hanfeng's intentions, he eagerly spoke up on Bai Hanfeng's behalf.
"Hey, kid, move aside! Young Master Bai wants to sit here!"
Zhao Zishan's tone was arrogant as he attempted to drive Chu Tian away directly.
Hearing this, Chu Tian finally raised his head, casting a direct gaze at Zhao Zishan.
"Are you talking to me?"
Chu Tian found it somewhat amusing, even feeling it was utterly inexplicable.
There were plenty of empty seats in the venue, yet these people insisted on taking his place—were they deliberately picking a fight?
If it were just Zhao Zishan coming to cause trouble alone, Chu Tian could understand it.
After all, Chu Tian had beaten Zhao Zishan up on the beach previously.
However, Zhao Zishan was now taking cues from Bai Hanfeng.
Just what kind of person was this youth?