Mountain Stream Tavern.

While Ye Chen casually recounted his class reunion to Chen Yinuo at home...

In a quiet tavern, Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng walked in side by side.

Inside, He Shaocong was already waiting.

"You called us over in such a rush. What's going on?"

Before they reached He Shaocong, Zhang Jingshan blurted out.

They had heard about the Hongyan Restaurant matter over the phone the night before.

So, it clearly wasn't about the restaurant.

But the urgency in He Shaocong's voice earlier had Zhang Jingshan puzzled.

"Sit down first. It's about Brother Ye," He Shaocong said.

Whoosh

Hearing the words "Brother Ye," Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng immediately straightened up and quickly took their seats.

"What happened to Brother Ye?" Li Changfeng asked seriously as soon as he sat down.

"Tonight, when I visited the Antai Hotel with my father, we ran into Brother Ye at a class reunion," He Shaocong began.

Before he could continue, Zhang Jingshan interrupted. "A class reunion? Isn't that normal? Did those blind classmates of his look down on him? Like in those clichéd novels where the protagonist slaps everyone's face, and his classmates regret it and beg for forgiveness? And then it turns into some disgusting scene of groveling?"

"Jingshan, aren't most reunions just full of people showing off their minor successes? Sure, it's exaggerated in novels, but those stories reflect reality," Li Changfeng chimed in.

"True, but isn't it a bit stupid? I skip those chapters when I read novels. Feels like being fed garbage. Seriously, why do online authors keep writing this stuff? Isn't it nauseating?" Zhang Jingshan grumbled.

Li Changfeng just smiled bitterly, not bothering to argue.

He Shaocong was speechless. How did this turn into a discussion about novels?

"That's not the point!" He Shaocong hurriedly said.

"Not the point? Then get to the point. What happened with Brother Ye? Don't start from the dawn of time," Zhang Jingshan urged.

"Alright, here's the deal. You guys know about Qin's Foreign Trade in Shanghai, right? Tonight, my father and I had dinner with the Qin family. They secured a deal with several famous European wineries. The goods are already shipped. They asked if we were interested, but the price didn't appeal to us," He Shaocong explained.

"After dinner, as Qin Lang and I left the hotel, we ran into Brother Ye. When he found out Qin had a shipment of wine, he immediately showed interest. After Qin Lang introduced it, Brother Ye placed an order. Guess how much he ordered?"

At this, Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng tensed up, excitement flashing in their eyes.

Before they could speak, He Shaocong continued quickly.

"He ordered 30,000 bottles of the 3,000-yuan tier and 10,000 bottles of the 5,000-yuan tier. A total of 40,000 bottles. The total order is worth 140 million yuan!"

"Damn!"

Zhang Jingshan's eyes widened.

"And you? How many bottles did you order?"

"Me? None," He Shaocong replied, stunned.

"None?"

Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng's eyes widened further.

"You didn't order any?" Zhang Jingshan looked dumbfounded.

He Shaocong shook his head. "That's why I called you here. I wanted to see if this might be an opportunity to ride Brother Ye's coattails."

Before he finished, Zhang Jingshan jumped up.

"Of course, it is! Brother Ye never makes risky moves. If he's dropping 140 million on wine, he's found another goldmine. There's something about this wine! How much more of the 3,000- and 5,000-yuan wine does Qin Lang have left?"

Excitement overflowed from Zhang Jingshan.

He remembered past ventures—Golden Scale Mansion, the West Suburb Jade Market, the Sihai Group stock, Jinzhong Village...

Time and again, Ye Chen's investments had proven eerily precise.

If Ye Chen was spending 140 million on wine, it meant there was a huge hidden opportunity.

"What's left? Brother Ye bought it all," He Shaocong said.

"Get Qin Lang to introduce us to more suppliers!" Zhang Jingshan urged.

Then he paused. "Wait, has Brother Ye signed a contract with Qin Lang yet?"

"No, but they're drafting it. It'll be signed tomorrow," He Shaocong replied.

"You thinking of snatching it from Brother Ye?"

"Are you crazy? Why would I do that? I'd have to be brain-dead to pull something like that!" Zhang Jingshan retorted.

He continued, "Since the contract isn't signed yet, don't approach Qin Lang until it is. We don't want to mess things up. Once Brother Ye seals the deal, then we'll look for suppliers."

Turning to Li Changfeng, Zhang Jingshan said, "Changfeng, I have an idea."

Before he could elaborate, Li Changfeng nodded. "We're sweeping the market for the same wine Brother Ye bought, right?"

"Exactly! Even if the market price is higher, we'll still profit," Zhang Jingshan said.

"Shouldn't we ask Brother Ye first? What if we're wrong?" He Shaocong hesitated.

"If we ask about every little thing, what would Brother Ye think? We're just trying to get a piece of the pie. If he wanted us to know, he'd tell us. This is his way of sharing. If we don't get it, that's on us," Zhang Jingshan said, side-eyeing He Shaocong.

He wasn't wrong.

Ye Chen could have quietly contacted Qin Lang, but he let He Shaocong witness it.

He wasn't interested in sweeping the market himself. That was their chance to get involved.

"But we'll only move if..."

Li Changfeng's voice turned serious.

"If what?" Zhang Jingshan and He Shaocong asked in unison.