Not long after the Zhao father and son entered the reserved private room, Zhang Jingshan's father, Zhang Xingguo, also arrived.

Speaking of Zhang Xingguo, after the incident of shoddy construction where Kong Liqun pocketed money through cutting corners, there were two people he felt most grateful to.

One was Ye Chen. Without Ye Chen, he would never have discovered Kong Liqun's true face in advance. If he had waited until the scandal broke, not even the most powerful figure could have saved him. No one would dare or be able to clean up that mess.

The second person was Zhao Qian, the coal tycoon.

Regarding the aftermath of those shoddy projects, Zhang simply didn't have enough money to rebuild, compensate, and handle the cleanup.

So, he turned his gaze to Zhao Qian.

Without hesitation, Zhao Qian bluntly asked, "Is one billion enough?"

Because of this, Ye Chen and Zhao Qian became people Zhang Xingguo deeply appreciated.

Whether it was the antique exchange last time or this event, if Zhao Qian called, Zhang wouldn't refuse.

"Hello, Uncle Zhang!"

"Old Zhang!"

As soon as Zhang Xingguo opened the private room door, the Zhao father and son greeted him with bright smiles.

"Huh? Little Ye isn't here yet?" Zhang Xingguo smiled sheepishly, glanced around the room, and asked.

"No, Brother Ye is probably on his way!" Zhao Jiwei quickly responded.

"Old Zhang, sorry to trouble you again, coming over to accompany us!" Zhao Qian said.

"Old Zhao, don't mention trouble. I was planning to discuss some collaboration with Ye anyway. This worked out perfectly!" Zhang Xingguo laughed.

However, Zhao Qian and Zhao Jiwei were momentarily stunned by his words.

Zhang Xingguo, an engineer in construction, collaborating with Ye Chen?

"Old Zhang, you and Ye are planning a collaboration? What kind of collaboration?" Zhao Qian asked curiously.

"You've heard of the company 'Yiren Ruxue,' right?" Zhang Xingguo said, pausing for a moment.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qian shook his head, completely puzzled.

"Seriously, what's 'Yiren Ruxue'? What do they do? I've never heard of it."

"Jiwei, explain to your dad," Zhang Xingguo instructed.

"Alright."

Despite his reluctance, Zhao Jiwei began introducing 'Yiren Ruxue' to his father.

By the time the explanation was over, Zhao Qian's eyes were wide like copper bells, filled with disbelief.

"There's really such a product? If it's as magical as you say, it could dominate the market! This... this is more profitable than coal mining!" Zhao Qian exclaimed.

"Now you understand why I said Brother Ye isn't short on money!" Zhao Jiwei retorted.

He continued, "Although online discussions criticize 'Wuxia Cream' as a scam, I don't think Brother Ye would push a rip-off product. If he's willing to promote it so boldly, it must genuinely work!"

"Jiwei is right! Little Ye isn't hurting for cash. Even Henda Group got squeezed for billions by him recently. Why would he bother selling shady products? Besides, the procedures for 'Yiren Ruxue' and 'Wuxia Cream' had special approvals. No matter how unbelievable the effects are, I believe in them!" Zhang Xingguo agreed.

"He even squeezed Henda Group?" Zhao Qian's face twitched.

"Exactly! But let's keep this to ourselves and not spread it around," Zhang Xingguo said with a bitter smile.

Not only did Zhang Jingshan admire Ye Chen, but even Zhang Xingguo found himself unknowingly impressed.

In just a few months, Ye Chen had extracted four billion from Henda Group and another five billion from Wuji Group—nine billion in total.

Meanwhile, after a lifetime in construction, leveraging connections and shamelessly seeking projects, Zhang hadn't saved anywhere near that.

In fact, thanks to Kong Liqun's betrayal, he had nearly lost everything.

Looking at Ye Chen, who made nine billion in just three months, Zhang couldn't help but sigh.

"Relax, I won't say a word."

Zhao Qian shook his head solemnly, then returned to the previous topic.

"So, Old Zhang, what's this collaboration you mentioned?"

"The other day, Ye was dining with Secretary Yan and the old man at my courtyard. They discussed 'Yiren Ruxue' and 'Wuxia Cream.' If nothing unexpected happens, he'll soon receive over 200 acres of industrial land for building a production park. I'm hoping to secure the construction project," Zhang Xingguo explained honestly.

"Damn, he even dined with the secretary and got 200 acres of land?"

Zhao Qian was astonished once more, turning to Zhao Jiwei.

"How is the gap between us so wide?"

"Dad, if you're going to compare, why not with Zuckerberg? He's only in his thirties and worth over 100 billion dollars. Should I compare myself to him?" Zhao Jiwei said helplessly.

"Haha! Old Zhao, you can't use Ye as a standard. He's exceptional. Even among his peers and the generation before him, no one compares. That's what the old man said!" Zhang Xingguo laughed.

Zhao Qian paused, then nodded.

"True, true."

Despite agreeing, a glimmer of sharpness flashed in Zhao Qian's eyes.

At that moment, the private room door opened again.

With the help of a server, Ye Chen walked in with a smile.

"Brother Ye!"

"Little Ye!"

"Ye!"

Seeing Ye Chen, the Zhao father and son, along with Zhang Xingguo, greeted him enthusiastically.

"Little Ye, I wanted to invite you to Yujing International, but I thought the White Swan Hotel was more fitting," Zhao Qian said, quickly approaching Ye Chen and shaking his hand warmly.

Ye Chen immediately sensed Zhao Qian had a reason for calling him here.

"No need to be so formal, Uncle Zhao. With my friendship with Jiwei, any place is fine for tea!" Ye Chen laughed.

"No, no! We can't be careless when hosting you. Sit, sit! You probably haven't eaten yet. Let's order some dim sum and chat over food!"

Under Zhao Qian's enthusiasm, Ye Chen smiled and complied.

Truthfully, he was quite hungry.

After ordering, as delicate and fragrant dishes arrived, Zhao Qian still hadn't gotten to the point.

Ye Chen, however, wasn't in a rush to ask.

Instead, he started eating without hesitation.