Chapter 205 A Tense Gathering
Tianhao Grand Hotel.
Inside the largest Banquet Hall.
Over a hundred heads of security companies gathered here.
Among these people, ninety-nine percent were men, but there were also a few women.
They were all dressed in black suits. The scene looked just like a gang gathering in a certain Hong Kong movie.
As the time approached twelve o'clock, some of the more impatient heads started banging on the tables in protest.
"What is going on? Why hasn't that kid Li Ziheng arrived yet?"
"Exactly, this is the first gathering, and he is late. He really doesn't take us seriously, does he?"
"It seems the successor Master Yan chose isn't that great after all!"
"Sigh, Master Yan is really something. He is in the prime of his life, so why did he retire?"
"I heard Master Yan has a daughter. If it really doesn't work, letting Master Yan's daughter take the position would be fine too?"
"You've got some nerve, kid. Are you setting your sights on Master Yan's daughter?"
"..."
The heads spoke one after another, creating a very noisy atmosphere.
Among the hundred-plus people, over eighty percent smoked. For a moment, the large Banquet Hall was filled with swirling smoke, and the environment was terrible.
With such a formation, even the hotel manager and staff did not dare to enter.
Seeing that everyone was losing patience, Little Wu quickly took out his phone to call Li Ziheng. Although the call went through, no one answered for a long time.
"Master Heng wouldn't mess things up at a critical moment like this, would he?"
Cold sweat broke out on Little Wu's forehead, and he felt uneasy.
Little did they know, Li Ziheng had actually arrived ten minutes ago, but something unexpected happened midway. He was pulled into a car by a certain plainclothes policewoman for a lecture.
At the hotel entrance, inside a white van.
The Sharp-tongued Woman, wearing a casual outfit, was frowning and asking Li Ziheng about the purpose of this large-scale gathering.
"I have made it very clear. Today's gathering is simply to meet the people below and let them know my face. How many times do you have to ask?"
Li Ziheng explained with a look of impatience.
What he said was the truth, but the Sharp-tongued Woman had a look of disbelief.
"Really just a simple gathering? Not plotting any other illegal activities?"
"Believe it or not."
Li Ziheng shrugged, too lazy to explain further.
"No, just in case, wear this on you."
Out of safety concerns, the Sharp-tongued Woman handed a bug to Li Ziheng.
"Is that necessary?"
Li Ziheng was speechless, but thinking that he was just a law-abiding citizen and wouldn't do anything illegal, he readily took the bug.
He thought this would be enough, but unexpectedly, the bug was faulty.
The Sharp-tongued Woman frowned and muttered, "Could it have been accidentally broken when going into the water to save someone last time?"
"So what do we do now?"
Li Ziheng felt speechless. He checked the time and kindly reminded, "It is already time. If we don't go in, the people under Song Huaiyan probably won't be able to sit still."
"Wait a moment!"
Hearing this, the Sharp-tongued Woman gritted her teeth and found a backpack in the car.
She opened the backpack and took out a white fitted T-shirt and a pair of denim ultra-short shorts.
After taking off her casual jacket, she glared at Li Ziheng and said unpleasantly, "Get out of the car first. Don't look into the car!"
"Don't be so full of yourself. I don't care to look at you!"
Li Ziheng rolled his eyes, opened the car door, and walked out.
After closing the car door, Li Ziheng took out a cigarette, lit one, and waited quietly.
Not long after, the van's door was pulled open.
The Sharp-tongued Woman, having changed her clothes, walked out of the car.
With a look of righteousness, she said, "Let's go! I will go in with you. If there is any danger, I can save you immediately!"
"Oh!"
Li Ziheng responded perfunctorily.
The two entered the hotel together. Following the information about the Banquet Hall provided by Little Wu, they made their way to the largest Banquet Hall on the third floor.
As soon as they entered the Banquet Hall, over a hundred pairs of curious and scrutinizing eyes fell upon them.
The originally noisy Banquet Hall instantly fell silent at this moment.
Li Ziheng looked calm. He swept his gaze across the room, smiled faintly, and said, "Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way, so I am late!"
After speaking, he stepped onto the red carpet. Under everyone's gaze, he walked through the Banquet Hall with his head held high and chest out, all the way to the nearest dining table below the stage.
Seeing Li Ziheng finally appear, Little Wu felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He immediately stood up, pulled out the chair for Li Ziheng, and said with awe, "Master Heng, please take your seat!"
"Hold on!"
At this moment, a sudden, abrupt voice rang out.
Li Ziheng looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man with a burly build and a fierce face staring at him with a mocking look.
The middle-aged man sat sideways with his legs crossed, tapping his fingers on the table at a leisurely pace.
Although he wore a black suit, he did not wear a shirt inside. A gold chain as thick as a finger hung around his neck, making him look full of gangster vibes.
"Li Ziheng, although Master Yan let you take his seat, this seat isn't something you can just sit in if you want to."
The middle-aged man's voice carried contempt and disdain.
As his voice fell, the way over a hundred people looked at Li Ziheng changed subtly.
Some had expressions of enjoying the show, while others frowned, wanting to see how Li Ziheng would respond.
Everyone's expressions were different, but the vast majority wore a look of waiting to see what would happen.
Clearly, today's gathering, to put it nicely, was to recognize a face, but to put it harshly, it was to pressure Li Ziheng and make him retreat in the face of difficulties.
"Master Heng, he is Pang Biao, the head of Ruifeng Security Company in Tianhai City. People on the road call him Master Biao. He was one of those who made the biggest fuss after Master Yan retired."
Little Wu whispered the identity of the middle-aged man from the side.
Li Ziheng nodded imperceptibly, then smiled, "You seem to have an opinion about me sitting in Master Yan's seat? But it is a pity. I, Li Ziheng, have decided to sit in this seat!"
After saying that, Li Ziheng sat down directly.
"Bang—"
Seeing this, Pang Biao slammed his fist heavily onto the dining table.
"Li Ziheng, in terms of seniority and age, you are not qualified to sit in that seat. Master Yan only chose you as his successor because he was blind for a moment!"
Pang Biao revealed a fierce look in his eyes and threatened coldly, "Since everyone is here today, you should hurry up and voluntarily give up the seat. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite to you!"
Although Pang Biao looked scary, after Song Huaiyan's teaching, Li Ziheng was no longer who he used to be.
Especially in terms of psychological quality, he was much stronger than the average person.
Facing Pang Biao, who had a fierce face and was aggressive, Li Ziheng behaved very calmly.
He swept his gaze over the people present and said with a voice that commanded authority without anger, "Aside from Pang Biao, who else present objects to me taking Master Yan's seat?"
As soon as he finished speaking, people immediately stood up from their seats one after another.
Li Ziheng roughly glanced around and saw that over twenty people had stood up.
This situation was unexpected for Li Ziheng, but he did not lose his composure because of it.
"Very well. Since you oppose me succeeding Master Yan's position, I will not force you. Now, you can leave."
After Li Ziheng finished speaking, he turned his head and instructed Little Wu, "Record their names. Starting today, kick them out of the organization. Never hire them again!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was shocked.
The most shocked was Pang Biao. He wanted Li Ziheng to step down and yield, but Li Ziheng was actually going to kick him out of the organization directly.
"Li Ziheng, who the hell do you think you are? What qualification do you have, what right do you have to kick me out of the organization?"
Pang Biao shouted loudly, grabbed a chair, and walked towards Li Ziheng.
Looking at his posture, he was preparing to fight Li Ziheng.
The Sharp-tongued Woman frowned and quietly watched all this. But just at this moment, Li Ziheng glanced at her and said dissatisfiedly, "Still watching the show? Didn't we agree you would protect my safety?"