You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

This is a multinational trading company, not your backyard!

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Lina, who was sitting behind her desk looking over at him, trying to emphasize his adherence to the rules and his justifiable criticism of Chen Yang's "rudeness."

The other assistants and secretaries in the office stopped what they were doing and their eyes drifted over with a mixture of curiosity and schadenfreude.

Chen Yang didn't stop walking and went straight to Lina, as if he hadn't heard John's question, and just gave a casual reply.

"Oh."

His attitude only added fuel to the fire, and John immediately stepped forward to block Chen Yang's path.

"Oh? Is this your attitude? Do you even respect company rules? I think you're just being arrogant because you're favored..."

"John!"

Lina's slightly impatient, cool voice interrupted him.

She stood up, walked around the large desk, glanced at the indignant John and the indifferent Chen Yang, and emphasized to John.

"As I've said before, Chen Yang is not an employee of our company. His file is not here, and he does not receive a salary from the company."

He's just my personal assistant; his work arrangements and schedule are solely my responsibility.

John's face turned pale and then red; Lina's almost slap-in-the-face defense made him extremely embarrassed.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue.

"But President..."

"Okay, John."

Lina waved her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"No buts. Go and prepare the venue and materials for the meeting at 10 a.m. today."

John took a deep breath, glared at Chen Yang, and his eyes were filled with such venom that they were almost overflowing.

He nodded stiffly, turned and strode away, almost trampling through the floorboards.

The office returned to a semblance of quiet, with only the faint sound of papers turning.

The other employees immediately lowered their heads and went about their own business.

Lina then looked at Chen Yang, her voice low and filled with concern.

"Yesterday...did something urgent happen? You suddenly said something was wrong, and I couldn't reach you. I was a little worried."

She was referring to the "private emergency phone number" that Chen Yang left behind when he came to rescue her.

Chen Yang gave a slightly apologetic smile and mumbled something.

"It's a very urgent personal matter. A friend of mine is in big trouble and I have to go there immediately to deal with it. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to explain in detail. I'm sorry."

"It's good that my friend is alright."

Lina breathed a sigh of relief and wisely refrained from pressing for details, instead getting down to business.

"I do have an important reception task today. My dad went to Southeast Asia to negotiate a big contract, so I have to fill in."

I'm about to host some very important potential strategic partners, and I need you to be with me the whole time to keep an eye on the details and how to handle the situation.

"no problem."

Chen Yang readily agreed.

The two briefly discussed the reception process and key points. Although John had been reprimanded, he was still unwilling to give up. He absolutely could not hand over this opportunity to participate in core business activities and perform in front of the president entirely to Chen Yang.

After finishing the miscellaneous tasks assigned by Lina, he brazenly put on a professional smile and joined Lina and Chen Yang around, "assisting" in preparing for the reception as the president's assistant.

At 10:00 AM sharp, the distinguished guest arrived as scheduled.

The group consisted of five people, led by two men around fifty years old, dressed in impeccably tailored, bespoke suits. They exuded composure and carried the air of authority that comes with long-held positions of power.

Chen Yang felt a slight chill run down his spine—he recognized these two people, or rather, he had seen their photos in the Special Administration Bureau's intelligence briefings! The heads of the Li family in Jiangnan and the Zhang family in Jinyang were both top-tier powerful figures in the secular world of China, capable of wielding considerable influence!

The other three were younger, around thirty years old. One had sharp eyes like a hawk, another was as sturdy as an iron tower, and the third looked refined and gentle.

The three men, dressed in suits, behaved with extreme respect, following behind the two heads of the family like assistants or nephews, their humility almost deliberate.

But Chen Yang's pupils contracted very slightly as his gaze swept over the three people.

How keen his senses are!

Although these three people were deliberately suppressing their energy, there were still extremely subtle yet incredibly familiar energy fluctuations flowing slowly within them!
That wasn't internal energy, nor the spiritual energy of a cultivator, but a power brimming with life frenzy and transformative energy... the power produced by a gene serum! It was an aura of forced catalysis, defying the laws of nature, carrying the chilling experimental feel of the Pandora base's prison! The strongest of these fluctuations even faintly carried the low, guttural roar of some kind of berserk gene beast!
People from the Heavenly Alliance! And quite powerful at that! Disguised as subordinates of a top Chinese tycoon, they brazenly entered Lina's company!

Chen Yang's vigilance instantly reached its peak, but he showed no sign of it on his face, continuing to play the role of a competent, even somewhat dull, bodyguard and assistant.

In the luxurious and spacious reception room, the atmosphere appeared warm but was actually fraught with tension. Lina, as the hostess, handled herself with exceptional skill, maintaining both respect for the elder family members and the independent aura of her own company's president. Her words were appropriate, and her actions were measured and measured.

Li Hanyue, the head of the Li family, was all smiles.

"Little Lina has really grown up, she's just like her father back in the day."

This time, several of our companies intend to engage in deeper cooperation and integration in the field of new energy materials. We've heard that you have several very high-quality mining channels in Africa..."

Zhang Chengkun, the head of the Zhang family, also chimed in, his voice loud and clear.

"Yes, the current international trade landscape is somewhat delicate, and we need to work together as one."

"Mr. Zhao, Mr. Qian, and Mr. Sun are senior strategic investment advisors we met in Europe. They have unique insights into the African market, and we've come together today specifically to discuss this."

He was referring to those three imposters from the Heavenly Alliance. The one with the hooked nose was Mr. Zhao, the sturdy man was Mr. Qian, and the refined gentleman was Mr. Sun.

The three immediately bowed humbly, saying "I dare not accept such a compliment," their words perfectly tactful and without any flaws.

John finally found an opportunity to interject, immediately offering his "professional analysis" during Lina's speech, discussing the trends in international raw material futures and the optimization of transportation costs.

He simply wanted to demonstrate his own value as much as possible, while trying to outdo Chen Yang with his so-called high-end business insights.

Chen Yang stood quietly half a body length behind Lina, like a real bodyguard, his gaze lowered. He would occasionally glance at the three imposters as if by chance when they were talking, but in reality, his senses were like invisible threads, firmly locked onto them.

Mr. Zhao spoke in a low voice, but each word carried a peculiar penetrating power, and his mental energy fluctuations far exceeded those of ordinary people. Mr. Qian's expensive suit could not conceal the explosive power contained in the bulging muscles beneath the fabric.

"Mr. Sun" was the most unassuming of the three. He seemed gentle and harmless, but the moment his eyes swept over the office decorations, the subtle energy ripples almost escaped Chen Yang's perception—this person was very likely to have fused with some kind of mutated gene that was either mental or even object-controlling!

Chen Yang sneered inwardly.

Is this the Heavenly Alliance starting to dabble in top-tier secular resources, or is it using a shell to infiltrate a key chain?

The luncheon was arranged in a private room at an extremely upscale and intimate Hainan-style restaurant in the city center. The table was laden with delicacies. John tried his best to play the role of "host," constantly urging people to drink and introducing various top-quality ingredients, attempting to dominate the conversation.

But he soon found himself embarrassed to discover that the two true top family heads were merely being polite to him, and their focus and conversation were mainly on Lina and the "advisors" they had brought.

"President Lina, please try this 'Steamed Grouper.' It's made from a grouper caught in a specific area deep in the South China Sea. The meat is said to have an indescribable freshness, and it has only been discovered in the last two years, making it very popular."

Mr. Sun smiled gently, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, and moved with elegance.

Lina tasted it, and her eyes lit up slightly.

"Truly extraordinary! The texture is rich and layered, with a subtle... indescribable feeling of comfort."

Chen Yang silently chewed the grouper in his mouth, his heart skipping a beat.

A trace of extremely faint spiritual energy, so faint that even cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage could hardly detect it, was fused into the delicious meat! Unlike the primordial spiritual energy dissipating from the newly formed spiritual fields in the Sumeru Space, this seemed to have been extracted or concentrated in some way?
This confirms his discovery—the resurgence of spiritual energy is penetrating the depths of secular society at an unexpected speed, even in the most luxurious restaurants!

This is no coincidence, given the Heavenly Alliance's eagerness to control resource lines.

Halfway through the luncheon and after several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly "harmonious".

Seeing that the time was right, Chen Yang casually opened his mouth and smiled while pouring wine for Zhang Chengkun sitting next to him.

“It’s rare for several big bosses to gather from all over China to our resort paradise of Hainan. It would be so boring to just eat and talk business. Our CEO Wang has a unique bar with a first-class ambiance and music, and it’s not far from here. Why don’t we go there to relax and listen to some music? Let the consultants experience the warmth of Hainan too. After all, work needs a balance, right?”

These words were spoken.

Mr. Qian and Mr. Zhao exchanged a quick glance.

Mr. Sun nodded calmly, wearing a standard polite smile, and said to Zhang Chengkun and Li Hanyue.

"Chairman Zhang, Chairman Li, what Assistant Chen said is quite true. Researching cooperation is important, but the atmosphere is also crucial. Everyone seems to be free of official business this afternoon, right? How about we go and experience Hainan's nightlife?"

The two old foxes naturally understood the social intricacies involved.

Zhang Chengkun laughed heartily.

"The young man is right! Old Li, let's go and see the trend of the younger generation in Hainan!"

Li Hanyue smiled and stroked his beard.

"Very good, very good."

"When in Rome, do as the host does."

Lina looked at Chen Yang questioningly, and Chen Yang nodded very slightly.

Although she didn't know the details, after being kidnapped last time, she had an unusual trust in Chen Yang.

So the group quickly moved on to Wang Shengxiong's large, luxuriously decorated, and dimly lit bar, Neptune Palace.

The afternoon session had just ended, and the evening session had not yet started, so the interior was relatively quiet.

Wang Shengxiong had clearly just been yelled at out of bed by a phone call. Still half-asleep and with a messy head of hair, he rushed downstairs to greet them. Upon seeing the impressive group, he was instantly sobered up, his drunkenness and drowsiness dissipating. Especially after recognizing Lina and hearing the subtle glance from his boss, Chen Yang, he knew they were the main characters and distinguished guests.

"Oh my! What an honored guest! It's an honor to have you here! Please, please come in!"

With a broad smile and the air of a gangster boss, Wang Shengxiong personally led everyone to the most luxurious private room, "Crystal Palace," while yelling at the service manager who was following him.

"What are you standing there for! Tell the bartender to bring out the best drinks, fruit platters, and snacks! And be quick! If you neglect our esteemed guest, I'll skin you alive!"

Once the door to the private room closed, the deafening soundproofing panels blocked out most of the noise. A huge circular sofa, a wide crystal coffee table, and top-of-the-line audio-visual equipment were all present. As the hostess, Lina naturally took charge, instructing everyone to select songs and make arrangements. John immediately joined in.

"What would you like to sing, President Lina? I can suggest one for you. How about a classic duet? Like 'Because of You'?"

Lina frowned.

No.

Chen Yang, can you sing "The Loyal Heart"? Want to sing together?

It's Chen Yang again!

John was furious. He watched helplessly as Chen Yang didn't hesitate, picked up another microphone, stood next to Lina, and started singing that classic Cantonese duet.

Lina's voice was clear and penetrating, which was professional, while Chen Yang's voice was also deep and resonant, with an indescribable sense of vicissitude. When he sang "Chasing Grass in the Vast Desert," he had a unique momentum. The two of them complemented each other surprisingly well.

Wang Shengxiong personally directed the waiters to deliver a continuous stream of top-quality foreign liquors, red wines, beers, exquisite fruit platters, and snacks into the private room, piling them up on the entire coffee table.

John's eyes turned red, especially the way Lina looked at Chen Yang when he sang, which almost drove him mad.

He grabbed a bottle of strong whiskey, poured a full glass, squeezed between Chen Yang and Lina, and interrupted.

"Singing is no fun without alcohol! Come on, Assistant Chen, I noticed you haven't had much to drink, that won't do! Accompanying several consultants and bosses today is our top priority! I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"

After saying that, he gulped it down.

His words did stir up some tension.

Mr. Qian laughed heartily.

"This brother is right! Singing is about mood, drinking is about atmosphere! Brother Zhao, Brother Sun, let's not just sit here! Come on, Chairman Li, let me toast you! Thank you for giving me this learning opportunity!"

Instantly, the toasting scene became lively.

Chairman Li and Chairman Zhang are old-fashioned people; they have a good capacity for alcohol but also know how to keep their limits.

The three members of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, however, appeared extremely "generous," accepting almost anything offered! Moreover, their bodies had undergone genetic modification, giving them a metabolism far exceeding that of ordinary people, making the numbing effect of alcohol negligible for them. On the contrary, the two elderly family heads and John, who was desperately trying to impress, quickly began to feel the effects, their faces turning red.

Mr. Sun, holding his wine glass, once again engaged Lina in conversation about the security of the mineral supply chain and the future layout of technology investments, speaking cautiously yet profoundly.

Standing slightly behind Lina, Chen Yang keenly observed that "Mr. Sun's" right index finger, resting on the sofa armrest, was tapping with extremely subtle and precise rhythm, as if conveying some kind of signal. (End of Chapter)