Did he trick the young marshal into becoming sworn brothers and then go south to Huangpu Military Ac

Lin Qi walked to another table, where Hu Shoushan, the shortest man, was standing on tiptoe, stretching his arm to reach for a piece of spare rib on a plate in the distance.

Lin Qi walked over, picked up the serving chopsticks on the table, and directly picked up a chicken leg, accurately throwing it into Hu Shoushan's bowl.

"Shoushan! Eat more meat!"

Lin Qi joked loudly, patting his shoulder: "Grow taller! When you're on the battlefield fighting with bayonets, every inch longer is an inch stronger. Being short is a disadvantage!"

The students at the table burst into laughter.

Hu Shoushan wasn't annoyed. He grinned foolishly, picked up the chicken leg with both hands, and started gnawing on it, feeling warm inside.

Qian Muyin and Gu Mosan, along with several other tactical and weapons instructors, sat at a separate table.

They were initially maintaining the dignity of instructors, eating slowly and deliberately.

Lin Qi walked over with a half-empty bottle of wine, pulled over a long bench, and plopped down next to them.

"Brother Mu Yin, Brother Mo San, it's one thing to keep a high and mighty air about you on the podium, but you're still holding back on your day off?"

He then personally filled their glasses.

Qian Muyin gave a wry smile and raised his glass.

"Principal, we old bones from the Baoding Military Academy are truly impressed by your skills in leading troops."

Qian Muyin lowered his voice, his tone filled with admiration: "In class, you depicted the blueprint of the Air Force to them, which was awe-inspiring. At the dinner table, you treated them like brothers and threw money at them to eat their fill. From now on, these students will probably only recognize you."

Lin Qi laughed heartily, raised his glass and clinked it with theirs, concealing the sharp glint in his eyes, and then casually pulled a few instructors into a drinking game.

The students ate a big meal, leaving the plates and bowls clean. Even the leftover roast goose sauce at the bottom of the plate was used by the students to mix with their white rice.

Lin Qi successfully used this meal to completely weld the stomachs and hearts of these historical generals to his war chariot.

As night fell, my heart was still open and bold despite the wine.

Lin Qi, smelling faintly of alcohol and tobacco, left Changzhou Island and returned to the Shijing Arsenal outside the city.

As soon as I entered the office, which smelled of engine oil and coal ash, I sat down behind the large mahogany desk.

The guard quickly stepped forward and handed over a visiting card with both hands.

"Director Lin, around 2 PM, a car with headquarters license plates arrived. They said they wanted to hand it over to you personally."

Lin Qi accepted the visiting card. It was made of fine gold-flecked red paper with delicate embossing along the edges, and even had a faint scent of Western perfume.

Upon opening it, the signature, written in delicate yet sharp penmanship, read: Kong Songshi.

Lin Qiming was invited to have morning tea at Guangzhou Restaurant at 10:00 AM.

Lin Qi looked at the visiting card, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

The couple, who possessed extraordinary abilities and controlled part of the economic lifeline in the south, returned from visiting relatives in Shanxi.

Judging from this situation, it seems that this eldest sister of the Song family has seen through my tricks and my intention to deliberately avoid political entanglement with the Song family.

This is a trap set up at Hongmen, a chance to confront him directly, and also to probe his true intentions.

Lin Qi flicked his finger and casually tossed the visiting card onto the desk covered with blueprints.

Tomorrow's morning tea will surely be a fierce, behind-the-scenes battle of capital.

But what did he have to fear?

……

The following morning, at Guangzhou Restaurant.

The Pearl River churned with turbid waves, and the early spring river breeze carried a hint of chill.

This century-old establishment, usually bustling with people and teeming with tea drinkers, exudes a somber and desolate atmosphere today.

The luxurious private rooms in the Wangjiang Pavilion on the top floor of the restaurant were all emptied.

Starting from the stairwell on the first floor and extending all the way to the corridor on the third floor, every three steps there stands a burly man dressed in black shorts with a bulging waist.

The Kong family's private bodyguards sealed off the entire teahouse like an iron barrel.

All bystanders, along with the restaurant's original waiters and waitresses, were driven to the backyard.

It was exactly 10:00 AM.

Lin Qi arrived just in time, appearing alone outside the restaurant.

He was dressed in a smart gray Zhongshan suit, with the collar buttoned up tightly. He had no bodyguards and no gun.

Two bodyguards in black standing guard at the stairs reached out to stop him, giving him a rough once-over.

"search."

One of them had a stiff voice.

Lin Qi didn't even lift his eyelids, completely ignoring the two watchdogs.

He strode forward, forcefully pushing aside the arm blocking his way, his leather shoes making a dull, powerful thud on the wooden stairs as he climbed straight up.

The two bodyguards were knocked back half a step. Just as they were about to lash out and draw their guns, the head bodyguard upstairs held them firmly down with a look.

Push open the heavy, carved wooden door of the Wangjiang Pavilion on the third floor.

The private room was extremely large, with the entire wooden lattice window facing the river completely open.

The river breeze blew into the room, scattering the precious agarwood incense all around.

Kong Yongzhi was nowhere to be seen beside the large mahogany round table.

A woman sat upright in the main seat.

She was wearing a dark purple, modified, fitted cheongsam, with a pure black velvet shawl over it.

She wore no elaborate jewelry, only a fine emerald brooch pinned to her chest, which reflected a cold luster in the sunlight.

The eldest sister of the Song family, Song xx.

This ruthless businesswoman, who single-handedly built Kong Song's vast business empire and orchestrated the flow of political funds behind the scenes, was scrutinizing Lin Qi as he walked in, her eyes like those of a predator eyeing its prey.

The oppressive feeling of being in a superior position and having the power of life and death spread like a tangible force throughout the private room as she looked into it.

Lin Qi knew this woman's terrifying background.

Later generations clearly concluded that what truly propelled the Song family to prominence was not the other two famous sisters, but the woman before them.

But Lin Qi's face showed no sign of it.

He stopped three steps away from the round table, his face displaying just the right amount of bewilderment and politeness.

"May I ask who you are?"

Lin Qi bowed slightly, his tone questioning, "I thought it was you or your wife who had summoned me. May I ask how you are addressed?"

A sharp glint flashed deep in the eyes of the eldest sister of the Song family.

Having spent years navigating the treacherous waters of Guangzhou, she had seen all sorts of cunning old foxes. Yet this young man in his early twenties was able to put on such a convincing act in front of her; his composure was truly extraordinary.

He didn't get up to greet her, but simply pointed casually to the chair opposite him.

"Mr. Lin is a busy man, so it's natural that he doesn't recognize me."

Sister Song's voice was calm and composed, revealing a sense of control over the situation: "I am Mr. Kong's former secretary, Kong Yongzhi is my husband, and Madam and Ziwen are my second sister and eldest brother."

Lin Qi feigned sudden realization, clasped his hands in greeting, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"So it is Madam Kong. I have long admired your name. It is a great honor to meet you today. Please forgive my abruptness."