Arranged marriage, love blossoms; a fiercely devoted soldier dotes on her alone.

Around one o'clock in the afternoon,

In the local restaurant deep in the alley, Xiao Zhan saw that Xia Keke had almost finished eating, so he stood up and went to the counter to pay the bill.

The local restaurant only had about ten tables and three people in total. Xia Keke said it was just the owner, the owner's wife, and a kitchen helper.

The four dishes and one soup cost a total of 185 yuan. The owner generously said, "Round the bill, and you can have 180 yuan."

After Xiao Zhan scanned the QR code to pay, he casually picked up a food order card from the small box on the bar counter.

He said, "Boss, your dishes are very authentic and genuine; they taste just like the home-cooked meals I had as a child."

The boss was about fifty years old, with a shiny bald head that could be used as a light bulb. He was also tall and burly. On his left cheek was a scar about five or six centimeters long. Although the wound had healed, it was dark red, resembling a small red centipede.

Perhaps because of the scar, the boss looked fierce, but he was actually very kind.

The owner said, "I bought all these vegetables from the market this morning and cooked them myself. If you like the taste, please come and support me often."

The shopkeeper handed Xiao Zhan a pack of white Liqun cigarettes that cost a little over ten yuan.

Xiao Zhan didn't stand on ceremony, took the cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and joked, "The boss seems to have a story to tell!"

Upon hearing this, the boss's eyes darkened slightly. He glanced at Xia Keke, who was sitting at the table drinking soup, and grinned, "Hahaha, that was all in the past. Who hasn't been young and impetuous?"

Xiao Zhan laughed and said, "The boss has a really straightforward personality."

"What's your surname, boss?"

The shop owner paused for a moment before replying, "My surname is Qin."

"What is your surname, brother?"

Xiao Zhan grinned and said, "Xiao Zhan."

"Beep beep beep!"

Suddenly, Xiao Zhan's phone rang.

Xiao Zhan was somewhat surprised to see that it was Uncle Yu calling.

We only separated not long ago.

So he stepped aside, quickly answered the phone, and whispered, "Uncle Yu, is there something urgent that you're calling about?"

On the other end of the phone, Uncle Yu said, "Xiao Zhan, the old commander wants to speak with you."

Immediately, Xiao Huai'an's voice came from the phone: "Xiao Zhan, go find Deng Zhi now. I've sent you the address. When you see Deng Zhi, do this and that... that's all."

"Xiao Zhan, you must always remember that the bottom line must never be crossed."

at this time,

Xiao Zhan was inwardly turbulent and utterly astonished.

He never expected that Deng Zhi, the eldest son of Beijing's most powerful political family, would get involved in this matter.

Xiao Zhan said firmly, "Grandpa, I will never compromise on matters of principle. I know what to do."

Xiao Huai'an then instructed, "Xiao Zhan, you must remain calm in any situation and never act impulsively. Deng Zhi's request this time was very abrupt, without any prior notice. I think there must be something else going on, and I'm currently investigating the reason."

Two or three minutes later,

Xiao Zhan put down his phone, walked back to his seat, and whispered to Xia Keke, "The old man called and asked me to go find Deng Zhi."

Upon hearing this, Xia Keke immediately stood up, looking surprised, and asked, "What does Deng Zhi want with you?"

After pausing for two seconds, he asked again, "Could it be about Xunda Company? I heard some rumors this morning, but I thought they were just hearsay. I didn't expect it to be true."

"Is Deng Zhi also trying to get a piece of the pie?"

"This doesn't seem like something the most powerful family in the capital would do."

Xiao Zhan nodded and said, "He just wants a piece of the pie, and a big piece at that. It's absolutely disgusting."

As they were talking, the two walked to the entrance of the alley and got into the car.

Shen Jun asked, "Where are the instructors going now?"

Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow and said, "Go to No. 8, Nanchizi."

Shen Jun paused for a moment, his eyes flickered, he opened his mouth but then swallowed his words, and immediately started the car and drove onto the main road…

At this moment, Xia Keke frowned and said, "It seems that all the big families in the capital want to come and grab a piece of the big fat meat that is Xunda."

Even if you can't eat meat, you can still get a mouthful of oil.

Xiao Zhan cursed, "These bastards, they all want something for nothing, they want to just open their mouths and eat big pieces of fat meat."

"Damn it, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Xia Keke calmly said, "President Xiao, please mind your manners. Why are you swearing? Besides, you can just tell me what you're saying. Don't go around saying it outside. Be careful, walls have ears. You know Deng Zhi's personality. He's vengeful and ruthless. He'll kill his opponents without leaving them any way out."

Xiao Zhan said dismissively, "Everything should be based on reason. If the old man hadn't insisted that I go, I wouldn't have bothered with him. So what if he's the number one family in the capital?"

A hint of worry flashed in Xia Keke's eyes as she muttered to herself, "What kind of sparks will fly when the most powerful family in the capital clashes with the most prestigious family in the capital?"

"Beep beep beep!"

Suddenly, Xiao Zhan's phone rang. Seeing that it was Bai Zerui calling, Xiao Zhan answered and asked, "What's up?"

Bai Zerui said on the phone, "Brother Zhan, I heard that Young Master Deng wanted to talk to you about something? Is that true?"

Xiao Zhan frowned and asked, "Who told you that?"

Bai Zerui: "Brother Zhan, now the entire upper-class circle in Beijing knows about this. You didn't offend Young Master Deng, did you?"

Xiao Zhan sneered, "I've only been back for a few days, and I haven't even seen him yet. How did I offend him? The last time I saw him was before I joined the army, at his sister's birthday party. It's been almost ten years since I last saw him."

On the other end of the phone, Bai Zerui said with great concern, "Brother Zhan, be careful. I'd do anything for you, even if it meant losing my head, but I can't help you with this."

Xiao Zhan laughed and said, "Having your phone number is enough. I appreciate your kind gesture."

Xiao Zhan had just hung up the phone when it rang again.

This time it was Kong Zhixiang who called.

After answering the call, Xiao Zhan asked, "You've also heard that Deng Zhi was looking for me?"

On the other end of the phone, Kong Zhixiang said, "Brother Zhan, what's going on? Why did Boss Deng suddenly want to talk to you?"

Xiao Zhan smirked and teased, "How would I know? I'm on my way. I'll report back to you when I'm done, okay?"

On the other end of the phone, Kong Zhixiang said awkwardly, "Brother Zhan, I'm so worried about you. Please don't get into a conflict with Boss Deng. I'll treat you to a meal tonight to calm your nerves."

Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow and said, "I've been away from the capital for seven years, and you're all so afraid of Deng Zhi?"

"Why is that?"

Kong Zhixiang hesitated for a moment on the other end of the phone before saying, "Brother Zhan, you may not know this, but our top wealthy families in Beijing have never won against the political families of Beijing, and every time we lose, it's a particularly crushing defeat. You must have heard about Boss Deng's methods, right? Now, we scions of wealthy families are so terrified of Boss Deng that we turn pale at the mere mention of his name."

Xiao Zhan snorted coldly: "I don't care whether it's a top-tier wealthy family or the number one family in the capital. I follow the wise saying of my teacher: I will not offend others unless they offend me, and if they offend me, I will retaliate."

Xiao Zhan hung up the phone and looked at Xia Keke with a smile, "I didn't care at first, but these two calls have made me quite interested in Deng Zhi. There's a saying that it's only interesting when two worthy opponents meet."

Xia Keke: "You haven't been back to the capital for seven years, and everything has changed. Deng Zhi has accomplished several major feats, and all of them were complete victories. Therefore, people in the wealthy families are terrified of him. It's no exaggeration to say that they would avoid him if they saw him."

"squeak!"

Shen Jun brought the car to a steady stop, turned around, and said, "Instructor, we've arrived at No. 8 Nanchizi Courtyard."