Not mentioning Zhang Yang was fine, but once he was brought up, the discussions in the WeChat group immediately heated up.

"Hey dude above, are you saying these people are Zhang Yang's friends? Isn't Zhang Yang from W City? Can he still have this kind of influence around Tianjin Wei?"

"Damn it, they all say this guy is a pit master and that guy is a pit expert. Let me tell you, Zhang Yang is the real deal! I watched today's competition in his live stream; he was fishing for big carp with Floating Technique the whole time. Can you believe it? He even pulled the fish out onto the surface of the water!"

"I'm a die-hard fan of Zhang Yang, and I've been watching his streams and using his products for years. Sure, they're a bit pricey, but they're definitely worth the money! I heard in his live stream from his assistant that they used a new bait that hasn't been released yet, called Yellow Storm! Once it's released, I must try it first!"

"The car with five nines is the ride of the president of Vast Real Estate in South City! He's Zhang Yang's friend, and today he's brought people to show support! The reason is that a local thug hit the assistant of Zhang Yang's girlfriend, and Old Ma suppressed the matter!"

"Whoa! So the rumors are true! Zhang Yang is not only awesome at fishing, but all his friends are bigwigs. I've heard about the president of Vast Real Estate; he's like a local emperor around South City!"

...

Reality is just so magical—information never spreads along conventional paths. Less than twenty minutes after Old Xu's horse show ended, half-true, half-false, and exaggerated tidbits were being spread noisily across various channels. Old Xu's move to support Little Wei and help Zhang Yang was already showing results.

On the other end, Zhang Yang's team had driven out of Garden Village in three cars and parked on the side of the road not far from the main road.

People were showing support for Zhang Yang, and he wasn't someone who didn't know how to appreciate it. With so many brothers, Zhang Yang had to properly thank them.

The convoy that followed saw the lead car stop and quickly pulled over with their hazard lights on.

Zhang Yang got out from the driver's seat with a few packs of cigarettes and walked towards the people in the convoy.

"Thanks for helping out today, brothers! Have a smoke!!" Zhang Yang, whether he knew them or not, handed out cigarettes to each car, thanking them all the way.

Everyone originally had a positive impression of Zhang Yang and Little Wei, and now seeing them in person, they were equally excited.

After some idle small talk, Zhang Yang quickly reached the Hummer at the end of the convoy.

"Brother Xu! Little Wei and I thank you! Do our people have any other plans? How about we find a place to sit down?" Zhang Yang said very politely and respectfully.

Old Xu also got out of the car, took the cigarette from Zhang Yang, and looked him up and down a few times.

The young man offering him a smoke was well-built and proportioned, with decent features. Although he wasn't very old, he exuded a maturity that didn't match his age. The feeling over the phone was correct. With decades of experience in judging people, Old Xu knew the young man in front of him was definitely extraordinary.

"Not bad! Even better than I expected!" Old Xu nodded slightly, very satisfied.

"Huh?" Zhang Yang scratched his head, pretending not to catch on.

"I said you're not bad! Don't just stand on the side of the road clueless. You're not familiar with Jinghai; let me handle the rest!"

"The brothers came for you and Little Wei! It's the first offline gathering after all the nonsense in the group, so let's all sit together!" Old Xu took charge completely.

"Alright! We'll follow your lead! But I have one condition, you choose the place, but let me host! I know money isn't an issue for everyone, but please give me the opportunity to show my feelings!" Zhang Yang agreed, while also stating his position.

Old Xu nodded with a faint smile: "Alright! Get in the car, follow mine!" Old Xu waved and got back in his Hummer. With a flick of the turn signal and a swift turn of the wheel, he quickly moved to the front of the convoy.

Soon, Zhang Yang returned to his car, and the convoy restarted, moving grandly towards the distance.

In Zhang Yang's mind, he initially thought Old Xu would take everyone to a larger entertainment venue like a karaoke bar, given there were a couple dozen people, a smaller venue wouldn't suffice.

But the cars drove further away and eventually left the main road for rural roads. About an hour later, they stopped at the entrance of a private estate on the outskirts of the city.

Old Xu honked the horn, and soon the gate of the estate opened. Everyone drove in smoothly, with dozens of cars easily parking in the estate's large courtyard.

Getting out of the car, Zhang Yang and the rest of the team were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, surveying the surroundings in awe.

The estate spanned at least over a dozen acres. From the outside, it seemed unremarkable, but a cursory glance inside the courtyard quickly revealed it was a place definitely owned by someone with wealth. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Upon entering the courtyard, the parking area was surfaced with cement. Along the west side, a well-organized vegetable garden was planted with seasonal vegetables. Further west, a large fenced area had free-ranging chickens and geese.

Old Xu got out of the car and pointed towards the three-story mansion facing north: "Don't just stand there blankly, come inside!

This is a property I acquired a few years ago! You're at home here, make yourselves comfortable, everyone!

Little Wei, you're quite the social butterfly during your YOYO live streams, but a bit shy in person, huh?"

When Old Xu spoke, he specifically greeted Little Wei, his gaze as doting as an old man's looking at his daughter, full of impossible-to-hide affection.