Qi Yun had already been labeled in his mind as "inconsiderate" and "uncontrollable."

The atmosphere inside the car was tense, and Secretary Wang kept his head down, not daring to breathe too loudly.

He had followed Old Hou for many years and understood the immense fury brewing beneath this seemingly calm exterior.

"Inconsiderate..." Old Hou softly repeated these words, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, "It seems President Qi feels his wings have hardened and no longer needs to pay heed to our expressions."

"Leader, then shall we now..." Secretary Wang asked cautiously.

"Go back." Old Hou opened his eyes, his tone steady as if the trace of hostility had never appeared, "Since President Qi is busy, we won’t disturb him."

"Notify Old Xu to organize an exchange meeting and personally invite Mr. Wei Zhe to attend under this pretext at the hotel."

"Understood." Secretary Wang nodded quickly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "But... would this be too abrupt? What if he..."

He didn’t dare finish his sentence, knowing if the formal invitation was rejected, it would be a major embarrassment.

Old Hou glanced at him coldly and said, "Then give me a solution."

Secretary Wang immediately fell silent, as if bitten by the cold.

"Furthermore, tomorrow morning, in my name, send a letter to G Business and tax authorities, suggesting that to optimize the business environment, they screen and examine companies to prevent systemic risks and guide companies toward healthy and orderly development."

Secretary Wang knew this was a tactic to intimidate, making Qi Yun realize who truly held the cards in this territory.

"Understood, I’ll take care of it first thing in the morning."

"Hmm." Old Hou said no more, leaning back into his seat.

Qi Yun repeatedly defied his will, completely slipping out of control. He felt it was time to teach him a lesson.

As long as it’s not too excessive, the others wouldn’t bother him over such a trivial matter.

...

The next day, Wei Zhe and Zhang Wei came down to the hotel lobby dressed in sportswear, as Qi Yun was to take them to experience the unique northwest desert scenery, and both were excited.

As they stepped out of the elevator, they saw a calm and composed middle-aged man sitting in the lobby lounge, accompanied by two staff members.

Upon seeing them, the middle-aged man immediately stood up, greeting them with a smile.

"Mr. Wei, Mr. Zhang, good morning." The middle-aged man offered his hand, "I’m Xu Yunliang from S." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I heard distinguished guests are visiting, and our leadership team values this greatly, so they specifically arranged for me to come and extend our greetings."

Wei Zhe furrowed his brow slightly but still extended his hand in a courteous greeting.

"Mr. Xu, you’re too kind. We are here at a friend’s invitation for a private visit, not expecting to alarm the leaders."

It was clear Wei Zhe was quite experienced in dealing with officials, subtly indicating his wish not to be disturbed with just a few words.

Xu Yunliang’s smile didn’t waver, as if he hadn’t noticed the undertone, becoming even more enthusiastic and sincere: "Heh heh, considering your long journey, as your hosts, we can’t feel at ease not showing you some hospitality."

"We’ve arranged a very comfortable accommodation for you, with better environment and privacy than the hotel, and there’s even a dedicated guide, making it more convenient for your travels."

"We hope you’ll give us the opportunity to extend our hospitality."

Faced with Xu Yunliang’s warm invitation, Wei Zhe’s expression remained unchanged: "Mr. Xu, I appreciate your kindness, but our stay here was arranged by friends, and guests should follow their host’s wishes, I hope you understand."

Xu Yunliang felt a little disappointed but maintained his composure: "Mr. Wei is right, I haven’t planned thoroughly enough. Since it’s already arranged, we naturally respect your choice."

He didn’t press on the accommodation issue but changed the subject, "Mr. Wei, besides extending greetings, I have another humble request on behalf of the leaders, or rather, I’m entrusted to deliver a sincere invitation."

"Recently, we’re preparing a high-level economic and trade exchange event here at S, and our leaders are very eager to have the opportunity for an in-depth interaction with industry experts like Mr. Wei and Mr. Zhang, hearing your insights on industry development while introducing S’s development plans and business environment to you."

"The timing can be whenever is convenient for you both; is it possible for you to grace us with your presence?"

Xu Yunliang, worthy of being a seasoned secretary, spoke flawlessly, making it hard to refuse.

Others might consider their warm hospitality, feeling it hard to decline; but not Wei Zhe, who shook his head and respectfully declined without any hesitation.

"Mr. Xu, I acknowledge your kind offer, but we don’t plan to participate in any activities this time, please convey my thanks to the leaders."

A complete refusal, with not even a perfunctory "let’s see the schedule," left Xu Yunliang a bit flustered.

Just as he pondered how to persuade or make a graceful exit, footsteps approached from behind, and turning around, he saw Qi Yun leading two people toward them.

"President Wei, President Zhang, hope you both had a good rest last night?" Qi Yun’s voice arrived before he did.

Wei Zhe seized the moment to avoid further conversation with Xu Yunliang, saying "Excuse me, our friend is here," as he and Zhang Wei promptly walked towards Qi Yun.

Xu Yunliang stood there, his professional smile finally fading, replaced with an awkward and barely suppressed anger.

He watched as Wei Zhe and Zhang Wei briskly approached Qi Yun, exchanging familiar pleasantries, leaving him feeling utterly peripheral and insignificant, which was undoubtedly a humiliating experience for him.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing, just giving Qi Yun a complex look before turning to leave the hotel lobby with two staff members.

Meanwhile, Qi Yun greeted Wei Zhe and Zhang Wei with a smile: "You both look great, the car is ready. If there’s nothing else, shall we set off?"

"Okay, let’s go!" Clearly not wishing to dwell on the earlier incident, Wei Zhe and Zhang Wei nodded with smiles.

...

Inside the office.

Old Hou listened to Xu Yunliang’s report. Although he had anticipated the effort might not succeed, hearing Wei Zhe’s blunt, almost impolite refusal, along with Xu Yunliang’s complete disregard, still darkened his expression.

The office was silent, with only the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock breaking the stillness.

Old Hou remained silent for a long while, finally squeezing out four words from between his teeth, "Ungrateful wretches."

His voice was icy, unclear if he referred to Wei Zhe or Qi Yun.

"I think maybe it’s best to just forget it, forcing things may lead nowhere." Xu Yunliang sighed helplessly.

Forget it?

Old Hou was clearly unwilling.

The photovoltaic project was missed last time, and now with the weightier Wei Zhe, he had to seize this opportunity.

Whether tangible cooperation is achieved isn’t the point; even a few publicity photos from a meeting would be beneficial.

With some careful wording, the headlines could read something like, "Famous entrepreneur, semiconductor industry leader, current CEO of TGrand Electric Mr. Wei Zhe visits our S for inspection and exchange, highly praising our business environment and development prospects."

Publishing news like that is tangible recognition and face.

Thinking of this, Old Hou suppressed his irritation, regaining his composure.

"We have to start with Qi Yun. You should personally seek out Qin Minghui."

Xu Yunliang was initially surprised, but quickly understood his intention: "Alright, I’ll go discuss with him."

"Hmm, this matter needs to be expedited!"

"Okay, I’ll go now."

After the other left, Old Hou pondered for a couple of seconds and then summoned Secretary Wang in again.

"Did you send the letter to G Business and the tax authorities last night as I instructed?"

Secretary Wang nodded: "Yes, Leader, I’ve issued it according to your instructions."

"Withdraw it."

"Huh?"

"I said withdraw it! Didn’t you understand me?"