Chapter 94: Even the Local Boss Isn't to Be Trifled With!

That evening, Li Dong received an unexpected call.

Fang Qingfei wanted to invite him to dinner.

Li Dong pondered for a moment and, considering the calls he had made earlier in the afternoon, had a rough idea of her intentions.

After a brief freshening up, Li Dong changed into a suit and borrowed Sun Tao's Audi before heading out.

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**Yuguang Hall.**

A pretentious restaurant, also the place Fang Qingfei had chosen for the meal.

Li Dong parked the car, adjusted his collar, and walked into the restaurant.

A waiter approached and softly asked, "Sir, do you have a reservation?"

Li Dong looked around the lobby, pointed to Fang Qingfei not far off, and nodded, "My companion is already here."

Without waiting to see if the waiter followed, Li Dong headed directly to Fang Qingfei.

Contrary to Li Dong's expectations, Fang Qingfei was alone.

Li Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, then a smirk appeared on his face. Even when facing imminent failure, she still pretends to be grand. There are indeed many fools nowadays.

Fang Qingfei was sipping coffee with a spoon when she saw Li Dong. She nodded and smiled, "Please, have a seat."

Li Dong sat down opposite her and remarked with a hint of amusement, "It seems Teacher Fang is living quite well, not at all like someone earning 1,800 a month."

Fang Qingfei shot him a glare but said nothing, continuing to sip her coffee.

Unperturbed, Li Dong signaled a nearby waiter.

"Sir, is there anything you need?"

Li Dong glanced at the table, noticing there was no menu, and casually said, "Just bring out some dishes that are good to eat, and a bottle of beer."

The waiter hesitated.

Fang Qingfei could no longer calmly drink her coffee. She looked up, annoyed, and said, "Is this a place for drinking beer?"

Li Dong smiled nonchalantly, "What can I say, a country bumpkin like me doesn't know anything beyond beer."

Fang Qingfei snorted and turned to the waiter, "Bring him a bottle of Golden Estate wine. I'll have a colorful vegetable salad, and the rest, you decide."

The waiter sighed with relief, nodded, and hurried away.

Li Dong curled his lips in disdain. He thought this place was supposed to be high-end.

Such a shabby place could only fool someone like Fang Qingfei, a literature enthusiast. People who truly enjoy life wouldn't come here.

Unaware of Li Dong's dissatisfaction, Fang Qingfei looked at him and asked, "Why are you wearing a suit?"

Li Dong felt a bit hot, unbuttoned his jacket to take a breath, and then replied with a grin, "I thought a place with such a grand name as Yuguang Hall must be a high-end western restaurant. Who knew it's such a dump, without even a beer."

Fang Qingfei's expression darkened. She hissed, "What's wrong with this place? Does a high-end western restaurant have to serve beer?"

Li Dong gave her a sideways glance and said lightly, "It seems Teacher Fang needs to visit a real western restaurant a few more times. Who says a western restaurant can't serve beer?"

Not wanting to continue discussing whether western restaurants serve beer, Li Dong suspected Fang Qingfei watched too many soap operas.

Does entering a western restaurant mean one must drink red wine?

Li Dong wanted to get straight to the point. "What is your relationship with Li Xie?"

Fang Qingfei thought for a moment before answering, "She should be my cousin, the daughter of my maternal aunt."

In rural areas, they say distant relatives are like distant lands. Since she's the daughter of a maternal aunt, the relationship is even more distant. It's no wonder Fang Qingfei took a moment to consider.

Li Dong wasn't concerned about the specifics of their relationship. Once she finished, he asked, "So why did you invite me? Is it to increase the pay for the commercial performance or to treat me as a revered guest?"

Fang Qingfei frowned slightly. Li Dong's words didn't sound friendly at all.

However, she didn't want to dwell on it and explained, "The increase in price was arranged by Su Man. Li Xie didn't know about it initially, but once she did, she had to accept it."

"Don't explain to me. I don't need an explanation." Li Dong sneered dismissively, "If she's not coming, we simply won't invite her. The world is full of people, and we won't starve just because Li Xie isn't here."

Fang Qingfei's expression darkened. What kind of ridiculous analogy was that?

Li Xie didn't seem like a butcher!

Worried she might get infuriated if she continued discussing, Fang Qingfei cut to the chase, "Li Xie can come to the performance tomorrow…"

Before she could finish, Li Dong interrupted, "No need. She has a delicate voice. I wouldn't want to be the bad guy here. Tell her we'll refund the deposit. The expenses for these days are on me, and we'll consider this matter resolved."

Fang Qingfei's face turned dark with anger, "Li Dong, what do you mean?"

Li Dong feigned innocence, "What have I done wrong? I'm paying for someone. If they refuse to fulfill the contract, I'm not even asking for compensation. Isn't that fair?"

Fang Qingfei thought Li Dong was just being unreasonable!

Li Xie had already agreed; what more was he dissatisfied with?

Taking a deep breath, Fang Qingfei asked again, "Li Dong, what do you want?"

Li Dong ignored her and started eating as the waiter brought the dishes.

Fang Qingfei stopped talking and just watched Li Dong.

After Li Dong had drunk two glasses of wine and finished a plate of steak, Fang Qingfei finally said, "Li Dong, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Li Dong wiped his mouth and frowned, "What am I trying to achieve? I merely called the dean, and I only spoke the truth. If Yuanyang is a sponsor for the singing competition and the invited judges can't attend, isn't it reasonable for me to offer more money to get a different judge?"

"You're trying to ruin Li Xie!"

Fang Qingfei was furious. While Li Xie and Su Man might not understand, she did! Moreover, she knew even more—the director of the Cultural Department used to be the deputy president of Jiang University!

The dean of the School of Management and the Cultural Department director used to be old colleagues with an excellent relationship. With Li Dong stirring things up in the middle, it was nearly impossible for Li Xie to escape this mess.

Fang Qingfei took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Inviting Li Xie as a judge was my suggestion. If you have any dissatisfaction, discuss it with me directly! But what you said to the dean, can you honestly say it's not fabricated?"

Li Dong played dumb, "What did I say? I didn't say anything."

"Don't tell me you didn't make things up!" Fang Qingfei was almost driven to the edge, gritting her teeth, "You said Li Xie claimed Jiang University's singing competition wasn't even worth a pile of dog shit. Isn't that your own words?"

Li Dong laughed lightly, "Yes, I said that, but isn't that what Li Xie implied? They themselves said they couldn't handle Jiang University's judges."

"But Li Xie clearly didn't mean that!"

Li Dong's patience wore thin. He interrupted, "Is there any point in quibbling over this now? What's Li Xie? And what are you, Fang Qingfei? Why do you question me?"

"I respect you as a teacher, but if I didn't take you seriously, what could you do?"

"If Li Xie dares to play me, I'll make sure she regrets it!"

"Even if you're powerful and manage to smooth things over with Jiang University, what then? I can spend thirty to fifty thousand on a few media outlets to report on her breach of contract and last-minute price increase. Li Xie would still be finished!"

At the end, Li Dong stood up, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, "Teacher Fang, tell your dear cousin that even local bosses aren't easily bullied."

With that, Li Dong laughed and left.

He had originally come with genuine intentions, dressed in a suit and driving a car, which was the most sincere he could offer.

If Li Xie had been willing to show up, even if she didn't apologize, just offering him a drink could have settled things.

But she treated his goodwill with contempt, showing no respect at all.

At this stage, only Fang Qingfei had appeared!

And even then, it was with a tone of condescension as if they were doing him a favor. This was utterly absurd!

Li Dong couldn't tolerate this insult.

He would demonstrate with actions that sometimes capital is the greatest power.

He had money, and he was willing to spend it to replace a judge, or to pay a high price for a big name to perform. With money comes the freedom to be capricious!