Chapter 184: Dinner Party

Last time, Li Dong was involved in a minor car accident when he was hit by a female driver.

The BMW involved in the accident belonged to that woman. They barely exchanged a few words, and Li Dong didn't know her name.

Meeting her again this time was a bit surprising, but not entirely unexpected.

Her handling of the accident had already indicated that she was not ordinary; now it was just confirmed.

Seeing Li Dong staring at her as he entered, Zhang Lanyu knew that Li Dong recognized her and stood up with a smile, "Mr. Li, we meet again."

Li Dong nodded but did not speak.

Zhang Lanyu, unfazed, extended her hand with a smile, "Let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Zhang Lanyu."

Li Dong shook her hand and responded with a faint smile, "Miss Zhang, nice to meet you."

After the introductions, the white-haired man who had been eating since Li Dong entered smiled and said, "Mr. Li, it's a rare visit. Please, have a seat."

Li Dong didn't say anything and found an empty seat next to Zhang Lanyu.

The white-haired man continued, "Mr. Li, let's eat first and chat afterwards."

With that, the white-haired man started eating heartily.

Zhang Lanyu frowned slightly, then relaxed, and turned to Li Dong with a smile, "This white-haired gentleman is Chen Rui. He usually behaves this way, Mr. Li, so please don't mind."

Li Dong smiled and did not respond.

Zhang Lanyu then introduced the man with glasses, "This is Wang Siwen."

Wang Siwen nodded at Li Dong, his lips curling into a slight, ambiguous smile, "We've heard of your great name, Mr. Li. It's indeed impressive to see you in person."

Li Dong only smiled in return but didn't engage further.

Wang Siwen raised his eyebrows but quickly composed himself and began eating the hotpot with a chuckle.

Seeing Zhang Lanyu about to introduce Zhang Qing, Li Dong finally spoke, "There's no need to introduce Young Master Zhang. I'm familiar with him."

Zhang Qing snorted and said coldly, "I thought Mr. Li wasn't coming tonight."

"Why wouldn't I come? It's not every day that Young Master Zhang hosts a dinner. I should show some respect," Li Dong chuckled.

Zhang Qing's teeth clenched, and he was about to snap, but seeing that Chen Rui and Wang Siwen remained silent, he suppressed his anger and stopped arguing with Li Dong.

The private room fell into silence, only interrupted by the sound of Chen Rui eating.

Li Dong didn't touch his chopsticks, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping it leisurely.

Everyone had their own thoughts. Li Dong observed everyone, and they, in turn, glanced at him from time to time. This continued for quite a while.

After about half an hour, Chen Rui finally put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and smiled at Li Dong, "Mr. Li, I apologize for the slow start. I'm not one for pleasantries. When we're eating, it's better to be straightforward. No need for pretense, right?"

Li Dong replied blandly, "I agree. A forced meal is not enjoyable. You eat your food, and I'll eat mine. If you're full, that's your business. There's no need to snatch food from others' bowls."

Chen Rui laughed, "Mr. Li, you make a good point. But it's not always absolute. Sometimes, if you're bigger, you need to eat a bit more. If my bowl's empty and I'm still not full, while you've got half a bowl left, there's no need to waste it."

"Being big doesn't necessarily mean being strong. These days, there are plenty of cases where smaller people outmatch bigger ones," Li Dong replied casually.

Chen Rui's expression changed slightly, and his smile became a bit strained.

Seeing the atmosphere cooling, Zhang Lanyu laughed and intervened, "Let's stop discussing food. With just us here, we won't be short of it."

Chen Rui then showed a genuine smile and nodded, "Lanyu is right. We're not lacking food or drink right now. There's no need to overturn the table for a meal. Let's not end up not having anything to eat in the end."

Li Dong remained silent, staring at his teacup, lost in thought.

Chen Rui, Zhang Lanyu, and the others frowned slightly. Zhang Lanyu eventually shook her head gently.

Seeing this, Chen Rui narrowed his eyes, glanced at Li Dong, and then at Zhang Qing before saying, "Mr. Li, I'm aware of the situation between you and Zhang Qing. The purpose of tonight's invitation is simply to mediate. We want to put past matters behind us. I hope Mr. Li can give me this face."

Zhang Qing was about to speak but was simultaneously glared at by Zhang Lanyu and Chen Rui.

Zhang Qing, seething with anger, suppressed it and bowed his head in silence.

Li Dong noticed the small gestures and smiled slightly, "Of course, I'll give Mr. Chen face. I just hope Young Master Zhang doesn't mind."

"Qingzi, pour Mr. Li a drink. We're all grown men; it's not worth quarreling over trivial matters," Zhang Lanyu teased with a smile.

Li Dong looked closely at Zhang Lanyu again. The woman seemed to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, while Zhang Qing was in his thirties, yet he was treated like an inexperienced child in her words.

Moreover, Li Dong had noticed Zhang Lanyu and Chen Rui's subtle interactions. Could it be that Zhang Lanyu was the real key player today?

Li Dong had always thought that Chen Rui was the highest-ranking person in the room, but it seemed he might have been mistaken.

As Li Dong pondered, Zhang Qing, with a flushed face, raised his glass and said, "Mr. Li, let's have a drink to forget the past."

Li Dong felt a bit uncomfortable but raised his glass in response.

This dinner was intriguing. While Li Dong could tell the previous display of power, he couldn't quite figure out what Chen Rui and Zhang Lanyu were aiming for now.

As for mediating between himself and Zhang Qing, Li Dong felt it didn't require such grand gestures.

After Zhang Qing and Li Dong clinked glasses, Zhang Lanyu continued, "Mr. Li, I heard that Yuanfang is planning major construction in Pingchuan, with an investment of over a hundred million. Is that true?"

Li Dong was cautious about her question, "There is such a plan, but it's not finalized yet."

Zhang Lanyu wasn't bothered and smiled, "Mr. Li, may I ask how long it would take to recoup the cost if you invested a hundred million?"

"About three years," Li Dong answered conservatively. In reality, with the supermarket's current profitability, it would likely take less than two years to break even.

Moreover, this was in Pingchuan, where competition was relatively high. In other cities or counties, Li Dong was confident he could break even within a year.

However, even with this answer, the people in the room were surprised.

Clearly, Li Dong's response was unexpected. Three years meant that with a hundred million investment, Li Dong's annual profit would exceed thirty million.

This level of profit wasn't considered exorbitant but wasn't low either.

In Pingchuan, aside from real estate and state-owned monopolies, few industries could match this performance.

Zhang Lanyu frowned slightly, feeling that today's matter might be complicated.