h4Chapter 696: Chapter 701 Hundred Garden/h4

    Hundred Garden is a garden-style restaurant located in a bustling area with an elegant environment. All the buildings in the restaurant are constructed of bamboo, and interspersed among them are artificial mountains and flowing water, giving diners the feeling of being amidst nature.

    In East Sea City, dining at this restaurant is quite expensive. If it weren’t for the fortunate association with Nanrong Wanqing, Ling Chen himself would have been unwilling to spend money here a hundred times over. He already has a research base to sustain and is stretched thin with financial needs everywhere; he simply doesn’t have the extra money to splurge.

    Arriving at the private room reserved by the other party, Ling Chen opened the door, ushered Nanrong Wanqing in, and then followed closely behind her into the room.

    At this moment, two middle-aged men in their forties or fifties sat in the room, dressed in tailored suits with shiny hair and friendly smiles on their faces that made one feel very at ease.

    Seeing Nanrong Wanqing enter the room with Ling Chen, the two men stood up politely and greeted, "Chairman Nanrong, you finally arrived. Please, have a seat!" As he spoke, one of the men eagerly pulled out a chair and invited Nanrong Wanqing to sit down.

    "There’s no need for such courtesy between us. Since the cooperation deal is settled, we are friends from now on," Nanrong Wanqing responded with polite remarks.

    "Indeed, indeed." In the midst of their conversation, the two men finally shifted their gaze to Ling Chen, scrutinizing him before one of them asked with a smile, "Miss Nanrong, may I ask, who is this gentleman?"

    "My name is Ling Chen," he introduced himself, reaching out his hand, "Wanqing is my girlfriend."

    "So, this is Mr. Ling." The middle-aged man shook Ling Chen’s right hand, his smile growing even brighter, "Mr. Ling, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

    Hearing this, Nanrong Wanqing nced at Ling Chen with surprise and asked, "Do you two know each other from before?"

    Ling Chen shook his head, looking puzzled at the middle-aged man. He was certain he had never seen this man before, so he did not understand the meaning behind his words. With thoughts racing, Ling Chen spoke, "Sir, I think you have mistaken me for someone else; I do not seem to recall knowing you."

    The smile on the middle-aged man’s face remained unchanged as he replied, "What, Mr. Ling doesn’t recognize my voice?" Without waiting for Ling Chen to speak, the man continued, "Never mind! After all, we’ve only spoken over the phone once, so it’s normal for Mr. Ling not to remember me. Let me introduce myself – my surname is Lin, full name Lin Guodong. Now, do you have any impression?"

    Lin Guodong?

    Ling Chen’s expression shifted abruptly, and he swiftly withdrew his hand from Lin Guodong’s grasp, his eyes narrowed with hostility, then he quickly moved to Nanrong Wanqing’s side and shielded her behind him.

    "So, it’s you!" Ling Chen furrowed his brows and said with a stern voice, "Lin Guodong, you’ve got some nerve showing up here. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?"

    Lin Guodong remained seated calmly, smiling as he replied, "Mr. Ling, there’s no need to panic. Ie with no ill intentions this time, just a simple wish to meet you. Also, there is something I would like to discuss with you in earnest. Come, have a seat, don’t stand there." Saying that, Lin Guodong pressed a button on the table. Shortly after, a waiter entered the room.

    "Good evening, may I assist you with anything?"

    "The dishes can be served now, and bring another bottle of red wine."

    "Yes, please wait a moment."

    After the waiter left, Ling Chen nced at Lin Guodong and the other middle-aged man and asked, "What are you really up to?"

    "Nothing really. I just want to have a talk with you. Mr. Ling, please feel at ease. I assure you, nothing untoward will happen tonight. Whether or not wee to an agreement, after a satisfying meal, we will go our separate ways, with no troubles between us."

    "Do you think that’s possible? I’ve been looking for you for so long, and now you’ve delivered yourself to me. Do you really think I’ll let you walk away easily?"

    Lin Guodong smiled faintly: "Mr. Ling, you were once deceived by Lin Jiawei. How can you be sure that I am indeed Lin Guodong? Perhaps I am a stand-in, just like Lin Jiawei. If I were you, I wouldn’t act recklessly until I was certain. Otherwise, it would be no good for anyone."

    Hearing this, Ling Chen fell into hesitation. What Lin Guodong said was not false; although the person imed to be Lin Guodong, he could not be sure. Moreover, he did not know if there were any other God Organization members inside Hundred Garden. Of course, there was also the most important figure, Ji Gang. If it were indeed Lin Guodong in person, Ji Gang would surely provide covert protection to prevent any danger to Lin Guodong.

    With these thoughts, Ling Chen pressed down his internal impulse and took a seat next to Nanrong Wanqing.

    At this moment, Nanrong Wanqing was entirely confused by the dialogue between Ling Chen and Lin Guodong. It was supposed to be her attending this dinner, but as things stood, she was not the protagonist of this meal, Ling Chen was.

    "Ling Chen, who is he?" Nanrong Wanqing couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.

    "Definitely not a good person. Be carefulter, and if anything happens, just run outside. I will ensure your safety," Ling Chen replied, slipping his hand into his pocket and stealthily took out his cell phone, then brought up the camera function.

    At that moment, the waiter pushed the door open and came in with the food cart. As a variety of delicious dishes were set on the table, Ling Chen cautiously lifted his cell phone’s camera above and surreptitiously took a photo of Lin Guodong’s face.

    With the photo captured, Ling Chen immediatelyposed two text messages and sent them out.

    "Mr. Ling, here’s to an infrequent meeting. Let’s have a toast."

    Seeing Lin Guodong raising his ss, Ling Chen put away his phone and responded indifferently, "No need for that. I’m not in the mood for wine today. Let’s talk business instead, to avoid wasting everyone’s time."

    "Alright," Lin Guodong nodded and said, "Since Mr. Ling is so forthright, I’ll get straight to the point – I think... you should know what I want."

    "Lin Jiawei," Ling Chen uttered three words.

    "Exactly. I know that Lin Jiawei is in your hands, and I hope you can return him to me."

    "And if I say no?"

    "Then I have no other choice but to prepare a coffin for him. However, Mr. Ling, I hope you think it through. Even if you don’t consider for yourself, think of yourdy. We are now in a partnership with Hongyu Group, contracts have been signed, and we will inevitably deal with each other in the future. If something were to happen then, don’t me me for not having warned you."

    Ling Chen’s face darkened as he retorted sharply, "Are you threatening me?"

    "No, no, that’s not what I mean. I just want to give you a friendly reminder. Besides, if Chairman Nanrong breaks the contract, there would be a substantial penalty fee to pay. Mr. Ling, you wouldn’t want yourdy to suffer losses for nothing, would you?"