"Excuse me, sir, please do not disturb the guests while they are dining," the waiter said to Zhou Ze as soon as he heard Li Yang speak.
Especially since Tang Xinyu was a regular here, the waiter looked at Zhou Ze with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Many people around also looked over, whispering amongst themselves.
This made Zhou Ze think they were mocking him. His face immediately turned crimson, and his eyes seemed to spew fire as he glared at Li Yang and said, "I like to flaunt my Rolls-Royce car keys, what business is it of yours?"
"On the other hand, you, dressed like that, are the real poor and pretentious swindler, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid you don't even own an ordinary car, let alone a Rolls-Royce?"
"Fine, even if you have a Rolls-Royce. But is a Rolls-Royce that impressive?" Li Yang asked with a chuckle.
Zhou Ze said disdainfully, "Broke bum, do you know how much a Rolls-Royce costs? Let me tell you, this one of mine ended up costing over ten million!"
"Oh, so it's only a little over ten million? I thought it was much more, you scared me to death," Li Yang said with a mocking smile, then opened a box on the table.
Everyone immediately saw a gemstone emitting a vibrant green luster inside. Some who recognized it exclaimed in amazement, "It's jade!"
"It's just a gemstone. Compared to my Rolls-Royce, it's nowhere near as impressive," Zhou Ze sneered.
As soon as he said this, before Li Yang could even speak, a guest at a nearby table stood up and said coldly, "You idiot! Are you blind? This gentleman's jade is no ordinary piece; it's Imperial Green!"
"So what?" Zhou Ze sneered.
At this, many people in the venue burst into laughter, "Haha, what does he say?"
"Truly ignorant and ridiculous!"
"You fool, go search it up. Tell us how much even a small piece of Imperial Green jade costs!"
"Exactly. With such excellent quality, this piece of Imperial Green wouldn't be sold for less than eighty million."
"Eighty million?"
Zhou Ze's expression changed drastically. He stared at the Imperial Green jade in front of Li Yang, disbelieving, and blurted out, "How can a piece of rock be worth so much? How is that possible!"
"You must all be in cahoots to trick me!"
"Do you think everyone is a swindler like you?" Li Yang said with amusement. "If you don't believe me, you can check it on your phone. It's the 21st century; surely your phone is connected to the internet?"
"You, you..." Seeing how confident he was, Zhou Ze knew without even checking that this gemstone was likely worth at least eighty million, just as everyone said.
He gritted his teeth, let out a muffled groan, and said, "Hmph, a bunch of spendthrifts. It's just a piece of rock, and you're willing to spend so much money on it. The buyer is truly foolish."
"Your so-called Rolls-Royce is, in essence, just a hunk of metal, isn't it? And the longer you use it, the more likely it is to break down. My Imperial Green can be passed down permanently, undecayed for thousands or tens of thousands of years," Li Yang said with a chuckle. "If the person buying the Imperial Green is foolish, then aren't you utterly foolish?"
"You," Zhou Ze gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, someone walked over, looked at Zhou Ze for a few moments, and immediately frowned, "Secretary Zhou, why are you here?"
"Secretary Zhou?" Many people present immediately looked at the newcomer, their faces filled with confusion.
Li Yang also looked over. He saw that the newcomer was a young man, somewhat portly, but considerably thinner than his childhood friend Zhao Chen.
Moreover, this man's attire was much more refined than Zhao Chen's. His shirt and pants were sewn from fine Song brocade, and his ten fingers were adorned with only one jade ring. The precious metal setting for the ring made the luster of this Imperial Green jade ring even more captivating.
It was clear that this person's background was extraordinary.
Zhou Ze turned and saw him, his face suddenly changed drastically, and he said nervously, "Young Master Tian, why are you in a place like this?"
"Why, do I need to report to you where I come?" Young Master Tian frowned and said, "I'm asking you, what are you doing here?"
"I, I came to eat. I've finished now and am leaving," Zhou Ze said in a flustered manner.
As he spoke, he tried to leave.
Young Master Tian's face sank, and he stared at him, saying, "Stop right there! If you don't clarify things, you won't be working for my family's company anymore."
"Young Master Tian!" Zhou Ze's face turned pale, and he quickly said, "I really came to eat."
"No need to say more, I can ask others the same thing," Young Master Tian snorted, his gaze shifting to Li Yang. "Sir, this is my father's secretary. I saw just now that you seemed to be discussing something. May I know what exactly happened?"
"Oh, so he's a secretary." Li Yang smiled and said, "In that case, his claim that the Rolls-Royce he was showing off was his father's car, right?"
"Secretary Zhou, you're saying my father's car is yours?" Young Master Tian's eyes immediately flashed with cold light as he questioned Zhou Ze.
Zhou Ze immediately shouted, "No, I didn't say that just now! Young Master Tian, this kid has a grudge against me and is deliberately framing me."
"I'm framing you?"
Li Yang said with amusement, "Young Master Tian, if you don't believe me, you can ask everyone present. What exactly did he say just now?"
"That's exactly what he said!" Everyone present immediately chimed in, "This guy was harassing someone's girlfriend. When she ignored him, he tried all sorts of ways to belittle her and elevate himself."
"To think that after all that, the car wasn't even his. How shameless."
"Exactly, what a scoundrel!"
"Anyone who hires someone like this as a secretary is simply harming themselves."
"Shut up, all of you, shut up!" Zhou Ze screamed. "Young Master Tian, they're all in it together. Please don't believe anything they say."
"I understand. From now on, you are no longer my father's secretary," Young Master Tian said coldly. To think that things have come to this point, and he still shows no remorse, attempting to deceive him. Truly a damned wretch!
Zhou Ze's face turned ashen. "No, you can't fire me. I am your father's secretary; only he can fire me."
"I can handle this matter," Young Master Tian said with a cold face. "Zhou Ze, if you continue to pester and be unreasonable, don't blame me for being impolite."
"You, yes." Zhou Ze's expression changed, but he eventually became scared.
Although Young Master Tian was not a villain, he certainly had his methods for dealing with people. Moreover, given his status and position, he wouldn't even need to act personally; there would be plenty of people willing to help him.
Young Master Tian said, "Aren't you going to give me the car keys?"