OFR – Chapter 284 What is cold, what is king! (Part 1)

At 11:30 in the morning, when the Huanzijin banquet officially began, all twelve seats on the second floor of Zijin Pavilion were already occupied and arranged in order.

On the left-hand row, the first seat was occupied by Young Master Nalan Yun, the second by Chen Yunzhi, and the third by Qing Yancheng. Since Dongfang Jing and Mu Bai arrived late, they sat in the last seats.

At this moment, the first person on the right-hand row, directly facing Nalan Yun, caught Mu Bai slightly off guard.

Because that person was none other than the young man driving the Pagani Huayra he had encountered the day before at the gate of Huanzijin Villas.

He hadn’t expected that young man to actually be Rong Qingwen, the direct eldest son of the Rong family.

And at this moment, Rong Qingwen clearly noticed him as well.

As their eyes met, a trace of surprise flickered in Rong Qingwen’s usually calm and in-control expression.

It seemed that he too hadn’t expected that the boy he had passed by yesterday would now be sitting so prominently across from him today.

After a moment, Rong Qingwen looked at the handsome youth before him, seemingly having deduced his identity. A warm smile appeared on his otherwise composed face as he said, “Brother Leng, hello. We meet again.”

“Mm, hello, Young Master Rong. Indeed, fate seems to have brought us together,” Mu Bai replied with a soft but courteous tone.

To be honest, Mu Bai didn’t care much about who Rong Qingwen was.

Because no matter who it was, today, he was destined to be on the opposing side.

And it seemed Rong Qingwen understood this as well.

Sure enough, after just a couple of polite remarks, the two withdrew their gazes.

Currently, the left row led by Nalan Yun only had five people—five individuals ranked among the top ten richest in Nanjing. This group represented the most powerful elite faction in the city.

But on Rong Qingwen’s right-hand row, there were seven people.

Something no one had expected.

Even Nalan Yun’s eyes showed a rare trace of heaviness and coldness when he saw that Yu Youxiong, Li Shaofeng, Pu Erwen, and Wen Liangyu had all taken Rong Qingwen’s side.

Yes, Nalan Yun had never imagined that, despite the Nalan family’s many years of groundwork in Nanjing, they still couldn’t match up in numbers against the suddenly appearing Rong family.

It was almost ironic.

Nalan Yun gave a soft, cold chuckle and said,
“Heh, Chairman Yu, Young Master Li, President Pu, Chairman Wen, Young Master Feng—it’s been a long time. I remember the last time we met two years ago, we were still exchanging warm pleasantries. Who would’ve thought that when we met again today, we’d be seated on opposing sides?”

At this moment, Nalan Yun felt a chill in his heart, and a bit of anger.

Because the reason that Yu Youxiong, Li Shaofeng, Pu Erwen, and others had managed to thrive in Nanjing—and even across southern China—was due to the Nalan family’s long-standing philosophy of “let a hundred flowers bloom.”

They had never intentionally suppressed or bullied any enterprise.

They always upheld fair competition as their principle.

Otherwise, how could those companies have grown under the watchful eyes of the Nalan family to their current strength?

As for why the Nalan family didn’t use the underhanded commercial tactics employed by some others?

It wasn’t for any strategic reason—it was simply because they used to be royalty, who once ruled and owned this vast land.

They had the confidence and pride to rise without using tricks like suppression, acquisition, or exploitation.

Perhaps, in times of peace, this philosophy by the elder generation of the Nalan family was effective.

But now that a formidable enemy had arrived—and with massive commercial interests at stake—this idealistic stance had become a clear liability.

Those who once smiled warmly, even fawningly, had now turned around to stand boldly on the opposing side.

This made Nalan Yun feel, more than ever, that the Nalan family’s soft approach had been a grave mistake.

If not for their excessive kindness, fairness, and low-key demeanor, where would these companies find the courage to challenge them?

From the beginning, Nalan Yun had always believed in:
“If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. If they do, I’ll strike back tenfold.”

It was an aggressive mindset.

But because of this philosophy, Nalan Yun had never been fully trusted or utilized by the Nalan family elders, despite having ample influence, connections, and wealth.

It was also the reason he had not yet become a core member of the family.

Still, Nalan Yun always did things his own way.

And regarding today’s conflict with the Rong family, the elders had already made it clear—they would neither intervene nor offer support.

But Nalan Yun thought, regardless of aid, since someone had already declared war, since someone was stomping on the face of the Nalan family—on his face—with impunity…

If he backed down now, not just others, but even he himself would look down on himself.

So in this confrontation—win or lose—he would make every provocateur pay the heaviest price!

With that in mind, the calm and gentle look in Nalan Yun’s eyes began to turn cold and sharp.

This chilling gaze swept the room, and even those like Yu Youxiong, Li Shaofeng, Pu Erwen, and Wen Liangyu—seated on the opposing side—clearly felt it.

They realized that this young man from the Nalan family had finally shed his mask of gentleness and revealed the arrogance, wildness, and unrestrained ambition buried deep within him.

Then came his voice—firm and sharp:

“Welcome, Young Master Rong, to the Huanzijin Banquet.

I, Nalan Yun, shall be the first to question you.

From the capital, you’ve come a thousand miles—what exactly do you intend to teach us?”

Though phrased as a welcome, his words were already laced with blades.

Everyone at the banquet—whether the other eleven guests or the watching wealthy spectators below—could feel a storm brewing over the Zijin Pavilion.

Right after that voice fell, the usually reserved and mysterious Chen Yunzhi raised his head slightly and spoke calmly:

“Welcome, Young Master Rong, to the Huanzijin Banquet.

I, Chen Yunzhi, second to question you.

Nanjing is the ancient capital of six kingdoms—can your Rong family’s alliance swallow it whole?”

Following the left-hand seating order, each person spoke in turn:

“Welcome, Young Master Rong, to the Huanzijin Banquet.

I, Qing Yancheng, third to question you.

Nanjing is a land of talent, and its commercial structure has long been set—do you not fear being destroyed in your reckless upheaval?”

“Welcome, Young Master Rong, to the Huanzijin Banquet.

I, Dongfang Jing, fourth to question you.

The Rong family has reemerged from the shadows—what is your true purpose?”

Finally, it was Mu Bai’s voice—clear and slightly magnetic—which echoed.

His tone caused many of the well-groomed and highly cultured elites below to involuntarily lift their heads.

A rare sense of shock stirred in many hearts.