Chapter 397 - Industry Association

Chapter 397 Industry Association

Since he managed to rescue the three Magic Mosquito eggs in time, and found that their vitality was still stable, Ding Ning was finally relieved.

He turned around and said to Halidan, apologetically, “Third Brother, I destroyed your beeswax in an emergency, I will compensate you when I come back.”

“What are you talking about? It’s only a piece of beeswax. It’s nothing important, so don’t mention it anymore.”

Halidan waved his hand indifferently. For him, the beeswax was just a plaything, and it was not a big deal that it had been destroyed.

But Ding Ning did not want to end it in this way, and he took out a charm made of red coral. “Third Brother, I will compensate you with this.”

“This is a magic weapon!”

Bai Qing suddenly opened his eyes wide, and shrieked.

Halidan was all set to reject the gift, but he took it when he heard what Bai Qing said. “This is what Fourth Brother has given to me, you should not think about taking it.”

“You are so mean. I just want to take a look. Can’t I take a look?”

Bai Qing stared intently at the charm, drooling with envy. He had met many so-called masters, but none of the magic weapons they made was comparable to Halidan’s charm, in purity and density.

“Is this really a magic weapon? Fourth Brother, can this make one’s eyes brighter and one’s mind clearer?”

Halidan was so happy as he asked Ding Ning, with a beaming face.

Seeing that Bai Qing and Prince Hengli were staring at him in anticipation, Ding Ning laughed inwardly and explained, “This is a Talisman Charm. You should wear it and never take it off because its function is to make you calm and strong, and can drive away all evil powers. If you encounter a situation whereby someone like the previous Gu master wants to put the Gu in you again, the charm will start working automatically and drive away the Gu insect, and the Gu master will also be hurt by his own magic.”

“Great, with this Talisman Charm, I will never need to worry about being murdered, again.”

Halidan clutched the Talisman Charm tightly in surprise, and put it around his neck happily. Since Zhai Fang had put the Gu in him before, he had become quite afraid of dark magic. Now with the Talisman Charm, he felt completely relieved.

“Fourth Brother, anyway, I am still the Big Brother, you can’t be so partial.”

Like a young wife who had been bullied, Prince Hengli looked at Ding Ning in resentment, as he spoke awkwardly in the Shenzhou language.

“Right, anyway, I am your second brother, and you can’t favor one more than another.”

Bai Qing had to dismiss his nonchalant attitude as he looked at Ding Ning in anticipation and said this.

Ding Ning thought it was so funny. When he took out the charm, he had foreseen that such a reaction would occur, so how could he favor one more than another.

He said in his mind, “Sorry, Nuonuo, Xiaoyao, and Yanran. I have to give the Talisman Charms I made for you to them first, but I will make new ones for you when I go back.”

After returning Hengli’s jade piece, he took out two more Talisman Charms, gave one to each of them, and said sulkily, “These are for you. One person, one piece. Take them.”

“Haha, I also have a Talisman Charm.”

Prince Hengli was overjoyed, held the Talisman Charm, and smiled till his eyes narrowed into slits.

Bai Qing’s eyes glinted in surprise, and he praised, “Fourth Brother, your gifts are quite expensive. I guess these red coral are the best and really priceless.”

Ding Ning did not comment and only smiled indifferently, but he said in his mind, “You are wrong. The best red coral is not 1/10,000 as precious as my mutated red coral.”

In Ding Ning’s eyes, the mutated red coral was the real priceless treasure. Since it could be used as an anti-rejection drug, it was much more valuable than the best red coral.

“I won’t take any of your stuff without payment, but I guess you are not short of money. Let’s do it this way: Take this card, and when you show it at any of my family’s businesses, you will not be charged for anything you want.”

After thinking for a short while, Bai Qing took out a platinum card and handed it to Ding Ning, but when he found that Ding Ning was all ready to refuse, he said seriously, “If you don’t accept it, that would mean that you are looking down on me.”

“Well, let me keep it.”

Ding Ning knew that what a person like Bai Qing was afraid of most was owing somebody something, but when he thought that even if he accepted the card, he could choose not to show it at his family’s businesses, so he accepted it directly.

“That’s the right decision!”

Bai Qing looked at his watch and clapped his hands. “It’s auction time, and I have to go and watch it. Do you all want to take a look?”

“I do want to go, but it does not seem right for me to go. If I am recognized, the publicity will not be good for our royal family.”

Prince Hengli said this a little gloomily.

“Right, I joined our Alianqiu Business Delegation secretly, in order to come to Shenzhou to see the doctor. If I am recognized, it will not be good, either.”

Halidan wanted to take a look because he had been lying low for so long, but thinking of his special status, he had to refuse regretfully.

Ding Ning thought about it and said with a small smile, “This is just a piece of cake. As long as no one recognizes you, it will not be a problem.”

“You have a plan?”

Hengli’s eyes glinted, and he looked at Ding Ning, hoping to have a try. It seemed that this guy could not keep quiet, either.

“It is just a small matter. There is a unique skill called transfiguration in our Shenzhou state. Now, let me change your appearances.”

Any observant person would still be able to find many flaws in the transfiguration if he were to look closely, but now for Halidan and Hengli, this was the most suitable way, because no one knew that the two princes were already in Shenzhou. In addition, no one would think that the two guys would change their appearances.

Ten minutes later, Hengli and Halidan stared at each other, shouting in surprise at the same time, “Shenzhou is really fantastic. This is brilliant.”

Bai Qing only smiled, but did not utter a word. With his identity, he also had many employees who knew the art of transfiguration. Although Ding Ning’s transfiguration was a little better, his acquaintances might still find some flaws in it.

Prince Hengli’s brown curly hair became straight and black, his blue eyes turned black, his face which somewhat resembled a baby’s, became a little longer, and the distance between his eyebrows had also been widened. He looked like someone who was of a mixed race.

And it was even easier to transform Halidan. Since Alabo people and Shenzhou people did not differ largely in appearance, he seemed to have changed into another person merely by dressing casually.

When they left the room, even Ha No. 1 and the other three bodyguards did not recognize their princes and looked at them with confusion. “When did these outsiders go into the room? How come we were not aware of that?”

After Halidan’s explanation, the four bodyguards suddenly understood and looked at Ding Ning in amazement. They travelled from country to country all the time, and had heard of transfiguration, but they had never really seen it. Now, they finally witnessed it firsthand.

Ding Ning did not want to attract the attention of the others, so he went downstairs first, and joined the wine party to look for his sister.

Soon, Ding Dianlie, who looked very conspicuous in a black dress, caught his eyes. The corner of his mouth curved and he was about to greet her, when his face suddenly became dark with anger.

Ding Qianlie nearly exploded due to her mounting anger. She knew the big-nose Yingguo man liked her, but since she had been pursued countless times by others, she was confident that she could deal with it by using some smart strategies. She would not allow William to defile her, and would reach the goal of securing the loan.

But she never expected that although she was the Chairwoman of Longteng Group, William still boldly collaborated with the senior managers from the different banks and the wealthy local businessmen, to get her to drink in turn, by using all kinds of excuses. The evil idea was so disgusting.

“I have heard that the Chairwoman Ding of Longteng Group is not only beautiful, but is also a renowned business goddess in Ninghai. Unfortunately, she always stays at home and does not like showing up in public, so it’s hard for me, Zhu Chang’an, to catch a glimpse of her beautiful face.”

A pot-bellied, bald, middle-aged man carried a cup of wine and said unhappily, “No matter what, our meeting is predestined. I think Chairwoman Ding will honor me.”

“General Manager Zhu, I’m sorry, I’m not good at drinking, and I can’t drink anymore.”

Ding Qianlie’s cheeks turned pink, and she declined politely.

“Chairwoman Ding, this is your fault. General Manager Zhu is the Vice-chairman of our Ninghai Real Estate Industry Association. If you don’t drink when he toasts you in person, wouldn’t he be losing face?”

Dressed in a branded outfit, a short, skinny, pompous-looking boss chided her unhappily.

“Right. Longteng Group is developing fast, but it is still in Ninghai. Chairwoman Ding, if you offend Chairman Zhu, that will not be good.”

A middle-aged man, who was dressed like a successful person, seemed to be coaxing her kindly, but anyone could hear the underlying threat in his words.

“Chairwoman Ding, I have introduced a group of business partners to you. If you don’t accord me such an honor, I won’t be able to face the others.”

Pride appeared and vanished in the eyes of the hook-nosed William. Ding Qianlie was the woman whom he wanted to bed at first sight. When all the banks in Ninghai refused her application, he pretended to help her by giving her a loan, but he had never given her the final confirmation, because he had been waiting for her to submit and allow him to do whatever he wanted to her.

These businessmen were all top real estate bosses in Ninghai. After Hongda Real Estate was investigated into and went bankrupt, they wanted to share some profits from the Fuxing Road Old Area, but they were ruthlessly rejected by Ding Qianlie, Now they worked together to make a scene, forcing Ding Qianlie to submit.

They had reached an agreement with William. After bedding Ding Qianlie, William would give her a loan according to the agreement, but the condition was that the development of the Fuxing Road Old Area must be subcontracted to them, with a subcontract signed under their conditions.

They dared to do this confidently, because their actions had the support of the fatty Zhu Chang’an, who was not only the Vice-chairman of Ninghai Real Estate Industry Association, but also the brother-in-law of the Vice-director of Ninghai Municipal Construction Committee. With this backer, he enjoyed an extremely high prestige among the Ninghai real estate businesspeople, and not many people dared to turn him down.

Helplessness appeared and vanished from Ding Qianlie’s eyes. Although the team members of Longteng Group were all industry elites that she had invited from abroad and were qualified in corporate management and personal abilities, they also had great disadvantages: They were too young and too arrogant; most of them had received a Western education, and had no knowledge of the situation of Shenzhou, and they stressed high efficiency in doing anything. They were impersonal, and turned up their noses more at the table manners of Shenzhou, think that it was a waste of time and life.

Thus, they would involuntarily have a domineering superiority when negotiating deals with their business partners, making many partners dissatisfied. For them, building human relationships was difficult.

The development company affiliated with Longteng Group could not handle the banks, so she herself, the Chairwoman of the Board, had to come forward to build ties, hoping to get the loan.

Although she wanted to spill the red wine in her hand on the face of Chairman Zhu, with a flirtatious smile, she knew that she could not be too impulsive.

Ninghai was a city which did not like outsiders. If Longteng Group wanted to have a foothold in Ninghai, it could not avoid working with the Industry Association.

In fact, the Industry Association could not force the companies to do anything. It had made Ninghai’s local real estate developers become one body, so offending them was equal to offending all the local real estate developers in Ninghai.

Even if the project of the Fuxing Road Old Area could get their loan in time and start on schedule, if the Industry Association deliberately worked against Longteng Group, the suppliers of cement, stone, yellow sand, steel bars and other building materials would make trouble once the Association gave them hints. Then, the development would not go smoothly.