, we've invited some renowned traditional Chinese medicine experts from deep sea areas to adjust his body!"The doctors by the door nodded as soon as they saw Zhang Dahan looking at them and hurriedly...Chapter 683: Cruise Boat

"Haha, Director Liu, you've arrived! Please come aboard quickly; everything is ready!" The man at the bow of the boat laughed heartily as he greeted Liu Yong after stepping off the vessel.

"Hehe, Mr. Song, I'm really sorry to trouble you so late!" Upon hearing the man's words, Liu Yong chuckled and replied.

"Director Liu is being too polite!" This man said with a forced smile when he heard Liu Yong's words, then looked at Wang Chengzhi and Xiao Yu beside him.

The young man on his left seemed familiar to him, but the other one was a stranger. However, this did not bother him much since these people came out for dinner with Director Liu who had contacted them, their status naturally being lower than Liu Yong's.

Moreover, he basically knew all the rich young masters in Hangzhou, and clearly, these two were not from among those Hangzhou elites. Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to them.

This man was Song Yuanchao, manager of Loutailou restaurant. When he received Liu Yong's call earlier, he did not dare to slack off because there were people on the other boat as well. Thus, he couldn’t leave work, whether it meant operating one or two boats; it was also an opportunity for him to do someone a favor.

Though multiple people could dine in the houseboats during the day, when they closed shop at night and these high-ranking officials came, they usually arrived alone on their own boat.

This was because what they ate wasn’t just food but an opportunity to showcase their status.

Hangzhou being a vice-provincial city and provincial capital, coupled with its richness, made it naturally home to numerous nobles. The houseboats by West Lake were unique features of Hangzhou, thus making them ideal venues for hosting guests.

However, as this place was also a scenic area visited by tourists from all over the country, it wasn’t suitable for those top-level officials to entertain guests daily; hence these boats would be used mostly by their family and friends.

Song Yuanchao led the way in front and let Xiao Yu and others onto the boat.

After getting on the boat, Xiao Yu and Wang Chengzhi felt a sense of relief. The entire boat was open from bow to stern with two tables set up inside. There was also a carved wooden screen dividing the space into two areas for dining; finely crafted with vivid images, it could serve as an artwork display or an activity partition when needed. In front of the screen, there were replicas of dragon thrones made of wood and carved in the style of the Qing emperor Qianlong.

“It's said that what’s most famous here isn’t these West Lake features but the Qianlong Banquet,” Wang Chengzhi whispered to Xiao Yu as they entered the cabin.

Wang Chengzhi had also stayed in Hangzhou for a considerable period, but he never dined here. On one hand, he didn't want to rely on his family's influence; on the other, he was very low-key. Only the real high-level officials of Hangzhou knew about Wang Chengzhi.

As Xiao Yu and his group were seated in a boat, enjoying the local delicacies of West Lake while cruising on it to admire its scenic beauty, there was something quite unique about this experience.

Xiao Yu's boat continued to glide slowly over the West Lake, with the scenery outside changing constantly, making them feel very comfortable and relaxed.

Liu Yong was after all a secretary and an official. His presence brought much liveliness to their conversation as he narrated various anecdotes about the lake, prompting even the usually taciturn Xiao Yu to occasionally burst into laughter.

Just as they were chatting, Xiao Yu's expression suddenly changed, displaying one of shock. He abruptly stood up and quickly walked towards the bow of the boat to look at the water surface.

The night sky made West Lake appear pitch black; nothing could be seen clearly on the waters' surface. However, Xiao Yu sensed a massive creature beneath the surface emitting an eerie aura, which was not stationary but swiftly heading toward a shore closely hugging the mountain's base.

Xiao Yu watched as this massive creature swam away into the distance; soon it left his perceptual range.

"What could this thing possibly be" Xiao Yu stood at the bow of the boat, pondering to himself where the colossal creature had disappeared to.

He had attempted to probe with his perception when he first noticed the massive creature. But as soon as he extended his senses into the water, a sense of danger suddenly emerged in his mind without any warning signs, causing him to quickly retract his perception.

"Fourth Brother, what's wrong What happened"

"Yeah, Xiao Brother, what happened"

When Xiao Yu quickly rushed out, Wang Chengzhi and Liu Yong who were inside the boat drinking and chatting were initially taken aback. After a moment, they realized something must have occurred, so they hurriedly followed him outside to see Xiao Yu standing at the bow and asked anxiously.

"Oh Ha-ha, nothing's wrong! I probably drank too much; I thought there was a shadowy figure on the bow. When I came out, it turned out to be nothing!"

"Oh, hehe, so that's how it is! Xiao brother doesn't drink much alcohol. Only half a catty and he's already drunk. He needs to practice more, you know A man should have good drinking capacity!"

When Liu Yong heard Xiao Yu's words, without suspecting anything amiss, he chuckled mockingly at him.

Wang Chengzhi was different; he looked at Xiao Yu in puzzlement. He knew Xiao Yu's drinking ability well, and half a catty of alcohol wouldn't affect him—let alone one and a half catties!

However, Wang Chengzhi understood that there must be a reason for what Xiao Yu said, so he didn't expose it but instead frowned.

"Come on, come on, let's go drink!" Seeing that nothing was wrong with Xiao Yu, Liu Yong called out. After saying this, the three of them went back into the cabin to continue drinking.

"Director Liu, this... " The three of them sat down in the cabin again, but after just a moment, Song Yuanchao came from the rear cabin and looked at Liu Yong with an expression of wanting to say something yet hesitating.

"General Manager Song, is there anything you can't say" Upon seeing Song Yuanchao's appearance, Director Liu's originally smiling face instantly turned into a formal expression as he said.

"Director Liu, this... today I really offended your feelings. The son of the provincial governor wants to have dinner here and we must vacate a ship for him. This... We cannot offend the provincial governor's son! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I will definitely come over to apologize!"

Hearing Director Liu's words and seeing his expression, Song Yuanchao gave a bitter smile; he knew that this time he had offended Director Liu badly, but he still had to say it. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Song Yuanchao began saying apologetically:

"Hmph! General Manager Song, if you can't offend him, does that mean you can offend me" Upon hearing Song Yuanchao's words, Director Liu's face changed and he coldly snorted.

Director Liu looked extremely unhappy now. If Song Yuanchao said this, it meant not giving him any face at all! Furthermore, in front of the son of Secretary Wang and Xiao Yu; sometimes he represented Wang Jun, so offending his face would be like offending Wang Jun's face.

In addition, this provincial governor was the vice-provincial governor of Zhejiang Province. In three months' time, the old provincial governor of Zhejiang would retire, and both Wang Jun and this vice-provincial governor were strong contenders for the position of provincial governor. If he was forced off the boat by the son of this vice-provincial governor at this moment, not only would he be unable to make a living in the future, but even Wang Jun's face would be offended.

Therefore, after hearing Song Yuanchao's words, Director Liu had no intention of yielding.

"Director Liu, please help us! You see, we can't offend either side, but... The son of the provincial governor..."

After hearing Liu Yong's words, Song Yuanchao's expression became even more bitter. However, he had no choice; this Young Master Wu Provincial Governor was a person who would never forget an insult and repay it tenfold. Moreover, Liu Yong was merely the secretary to the市委書記 (Party Secretary), and since the two people he invited for dinner were strangers to him, they assumed that Song Yuanchao's invitation was in his personal capacity. Furthermore, Young Master Wu Provincial Governor's status was not something that a mere secretary like Liu Yong could match. Considering these factors, he could only offend Liu Yong.

"Hahaha, what if I don't want to let you" Without looking at Song Yuanchao, Liu Yong lightly tapped the table with his fingers and sneered.

"No! Director Liu, I know it's my mistake today. Tomorrow, I will definitely visit your place! Please do me a favor!"

After hearing Liu Yong’s words, Song Yuanchao seemed on the verge of tears as he repeatedly bowed and prostrated himself before Liu Yong.

Xiao Yu saw Wang Chengzhi drinking tea silently without saying anything, which puzzled him. Wang Chengzhi wasn't someone who liked to make things difficult for others! What was going on now

However, seeing Song Yuanchao's plight, Xiao Yu felt a pang of compassion and, noticing that Wang Chengzhi didn't intend to speak up either, he said: "Brother Liu, forget it. We've had enough to eat anyway, let’s go."

The moment Xiao Yu spoke, Wang Chengzhi pulled him back. Although Wang Chengzhi wasn’t involved in politics, he understood the reason behind Liu Yong's actions and thus didn't speak up. Upon hearing Xiao Yu’s words, he reached out to stop him.

Xiao Yu felt puzzled when he was held back by Wang Chengzhi and looked at him questioningly. However, Wang Chengzhi shook his head silently without speaking a word.

Upon seeing Xiao Yu start talking on Song Yuanchao's behalf, the latter initially flashed a grateful look towards Xiao Yu but, upon noticing that Xiao Yu was being held back by another young man, his expression turned even more bitter.

Knowing that Xiao Yu was amiable and willing to speak up for him, Song Yuanchao quickly bowed before him again.

Sighing helplessly at Song Yuanchao's actions, Xiao Yu said, "Brother Liu, Brother Two, let’s go. It’s pointless making things difficult for a businessman."

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Wang Chengzhi shook his head bitterly and stood up.

Faced with this situation, Liu Yong had no choice but to stand up as well. When they left the cabin, they found that their boat was gradually approaching the shore.

Seeing Song Yuanchao maneuvering the boat to the shore without seeking permission from them, his already gloomy expression darkened further, and he glared at him fiercely. roar, he swung his fist with force towards Xiao Yu's head. Xiao Yu simply blocked it casually with his palm as it approached."Bang……" A dull sound came from where their fist and hand met. The man who...