Chapter 047 【Refusing to Cooperate】

Gu Feng really hadn't expected that the beautiful Zhou Tong in the hall was the big star she is today. In fact, Gu Feng didn't follow the entertainment industry; his leisure time was spent studying military magazines.

If it were Wu Xue in Gu Feng's shoes at that moment, she would have been incredibly excited to see Zhou Tong, because Zhou Tong was Wu Xue's favorite singer. The same would go for Lin Jiaying—Zhou Tong was her favorite female singer, up there with Jay Chou.

Gu Feng wasn't the least bit curious about Zhou Tong's presence at the Ling residence. It was widely known that Hong Kong's entertainment industry and triad societies had very close ties. As one of Hong Kong's Underworld Godfathers, Ling Yongbing owned several entertainment companies, and Zhou Tong was likely one of the stars under his management.

Ling Yongbing's study wasn't large, furnished with two bookshelves filled with many books. Unlike other wealthy people, Ling Yongbing seemed to have actually read the books on his shelves—they weren't brand new.

The walls of the study were adorned with many valuable calligraphy scrolls and paintings, one of which was even by a master painter from Europe.

Ling Yongbing sat in a wooden chair behind the desk and waved a hand to Gu Feng, saying, "Mr. Gu, please have a seat."

Gu Feng calmly sat on the nearby sofa, still sitting upright with his head held high, as if that was his perpetual posture.

"Mr. Gu, what kind of tea do you usually prefer? I'll have the maid brew some for you," Ling Yongbing asked with a smile.

"Any tea is fine," Gu Feng replied calmly, showing not a hint of fear despite Ling Yongbing being a Hong Kong Underworld Godfather.

"Oh?" Ling Yongbing was somewhat surprised by Gu Feng's answer. After all, in his experience, people who like tea usually had a preferred variety, much like smokers who are loyal to a particular brand of cigarettes.

Despite his surprise, Ling Yongbing gave a wave to the maid at the door and said, "Brew two cups of Mingqian Longjing tea."

Longjing tea is categorized into three types based on its origin: Shifeng Longjing, Meiwu Longjing, and West Lake Longjing. It was first produced during the Song Dynasty and became more popular in the Ming Dynasty. Longjing tea harvested before Qingming Festival is called "Mingqian," while that harvested before Guyu is called "Yuqian." There's a saying: "Yuqian is of superior quality, Mingqian is a treasure." When brewing Longjing tea, one can see the buds standing upright, the tea liquor clear and fragrant, with the one bud and one leaf, commonly known as "one flag, one spear," being the finest grade.

By serving Gu Feng Mingqian Longjing, Ling Yongbing's attitude toward him was unmistakable.

Although Gu Feng was curious about Ling Yongbing's attitude, he didn't press the matter and simply waited quietly for Ling Yongbing to speak first.

Ling Yongbing was, after all, an extraordinary figure. Instead of getting straight to the point about why he had asked Gu Feng to come, he casually chatted with him about Ling Wei's experiences at school.

Soon, the maid brought the brewed tea to both of them.

Gu Feng didn't stand on ceremony. After accepting the tea, a fragrant aroma hit his nose. Instead of following the tea ceremony's method of first smelling the tea, he directly took a sip.

This detail caught Ling Yongbing's eye, causing him to frown slightly. Compared to Gu Feng, Ling Yongbing's way of drinking tea was much more professional and elegant. However, he didn't realize that for Gu Feng, the purpose of drinking tea wasn't to savor it but to calm his mind.

"I've heard about your incident with Dong Xing Gang's Xiang Tianhua," Ling Yongbing said slowly as he set down his teacup. "Earlier, I didn't know your background and suggested you leave Hong Kong. I must have given you a good laugh."

Gu Feng understood that Ling Yongbing had meant well at the time, so he smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Ling, you're too kind."

"Although Xiang Tianhua won't continue to trouble you because of Mr. Qiao, based on my understanding of him, when the time is ripe, he will likely still come after you," Ling Yongbing stared intently at Gu Feng. "After all, you put one of his capable subordinates out of action."

Seeing Ling Yongbing steer the conversation toward the main topic, Gu Feng perked up, frowned, and glanced at Ling Yongbing. "Mr. Ling, I believe you didn't call me here today just to remind me of that. I prefer to get straight to the point when doing things. If you have something to say, please speak directly."

Gu Feng's words made Ling Yongbing look at him with newfound admiration. He smiled and nodded, saying, "To be frank, Mr. Gu, I asked you here today because I want to cooperate with you."

"Cooperate?" Gu Feng narrowed his eyes and looked at Ling Yongbing. "You want me to cooperate with you to deal with Xiang Tianhua?"

Ling Yongbing nodded straightforwardly, then stared intently at Gu Feng, his expression slightly expectant. Over the past two days, Dong Xing and Red Star Gang had engaged in a series of fights, with both sides suffering significant losses. Compared to Dong Xing, Red Star Gang's losses were more severe. Dong Xing had purchased a large quantity of weapons from a gang in Thailand, giving them a considerable advantage during the clashes.

Since both major triad societies had been established in Hong Kong for a long time, they had strong networks. Moreover, the two gangs chose to fight in the suburbs, so government departments hadn't intervened. This made Ling Yongbing somewhat anxious, because if the current situation continued, Red Star Gang might be finished.

Through special channels, Ling Yongbing learned that Dong Xing had reached some agreement with the Ho family in Macau and the Taiwan Triad, and it was likely that these two major underworld forces would help Dong Xing eliminate Red Star Gang.

Under such circumstances, Ling Yongbing first thought of Gu Feng. He had thoroughly investigated the details of the conflict between Gu Feng and Xiang Tianhua. Although he hadn't uncovered Gu Feng's true background and actual strength, in his view, teaming up with someone who could casually command the eldest grandson of the head of the CD Military Region would undoubtedly be of great help. At that point, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious between Red Star Gang and Dong Xing.

Last night on Miao Street, Gu Feng had learned about the clashes between the two gangs from Xu Qiang. Now, hearing Ling Yongbing's words, he also guessed the inside story.

After frowning and thinking for a few seconds, Gu Feng gently shook his head and said, "Mr. Ling, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in the cooperation you mentioned."

Gu Feng's words caused Ling Yongbing's expression to change slightly. He hadn't expected Gu Feng to reject him so directly. In his view, if both parties had a common enemy, forming an alliance was a perfectly normal course of action, and Gu Feng had no reason to refuse.

Could it be that his influence was already so powerful that he didn't even regard Dong Xing as a threat?

Looking at Gu Feng's rock-solid expression, Ling Yongbing seemed to understand something. He sighed and said, "Since Mr. Gu isn't interested, let's just pretend I never mentioned it." As he spoke, Ling Yongbing frowned, clearly frustrated with this outcome.

Gu Feng observed all the changes in Ling Yongbing's expression but remained calm. "Mr. Ling, is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave."

"Mr. Gu, there's no need to rush. Ling Wei says your Kung Fu is excellent and won't stop going on about learning from you. Since you've finally come to our home, spend some more time chatting with him. His mother passed away early, and he's been rebellious since childhood, never listening to me. I'd appreciate it if you could educate him a bit more." Ling Yongbing, after all, was no ordinary person and quickly adjusted his emotions.

This time, Gu Feng didn't refuse but nodded in agreement.

Afterward, Gu Feng went with Ling Wei to his bedroom. Meanwhile, Ling Yongbing discussed matters with Zhou Tong in the hall.

Around half past ten, Gu Feng came from Ling Wei's bedroom to the living room and said to Ling Yongbing, who was on the sofa, "Mr. Ling, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Alright, I'll have Biao Zi give you a lift," Ling Yongbing said with a slight smile.

Before Gu Feng could respond, Zhou Tong stood up and said, "Uncle Ling, I happen to be leaving as well. Since Mr. Gu doesn't have a car, I can give him a ride."

Zhou Tong's words caused Ling Yongbing to pause briefly, his expression slightly unnatural, but he smiled and said, "Good, then I'll trouble you, Xiao Tong."

Seeing Ling Yongbing's expression, Gu Feng's mind stirred. He initially intended to refuse but reconsidered. Since he had already turned down Ling Yongbing's cooperation proposal, there was no need to refuse over such a small matter. So he nodded, his expression unchanged.

Ling Wei stood on the second floor, watching Gu Feng's indifferent expression, and couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself, "Sister Xiao Tong is personally driving Teacher Gu back, and Teacher Gu doesn't even react. Could he really be asexual or gay?"

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