Urban Seduction: Housewives Club

"With your level, you are not qualified to speak to me directly," Eric looked at Guan Du and said indifferently.

"Xiao Guan, you go about your business first, I will handle this matter." Whether it was a belated arrival or he had already watched a lot of the show from the sidelines, Deputy Mayor Tang suddenly appeared, smiling as he spoke, and gestured to Guan Du with his eyes.

Guan Du, who was about to explode, forcibly suppressed his anger, glared at Eric, turned and left the hall, continuing his duties as a "doorman."

Shaking his head at his retreating figure, Eric thought to himself, perhaps his low-key approach was wrong. How could a nobody dare to show attitude in front of him?

In the eyes of others, Guan Du, the director of the Shanghai Economic and Trade Bureau, might already be a big shot, but for Eric, he was truly insignificant.

If Guan Du, who thought highly of himself, knew that with his status, he wasn't even worthy of knowing Eric's identity, he would probably dispel his delusions and revengeful thoughts immediately.

After all, for a young talent aspiring to a political career, his political future was far more important than a woman!

Unfortunately, Guan Du was unaware of this, and his future prospects were uncertain...

After dismissing Guan Du, Deputy Mayor Tang smiled and said to Deputy Governor Ma Zhengyi, "Deputy Governor Ma, shall I handle this matter?"

"No problem." Ma Zhengyi nodded, glanced at Eric, and said, "I believe Deputy Mayor Tang will handle this impartially and give our Jiangsu businessmen a fair deal!"

Deputy Mayor Tang laughed and turned to Eric and Wu Mei, saying, "Chairman Eric, President Wu Mei, let's find a quiet place to talk."

Zhang Hongda, seeing that no one had shown any concern for him with blood all over his face, and hearing Deputy Mayor Tang's tone, which seemed quite friendly to the "gigolo," felt a mixture of aggrievement, frustration, and anger well up inside him. He covered his face and said fiercely, "Deputy Mayor Tang, if you don't intervene, I won't donate the three million yuan to the Shanghai Municipal Government for charity."

Deputy Mayor Tang frowned. He hadn't expected an "outsider" from another province to dare to speak to him in such a threatening tone in public.

Ma Zhengyi also felt that Zhang Hongda's actions were inappropriate and quickly remedied, "Deputy Mayor Tang, please don't mind. Chairman Zhang was speaking out of desperation due to a head injury. His intention was not as it sounded..."

Zhang Hongda realized this too, forced a smile, covered his face pretending to be dizzy, and said in a weak voice, "Deputy Mayor Tang, what I said just now was out of desperation and should not be taken seriously. We, the Hongda Group, have always been supportive of charitable causes..."

At this point, Eric smiled coldly, interrupting Zhang Hongda, "Is a mere three million considered 'supportive'? Hmph, Deputy Mayor Tang, on behalf of the Ling Yan Group, I will donate thirty million."

"I'll donate ten million." Wu Mei hooked her arm around Eric's, with a gesture of a loving couple, her eyes full of deep affection.
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Eric had no choice but to shake his head helplessly at her behavior. Nevertheless, he was pleased with her unwavering stance.

The celebrities, tycoons, and entrepreneurs around couldn't help but feel shocked. Although they were wealthy, they had earned it through hard work. They couldn't casually throw away tens of millions for the sake of a reputation.

In a moment, the impression of the Ling Yan Group deepened in their minds.

Zhang Hongda was taken aback for a moment, then laughed disdainfully, "There are too many people in this world who speak empty words. Deputy Mayor Tang, you should be more cautious and not be fooled!"

With a cold face, Wu Mei said coldly, "Ten million is just a drop in the bucket for Eric..."

"A drop in the bucket?"

Zhang Hongda burst into laughter, "President Wu Mei is really good at joking, right? I'm afraid this gigolo couldn't earn tens of millions even if he sold himself thousands of times..."

Eric was angry.

Although he was not used to bothering with small fry, if they were to take advantage of the situation, he wouldn't mind wiping them out completely. However, he did not act immediately, and even stopped Wu Mei.

The reason was simple, he didn't want to make things difficult for Deputy Mayor Tang, who was soon to be his father-in-law!

Coldly looking at Zhang Hongda, Eric asked, "You are Zhang Hongda, the Chairman of the Hongda Group in Nanjing, right?"

Zhang Hongda, now lacking much rationality and calmness, didn't even notice the coldness in Eric's eyes. Instead, he said triumphantly, "Kid, are you scared now? Let me tell you, it's too late..."

"Indeed, it's too late!" Eric nodded, a cruel smile playing at his lips. He said, "Even if you kneel down and apologize right away, it's useless! The fate of you and your group has been sealed..."

"Fate?" Zhang Hongda looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Starting from tomorrow, I will begin to suppress your Hongda Group until it" Eric's tone was calm and clear, "reaches the moment of bankruptcy!"

Zhang Hongda completely didn't believe that a never-heard-of Ling Yan Group could crush his Hongda Group to bankruptcy. He really wanted to burst out laughing.

But under Eric's icy gaze, he couldn't muster a smile, feeling a chill in his heart.

Although Zhang Hongda couldn't laugh out loud, many onlookers were amused by Eric's "insolent" and "cold joke," and one voice stood out.

"Hahaha, indeed arrogant! But young man, arrogance requires capital!"

Eric glanced at the middle-aged man who looked quite imposing and found his gaze somewhat complex. Unable to resist, he asked, "Who are you?"

Standing in the midst of a group of celebrities like the moon surrounded by stars, the middle-aged man slightly emphasized a word, "An."

Eric's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "An Group?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to wade into this muddy water?" Eric knew that based on An Group's habit of willing to lose money to compete with the Ling Yan Group over the past few months, they would not miss this opportunity.

Sure enough, the middle-aged man with the surname An nodded, "That's the idea."

Eric met his gaze, smiled faintly, and said, "I'll be waiting."

With a chuckle, the middle-aged man nodded deeply at Eric, then nodded at Deputy Mayor Tang and Deputy Governor Ma Zhengyi, and turned away.

Zhang Hongda's confidence, boosted by the reputation of the An Group, began to falter. Pointing at Eric, he laughed loudly, "Gigolo, you're finished! Since the big shots of the An family don't like you, you can't stay in the Shanghai business community anymore. Get ready to pack up and leave!"

"Not necessarily!"

With these words, a handsome young man with glasses and a black frame pushed through the crowd, striding to Eric's side, and said respectfully, "Our Zhu Ming Group fully supports Chairman Eric's actions!"

This person was none other than Zhu Mingzhi, the Shanghai Regional Manager of the Zhu Ming Group!

The status of the Zhu Ming Group in the business world was no less than that of the An Group, so Zhang Hongda's smile stiffened.

Ma Zhengyi was also extremely surprised by Zhu Mingzhi's decision and couldn't help but say, "Mingzhi, you..."

"Uncle..." Zhu Mingzhi bowed slightly. "Even if Grandpa knows about my decision, he won't object!"

Ma Zhengyi was full of surprise. After looking at Eric, who remained calm, he stopped speaking.

Seeing that Deputy Governor Ma seemed to have given up his support, Zhang Hongda felt a blow. However, his setback was not over yet.

"Our Ye Group is also willing to ally with the Ling Yan Group!"

This statement was like a bolt from the blue, shattering the remaining stiffness on Zhang Hongda's face, replaced by astonishment.

With a glimmer of hope in his heart, he turned to look, only to be desperate, because the speaker was none other than the head of the Ye Group, Ye Zhenglin.

Ye Zhenglin was willing to risk offending the An Group to show his attitude, for three reasons.

First, he knew that besides being the Deputy Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect, Eric had another even more prominent identity. However, this identity was very mysterious, and even Tang, who knew the inside story, refused to reveal it.

Because of this high-level mystery, Ye Zhenglin wanted to befriend Eric. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it pass.

The second reason was Ling Yan Group's good relationship with more than a dozen multinational corporations in Country A. Ye Zhenglin hoped to take this opportunity to connect with those multinational corporations and expand his business abroad.

The third reason was due to the grudges among the three major families in Shanghai. Although the Du, An, and Ye families were all outwardly harmonious, who wouldn't want to swallow the other secretly?

But they all had their scruples, which maintained a balanced situation.

Ye Zhenglin decided to take a gamble following the Ling Yan Group; he had a feeling that his chances of winning were high!

"Well, well! Since the An and Ye families are at odds, our Du family won't sit idly by!"

With a crisp and pleasant voice, a short-haired beauty walked up to Eric. After carefully observing him, she smiled meaningfully and said, "Kid, I, Du Yingzi, support you!"

Deputy Mayor Tang looked somewhat troubled and said, "Director Du, why are you getting involved..."

Du Yingzi smiled faintly and said, "The structure of the Shanghai business community has been maintained for twenty years. It's time for a change..."

This implicitly bloody statement made onlookers feel as if they were involved in the situation. Their faces changed drastically, and their brows furrowed.

Everyone knew that Du Yingzi's words would herald a new era of turmoil in the Shanghai business community!

...

Qingsi attended the charity gala hosted by the Shanghai municipal government with her aunt, dressed in a white lace cocktail dress. She had two purposes for attending: first, she hoped to meet her rumored crush, who was also said to be qualified to attend the event; second, she wanted to network with some influential and legendary figures in order to find interview subjects for the "Personality" column she hosted.

One would expect someone full of hope to be vibrant and full of energy, but Wan Qingsi was incredibly sad because her "monthly visitor" had arrived at this inopportune moment. Whether it was due to recent melancholy or lack of rest, she was experiencing symptoms of menstrual cramps.

Despite already being in the car and hoping to meet Eric, she didn't go home to rest but endured the pain and went straight to the charity gala venue.

Qingsi's aunt didn't notice her usually sweet and charming niece frowning and grimacing. Upon arriving at the gala, she headed towards a lively crowd.

However, Qingsi didn't join the crowd. After asking a waiter for the restroom's location, she hurried there. The pain in her lower abdomen was unbearable, and the heavy flow made her check the situation and change sanitary products in the ladies' room.

After sorting herself out, biting her pink lips, Qingsi hugged her aching lower abdomen and leaned against the wall, slowly moving her weak feet, staggering towards the exit of the restroom. She barely made it out, and suddenly, she felt a cramp in her abdomen, causing her to lose color in her face. Leaning weakly against the wall, she was extremely weak, barely able to stand.

"Oh, the woes of being a woman, enduring such torment..."

Qingsi cursed inwardly but couldn't change the fact that she was a woman.

Qingsi had not anticipated the huge impact menstrual cramps would have on her. The intense pain made her see stars, her vision blurred, and even her ears rang with a buzzing sound.

Just as she hesitated whether to call her aunt for help, a handsome figure in white emerged from the men's restroom to her left, passing by her.

For some unknown reason, Wan Qingsi inexplicably felt a sense of trust towards the blurry figure in front of her and involuntarily asked, "Excuse me, sir... could you please help me?"

Eric couldn't sit still. Any man, under the scrutiny of more than ten beautiful women of various ages, would find it hard to remain seated.

After Du Yingzi of the Du family made her "declaration of war," the nature of the charity gala changed.

No one casually spoke of their donations anymore. Instead, they discussed their seating arrangements with solemn expressions, consulting with close friends.

As the instigator, Du Yingzi did not join in. Instead, she enthusiastically surrounded Eric with several female titans of industry and some influential women in the business world.

These women, who were not directly involved, not only teased and flirted shamelessly with the exceptionally handsome Eric but also made some rather explicit jokes with Wu Mei, with whom they were familiar.

After more than twenty minutes, even the composed Eric felt a bit uneasy under the women's gaze. Moreover, Du Yingzi's strange look made him feel even more unsettled.

"Sorry, everyone, I need to excuse myself for a moment." Eric finally couldn't bear it. Frowning, he stood up and walked towards a corner of the banquet hall without looking back.

"Eric, where are you going?" Although chatting and laughing with her sisters in the business world, Wu Mei's heart was always partly with Eric. When she saw him get up and leave, she immediately nervously asked, afraid that he would leave without a word.

Eric's tall figure paused for a moment, then he turned around and rolled his eyes. "To the restroom..."

Wu Mei relaxed slightly and waved with a smile, "Don't take too long, hurry back."

"Why, can't bear to be apart for just a short while?"

"Why don't you go with your Eric and help him out..."

Rarely paying attention to the crazy talk of those women, Eric walked away without looking back.

After he left, he noticed a somewhat familiar figure leaning against the wall. Not paying attention to this woman, who was probably just an acquaintance, he walked past her. However, to his surprise, the woman actually said to him, "Excuse me, sir... could you please help me?"

Hearing the pain in her voice, Eric frowned, stopped in his tracks, and turned his head to ask, "What's wrong?"

With a single glance, Eric's gaze froze. Because he had already recognized the woman before him, whose face was twisted like a bun. She was the journalist who had pestered him in Tibet, named Wan Qingsi!

"Excuse me, I'm feeling unwell. Could you please help me to the rest area? I can barely stand..." Wan Qingsi's jade-like hand pressed harder against her abdomen, her slender body leaning against the wall, and she was already dizzy from the pain.

"You look terrible. What's wrong?" Although Eric was a bit wary of this persistent female journalist, he still reached out to help her.