Chapter 89 - Mediation?
Chapter 89 Mediation?
Everyone knew that Xiao Bing’s performance was going to begin.
In fact, everyone in this world was doomed to learn to perform from birth. This kind of performance is different from the art of being on the big screen. The performance of life is more real and more hypocritical and more terrible than that on TV. Even if you clearly know that others are full of pretentious hypocrisy, you need such hypocrisy, whether for the sake of saving face or for whatever reason.
So, Master Hou knew that Xiao Bing didn’t necessarily mean what he is going to say next. But, he needed to hear Xiao Bing say them because they were crucial to his status.
Xiao Bing held a cup filled with wine, looked at Master Hou with a sincere face and said, “Master Hou, because of the feud between me and the North Heaven Queen, you were embarrassed. What’s more, I rejected your kindness and didn’t show you respect earlier. Here, I must propose a toast and apologize to you.”
This was a clean and tidy speech that included everything that needed to be said. Then Xiao Bing drank the wine.
The smile on Master Hou’s face was more enthusiastic than before. He pointed to Xiao Bing’s seat and said with a smile, “Let the past stay in the past. What’s more, it’s all between you young people and has nothing to do with me. Sit down.”
Xiao Bing shook his head, filled another glass of wine and raised it again. More sincere and earnest than before, he held the glass and said, “Master Hou, I came here because I need to ask you a favor. The past two days in the hospital, I heard about your reputation from Uncle Ye and I completely understood you. In my heart, I can’t help but sigh at your open mind. Others wouldn’t have been able to tolerant me if they had been humiliated by me. Even if they won’t target me everywhere, they wouldn’t meet with me today.”
“I naturally don’t want to be an enemy of yours since I admire you in my heart. But, the North Heaven Queen works for you. I intend to make peace this time. What do you think about this? I would like to apologize to the North Heaven Queen in person. But, I’ll need you to be the coordinator. Without you, the North Heaven Queen will never see me.”
Master Hou and Xiao Bing looked at each other, and their eyes were flashing in the light.
Xiao Bing continued, “If this is too difficult for Master Hou, I would understand and won’t make you do it. But, I will drink this cup of wine as thanks.”
Xiao Bing gulped down the wine in his glass and put it down. Still, he stood there, looking at Master Hou as Master Hou looked back at him.
Both of them were smart people. It seemed that Xiao Bing came here today to apologize, but, actually, he had outfoxed Master Hou. Now that Master Hou had accepted Xiao Bing’s apology, if he refused to mediate, on the one hand, he would be considered small-minded, on the other hand, it would seem that he had no ability to control his men.
It appeared that Xiao Bing was showing weakness, but in fact, he was pushing forward step by step. For a soldier, he only needs to be brave and good at fighting. To be a general, he also needs to know how to use his power.
Having learned to assess the situation, you will be able to move forward and backward freely. However, if one can firmly control the situation in one’s own hands and create a situation favorable to oneself when the situation is unfavorable to oneself, one will be able to approach step by step as one wishes and take retreat as one’s advance. This is also the highest realm for the leader. Obviously, Xiao Bing had mastered it.
After they looked at each other for a while, Master Hou smiled. He knocked on the table with his chopsticks and laughed, “Why are you still standing up. Sit down quickly. The food is getting cold.”
Xiao Bing laughed and felt relief in his heart. It was impossible to have every move be perfect no matter how clever he was. The move just now also had a certain degree of risk. One possibility was that Master Hou would show his broad mind, and agree with Xiao Bing’s suggestion. There was also a possibility that Xiao Bing had completely angered Master Hou, which would be a huge disaster for Xiao Bing.
Obviously, Xiao Bing had been right.
Master Hou smiled and said, “You are the young man that Mr. Ye values, and aren’t you the man I value? Come on, now that we are friends. Since it is a matter of friends, I will try my best to help. I can’t promise you anything about the North Heaven Queen. But, I will try my best to calm her anger and give you an opportunity to apologize. As for whether she will forgive you, it is not up to me. I am a democratic and fair person, and I will never force the people around me.”
Master Hou was also a very smart person. By saying so, he wouldn’t be humiliated if the North Heaven Queen wouldn’t listen to him. On the contrary, others may think he was generous.
Xiao Bing had a move to kill, and Master Hou had a wonderful move, which calmly reduced Xiao Bing’s moves.
However, Xiao Bing’s main purpose this time was not to provoke the relationship between Master Hou and the North Heaven Queen but to stabilize the powerful force behind the North Heaven Queen for the time being without any possibility of winning so that Master Hou wouldn’t make any moves easily. As a result, the pressure Xiao Bing had to face was only from the North Heaven Queen, although there was still a great disparity in power, the pressure was relatively small.
“Come on, Li Bin, let me introduce for you. This is Mu Tingchuan, who has been with me for many years and is the most trustworthy person I know.”
The middle-aged gentleman wearing a pair of glasses smiled and nodded at Xiao Bing. Xiao Bing smiled and said, “Master Hou is surrounded by many talented people. Brother Mu is definitely not an ordinary person.”
“No, Mr. Xiao is wrong.” Mu Tingchuan smiled and said, “I am not only an ordinary person but also a layman. If Master Hou paid me less, I would have left.”
All three of them burst out laughing after hearing what he said. This Mu Tingchuan was an important man in the Hou Palace.
It seemed that everyone enjoyed their meal. When Xiao Bing left, Mu Tingchuan personally walked Xiao Bing out of the Hou Palace. Watching the car carrying Xiao Bing as it left far away, Mu Tingchuan turned back to the mansion and went directly to the small reception room. Master Hou was sitting in the main seat, and Mu Tingchuan sat down in the one next to him.
Master Hou took a sip of tea, looked at Mu Tingchuan and asked, “What do you think?”
“This person looks like a soldier. He is generous and free. In fact, he is not as simple as his appearance, and he is very scheming.”
“I agree.” Master Hou put down the cup, smiled and said lightly, “Not only is he scheming but he is also courageous. Someone so young would never dare to play this kind of mind game in front of me.”
Mu Tingchuan and Master Hou looked at each other and smiled. Then Mu Tingchuan asked with a smile, “Are you showing your favor for this young man? That’s why you tolerate this Xiao Bing so much?”
“You’re indeed a man with a clear mind and you clearly know my thoughts. This young man’s strength is extraordinary. He almost shocked the whole audience in the challenge arena that night. Even Miyamoto Shinji could not see through the strength he burst out before he fainted that night. If such a person would work for me…”
Mu Tingchuan said, “I also asked Mr. Miyamoto about the terrible power that Xiao Bing broke out with that day and it should not be his normal state. His real power should be maintained in the middle realm of concealing strength stage, which is weaker than Zhu Mingyu who died by his hands.”
Master Hou laughed, “Isn’t a 26-year-old young man in the middle realm of concealing strength stage a talented person in martial arts? What’s more, I am very interested in the power within him, which at least proves that he is a potential stock with hidden talents, and his future may not be limited.”
Mu Tingchuan sighed with emotion, “You are generous enough to accept every talent, but I’m not. That is why you are the lord of this place, and I only work for you.”
Master Hou said with some blame, “In my eyes, you are my partner, and we are not a boss and his employer.”
Mu Tingchuan was moved by his words.
Master Hou smiled and said, “Well, I’d better call Peony… I’m afraid it’s not that simple to mediate. Peony is a woman who has always hated men, but she was so sad when Zhu Mingyu died. Was there a special relationship between them? I don’t care about it. But, if that were the case, I’m afraid it will be hard for me to be a peacemaker.”
Master Hou took out his cell phone and called the Peony Fairy, the North Heaven Queen. After the call was picked up, the Peony Fairy respectfully and coldly asked, “Master Hou, do you have any orders?”
Hearing her indifferent voice, Master Hou knew that today’s mediator had no hope. The Peony Fairy was obviously still angry with himself about that night. Just like Mu Tingchuan said about Master Hou. He was a man with a broad mind that could accept any talent. He would combine his majesty with kindness. The leaders around him were not very stiff in front of him, but they were relatively awed. Therefore, the Peony Fairy didn’t dare to disobey his orders even when she was furious, but she showed some dissatisfaction appropriately at this time.
Master Hou smiled and said, “Peony, today I want to talk with you about that night…”
“I dare not disobey the orders of Master Hou,” said the Peony Fairy.
“No, it’s not for my own sake. I did this for your good.” Seeing that the Peony Fairy didn’t answer, Master Hou continued, “That night, you couldn’t kill him. Now, if you kill him, how will other people judge you? Can you afford to lose? Second, the young lady of the Ye family was beside him. If anything happens to the Ye family, Ye Bancheng will not let it go. Although I don’t care about that old thing, his influence is really great. If he gave any pressure toward the government, it may not embarrass me, but do you want me to abandon you to protect my overall situation?”
“So, no matter how angry you were that day, you can’t kill him. Moreover, the one who died was only one of your men, even if he was a rare top fighter. You won’t bring him back to life. So, is it necessary for you to kill Xiao Bing?”
The Peony Fairy was silent, and Master Hou took the opportunity to continue, “The appropriate solution would be for you not to.”
“Master Hou, you treat me well and my life is yours. However, if you are asking me to let go of this feud, it is impossible!”
The voice of the Peony Fairy was so firm!