The Vice President also realized that he was being too familiar. After exchanging pleasantries, he immediately introduced himself: “Ah, Brother Jin and the graceful young lady probably don’t recognize me, right? I’m Hu Suo, Vice President of the Shenzhen Restaurant Association. I’ve known Mingde for quite a long time.”

This was the Vice President who had recommended Mingde to join the association.

After coming to their senses, Jin Yaotiao and her father smiled and greeted the man. The father and daughter found his enthusiasm a bit puzzling, and the other association members were even more confused.

Oh, so you two didn’t know each other before?

The Vice President called him “Brother Jin” and referred to the young lady as “niece” so casually that those who didn’t know better might think they were extremely close friends.

After all, as Vice President of the association, he had some renown in the industry and usually conducted himself with a certain dignity.

But suddenly acting so deliberately to establish a connection with someone made the association members feel uneasy, even though they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

Everyone had heard that Mingde had joined the association, but before this, the most distinct impression of him was that his company had a conflict with the local Shang family.

In industry associations, to a certain extent, they act as a small “underworld” for mutual support and to resist risks. Earlier, since Mingde hadn’t joined, the other members naturally sided with the Shang family. Now that Mingde had become one of their own, how to express their stance was becoming a delicate issue.

Nevertheless, the Shang family’s financial power and influence were still slightly superior. With six or seven key members, each a prominent figure in the culinary world, their qualifications and awards spoke for themselves.

Who wouldn’t show some respect in the restaurant industry?

So when Mingde first appeared at the venue, some members who recognized him hesitated, unsure whether they should approach him.

The Shang family’s people were still present.

It would mean something different if they proactively approached Mingde, compared to Mingde coming forward to greet them.

In fact, just a minute earlier, at the entrance, an association member had deliberately avoided eye contact with Jin’s father, pretending not to see him.

This was a less influential member trying to align themselves with the Shang family, hoping to get closer by distancing themselves from Mingde.

After avoiding the gaze, the member continued chatting with other familiar faces, and everyone seemed to understand the unspoken message, not paying it much attention.

But now, the Vice President’s eager attitude caught his attention, leaving him in a daze.

The Vice President, noticing the subtle surprised glances, thought to himself, “You guys don’t understand anything.”

It didn’t have to be so embarrassing. However, due to the history with Xia Ren’s request, he wasn’t sure if the Shang family would reveal any details of their dealings.

If Mingde had no allies in the association, it would have been fine, but he did have allies—especially the former president, who was still a powerful figure looming over him.

The old president truly liked Mingde.

After meeting him during the Jia Bingyang interview, he became a regular reader of “Huaxia Delicacies,” and perhaps because of his recommendation, he thought Mingde’s company was worthy of praise.

He often pointed out news related to Mingde to his friends.

Such as the regular charity actions every year.

Or how “Huaxia Delicacies” made its debut overseas, with China ranking in a travel magazine’s “Most Desired Countries to Visit.”

Even an elderly overseas Chinese who couldn’t return to their homeland due to frailty, passed away with a smile after watching a show featuring their hometown cuisine.

The old president’s greatest wish in life was to promote Chinese cuisine, and Mingde had achieved that in a unique way.

So every time he saw such news, he was deeply moved and would share his thoughts:

“Mingde is a company with a strong sense of social responsibility!”

“You’ve done well recommending him. You truly have an eye for talent.”

What he didn’t realize was that every compliment made the Vice President more nervous, fearing that his good deed would be discovered by the old leader.

In order to avoid potential future troubles, he needed to make his position clear: he was firmly standing with Mingde!

Sure enough, as soon as he gave Mingde a boost, his peripheral vision caught the old president’s approving glance from a distance.

The Vice President relaxed, quickly smiling and introducing: “Brother Jin, Miss Yaotiao, that person over there is our association’s president. Let me take you to meet him.”

Before he could lead them over, however, the old president himself walked over and warmly greeted them: “I am Lu Hezheng. I’ve heard of Mingde for a long time. Today I’m finally able to meet you. It has fulfilled a long-held wish of mine.”

Jin Yaotiao was aware of the old man’s status in the industry.

Though she wasn’t overly surprised, she was still a little taken aback by his words.

The old president stood in front of her, shook hands with her father, and then looked at her with sharp but kind eyes: “You must be little Director Jin?”

“Hello, President Lu,” Jin Yaotiao greeted him with a smile. “Yes, it’s me.”

“Don’t be so formal,” the old president said with a warm smile. After relaxing his stern expression, he added, “If you don’t mind, call me Lv Uncle instead.”

The other members at the scene were genuinely stunned.

It was one thing for the Vice President to show Mingde goodwill—though rare, it wasn’t too hard to accept, since he was always so adept at pleasing others.

But the old president, with his notoriously tough temper, how could he have such an attitude?!

Everyone’s eyes immediately became lively. They exchanged looks, and the unspoken message was clear:

Let’s go!

It wasn’t clear who started it.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the venue became lively, with association members gathering in one direction, shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, and exchanging business cards.

The previously indifferent members, who had pretended not to see Mr. Jin at the entrance, finally changed their expressions. Without thinking much, they raised their glasses and merged into the crowd.

The first gathering that Mingde attended as a member of the Shenzhen Catering Association was lively and energetic, and he blended in with ease.

While the atmosphere here was thriving, the Xia family members on the other side were less pleased. Old Lady Xia gripped her nephew Xian Ren’s hand tightly, her anger and panic nearly overflowing.

---

Shang Rong seemed to have disappeared, and only after a while did Old Lady Xia find her son by the door.

Upon seeing him, she collapsed in anger, “What are you doing here? The place is almost ruled by the Jin family!”

Shang Rong silently smoked, his face dark with gloom. He didn’t even know why he had come out; he hadn’t expected to see members of the Jin family at this gathering.

He extinguished his cigarette and coldly glared at Xia Ren. “What are you doing?”

The Xia family members were like dogs in front of him. Xia Ren didn’t dare to retort and just lowered his head obediently.

Seeing him like this, Shang Rong’s trembling emotions finally calmed a little.

Old Lady Xia, however, couldn’t settle down.

With the cold wind blowing, her hands shook even more, and she couldn’t shake off the fear in her heart. Grabbing her son’s arm, she said, “What do they want to do? Even the association’s neighborhood president is giving them a way in! Xia Ren spent a large sum to deal with that vice president, and the neighborhood president usually doesn’t even give us face, yet he let them in! They’ve gone to such lengths, what are they really after?”

Shang Rong shook her off impatiently, “Lower your voice, aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Am I still afraid of embarrassment? They’re coming to steal from us!” Old Lady Xian couldn’t control her emotions, her voice seething through her teeth. “That big brother of yours, I could tell from when he was young that he was no good. He doesn’t have much skill, but he’s good at winning people over, fooling your father’s disciples, making them all act like fools. Even the Shang family almost fell into his hands. These years, I thought he had given up in Linjiang, but now, suddenly, he’s here in Shenzhen, stealing recipes and even making the family’s ungrateful wolves give him money… I…”

Before she could finish, she suddenly heard a commotion from the distance.

Turning around, she saw Mr. Jin and Jin Yaotiao, surrounded by members of the association, laughing and talking. Even the old president was there.

They were chatting about Mingde’s upcoming branch opening in Shenzhen. Mr. Jin, in a satisfied tone, was educating everyone, “I don’t have such great ability; it’s all thanks to Yaotiao’s efforts. She, ah, is more capable than I am as a father.”

The old president, hearing this, couldn’t help but praise Jin Yaotiao, “You can tell that a good company like Mingde should have expanded beyond Linjiang. It’s a shame it didn’t, but now that it’s here in Shenzhen, we’re like family. When the new branch opens, we’ll definitely help with publicity.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Jin Yaotiao knew that the gathering was worthwhile.

She smiled and thanked him, “Thank you, Uncle Lu.”

The old president chuckled, “I’m not just speaking empty words. If you call me uncle, I’ll treat you like my own niece. If Mingde needs help, don’t hesitate to ask. Our association doesn’t have many advantages, but we do have one—unity. By the way, is the company’s funding enough? Though there are many shareholders, for such a big project, the money involved isn’t a small amount.”

Jin Yaotiao nodded, “It’s more than enough.”

Just then, she suddenly felt a sharp gaze directed at her.

She immediately noticed it, looked up, and saw an elderly woman not far away, glaring at her with sharp eyes.

Jin Yaotiao paused.

Who was this?

She then noticed her father had stopped in his tracks, followed by the old president speaking, “Mr. Shang, Old Lady Xia, why are you out here? Come, let me introduce the new members of the association to you.”

Upon hearing the title, Jin Yaotiao instantly recognized the elderly woman staring at her.

She frowned, not wanting to pay attention, but to her surprise, Old Lady Xia smiled and said, “President Lu, I can’t dare to be introduced to them.”

Upon hearing this, Jin Yaotiao’s brows lifted in surprise.

The old president, confused, asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Old Lady Xia didn’t show any sharpness in her expression, but her tone was soft, yet implying something, “I don’t want to say too much, but seeing you call her your niece, it’s easy to be fooled. Just a reminder to be cautious, or else you might be swallowed whole without a trace.”

Shang Rong felt embarrassed, his face darkened, and he snapped, “Mother—”

But Old Lady Xian ignored him.

The old president was puzzled, not understanding what she meant by being “fooled,” as Jin Yaotiao hadn’t done anything to fool him.

He had simply developed a positive impression of Mingde after reading their news.

Jin Yaotiao found the whole situation amusing.

With the Shang family’s disgraceful history, Mingde hadn’t even tried to bring up unpleasant topics, yet this old lady had come right to the door.

Jin Yaotiao didn’t want to give her the space to be sarcastic.

She directly spoke, “Old Lady Xian, if you have something to say, just say it. There’s no need for insinuations. At your age, it’s really unbecoming.”

Old Lady Xia had been used to getting her way at home for years.

No one dared to argue with her when she scolded others. So, when she opened her mouth now, she only wanted to mock the Jin family.

She never expected that Jin Yaotiao would retort so directly, and so rudely. Her eyes widened, “Has your family not taught you how to speak to elders?”

Jin Yaotiao restrained a roll of her eyes, “Who exactly are you to me as an elder?”