Climbing the Career Ladder - Chapter 12 - An Awkward Banquet

On October 27, Li Mengze had promised a banquet for his boss during his last departure from Guangzhou.

To leave a good impression, he decided to pay out of his own pocket to treat the former Troike of Wansheng Company to dinner. The banquet was hosted in his and Sima Xiaoyu’s names; however, the guests discovered that only Li Mengze was present, Xiaoyu was nowhere to be seen.

Li Mengze explained, “Miss Sima had to rush back home due to a family emergency. She returned to Beijing last night. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Sima Xiaoyu also thought, “After all, you can handle these issues on your own. I went back because I didn’t want to draw too much attention.” Although this was all pre-planned, a little trickery on the invitation had even Jing Wen commenting, “You guys, always up to something!”

Since it was a banquet, it wasn’t just a simple gathering of the individuals involved; family members were certainly expected.

Chen Xiaochong brought his daughter, Chen Haili, who was in her twenties and quite beautiful, though she didn’t seem to think much of Li Mengze;

Liu Fangsi came with his wife, a charming and mature woman in her thirties;

Ye Mingwen brought his son, who was already in his thirties and of average build.

Li Mengze was a bit stunned, as everyone had brought someone with them. He wasn’t sure what the guests were thinking, but he was quite aware of the reactions of those who were meeting him for the first time.

Ye Mingwen’s son was first surprised, then complimentary, “Mr. Li is young and accomplished, with exceptional insight.”

Liu Fangsi’s wife looked at him with interest, clicking her tongue in admiration, though it was unclear whether she was praising his youthful achievements or his handsome and dashing appearance.

Chen Haili, however, barely gave him a second glance.

Li Mengze also realized that among the men, his attire was slightly off; while others wore suits, he was in a casual jacket-not even his most expensive one; and his hair today was not at its best, his side parting seemed unevenly combed!

Li Mengze started by saying that the Boss couldn’t make it and that he would represent him fully. He welcomed everyone with the usual official pleasantries that everyone was tired of hearing, but he delivered them smoothly.

Among those present, Li Mengze was one of the younger men. Generally, men tend to eat more than women of the same age; moreover, it is expected that dining should be more refined, especially in formal settings and when ladies are present. However, that didn’t seem to apply to Li Mengze. As the host of the banquet, he naturally was to pay for the meal, and he ate the most without yielding to anyone else. Sometimes, he would consume nearly a third of a dish before others had even started.

Li Mengze had already put down his chopsticks and said, “Everyone, please enjoy your meal at your own pace.” His comment strangely led one after another to stop eating, which puzzled him. At home, he ate quickly and usually finished his meal long before Jing Wen and the others were halfway through, never seeing anything wrong with that.

As everyone exchanged glances, a waiter came over and asked, “Mr. Li, would you like some dessert?”

“Yes, yes,” Li Mengze nodded eagerly. Desserts weren’t very expensive, and besides, he was hosting guests! He was then pleasantly surprised to find that everyone enjoyed the dessert, even Ye Mingwen had a few pieces, tempting him to try one himself. However, remembering the dining etiquette he had set for himself, he ultimately resisted.

“Miss Chen, seeing you reminded me of someone. Do you know him by any chance?” Li Mengze struck up a conversation, as it would be awkward to let the silence linger.

“Who?” Chen Haili had just finished her dessert and looked up, evidently not too fond of Li Mengze.

“Chen Haisheng, do you know him?” Li Mengze asked with a smile.

“Haisheng? Mengze knows Haisheng, Haisheng is my nephew,” Chen Xiaochong exclaimed in surprise.

“Haisheng is Mr. Chen’s nephew! Then I should probably call you uncle, since Haisheng and I were university classmates. No wonder I always thought he had an extraordinary presence and exceptional abilities,” Li Mengze expressed his surprise appropriately.

“Haisheng and Mengze were classmates? That’s unexpected, considering how big China is!” Ye Mingwen chimed in, clearly surprised as well.

“Yes, for four years at university. Your Haisheng was indeed a man of both talent and charm, a real celebrity at school, making all of us quite envious,” Li Mengze remarked with a sense of nostalgia, unable to help adding a bit more to the conversation.

“Mr. Li must have also been a man of talent and charm at school,” Mrs. Liu Fangsi said with a smile, after a round of conversation that brought everyone closer together, clearly meant as a compliment. After all, everyone knew about the beautiful girl by his side.

“Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Liu. I’m flattered. You’ll laugh, but just last weekend, Teacher Jiang couldn’t recognize me. It took a long time to explain who I was, and I nearly couldn’t get into his house,” Li Mengze said with a rueful smile.

“Mr. Li really has a way with words,” Mrs. Liu Fangsi replied, slightly embarrassed, as she hadn’t expected such a situation.

“Mr. Ye, I’m not sure how to address you. Should I call you an sir? You don’t seem much older than me. Calling you by your first name feels like I’m shortchanging you and sir Ye,” Li Mengze turned to Ye Guowen, feeling that he had been neglecting the father and son, especially Ye Guowen, who had been silent since their meeting.

“Mr. Li, you can call me Guowen from now on,” the other party replied.

“Alright, you can call me Mengze then. It makes things easier for everyone,” Li Mengze agreed with a smile, feeling a greater sense of commonality with him among the group.

“Guowen, where do you work?”

“I also work at the company, in the general affairs department.”

“Then we are colleagues. Please take good care of me in the future; I really don’t know anything,” Li Mengze quickly said, pondering whether Ye Mingwen had a heavy responsibility. Could Ye Guowen handle Chen Xiaochong and Liu Fangsi?

“Is Mengze planning to work at the company?” Liu Fangsi, who had been quiet, asked, causing everyone to fall silent and listen to what he had to say next. There was a reason for this. Although there was talk of their people being stationed at the company and some positions had been arranged, no specific individuals had been designated, let alone him personally.

“I have to hang my name at the company for now, but that’s all it is. I guess our boss won’t keep me in Guangzhou permanently. Just notify me if anything happens at the company; besides, I wouldn’t be of much use there anyway, so I’ll hardly be at the company. However, I won’t be missing out on any company bonuses or red packets,” Li Mengze said with a laugh, having decided to temporarily take up the position of deputy general manager at Wansheng Company, which was arranged by Sima Xiaoyu.

The banquet finally ended, and Li Mengze finally breathed a sigh of relief; it was his first time dealing with so many people, and it was exhausting.

Li Mengze decided he would never again host such a banquet alone-he would definitely ask Su Qianyun or Zhang Xiaoqing to join him next time, or even Liu Yun; anyone else would be better than him handling it alone. He simply wasn’t suited for such situations.

That afternoon, Li Mengze received a dinner invitation from Chen Xiaochong, asking him to attend a private family dinner on Sunday evening.

Li Mengze knew he would have to face Chen Haisheng, who would clearly be the host of the banquet, but what was the purpose of the event?

Li Mengze rested for the whole day, although he kept an eye on his own business, even on Saturday when everything else was at a standstill;

Li Mengze had already discussed with Du Hai and decided to bring Li Lan into Wansheng Company. This time, he was taking her to the banquet with him.

There were a few younger members of the Han gang who were suitable for working in the company, and he decided to start by bringing Li Lan on board, primarily because he urgently needed his own people in the company to act as pathfinders;

Secondly, Li Lan was not very important in the Han gang at the moment;

Thirdly, Li Mengze was quite familiar with Li Lan’s situation; most importantly, he had a good impression of her.

He had known Li Lan’s details for a long time-he was a university graduate who had previously worked in a small company and was relatively less visible in the Han gang. Of course, there were other young members of the Han gang just as capable as Li Lan, several of whom had higher education and were smart and capable; they were less involved in the gang’s affairs and likely to be the next group to join Wansheng Company.

As for Chen Xiaochong’s family dinner, Li Mengze estimated that it must have cost at least one hundred thousand, indicating significant intentions. When he met Chen Haisheng, even if he was not the sharpest, he knew this event was a power move for Haisheng.

“This is quite the setup, isn’t it meant for us, Boss?” Li Lan was a bit excited, as this was he first time attending such a grand banquet. he even took out he finest clothes for the occasion, but Li Mengze thought they weren’t good enough, so he asked one of the gang’s big sisters to specially buy a set for her.

Li Lan and the others initially had objections, but no one wanted to offend the Boss’s wife, especially after a word from Li Mengze.

“Yes, they sure spend more than we do, but whether it’s for us, you’ll find out soon enough. Just don’t be disappointed,” said Li Mengze calmly. He knew more than Li Lan and the others, but he didn’t elaborate.

“Ah, isn’t that an old classmate? It’s said that you should see old friends with new eyes every three days!” Li Mengze spotted Chen Haisheng from afar, still as dashing and charming as ever, which surprised him with his exaggerated tone, “Welcome, and who is this?”

“Li Lan, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Chen’s nephew, the dashing and talented Chen Haisheng from the university. Haisheng, you’re the star of tonight’s banquet, aren’t you?” Li Mengze introduced them, tactfully avoiding Li Lan’s identity, his words not without a hint of probing.

“So, it’s Haisheng. Mengze often praises you,” Li Lan chimed in. They had agreed beforehand to address each other by their first names in public, and although she was familiar with Chen Haisheng, they had never met in person.

Many guests attended the banquet, and Chen Haisheng didn’t have time to entertain them; Li Mengze didn’t know most of them. In Guangzhou, he only interacted with a few top executives from Wansheng Company, but none were visible at the banquet. No one greeted them; they were like forgotten individuals. After all, they were nobodies here; unknown, unrecognized, and the host of the banquet had not yet made an appearance.

Chen Haisheng couldn’t spare the time to greet Li Mengze, as there were many more important guests he needed to attend to, only mentioning that there were unexpected people at the banquet.

Li Mengze was puzzled, wondering who was coming. Could it be her, his beautiful old classmate? It must be her, who else could it be? He soon had his answer; indeed, it was her. How could he forget her? He might forget all his university classmates, but how could he ever forget her? Yet, he knew the real surprise involved other people.

“Hey, everyone! It’s so great to see you all. How have you been?” Li Mengze hurried forward, smiling as he approached his old classmates. He only knew Yang Hua would be there; he had no idea he would see so many of them. In that moment, he forgot why they had come.

The other four were equally surprised; none had expected to encounter another old classmate. What surprised them even more was that none had heard any prior news about this gathering. It seemed to some that Li Mengze had been invited by Chen Haisheng; regardless, no one had anticipated running into him, though most weren’t particularly close to him.

“Mengze, it’s you! That’s wonderful, we’ll be together again. Weren’t you in Tianjin?… When did you come? You didn’t even say anything…” For a moment, everyone spoke incessantly, with most assuming he had been introduced by Teacher Jiang and pleased that he had garnered Chen Haisheng’s attention.

“How did I come? Of course, I came from Tianjin, by invitation. I couldn’t just show up uninvited. If I had run into you earlier, I could have basked a bit in Haisheng’s glory. Let me introduce everyone, Chen Yongbo, Li Tianhua, Yang Hua, Xie Jia, they are all my university classmates; and this is Li Lan, my friend,” Li Mengze introduced everyone.

Everyone’s conversations constantly revolved around the university days and nights, those four precious years, leaving countless memorable topics for the students to reminisce about-the school, teachers, classmates, and the surrounding environment, all of which they tirelessly discussed. Just like at university, nearly everyone spoke more than him; they knew more people too, especially Yang Hua, who continuously greeted those around her. Gradually, everyone dispersed!

“Mengze, how is it going in Tianjin? Why not come to Guangzhou? Haisheng is starting a company, let’s start a business together.”

Yang Hua didn’t know how Mengze had arrived, but she was sure he wasn’t invited by Chen Haisheng.

The classmates Chen Haisheng had invited were Chen Yongbo and others; she knew that well. She was unaware of Li Mengze’s current situation, but she knew he had never held a stable job.

“Thank you for your kindness. I’ve been running around these last few years and hardly feel it anymore. Had it been earlier, when Haisheng was setting up the company, I might have considered coming back, but now, I think it’s better I don’t.”

Li Mengze smiled as he declined, not wanting to put Yang Hua in a difficult position, nor wanting to reveal the truth to her, “How have you been doing in Guangzhou these past years? I’ve been the same, haven’t kept in touch with you all.” He felt a bit apologetic, knowing Yang Hua had always cared about him, and even now, she continued to look out for him.

“It’s been okay! But not too smooth either. No matter where, competition is fierce.” Yang Hua thought he was doing well in a Japanese-funded company, so she didn’t insist on persuading him. “Well, it’s good to grow in a Japanese-funded company. Try not to jump around anymore, it saves everyone the worry.”

“Actually, it’s not as serious as you described. You know, Xu Peng and some others have also started their own business with Zhaoyun; I heard it’s quite a sizable company,” Li Mengze felt guilty about deceiving Yang Hua, knowing he couldn’t keep it a secret for much longer. So, he decided to bring it up first and subtly hinted at the real reason he couldn’t join them, to prevent any misunderstandings in the future.

“Oh, really? No wonder. Chen Haisheng had invited them to come to Guangzhou before, but none of them would agree. So that’s what it was about. What kind of company did they start, and how long has it been?” Yang Hua asked with concern.

“They’ve just started recently. Think about it, if it had been a long time, wouldn’t they have told you? The company has been operating for less than a week; they haven’t even finished setting everything up-it’s the Xixing Corporation!” Li Mengze thought to himself that of course, they wouldn’t know yet since it was his idea.

Originally, according to Xu Peng, they wanted to announce it earlier, but Li Mengze felt that things were not yet firm enough; so they decided to wait until everything was more established before going public, which is why it remained a secret until now.

Just then, the host of the banquet finally made an appearance.

The general manager of Wansheng, beaming with joy, was indeed feeling relieved. For the past few weeks, he had been anxious every day, his worries visibly aging him, but now all his problems were resolved, and the company had been brought back from the brink. More importantly, Chen Haisheng had started his own business venture. Could he be anything but thrilled? Of course, he was ecstatic! Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to this host, a prominent figure in Guangzhou, the center of attention at the banquet!

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening! Welcome to my dinner party and thank you all for being here. I am excited to introduce a respected guest and to make an important announcement.

Our guest of honor, whom I believe will interest everyone here, is none other than today’s special invitee-Li Mengze.”

As Chen Xiaochong finished speaking, a buzz of whispers filled the room. Many attendees were already familiar with who Li Mengze was, as word travels fast in business circles. He is currently one of the most enigmatic figures discussed among them.

What kind of person is Li Mengze, and what makes him so capable? Not only were the guests curious, but so were Li Mengze’s former university classmates. They wondered if this mysterious figure was still the same person they once knew. Was he the same fellow student from their university days? Li Mengze’s involvement with Wansheng Corporation had not been made public, and only a select few within certain business circles were aware. Even here at this event, there were those seeking to uncover the reasons behind his mysterious aura.

“Mengze, come, let everyone get to know you.” Li Mengze forced a smile, but he had no choice but to step into the trap that Chen Xiaochong had cunningly set for him. Ultimately, he could not escape becoming the center of attention.

“Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your generous hospitality. I am honored to be invited to this banquet and to meet all of you. I believe you are all wondering about another significant matter, so I will now invite Mr. Chen to make that announcement.”

Li Mengze greeted the attendees with a smile but did not miss the opportunity to prompt Chen Xiaochong to reveal the so-called “major news.”

When Chen Xiaochong announced that Chen Haisheng was entering the business world to start his own company, the crowd immediately erupted in excitement. Whether they were already aware or hearing it for the first time, their praises were aptly and enthusiastically expressed. The congratulations came in waves, and the fervor of the scene left Li Mengze in awe. The enthusiasm was in stark contrast to the introduction he had just received.

At that moment, it seemed that people had forgotten about Li Mengze, the special guest of honor, as they rushed to shower Chen Xiaochong with praise.

However, his four classmates wouldn’t let him escape. If they couldn’t get close to Chen Haisheng, wouldn’t they stand by him instead?

“Everyone, hold your questions for a moment, I’ll explain myself,” Li Mengze said, taking a drink from Li Tianhua and passing it casually to Li Lan beside him. He didn’t want to be bombarded with their endless questions, so he decided to clarify things himself.

“Mr. Chen thinks that I helped their company with its restructuring and also wanted me to pave the way for his nephew, so he put me in the spotlight. Actually, the special guests should be you four!” Li Mengze revealed, mentioning the restructuring of Wansheng Company.

“Hmph, you’re still keeping secrets from us! Chen Haili already told me that you’ve invested quite a bit in Wansheng Company. Xie Jia, you probably didn’t know, but they are now the second largest shareholders of Wansheng Company, even owning more shares than Uncle Chen,” Yang Hua exclaimed, shocking everyone.

Chen Yongbo and the others were utterly astonished. They didn’t know how much money Wansheng Company had, nor did they know how much was needed to become the second largest shareholder. They certainly didn’t know how wealthy the Chen family was, but they were well aware of the significant amount of capital Chen Haisheng was investing in his new venture; an amount they knew was beyond what they could easily earn in their lifetimes, leaving the three speechless at the revelation.

“Yes, yes, we’re still the second largest shareholder of Wansheng Company. I even did you guys a favor. Without me, Haisheng wouldn’t have had the funds to start his company. How are you going to thank me?”

Li Mengze joked, leaving them unable to refute.

“Mengze, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” Ye Guowen hadn’t found Li Mengze, but spotted him chatting with a few people and hurried over to greet them. He recognized Yang Hua but didn’t know who the others were.

“Guowen, why did you stop chatting with them? Let me introduce you. These four are my university classmates, and they’ve already been recruited by Haisheng. You’re just a step too late. This is Li Lan, who I’ve been wanting to introduce to you. From now on, she’ll be our regular staff at the company. Li Lan, keep a close eye on him. He’s going to be our future chairman, Ye Guowen. And when it’s time to hand out bonuses or anything, let me know,” Li Mengze introduced them. His main purpose for coming late to the meeting was to introduce Li Lan to Wansheng Company, and now that he encountered Ye Guowen, he took the opportunity to make the introductions. His final remark elicited a burst of laughter from everyone, lightening the previously awkward atmosphere.

Li Mengze didn’t know the ins and outs of Wansheng Company, but Ye Guowen frequently tried to curry favor with him, so he decided to use that to his advantage. He felt that building a good relationship with Ye Guowen was important, especially since he was the direct heir to 38% of the shares, and he was quite amiable, which suited Li Mengze’s tastes.

Several people chatted for a while before heading together to the center of the banquet.

In fact, there were three centers of attention at today’s banquet: Li Mengze, Chen Haisheng, and the host’s daughter, Chen Haili.

Li Mengze clearly lacked popularity; hardly anyone knew him, understood him, or had even heard of him. Although some were curious about him, his demeanor-alternating between aloofness and light chatter-made him difficult to approach. He always seemed too indifferent, a sentiment even his old classmates felt, though they knew him well enough to gather around him. However, others found it hard to connect with him. Naturally, this created two centers of attention, each attracting different groups of people, which thrilled them.

However, they overlooked Ye Guowen, who was equally outstanding. Li Mengze found it strange because Ye Guowen was usually the center of attention wherever he went, perhaps…

Because of this realization, the Han gang had a new task-to investigate Ye Guowen, particularly his personality.

The group dispersed, and Li Mengze felt he needed to make an impression. After all, he was in Guangzhou, in the business world! He picked up a glass of wine and approached Chen Haisheng, who was undoubtedly excited. His dreams of the past few years were finally coming true; his uncle had agreed to sponsor a substantial amount of money to help him start his company, and a bright future lay ahead.

Chen Haisheng had always been a focal point since his school days, from high school to university, especially in university where he felt particularly exhilarated; and he believed that he would continue to be the center of attention, not only among his classmates but also in Guangzhou and even throughout China.

“Haisheng, congratulations, you’ve finally set sail! I wish your company prosperity and ever-increasing success!” Li Mengze said with a smile, offering his sincere congratulations. After all, they were classmates and had no significant conflicts; he genuinely hoped that all his classmates would be successful in their endeavors.

“Thank you, Mengze. Among our classmates, I admire you the most. Even my uncle speaks highly of you-you truly stand out!” Chen Haisheng suddenly calmed down. He had an instinctive aversion to Li Mengze, which began back in their university days; he never liked him much.

“Ha, that’s Mr. Chen giving me too much credit. Don’t our old classmates know what I’m capable of?” Li Mengze certainly noticed Chen Haisheng’s sudden shift, but he no longer cared, just as he hadn’t cared back in school.

Ye Guowen also came over at that time. The two of them knew each other very well and congratulated each other warmly, creating a harmonious atmosphere. However, Li Mengze felt that Ye Guowen’s intentions were becoming increasingly clear and even felt that Ye was deliberately trying to get closer to him. Shaking his head, he walked away. He still couldn’t adapt to these complex interpersonal relationships and decided to set them aside; after all, he hadn’t even greeted another key figure yet.

Chen Haili undoubtedly felt she was the happiest person there that evening.

Chen Haili was naturally beautiful, and her exquisite attire only enhanced her elegance and charm-a fact that Li Mengze was very familiar with, as his wife also dressed beautifully at home, which had worried him for a long time. He wasn’t sure why such thoughts occurred to him now; they seemed somewhat inappropriate.

“Miss Chen, you look absolutely stunning tonight. Heaven has truly favored you,” Li Mengze complimented.

“And yet, not as stunning as the beauty by your side. How could you be so heartless as to send her away?”

“Look at what you’re saying; I wouldn’t dare take on such an accusation. And besides, if someone is there to look after her, why would I object?” Li Mengze said with a laugh. He found dealing with Chen Haili challenging and tough, he admitted to himself.

“Did you have enough to eat tonight?” Chen Haili asked as Li Mengze was about to leave, not letting him off the hook.

“Of course, I’m always able to eat my fill wherever I go,” Li Mengze quickly replied.

“I thought I needed to prepare dessert for you,” Chen Haili said with a smile.

“Didn’t you get enough to eat yesterday at noon, Miss Chen?” Li Mengze found something amusing to point out.

“My mother never lets anyone eat dessert, but you always prepare some for us!” Chen Haili said angrily, her tone straightforward and filled with complaints.

“Ha, I see!” Li Mengze laughed. “You can’t blame me for that. If I don’t eat, does that mean you can’t eat either? I usually eat quickly, and hardly anyone can keep up with me. I was actually wondering why everyone stopped eating when I did. I thought you all had small appetites, but then, when dessert came, I saw you all ate so much, nearly finishing it. I thought you just preferred desserts!”

Li Mengze’s laughter caught the attention of the people around them and eased the tension between him and Chen Haili.

“Mengze, what’s the happy news? Share it with us too,” Ye Guowen chimed in.

“To be honest, Guowen, did you get enough to eat yesterday at noon?” Li Mengze asked, putting his hand on Ye Guowen’s shoulder with a smile.

“To tell the truth, I didn’t,” Ye Guowen paused, then looked at them with a dawning realization.

“I’m really sorry, I stopped eating because I was full, and I’m sorry that affected your meal,” Li Mengze said with a laugh. “I thought you all liked dessert. If it weren’t for Miss Chen mentioning it, maybe next time I would have just ordered desserts!”

“Mengze, what’s going on?” Yang Hua interjected, followed by three classmates. She had also heard about their lunch the previous day.

“It was like this: back when we were in school, we used to eat very quickly. After graduating from university, my job situation was always unstable, so meals got even quicker. When eating with others, everyone just focused on their own food until they were full. Yesterday at lunch, which I hosted, I didn’t pay attention to etiquette and ate as we used to do. As soon as I put down my chopsticks, they all stopped eating too; I was puzzled at that moment, wondering why they ate so little, especially Ye Guowen. Then, when dessert came, everyone started eating again and finished it all. I would have thought they just liked desserts. Luckily, Miss Chen enlightened me, otherwise, you all would have ended up waiting just for dessert!” after Li Mengze finished his story, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

“You used to eat like a rabbit, wasn’t it that bad?” Chen Haili was a bit curious and seemed a bit concerned as well.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore; they know it was all self-inflicted, no one else to blame,” Li Mengze didn’t want to bring up the past and his tone became somewhat chilly, seemingly aware of it, he changed the subject, “How about I treat you all again sometime as compensation? How does that sound?”

“Sure, let’s have a good gathering. When?” Li Tianhua was the first to support the idea.

“The sooner, the better! I need to settle things here quickly because I must rush back to Beijing. My father is still in the hospital, so even tonight at midnight would work.” Li Mengze was quite anxious, intending to party all night, but unfortunately, no one agreed with this plan.

“That won’t do; we need to have a proper feast at your expense, right everyone?” Li Tianhua said with a laugh.

…

As the banquet ended amidst laughter, Li Mengze and Li Lan walked and talked together, finally coming to a unanimous conclusion that Ye Guowen was getting close to them with an agenda, and decided to have the Han gang investigate further.