In the past, the man had even been called a loyal dog who was nothing without his master.

And yet here he was, willingly humbling himself in front of another. Whoever these three men were, they must be very powerful people, indeed.

With that thought in mind, Madam Mengshifted her gaze and peered at the men in question, only to stiffen in shock.

She recognized one of them as Ma Chao, the CEO of a large conglomerate that dominated the list of top-performing businesses in Beijing. He was still in forties, but he already had an illustrious run in the corporate scene.

The Meng Group had been seeking him out for a possible collaboration, but they had never been able to secure a deal.

Madam Meng had tried setting up a meeting with Madam Ma, as well, but her efforts had been fruitless thus far.

Just a few days ago, Madam Mengand her husband had brought their executives to a banquet to pay their respects toMa Chao.

If she could strike a deal with the man now, the Meng Group wouldn’t have to worry about the following quarter’s revenue.

Madam Meng was excited about the rare opportunity that had fallen into her lap. As she looked closely, however, she noticed thatMa Chaowas sporting a bright smile on his face, and he was half a step behind the other two persons.

Did that mean that those two were of an even higher status than Ma Chao?

Madam Meng’s eyes flashed with ambition. Perhaps this was her chance to restore the Meng family’s prominence in Beijing.

She just needed to establish a network with this other two.

Madam Meng dusted off her purse and sauntered over toMa Chao, her lips curled into a professional smile.

"Hello, Mr. Ma. I’m not sure if you still remember me. I am Chairman Meng’s wife, Meng Wei." BeforeMa Chaocould even respond, she had already extended her hand toward him.

Ma Chao hesitated for a moment, but when he finally recalled who she was, he courteously reached out to shakeMadam Meng’s hand.

"I see," he nodded politely. "It’s nice to meet you."

Madam Meng was overjoyed, certain that a business cooperation withMa Chaowas well within her reach.

But she had bigger fish to catch. Two of them, to be precise. And so, she said, "What brings you here, President Ma? And who might these gentlemen be?"

She strategically looked at the two young men beside Ma Chao, her smile still in place. Both were well-dressed and looked as dignified as most young masters did.

One of them looked quite familiar, but he was preoccupied with his phone, so she could take a better look at his face. Madam Meng surmised that he was either a young master of a wealthy family or a shareholder of a large company.

"I had some free time, so I decided to spend it leisurely," Ma Chaoreplied lightly without answering her second question.

Madam Meng wasn’t sure if it was because he had failed to catch it, or if he simply didn’t want to introduce the young men to her.Although disappointed, her smile didn’t falter. If she wouldn’t be introduced, then she might as well strike up a conversation herself.

"I came here for dinner and happened to run into a bunch of insensible children who insist on snatching the private room we reserved earlier. We were even willing to invite them to share the room with us, but they just don’t appreciate it. Kids these days are so stubborn. It’s a pity, really."

After saying that, she turned sideways and sighed helplessly at Qin Jingand her friends.

Then, she looked back at Ma Chaoand two young men, expecting them to nod along and sympathize with her predicament.

"Ha!" Qin Jingscoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Yao Tang and the others stared atMadam Mengin cold silence.

Seeing that the situation had been somewhat defused, the waiter resumed his whining. He turned to the manager and complained, "It’s just as the Madam said. Forget about their age, these rascals are too unreasonable for their own good!"

He paused to wipe his tears for some dramatic effect.

"They even hurt some of our security staff. Please, Manager, these kids are tarnishing the name of our Chunlai Hotel! For all we know, they might be delinquents who had purposely come to cause trouble in our establishment."

The manager was on his side, of course.

He whirled around and proceeded to berate Qin Jingand her companions.

"This is outrageous! How dare you kick up a fuss in our hotel? Security, hurry and take these troublemakers away!"

Since it was the manager’s orders this time, the guards had no choice but to step forward and apprehend the teenagers.

They easily surrounded Qin Jingand the others, poised to subdue them should they try to resist.

Madam Meng watched with a satisfied smile on her face. She wanted to see them being dragged out of the hotel.

But in the next second, a voice rang out, shocking everyone.