Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 4)

Chapter 699 - Dinner Party

"I think I'll pass," Nie Yan replied. He had no interest in these kinds of gatherings.

"Oh, is that so? That's too bad. I heard Yao Yao will be attending. It's about time I get to meet my daughter in law." Father Nie chuckled.

Nie Yan rolled his eyes. Since when did his father become such a wily old fox? Since Xie Yao would be there, he had no choice but to go too.

Nie Yan helped his father deal with World Bloc's affairs for the rest of the afternoon. When evening arrived, the two of them got in the car and drove off to the city center. Father Nie was wearing an expensive, tailored suit. Meanwhile, he was dressed casually in track pants, t-shirt, and a hoodie. No one would pay attention to a youth dressed like this. It wasn't like he was going there for business anyway.

After driving for 20 minutes, the car stopped outside the entrance of an extremely luxurious and grand restaurant. It was over 167 stories tall, poking into the clouds and causing visitors to crane their heads up. Every floor rotated independently of one another. With all the windows brightly lit, it appeared dazzling in the night.

It was the Dragonsoar Financial Group owned Moro River Banquet Hall!

The last time Nie Yan came here was for Xie Yao's 18th birthday party, during which he had had an unpleasant encounter with her aunt.

For this kind of high level dinner party to be held in a restaurant operated by the Dragonsoar Financial Group was representative of their strength.

Nie Yan had mostly bad memories of this place. But since he was already here, he resolved to go inside. After all, getting cold feet just wasn't his style.

"Let's go inside," Father Nie said.

The two took the elevator to the banquet hall on the top floor. A 167-story building was truly spectacular. The ceiling was constructed completely out of reinforced glass, giving a full view of the dazzling night sky, almost as if you could reach out and touch the stars. Gazing down at the cityscape below, you could see countless lights dotting the landscape.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, with guests bustling about. Everyone was dressed formerly in some of the most expensive outfits available in the region. Nie Yan stuck out like a sore thumb among this crowd.

Father Nie spotted a few familiar faces. After saying a few words to Nie Yan, he went off to talk business with them.

Nie Yan wandered around the hall. Ordering a drink, he sat down beside a window.

Nie Yan gazed around the room. There were already many people here. However, the heavyweights of this dinner party, like the people from the Dragonsoar and Glory Financial Groups, had yet to arrive.

About 10 minutes later, a group of people walked in from the entrance. Nie Yan saw many of the guests standing up to greet them in a respectful manner. Even though he had no idea who these new arrivals were, he could tell they were important.

Nie Yan spotted his father raising his glass and chatting with some men in fancy suits. They were most likely talking business.

Another while later, Nie Yan saw Xie Yao's silhouette emerge from the entrance. She wore a beautiful white, knee length dress. It was almost as if her exquisite figure were wrapped in moonlight. Her lovely appearance made it hard to look away. Compared to the other female guests who paraded their sex appeal with low-cut dresses, she appeared much more refined like an elegant lady. Without a doubt, all eyes in the room drew on her. She immediately became the center of attention. This was how it always was, no matter where she went.

Xie Yao was accompanied by several people from the Glory Financial Group, among whom was her aunt, Xie Yi. The others were Xie Yao's uncles.

Seeing Xie Yi, Nie Yan's eyes flashed with loathing. Thinking for a bit, he decided not to go up to greet Xie Yao for now. He would wait until she was alone.

More people gradually arrived in the banquet hall, including the important people like the higher ups of the Dragonsoar and Glory Financial Groups and the high ranking government officials.

Nie Yan looked over at his father's side. Father Nie was speaking to several Huahai high officials. They seemed aloof and uninterested while Father Nie appeared extremely careful. Nie Yan had heard his father say these officials were in charge of the ports in the city. World Bloc's business relied heavily on the transport of goods. In other words, the life of World Bloc was in their hands.

Nie Yan stood up and walked over to where his father was standing. He blended into the crowd and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Mr. Nie, it isn't that we're not willing to help, but your company is simply too small. There's nothing we can do," one of the officials said, his voice and attitude brimming with arrogance.

Nie Yan gazed at that official. He was as obese as they came. Whenever he spoke, the fat under his chin jiggled up and down. He felt disgusted just looking at it.

"Bureau Chief Hong, we've already prepared the relevant documents and submitted an application over a month ago, but we still haven't gotten a reply. Could you possibly take a look and help me find out what the issue is?" Father Nie asked in an extremely polite tone.

"I have no idea about that. You should ask the department that's responsible," the fat official replied in an indifferent tone. He turned to the person beside him. "Lil' Xie, did you receive World Bloc's application?"

"I think so. We've already handed it over. But it'll still take some time. Currently, there are more than 30 applications that have to pass through screening, and World Bloc is at the very end of the queue. It'll probably take around six months to a year to process. Just patiently wait."

"You heard Lil' Xie. There's nothing I can do. I'm not responsible for screening the applications."

"Sorry for bothering you. I'll go ask again at the main department." Father Nie was steaming with anger, but forced out a kind smile.

Seeing Father Nie walking away, Nie Yan went up to greet him.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Nie Yan asked.

"It's nothing, just a work matter." Father Nie chuckled. However, his voice contained a hint of bitterness and helplessness.

Even though Nie Yan didn't know the specifics, he could confirm the person responsible for this was definitely that Bureau Chief Hong.

Father Nie looked at his son who was deep in thought. He could no longer keep treating Nie Yan as a kid. He sighed and said, "We recently submitted an application. Bureau Chief Hong, that man I was just talking to, he has been blocking and delaying it. Really, it's no big deal. He just wants money. No money means no work gets done. If we don't offer him a gift, our application will never reach the higher-ups for processing."

Nie Yan understood what was going on. Money spoke. Looking at those government officials, he really wanted to go up and give them a beating. However, that would only serve to complicate matters even more.