In other words, they could have held its setting-off ceremony any day, but Mu Li insisted on scheduling it for today.

The implication was obvious.

Not to mention, as long as Zhou Wang agreed to the cooperation with Tianque Group, this yacht would become his private asset, and he’d instantly become the real owner here.

So according to Zhou Wang’s own logic, it meant everyone on board right now was basking in his glow, and Sun Xining didn’t need to look at anybody’s face.

Because Zhou Wang was the only "face" that mattered here.

Of course, Zhou Wang wouldn’t say something like that out loud; he just let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Heh."

Wang Jia, whose skin had already turned ultra-sensitive under Zhou Wang’s earlier scrutiny, immediately looked over at him, brows knitting together.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Just think it’s kinda funny. We’re clearly out at sea, so how the fuck am I still hearing dogs bark?"

Zhou Wang had downed quite a bit of liquor with Sun Xining just now, so his words came out pretty unfiltered.

He wanted to curse, so he just cursed.

Wang Jia’s brain blue-screened for a second. At first there was a hint of disbelief, probably because he honestly couldn’t remember the last time... anyone had cursed at him.

So it took him a beat to react; then, shocked and furious, he stared at Zhou Wang in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"Which part of what I said was ambiguous? Or is it that you don’t understand Chinese?"

Zhou Wang yawned, motioning for Sun Xining to pour some of the Hennessy from her glass into his, while watching Wang Jia with a half-smile. "Look at yourself. You’re dressed like an actual human being, yet it’s ’Mr. Huo’ on the left and ’Mr. Li’ on the right. What, you lose the titles and suddenly you don’t know how to talk?"

Zhou Wang slowly took a sip of his Hennessy on the rocks and drawled,

"You know a lot of dogs are like that too. If their master isn’t around, they don’t dare bark."

"So tell me... what’s wrong with me calling that dog barking?"

"You..."

As Wang Jia’s face flushed a liver-purple and he couldn’t find any words to retort, his whole body shaking with rage, the Mr. Li who’d been quietly flirting with his female companion at the side finally turned his head in surprise.

The three of them had originally gone to the bathroom together. On their way back, they happened to run into Sun Xining, and seeing her outside drinking happily with some "pretty boy", Mr. Li—who’d already mentally tagged her as Mr. Huo’s female companion—was naturally not too pleased.

But he hadn’t intended to step in; something this minor was obviously something Wang Jia could handle.

He just hadn’t expected that not only would the process be anything but smooth, this "pretty boy" was actually sparring with Wang Jia.

Mr. Li hadn’t paid much attention to the earlier exchange, but he did hear that "dog barking" line at the end.

Seeing Wang Jia red-faced and tongue-tied, Mr. Li, who could no longer avoid stepping in, took a step forward. His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Zhou Wang.

"What’s your name, and who sent you the invitation?"

It had to be said: a son of a powerful family was indeed different; his way of solving a problem was nothing like Wang Jia’s.

He wasn’t going to waste time trading insults with Zhou Wang; he went straight for the root and planned to "deal with" the person causing trouble—Zhou Wang himself.

If Zhou Wang were truly just some random nobody, this would undoubtedly be the most efficient method.

But Zhou Wang’s comeback instantly made Mr. Li’s expression slip out of his control.

Zhou Wang just looked at him, and after a light smile, spat out three words:

"What about you?"

Such a simple question in return, yet it made Mr. Li’s blood rush to his head.

What do you mean "what about me"?

Who the fuck are you, and you think you’re qualified to ask me that?

The sense of superiority and upper-class aura Mr. Li had built with just one sentence was instantly flipped back on him by Zhou Wang’s even more contemptuous stance—like some cosmic-level reversal.

Mr. Li had truly not expected that among the guests on this yacht, there’d be such a "freak", looking every bit the hot-headed dumbass.

Wait... could it be he wasn’t actually a guest, but a male model?

The group most heavily represented on this yacht today wasn’t actually the guests, but "service staff" of various types.

And among these service staff, there were naturally men as well as women, there to satisfy the needs of a small portion of the female guests.

This young man was ridiculously good-looking, and even though he was dressed decently, all the higher-end male models were decked out in brands these days, so that didn’t prove anything.

But if this guy really was a model like he suspected, why the hell was he wasting his time arguing?

That’s what Mr. Li was thinking, but on the side, Wang Jia, who had finally recovered, saw that Mr. Li had been stunned into silence as well and got anxious.

He didn’t care if he lost face himself, but if he caused Mr. Li to lose face too, that would be an unforgivable sin.

So Wang Jia hurriedly pointed at Zhou Wang and barked, "His surname is Li, that Li from the Li Family on Ao Island. Now do you get who you’re talking to?"

"Li Youlong? Li Youqi?"

After Wang Jia spelled it out, Zhou Wang finally chuckled and tentatively tried two names.

Then, from Mr. Li’s reaction, Zhou Wang shook his head with a hint of disappointment. "Guess not. Then you must be Li Youheng, or Li Youjun?"

At that, Mr. Li realized he’d misjudged him. Since this man could casually name a few of his older brothers in this tone, there was no way he was a male model. He had to be someone from within the circle.

"I’m Li Youjun."

Some of the arrogance returned to Mr. Li’s expression as he unconsciously introduced himself in a rather proud tone.

He probably didn’t do it on purpose; it was just the self-confidence he’d cultivated over many years that made him used to introducing himself like that.

Normally there’d be nothing wrong with it. With the weight of the Li Family’s name behind him, no one would think he was out of line.

But he just had to run into Zhou Wang today.

As soon as this bastard heard his name, he didn’t bother to hide the extreme disappointment in his eyes, giving him a bland "oh":

"So you’re the youngest of the Li Family... mm, heard a lot about you."

He said "heard a lot about you" with his mouth, but his expression very clearly showed a trace of disdain.

As if he were saying... you don’t make the cut.

Yes, even though Zhou Wang didn’t say it aloud, Mr. Li could clearly feel that this was what he really meant.

Mr. Li instantly exploded, feeling deeply insulted.

Like... what’s that supposed to mean, huh? The hell do you mean by that!

"What do you mean?"

He thought exactly that and asked it out loud with a darkened face.

"Nothing much. Just that if it were your big brother here, it’d barely be passable. As for you... heh."

Nobody expected Zhou Wang to sugarcoat a thing; he just laid his thoughts out bluntly.

The Li Family’s founder was in poor health and had already handed over most of the business to his eldest son, which was why Zhou Wang put it that way.

Otherwise, if he were being honest, it’d have to be your dad himself showing up to earn his respect.

And that loaded "heh" at the end made Mr. Li’s face turn an ugly mix of green and white, his anger surging to the point of no return.

At this point, the bored Zhou Wang had already taken hold of Sun Xining’s soft, pale hand. "Let’s go, let’s find somewhere else... it’s too noisy here."

That "too noisy" was clearly echoing his earlier "dog barking", and this time, Wang Jia—who’d long been pushed past his limit—finally exploded.

He glanced at Mr. Li’s expression and knew he was furious as well, which meant no matter what he did, Mr. Li would have his back.

"Stop right there. Who the fuck said you could leave?"

After cursing, Wang Jia lunged for Zhou Wang’s shoulder, planning to show off his "Judo Black Belt" skills in front of Mr. Li.

Zhou Wang heard something and was just turning his head in surprise when Xiao Wang, who’d quietly drifted closer, shot forward at lightning speed and seized Wang Jia’s hand.

Crack!

Faithful to his duty, Xiao Wang wasn’t about to go easy; he directly snapped one of Wang Jia’s fingers.

A pig-slaughtering scream instantly echoed across the deck.