Lafeier's waist had just bent halfway when the girl opposite suddenly turned his hand around and shook hands with him in Chinese style.
Lafeier raised his face to look at her.
She said, "I'm not used to your Western etiquette."
Lafeier smiled and straightened up, "I was inconsiderate and offended Miss Qiao, sorry."
Qiao Ying shook hands with him, "It's fine."
There were no many calluses on the tiger's mouth. This hand felt like it hadn't held much knives and guns before, but Qiao Ying obviously could not judge that sly and scheming old guy J of Spades based solely on this.
Moon Shadow and Flowing Shadow had been lurking in the king's palace these two to three days, and they did see Lafeier several times.
But just like the present Qiao Ying, they failed to find any shadow of J of Spades or the like from Lafeier.
Except for the person Qin Hanyue bumped into in the dark during the state banquet that night who could be confirmed that there was indeed someone hiding in the royal family, so far no second clue had been found to prove it.
The group retook their seats.
Dishes, drinks, desserts and pastries were served in succession.
Lafeier said, "Since Duke Lin has invited Mr. Qin to act as a witness, I suppose the Duke has really made up his mind."
He tidied up his clothes and got straight to the point, "So what are Duke Lin's conditions? What does the Duke want?"
Lin Cheng said, "Before that, I would like to ask you and Duke Ryan first." Lafeier and Lin Cheng were of equal nobility, there was absolutely no need to address him as "you". Lin Cheng regarded him as an elder.
"Although I publicly rejected Princess Karina, the king may not necessarily give up."
"The princes have limited abilities, but that day I also stated that no matter who inherits the throne, I will do my best to assist him."
"Looking at it this way, it seems Duke Ryan does not have much advantage. How do you two plan to compete for it?"
Duke Ryan casually said, "If I can cure Princess Karina's face for her, maybe I can win Karina's affection." He then looked at Qiao Ying, full of suggestion in his eyes.
Being able to win Karina's heart would make everything much easier.
Qiao Ying said, "Why should I help you?"
Duke Ryan said, "We are cooperative partners!"
Qiao Ying said, "You and I mutually benefit from each other. You and Lin Cheng don't. That position, it only takes one word from Lin Cheng whether he wants it or not."
"I said I would not abandon Lin Cheng's safety and future at any cost. If necessary, I can sacrifice myself."
Duke Ryan said, "Didn't we agree to cooperate previously..."
Lafeier interrupted his son, "What Miss Qiao said makes sense."
The father and son seemed to understand that Lin Cheng did not mean to cooperate with them on equal terms, but to conduct an unequal transaction.
Lafeier was obviously not as friendly as he looked on the surface. How could he possibly firmly occupy this position if he was really a good man? He had a smile on his face, but his words were sonorous, giving people an awe-inspiring aura without anger:
"Duke Lin is indeed very prestigious in the west, especially Prince Lin. But my Howard Family has been the Duke of Norfolk for generations. If we really compete, it's hard to say who would win or lose."
Lafeier then chuckled to immediately restore the atmosphere to ease, "Of course, today we are here to achieve a win-win situation."
"As long as Duke Lin does nothing, stays at home peacefully with his fiancée to nurture their feelings, continues to decline visitors, we can naturally achieve our goals."
Lafeier took the briefcase from his assistant, "I've brought my seal. We can draft the agreement now—whatever Duke Lin wants after everything is settled, we can deliver."
Lin Cheng fell silent, looking at the other party.
The private room suddenly became quiet. Everyone sat quietly in their seats, with only Qin Hanyue as an "outsider" moving his chopsticks.
Qiao Ying had one hand resting on the table, twirling the cup in her hand.
Lafeier looked at Qin Hanyue who was eating on his own, and once again eased the atmosphere, "Let's eat first while we chat, no hurry." He picked up his chopsticks.
At this time, Lin Cheng spoke, "The west still remains under my jurisdiction. No one has the right to interfere with my jurisdiction."
"Of course."
Lafeier immediately asked his assistant to turn on the computer to draft the agreement.
Lin Cheng went on, "You can compete, put appropriate pressure on the king, but you cannot endanger the lives of the king and his children."
Lafeier said, "We wouldn't dare even with a hundred guts."
Lin Cheng said, "If Duke Ryan is lucky enough to inherit the throne, I want half of your executive power."
The father and son's faces changed slightly, and the atmosphere became tense along with it.
Duke Ryan's body leaned against the back of the chair, sitting relaxed. He looked at Lin Cheng with a helpless look on his face, "Duke Lin is making things difficult for me."
Lin Cheng said, "I don't think this is excessive. I'm just leaving myself some security, a way out."
Duke Ryan said, "I think Duke Lin has no sincerity at all."
There was no such good thing in the world where one could avoid the wind and frost at the high place, yet still want great power without losing anything.
Lin Cheng smiled slightly and told them, "It's time for you two to show sincerity." He didn't want the throne. Now they wanted to pick up something he didn't want. They had to do something, right?
It was just like he threw away a gun, someone wanted to pick it up, to ensure his own safety first, he had to chop off the other person's hands in advance to guarantee his own safety. This was completely reasonable.
The father and son looked at each other.
Lin Cheng said, "If you two haven't made up your mind..."
Lafeier interrupted and said, "There has always been competition between us. The Duke's worries are not unreasonable."
Lin Cheng asked, "So do you agree?"
Lafeier said, "I can agree, but Duke Lin also needs to contribute. Also, Princess Karina's face..."
He glanced at Qiao Ying,
then said, "I also hope that the Duke can think of a way to win some favor from Princess Karina for Duke Ryan."
Lin Cheng said, "I can do that. But I suddenly remembered that I forgot to bring my seal today, I'm afraid I won't be able to sign the agreement today, we'll have to reschedule."
The purpose of today's dinner was to allow Qiao Ying to get close to probe Lafeier.
Lin Cheng did not have high hopes for Duke Ryan sitting on the throne to begin with, let alone Duke Ryan was very likely to collude with people from the dark side now. He was not sure whether the two people in front of him were really Lafeier and Duke Ryan.
How could he possibly sign any agreement with them? Once this agreement was signed, with him out of the way, there was no telling what Duke Ryan and the potential dark forces behind him would do in order to achieve their goals as soon as possible.
Lafeier's smile disappeared instantly, and his face darkened after that.
Duke Ryan and Lin Cheng were of equal noble status and age. There was nothing to worry about. Plus Duke Ryan's character, he was unhappy. His body leaned forward with his pair of blue eyes staring tightly at Lin Cheng. He lost his temper on the spot, "Are you f**king playing with me?"
Lin Cheng said, "I'm really sorry, I did forget to bring it."
Duke Ryan was about to say something.
Lafeier patted his son on the arm and said to Lin Cheng, "Since Duke Lin forgot to bring it today, let's reschedule."
Duke Ryan dissatisfied: "Father."
Lafeier soothed: "No hurry."
After that, Lafeier left with Duke Ryan on the excuse that he had something else to attend to without even staying to eat.
Right after exiting the private room, Duke Ryan lowered his voice, "What exactly is going on today? That Lin Cheng and his fiancée..."
Lafeier stopped him, "Shh, talk in the car."
