Entering the Yanhuang Restaurant, the ambiance here was somewhat lacking compared to the Purple Imperial Pavilion. However, this place was filled with dense Chinese culture that made Su Tao feel warmth while in another country.
“Mr. Gu is an influential person in Japan’s Chinese society. My grandfather had once sponsored several revolutionaries to study in Japan, and back then, when the state was founded, his grandfather was invited to participate in the military parade at the Tiananmen Gate.” Ni Jingqiu explained with her voice lowered.
Su Tao instantly thought of a leader who founded the country with experience studying in Japan, and he never expected that Gu Yin would be from such a prominent family. Ni Jingqiu walked to Gu Yin and whispered to his ear, which Gu Yin was briefly stunned before he smiled. “I will definitely refuse your request if it’s someone else. But since it’s Little Su, then I’m unable to reject your request.”
Upon hearing those words, Ni Jingqiu was briefly stunned before she looked at Su Tao. “The two of you knew each other?”
“We met a few days ago at another restaurant of mine. Back then, Su Tao even left behind his calligraphy.” Gu Yin smiled.
Ni Jingqiu turned to look at Su Tao, and when she saw his smile, she immediately, inwardly cursed. Wasn’t that fellow messing around with her? He clearly knew Gu Yin, but he did not tell her about it and even made her look embarrassed!
Su Tao naturally read Ni Jingqiu’s thoughts, so he said, “Actually, I’ve only met Mr. Gu once. I initially thought that you would’ve forgotten me by now, so I did not mention it.”
When he saw how Su Tao behaved with neither servility nor overbearingness, he was impressed. For Su Tao to obtain such achievements at such a young age, it meant that his future would be boundless!
Gu Yin immediately waved his hand. “Calligraphy represents someone. It might only be a piece of calligraphy, but you left a deep impression in me. Oh, right. The author who wrote the other calligraphy will be coming later, and I can introduce the two of you to each other.”
Su Tao’s expression did not change, and judging from Gu Yin’s tone, it must be for the author’s illness. Since he’s in another country, he would definitely do his best if he could help his fellow countrymen. However, the other party’s illness wasn’t easy to treat, and if the other party wasn’t cooperative, it would be troublesome for him.
The three of them came to a room on the third floor, where Gu Yin unlocked the door with his fingerprint. This place was filled with all sorts of calligraphy and paintings, to which Su Tao turned to look at Ni Jingqiu. It’s no wonder why she would bring him along, it turned out that Gu Yin was a collector. Looking around the room, he realised that all the work of every single prominent calligrapher in history was present. If they were all calculated at market price, this small collection was probably worthed a few hundred million.
“I was just talking to your father yesterday. I hoped that he could lend me the painting by the founding leader for a few days, but he immediately rejected me.” Gu Yin smiled.
“Speaking of that calligraphy, it had something to do with Su Tao. I bought it at the auction hosted by his charity organisation!” Ni Jingqiu smiled.
“Mhm? You’re the President of the Qihuang Charity Funds?” Gu Yin’s eyes instantly lit up when he heard Ni Jingqiu’s words.
Su Tao smiled as he responded, “The Qihuang Charity Funds was established by my two masters, Song Sichen and Dou Fanggang. I’m only responsible for running around. As for that calligraphy, it was entrusted to me by Sire Shui for the auction.”
Slapping himself in the thigh, Gu Yin exclaimed, “It would’ve been great if I got to know you earlier. I also wanted to participate in the auction, but it’s a pity that I registered a little too late, and it was bought by someone else…”
As he spoke, he even glared at Ni Jingqiu.
On the other hand, Ni Jingqiu smiled with her lips pursed, she felt smug.
Looking at Gu Yin vexing out, Su Tao felt somewhat amused. At the same time, he had also gained a better understanding of this person; this person was a genuine fanatic collector.
The Ni Family was able to buy the calligraphy at a high price, but in the eyes of a collector, the price of the calligraphy would soar even higher in a decade or two. Furthermore, it’s a treasure with a price tag and not a market! It’s something that you could only come across with luck.
Gu Yin became even more friendly with Su Tao. After all, just his identity as the President of the Qihuang Charity Funds cannot be neglected. In the collector’s world, the Qihuang Charity Funds might be an organisation by the TCM Alliance, but due to the appearance of the calligraphy, it had been branded with the Shui Family’s mark. Hence, Su Tao could be considered the spokesperson for the Shui Family. At the same time, the fact that he could obtain the qualification to be nurtured by one of the few experienced seniors in the country proved his capability. It was no wonder that even Ni Jingqiu would show respect for Su Tao.
However, Gu Yin did not know that the reason why Ni Jingqiu was subconsciously showing respect for Su Tao was because of the fact that he’s her doctor.
After touring Gu Yin’s private collection, the two of them came to a room on the second floor. There were already people in the room. Gu Yin entered with a smile and chatted with a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was briefly stunned before he looked at Su Tao’s direction.
Su Tao was meticulous, in which he knew that this was probably the author for that calligraphy. Despite the distance between the two of them, Su Tao could clearly tell that this person was seriously ill, just as he had judged.
As the two of them met, Su Tao nodded his head, and Mu Jingchen smiled in response. The two of them had left a good impression on each other.
Su Tao knew that everyone here had a prominent status in Kyoto, and there must be a reason for Ni Jingqiu to invite him over. Hence, he had to be humble and not pull Ni Jingqiu down.
Pulling Su Tao’s sleeve, Ni Jingqiu softly said, “The name of the one who was talking to Gu Yin is Mu Jingchen, the Vice-President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Japan.”
Su Tao instantly figured out what was going on, and it was no wonder that Ni Jingqiu would drag him along.
For him, his sight wasn’t limited to China, but the entire world. Through Mu Jingchen as a channel, he might be able to get to know more people. After all, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the various countries were all connected together, and he would be able to contact the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in countries such as America and Australia. If he wanted to increase his range of influence, then Mu Jingchen was undoubtedly a good choice.
“The negotiation with the Fuji Group has reached a crucial point, and we’re now negotiating the sum of their investment and the shares that we are giving them.” Ni Jingqiu whispered.
“So what as it got to do with Mu Jingchen?” Su Tao curiously asked.
Tossing a praisable gaze at Su Tao, Ni Jingqiu replied, “Mu Jingchen is not only the Vice-President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, but he’s also the next popular candidate for the presidency. Furthermore, he’s also hired by the Fuji Group as a China investment consultant. He has a great understanding of China’s enterprises and market, and he’s an authority in this field. The largest internet corporation in the country had once received an investment, and he was the risk consultant for it. It has been nearly ten years, and it proved that it was a great success. In a nutshell, Mu Jingchen is a grandmaster of China's investments, and he has received the acknowledgment and respect from several Japanese financial groups.”
“I got it. You want me to deal with Mu Jingcheng for you so that he can put in some good words on your behalf to the Fuji Group. That way, you can obtain more investments at a lesser cost, right?” Su Tao smiled.
“That’s right.” Ni Jingqiu smiled in satisfaction.
Letting out a sigh, Su Tao continued, “It won’t be easy! I’m not a beauty, so how can I attract him?”
“I’ve received news that there are rumors that Mu Jingchen is gravely ill. You’re a physician, and this is your forté.” Ni Jingqiu replied.
“You’re using my medical skills to earn money again. It doesn’t feel good being used.” Su Tao sourly smiled.
“This is called a mutual benefit. You become famous while I get the benefits, isn’t it great?” Ni Jingqiu brilliantly smiled.
However, Su Tao still patiently said to Ni Jingqiu, “A doctor will never knock on his patient’s door. It's a teaching left by the ancestors, and I won’t help him if he doesn’t request help.”
Looking at Su Tao’s expression, Ni Jingqiu knew that he was serious and sighed, “Alright. We’ll see if his eyesight is keen enough.”
Ni Jingqiu’s words were arrogant, and it sounded as if getting treated by Su Tao was Mu Jingchen’s greatest fortune.
Su Tao inwardly sighed. He couldn’t treat every type of illness in the world, take Kohei Koizumi, for example. He could only use a forbidden technique to lengthen his lifespan.
A brief moment later, a middle-aged man walked into the room with a woman, dressed in neutral-gender clothes beside him. Su Tao narrowed his eyes for a long time before he finally recognised that this woman was Gu Li, who brought them to the underground pub a few days ago. Without that horrendous make-up, Gu Li looked more refreshing, to which Su Tao speculated that Gu Li would only dress in that manner privately. Since this was a formal occasion, she naturally paid attention to her dressing. After all, she was from a prominent family, and she has received an excellent education.
When Gu Li saw Su Tao, the two of them exchanged looks. However, Gu Li did not show any reaction. It’s as if she had seen a stranger, to which Su Tao inwardly chuckled and found her somewhat childish.
The meal today was hosted by the middle-aged man beside Gu Li. He’s Gu Li’s maternal uncle, Song Wenfu, the Song Family’s representative in Japan.
This meal might seem like Song Wenfu wanted to treat his friends to a meal, but in reality, Ni Jingqiu wanted to make use of Song Wenfu’s connections to get to know Mu Jingchen to obtain more investments from the Fuji Group.
From this detail alone, anyone could see Ni Jingqiu’s capability and intelligence. Amongst those around him, only Qin Meimei’s talent in the business industry could be comparable to Ni Jingqiu.
After a few rounds of alcohol, everyone at the table broke the ice, and Mu Jingchen had also realised the meaning for this meal from some hints.
For the Newlight Media’s investment project, he had some understanding of it. He was someone who studied in America, before he relied on his own capability to obtain high salary employment in a financial organisation in Japan, moving his family to Japan in the process. Although he had some understanding of the situation in the country, he wasn’t too fond of the TCM culture since he had recognised it as pseudo-science. This was also the reason why he wasn’t optimistic about the Fuji Group investing in this project.
He’s a professional, and he wouldn’t go easy on the project just because they’re from the same country.
Hence, he had been keeping his distance with Ni Jingqiu during this meal.
