“Why would you want to invest in my pharmacy?” Su Tao couldn’t hold back his curiosity from asking.
He was only acquainted with Gu Yin for ten-odd days, and in this period, aside from that calligraphy, he didn’t help or give anything else to Gu Yin. On the contrary, it was he who received help from Gu Yin several times.
Gu Yin laughed out as he asked, “Who would ask it so straightforwardly like you?”
Scratching his head, Su Tao explained, “Because I feel that you’re pretty straightforward yourself, and you’re not the kind of person who would like beating around the bush.”
If Su Tao wanted to beat around the bush, he would definitely be able to find out the reason with his EQ, but there’s no need to do it when talking to an intelligent person. He believes that Gu Yin knows what he’s thinking, and as the saying goes, an honest person does things openly without any dissimulation. If he were to use schemes, it would only cause Gu Yin to look down on him. The best method is to ask it straightforwardly.
After a brief pondering, Gu Yin replied, “There are two reasons that fueled my intention to invest in the Three Flavour Hall. Firstly, I feel that you’re real. My grandfather once told my father that if you have a sum of money and intend on investing, do not follow what’s trending on the market because there’s a lifespan to that. In terms of a business’s lifespan, there is no other industry that can be comparable to the Chinese cuisine restaurant owned by my family. After all, food is a necessity of life, and as long as there’s Chinese in Japan, there is bound to be business for the restaurant. So if we want to invest, we should find a partner with ambitions. I have always wanted to invest in someone like what my grandfather had done, and you gave me a sense of reality, someone with ambitions. Henceforth, my senses are telling me to invest in you.
“Secondly, you’re young, and you have boundless potential. When I was at your age, I was still under the protection of my family, living a wasted life. The achievements that I’ve accomplished were pale in comparison to you. I believe that your future will be bright, and I want to witness that scene with you.”
Nodding his head, Su Tao smiled, “For the Three Flavour Hall to expand overseas, your help is absolutely necessary. Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to ask you for help, but I was too embarrassed to ask.”
“Actually, that lass from the Ni Family has tried to promote you to me, so I have been observing you. Do you know what made me come to a decision?” Gu Yin laughed.
“When I treated Mr. Mu?” Su Tao probed.
“That’s one of them.” Gu Yin fell into a brief silence before he continued, “I have been paying attention to your actions, like how you subdued Yu Omuri.”
Su Tao smiled as he never expected that his secret plan would be leaked. Subduing might sound a little prickling to the ears; he had indeed used schemes and displayed his attitude on this matter.
Seeing that Su Tao fell into silence, Gu Yin continued, “From your first interaction with Yu Omuri till he swore loyalty to you, you did not leave any traces of it behind. You used all the connections you could, and that means that you’re someone with meticulous thoughts. It’s a necessary trait for any successful man. Truth be told, I might not be able to do it so confidently and at ease as you.”
“You’re flattering me.” Su Tao smiled humbly as he continued, “Actually, my motive was pure, and I just wanted to set up a factory with me.”
Su Tao was a little surprised that Gu Yin caught all his actions, and even became a vital chip for Gu Yin to invest. It wasn’t something he had anticipated, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Gu Yin couldn’t help laughing when he heard Su Tao calling himself pure, “You do have an innocent heart, but you’re definitely not pure.”
Seeing the flicker in Gu Yin’s eyes, Su Tao’s heart tensed up as he felt that he had been seen through.
Could it be that Gu Yin knows something about his past?
“Since ancient times, anyone who could accomplish something definitely has outstanding intelligence. They have their own principles to stick to, but they also have extraordinary vision. You’re a very complicated person, possessing both the heart of saint and demon at the same time.” Gu Yin sighed as he commented.
Su Tao was briefly stunned upon hearing that as he had gained a deeper understanding of Gu Yin. This is the only person who had given him such an evaluation.
“Mr. Gu, you’re an intelligent person, and it’s truly stressing to communicate with you.” Su Tao smiled.
Gu Yin has an amicable appearance without any airs around him that makes him approachable. However, his extraordinary eyes might probably have something to do with the knowledge handed down in his family.
The art of seeing people is something that will be handed down through generations. For the owner of a restaurant like him, he definitely sees all sorts of people daily. If he wanted to know what kind of personality they have, he just had to interact with them slightly.
Su Tao couldn’t help thinking of the person whom he had met once, the Imperial Uncle, Tong Zuoqing. The two of them can be considered under the same category, but Gu Yin was clearly more superior.
That superior insight on Tong Zuoqing had 70% truth and 30% false in it. Occasionally, he would even show a different side of him that makes him look artificial. On the other hand, Gu Yin had no flaws.
At this moment, Su Tao sighed inwardly. He initially thought that Yu Omuri was his biggest harvest on this trip, but it turned out otherwise. From how Gu Yin managed to make an indirect approach and told him about how he subdued Yu Omuri, Su Tao suddenly realised that perhaps gaining the friendship of Gu Yin might be his biggest harvest in this trip to Japan.
Seeing that Su Tao was praising himself, Gu Yin revealed a humble smile as he waved his hand, “All people are different, and there are many occupations in the world, such as private hire, office staff, and actors. Ordinary people only have to adapt to it for them to be up to the task. However, some special occupations depend on the person, those that require professional skills and talent. Take you as an example. You’re a physician, and you wanted to forge your own TCM empire, but it was something that only you could do. On the other hand, I’m just an opportunist.”
“Thank you for your acknowledgement!” Su Tao gave a self-mocking smile and continued, “Actually, I’m bewildered most of the time as the power of an individual is too insignificant.”
“The ability of a person is truly insignificant, so you have to find more companions to be on this journey with you.” Gu Yin smiled as he continued, “Do you know why are Chinese back in the country in a complete mess, scheming against one another, yet being so united overseas?”
“A sense of crisis?” Su Tao probed.
“That’s right! For Chinese like us who live abroad, we lack a sense of security due to the difference in races. We would often encounter unfairness, and we would be bullied if we weren’t united. This is something unimaginable for those back in the country.” Gu Yin had no idea why he would sigh with such sorrow today as he continued his story, “Take the Minqing Gang as an example. Those brothers and sisters of ours were seen as the source of pickpockets and thieves by the Japanese government, and there would be people arrested for interrogation daily. Even the Yakuza had joined up to bully them. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were united, they would definitely be in a more terrible state.”
Nodding his head, Su Tao replied, “Actually, TCM has reached the point of life and death. Regardless of the medical industry or the hearts of the citizens, they have all been replaced by western medicine. It was just that not many people have realised it.”
Gu Yin nodded, “TCM is deeply rooted in the country, but it needs to jump out of that battlefield. The medical industry has been under the control of several large pharmacy conglomerates, and they have monopolised the market for themselves. It will be a long journey if you want to challenge them. Let me give you a suggestion, why don’t you use Chinatown as a starting point to slowly expand out. Let’s talk about something practical, as long as you open it in Chinatown; you won’t have to be afraid of not having any patients. The moment when you have a branch in all the places where Chinese exists, it’s impossible for even the international pharmaceutical conglomerates to strike you down.”
Hearing Gu Yin’s words, Su Tao’s heart blazed. He has thoughts of bringing the Three Flavour Hall out of China, but there weren’t any reliable methods. If he relies on the Three Flavour International, he can only influence women, but it’s still lacking if he wants to influence all levels of society.
Meanwhile, Gu Yin’s idea had undoubtedly opened a new path for Su Tao.
Taking a deep breath, Su Tao had joy in his eyes as he smiled, “Listening to the words of a wise man beats studying for ten years. But I’m afraid that it won’t be easy to enter Chinatowns all over the world.”
Patting on his chest, Gu Yin guaranteed with confidence, “Don’t worry about it. You only need to deliver talents, and I will deal with the location and procedures for you. I can promise you that every Chinatown in the world that has the Yanhuang Pavilion and Purple Imperial Pavilion will have a spot for your Three Flavour Hall.”
Listening to Gu Yin’s words made Su Tao’s blood boil with excitement. He might suspect those words if it was someone else, but there’s no need for someone like Gu Yin to trick him. After all, his current status and wealth were insignificant.
When Gu Yin was communicating with Su Tao, he treated Su Tao as someone on his level without any airs around him. With that, one can see how much Gu Yin acknowledges Su Tao’s ability.
Then again, Gu Yin had also confirmed that Su Tao has the sufficient ability before he invested. He did not purely rely on his eyes, but it was the conclusion that he had analysed with all sorts of investigation.
Now that Su Tao thought about it, he had a whole new view in his life. In the beginning, he was only following his grandfather’s words before his death to keep the tattered pharmacy running. However, he would never have imagined back then that he would shoulder so much responsibility and burden, facing more powerful enemies. At the same time, he would also be acquainted with so many powerful friends as well.
Taking a deep breath, Su Tao started to think about how the Three Flavour Hall can swiftly gain a footing overseas.
Judging from the current situation, his trip to Japan was filled with expected and unexpected surprises. He initially intended to ‘bring back,’ but he never expected that he would now have an opportunity to ‘step out.’
