Reply to Keats - Chap 29
Chap 29
Side Effects
When He Shengyuan gave his speech, everyone returned to the main banquet hall, except Zhao Shengge and Felipe. Their identities did not allow them to be exposed to the media cameras at will, and the VIP room was specially prepared for them.
He Shengyuan is not the kind of person who talks nonsense, and his entire speech only took a few minutes.
But when important people speak, a lot can be said in just a few sentences.
The people below each have their own understanding.
“If Minglong and Parkson really want to expand their network in Northern Europe, that would be an opportunity for the Yao family.”
Although the Yao family is not outstanding in Hai City, they are one of the earliest large families to immigrate to Europe and have deep overseas roots. If they can get on board the two big ships of Zhao and He, then it will be just a matter of time before they can regain their glory in Hai City.
“Parkson generally does not reject third-party investment, but it’s hard to say for Minglong.”
Ultimately it’s hard to say for Zhao Shengge.
“Hey – Mr. Zhao and Xiao Nan are from the same school. You don’t know that when we were competing, Mr. Zhao always brought Xiao Nan with him every time he went out.”
Someone who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make friends with the Yao family echoed: “I remember that Xiaonan was taught skiing by Mr. Zhao at that time.”
——If Zhao Shengge, as the president of the ski club, provides two days of collective training for the freshmen, it counts.
Yao Jianan said shyly: “It was the captain who took care of me.”
Chen Wan put down her wine glass, took a work call, said hello to Zhuo Zhixuan, and left first.
He was drunk and the driver was waiting in the parking lot behind the villa.
As he walked out the door, a pretty young lady passed him.
“Chen Wan?”
Chen Wan paused, nodded slightly, and politely asked the lady whose clothes and hairstyle were bolder and more distinctive than those of the others present: “Excuse me, who are you?”
The other party smiled and stretched out his hand: “Xu Enyi, perhaps your mother has mentioned me to you.”
“…Hello,” Chen Wan remembered and shook hands with the other person without changing his expression. “I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
Xu Enyi was very cheerful and said, “Mingzai was my classmate in the German class, and we were also alumni abroad before.”
They had never met before, so Chen Wan didn’t know how the other party recognized her, but she smiled and said, “It’s fate.”
Xu Enyi couldn’t stay at the boring cocktail party and also wanted to go to the parking lot, so she walked with him: “I’ve seen your photo, Mr. Chen, you’re easy to recognize.”
Chen Wan didn’t know how much information Song Qingmiao had shared with others. He sighed helplessly and said politely to the lady, “Ms. Xu has good eyesight.”
Xu Enyi laughed out loud.
After He Shengyuan finished his speech, Zhao Shengge accompanied Felipe to talk to him about business for a while, as a favor to He Shengyuan.
After the conversation, he returned alone to the second floor where there were fewer people. There was someone else beside Zhuo Zhixuan.
Zhao Shengge walked to the railing, looked downstairs, and returned to the VIP box to get his own wine.
Queen of Palma.
His wine does not need to follow rules, does not participate in exchanges, and does not share that little bit of fate into the one percent of metaphysics. Whom to share it with is entirely up to one’s will.
The waiter outside the VIP box knocked on the door and came in to ask: “Mr. Zhao, there is a gentleman outside asking if you are free and wants to see you.”
Zhao Shengge was looking at the wine sign, without even raising his head, and said indifferently: “Don’t let him in.”
The waiter said, “Okay.”
Zhao Shengge closed the freezer and prepared to go downstairs.
The VIP box is connected to the open-air terrace. The second floor is not high and the floor-to-ceiling windows are large. Zhao Shengge saw Chen Wan and a young lady walking towards the open-air parking lot and having a pleasant conversation.
The lady was dressed a little exaggeratedly, with a very long dress and high heels that made it difficult to walk. She tripped and Chen Wan gentlemanly asked her to help him adjust the hem of her dress.
I don’t know what they were talking about, but they both started laughing.
The perfect couple disappeared into the night. Zhao Shengge put Queen Parma back into the freezer. The cold dew on the bottle wall wet his hands, turned into water, and dripped onto the carpet.
The door was knocked again, and it was the waiter again: “Mr. Zhao, the wine label you requested has been delivered. Where should I put it?”
The ribbon that was supposed to carry the bottle of Chardonnay away under the spotlight lost its color. Zhao Shengge whispered, “It’s not needed. You can take it back. Thank you.”
The waiter had seen many such customers who acted on their own initiative, so he answered very skillfully and naturally: “Okay, I’ll put it back for you–”
“Forget it, give it to me.”
The day after the cocktail party was Chen Wan’s follow-up visit date. Chen Wan postponed her work and went to Monica’s clinic as scheduled.
During this period, he carefully followed the doctor’s advice to take medicine and rest – except for unavoidable overtime work and social events.
Monica said that his condition remained relatively stable, but during an emotional test on him, she found that Zhao Shengge had serious side effects.
Chen Wan found this description a little funny when she heard it for the first time. She said with a smile, “It’s not a drug.”
As God is my witness, Chen Wan never used it as a medicine or a means of treating his own illness.
Monica didn’t find it funny, sighed, and said that she would help Chen Wan find a sustainable alternative before he decided to stop.
They all know that the current stability is not sustainable.
Chen Wan nodded, then shook his head. There was no substitute for Zhao Shengge, and he probably didn’t need one.
Until this moment, Chen Wan was still extremely stubborn and believed that he could completely control his feelings and emotions.
Monica sighed inwardly, but did not refute him, she just re-prescribed the medicine.
In early August, the exchange rate rose and the overall economic situation in the second quarter of the whole city improved.
In the face of a storm, only small fry are affected, while giant ships remain unaffected.
TCB reported extensively on He Shengyuan’s cocktail party the day before yesterday, and the He-Zhao collaboration was a done deal.
Having dealt with He Shengyuan, Minglong Group was not to be outdone and struck while the iron was hot by selecting a date for the launch conference and groundbreaking ceremony for Baoli Bay Pier.
Chen Wan was a little surprised when she received the invitation.
His little temple was given the reputation of being a new technological upstart by others, but in reality it was completely nameless in front of the old money.
However, when Chen Wan saw that the invitation was not from Minglong Group but from a very remote subsidiary of the group, he did not think much about it.
Kexiang did have some business dealings with the other party, but Tianqing, a subsidiary, had a very obscure reputation, and the contract documents did not use Minglong’s name in the header or signature, so many people did not know that it was backed by Minglong.
I’m afraid even Minglong may not remember that he has such a forgotten “little son”.
Zhuo Zhixuan stared at the gold-embossed invitation and squinted at him: “You’re not not going, are you?”
“Why not go?” Chen Wan was puzzled.
“…” Zhuo Zhixuan was completely unable to predict his thoughts and actions, “Then who knows you.” Anyway, most of the people who had been invited by Zhao Shengge before would not attend.
“Yes.” Chen Wan put the invitation away carefully.
Strictly speaking, this is actually a business matter. Tianqing is their partner, and Kexiang is not just his own hard work. Chen Wan will not confuse public and private matters. He is responsible for the entire company.
The dinner was held at Baoli Bay.
Because it has not been fully developed yet, the dark coastal highway near the mountains in the suburbs is illuminated by the lights of oncoming cars.
The person who presided over the dinner and spoke on stage was a cousin of the Zhao family, also a director of Minglong – one of the few young men in the Zhao family who could be of great use.
In such occasions, Zhao Shengge usually does not speak in person and only shows his face at most.
He and Shen Zongnan, who was equally afraid of crowds, sat beside a curtain in an inconspicuous corner on the second floor, drinking and overlooking the people in gorgeous clothes and toasting each other below.
The view from this position is unobstructed, and you can clearly see who is socializing and greeting whom, and who is making eye contact with whom.
Zhao Shengge turned the metal on his fingertips out of boredom.
Shen Zongnian took a sip of wine and asked, “Why are you wearing this suddenly?”
The ring is inlaid with the Zhao family emblem, representing the highest power and status in Minglong. Zhao Shengge never used this thing to show off his background or to put pressure on others when doing business before. There was no need for it, and he didn’t like it, even when he was just starting out.
Zhao Shengge said: “It’s not good to send people to the hospital on a day like this.”
“…” When he said this, Shen Zongnan immediately understood.
It was Zhao Maozheng who asked him to wear it. This could be regarded as Minglong’s biggest project in the past decade. Not only was it a collaboration between the Shen, Tan and Xu families, but it also involved a heavyweight red-headed tender document. In such a grand occasion, the family’s glory could not be absent.
If Zhao Shengge doesn’t wear this tight hoop, the old man will get angry and call the doctor, and the paparazzi, whose noses are sharper than dogs, will probably make up stories and make use of the situation.
The two of them looked down at the crowd below. Everyone was wearing a mask, putting on the same old smile, socializing and going about their business.
In such a grand occasion and moment, Zhao Shengge and Shen Zongnan both sat very relaxed. If someone passed by, they would think that they were chatting about a project worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but in fact they were just gossiping about someone else.
Soon, Tan Youming and Zhuo Zhixuan came up with wine.
“Have you seen Chen Wan?” Zhuo Zhixuan asked.
Tan Youming didn’t think anything of it. Shen Zongnian took his phone back from him and asked Zhao Shengge calmly, “Did you invite Chen Wan?”
This is not one of those private gatherings you usually have.
Although he recognized Chen Wan’s abilities, to be frank, Ke was still a long way from being on Minglong’s guest list.
Zhao Shengge remained calm and said he didn’t know.
“Since when did Minglong even have to take charge of drawing up the guest list?”
“…”
Zhuo Zhixuan came out to explain: “No, it was a business invitation letter from Tianqing Company. They were working together on the Ting Tsuen Wan project before.”
Shen Zongnan almost forgot that there was Tian Qing under Minglong. He glanced at Zhao Shengge and didn’t ask any more questions.
Tan Youming said, “Call him again and see where he is.”
“No, he said he was leaving two hours ago.”
It takes no more than an hour and a half to get here from the city.
