Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 994 Larry Fink's Request

September 27th, morning.

In the courtyard of Hideki Hanyu's house, which is next to the Forbidden City, a middle-aged woman was cleaning when a beautiful young girl walked in.

"Young lady, who are you looking for?"

When asked by the aunt, the girl looked around before saying, "Auntie, I'm looking for the person who lives in this courtyard. My surname is Xu, and I'm his girlfriend."

The girl was none other than Xu Qing, who had argued with Hideki Hanyu before the Asian Games opening ceremony and hadn't been in contact with him since.

For the past few days, Xu Qing had been convinced that Hideki Yuzuru would contact her first. After all, she didn't mind that Hideki Yuzuru was a playboy, and since he was in the wrong, he would naturally take the initiative to coax her.

Xu Qing's idea can only be attributed to a lack of understanding of Hideki Yuzuru.

For Hideki Yuzuru, who is never short of women and whose views on relationships have become increasingly detached, there is no possibility in his heart of taking the initiative to admit his mistakes.

Xu Qing had no idea that on the very night the argument happened, Hideki Yuzuru had completely forgotten about her.

Before and after the opening ceremony, Hideki Yuzuru was busy spending time with his daughter, and Zhou Wenqiong was also by his side, so how could he possibly think of Xu Qing?

After the opening ceremony, Hideki Hanyu took some time to watch the competition in person while dealing with the backlog of work in Japan. Even Yosuke Yasui, who was in charge of Master Kong, was summoned to the capital for a day-long meeting.

At this point, he not only felt guilty, but he had also completely forgotten about Xu Qing.

Xu Qing thought that Hideki Yuzuru would take the initiative to coax her, but she waited for several days without receiving a single phone call.

Then Xu Qing couldn't wait any longer and decided to go to find Hideki Yuzuru in person and give him a chance to take the initiative.

That's why he's now appearing in Hideki Hanyu's yard.

However, as soon as Xu Qing finished asking the question, she saw the aunt in front of her suddenly look her up and down with a wary gaze, and then utter three words in a suspicious tone.

"girlfriend?"

Sensing the aunt's attitude, Xu Qing quickly emphasized, "Auntie, I really am her girlfriend."

But the aunt still didn't believe it, "If you really are my girlfriend, why haven't I seen you at work these past few days?"

Mr. Liu is indeed handsome and wealthy, but young lady, you're quite good-looking too. If you look carefully, you'll definitely find a suitable boy.

Clearly, the aunt who didn't believe Xu Qing's words offered a few more words of advice because of Xu Qing's good looks.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing immediately became anxious, "Auntie, I really didn't lie to you. I was staying here just a few days ago. I haven't been here recently because I had a fight with him."

The aunt asked suspiciously, "Really?"

"Of course it's true. There are still some of my things in the room. If you don't believe me, I'll take you in to see."

As Xu Qing spoke, she began to walk into the house.

The next moment, the aunt blocked his way with a broom.

"Girl, I haven't believed what you said yet."

Besides, if you really are Mr. Liu's girlfriend, how could you not know that he left last night, saying he took a plane to America?

"Even I, who's only been cleaning for five days, know this. How could you, as my girlfriend, not know?"

As the aunt spoke, her gaze toward Xu Qing became increasingly wary and suspicious.

Perhaps in the aunt's eyes, Xu Qing was a scheming woman who wanted to climb up to Mr. Liu, who hired her, just because she was pretty.

Mr. Liu is young and promising, and he treats people well. He hired her to clean the house. Not only was the salary high, but the work was also easy. Naturally, she had to consider Mr. Liu's interests and keep out people with ill intentions.

Faced with her aunt's questions, Xu Qing was speechless.

However, she couldn't afford to argue at that moment, because all she could think about was that Hideki Yuzuru had already left the capital.

And before leaving, he didn't even bother to tell her.

……

Xu Qing, who was in China, was heartbroken.

On the other hand, Hideki Hanyu, who had long forgotten Xu Qing, had already crossed the entire Pacific Ocean and the North American continent after nearly twenty hours of flight on the Cloud-Up, and arrived in New York on the east coast of America.

In fact, if one were to take the Arctic Ocean route in later times, the Atlantic route would be several hours shorter than the Pacific route.

But there's no way around it; this route now passes through the airspace of the Big Brother, and everyone knows what the Big Brother's current situation is like—"chaotic" doesn't even begin to describe it.

After considering his elder brother's behavior, Hideki Yuzuru, for the sake of his own life, would rather waste a few hours than take the risk.

As for why Hideki Hanyu suddenly chose to come to New York halfway through the Asian Games, it was because he needed to go to the United Nations headquarters.

On September 29th, the Hans Christian Andersen Award will be presented to its winners at the United Nations headquarters. This year's illustration award winner is Hideki Hanyu.

As for why the award is presented at the United Nations headquarters, it is because the Hans Christian Andersen Award is established by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), which is affiliated with UNESCO, to recognize and reward outstanding children's literature authors from various countries.

Hideki Hanyu is a member of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in Japan and also holds the title of honorary vice president.

The federation was worried that Hideki Hanyu, a very busy man, might not come to the event, so they contacted him well in advance to confirm his schedule and whether he would come to accept the award.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is known as the "Nobel Prize for Children's Books," and with such a great reputation and influence, Hideki Hanyu certainly wouldn't miss it.

After all, he had offended the Japanese government in Japan, and he couldn't be bothered to think about Japan's honor anymore, so he could only try to gain recognition overseas.

First, win the illustration award, then use "Bridget" to build up your experience, and in a few years you can win the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Best Author.

When we arrived in New York, it was exactly 10 a.m. local time.

After checking into the hotel, Hideki Hanyu rested briefly and then waited for his first guest at lunchtime.

Larry Fink.

CEO of BlackRock Financial Management, a subsidiary of Blackstone Group.

Since his first investment in Larry Fink, Hideki Hanyu has been one of BlackRock's earliest major clients, and the two have maintained a very good personal relationship.

As a result, Hideki Hanyu repeatedly entrusted BlackRock Financial Management with investments.

From an initial investment of $20 million to a record $150 million after he topped the Forbes list of richest people in March of this year.

Today, Hideki Hanyu's total entrusted funds with BlackRock Financial Management have exceeded $400 million, making him BlackRock's most important client, bar none.

As a major client like Hideki Hanyu, not only BlackRock Financial Management, but even its parent company Blackstone Group are extremely envious.

Privately, Peter Peterson, the founder of Blackstone Group and the middleman when Hideki Hanyu acquired Universal Pictures, tried several times to poach Hanyu, hoping that Hanyu would cooperate with Blackstone Group.

In response, Hideki Hanyu only made a polite donation.

On the surface, however, they still chose to cooperate with BlackRock Financial Management.

The reason, of course, is his friendship with Larry Fink.

His actions further deepened his personal relationship with Larry Fink.

Therefore, whenever Hideki Hanyu comes to New York, he always makes sure to meet with Larry Fink to talk about their lives, work, and investments.

It must be said that Larry Fink's ability to lead BlackRock to such heights in the future is truly remarkable.

When Hideki Hanyu first contacted the other party, his only thought was to get on board as soon as possible.

However, after a long period of contact, he also learned a lot from the other party and was able to obtain a lot of inside information at the first time.

So what started as fake friends has now evolved into genuine friendship.

Larry Fink is a composed and steady person, even when facing his colleagues he is calm and taciturn.

But when chatting with Hideki Hanyu, I felt an instant connection with him and couldn't help but share my innermost thoughts with him.

For example, today the two had lunch at a high-end restaurant in New York.

Hideki Hanyu, completely unconcerned about his image, devoured the steak with gusto.

Larry Fink, while drinking, poured out his work woes to Hideki Hanyu.

“I am actually very grateful to Blackstone Group for their help. After all, they trusted me and supported me and my friends in founding BlackRock when I was ousted from First Boston.”

But now I feel that BlackRock and Blackstone have serious differences in their business philosophies, and they always want BlackRock to operate according to their model.

I told them that BlackRock is BlackRock, and if it were to become exactly like Blackstone, then why bother starting the company?

Their answer to me was that Blackstone succeeded, therefore Blackstone was right; Wall Street never distinguishes between right and wrong, only success. Besides interfering in our operations, Blackstone frequently contacted my clients privately, using its parent company status to engage in unfair competition.

Regarding this issue, Seraphim, as you know, Blackstone has contacted you privately quite a bit. Peter Peterson even told me that you would definitely choose Blackstone in the end.

In this matter, I must thank you for your trust in me.

When Larry Fink said this, Hideki Hanyu stopped eating and deliberately interrupted him, emphasizing that...

"It's not trust, it's friendship."

"That's right, it's friendship, a toast to our friendship."

Larry Fink looked grateful and raised his glass to Hideki Hanyu.

"Respect for friendship."

Hideki Hanyu also raised his glass and clinked it with Larry Fink's.

After putting down his glass, Larry Fink said with emotion, "Even if it's just because of friendship, I still have to thank you, Seraphim."

Because you are the only major client in the entire BlackRock financial management company who was not swayed by Blackstone's persuasion.

Because of your influence, after you firmly chose us, many clients who were previously undecided also chose us.

As Larry Fink got to this point, Hideki Hanyu interjected.

"BlackRock's growth cannot be achieved by me alone."

Furthermore, your issues with Blackstone must be resolved, otherwise it's like dancing in shackles.

Hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Larry Fink nodded. "My partner and I are aware of this problem, but solving it isn't so easy, unless..."

Larry Fink hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Hideki Hanyu replied with a smile, "Unless BlackRock becomes independent from Blackstone."

Seeing that Hideki Hanyu had already offered a solution for him, Larry Fink stopped hesitating and frankly stated, "Yes, many partners have suggested that we can only get out of our current predicament by operating independently of Blackstone Group."

Hideki Yuzuru tapped the table with his finger. "But this is not an easy task."

In another timeline, Hideki Hanyu was unaware whether the reasons for BlackRock's separation from Blackstone were the same as in this timeline.

However, he was well aware that, regardless of the timeline, it would not be easy for BlackRock to operate independently from Blackstone Group.

Although the two sides have now disagreed on business matters, it is an indisputable fact that Blackstone Group initially supported Larry Fink and his partners in starting their business, providing them with customers, funding, and resources.

Now that BlackRock is on the right track and Blackstone Group is reaping the rewards, BlackRock wants to become independent. How is this any different from Storm Advertising's defection from Dentsu?

Despite Larry Fink's numerous complaints about Blackstone's operations, from Blackstone's perspective, they nurtured BlackRock themselves, so doing so was entirely justified.

BlackRock won't let Blackstone go without paying a price.

Hideki Hanyu was aware of this, and Larry Fink naturally understood it as well.

"It is indeed very difficult, but we will work hard to overcome it."

Hideki Hanyu also adopted the demeanor of a good friend and a loyal friend, saying, "If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask me."

Larry Fink, without mincing words, said directly, "If possible, I hope Seraphim can help us find out the terms for this matter first."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu knew what Larry Fink meant and asked with a smile, "Larry, you're planning to have me contact Peter Peterson, right?"

“That’s right. Peterson is actually considered a moderate on Blackstone’s board of directors. Given your position and the fact that you’ve worked with him before, I believe he would be willing to share some information.”

In response to Narai Fink's request, Hideki Hanyu appeared to be considering it.

The matter seemed trivial; it was just a matter of asking a question.

But in reality, what was being used was his influence and personal connections as the world's richest man.

After all, even if Peter Peterson, that old fox, is mild-mannered towards BlackRock, he is unlikely to easily reveal Blackstone's bottom line.

Of course, Hideki Hanyu was just sounding out the possibility of BlackRock operating independently; he didn't need to find out everything.

Even so, he still had to weigh the pros and cons.

Compared to the potential future benefits that BlackRock could provide, the answer to the question of whether the current favors and face-saving are more important seems obvious.

Therefore, Hideki Hanyu readily agreed after only a brief consideration, "No problem, but I'm not sure about Peter Peterson's schedule yet, and there may not be an answer for a while."

But Larry Fink immediately said, "Tonight, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's club, there will be a charity auction dinner, and Peter Peterson is confirmed to attend."

"I understand, I'll attend tonight."

Hideki Hanyu agreed immediately, and Larry Fink didn't mention the invitation.

Larry Fink knew very well that with Hideki Hanyu's status and wealth, attending such a charity auction gala was as simple as making a phone call and someone would deliver an invitation.

After all, in Manhattan's Upper East Side, a place where American "old money" gathers, such unspoken rules have always existed.

To integrate into high society, one must first know how to discuss and evaluate the different schools of painting at charity auction galas, and incidentally, pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a member of the Manhattan Museum of Art Club.

For Hideki Hanyu, an artist who is highly sought after in Europe, the former is not a problem at all.

As for the latter, money was not a problem for Hideki Hanyu at all.

This is another reminder from Larry Fink.

"For charity auction dinners like this, you need to bring a female companion."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu glanced at his watch, then sighed and said, "You've really given me a difficult task in such a short time."

Larry Fink chuckled, “Heh, that’s a problem for others, but not for you.”

Clearly, the reputation of him as a scumbag and playboy has taken deep root in people's minds.

……

2:30 PM.

At One Rockefeller Plaza in Rockefeller Center, the studio of Cloud·Fashion magazine's North American headquarters is shooting footage for the latest issue.

Many models were invited to the photoshoot today, but the most eye-catching was Christy Durrington, who had just landed the endorsement for Dior's new fragrance and would be the cover girl for the next issue of Cloud Fashion magazine.

(Illustration by Christy Durrington)
Just as Christy Durrington was posing beautifully under the spotlight, as requested by the photographer and designer, she was doing so.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance of the photography studio.

Immediately afterward, Christy Durrington saw a young man walk in, accompanied by many executives from Cloud Fashion magazine.

Who else could that man be but Hideki Habu?

Christy Turlington, who was filming at the time, immediately waved to Hideki Hanyu with delight, "Seraphim!"

"Christie, you look beautiful today."

Hideki Hanyu, without any hesitation, stepped forward and spoke to Christy Durrington with a tender expression.

Those around them, outwardly appearing as if nothing had happened, inwardly exclaimed with a sense of awe and wonder.

Christy Turlington's recent signing as the face of Dior's new fragrance surprised everyone in the industry.

Although Christy Turlington has risen rapidly in the modeling world and is favored by many big-name designers, she is still far from being able to endorse Dior.

This question has finally been answered today.

It turns out that Christy Turlington and Hideki Hanyu are dating.

Considering the resources of LVMH Group and EI International, a mere Dior endorsement is nothing.

Watching Hideki Hanyu and Christy Durrington chatting quietly alone, the other models involved in the shoot were practically burning with envy.

If it weren't for Hideki Hanyu's bodyguards keeping a watchful eye on them, these models, consumed by jealousy and eager to become famous and make big money, would probably have already pounced on Hideki Hanyu.

However, Hideki Hanyu's next words drove them to the brink of madness with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Tonight on the Upper East Side, there's a charity auction dinner hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Directors' Club. Christie, may I invite you to be my date?"

(End of this chapter)