Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 431 "Big Shots" (Part )
"Mr. Zhou, this is Mr. Li, who is in the financial business. His full name is Li Shengli..."

"This is Mr. Shi Tian, ​​who works in the entertainment industry..."

"And this guy, Mr. Zhao Zeyi, is half your fellow villager and has a lot of investments in the three southwestern provinces..."

As soon as they entered the private room, three well-dressed middle-aged men and women came to greet them, and Jian Zhuoran quickly introduced them.

"Boss Zhou, you are indeed a young and promising person..."

After some meaningless polite talk, Zhou Wang shook hands with the three people with very enthusiastic attitudes one by one, and they were considered to be acquaintances.

An orange-yellow chandelier in the style of a Kongming lantern hangs down from the quaint ceiling. The layout of the private room has been carefully designed. The entrance area is a tea table for guests. A beautiful young lady is brewing tea while demonstrating the tea art with elegant movements.

Zhou Wang always holds the attitude of "I don't understand but I respect" when it comes to the classical Chinese tea-brewing technique. Seeing that the young lady was willing to demonstrate, he stopped and watched for a while accompanied by everyone else.

After the young lady made a cup of tea, she immediately stood up, walked slowly to Zhou Wang, and offered him the tea. But when Zhou Wang was about to take it with his hand, the young lady smiled and gently moved away.

Zhou Wang didn't understand what he meant, but Wang Lijia's father Wang Yan smiled and said:
"Boss Zhou, this is the welcoming tea for guests. It seems that our tea artist wants to serve you personally. Please don't despise us... None of us had this treatment just now."

"Old Wang, you are just talking nonsense. How can old men like us compare with the handsome and elegant Ms. Zhou? Ms. Shi is in her prime, but she is also a woman. I am afraid she is not blessed enough to enjoy the grace of a beauty."

Jian Zhuoran laughed, and the people behind him also laughed.

Zhou Wang was also somewhat amused when listening to the two people's flattery. After all, he usually interacted with mostly young people, and it was indeed a long time since he heard such old-fashioned adjectives.

Zhou Wang smiled indifferently and let the tea artist lady feed him a sip of tea.

When the young lady considerately took out the silk scarf from her arms to help Zhou Wang wipe his lips, Lin Ran, who had been rolling his eyes to the sky, turned his head and looked at Xu Wenxi and also curled his lips unconsciously. The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

After drinking tea, we walked around an antique corridor and found the main dining hall behind a white jade screen wall.

Zhou Wang quite likes this design as it provides an extra layer of privacy protection.

But when he walked around the screen and came to the main dining hall, Zhou Wang frowned unconsciously.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the environment in front of me, but this space is a bit small.

In front of the window with the night view of the Huangpu River, there is only a round dining table that can accommodate about eight people... It may be a bit of a stretch to say eight people because there are eight dining chairs, but in fact this should only be a dining table for six people.

The exterior of this private room looked pretty good. Zhou Wang had not expected that the interior would be so cramped. Or perhaps it was just a small room.

He himself, plus the five bosses, and the two younger ones, Mr. Jian and Wang Lijia, made a total of eight people.

Perhaps noticing Zhou Wang's stunned expression, Jian Zhuoran at the side quickly explained with a guilty look on his face: "Boss Zhou, it's a bad arrangement, a bad arrangement. This Waldorf Astoria Hotel's Weijing Pavilion Chinese Restaurant is good in every way, except for one thing. Because it is a historical building, the layout is limited. The entire restaurant only has two private rooms..."

"Yes, we originally wanted to host a banquet for Mr. Zhou yesterday, but because we couldn't coordinate with the private room, we had to change it to today. But we didn't expect that the large private room was booked in advance, so we can only make do with this slightly smaller room. Mr. Zhou, please forgive us."

Wang Yan on the side quickly followed up to explain.

Then can't you change places?

Zhou Wang complained in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud, because he felt that the two of them insisted on hosting a banquet here, and they might have other intentions.

"It's okay, as long as it's big enough to sit on."

Zhou Wang waved his hand and asked, "What about my assistant, driver, and bodyguard..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhou. We have reserved seats for them in the hall."

"Row."

Seeing that there was at least no problem with Jian Zhuoran's arrangements, Zhou Wang nodded and sat down in the main seat without too much politeness.

Zhou Wang's attitude was high enough because he knew clearly the purpose of these five CEOs from various fields inviting him to a banquet today.

I just want to find out the news that Wangyuan Chamber of Commerce has settled in Shanghai. If I can board this big ship in advance, then everything will be fine.

But it is also because of this that it indirectly shows that they lack confidence. At least in a place like Shanghai, the identity of a billionaire is too ordinary.

In other words, the level of this group of people is still a bit low, so Zhou Wang is naturally more casual.

However, precisely because they are not at the top, they are a force that can be utilized, especially Jian Zhuoran, a native of Shanghai. His business covers various industries and he can be considered a local tyrant. If used properly, he can help Zhou Wang wade into the muddy waters of Shanghai.

This is also the reason why Zhou Wang is willing to appear here.

……

"Lao Yu, why did you come here just now? Come in quickly, come in, we're waiting for you!"

Led by the waiter to the door of the private room, Yu Zetao and his family of four finally met Qi Kai after many days.

Not to mention Yu Duo and Yu Fei, even Yu Zetao and his wife, who were relatively familiar with Qi Kai, were surprised to see Qi Kai.

The Qi Kai in front of him was still the same Qi Kai, dressed neatly and tidy, and the smile on his face seemed to be the same as before, no different, but he looked as if he was ten years older, with obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and all the white hair at his temples.

Yu Zetao clearly remembered that when they met last month, Qi Kai didn't look so haggard.

"Lao Qi, what are you doing..."

Because he was surprised, Yu Zetao asked subconsciously.

Qi Kai obviously knew what he was asking, and his eyes dodged for a moment, but he soon smiled again and waved his hand, saying, "Oh, I haven't been feeling well recently, so I may look a little off..."

"I'm sick. Is it serious?"

Yu Zetao asked quickly.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's fine now."

"Lao Qi, you have to take care of your health. I know you have a big business and you are usually busy, but you must not lose sight of the main thing."

After hearing Qi Kai's explanation, Yu Duo's mother also spoke with concern.

"I can only say that there are always some disasters in life that cannot be avoided..."

Qi Kai said this in a self-deprecating way. Without waiting for the two people to ask questions, he pulled Yu Zetao inside and said, "Come on, come on, I'll introduce you to some friends... By the way, Lao Yu, have you bought everything you asked me to buy?"

When passing the porch, Qi Kai stopped again and asked for confirmation. "It's all here. Time is short. I don't know if it's enough..."

"That's about right. As long as everyone has one, that's fine."

Qi Kai glanced at the gift bags held by the family of four, nodded slightly, and gave a final reminder: "Old Yu, you can't let me down today. The people sitting here are people that even I dare not offend easily. I took a big risk by asking you to come..."

"I understand. Don't worry, Lao Qi. We have known each other for so many years. Don't you know who I am, Yu Zetao?"

Seeing Qi Kai's serious words, Yu Zetao quickly responded, "I am ready to sacrifice my life for you today. I am not afraid of anything except not having the chance to drink this glass of wine!"

"That's fine."

Seeing that Yu Zetao was still very sensible, Qi Kai felt relieved and led the four of them around the screen wall and into the restaurant.

The faint sounds of talking and laughing just now were instantly amplified, and what came into view was an automatic round table that could accommodate more than a dozen people dining at the same time. There were two private room waiters wearing cheongsams and holding wine dispensers serving them next to it.

There were already seven or eight people sitting next to the round table, most of them were men of varying ages, and there were a few women as well. But from their postures, it was obvious that they were just guests there to accompany them.

The person sitting in the main seat was not Qi Kai, but a slightly overweight man in his early thirties.

Seeing Qi Kai appear with Yu Zetao and others, the people at the table stopped talking and laughing temporarily and cast their gazes over.

"Come on, Lao Yu, fill up your glass, I'll introduce you!"

Qi Kai signaled to the waiter beside him to pour wine for Yu Zetao, and then took Yu Zetao to the main seat.

"This is Master He Jiang, a native of Shanghai... Old Yu, I'm not bragging to you, but in Shanghai, if you have any problem, remember, any problem, as long as you can find Master He to help, then half of the problem is basically solved!"

Hearing Qi Kai's exaggerated words, Yu Zetao's eyes moved slightly.

Because Qi Kai's brief introduction actually revealed a lot of information to him.

In general business dealings, when introducing one party, one would say what industry the other party is from and where their company is located, because this is basic etiquette and is intended to allow both parties to have an intuitive understanding from the outset.

But pay attention to Qi Kai's choice of words. He only said two sentences. One was to address He Jiang, using the word "Mr. He".

...Don't think that this kind of word only appears in novels, it also exists in reality. Generally, when the other person's profession is difficult to define but has a certain status in the circle, this vague title will be used. On the one hand, it expresses respect, and on the other hand, it actually implicitly tells others that the elders or family behind him are very powerful.

If this sentence alone was not enough, Qi Kai also deliberately added "a local from Shanghai", and considering that the other party was sitting in the only main seat, that was very telling.

Therefore, Yu Zetao did not dare to neglect it at all. He quickly took the white wine glass handed by the waiter and said with a smile:

"Hello, Mr. He, I am Yu Zetao, and I have been Mr. Qi's business partner for many years. I would like to offer you a toast and wish you all the best... I'll drink it, you can do whatever you want!"

After Yu Zetao finished speaking, he drank it all in one gulp.

At this time, He Jiang, who was sitting in his seat, raised his eyelids, smiled and raised his glass, "Since you are Lao Qi's friend, then we are all family, no need to be polite. I really can't drink much, so I'll just be casual."

As he spoke, He Jiang took a sip of the red wine in the glass. However, when he was about to put the glass down, his eyes swept behind Yu Zetao and he was suddenly stunned.

Yu Duo was standing at the back of the group. To show solemnity, the girl changed into her most respectable outfit after two months.

She was wearing a pink haute couture dress from Chanel. Her hair was tied up in a bun and covered with a bow knot of the same color. Below her white collarbone was a diamond necklace that was extremely similar to the lace edge of the dress.

This dreamy outfit, coupled with Yu Duo's angelic face and dark, bright eyes, made her look like a princess from a fairy tale.

(AI portrait - Princess Dress Yu Duo)

In fact, from the moment the four members of the Yu family entered the house, Yu Duo, who was the last one to arrive, received the most attention. It was just that Mr. He had been keeping his head down just now, and only now did he discover this treasure-like girl.

Especially Yu Duo's obviously awkward manners and expressions, which almost made He Jiang's breathing stagnate.

Even though he was in the Magic City and had been around many beauties, He Jiang had never seen many girls as beautiful and pure as this one.

Yu Duo was annoyed at being stared at by He Jiang, but she didn't dare to show anything and could only lower her head.

In this delicate moment when the atmosphere was briefly stagnant, Yu Zetao, who had sensed something was wrong, stepped forward, blocking He Jiang's sight, and said with a smile:

"Mr. He, I have never been to the Magic City before. I am new here. Please take care of me in the future!"

"Oh, no problem... Who are these people?"

He Jiang also realized his gaffe and withdrew his gaze without leaving a trace, but his attitude towards Yu Zetao became warmer.

"They are all Lao Yu's family members who came to the banquet together. Mr. He should not mind having more people. I just thought it would be more lively this way..."

"Of course I don't mind. Isn't it just a matter of having a few more pairs of bowls and chopsticks?"

He Jiang laughed.

"Come on, Lao Yu, Young Master He is a big shot, but these guys are not bad either..."

After the two finished speaking, Qi Kai pulled Yu Zetao forward and introduced them one by one.

"This is Secretary Ge, who works in the HP area. I took great pains to invite him here today for Mr. He's sake. Secretary Ge has no other hobbies except drinking. You two have met a worthy match today..."

"This is Director Gao of the Finance Department of the Shanghai Branch of China Merchants Bank. Shanghai is the first place in China where China Merchants Bank opened a branch. Director Gao is in charge of finance here. I don't need to say much about his ability and status. You should also understand..."

"Ginkgo Capital's CEO, Ms. Xu Qing, is the CEO of Shanghai's private equity sector. Do you understand what I mean?"

"This one is even more amazing, Old Yu, you definitely need to get to know him better... The dean of Magic City Jiahui International Hospital, Wang Chunsheng, is a highly respected figure in the medical field. As long as you can make dean Wang happy with a drink, why would you worry about your factory not having orders?"

"The last person is also the landlord today, Mr. Elva, the executive director of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Shanghai..."

Yu Zetao himself didn't expect that there was actually so much truth in Qi Kai's words. All the people present today were extremely influential figures in their specific fields in the Magic City.

Yu Zetao was quite excited. With Qi Kai's continuous introductions, he drank every glass of wine and seemed extremely happy. At least he won a lot of applause on the scene.

While Yu Zetao was drinking one cup after another, Yu Duo and Yu Fei, who were following behind him, looked at each other and saw the worry in each other's eyes.

Although Yu Zetao had brought some food with him before coming, he drank five or six glasses of white wine right after they met. Even an iron man couldn't handle it...

(End of this chapter)