Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

"Chen Yao can really drink. He downed two bottles of my treasured Maotai all by himself. I can't let him drink like that next time!"

Su Chen rubbed his slightly swollen temples and came downstairs with a bit of weariness, only to see Jiang Hui setting up breakfast at the dining table.

"Good morning, sir!" Jiang Hui stopped what she was doing and greeted Su Chen respectfully.

"Hmm~ Good morning!" Su Chen replied casually, his gaze falling on the dining table. He noticed there was only one serving of breakfast on the table and immediately asked, "Where are Yao-ge and Su Yan? Aren't they up yet?"

"They've been up for ages!" Jiang Hui quickly explained, "Young Master Yan and Miss Lin went out to play after breakfast, saying they wouldn't be back until tonight, so there's no need to wait for them for dinner."

"As for Mr. Chen, he got up even earlier and left without having breakfast. When I asked him about it, he said he was going home. He also took a bag with him when he left. I glanced at it and saw that it contained a bottle of wine and a carton of cigarettes!"

Upon hearing this, Su Chen was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "The dignified young master of the Chen family actually did such a 'petty theft' thing. Next time we meet, we must give him a good scolding!"

Jiang Hui lowered his head, not daring to answer, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He knew the origins of his master's wine and cigarettes very well. Who wouldn't be envious? It wasn't surprising that Chen Yao did something like this.

Su Chen glanced at Jiang Hui, who had her head down, but didn't think much of it. He walked straight to the dining table, sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

"Old Jiang, have Chen Fei make arrangements. When we go to Grandpa Jiang's place later, have him prepare the car!" Su Chen said suddenly after stuffing a shrimp-filled steamed bun into his mouth and chewing it a couple of times.

"Sir, everything has been arranged!" Jiang Hui paused after speaking, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Sir, there is something I need to tell you!"

Su Chen raised an eyebrow, put down his chopsticks, and asked, "This isn't like you, Jiang Hui. Just say what you have to say. Why are you being so hesitant?"

“It was yesterday afternoon…” Jiang Hui didn’t dawdle and quickly recounted the conversation he had overheard between Su Yan and Lin Xiaoyu. Although he hadn’t heard everything, he had caught most of it and could figure out what was going on with a little analysis.

Su Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the dining table, making a rhythmic thumping sound. After a moment, he said, "Let's not worry about this for now. I'll go to the Northeast with them in a few days and find out about Lin Xiaoyu's family situation before we talk about it."

Su Chen approves of his younger sister-in-law, Lin Xiaoyu. Although they haven't known each other for very long, she is excellent in her conduct, interpersonal skills, and manners, which shows that she has a good upbringing.

However, nothing is absolute. Everything needs to be understood in person before a decision can be made. Moreover, the decision is not made by Su Chen, but by Su Yan himself.

If the other family is understanding and doesn't make things difficult for Su Yan, the newlywed son-in-law, Su Chen wouldn't mind giving the couple a grand engagement banquet, making it a local legend.

"Understood, sir!" Jiang Hui nodded and consciously took two steps back, remaining as quiet as a pillar.

After breakfast, Su Chen checked the time and it was already 9:30 in the morning. Seeing that it was about time, he changed his clothes, called Chen Fei, and drove towards the Xiao family compound.

Before leaving, Su Chen asked Jiang Hui to organize all the boxes he had brought back, and to move all the paintings, calligraphy and porcelain to the "Tianque" area to be used as decorations.

As for the tens of tons of gold bricks, they will be temporarily placed on the first basement level.

……

"What a fine mood the old man is in today!"

As soon as you enter the Xiao family compound, you see Old Master Xiao dressed in a white kung fu uniform, practicing Tai Chi in the middle courtyard.

Upon seeing Su Chen's arrival, Old Master Xiao nodded in acknowledgment, but his hands did not stop moving until he finished a complete set of Tai Chi routines, then pressed his hands down and slowly exhaled.

Seeing this, Su Chen quickly picked up the towel on the table, took three steps forward, and handed the towel to Old Master Xiao.

Grandpa Xiao took the towel and wiped the slight sweat from his brow. He pointed to the teapot on the table, and Su Chen immediately understood and poured Grandpa Xiao a cup of tea.

Of course... Su Chen didn't treat himself harshly, and poured himself a glass that was seven-tenths full.

Then he plopped down in the chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked with a smile, "Grandpa, is your Tai Chi effective?"

Grandpa Xiao put down the towel in his hand, picked up his teacup and took two big gulps. He seemed much more energetic, and then replied, "Whether it works or not depends on persistence. Even if it really does improve your health, what's the use if you only work on it sporadically?"

As if he had just thought of something, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Grandpa Xiao's mouth. He said jokingly, "Hey, I don't know who said they would come here to learn how to maintain their health, but I haven't seen them even once in all this time."

After saying that, he looked at Su Chen with a half-smile.

"Ahem~" Su Chen coughed awkwardly twice. How could he not understand that the old man was talking about him? He quickly changed the subject and said, "Did the old man call me here to give me some important instructions? Or is there some praise for my selfless dedication this time?"

Grandpa Xiao glanced at Su Chen speechlessly, knowing that this guy was like a leech, shameless as could be. Praise? Who had the audacity to ask him to handle the four military industry certificates before?
He's the kind of person who pretends to be clueless and tries to take advantage of any opportunity.

Seemingly feeling a little uneasy under Old Master Xiao's gaze, he chuckled, picked up his teacup, and started drinking, pretending not to see anything, waiting for Old Master Xiao to make his move.

"You brat... sigh!" Old Master Xiao naturally saw through Su Chen's little scheme, shook his head helplessly, and then called out in a deep voice, "Huang Feng!"

A figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor; it was none other than Old Master Xiao's personal bodyguard.

Su Chen had met Huang Feng once or twice before, but every time he saw Huang Feng, he felt inexplicably uneasy. This man was like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, which would not move until it drew blood.

Take Chen Fei, who is next to him, for example. Although he is already excellent enough, he is indeed a level below Huang Feng, or even more!
"Go to the study and bring me the file bag from my desk!" "Yes!" Huang Feng responded and quickly went into the study. After a while, he returned with a file bag, respectfully walked up to Old Master Xiao, put the file bag down, and then silently retreated into the shadows of the corridor, as if he had never been there!
Grandpa Xiao pushed the file bag in front of Su Chen and said calmly, "These are the four military industry certificates you wanted. They are the highest level, and no one will be able to restrict you!"

"In addition..." Old Master Xiao's voice immediately rose two octaves, and there was a hint of excitement in his voice. He said, "Last night we received a report from below. After thorough testing, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation confirmed that all the engine data was accurate. However, the technology is not yet mature, but it has pointed us in a direction, a direction that belongs to us alone!"

As he finished speaking, Old Master Xiao clenched his fist tightly, as if expressing his inner emotions. However, this emotion did not last long, and Old Master Xiao returned to his previous calm demeanor.

"I also heard that you sent people to Shenfei to poach an entire elite research team?" Old Master Xiao's gaze fell on Su Chen again, with a hint of scrutiny.

He knew Su Chen's capabilities well; he never did anything without a reason, always planning ahead. The fact that Su Chen was willing to send people to poach research elites in the field of aircraft meant that he was going to make a big move in the aircraft industry.

Just like with controlled nuclear fusion, they poached nuclear engineering experts from Northwestern Polytechnical University and then produced this groundbreaking achievement. How could he not be interested?

"Hehe~ It's just a small skirmish!" Su Chen's playful expression gradually turned serious. "I've learned a lot from this trip. If you don't want to be bullied, you need to have a strong enough trump card, otherwise anyone can come up and provoke you!"

Grandpa Xiao naturally understood the meaning behind Su Chen's words and reached out his hand towards Su Chen.

Su Chen didn't react for a moment, but when he saw Grandpa Xiao raise his index and middle fingers, he immediately understood. He quickly took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Grandpa Xiao, and thoughtfully lit it with a lighter, while muttering, "Grandpa, you can only smoke one!"

Grandpa Xiao took a deep drag, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, squinted his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Don't worry, that day will come, and it won't be long!"

In light of this incident in the southern seas, they unanimously decided to accelerate military research and development, striving to catch up with the world's most advanced military capabilities in a short period of time, and gradually surpass them!
Then, changing the subject, he looked at Su Chen and asked, "Tell me, what big move are you planning this time? Let this old man be mentally prepared."

Su Chen lit one for himself, exhaling a thick cloud of white smoke that obscured his eyes, but one could vaguely see his thoughtful gaze, as if he were considering whether to reveal the truth to Old Master Xiao.

"You little rascal, you're getting serious now. Looks like you're really holding back a big surprise this time!" Old Master Xiao was no ordinary person; he could tell what Su Chen was thinking at a glance.

"Hey, Grandpa, really... can't you even let me pretend for a moment?" Su Chen was quite helpless. In front of a shrewd person like Grandpa Xiao, hiding one's emotions was extremely difficult.

Shaking off the ash from his cigarette, Su Chen decided to reveal a few details to Old Master Xiao first, so that he would have a general idea and wouldn't be so shocked later.

"There's nothing to hide. I do want to get into aviation, but not fighter jets, but drones. I'm thinking of testing the waters first, and then looking at other fields once the technology is mature!"

As he spoke, Su Chen took another drag of his cigarette and said, "After obtaining the data for that engine, I learned from Chen Yao about the current state of the domestic aviation industry. Not only do we lack independently developed advanced aero engines, but our performance is also far inferior to others. It was these reasons that made me make this decision."

Su Chen's words were mostly true, but he only had this idea after seeing the Bald Eagle's experimental aircraft.

If he were to confess that he possessed a more advanced oblique detonation engine, he believed that unless the old man stripped him bare, he wouldn't even be able to leave this door.

Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Old Master Xiao's eyes. He believed Su Chen's statement, but he didn't completely believe it. However, he wasn't prepared to press the matter further.

He stubbed out the nearly burnt-out cigarette in the ashtray before saying seriously, "The aviation field is not as simple as you think. Just the various auxiliary facilities, like wind tunnels, require investments in the hundreds of millions. Not to mention research and development, billions could go down the drain. You should be prepared!"

"Also, do you need any technical sharing? After all, that engine is yours. Even if you made a request to me, I think it's far from enough. You should have a share of the engine's technology!"

Grandpa Xiao stared intently at Su Chen, awaiting his answer.

Su Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "Grandpa, there's no need for technical sharing! Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die. I understand that saying. Since Shen Fei has already devoted himself to the research, I don't need to spend huge sums of money to follow the path they've taken!"

"Old man, if you really feel bad about it, hehe..." Su Chen said with a wicked smile, "Then you can support me with some experts and technical backbones in the aviation field. That way, I won't have to poach people from other places, so that I won't be targeted by others."

Hearing this, Old Master Xiao was both amused and exasperated, and pointed at Su Chen with a finger: "I knew you weren't up to any good, kid. I felt like you were waiting for me here!"

Hearing this, Su Chen was displeased and muttered, "Grandpa, you said you wanted to compensate me, it wasn't my idea, so you can't put the blame on me."

Old Master Xiao smacked his lips, wanting to slap himself, but Su Chen had seized the opportunity again. Now he didn't know how to back out.

"Sigh~ You really don't miss a single opportunity!" Old Master Xiao sighed helplessly, and after thinking for a moment, he continued, "How about this, I'll coordinate for you and try to find two experts in the field of aviation. As for the researchers, I'll arrange a group for you. Is that alright?"

"If you agree, you can't bring up the engine issue again!" Old Master Xiao didn't forget to give Su Chen a heads-up, making sure things were settled beforehand to avoid future trouble!

Su Chen didn't care about the engine at all. He was overjoyed to have two aviation experts and a small group of researchers for free, so how could he possibly refuse?

"No problem, then I'll thank you for your help, sir!" Su Chen grinned, beaming with joy.

Looking at the smile on Su Chen's face, Old Master Xiao felt like he was being taken advantage of.

Glancing at Su Chen's smiling face, Old Master Xiao said softly, "The main purpose of calling you here today was to give you the four military industrial certificates. Now that you have them, if there's nothing else, you can go back. I won't keep you here for dinner!"

Having gained an advantage, Su Chen dared not stay any longer and immediately got up to leave.

Suddenly, the phone call Raymond had made to him yesterday popped into his head. "Oops!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead. How could he have forgotten something so important?

He immediately turned to Old Master Xiao, his expression serious, and said, "Old Master, we've discovered something valuable in Africa!" (End of Chapter)