Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 257 A Meeting Too Late (6k views, please subscribe)

In Silla, the Samsung Group staged a similar inheritance battle decades ago.

At that time, Lee Mong-seok of Samsung and his younger brother Lee Geon-seok used all sorts of tricks and schemes to gain control of the family business.

They bribed senior executives at Samsung Group at the time to obstruct their brothers' management and operations, and were even willing to sacrifice Samsung Group's reputation and interests to harm their brothers. The tricks they played in these matters were far more sophisticated than those played by Lee Jae-young and Lee Yong-jin now.

Therefore, when Lee Geon-seok was alive, Lee Yong-jin didn't play any tricks at all. All her plans and backup plans were deeply buried within the Samsung Group, waiting for the day when they would be unleashed.

In the early years, the struggle for succession to the Samsung Group ultimately ended with Lee Geon-seok's victory.

Lee Meng-seok was stripped of his right to inherit Samsung, and in the end, all he got was a sugar factory.

Despite being deemed incapable of managing the business by his father, Li Mengxi continued to leverage the sugar factory he was allocated, eventually expanding and reshaping his business empire into the CJ Group we know today.

CJ Group has achieved considerable success in fields such as food manufacturing, biotechnology, logistics and transportation, life sciences and health, and entertainment and media.

In particular, CJ's entertainment and media world has been very successful, becoming one of the industry giants. "Reply 1988" is a TV series produced by CJ Group, and "Parasite," which was plagiarized by Lu Yao, also belongs to CJ Group.

Although CJ Group has no presence in the semiconductor industry, it also firmly holds a leading position over Samsung in the entertainment and media sector, although the two are not comparable in importance.

The feud between Li Mengxi and Li Jianxi did not diminish over time.

The two have been vying for power ever since the inheritance battle began.

In 2012, Lee Maeng-seok also filed a lawsuit against the Silla government, demanding that Samsung Group return more than 7 billion Silla won in stock dividends. Both sides assembled super-luxurious legal teams for this, and according to incomplete statistics, Lee Geon-seok and Lee Maeng-seok spent a total of about 200 billion Silla won in this lawsuit.

But in the end, Li Mengxi failed.

As for why... the reason is simple: Samsung Group has more money, and it has more ammunition for this lawsuit game.

Meanwhile, due to lung cancer, Lee Meng-seok could no longer sustain his fight against Samsung. He went to Japan and Tokyo University for treatment of lung cancer. Now, Lee Meng-seok is already a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

But this time, Lü Yao suddenly went to Silla, and there were rumors that Lü Yao and Samsung had fallen out. At this time, Lee Meng-seok, who was already on the verge of collapse, seemed to see hope again.

So he urgently sent a message from the intensive care unit to his son, Lee Jae-hyun, hoping that he could cooperate with Lu Yao.

Unfortunately, the younger generation of Lee Jae-hyun cannot understand the grudges of the older generation. For Lee Jae-hyun, the best way to achieve long-term and stable development in Silla is to cooperate with Samsung for mutual benefit.

Moreover, CJ Group and Samsung Group are closely related by blood. Lee Jae-hyun, the current owner of CJ Group, and Lee Jae-young of Samsung Group are actually cousins.

Lee Geon-seok of Samsung Group has now passed away.

Lee Jae-hyun's father is also on his deathbed.

Now you're sending Lee Jae-hyun to fight Samsung to the death?
His motivation is severely lacking.

However, Lee Jae-hyun's attitude is not important.

Lee Mengxi clearly learned from the painful lesson of his previous downfall, so the issue of succession in the CJ Group was very clear from the beginning. Lee Jae-hyun became the owner of the CJ Group without any trouble and managed the entire CJ Group.

However, Li Mengxi is still the actual controller of CJ Group. As long as Li Mengxi agrees, Lü Yao can become a senior executive parachuted into CJ Group.

After discussing with Rong Nianqing how to communicate with Li Mengxi, Lü Yao hung up the video call and then said to Ni Hui, "Please tell Li Zaixian that I am temporarily unable to attend their banquet."

Ni Hui replied businesslike, "Okay."

After finishing their business, Lü Yao clapped his hands and laughed, "OK, we're new here and not familiar with the environment, so we can go out and explore."

Gangnam District is Seoul's most important and bustling commercial area, and Gagujeong is the city's most famous high-end fashion hub. Many of the places where wealthy female CEOs in Korean dramas frequent are located here, and many film companies are also located nearby.

Lu Yao urged, "We've just arrived, so we're not in any danger yet. Let's go have some fun while we can."

Jian Xiaojie tilted her head and asked, "Oh, so enthusiastic! Are you planning to go shopping with us? Well, I'll gladly accept that honor."

Lu Yao said happily, "I would love to go shopping with you guys, but I have other things to do and need to wander around a bit."

"嘁~"

Jian Xiaojie rolled her eyes dramatically, then looked at Ni Hui who was running out the door and called out, "Ni Hui, I'm going out shopping, you have to come and protect me!"

Ni Hui: "..."

Lu Yaochong smiled at Lin Yongzhen and said, "Buy as much as you want here. Don't worry about buying too much. Send it back to China as a benefit for them."

Lu Yao was naturally referring to Cheng Xinyu, Zhou Bella, and Gao Chuning.

Although many things advertised about cosmetics are somewhat pseudo-scientific and their actual effects are often mediocre, the reason why cosmetics have become a bestseller worldwide and sought after by countless young girls and middle-class women is because they accurately hit women's needs and anxieties.

With the marketing involved, these uniquely designed and high-end skincare products themselves contain immense emotional value.

If you add the label of "purchasing imported goods on behalf of others," the emotional value will skyrocket!
Lu Yao used to like using these things to pry open girls' doors. For example, a set of SK-II skincare products could make a girl spread her legs for you. If you were a little more skilled, you could even earn back the money you spent very quickly.

Now Lü Yao doesn't need to do this anymore, but he's still happy to use these inexpensive things to make the people around him happy.

As he spoke, Lü Yao handed his own card to Lin Yongzhen: "All expenses for this shopping trip will be paid for with this card. Spend as you please."

This is one of the two flowers that women like the most.

Lin Yongzhen didn't stand on ceremony. She smiled and accepted Lü Yao's UnionPay card, saying, "Now I finally understand why so many girls around you are so fond of you."

Who wouldn't like a handsome, young, and wealthy man who can always bring them little surprises?

The only drawback of this type of man is often the same: he has too many women around him.

Lu Yao smiled and said, "I will personally send the things back after I buy them. By the way, please pay more attention to Sister Shu's portion."

Lin Yongzhen smiled with exceptional gentleness: "Okay~"

After explaining things to Lin Yongzhen, Lü Yao prepared to leave.

When Lü Yao went out, Xu Shuncai and Gui Ya, who had already arrived at the monitoring room, came out and arranged for someone to accompany Lü Yao.

They themselves remained stationed around the residence, ready to respond to any possible situation.

Xu Shuncai and Gui Ya are executives of a security consulting company. Although the company is nominally owned by Silla people, Xu Shuncai and Gui Ya are the real decision-makers. Unless Uncle Qiao intervenes, they are the biggest bosses of the company.

Below this security consulting firm are their black ops agents, locally known as "group rioters."

Although Silla is a small region, it has nearly five hundred factions of varying sizes.

There are over a hundred gangs in Seoul alone, the largest of which is the Yeongdeungpo faction, which includes factions such as the Namdong faction, the Jungdong faction, and the Union faction.

Xu Shuncai and his group secretly control two factions: the Donghu faction and the Haimen faction. Many of the capable people in the security consulting company managed by Xu Shuncai and Guiya were selected and transferred from these two factions.

After assigning Lu Yao the company's most capable staff, Lu Yao left in a Maybach and began to travel around Seoul.

Seoul is located in the central part of this peninsula, in the heart of the peninsula's territory, in a basin. The Han River meanders through the city, dividing it into Gangbuk and Gangnam. Gangnam is the affluent area, and the hit song "Gangnam Style" that burst onto the scene in 2012 perfectly captures the high-end and fashionable lifestyle of Gangnam.

But after wandering around the Jiangnan District for half a day, Lü Yao found that this so-called rich area was just so-so.

It lacks the elegance and extravagance of old-money Europeans and Americans, as well as the restraint and profundity of Chinese nobility; it's more like a commercial center in a first-tier city in China.

What amazed Lü Yao was that there was a slum right next to the wealthy area. This slum wasn't even marked on the map, and it seemed like two different worlds despite being just across the road.

There is a similar situation in China. On both sides of Shangnan Road, the most bustling street in Dahai City, there are many old buildings from the last century. Although those buildings are old, the people living in them are not poor!
Leaving aside assets, the annual rent from those houses alone is considerable.

Such a stark contrast between the rich and poor is a rare sight indeed.

However, this is a common sight in the world of capital.

In New York, you can see the glittering metropolis of Manhattan, but in the same New York, Brooklyn, just 12 kilometers away from Manhattan, is a picture of poverty and decay.

Lu Yao traveled from Gangnam District to JB District in Seoul, chatting with his security personnel throughout the process to learn about the different areas.

For example, where there is a lot of delicious food, where it is dark and chaotic, where there are mysterious activities, and where religious people or groups are active.

In the afternoon, Lü Yao sat in the car and looked around along the Han River, but he couldn't find the place he wanted.

Because Seoul's GDP accounts for more than half of the national GDP, it has a large population, and even the poorer areas of Gangbuk are crowded with people.

What Lü Yao wanted was a relatively secluded place, but one that didn't lack basic infrastructure, and ideally, it should have surveillance cameras, but not too many or with overly clear footage.

After Lü Yao explained his needs to the security personnel accompanying him, the security guard in the passenger seat remained silent for a moment before asking, "President Lü, who do you intend to deal with?"

“There are some such places along the Seoul River. I know a few places that have no surveillance cameras at all.”

Lü Yao emphasized, "It must be there."

The security personnel were silent for a while, and after thinking for a long time, they said, "There should be a dock on the Jingren Canal that meets your requirements."

With the development and improvement of logistics and air transport, river transport has gradually declined. Although there are still people who rely on river transport for their livelihood, most capable companies and conglomerates have established their own logistics chains, or at least have partnered with other companies. Now, only a very small number of industries still rely on river transport.

Due to the decline of river transport, many wharves along the canal have been abandoned. Those closer to the city center have mostly been converted into parks, buildings, or commercial land; while some more remote wharves that are no longer in use have been abandoned.

The places the passenger in the passenger seat mentioned that he knew about were those abandoned docks.

In addition, there are some docks that are far from the city center but are still in use occasionally, and these places are more in line with Lü Yao's requirements.

After the car was far from the city, Lü Yao stopped the vehicle and asked them to bring another civilian car. Then Lü Yao took the car to a dock more than ten kilometers away from Seoul.

Seoul is only about 30 kilometers from the west coast, and just over 10 kilometers to the west is almost where it borders Gimpo.

Because it is a junction of two regions, some docks here have not been abandoned.

Lu Yao did not enter the dock. After walking around outside, he found that this place did meet his requirements.

Standing on a high ground outside the dock, Lü Yao gazed at the blood-red setting sun on the horizon and looked down at the half-abandoned dock. The scene of his future plans seemed to be playing out in his mind, while he was constantly revising the possible unexpected events.

The evening breeze blew by, making Lü Yao's clothes rustle loudly.

After a long while, Lü Yao said to the security personnel beside him, "This place is indeed very good. You did a great job. When you get back, tell Director Xu that I need detailed information about this dock."

"it is good."

Lu Yao glanced at it a few more times, then turned and left.

Lu Yao originally planned to go straight back to his residence, but halfway there he received a message from Li Rongzhen: "President Lu, are you free? Can we meet? I haven't even had a welcome dinner for you yet."

This message was sent in Chinese.

They even used idioms.

Lu Yao knew that Li Rongzhen's call at this time was definitely not just a simple welcome dinner. He replied, "Then please find a safe place. I'll be there later."

Li Rongzhen replied instantly: "You can go to this address."

Then Li Rongzhen sent an address.

The address says it's a fried chicken restaurant, also in Gangnam District.

"Fried chicken...?"

However, the people of Silla did indeed love fried chicken, so much so that the phrase "eating fried chicken or beer" later appeared on Chinese social media.

Lu Yao shared the situation with Jian Xiaojie, and then Jian Xiaojie and the others, who were shopping, quickly went home. Under Xu Shuncai's arrangement, they quietly left the residence and met up with Lu Yao at the fried chicken shop.

This fried chicken shop is located on a relatively bustling street in Gangnam District. The decor looks quite upscale. Precisely because of the upscale decor and the fact that it sells fried chicken, there aren't many customers. But those who do go in are people with some financial means.

After all, it's rare for locals to come here to eat such high-end, and seemingly more expensive fried chicken.

For locals, Korean beef, Western food, and even some Chinese restaurants are the places for high-end consumption, while fried chicken, fried pork offal, and ramen are the main dishes consumed by ordinary people.

Following Li Rongzhen's instructions, Lü Yao and Jian Xiaojie entered the restaurant through the back door.

Generally speaking, the back entrance of a restaurant is often less impressive and cleaner than the front entrance.

But this fried chicken shop is different.

The back alley, on the contrary, is very quiet and elegant.

When Lü Yao and Jian Xiaojie arrived, Li Rongzhen was already waiting there with her assistant and translator.

Upon seeing Lü Yao arrive, Li Rongzhen warmly greeted him with a cheek kiss, saying, "Welcome to Seoul. For safety reasons, we can only welcome you here. Of course, the second floor here is not a fried chicken restaurant, but a Chinese restaurant."

Li Rongzhen turned to the side and said, "Please."

Lu Yao and Jian Xiaojie arrived at the second floor of the fried chicken shop after being warmly welcomed by Li Rongzhen. Upon entering, they discovered that the shop was built in a very authentic Suzhou style, with carved wooden doors and windows, silk brocade screens, and various porcelain pieces, creating a very genuine Chinese antique atmosphere.

In the middle of the restaurant, Lü Yao could even see the coffered ceiling overhead.

Lü Yao laughed: "Sure."

As expected, Korean dramas are quite restrained in their portrayal of the Silla chaebols; the things that the wealthy there enjoy are completely different from what ordinary people see.

Lu Yao recalled that Korean dramas would depict scenes of chaebols using Chinese items in their daily lives, but these scenes would likely not appear until after 2022. Before that, the dramas would be entirely based on Silla culture, whether modern or ancient, and the Koreans would not dare to show the true lives of the chaebols.

After Lü Yao and his group entered the private room through the secret passage, they discovered that the dishes served were actually the standard dishes for a grand banquet in Dongguo.

Although at Dongda University, you can have a state banquet at the State Guesthouse for just a few thousand dollars, most people eat the standard menu. But the dishes on the second floor of this fried chicken restaurant are not the standard menu.

You can tell from Li Rongzhen's attitude that she genuinely wants to cooperate with Lü Yao and the others.

Even if it's acting, they act very well.

In contrast, Lee Jae-hyun of the CJ Group didn't even bother to put on an act; his arrogance practically emanated from the invitation.

After taking his seat, Lü Yao said with a smile, "Earlier today, Lee Jae-hyun of the CJ Group invited us to their dinner party, but Lee Jae-hyun was not among those invited by the CJ Group."

This is considered a way of synchronizing the message with Li Rongzhen.

Lü Yao didn't know if Li Rongzhen knew about this news, but regardless of whether she knew or not, Lü Yao had to share it with Li Rongzhen. This was a sign of sincerity in their cooperation and also an attitude.

Li Rongzhen also frankly said, "I have also received the news. It seems that my uncle, who lives in Dongda Jingcheng, asked my cousin to cooperate with you, President Lu, but my cousin has no such intention. As the CJ Group continues to grow and expand, and with the younger generation taking charge of the company's operations, both sides have gradually begun to abandon competition and are willing to cooperate in more areas."

Lü Yao laughed and said, "But this is not a good thing for us."

Lee Yong-jin thought for a moment and said, "My cousin Lee Jae-hyun is a very thoughtful and resolute man. If he doesn't want to clash with the Samsung Group and instead actively seeks cooperation, he won't be easily swayed."

Lu Yao nodded: "We will work on this actively. In addition, I need detailed information about Lee Jae-hyun, including his personal characteristics, likes and dislikes, interpersonal relationships, and even his past scandals."

Throughout the day, Lü Yao did more than just wander around Seoul.

He was also gathering information about CJ Group, especially about Lee Jae-hyun.

Unlike Samsung, a giant corporation, CJ Group had a very low profile, and Lu Yao's future memories of this person were almost entirely blank.

However, during his search during the day, Lü Yao noticed that Samsung Group had hired private investigators to follow and secretly photograph Lee Jae-hyun, which was something Lee Meng-seok explicitly pointed out in his open letter condemning Lee Geon-seok. It was also before this matter was made public that Lee Meng-seok, who was originally full of fighting spirit, suddenly withdrew his lawsuit against former Samsung owner Lee Geon-seok.

This means that

Samsung Group must have some serious dirt on Lee Jae-hyun, something that could ruin his reputation or even get him imprisoned.

Li Rongzhen said, "No problem, I will get these materials as soon as possible."

Lu Yao then asked, "So, President Li, how are your plans for your brother's future coming along?"

Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "I do have some ideas, but they are not very clear yet. Actually, the reason I invited you here tonight is to hear your thoughts, President Lü."

After confirming her cooperation with Lü Yao, Li Rongzhen carefully investigated Lü Yao's background and how he rose to power. Then she discovered that Lü Yao was... how to put it? Resourceful? Cunning?

In short, Lü Yao's talent was exactly what she needed.

Lu Yao didn't stand on ceremony. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Samsung Group is no longer a single-family conglomerate. Even though your brother Lee Jae-young has pushed for the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, directly or indirectly controlling more than 20 percent of Samsung Electronics' shares, the remaining 70 percent are in the hands of other parties."

Samsung Group has an extremely complex shareholding structure, with shares held not only by Lee family members, but also by the Silla National Fund, the Silla National Pension Fund, international consortia, and international venture capital firms.

"so."

Lu Yao laughed and said, "If Samsung Group's business continues to decline under your brother's leadership, and the interests of the major shareholders are constantly being damaged and lost, can he still hold his position as the head of Samsung?"

He leaned back in his chair and said leisurely, "For a group, there are often many visible or invisible difficulties in accomplishing something, but it's much simpler to not accomplish anything."

"For example, excluding very important technical personnel who have international influence within the company."

“One of our products has developed a very dangerous and terrible safety hazard.”

"Or the group may be involved in international power struggles... especially this, where a single small statement can cause a massive upheaval in public opinion."

As Lü Yao recounted his various vicious and insidious ideas, Li Rongzhen's eyes grew brighter and brighter!

The way she looked at Lü Yao suggested a feeling of regret for not having met him sooner.

So when Lü Yao finished speaking, Li Rongzhen immediately said with great emotion and relief, "Originally, I only had vague concepts of these ideas in my mind, and I wasn't very clear on how to implement them, but I didn't expect you to have such a clear plan. It's really my luck to have your help."

As she spoke, Li Rongzhen picked up her wine glass, stood up, bowed, and said, "President Lü, this glass is for you!"

Seeing Li Rongzhen's sincere expression, Lü Yao smiled, but inwardly he couldn't help but think, "No one would believe that!"

(End of this chapter)