vstars Chapter 202 Several Young Masters from the Capital
Chapter 202 Several Young Masters from the Capital
Li Zhen was very satisfied with Fang Zhen's work. He heard that after Fang Zhen revitalized the company's funds, he also earned himself a large sum of money, which was truly an unexpected windfall.
At noon, Li Zhen invited Cao Hua to lunch. The location was, of course, the familiar Yi Jiangnan. The difference was that the three of them were now all wealthy men.
Cao Hua was wearing a heavy gold chain that weighed several kilograms, and a voluptuous female secretary was holding his handbag beside him.
Cao Hua: "Hahaha... Old classmate, my business skills are pretty good, right? Based on my performance, you should at least get me a vice president position."
After ordering, Li Zhen handed the menu to the waiter.
"Hurry up and serve us our food. We have urgent business to attend to after we finish eating."
After the waiter left, Cao Hua asked, "What's the rush? Didn't you just get back?"
Li Zhen didn't intend to hide it from Cao Hua. He glanced at Fang Zhen and said, "This time I brought a lot more gold and jewelry than I left for you last time. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it all at once."
Hearing this, Cao Hua fell silent. He had gone to great lengths to deal with the gold, antiques, and calligraphy that Li Zhen had asked Fang Zhen to handle last time. The domestic art market had been sluggish these past few days, and even with Cao Hua's powerful backer, acquiring such a large quantity of items at once was difficult.
After a moment of silence, Cao Hua said, "Actually, our boss, Brother Yuan, told me last time to find an opportunity to invite you for tea. Why don't you come with me to meet him this time? Brother Yuan's circle is full of wealthy people who like jewelry and antiques. Once he introduces you to something, you won't have to worry about these things anymore."
Li Zhen also wanted to meet Cao Hua's boss, Brother Yuan. He was bringing back more and more things, and his influence in the Song Dynasty was waiting for him to exchange these things for the necessary supplies and equipment to take back.
Li Zhen: "Ask Brother Yuan when he's free, and you can help arrange it."
Cao Hua's immediate superior, known as Brother Yuan, whose full name is Nie Zhenyuan, is rumored to be a legendary figure in Beijing's elite third-generation elite circles. In his youth, his passion and rebellious nature caused quite a stir. Although the storm eventually subsided, it made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in Beijing's complex social circles. So, he resolutely left that place of trouble, following in the footsteps of his ancestors, and came to this remote but warm-hearted small county town, where he founded this trading company.
Nie Zhenyuan possesses a formidable and powerful background. In this small, fourth- or fifth-tier city, he seems like a transient figure from the capital, yet he skillfully blends into the local customs and traditions. His business empire spans multiple sectors, including finance, catering, accommodation, and even antiques. Every step he takes is steady and precise. Over the years, his wealth has snowballed, making him a giant in the small town.
On this land, Nie Zhenyuan not only regained his career glory, but also found inner peace and a sense of belonging. His story spread throughout the small town, becoming a legend that people talked about with great interest during their leisure time.
Without hesitation, Cao Hua picked up the phone, lightly touched the keys, and a series of rapid dialing sounds broke the silence of the room.
When the expected response finally came from the other end, he quickly and concisely recounted the whole story. Coincidentally, Brother Yuan was in the bustling city center at that moment, and upon hearing this, he readily instructed, "Just bring the person over here; it's convenient for me."
After he finished speaking, an air of competence and tacit understanding seemed to fill the space.
After the meal, Fang Zhen did not follow the two of them, but chose to stay behind and act alone. Cao Hua personally took the helm, driving the car with Li Zhen, heading towards the bustling city center. As for the elegant and beautiful secretary, Cao Hua only gave her a few simple instructions before sending her back to the company.
Finally, the car arrived at a villa in the city center, where a middle-aged man stood smiling at the door.
After getting out of the car, Cao Hua smiled sheepishly at Nie Zhenyuan and said, "Brother Yuan, even though we haven't seen each other for a while, you didn't have to come out to greet me personally."
Nie Zhenyuan pointed at Cao Hua and said, "You're such a smooth talker. I'm here to welcome my little brother Li Zhen. I want to see what good stuff he's brought me this time."
A gentle smile graced Li Zhen's face as he held a painting carefully wrapped in elegant yellow silk. It was a recent work by Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, born from a burst of inspiration just days earlier. Even Zhao Ji himself cherished this masterpiece, finding it a source of immense joy.
"Brother Yuan, I am Li Zhen, Cao Hua's classmate. It is an honor to meet you."
Nie Zhenyuan smiled and led the two into the house. There were three or four other people sitting in the villa's living room. Li Zhen secretly asked Cao Hua, but Cao Hua didn't recognize them either.
Nie Zhenyuan smiled and introduced them: "Little brother, let me introduce you to these brothers. The one drinking tea over there is Young Master Tang from Beijing, and these two are Young Master Li and Young Master Li Er from Shanghai. They are from the same clan as you. As for the fat guy petting the cat, that's Old Xu from Yuecheng. He took most of your antiques and calligraphy."
Li Zhen smiled and nodded to everyone, which was his way of greeting them. He knew a little about this circle; joining it wasn't just about having money, but also about having a certain historical and cultural background, otherwise they wouldn't associate with you.
Li Zhen may not have much historical or cultural knowledge, but he has plenty of "background" information. If that's not enough, just have Lao Zhao work overtime and paint a few more pictures.
At this moment, Zhao Ji, who was drinking with Li's father, yawned several times. He touched his nose and muttered to himself, "Alas, I'm getting old and useless. I've only caught a slight cold and I'm already like this. Back in the day, when I was in the north..."
Seeing that her father was about to speak, Zhao Yingluo hurriedly called out, "Father, you've had too much to drink again. Didn't you say you'd forgotten all those things from before?"
Zhao Ji, who had been interrupted by Zhao Yingluo, suddenly realized what was happening and started to change the subject to other things.
Li Zhen handed the calligraphy and painting to Nie Zhenyuan, who carefully unwrapped the yellow cloth and slowly began to admire the scroll.
After examining it with a magnifying glass for a long time, Old Xu exclaimed in amazement, "This is a real treasure! It's an authentic work by Emperor Huizong of Song. Although I don't know where the Li brothers obtained it, this painting is undoubtedly the finest among all of Emperor Huizong's works!"
The others gathered around, and Tang Shao from Beijing patted Lao Xu on the shoulder: "Hey Lao Xu, it seems like you should give me the calligraphy and painting this time. We agreed on this last time. You can't be dishonest."
Old Xu rubbed his hands together excitedly, saying, "This is an authentic work by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. I can take it back and examine the historical traces within it closely. You're a real estate developer, why are you researching this? In that case, this painting is still mine, and I'll give you a painting by Tang Yin as compensation when I get back."