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Xu Tingsheng met Wayne Yang after dinner. Because he didn’t feel safe letting Xiang Ning be alone but also didn’t want to bring her for business talks, the meeting location was set at their hotel lobby. The two sat down for a cup of coffee there.
“Just this, Boss Xu?” Wayne Yang said hi to two Western girls in the lobby after entering and then began to begrudge Xu Tingsheng.
“What more do you want?” Xu Tingsheng asked, “You didn’t get anything done at all.”
There had still been no progress made regarding investing in Apple as Wayne Yang said a bit despondently, “It looks like I’ve got no chance of getting that commission of yours. There were two minor Apple shareholders who would possibly sell their shares that I very nearly convinced for you. But in the end, I was intercepted twice in succession right at the endgame…tell me, am I unlucky, or is there somebody targeting you?”
In saying so, he was pushing the responsibility back onto Xu Tingsheng. Both were clear that Xu Tingsheng had been targeted by someone when trying to invest in Facebook previously.
Still, Xu Tingsheng was well aware that it was Apple’s Dad who had acted against him in the matter of Facebook. However, it was definitely not him this time. In that case, it had to be Zhou Yuandai.
“Making a move on Symbian in seeking to work with Nokia whilst also not giving up on Apple? Oh, indeed a moneybags.”
This time, Xu Tingsheng had done both real and illusory in front of Zhou Yuandai. Openly paving a path while smuggling a boat in secret...he was actually waiting for the boat to be discovered as he ultimately wished to proceed with the path.
Logically speaking, the majority of people would be affected by this.
Still, this was not the case for Zhou Yuandai. She simply didn’t care about real or illusory at all as she accepted all that was thrown at her. The method of breaking technique with power truly made one feel helpless. It was established upon Zhou Yuandai’s substantial funds and connections.
How was he supposed to set up such a Zhou Yuandai for failure?
Because of this, when meeting with the managers of a few Wall Street banks introduced by Wayne Yang the next day, Xu Tingsheng did not dare to make any actual decisions. He only sought to convey: Xu Tingsheng wanted to move his funds to Wall Street.
He believed that this message would quickly reach Zhou Yuandai’s ears. What remained was to see if she would follow him into this and how she might do so.
Here, Wayne Yang was already not so enthusiastic. He didn’t have to cling solely to Xu Tingsheng in the first place. Now that he had spent a lot of time and failed to secure a commission, also having introduced people to Xu Tingsheng, it was really difficult to ensure that Xu Tingsheng would not directly bypass him when he truly injected funds, causing it all to have been for naught.
“It’s been tough on you over this period of time. How about this? Find a buyer in America and help me to sell the overseas copyright for <>,” Xu Tingsheng offered a sweet at the appropriate moment.
Wayne Yang’s eyes shone, “Really?”
Xu Tingsheng smiled, “Of course it’s true.”
“Thank you. I guarantee the price will leave you satisfied,” Wayne Yang naturally understood that this was Xu Tingsheng compensating him, because the overseas copyright for <> was really too easy to sell.
The Western world’s passion for this game even surpassed that in China, just like their passion for the apocalypse and disasters. Also, these countries were relatively better at protecting copyright. So, the value of legitimate copyrights also far surpassed that within China.
Wayne Yang gratefully left as he pondered: Xu Tingsheng is a pretty nice guy. How about I stop selling information about him in the future? Erm...what if the price offered is very high? Forget it, he should know that I do this for a living. What should be sold should still be sold.
He did not know that there was actually one reason besides his connections that Xu Tingsheng was associating with him. It was that information that reached him would definitely be broadcasted very covertly…
This was precisely the effect Xu Tingsheng wanted.
……
The next afternoon, Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning flew to Paris.
You Qinglan who logically should be very busy came over to pick them up in person before the three of them went to eat dinner together.
French food tasted quite good and the restaurant You Qinglan had chosen was quite high-end as well. It was just that the portions for each dish were smaller. Xiang Ning ate very happily, immediately waiting in anticipation for the next dish after finishing each one…his hunger barely satiated by the small quantity of each dish, Xu Tingsheng was waiting in anticipation as well.
You Qinglan had a cup of plain water in front of her. On her plate were three or four cucumber slices and a yellow peach that was cut into four.
“Is that all you’re eating?” Xu Tingsheng asked.
You Qinglan nodded.
“Aren’t you hungry at night?”
“I’m used to it.”
“Do you usually eat like this too?”
“More or less.”
Eating a small piece of cake in a single mouthful, Xiang Ning said, “Woah. I won’t want to be a supermodel anymore.”
You Qinglan smiled, saying, “I won’t be one in another two years. I think I’ll eat till I’m fat then.”
“Right,” Xiang Ning said, “I’ll accompany you to eat when the time comes.”
“We’re agreed then,” You Qinglan simply watched the ravenous Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning.
After dinner, You Qinglan said to Xu Tingsheng, “During the fashion week, it’s never so easy to book all the slightly more high-end hotels. Also, if celebrities are staying there, there’ll be many reporters and it won’t be convenient...I have taken the liberty of helping you book a family hotel that’s run by a French Chinese. It’s mainly visitors from China who stay there. This doesn’t include any attention-seeking yet nameless celebrities, though. Well, what do you think?”
Xu Tingsheng asked, “Can the boss speak Chinese?”
You Qinglan nodded.
Xu Tingsheng said, “That’s fine then.”
He and Xiang Ning were both pretty adaptable with regard to material conditions. It was fine as long as the place they stayed at was convenient.
You Qinglan drove them to the entrance of the hotel, picked up a call and said, “I won’t send the two of you up. For the briefings Xiang Ning will have to attend over the next few days, I’ll get my assistant to bring her over. During the remaining time, please take good care of Little Xiang Ning yourself, Boss Xu.”“Alright. Thank you,” Xu Tingsheng said.
Actually, rather than the fashion week itself, he would be happier bringing Xiang Ning to roam the streets...in his plans regarding the future, there were many places he wanted to go to with her.
“This is the programme schedule that my assistant helped to make for Xiang Ning,” You Qinglan passed Xu Tingsheng an A4-sized sheet of paper.
Xu Tingsheng glanced at it and saw several famous brands right away.
Of course, there were some that he simply didn’t recognise.
“What brand is this? We’re even sitting in the first row?” Xu Tingsheng pointed at one part of the programme schedule.
“It isn’t for any brand. This is the exclusive space for a top-class designer. She’s a good friend of mine. As I’m helping to host it, I was able to help arrange a better position for you two,” You Qinglan said as she looked at Xu Tingsheng.
“Oh,” Looking at the Italian name on that programme schedule that he did not know how to accurately pronounce, Xu Tingsheng did not ask further about what he simply would not be unable to comprehend.
After You Qinglan had left, Xu Tingsheng quickly completed the check-in procedures and moved the luggage with Xiang Ning to their room.
As he left the room to collect the two remaining pieces of luggage, a familiar figure emerged from the lift.
The figure glanced at him, turned and hastened away.
Xu Tingsheng went after him and asked, “Huang Yaming, why are you freaking running?”
Huang Yaming helplessly stopped in his tracks.
Hearing this, Xiang Ning exited the room and came to stand beside Xu Tingsheng.
Xu Tingsheng asked, “Why are you here too?”
“If the two of you can come, why can’t I come to broaden my horizons and look at beauties?” Huang Yaming asked, “I’m an entertainment magnate now, okay.”
“Why did you run then?” Xu Tingsheng closed in on him, “Did you bring some minor celebrity over?”
“Who? What celebrity? Let me see if I know her,” Xiang Ning chimed in from the side.
Huang Yaming resolutely shook his head, saying, “I didn’t.”
Not believing him, Xu Tingsheng smiled, asking, “You’re staying here too, right? Come, let me have a look at your room.”
“I’m not staying here,” Huang Yaming said.
“What’s this then?” Xu Tingsheng snatched the room cards he was holding, “Wow, two of them even.”
He took the room cards and found the two neighbouring rooms.
He opened the first one. It was empty.
He opened the second one…
“There’s two!”
Two women appeared before Xu Tingsheng. They were clearly at a loss at the sudden appearance of a stranger.
Of the two women, one was probably in her late thirties and the other around twenty. They could both be considered beautiful. The quality of the clothes they were wearing now were also quite good…
Still, Xu Tingsheng could tell from their reserved expressions, panicked eyes and clear lack of skincare etcetera that these two people should lead simple lives, not having seen much of the world.
In other words, their living conditions should not be all that good.
“What’s this?”
As a rather befuddled Xu Tingsheng was wondering about the situation, he heard the younger girl in the room call out softly to the older woman in a nervous, uneasy tone, “Mum.”
“...”
It was really too disturbing a sight.
“Xiang Ning, close your eyes, cover your ears and go back to the room first,” Xu Tingsheng said.
“What is it?”
“Just go back first. I have something to discuss with Huang Yaming.”
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