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Chapter 714: Chapter 617 Interesting People, Interesting Party (Please subscribe!)_2
He was garbed in a combination of gold and red that looked as if it had been painted with a layer of reflective paint. His pants, reminiscent of bell-bottoms, dragged on the floor, hiding his shoes. He was somewhat handsome with a mature appeal, but his hairstyle... Tang Qing couldn’t muster the energy to complain anymore.
A rooster hairstyle?
A rather apt name that is self-explanatory - the precise describing ability of the Chinese language is indeed profound.
"It’s not time yet, do you think the clothes I’ve designed look cool..." Ge Feng surprisingly traded a few words with Mu Jian and his spouse, then straightforwardly added Chai Ren’s name: "Chai Ren, I remember you, it’s been several years since your last visit."
"Work has been hectic these past few years, I’ve been traveling all over the world, meeting business obligations. It’s amazing, Ge Feng, how your memory serves you so well. This is my wife, Zhan Xi." Chai Ren shook hands with Ge Feng and greeted him warmly.
"Hello." Zhan Xi nodded with a smile.
"Hello sister-in-law, you’re so beautiful. And this is... what, Mu Jian, are you jealous that I’m handsome and brought this young man purposely to upstage me? Young man, are you interested in becoming an actor or a model? I just happen to have..."
Ge Feng was smitten by Tang Qing.
Mu Jian quickly interrupted him: "Enough now... Who would want to work for your crummy company anyways."
Ge Feng feigned dissatisfaction: "My company isn’t so bad, but those who could possibly come here shouldn’t be lacking in money. Alas, another handsome, wealthy friend has emerged. How am I going to live through this?"
"This is Tang Qing; he’s studying at a university in China and is here on vacation for a few days. This is his fiancée, Lin Jiaxue." Mu Jian introduced solemnly.
Ge Feng adopted a serious expression and said: "Enough of the jokes, Mr. Tang, Miss Jiaxue, how do you do? I’m Ge Feng, a semi-businessman, but that’s not my real aspiration. My dream is to stand on a stage as the center of everyone’s attention, a magnificent star. Unfortunately, I get stage fright and my legs tremble. It’s all because of this disgraceful pair of legs of mine..."
As he spoke, Ge Feng began to freely express himself.
Listening to Ge Feng’s ’self-introduction’.
Tang Qing wore a gentle smile, continuously nodding his head. Indeed, just as Mu Jian had said, this man was interesting, readily discussing such a profound topic as ’desire’ upon their first meeting.
More than just being overly familiar, he’s was thoroughly intimate.
Tang Qing realized he was pretty lucky in life to have met so many interesting people. Seeing Tang Qing’s sincere gaze and not pretentious, Ge Feng became more enthusiastic and instantly accepted him as a friend.
Sometimes his statements might come off as idiotic, but how could someone this well-connected lack cunningness? He just didn’t like to hide himself - if it worked, everyone was his friend; If it didn’t, they were mere acquaintances.
Seeing that Ge Feng was far from finished, Mu Jian quickly interrupted and said, "Enough, you’ve said enough about your music dream. The last time you were on stage, you peed your pants... I..."
Unable to resist, Mu Jian burst into laughter towards the end.
Ge Feng was something of an oddball, suffering from crowd-phobia, an incurable illness. When he was the center of too much attention, he would get nervous, start to sweat, twitch, and his legs would shake.
Three years ago, he was pulled onto the stage at a massive concert to present flowers and hugs as a fan. However, under the gaze of the audience... he became the hottest topic of that year’s news, a joke that has persisted among them till this day.
Every time the incident is mentioned, Ge Feng would wear a bitter face and say, "Come on, I couldn’t help myself. How was I supposed to handle all those people below the stage, and it was a live broadcast! It’s all those bastards’ fault for pushing me up there."
Damn, he felt that he’d carry this gag with him for the rest of his life.
"Well, look on the bright side. You did become a star, at least. Be grateful," said Mu Jian, feigning envy.
"... Humph, you’re not even close. Let me tell you..."
Proud despite his thick skin, Ge Feng started to be pleased with himself.
Amidst the merry chatting atmosphere, the group eventually arrived at the main hall.
There were nearly forty people in the hall, all good friends of Ge Feng, coming from various industries. It’s not necessarily business, primarily people of same age. Age differences could significantly hamper conversation.
Everyone greeted Mu Jian warmly.
But except for the host Ge Feng, no one really remembered Chai Ren. After all, he’d only been there once. They only remembered this second-generation rich guy said to have a considerable background in China after he was introduced again.
Although everyone worked or did business in the United States and had little contact with their home country.
But as Huaxia is an emerging market that is rapidly developing economically, they had long heard second generations studying in America boast about the easy money. So, these Chinese Americans also harbored significant interest.
Suddenly.
Chai Ren became a point of interest amongst them.
"Brother Chai, if I have 30 million dollars to invest in China, which projects can provide quick returns and long-term benefits?"
"Real Estate, Internet, Electronic products... Although Huaxia’s economy has been on the rise for some time now, it’s still far from being saturated. There’s bound to be explosive growth across various sectors. There are lots of opportunities, whether it’s in high-tech or low-end manufacturing."
"I’ll have to pay attention to these when I go for project inspections in the future."
"Sure thing, as long as it’s a legitimate business, I’ll help where I can. Here’s my business card."
"You’re straightforward, brother. I appreciate you. I might need your help in the future."
"..."
For a while, Chai Ren was very busy.
What they need is information. Being in the position he’s in, Chai Ren has access to the most valuable information and an understanding of policy trends. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
On the other hand, interest in Tang Qing was much lower since he was so young. Most people here were about the same age as Chai Ren, between twenty-seven and thirty, while Tang Qing was clearly not even twenty.
Add on to that, Mu Jian only mentioned that Tang Qing was a college student from a domestic university, so people felt even less of a connection with him.
Tang Qing was not bothered by this.
He moved aside with Lin Jiaxue and arrived at the buffet area, tasting the pastries with her.
After a mouthful.
It tastes alright.
"Jiaxue, how is it?" Tang Qing asked.
"It’s a bit too sweet, it’s not as good as the pastries made by our chef at home." Lin Jiaxue said softly, admitting that her palate had been spoiled by their chef.
"American pastries do tend to be sweet, we’ll just have to make do for now." Tang Qing took a bite of Lin Jiaxue’s pastry and Lin Jiaxue gently wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth.
Lin Jiaxue sampled a few others before settling down to eat a mango.
Soon after.
Ge Feng’s so-called opening ceremony began.
"Ahem, everyone, quiet please. We are about to start the party. Before that, I will sing a song to boost everyone’s mood. I’m not sure if I’m using the right Chinese phrase, but that’s the idea. Today I will bring you a Cantopop song, ’Glory Years’. I have just learned it recently. . . ."
Tang Qing was a little bewildered watching Ge Feng on the stage covered with red cloth.
If he hadn’t been prepared by Ge Feng’s outfit earlier, he would have almost spit out the mango in his mouth.
"The sounding bell signals the call to go home.
In his life.
There’s a hint of regret.
..."
The longer he listened the brighter Tang Qing’s eyes grew. He’d initially thought Ge Feng’s ambition to be a celebrity was a fanciful whim, but his singing was truly impressive, and it was immediately clear why so many people were listening with genuine interest. They were there to appreciate a genuine talent.
Mu Jian leaned in and whispered, "Interesting right? Ge Feng’s voice and foundation are no worse than many professional singers. Whether it’s English, French, Chinese, or Japanese, he can sing in nine different languages. He’s also an expert in composition, and lyricism. If it weren’t for his ’incurable condition’, I believe he would have a place in the world of music."
"I see."
Tang Qing now understood and was thoroughly enjoying himself. Ge Feng was truly intriguing.
Shortly after.
’Glory Years’ comes to an end.
Applause rang out from below the stage. The clapping was sincere, and Ge Feng deeply bowed. In front of such a small crowd, he could sing freely and confidently. At many the parties of his friends, they insist he sings, but he generally prefers not to, saving his performances for his own events.
"Alright, the opening ceremony is over, and now it’s time for the part everyone enjoys. This time, I went to great lengths to secure a contract to recover replacement equipment for the US Army used in Iraq. After three months, we raked in a profit of over 20 million US dollars. Last April, I met a non-white colonel at a banquet who was in charge of equipment allocation for Iraq..."
The reason everyone listened to him prattle on and boast was simple: amidst the fluff, there were golden nuggets of opportunity and even more valuable information to come.
