Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 149

Reconciliation

“You know everything? You know all about my background?” Situ Qingying believed that since her lover brought it up, he must have figured everything out.

“Every Sakura Menin [a fictional clan name] has a cherry blossom tattooed on the sole of their foot after birth.”

“You’re lying to me.” Situ Qingying jumped away from the man and stepped back, leaning against the large desk. “Hehe, are you kidding me?”

Hou Longtao lit a cigarette, gritting his teeth. “You have half Japanese blood.”

Situ Qingying didn’t have the strong anti-Japanese sentiment that her beloved had; she wasn’t concerned about her bloodline. “You’re not kidding me?”

“Your father is called Situ Zhiyuan, and your mother is Sakura Tamako.” Hou Longtao watched the changes in the girl’s expression.

Situ Qingying slowly sat down in the swivel chair, the muscles under her eyes twitching. She said nothing, just bit her lip, looking at the man she loved. Although she could hear every word he said, understand every word, and even remember every word, her mind was blank.

Hou Longtao explained the story of Situ Zhiyuan and Tamako in detail, “Back then, Tamako absolutely couldn’t keep you by her side, otherwise you would have certainly died. She wanted you to live a normal life. She always thought you were living with your father. Not a day went by that she didn’t miss you, but for your safety and your father’s, she didn’t dare to look for you. Thinking about it, she suffered a lot.”

Situ Qingying sat there motionless. Only when the man stopped speaking did her brain begin to process the information she had just received.

Hou Longtao got up, walked over, pulled the beauty up, held her in his arms, and stroked her long hair.

Situ Qingying hugged her lover’s neck tightly, nestled in his arms, her shoulders trembling. In front of Hou Longtao, she didn’t need to be strong, “Where… where is my dad?”

“I sent people to look for him, but there’s no trace of him. It’s likely he moved to another city or country a long time ago. Back then, household registration management wasn’t very standardized. Either there were no records at all, or the records were lost.”

“My mother… is the leader of the Menin?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in Beijing right now.”

“You knew about my… half a year ago?”

“About that. I always didn’t know whether I should tell you or not. Your life is very peaceful now, and I don’t know if I have the right to disrupt it, but you have the right… do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand…”

Hou Longtao lifted the girl’s chin, looking into her tearful eyes. “Do you blame me?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Silly.” Situ Qingying kissed the man’s face.

“Do you want to see her?”

“I don’t know.” Situ Qingying shook her head and nestled back in the man’s arms.

Hou Longtao kissed the beauty’s fragrant hair. “Do you hate her?”

“I don’t know. According to you, she had no choice but to send me away. Besides, every cloud has a silver lining. If it weren’t for everything that happened before, how could I be with you?”

Hou Longtao understood the girl’s feelings. She had no impression of her biological parents, and she hadn’t experienced any tragic experiences because of their ‘abandonment.’ Moreover, their ‘abandonment’ had a very legitimate reason—it was out of helplessness. So, just based on this, she certainly wouldn’t have a particularly strong reaction. The fact that she could cry already meant she was a bit ‘overdoing it.’

“You also have two half-sisters. The older one is called Sakura Qingying, just because your mother missed you so much. You are the crystallization of her love with your father.”

“Arrange for us to meet.” Situ Qingying sighed. No matter what, she was still her biological mother, and she definitely wanted to see her…

It was late at night in Beijing, but morning in New York. Tian Donghua was having lunch with a white man in Manhattan’s most upscale restaurant.

This American was called Michael, thirty-five years old, and was Tian Donghua’s roommate at Princeton. They graduated early, and the two had a good relationship, maintaining contact all along. His father was a board member of Lockheed Martin, the largest arms dealer in the United States. Before going to school, he was the head of GM’s marketing department, and after getting his MBA, he rose even higher, now being the second-in-command of GM’s marketing department.

“How is it? GM treats you pretty well, right?” Tian Donghua took a sip of water.

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, no, you really have the ability.”

“Hahaha,” Michael laughed. “Of course, I’m doing well. You’re not bad either, the general manager of Dongxing Group. I presume the 待遇 [dàiyù – treatment; pay and perks] is very good.”

“It’s alright,” Tian Donghua wiped his mouth. “Do you know what I’m here in America for this time?”

“Applying for listing, right?”

“How do you know? This matter hasn’t been announced to the outside world.” Although Tian Donghua asked this, there was no surprised expression on his face, as if he had known the other party would answer this way.

“You just signed tens of billions worth of contracts with Honda and Toyota, and you’ve also taken on tens of billions worth of business from Russia. Automakers all over the world are starting to pay attention to your every move. As soon as you apply, we’ll all know.”

Tian Donghua nodded. “What do you want from me?”

“Hmm?” Michael pretended to be clueless. “You’re the one who asked me to come, right? Isn’t it just old friends meeting up?”

Tian Donghua looked at the other party with a smile. “Our relationship is indeed very good, but with your current status, you wouldn’t run from Detroit to New York just because of a phone call from me.”

“OK, OK,” Michael waved his hand. “We’re both smart people. Because of my current status, if you didn’t need me to do something for you, you wouldn’t look for me. And because of your current status, if I didn’t have something for you to do, I wouldn’t fly over to see you.”

“Hehehe, so what do you want me to do?”

“You tell me what you want me to do first.”

“If I say it, there’s no need for you to say it.”

“Really?” Michael’s appetite was piqued. “Give it to me.”

Tian Donghua calmly narrated his thoughts. “Pass my intentions to your father.”

Michael looked at the Chinese man across from him with some surprise. “You’re not joking, are you?”

Tian Donghua just smiled and didn’t answer.

“This is no longer just a matter of morality.”

“Morality? My proposal could bring GM tens of billions, even hundreds of billions, in revenue in the next few years, and the future profits are immeasurable. And you’re talking to me about morality?”

“Hahaha,” Michael laughed loudly. “When it comes to scheming, you Easterners really have a knack for it.”

“So you agree?”

“I already have a suitable candidate.”

“OK, I believe our cooperation will be very pleasant.” Tian Donghua shook hands with Michael…

Around 6:00 PM on Wednesday evening, Situ Qingying returned to the mansion in Dabeiyao [a business district in Beijing]. She glanced at the large screen on the wall. All the dots were in the large kitchen, it seemed the sisters were preparing dinner with their lover.

Situ Qingying didn’t go straight to join the fun. She first returned to her room on the second floor, wanting to change into something more comfortable. She didn’t close the door, there was nothing to hide.

“Sis.” Xue Nuo’s head peeked in from the doorway. She knew someone had returned from the kitchen screen.

Situ Qingying had just taken off her suit, wearing only a rose-colored sexy lace bra and matching panties. She waved at the beautiful girl. “Nuo Nuo, come in.”

Xue Nuo ran into the room with a happy face, hugging her dry sister’s [term of endearment] half-naked delicate body.

“What’s making you so happy?” Situ Qingying stroked the beautiful girl’s soft hair.

Xue Nuo raised her head, kissing Situ Qingying’s lips.

Situ Qingying let the beautiful girl kiss her for a while, gently pushing her away. “What is it?”

“Come on, you’ll know when you come with me.”

“Wait for me to put on some clothes.” Situ Qingying smiled, shaking off the beautiful girl’s hand, putting on a camisole and a pair of denim hot pants.

Xue Nuo waited for Situ Qingying to put on her flip-flops, impatiently pulling her to the kitchen downstairs.

Before the two girls even entered the kitchen, they could hear the silver bell-like laughter coming from inside.

In the huge kitchen, there were five women in black maid uniforms cooking. The remaining dozen or so people were sitting or standing, distributed around the central island. Among them, three women were wearing colorful kimonos. When the group saw Situ Qingying, they all stopped laughing.

Hou Longtao let go of Yu Qian in his arms, jumped off the high stool, and went over to pull Situ Qingying in front of the kimono women. “This is Sakura Tamako, Sakura Qingying, and Sakura Feixue.”

Tamako had already stood up. She stared at the girl in front of her, thousands of words written on her face, written in her eyes, written in the two tears that rolled from her eyes.

Situ Qingying had already sensed this was the matter before entering the room, but now that she was really face-to-face with her biological mother, she was still at a loss. She didn’t know how to express herself. She knew she should reveal her true feelings, but she didn’t know what her mood was right now.

Tamako stretched out her trembling right hand, stroking the girl’s cheek. For twenty-one years, she hadn’t gone a day without seeing this beautiful face in her dreams, seven parts like herself, three parts like her father. She was her daughter, the life she was willing to protect with her own.

“Qing… Qingying…”

The hand on her face was so warm, so soft, so real. The woman in front of her gave Situ Qingying an unparalleled sense of intimacy. She only felt something was stuck in her throat. For some reason, her nose felt sore, her eyes blurred, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned down. “Mom…”

“Qingying…” Tamako suddenly hugged the girl tightly. “Qingying… child…”

“Mom… Mom…” Situ Qingying really didn’t want to cry, really didn’t want to reveal her emotions, but now she really couldn’t help herself. She also hugged Tamako tightly.

The two women slowly knelt on the floor, hugging each other and crying.

Xue Nuo snuggled into He Liping’s arms, also crying. The other women were also both sad and happy. They were sincerely happy for Situ Qingying, at least fulfilling one of the sisters’ wishes. The reason they could get along so harmoniously with Tamako and her daughters was all because of Situ Qingying.

Hou Longtao felt his eyes were a little hot. His emotions were also very rich, but he was the head of the family after all, a real man, and couldn’t lose his prestige in front of so many beloved wives. He turned around, opened the door, and came to the outside court, lit a cigarette, and took a hard puff. “Hoo…”

Chen Qian followed him out of the room, hugging the man’s waist from the front, looking up at him with a smile.

“What are you doing?” Hou Longtao turned his head away.

“Why did you run out?”

“You all don’t like me smoking in the house.”

“Hmm…” Chen Qian rested her head on the man’s shoulder. “My husband is a Softy, shameless.”

“What are you saying?” Hou Longtao curled his lips. “I have a heart of stone.”

“Yes, you have a heart of stone. You are the most heartless person in the world.” Chen Qian smiled even sweeter…

The Tamako and her four daughters kept talking from the time they started eating, as if they wanted to make up for the twenty-one years all at once. They chatted and chatted, and didn’t seem to want to stop even after midnight.

Hou Longtao told the other beloved wives to go to sleep first, and he stayed with Situ Qingying and them in a hall on the second floor.

“Have you four had a good time?” Situ Qingying asked this question after the other sisters had left.

“Hehehehe,” Hou Longtao tilted his head back and blew out a few smoke rings. “You know me, but you really can’t blame me. I didn’t do it on purpose. At first, I didn’t know about your relationship, and I was forced into it.”

“I wouldn’t blame you even if you did it on purpose.” Situ Qingying slapped the man’s arm. With the examples of He Liping and her daughter and the Chen sisters, there was nothing to be surprised about. “I’m just asking.”

“We are just the master’s playthings. He likes you.”

“Hey, what did I tell you?” Hou Longtao pointed at Tamako. “The three of you shouldn’t call me master in the future.”

“What are you planning to do with my mother?”

“Feixue and Qingying are still young, so they’ll continue to go to school. Tamako can pick a few people to form a Japanese group at my school. They’ll live near the hospital. You can go over and stay for a day or two every week without any problem.”

“Okay.” Situ Qingying knew this arrangement was relatively comprehensive. Her mother and sisters certainly couldn’t stay in her house to be servants. It wouldn’t be fair to the other sisters if they just stayed like that, although with the character of people like Ruyun, they wouldn’t say anything.

“I’m still continuing to inquire about your father’s whereabouts. I don’t think it’s completely hopeless.” Hou Longtao played with the girl’s long hair. “I will do my best to reunite your family.”

When Tamako heard the master mention her old lover, her eyes became very complicated in an instant. Her heart belonged to Situ Zhiyuan, but her body and life belonged to Hou Longtao. If they really found him, she didn’t know how to resolve this contradiction…

“Three strips [Mahjong term].” Horse Face threw a card on the table. “Are you running south again? It’s so annoying.”

“Fuck, you can go or not,” Er Dezi reached out and grabbed a card. “It’s not like you have to go.”

“Go, why not go?” Horse Face changed his tune again. “Go to Happy, everyone join in the fun, anyway, we’re just staying in Beijing.”

Hou Longtao walked in from outside and threw a large kraft paper envelope on the card table. “It’s all in here.”

“Hey hey hey, don’t throw it here.” Liu Nan picked up the envelope and threw it to Long, who was sitting on the sofa on the side. “Is this stuff easy to get now?”

“Extremely easy.” Hou Longtao came behind Fatty.

Long opened the envelope. They were several permits to go to Hong Kong…

“I’m going to Hong Kong next Monday. Do you have any connections there?” Hou Longtao sat in the chairman’s office of Evergreen Group, drinking the coffee that Huang Mi had made for him.

“Hong Kong? What for? What kind of connections?” Gu Quanzhi threw the document in his hand on the table.

“You’ve taken over Lao Mao’s business in Hong Kong, so you should be considered a big shot. If there’s a chance, I’d like to meet Fok Jiacheng of Huanghe Industries. Can you arrange that for me?”

“You can just make an appointment with him yourself.” Gu Quanzhi got up, went around behind Hou Longtao, and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s very good for young people to be humble, but don’t underestimate yourself. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. You should have a correct assessment of your teacher. Whether from a business or high-level contact perspective, you are no longer an unknown soldier. Your reputation is out there. Maybe the wealthy people in Hong Kong are willing to associate with you.”

“Really? Fok Jiacheng is the most watched and admired business star in all of Asia. His relationship with the government is also very good. I’m still far behind him.”

“No one said you can compete with him now. Neither can I. The problem is you have unlimited potential. If you continue to develop at the current trend, in twenty or thirty years, you will be the object of worship for the younger generation. Why would he reject you?”

“That’s true.” Hou Longtao shrugged. “On a lower level, do you have any connections?”

“How low?”

“Very, very low.”

“Longtao,” Gu Quanzhi frowned. “Why do you have to do those things that can’t be brought to the table yourself? I know that we people who have risen from the bottom can never completely sever ties with the bottom. That’s part of us, That is who we are, but we must limit that kind of contact to the minimum. You can’t always be acting in big plays on stage. It should be time to be in charge of behind-the-scenes work. You have to understand that no matter how glamorous the actors are, they are just tools for the behind-the-scenes boss to make money. They have no real status.”

“I know, but this time it’s unavoidable, and it’s just one step in a whole set of plans. I don’t necessarily have to come forward, but I still need some connections.” Hou Longtao didn’t have any resistance to Gu Quanzhi’s teachings. He himself wasn’t unaware of the principles, but sometimes when things came to a head, it was hard to control. It was best to have someone to remind him from time to time.

“I don’t have connections in that area. But I’m going to tell you again, you don’t even use the connections you have, but you run to me. If you want to be invincible, you must learn to use all the favorable conditions that can be used. The first step is to determine those favorable conditions.”

“Hmm?”

“The black and evil forces in Guangdong and Hong Kong have always been linked, especially after 1997. Don’t you have connections with the Guangdong underworld?”

“Those are just acquaintances, not reliable. The main reason is that I never planned to develop there, and I’ve never put any effort into it.”

“Think again.”

“Hmm… sigh…” Hou Longtao slapped his forehead hard, got up and left. He called Tyrannosaurus Rex as soon as he left the office…

Feng Jie and several other teachers from the “Military Arts Academy” led a group of beautiful female officers through the Luohu Port [border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong]. They were invited by the Hong Kong Ballet to perform in Hong Kong for a week and a half.

Originally, the school didn’t plan to send Feng Jie, but she “volunteered” to be the leader.

Although Feng Jie didn’t have the bad habits of most mistresses and never lived extravagantly, she was a woman after all, and she also liked to go shopping. Especially after she had a relationship with Hou Longtao, her psychological age was at least thirty years younger, and some characteristics of young women gradually appeared on her.

Hong Kong was Asia’s shopping paradise. After arriving here, Feng Jie would go out “blood shopping” [shopping spree] with a group of girls every day. She bought all expensive sexy underwear.

Feng Jie knew that her students were gossiping about her behind her back, because they didn’t expect the always orthodox director of the Academic Affairs Office and vice president to have such a “wild” side. She understood that her relationship with her lover could never be seen in the light of day. This was her way of announcing her love to the world. This was not self-deception, but an effective psychological comfort…

Hou Longtao, Feng Yun, and Long walked out of the customs exit of Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok Airport together.

Sha Bi, wearing a suit and leather shoes, quickly greeted them with five bodyguards, taking the three’s suitcases.

“Prince, you look great.” Sha Bi bowed and opened the car door of the “Big Ben [slang for Mercedes-Benz],” with a servile look on his face…

The Peninsula Hotel, located on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, was the most upscale and luxurious hotel in Hong Kong, not “one of,” but “the most.” The suite that Sha Bi booked for his master here was also one of the most expensive.

“Prince, the ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 6:00 PM tomorrow. Because they know you’re coming, many local Hong Kong celebrities will attend.”

“Nonsense,” Hou Longtao glanced at Sha Bi impatiently. “If it weren’t for them attending, what would I be doing here?”

“Yes, yes, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first and pick you up again at 10:30 tomorrow morning.”

“Go.” Hou Longtao waved his hand.

Sha Bi left the hotel and got into a Mercedes-Benz. “The first step is considered a success.”

There was already someone in the car, it was Liu Chun. He handed Sha Bi a cigarette. “I knew it, tell him you’re entering Hong Kong and need his face to make connections with the local dignitaries, and he’ll definitely come.”

“Yes, yes, you understand me best.”

“I’ve already booked the boat, it just depends on how things go tomorrow.”

Sha Bi scratched his head. “I’m a little worried about the people I hired. Why can’t you pretend to be him?”

“Fuck, I don’t even speak Mandarin with a Cantonese accent.”

“You’ve been in Guangdong for so long and haven’t learned it?”

“It’s either Beijing dialect or pure Cantonese. I don’t need to mix the two together.”

“Hmm,” Sha Bi curled his lips. “That’s true, then you should also participate. I’ll just say you’re my assistant. You’ve contributed a lot to my rapid development in Guangdong.”

“We can’t risk causing him even the slightest suspicion. If I suddenly pop up as a Beijinger, he might start thinking about it. It’s better not to. I also have to arrange all the aftermath on the shore, so I can’t leave. I have confidence in you, you can handle it yourself.” Liu Chun patted Sha Bi’s chest…

Elegance doesn’t require grandeur, fragrance doesn’t need abundance.