Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 58

6:00 PM. Hou Longtao, Liu Nan, and Liu Nan’s uncle, Gu Quanzhi, were already seated in a large private room at the China World Hotel’s “Summer Palace” on the second floor. Besides the round table in the center, there was a circle of leather sofas and audio-visual entertainment equipment. The entire room was at least eighty square meters, and the ultra-luxurious crystal chandelier filled the room with bright yet soft light.

“Uncle Gu, are you very familiar with Mao Zhengyi?”
“We have business dealings, so I’d say we’re fairly acquainted. But in a moment, don’t call me Uncle Gu. Call me cousin. If Mao Zhengyi finds out you and I aren’t blood-related, he might just flip out on the spot. I don’t want to make things too awkward with him.”
“Why? It’s just a meal.” Hou Longtao was a little confused.

“There are many reasons. Simply put, the reason I brought you here today is to give you a lesson, and Mao Zhengyi is your negative example. Although you two are new to the business world, Nan Nan will inevitably take over his mother’s business, and you already have your own product with a bright future. When Mao Zhengyi arrives later, don’t talk too much, but be sure to observe his personality traits. All his characteristics are what you should try to avoid in future business dealings.”

“Really?” Liu Nan disagreed with his uncle’s instructions. “Old Mao is one of the top tycoons in our country. His personality should have contributed to his success. Shouldn’t we learn from that alone?”
“Heh heh heh,” Gu Quanzhi chuckled softly. “I won’t force you. You’ll have your own judgment when you meet him in person.”

The three chatted for a while. Just after 7:00 PM, without even a polite knock, two men in black suits and sunglasses pushed open the door to the private room. Both held their hands clasped in front of their stomachs, pretending to be U.S. presidential bodyguards. Hou Longtao was drinking tea and glanced at the two men out of the corner of his eye. With Liu Nan’s uncle present, it wasn’t his place to speak, so he remained silent.

“He’s here,” Gu Quanzhi muttered. He stood up and walked towards the door, a slightly forced smile plastered on his face. The two young men quickly stood up as well. Liu Nan’s uncle had gone all the way to the door to greet them, so they could only hear the voices and not see the people. “Old Brother Mao, long time no see.” Unexpectedly, what followed was a woman’s Mandarin with a heavy accent. “Brother Gu, you’re as dashing as ever.” The tone was somewhat frivolous.

Hou Longtao and Liu Nan exchanged smiles, guessing that it must be the man-eating tigress, Zhou Yuping. The people outside exchanged a few more pleasantries before entering the room. Gu Quanzhi walked in second, followed by a middle-aged man with a cold expression, acting as if he owned the place. This man looked to be in his early forties, with a long face and ears, a wide nose and deep-set eyes, and a buzz cut. He already had a weathered look, and coupled with his extremely high-end attire, he looked every bit the nouveau riche [newly rich] farmer-turned-entrepreneur. They didn’t even need to guess who he was.

Mao Zhengyi walked to the dining table, remained silent for a moment, and didn’t sit down, seemingly waiting for something. Knowing her husband best, Zhou Yuping spoke up, “Where have all the waiters gone?”

Just then, a waitress came in to deliver the dishes. Zhou Yuping immediately pointed to the chair next to her husband, and the waitress knowingly pulled out the chair. Only then did Mao Zhengyi sit down, his face showing obvious displeasure.

Zhou Yuping wasn’t finished yet. “What’s wrong with your China World Hotel? Can’t you serve people? The best private room and no one to serve us. Have they all gone to the rooms to make extra money?”
“I…” The waitress was stunned by the harsh words and didn’t know how to respond. The China World Hotel was a high-end place, and she had never seen such rude people here. But they were clearly in the most expensive room, so she didn’t dare to offend them.

“Speak up!”
“I asked them to wait outside. It has nothing to do with them. Ms. Zhou, there’s no need to get so upset, is there?” Hou Longtao interjected. The China World Trade Center was right next to the China World Hotel, and every year, IIC’s New Year’s dinner was held in the “Summer Palace” banquet hall. During holidays or after successful investments in major projects, he would pay out of his own pocket to treat his staff to a meal, so he was somewhat acquainted with most of the waiters here. He didn’t want them to suffer for him.

“Sister Ping, let it go.” Another thin man who had come with Mao Zhengyi also tried to smooth things over, signaling the waitress to leave. Zhou Yuping actually listened to the man and sat down next to her husband without a word, but still glared fiercely at the young man who had stood up to her. “Come, come, everyone, sit down.” Gu Quanzhi glanced at Hou Longtao, six parts approving and four parts blaming.

“Brother Gu, these two children are…” Mao Zhengyi glanced at Liu Nan and then stared intently at Hou Longtao. “Haha, let me introduce them. This is my nephew, Liu Nan, who is in the advertising business. This is my cousin, Hou Longtao, who is the investment manager at IIC. I brought them here today to observe the demeanor of successful people.” Gu Quanzhi then turned to the young men. “You two must recognize the beautiful couple across from you. The other one is Wu Beiying, the vice president of Shanghai Nongkai Group and Shanghai Nongkai United Investment Company.”

The first half of the sentence almost made Hou Longtao laugh. Even if a man’s most important quality wasn’t his looks but his temperament, Mao Zhengyi was definitely not a man of temperament. Looking at Zhou Yuping, with her ultra-wide forehead and a few strands of dyed hair, heavily made up, she was definitely not beautiful by his standards. Not to mention comparing her to Xu Ruyun or He Liping, she was several levels below Shi Ya. The two people across from them had nothing to do with “beauty.”

Hou Longtao was too busy laughing at the Shanghai tycoons in his mind to notice that when Liu Nan’s uncle introduced his profession, the man named Wu Beiying was slightly surprised, and a glint flashed in his eyes. Four waitresses in cheongsams [traditional Chinese dress] had already entered the room, and they began to take orders. Gu Quanzhi asked the others to order first, and Mao Zhengyi, not holding back, rattled off more than twenty dishes, along with a bottle of 1986 Château Haut-Brion and a bottle of 1984 Château Haut-Brion Blanc.

Liu Nan hid behind the menu, grimacing. He had been going to high-end restaurants since he was a child, and the names of the dishes that made him cringe were definitely expensive. Hou Longtao looked at his expression and quickly searched the menu. Mao Zhengyi had ordered all top-grade Cantonese dishes, the cheapest of which was 688 yuan [approximately $100 USD] per plate, and those two bottles of wine were even more astronomical.

The meal was unpleasant. The more expensive the dishes, the worse they tasted. There was no cola, only wine, so Hou Longtao could only wash it down with tea. And every now and then, a waitress would come up to change the plates, making him very uncomfortable. The influential real estate tycoon didn’t talk much either. His wife and Wu Beiying were the ones chatting with Gu Quanzhi about the stock market. The two young men weren’t finance majors and hadn’t paid much attention to that area, so they were completely lost.

It was a relief when the leftovers were finally cleared away—and they were leftovers, as several dishes costing thousands of yuan hadn’t even been touched. Hou Longtao crooked his finger and called a waitress to his side. He leaned back, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered in her ear, “Please pack up anything that hasn’t been eaten. Bring it to me after they leave.” The waitress smiled and nodded, then turned and left.

“Mr. Hou, is the CEO of your IIC, Xu Ruyun, Sister Xu?” Wu Beiying asked casually.
“Yes, do you know her, Mr. Wu?”
“No, I don’t know her, but I’ve heard of her. Sister Xu’s name is well-known in the industry. Our CEO Mao has always wanted to get to know her, but he hasn’t had the opportunity. I wonder if he’ll have that honor this time in Beijing. If Mr. Hou could introduce us, that would be wonderful.”

“Yes, yes, I’ve long had this intention.” Mao Zhengyi’s ankle was gently tapped, and he immediately followed up.
“Okay, I’ll ask CEO Xu and get back to you. I think there shouldn’t be any problem. This is my business card. You can contact me anytime.” Hou Longtao took out his business card, walked around half the table, and respectfully handed it over with both hands. Mao Zhengyi took it with one hand, didn’t even look at it, and handed it directly to his wife.

Hou Longtao didn’t know what the purpose of this meal was. Both sides seemed to be deliberately avoiding something, especially Gu Quanzhi. There were even times when the entire room was silent, with only the sound of breathing and the burning of cigarettes. Finally, Mao Zhengyi couldn’t help but give his deputy a look. Wu Beiying put out his cigarette. “Ladies, please leave.”

The two bodyguards followed the waitresses out, closing the door behind them. It seemed they were getting down to business. “CEO Gu, have you made a decision about the matter we discussed last time?”

“I think I made it very clear on the phone. Evergreen isn’t like Shanghai Real Estate. We’re a Sino-foreign joint venture [a business owned by both Chinese and foreign investors]. I can’t make decisions about that matter alone. The decision-making power is in the hands of the two foreign shareholders.” Gu Quanzhi shook his head as he spoke.

“CEO Gu, you’re deliberately trying to fool us. Who doesn’t know that Evergreen’s two foreign shareholders are your sister and your wife? You’re the only one who makes all the decisions about the business in China.”
“Even if they’re siblings or spouses, the accounts have to be clear. Besides, what you’re asking me to do can’t be done in the open. I can’t explain it to my subordinates.”

“Bang!” Mao Zhengyi, who hadn’t said a word, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face turning pale. “Gu Quanzhi…”
“CEO Mao…” Wu Beiying hurriedly pulled at him, but before he could calm him down, he was shouted at, “Shut up!” Then he turned to Liu Nan’s uncle. “Gu Quanzhi, you ungrateful bastard! If it weren’t for me back then, you would have been hacked to death by creditors and thrown into the Huangpu River [a river running through Shanghai] to feed the fish. And if I hadn’t cultivated you later, you would have been a nobody forever.”

“Old Brother Mao, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. I won’t forget your past kindness, but you’re asking me to gamble with my Gu family’s entire fortune. I absolutely can’t agree to that.” Although Gu Quanzhi was being pointed at and cursed, he didn’t get angry. His voice remained calm. Hou Longtao nodded inwardly. For Gu Quanzhi to maintain his composure despite being publicly humiliated, given his current status and position in Beijing, that was true class.

“You don’t believe in my vision anymore?” Mao Zhengyi sat down. “Since I entered the market in 1994, I’ve been turning clouds into rain, overcoming every obstacle. What are you worried about?”
“People’s luck runs out. You’ve been on a winning streak for more than ten years. This time, you’re playing too big. Old Brother Mao, stop while you still can.”
“Stop? I, Mao, only move forward, never backward. I don’t need you to lecture me.”

“Then I can’t help you.” Gu Quanzhi took out a pen from his suit pocket and wrote something on a napkin, then turned the Lazy Susan [a rotating tray] to face Mao Zhengyi. “All I can do is this.” Mao Zhengyi opened the napkin, took one look, and clenched it into a ball in his hand, his teeth grinding. He threw it forcefully at Gu Quanzhi’s face, but missed, flying past the target and landing on the floor. He stood up and left. “Do you think I’m a beggar!?”

Zhou Yuping followed her husband out of the private room. Only Wu Beiying hadn’t lost his sense of propriety. He walked to Gu Quanzhi’s side and shook his hand. “CEO Gu, please don’t take it to heart. You and CEO Mao have known each other for so many years. I hope we can still work together in the future.”
“Old Wu,” Gu Quanzhi stood up and patted him on the shoulder. “Whether there will be such an opportunity again, you know better than I do. You should think about yourself too.”

“CEO Mao has been very kind to me.”
“I understand, I understand. Old Wu, you’re the person Mao trusts the most. Take care of yourself.” Gu Quanzhi’s words were double-edged.
“Thank you, CEO Gu.” Wu Beiying left with heavy steps.
“Alas…” Gu Quanzhi closed the door behind him. “What a pity, what a pity, such talent…” He sat back at the table. “What do you want to ask?”
“Hehe, you know what we want to ask.” Liu Nan and Hou Longtao answered in unison.

“Hmph, it was almost twenty years ago. I was reselling clothes between Guangdong, Shanghai, and the Northeast. I met Mao Zhengyi on the train. He was a completely different person back then, very approachable. We got along very well, and we often went to get goods together after that. In short, later I wanted to expand the scale of my business and asked him for money, but he didn’t agree and listed ten thousand reasons against it, sigh…” Gu Quanzhi lit a cigarette.

“Actually, I knew he was right, but I was older than him and had been in the business for several years longer than him. Plus, he didn’t sound like he was advising me, but more like he was lecturing me. I was defiant for a moment and borrowed money at high interest rates. You heard what happened from him just now. He used his savings to help me pay off the debt, and then I worked for him ever since. Going to Japan, opening wonton restaurants, we were always together. Later, we met Wu Beiying, got into stocks, and played in real estate. That’s how Mao Zhengyi rose to prominence.”
“So how did you end up doing your own thing?”

“At that time, Nan Nan’s mother had already made a fortune in the United States, also in real estate, and had a lot of capital. I intended to return to Beijing to develop. Mao Zhengyi and I had been friends for many years. He would never hold me back and even had Wu Beiying teach me how to analyze land price trends and how to buy employee stock options. China is so big, you can never earn all the money. To avoid sibling rivalry, we agreed that he would never enter the northern market, and I would never interfere in the southern market. Over the years, we don’t know how many competitors we’ve squeezed out together.”

“I see…” Hou Longtao didn’t think that matched the Mao Zhengyi he had seen at all.
“Then why did things get so unpleasant just now?”
“Nan Nan, go get that piece of paper and take a look.”
“Okay.” Liu Nan picked up the napkin from the floor, smoothed it out, and took a look. “Damn, if this is what a beggar gets, then I’ll go beg too.” Hou Longtao leaned over to take a look. The paper said “$200”. He understood that in a conversation of that level, the number was followed by “million.”

“He came to Beijing to borrow money?”
“No, he wants me to mortgage several large projects in Evergreen for 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars [approximately $200 million USD] to the Bank of China Hong Kong and then inject the funds into his acquisition plan over there.”
“You don’t think his plan will succeed?”
“What plan? There’s no plan at all. He’s completely insane!” It seemed that Gu Quanzhi had long been dissatisfied with Mao Zhengyi’s “plan.” The two brothers didn’t dare to interrupt, knowing that the “old gun” had more to say.

“Mao Zhengyi’s business dealings have always been unethical, unjust, and illegal. Let me put it this way, since the first day Shanghai Real Estate was established, not many deals have been completely legal, but his luck has been too good. He’s never been caught. In fact, no one has even investigated him. It’s this kind of luck that has made him extremely arrogant. He feels that no one in the Chinese mainland’s wealthy circle is qualified to be on equal footing with him. That’s why he’s trying so hard to squeeze into Hong Kong’s upper class.”
“Does he have a chance?”

“It’s not as simple as having a chance or not. Everything Mao Zhengyi has learned has been from the streets. His way of thinking, his principles of doing things… It’s not that you can’t get rich without education, but these days, if you want to enter the real upper class and you haven’t even finished middle school, hmph… Besides, everyone knows that Wu Beiying is the one with real vision.”
“Then whose idea was the acquisition in Hong Kong?” Hou Longtao liked hearing these kinds of business stories.

“The strategist can only offer advice. Whether to implement it and how to implement it depends on the commander. But once the commander is crowned with the name of a victorious general, it takes extraordinary cultivation to remain humble and calm. Mao Zhengyi doesn’t have that kind of cultivation. He thinks, ‘So many people in Hong Kong like me, which proves that I’m not someone to be trifled with.’ No one dislikes a generous fool who spends money like water. If it were four or five years ago, he wouldn’t have been so blind, but now he’s just too arrogant.”

“I thought the first generation of wealthy people were supposed to be very frugal.”
“You can’t generalize. Although Mao Zhengyi didn’t pay for the meal just now, you can see what his lifestyle is like. Extravagant and luxurious. They’re staying in the presidential suite here. A few years ago, he still felt sorry for the hard-earned money he made, but in recent years, his money has come too easily, and he has nothing else to show off. He suffered too much contempt when he was young and is most afraid of being looked down upon. But the people in Hong Kong aren’t stupid. They know his background very well. So what does he do?”
“He buys dignity with money.”

“But the dignity bought with money isn’t lasting. People nod and bow to your face, but behind your back, they’re still saying, ‘What’s he showing off? Just a rich bumpkin.’ You saw his wife just now. The Shanghai and Hong Kong media love to flatter the rich, even if she’s dressed avant-garde.”

“Hahaha.” Hou Longtao and Liu Nan both laughed.

“Alright! There’s nothing to laugh about.” Gu Quanzhi’s tone was stern, and the two young men immediately fell silent. “The reason I’m telling you this isn’t so you have material to laugh at Mao Zhengyi. He started from scratch and achieved what he has today, which is something that ordinary people can’t do. You two can’t compare to him. I want you to learn from this. No matter how great your achievements are in the future, you must maintain your own cultivation, keep a cool head, and looking down on everything is meaningless. It will only lead to the same fate as Mao Zhengyi.”

“Uncle, even if he fails in his investment, he can just start over. He started with nothing anyway. What’s so scary about failing?” Liu Nan was the only male in the Liu and Gu families, and he was usually treated like a sun. He really wasn’t used to his uncle’s serious lectures.
“Alas…” Gu Quanzhi sighed. “If he fails this time, I’m afraid he won’t even have a chance to recover. You can see how serious the problem is from the fact that he personally came to Beijing to pressure me.”

“Then you really don’t plan to help him?” Hou Longtao originally wanted to ask the reason, but he felt that these kinds of wealthy businessmen’s affairs might involve the upper echelons, and Gu Quanzhi probably wouldn’t be able to say much, so he simply held back.
“No amount of money can fill that hole. He only has one way out, which is to withdraw from Hong Kong, but his brain has long been broken. Every time I mention it to him, he flies into a rage. He came to me today to talk about personal relationships. What was the result?” The expression on Gu Quanzhi’s face was helpless.

“What about the two million?”
“Although he’s become so arrogant that he’s beyond reason, he did save my life and guide me to make my first real estate deal. He’s unrighteous, but I can’t be ungrateful. That two million is his life-saving money, a way to leave him a way out, but he thinks I’m insulting him.”
“How is he unrighteous? If he had come to occupy the northern market himself back then, you wouldn’t be where you are today.” Liu Nan loved to contradict his uncle the most. Besides his mother abroad, he was closest to his uncle.

“Hmph, that’s where Mao Zhengyi’s cunning comes in. Back then, his business in Shanghai had just started, and he couldn’t afford to expand to the north, but he didn’t want to give up completely. His initial plan was to absorb your mother’s capital through me, but your mother’s idea was to pull me out to do it myself. Wu Beiying investigated your mother’s background and strongly supported me leaving Shanghai Real Estate. As long as we cooperated sincerely, one in the south and one in the north, the future would be limitless.”
“Isn’t that great then?”

“Longtao, judging from what Nan Nan and Yu said, you’re quite business-minded and cunning enough. If you made this kind of verbal agreement with someone, what would you do?”
“Hehe,” Hou Longtao scratched his head. “I wouldn’t be the first to break the agreement, but I would always be wary of my business partners. Churchill said, ‘There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.’ It’s the same in the business world. Was it when the benefits of cooperating with you were less than the benefits of opposing you that Mao Zhengyi broke his promise?”

“This brother of yours is indeed not stupid.” Gu Quanzhi glanced at Liu Nan and then pointed at Hou Longtao. “The first few years were fine, but as Mao Zhengyi’s capital grew, he became more and more arrogant. He not only squeezed out others with me, but he also squeezed me out with others, thinking he was doing it perfectly and that I didn’t know anything. If it weren’t for Nan Nan’s mother’s strong support, he would have swallowed me whole.”

“Damn, then why didn’t you fall out with him?”
“There’s no benefit to falling out openly. I’ve been paying him back for what I owe him these past few years. You must remember that in the business world, ‘unscrupulous means’ may bring temporary benefits, but they are by no means synonymous with success. The most important thing in doing business is to be trustworthy.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, Longtao, I met your CEO Xu once. Do you really want to introduce her to Mao Zhengyi?”

“What CEO or not, that beauty Xu has already been tricked into his bed.” Liu Nan slapped Hou Longtao on the head.
“Really!?” Gu Quanzhi looked at the “child” next to him in surprise, unable to believe that Xu Ruyun, who so many wealthy businessmen coveted, would actually give herself to him.
“You dog!!!”
“Hehehe, just kidding. Do you think I shouldn’t introduce them?” Hou Longtao didn’t know how “arrogant” or “sought-after” Xu Ruyun was. In fact, in the past six months, Ruyun had turned down countless unnecessary social engagements, so he naturally didn’t see his wife’s infinitely glamorous side.

Gu Quanzhi had something to say, but based on the information he had just received, he didn’t say it, just casually brushed it off.
“No, I was just asking.” Since this young man and Xu Ruyun were a couple, he didn’t need to say more. Hou Longtao didn’t take it to heart either.
“Since I promised to pass on the message, I’ll help him ask. The rest is up to Ruyun to decide. Uncle Gu, I have something I want to ask you.”

“Ask away.”
“Mao Zhengyi sees you as his lifeline. Shouldn’t your name be on the Forbes top 100 list?”
“Hahaha, I might as well tell you, I only own 20% of Evergreen’s assets. My sister owns 55%, and my wife owns 25%, and they’re both American citizens. I don’t want to be in the spotlight like Mao Zhengyi.” Gu Quanzhi gave the two young men another lesson…