Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 65

85. Trivial Matters

Before they could delve into serious topics, the waiter informed them that the café was closing, so they moved to the lobby lounge. “Mr. Wu, are you interested in joining ‘East Star’ to help me out?” Hou Longtao lit a cigarette and offered the pack to Wu Beiying. “I’m not used to blended cigarettes,” Wu Beiying said, pulling out his own premium ‘Taishan’ [a high-end Chinese cigarette brand]. “Hahaha, it seems our habits are exactly opposite. I don’t smoke flue-cured tobacco.”

“It’s not just our habits that are different; we don’t understand each other either. I don’t think we’ll have the chance to collaborate.” “I’m just a nobody, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know much about me, Mr. Wu. But I probably know more about you than you think. It’s a pity you’re not planning to help me. But if you have time, Mr. Wu, you could learn more about East Star Group. My invitation is always open.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hou, for thinking so highly of me.” Wu Beiying’s tone softened considerably. “Always open” was enough to show the other party’s sincerity. “Since you’re not interested in joining ‘East Star,’ are you interested in joining ‘Ivy League’?” Hou Longtao took a sip of mineral water. “‘Ivy League’? Gu’s ‘Ivy League’?” “That’s right.” “Did Gu send you? Haha, Quan Zhi never gives up. Alas, I still can’t agree, at least not now.”

Hou Longtao’s lip curled up slightly on one side. Wu Beiying’s last sentence revealed two things: first, ‘Shanghai Real Estate’ was indeed in a difficult period; second, his loyalty to Mao Zhengyi, for some reason, had wavered. According to Gu Quanzhi, in the past four years, he had privately extended invitations no less than fifteen times, and Wu had never shown the slightest intention of leaving ‘Shanghai Real Estate’.

“It seems Boss Mao is in real trouble.” Hou Longtao began his offensive. “What trouble?” “Why are you asking me, Mr. Wu? You should be the one who knows best.” “I don’t know…” “Financial difficulties, Mr. Wu, you underestimate me too much.” “Haha, Mr. Hou, you’re joking. How could I underestimate you? But ‘Nongkai’ has always been known for its financial strength. Where would financial difficulties come from?” Wu Beiying was highly vigilant.

“Hahaha, Mr. Wu, you still look down on me. I was there at the dinner that day, and there was the matter of Ruyun. You don’t think I have intellectual problems, do you?” “Oh, I think you’ve misunderstood, Mr. Hou. ‘Nongkai’ is raising funds to support larger-scale development, not because of any financial problems. You’re a businessman; you should understand that you can’t always rely on your own funds to do business.”

“True, true, but you can’t always rely on other people’s funds either. But Boss Mao was able to borrow 2.2 billion Hong Kong dollars without the approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange [an organization that regulates currency exchange], which is truly remarkable…” “This…” The surprise on Wu Beiying’s face was fleeting, but Hou Longtao saw it clearly and quickly continued, not giving him a chance to deny it. “If he had approval, you wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to find money from other companies. Eating from the bank is ‘Nongkai’s’ consistent style.”

“Our procedures are complete. There’s nothing abnormal about eating from the bank. As for why we didn’t go to the bank this time, even if it’s not a trade secret, I don’t need to explain it to you.” “I don’t need you to explain. You and I both know the reason. ‘Nongkai’ has reached a dead end. There’s nothing to mortgage to ‘Bank of China Hong Kong.’ And truly capable companies know what you’re doing and don’t dare to get involved with you. I don’t need to analyze it in detail, do I?”

“What exactly is your purpose in telling me this?” Wu Beiying really didn’t need Hou Longtao to continue. He could sense that the other party had indeed guessed that ‘Nongkai’ was facing serious financial problems, but he didn’t pay much attention to this young man because he was sure that Gu Quanzhi had told him. “It’s simple. A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a general is hard to come by. ‘Nongkai’ has reached the end of its road, and I don’t want to see your outstanding talent perish with it.”

“Hmph,” Wu Beiying laughed. “Perish? Mr. Hou, you’re exaggerating, aren’t you?” “Maybe I am, but you can’t deny that ‘Nongkai’ is facing an unprecedented crisis, can you? You’re a senior in the business world, an expert. You must have a comprehensive understanding of the situation. Are you really confident that you can overcome the difficulties? Do you think it’s possible to overcome the difficulties?” “Of course. Man proposes, God disposes.” “Self-deception.” Hou Longtao’s face suddenly changed to a look of disdain.

“Mr. Hou, I’ve always respected you. As for what happened with Sister Xu, I didn’t know about her relationship with you beforehand, and I repeatedly advised President Mao not to be impatient.” “I know all of that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting here chatting today. I would have risked my own future to drag you down with me.” “Then I don’t understand why you’re being sarcastic towards me.” Reading people, even arguing is like reasoning.

“Are you referring to ‘self-deception’? You know it can’t be done, but you still pretend to be confident. Isn’t that ‘self-deception’? Hmph, to be honest, I haven’t even commented on your character yet. How can that be called sarcasm?” Hou Longtao’s expression of disdain intensified, as if the person in front of him disgusted him. “What’s wrong with my character?” “You’re helping the wicked and acting as an accomplice, to the point of being beyond redemption.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to ask Mr. Hou to enlighten me. What’s the basis for your words?” Wu Beiying wasn’t angry because he still didn’t understand the other party’s intentions. In this situation, it was necessary to remain calm. “It can be attributed to ignorance when an uneducated person does evil, but there’s no excuse for an educated person to do evil. Mao Zhengyi hasn’t studied, but you, Mr. Wu, have real talent and learning. Why don’t you use your knowledge to do good, but instead help him do evil?”

“What why?” “For money! You helped him illegally purchase real estate, forcing hundreds of ordinary Shanghai citizens to become displaced (this is what Long learned from Old Zeng); you helped him smuggle drugs, force women into prostitution, and run gambling dens, causing countless families to be ruined (this is what Hou Longtao guessed and made up). Besides money, what else could it be for? You’re blinded by greed and still think you’re reasonable. You’re truly a disgrace to intellectuals.” Hou Longtao’s tone was stern, and he put on a righteous appearance.

“Don’t make false accusations.” Wu Beiying didn’t expect Hou Longtao to be so direct. Some of the other party’s “accusations” were true, and some were false, making it difficult for him to find appropriate words to refute them. He could only simply deny them, but his face was already a little flushed. “Am I slandering you? Are you denying those immoral things, or are you denying your motives for doing those immoral things?” Hou Longtao noticed the slight fluctuation in his emotions and quickly pressed forward.

“I deny everything. I’ve never helped President Mao do anything harmful, and I’m not working so hard for ‘Nongkai’ for money.” In fact, Wu Beiying had no obligation to explain anything to Hou Longtao, but as Gu Quanzhi said, he was still a proud student at heart. In his ten years at ‘Nongkai,’ he didn’t seek fame or fortune. Although he knew that Mao Zhengyi had done many bad things, he had never directly participated in them. He didn’t care what outsiders thought of him, but he couldn’t tolerate his motives being questioned.

“Hmph, is that so? According to my uncle, it was because you thought too highly of yourself and were seen as a hypocrite that no one valued you, causing you to be frustrated. But in this world where money is supreme, maybe you don’t even realize that even the most rigid pride will soon be worn smooth. Otherwise, if you didn’t collude with Mao Zhengyi, how could he have made you the vice president of ‘Nongkai’?”

“You don’t understand President Mao at all. He values my ability. Only he truly understands me. Over the years, I’ve worked tirelessly for ‘Nongkai’ without regard for fame or fortune, just to repay his kindness.” Wu Beiying was a little excited. “I understand. A friend in need is a friend indeed. So even though Mao Zhengyi is now facing an unprecedented huge financial crisis, Mr. Wu Beiying will still not abandon him.”

“That’s right. I didn’t leave during ‘Nongkai’s’ peak, and I certainly won’t leave now. Although ‘Nongkai’s’ financial difficulties may have reached the point of no return, ‘a scholar dies for his confidant’ [a Chinese idiom meaning one is willing to die for someone who appreciates them]. I will do my best for President Mao.” Wu Beiying’s words were all from the heart and sounded impassioned. Although he already knew that Mao Zhengyi didn’t treat him as one of his own, after all, he was the only one who saw his ability back then. That alone was enough to deserve his loyalty.

“Good, Mr. Wu is indeed not comparable to some so-called talents who only recognize money. Then I won’t disturb you. We will definitely have the opportunity to cooperate in the future.” Hou Longtao stood up with a smile. “Huh?” Wu Beiying also stood up, a little puzzled, and shook hands with Hou Longtao. “Is that all?” “That’s all. Listening to Mr. Wu’s words today has benefited me greatly. Oh, right, I just exchanged 5% of ‘East Star’s’ shares for 15% of ‘Ivy League’s’ shares.”

After Hou Longtao left, Wu Beiying stood there in a daze for several minutes. He had basically regained his composure, but he still didn’t understand the young man’s purpose in coming to him. If he wanted to invite him to join “East Star,” he didn’t seem to persuade him much. And the smile on his face before he left just gave people an uneasy feeling…

“Although ‘Nongkai’s’ financial difficulties may have reached the point of no return, ‘a scholar dies for his confidant.’ I will do my best for President Mao.” “Click.” Hou Longtao turned off the recorder. “How was it?” “Not bad. You’re quite clever, kid, knowing to bring out his name.” Gu Quanzhi sat behind a large desk. “The rest is useless. Just cut out the sections about ‘Nongkai’s’ financial difficulties.”

“How many days do you think it will take to appear in the newspapers?” “Photos, recordings, plus the explanations from above, the Hong Kong media won’t let this kind of material go. Next Monday, I’ll have people send it out separately. It’ll probably take four or five days, a week at most, and we’ll definitely see the effect.” “They won’t have connections with Mao, will they?” “This is Hong Kong, not Shanghai. Even if he has connections with one or two, he won’t be able to cover them all.” “That’s good.”

“Take a look at this.” Gu Quanzhi pushed a magazine on the table over. “Page twenty-three.” Hou Longtao opened it and saw a report about Mao Zhengyi, who had mysteriously disappeared for several days and had bruises on his face. According to his own explanation, he had gone to participate in a few days of Thai boxing training. “Hahaha, Old Mao is quite the storyteller.”

“Uncle, Monkey, are you done talking?” Liu Nan came in from outside. “We’re done.” Hou Longtao stood up. “Let’s go.” “Where to?” “Just come with me. So much nonsense.” The two young men left Gu Quanzhi’s house and came to the parking lot downstairs. Hou Longtao got into his SL500. “Where are we going?” “‘Rising Sun’.” “Damn it, I asked you just now.” “Hahaha, I just like to see you anxious.”

Usually when going to the entertainment city, Hou Longtao would drive the car to the inner parking lot in the back, but today Liu Nan strongly insisted that he park in front of the building. “Put this on.” Liu Nan took out an eye mask used on airplanes from his pocket. “What for?” “Just put it on. You’re always nagging.” “Stop talking nonsense. What exactly are you going to do?” “Hey, aren’t you annoying? It’s not like I’m sending you to the execution ground.” “Without that, you definitely have bad intentions.”

“Damn it, if you’re going to treat me like your third brother, then put it on.” Liu Nan threw the eye mask on Hou Longtao’s lap. “Damn it, for the next twenty years, you’re not allowed to use this trick again.” Hou Longtao got out of the car and reluctantly put on the eye mask. “What now?” “Come with me.” Liu Nan came over and grabbed his arm, leading him all the way to the inner parking lot. “Don’t take it off until I tell you to.”

“Got it.” Although Hou Longtao couldn’t see anything, there must be a lot of people around. He could hear the voices of Da Pang and Ma Lian, and it seemed like Long, who had just returned to Beijing this afternoon, was also there. “What are you guys up to?” With a “whoosh,” there was the sound of canvas being lifted. “Alright, take it off.” “You guys better all be wearing clothes. I don’t want to see…” Hou Longtao took off the eye mask, his eyes and mouth wide open, stunned in the parking lot.

Five meters in front of him, in the parking lot, a pure yellow, low-chassis, two-door sports car was quietly parked. The dark windshield completely obscured the view inside the driver’s seat. In the very center of the front of the car was a shield-shaped emblem, with a row of thin English letters below it and a golden bull. “Ah ah ah ah,” Hou Longtao’s saliva almost dripped out. He walked over, swaying, and gently stroked the perfect curves with both hands.

“This… this… Lamborghini…”

“Hehehe,” Liu Nan walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Lamborghini Cala [likely referring to the Lamborghini Cala concept car], the only one in the world (in fact, there was only one prototype, which appeared at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. For some reason, it was never put on the market, so the one in front of him was unique), twelve cylinders, a top speed of 335 kilometers per hour, and now you are its owner.”

“Hiss hiss hiss… ha… ah ah…” Hou Longtao was like he had just ejaculated, his face ecstatic, unable to even speak. From his teens, he had been particularly fond of Lamborghini. He had no feeling for Ferrari or Porsche, but he never dreamed that he would own one. Although he already had the financial resources, although he could take out more than 100 million yuan every year to give to his brothers, he was really reluctant to spend ten million to buy a car. This was the difference between entrepreneurs and second and third-generation rich people.

“This is what the six of us put together to order,” Da Pang came over. “Of course, most of it was paid for by the third brother. You can pay him back when you give us our wages. We originally wanted to give it to you when you turned twenty-five, but we couldn’t wait. This is a birthday present, so don’t shamelessly ask us for anything else then.” “No, I won’t, I won’t.” Hou Longtao finally smiled. “This is a movable metal work of art.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Why don’t you try it out?” Long knocked on the car window. A long-haired girl walked down from the passenger seat, a slender finger hooking a key. She walked to Hou Longtao, it was Ru Yan. “Are we good enough? Not only do we give you a car, but we also throw in a long-legged beauty.” Ma Lian also came to join in the fun.

“Hehehe, thank you for the car, but this girl is mine anyway.” Hou Longtao put his arm around Ru Yan’s slender waist and kissed her, one hand still grabbing and pinching her butt. “Hey hey hey, no one wants to see you guys making a porno.” A group of bastards started to boo. “Hmph.” A pair of lovers got into the car, and the Lamborghini sped away in a puff of smoke.

Two days later, Hou Longtao found someone to build a garage in the inner parking lot of “East Star Rising Sun.” He usually wouldn’t come to drive this dream car until late at night, because it couldn’t run at all during the day. More importantly, this car was too eye-catching. He hadn’t forgotten Gu Quanzhi’s advice so quickly…

On the last Saturday of March, major Hong Kong newspapers and financial magazines broke the news that Mao Zhengyi’s two listed companies were suffering huge financial difficulties, causing a major shock in the stock market. From the opening of the market on Monday to the closing on Wednesday, the stock prices of these two companies evaporated more than 800 million in just three days. According to reports, the chairman of a Hong Kong company was secretly leaking information to the media, but only a few people knew the actual situation…

“Um… um… um… Brother Tao…” Chen Xi desperately pushed her butt back, catering to Hou Longtao’s “invasion” from behind. Under her was Chen Qian, who had already been fucked into a daze. The sisters’ two pairs of full breasts were tightly pressed together, rubbing against each other as the man constantly bumped Chen Xi’s buttocks. The four bright nipples stood upright like cherries, touching intimately.

Chen Qian’s consciousness was not very clear. Only when her lover stimulated her body would she twitch as if an electric current was passing through her body. There was still the man’s sperm slowly flowing out of her hole. Although Hou Longtao was covered in sweat, he didn’t feel tired at all, constantly ravaging the tender flesh in Chen Xi’s vagina with his big dick, and occasionally reaching his hand under her abdomen, lightly pinching and kneading the “rice grains” [slang for clitoris] on the sisters’ two pairs of labia.

“Brother Tao… hum… ah… faster… faster…” Chen Xi knew that she was about to orgasm again, and couldn’t help but cry out coquettishly. She stretched out her fragrant tongue and licked her sister’s rosy jade cheeks. After all, they were sisters. Usually, when Hou Longtao asked them to kiss, they would only let their lips touch lightly. They wouldn’t use their tongues unless their lover played them to the point of deep affection. Now was the time of deep affection, and the younger sister’s tongue probed into the older sister’s cherry mouth and stirred.

Hou Longtao’s left hand played with Chen Xi’s soft buttocks to his heart’s content, and his right hand held down her snow-white back, and began to rapidly fuck her dry hole, making a “poof” sound in her pussy. “Xi… Xi, you’re killing me, brother. Brother’s coming too.” “Um… ah… give it to me… give it to me…” The girl’s legs went weak and she completely fell on her sister’s body. The man thrust hard about twenty more times, his back numb, and he also let out a low roar.

Hou Longtao pressed down on the two beauties, put his head to Chen Xi’s face, and stretched his tongue out desperately, kissing and licking the sisters’ pink faces. “Baby, my darling baby.” The three of them rested like this for only three or four minutes, and Hou Longtao already felt that he could fight again. He gently flipped Chen Xi off her sister, kissed her until she gasped, and then knelt between Chen Qian’s legs, which had not been closed, stroked his dick, and prepared to give her another round of happy time.

A national anthem melody disrupted Hou Longtao’s plan. He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up his phone. “Hello.” “Brother… Brother Tao, I want to see you.” The voice on the other end was Kana’s, with a sob. “What’s wrong?” “I… I have something to tell you.” “Alright.” Hou Longtao told Kana the address. He didn’t want her to come, but hearing her tone was a little off, so he didn’t refuse.

“Who is it?” Chen Xi was not as exhausted as her sister. She stuck to the man from behind, gently shaking and kissing his neck and ears. Hou Longtao turned slightly and pulled the girl onto his lap. “I’ll introduce you to a Japanese sister.” “What? A Japanese sister?” “That’s right.” “What’s your relationship with her?” “Of course it’s not as close as my relationship with you, but also… hehe, you know.”

“You… you…” Chen Xi jumped off the man’s lap. “You’re having affairs outside, and my sister and I are at your mercy. Are you still bringing them home?” She seemed about to cry. “Huh?” Hou Longtao looked at the girl’s aggrieved look, and really didn’t expect her to have such a big reaction. “Xi, I…” He really didn’t have any words at the moment…

Kana hailed a taxi and played the recording of Hou Longtao’s address from her phone for the driver. When she arrived at Linfang, she went straight upstairs. After ringing the doorbell, she heard a very pleasant woman’s voice from inside the house, “Who is it?” “Is Hou Longtao there?” The door opened, but she didn’t see the person who opened it.

Kana walked in and saw two fairy-like beauties sitting at the dining table in the living room, both lightly covered in robes, their full breasts vaguely visible, but their expressions didn’t seem very happy. She quickly bowed deeply. “My name is Takaramura Kana, please take care of me. Is Hou Longtao here…?” “I’m here.” Hou Longtao, with his bare ass, hugged the woman’s waist from behind. It turned out that he had opened the door, but because he wasn’t wearing clothes, he was behind the door.

“Tao…” Kana turned around and hugged the man’s strong body tightly, burying her head in his chest. “Hehe…” Hou Longtao had just made two sounds when the smile on his face disappeared. He felt a wetness on the skin of his chest, but it was definitely not being licked by a tongue. He quickly cupped the woman’s cheeks and raised her head. As expected, she was teary-eyed, with two tear stains on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Hou Longtao couldn’t stand seeing a woman looking sad. He sat down on a chair at the dining table and hugged the nurse into his arms. “What happened?” Kana just sobbed softly, holding the man’s neck tightly, as if he would disappear if she let go. “What exactly is it? Tell me, let’s discuss anything together.” The man was very patient.

“Yes, tell Brother Tao if you have any difficulties.” Chen Qian came over and put a tissue in Kana’s hand. Chen Xi also came over. These two sisters had given Hou Longtao a lot of cold shoulders before. Seventy percent of it was because they were really angry that he was a playboy, and thirty percent was because they were teasing him. Later, when they heard that the person coming was the nurse who had been taking care of their lover in the hospital, their anger increased by another twenty percent. Now, seeing Kana’s appearance, it was obvious that she had been wronged, and their hearts softened even more.

“Thank you…” Kana raised her head, wiped her tears, and then carefully looked at the two women. They both had long hair, wore very elegant makeup, and couldn’t tell when they were sitting, but now that they were in front of her, she realized that they were tall. The two of them were wearing the same double-strap white gauze one-piece short skirts, black high heels, and flesh-colored stockings. Because they weren’t wearing petticoats and underwear, their beautiful bodies seemed to be covered in a layer of mist, truly a fairy spirit with happiness.

The sisters had carefully groomed themselves before this. They didn’t know what Kana looked like or what her dress was like, but out of a woman’s instinct and the psychology of wanting to win, they had made full preparations. When they really saw her, just from her appearance, this Japanese woman seemed to be very delicate, petite and exquisite, and belonged to the cute type. The two sisters both felt that their dress was a bit too much…

Traveling thousands of miles and reading thousands of books (How could the carp in the golden pond be ordinary?) [A Chinese proverb suggesting that someone with experience and knowledge is bound to be extraordinary].