Chu Xiaoxin's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"
"Really, but I need your help before I go." Song Tianyao looked at Chu Xiaoxin.
Chu Xiaoxin leaned back lazily on the sofa. "What's up? I knew you wouldn't come to see me out of kindness."
"The Foreign Girl is going back to Hong Kong, and she'll be short of money. I've talked to the Foreign Devil, Shek Chi-yik, and he'll help me make arrangements. I'd like to ask Likang Company to guarantee a loan from HSBC," Song Tianyao said calmly to Chu Xiaoxin.
Chu Xiaoxin was taken aback. "A loan? If you need money, I'll give it to you. Besides, of course you should go to Chinese Bank for a loan. Why give the Foreign Devil a lower interest rate? How much do you need?"
"Two hundred thousand US dollars." Song Tianyao's eyes gleamed as he stared at Chu Xiaoxin's stunned eyes and uttered a number.
Chapter 229 It's just a small matter.
"Six million Hong Kong dollars?" After his initial astonishment, Chu Xiaoxin took a deep breath.
Song Tianyao nodded. "That's right, I'll explain the whole thing to you. The Foreign Girl's internship is over, and she's going back to Hong Kong to help me. I'm planning to arrange for her to go to the United States to do some things for me. She's Britain, so there won't be any issues with United States immigration status. If it were me, China person, going to the United States, with the Korean War still going on, it wouldn't be easy to get things done there. Besides, even Likang couldn't immediately transfer that much cash. Financial audits at Chinese Banks in the United States are also very complicated. Now that the wigs have started production, I'm planning to have her help me open a joint venture machine factory in the United States with United States..."
Chu Xiaoxin took out two small cigars from his pocket, gave one to Song Tianyao, lit it with a gilded lighter, took a puff, and grinned as he interrupted Song Tianyao: "You know I'm not good at business matters, so don't be so verbose. Even if you can't pay back six million, I can pay it back to the bank for you. The pharmaceutical market is good right now; six million Hong Kong dollars is just a little over a year's profit for Likang Company and the Pharmaceutical Factory. Even excluding the Cai Family's shares, my mother and I would still have nearly four million. This small amount won't scare me. I only have one question for you: do you really want to do it?"
"Yes." Song Tianyao, holding a cigar, stared at Chu Xiaoxin in silence for more than ten seconds before speaking.
Chu Xiaoxin raised his wine glass and lightly clinked it against Song Tianyao's glass, then downed the red wine in one gulp. "Whenever you need me to meet with HSBC, call Likang and let me know. I'll vouch for you."
"Thank you, Big Brother." Song Tianyao scratched his head, wanting to say something to express his gratitude, but in the end he only said the four most ordinary words that the two of them used to exchange, and then he also picked up his wine glass and drank the rest of the wine.
Chu Xiaoxin waved his hand and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "No need to be polite. I trusted you last time, and now I'm a leading figure in the pharmaceutical industry and Justice of the Peace. Of course, there's no reason for me not to continue trusting you."
"I didn't make any arrangements for you this time with the sham business. This situation is a bit complicated, and it's best if you don't get involved. I'll help you after I've sorted things out..."
Before Song Tianyao could finish speaking, Chu Xiaoxin burst out laughing, sizing Song Tianyao up. "You little punk, you think you're so tough now? Providing me with a good deal? I'm your Big Brother, do I need you to prepare shares for me? You'd better think of a reasonable excuse to take me to Japan or United States to experience some foreign culture. You dare to talk bigger than me?"
Song Tianyao lowered his head and grinned, then looked up at Chu Xiaoxin: "Actually, Big Brother, before I met you, I had thought about what I could do if you couldn't help me directly. I can do it myself, but it would be very troublesome, and there would be too many variables. Your willingness to help me saves me a lot of precious time."
"It's quite a coincidence," Chenqiao Mutiny said. "My mother went to the Tin Hau Temple a few days ago to draw a fortune stick for me, asking about my career and marriage. She specifically told me to carry this career fortune stick with me. Let me read it for you. It's an extremely auspicious sign: 'The Chenqiao Mutiny, when the time is right, thunder roars and insects chirp; with a twist, one leaves the mud; only then do they realize the cycle of coming and going; in one day, one transforms into a dragon.'" Chu Xiaoxin took a small sachet from his inner shirt pocket, opened it to reveal a fortune stick, and read it to Song Tianyao:
Do you know what that means?
Song Tianyao shook his head. He wasn't a temple keeper who interpreted divination slips, so of course he didn't know how to interpret them.
"My mother told me that the temple keeper said my luck would change when thunder struck and insects swarmed. Sure enough, it was in June, right in the rainy season, and I became Justice of the Peace, escaping my past life of pleasure and finally leaving the mire behind. The saying 'returning favors and reciprocating kindness' means I should remember who helped me and repay them. If I understand the importance of reciprocity, that's the final outcome: a sudden transformation leads to success." Chu Xiaoxin handed the divination slip to Song Tianyao, smiling as he said, "So remember, I'm helping you now. Whether I become a dragon or not depends on you. Pay attention."
Song Tianyao took the divination slip, and sure enough, the four lines of the fortune were exactly the same as what Chu Xiaoxin had thought: an extremely auspicious fortune.
He didn't believe in fortune-telling or divination at all, but since Chu Xiaoxin had helped him without asking why, he would definitely repay the favor of Second Young Master Chu for his easy guarantee. Song Tianyao didn't know if he would succeed, but Chu Xiaoxin would definitely get his share of the benefits.
Chu Xiaoxin always regarded Song Tianyao as his lucky star, and in reality, Song Tianyao was also very fortunate to have met such a boss.
Returning the talisman to Chu Xiaoxin, Song Tianyao scratched his head, pondered for a long time before hesitantly speaking, "I can't explain it clearly right now, but Big Brother, if possible, business is tough right now, so don't consider doing other businesses and keep more disposable cash on hand."
"Understood." Chu Xiaoxin put away the divination slip and replied.
After Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin reached an agreement on the matter, the two left the private room and went to the tea area in the lobby to enjoy the band's performance. Men and women occasionally entered the center of the dance floor to dance to the music. Seeing the two emerge, Lu Peiying, who was chatting with her sister-in-law at a distance, immediately called over a waiter and took out ten Hong Kong dollars from her exquisite crocodile-skin handbag to tip him, "Mr. Chu. Mr. Chu and Mr. Song have finished their business. Based on the drinks in the private room, please send them both a set meal. Also, arrange for two dancers to liven up the atmosphere. Remember to have the dancers come to me to collect their tips."