The Britain lawyer, Song Tianyao, dressed in a subtly sexy and drunken manner, had no interest in flirting with anyone. At this moment, Song Tianyao was even less interested in the woman from the nightclub that Chen Judy had brought. He casually nodded and left the woman standing aside.
He came to see Chu Xiaoxin not to pick up girls, but to explain the matter of Shek Chi-yik, the deputy director of the Industrial and Commercial Administration Office, to Chu Xiaoxin. Although Chu Xiaoxin trusted him, the issues involved could not be resolved simply by Chu Xiaoxin's trust.
Chu Yaozong was the foremost Chiu Chow businessman and Justice of the Peace. With that kind of status, even if he just went for a stroll in front of the Colonial Secretary or the City Hall, he could be personally received by the Director or Commissioner. During holidays, the Governor of Hong Kong might even arrange for someone to send Chu Yaozong an invitation to attend some banquets.
As for who should be the deputy director of industry and commerce, Chu Yaozong didn't need to be as eager as Song Tianyao was at the moment. As the saying goes, status determines attitude. If someone had reached Chu Yaozong's position, the deputy director might even have to take the initiative to flatter Chu Yaozong. After all, if Chu Yaozong was unhappy and tore off relations, he could make at least a third of the Chinese shops in Hong Kong close down, dockworkers go on strike, and cargo ships stay in port. This is not an exaggeration. Chu Yaozong, as the leader of the Chiu Chow hometown, could easily do it. He just wouldn't do it as a businessman.
That's why Chu Xiaoxin could borrow the money from Chu Yaozong by signing an IOU, or from other uncles by signing an IOU, but he couldn't just go home and get the money directly.
Song Tianyao knew the Chu Family's situation very well. Chu Xiaozhong was definitely going to be the successor, and his boss, Chu Xiaoxin, had no hope at all. If he were in Chu Yaozong's position, he would never hand over the family business to a spendthrift who only knew how to squander money in brothels, especially since this spendthrift had an outsider who obeyed him completely.
Therefore, we might as well show Chu Yaozong our attitude now: the money is a loan, but no matter how much profit Likang makes in the Likang, it will not have much to do with the Chu Family. It will only belong to Chu Xiaoxin. As the business grows, we should simply eliminate any chance that Chu Xiaozhong will have to interfere.
"Do I have to borrow from my Dad? There's no need to be so formal," Chu Xiaoxin said to Song Tianyao, putting his arm around Chen Judy, who was sitting on his lap.
Song Tianyao, with a cigarette between his fingers, nodded to Chu Xiaoxin: "It's not just about borrowing; the most important thing is to have a loan agreement. You can even calculate interest. Just talk to Chairman Chu, and he'll understand. He'll definitely come up with the money."
"What if he refuses to lend it? You know my Dad's always been unhappy with me, so it's normal for him not to give me the money," Chu Xiaoxin said to Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao took a sip of beer and said with a smile, "There's no 'what if.' Just tell me. If Chairman Chu isn't willing to lend you money, Song Tianyao, am prepared to lend you money. He definitely will."
"I trust you. I'll go home after I finish my drinks. My Dad's probably asleep by now. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning about how much to borrow." Chu Xiaoxin saw Song Tianyao's confident expression and thought about how he seemed to be right about everything since they met, so he stopped guessing and agreed.
Song Tianyao reiterated the key points. "Not much, just 100,000 yuan. A loan agreement is a must, and interest is acceptable. If Young Master Zhong he doesn't need a loan agreement, then tell him you'd rather not lend the money without one."
"I know, I know. If I were like you all day long, I probably wouldn't live past thirty. I'd die of a headache sooner or later, and the pretty girl next to you would fall asleep. Why don't you try to coax the woman?" Chu Xiaoxin waved his hand impatiently, then pointed to the singer sitting next to Song Tianyao and winked at Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao glanced at the singer, whose face was indeed somewhat gloomy. It was obvious that she had been neglected by Song Tianyao. After all, she was not a dancer who entertained guests with drinks and dances. Even if she couldn't compare to a popular singer like Chen Judy, who had Chu Xiaoxin's financial support, she was still a singer with some minor fame who performed at the Lichi Garden.
After finishing his business, Song Tianyao, not caring much about teasing the singer, said to Chu Xiaoxin, "I'll perform a magic trick for you, and it'll immediately make this young lady beam with joy."
As he spoke, he picked up his wallet, took out five hundred dollars, and casually slapped it on the singer's stockinged leg. He stood up and said to Chu Xiaoxin, "It's too late, go home and sleep. I'll be waiting for you at the Dulles Hotel for breakfast tomorrow morning."
"Hey! You didn't even grab her breasts! You just casually tossed five hundred dollars at her?" Chu Xiaoxin looked at Song Tianyao, who had stood up and was walking out, then at the singer who indeed had a delighted smile on her face, and shouted at Song Tianyao, "You spendthrift! If I had known you were going to throw money around like this, I would have just smiled at you and saved the money for me!"
Song Tianyao pretended to stop, then seriously picked up his wallet. "Okay, five hundred yuan for one smile from you. Start smiling now, and I'll pay you anytime."
"Get out! Go to sleep! Do you think your boss is a giggler? We'll have breakfast together tomorrow... Hey, and Ah Fu to drive you home. I'll be home by the time he gets back, after I've finished drinking." Chu Xiaoxin grabbed the cigarette pack on the table and tossed it to Song Tianyao. After Song Tianyao caught it, Chu Xiaoxin laughed and cursed a couple of times before watching Song Tianyao leave.
"Your secretary is really interesting." After Song Tianyao left, Chen Judy sat back down next to Chu Xiaoxin poured him a glass of wine.
Chu Xiaoxin nodded, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "You've seen him, haven't you? A-Yao is great in every way, except for one thing: he spends money on women faster than a printing press. If you forget to tell him, he'll throw away huge sums of money. He probably needed money for too long before, so he's become a bit extravagant now."
"Seeing how nice you are to your secretary, actually, I have a younger brother who is currently unemployed. Young Master Shun, could you perhaps offer him a job at your business?" Chen Judy noticed that most of the other guests who had been fawning over her had already left, so she became less reserved and leaned half her body against Chu Xiaoxin as she asked.
Chu Xiaoxin curled his lip. "Wow, your younger brother? When did a younger brother appear? You've already made so much money off me, isn't that enough? You want your younger brother to make money too?"
Chen Judy was indeed tempted after seeing the conversation between Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao. 100,000 Hong Kong dollars —a secretary actually encouraged Chu Xiaoxin to ask his family for 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. Moreover, just now, Song Tianyao's secretary casually tipped a singer 500 Hong Kong dollars, which seemed extravagant compared to the usual rich young masters. Those rich young masters would at least touch hands or put their arms around waists when tipping, trying to take advantage of others. Song Tianyao, however, threw out 500 Hong Kong dollars as if he were giving money to a beggar, not even bothering to look at the singer.