A chill ran through Lin Chao Ci. He gave the man's hand a brief shake, then immediately let go.
The flower-delivery guy couldn't understand why his young buddy seemed a little afraid of him.
Hadn't he been pretty friendly just a moment ago?
"Mr. Wu Daojun, do you know this gentleman? Which company is he the chairman of?"
The blond man seated at the head of the table frowned slightly when he saw someone else enter. A bad feeling crept over him.
"Hahaha, this is a good buddy of mine!"
Wu Daojun didn't know Lin Chao Ci's background, but he still introduced him with great respect.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they had been close friends for years.
"Oh! No wonder he looked familiar. I recognize him now! Mr. Smith, his father is Haikou City's municipal Party secretary. He has connections at the very top, and word is he'll soon be promoted to vice governor!"
The middle-aged man sitting to Smith's right was Chen Minghao, the deputy general manager of a large company in Hong Kong.
He happened to have some projects in Haikou City and had specifically researched the local bigwigs, looking through photographs of Lin Jianguo and his family.
Seeing Lin Chao Ci now, he had found him familiar. And with his surname being Lin...
Only then did Chen Minghao remember who he was.
After hearing about Lin Chao Ci's background, Smith didn't take it particularly seriously.
He was a foreign businessman, after all, backed by a major financial conglomerate that controlled billions.
Anyone who wanted investment would have to curry favor with him. Who didn't want GDP growth? Who didn't want investment?
Smith really wasn't afraid of Lin Chao Ci.
"Uh..."
Chen Minghao still had projects in Haikou City, so he couldn't say much. He couldn't afford to offend either side.
All he could do was wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and pretend he hadn't heard a thing.
The private dining room was only so large, and everyone else had overheard at least some of Smith and Chen Minghao's conversation.
The way everyone looked at Lin Chao Ci changed.
Money was easy to make but hard to hold on to.
If they could build a connection with Lin Chao Ci, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they wanted in Haikou City afterward...?
Everyone understood Lin Chao Ci's value. The wily old foxes exchanged glances, then crowded around him.
"Hahaha, Young Master Ci certainly is an impressive young man! Just what you'd expect from the Party secretary's son. You're far better than that useless brat of mine!"
"You're comparing your son to someone as outstanding as Young Master Ci? At his age, I was still digging in the dirt. There's simply no comparison. Young Master Ci truly is a remarkable young talent!"
"Young Master Ci, what line of business is your company in? Is there anything we can help with?"
Managers and executives from several other companies were also in the private room.
The investors behind them had their sights on Penguin Company as well.
That was why Penguin Company had gathered everyone together: first, to demonstrate its strength; second, to raise its valuation; and third, to expand its network.
It had to be said that Penguin Company was quite clever.
With so many people gathered together, even companies that wanted to drive down the price would struggle to do so.
"Hahaha, gentlemen, my company is only a startup. At present, our main businesses are the internet and real estate!"
Lin Chao Ci had instructed someone to register a company for him the night before.
By noon that day, he had received confirmation that the registration was complete.
It couldn't be helped. Lin Chao Ci's connections were too powerful. For something as trivial as registering a company, he could assign just about anyone to handle it.
The scene in the private room was rather strange and awkward.
It had split into two distinct groups. Smith sat alone at the head of the table, with his assistant beside him.
Chen Minghao also sat nearby. He wanted to go over and curry favor with Lin Chao Ci, but he worried about offending Smith, leaving him visibly restless.
On the other side, Lin Chao Ci was surrounded by a crowd of businessmen. Everyone was flattering him, making him the center of the gathering.
Smith had been left out in the cold.
Smith's expression turned extremely ugly. He had always been treated as someone above the rest. When had he ever suffered such treatment?
"Ahem..."
He glanced at his assistant, who took the hint and coughed loudly, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Gentlemen, surely you haven't all forgotten the purpose of this gathering? If you intend to keep this up, please leave the room and let me speak with Mr. Wu Daojun alone!"
Smith's expression was cold, but his tone carried a clear note of displeasure.
"Ahem... That's right. We're here to discuss a partnership!"
Several businessmen had squeezed Wu Daojun away from Lin Chao Ci, and he had been left standing on the sidelines for quite a while.
He hadn't expected the young buddy he had met at the restaurant to have such a powerful background, either.
As a citizen of the Dragon Nation, he understood the clout of a municipal Party secretary far better than Smith did.
"Everyone, please head back. Let's sit down and talk!"
Lin Chao Ci quickly chimed in as well. These businessmen were far too enthusiastic.
"Young Master Ci, please take my seat!"
"How can Young Master Ci sit so far back? Don't you know the proper etiquette? Move aside, all of you..."
The seating had been arranged beforehand, and Lin Chao Ci hadn't announced his arrival in advance, so no one had prepared a place for him.
Still, everyone was enthusiastic and eager to offer Lin Chao Ci their own seats.
Every one of them was falling over himself to please him.
"It's fine. I'll just pull up a chair and sit at the back!"
Lin Chao Ci shook his head, pulled over a random chair from nearby, and sat at the very back.
"No, absolutely not! Someone of your standing can't sit behind us, Young Master Ci!"
Seating at these receptions followed strict rules.
None of these businessmen wanted to offend Lin Chao Ci over something so minor. They all moved their chairs on their own initiative, clearing a space at the front.
Lin Chao Ci was used to this, so he could only accept with resignation.
He moved his chair to the front and sat beside Smith.
Smith, a foreigner, stared in disbelief. Seriously, are you people this particular about these things?
All this rearranging over a single seat, and for so long?
"Ahem, let's continue discussing the financing! For Penguin's first funding round, we're offering a 40% stake. The valuation report shows that Penguin Company is currently worth at least five million US dollars!"
"So we're asking for at least two million US dollars for that 40% stake!"
Once the room quieted down, Wu Daojun repeated Penguin's valuation and funding requirements specifically for Lin Chao Ci's benefit.
Everyone already knew Penguin's asking price. Those who were interested had begun working out how much to offer, while those who weren't were thinking about how to curry favor with Lin Chao Ci afterward.
"Say no more. I'll take the entire 40% stake! Two and a half million US dollars!"
Lin Chao Ci knew Penguin Company's potential all too well.
If he invested two and a half million now, it wouldn't be long before that money turned into hundreds of millions.
"Whoa!"
"No wonder he comes from such a prominent family. What a big spender! He mentioned two and a half million as if it were nothing!"
"That's Young Master Ci for you! If only I had a chance to switch jobs and work for his company!"
Several sharp gasps rang out around the room.
Two and a half million US dollars was no small sum. Converted into Dragon Nation currency, it came to roughly seventeen million.
Most companies really couldn't produce that much ready cash.
Beside him, the corner of Smith's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected Lin Chao Ci to be so rich.
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