Chapter 73: Rallying the wolves
Pei Fengshan and Su Can took a booth in the clubhouse. The interior really did open onto another world: spacious and classically styled, with sturdy gray-brown tea tables and rattan chairs everywhere, antique incense burners and paintings, and interconnecting halls separated by decorative sandalwood screens. Only after an attendant who stayed beside them the whole way had guided them to their seats did Pei Fengshan hand Su Can the menu and ask what he wanted.
Su Can ordered a glass of Coke priced at forty-six yuan. Thinking it would be better if Pei Fengshan continued to see him as a youngster, he said, "This might be the most expensive Coke I've ever had."
Pei Fengshan smiled and shook his head. "Heh, you'll get used to it. Didn't you want to learn how investment works? Then why not start with me? Young Su, I'm older than you, so I'll take the liberty of calling myself your older brother. My academic qualifications might not match yours, but when it comes to practical experience, the things I've been through would probably give you enough material for several papers."
There were many booths like theirs in the hall, screened off from one another by potted plants and staggered screens, so even several hundred people drinking tea and dining together would not have made it feel crowded. Su Can spotted Zhang Yue and his friends there too, pointing at him and talking. The girl who had invited him earlier held a glass of brown liquor and looked straight at him, making no attempt to avert her gaze.
Zhang Yue, however, felt rather awkward. When he had seen Su Can downstairs earlier, he had not greeted him, and the two had acted as if they did not know each other. He