When Xia Bozhou first heard that someone had cured the old man's illness, he was quite happy. But after asking Dr. Peter, he realized something was amiss. The Mental Residue in Picasso's paintings was supposed to kill the old man's consciousness and replace it—what was this if not charlatanry?
In Xia Bozhou's eyes, Qingmu was just a psychologist who liked to attract attention and knew a few tricks, no different from those Daoist priests in ancient times who prayed for blessings and made elixirs in the palace, and tricked the emperor into practicing immortality.
At first, he was polite to his father out of respect, treating it as supporting another person in the family and spending money to make the old man happy. Spending hundreds of millions was nothing to them, but he didn't expect his father to suddenly spend a billion.
One billion is a lot of money no matter where it is. Although it is nothing compared to the Xia Family's assets and the Xia Family can afford to spend it, there should be an explanation for spending so much money. Even if it is used to buy antiques and treasures or to donate to charity, as long as the old man is happy, Xia Bozhou will not frown.
However, the billion was deposited into an account called the Third Space Foundation. Xia Bozhou had someone check and found that the Foundation had just been established and was registered in the Virgin Islands. Its actual controller could not be found. The key point was that after the billion was deposited, it was immediately dispersed into multiple accounts and transferred away.
In Xia Bozhou's view, this Foundation fits all the characteristics of a fraudulent company.
However, Xia Wenyuan is the actual controller of the Xia Family. He has the power to use 1 billion yuan without consulting family members. He himself does not say what the money is used for, and no one dares to ask.
Xia Bozhou felt that the old man was getting old and confused, so he discussed with his younger brother Xia Zhongwan that they shouldn't let the old man control so much money in the future. If they encountered a big swindler, the family would suffer a great loss.
Xia Zhongwan advised him not to get involved, saying that 1 billion was not a big deal. Saying it was a small matter might be too arrogant, but it was at most a moderate amount.
Xia Bozhou felt that his younger brother was irresponsible, saying that it was just a small matter. The Xia Family was a large and powerful family, and the more so, the more they could not be careless. If they wanted the family to prosper, they could not be negligent in such matters, especially since the old man was getting old and they could not allow him to be surrounded by petty people.
Like a prince who wanted to purge the court of corrupt officials, he took a break from his busy schedule to return to Wuzhong from Shenzhou to pay his respects to the old man and offer him some advice. Unexpectedly, he ran into Qingmu as soon as he arrived.
He had checked the recent guest list of the Xia family. Apart from those who had been friends with him for decades, the only people who had seen Elder Xia were Professor Mei and Qingmu. Professor Mei was a scientific giant and a well-known professor, so of course he wouldn't do anything fraudulent. Even if he had a relationship with Professor Mei, he must have been used by someone else. The only one who was worth suspecting was this Qingmu.
Qingmu, of course, had no idea what Xia Bozhou was thinking. He remained sitting there lazily, not responding to Xia Bozhou's words, and took out a cigarette, lit it with a lighter.
The more Xia Bozhou looked at him, the more he seemed like a liar. He wanted to get angry but couldn't because of his status. He wanted to have Qingmu kicked out, but he couldn't do it in front of Aunt Xia. Although he and Wu Lixia were about the same age, in terms of seniority, he had to call Wu Lixia "stepmother" and " Tushu." Moreover, Wu Lixia was well-liked and everyone in the Xia Family spoke ill of her.
Xia Bozhou was also puzzled. Even if the old man was getting old, how could Aunt Xia, who had always been smart and virtuous, have become so confused?
Wu Lixia ordered someone to bring an ashtray and placed it in front of Qingmu, saying, "Although Old Xia isn't like those high-ranking leaders, the Xia Family has a reputation, and many people are watching us! As the saying goes, 'A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' If you go out without even a bodyguard, it's a bit unsettling. Of course, you must have a foolproof plan, sir. Even if Old Xia and I trust you, the others in the family might not. If they ask, we'll have to give them an explanation."
These words were so well-spoken that even Xia Bozhou nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that this stepmother wasn't completely obtuse.
After listening, Qingmu scratched his head, sighed, and said, "You wealthy families are really troublesome. Let me put it this way, this is both treatment and not treatment; it's just that we've invited you to meet someone."
"Who?"
I can't say right now.
"Why?"
For your safety.
Wu Lixia and Xia Bozhou exchanged a glance. She had originally trusted Qingmu; as long as Xia Wenyuan agreed, going out with Qingmu wouldn't be a problem, and there probably wouldn't be any danger. But Qingmu's words made her suspicious instead.
"Mr. Qingmu, if there really is a safety hazard, I hope you can be frank about it. Although Old Xia is getting old, he is still supporting a family business of over a hundred companies, and we cannot afford any problems."
Qingmu was increasingly annoyed by the troublesome nature of wealthy people, who acted as if they were emperors traveling the south. He explained, " Aunt Xia, the person you're meeting this time is extremely important. If you don't meet, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives. But if you meet rashly, it won't be good for either of you. I've already arranged a place. As long as you and Elder Xia set a time, I'll arrange the meeting. I'll take responsibility for your safety."
Xia Bozhou grew impatient and said, "Young man, don't think that just because you know a little psychology and cured my father's mental illness, you can be arrogant. And don't think that we businessmen are inferior to officials. Who is so important? You'd regret it for the rest of your life if you didn't see him! The United Nations Secretary-General, or the United States President? Even if it were the United States President, my father could see him if he really wanted to. Besides, we don't need anything from him, so why would we see him? Of course, you can't invite the president either! If the person you're talking about has some project valued at hundreds of billions, waiting for my father to invest, then please don't even mention it."
In Xia Bozhou's eyes, Qingmu was mysterious and the kind of business that you'd regret not seeing for the rest of your life. It must be a startup project that could blow its own horn to the heavens. If they could bring the old man over and make him happy, investing a few hundred million more would be a piece of cake.
Xia Bozhou had seen plenty of these kinds of scams in the investment world. Back when the Internet was booming, a thick business plan would be submitted, and if even one sentence caught the investor's eye, or if the entrepreneur was eloquent, good at flattery, or drank heavily, they could win over investors. Most investment failures came about this way.
Investment companies are becoming increasingly professional, making it harder to scam money. As a result, scammers are targeting retired, self-made millionaires. The elderly, often unwilling to accept old age, have handed over their hard-earned fortunes to their children and grandchildren, and while their energy may be waning, they still believe their foresight is still sharp, and supporting younger generations is their natural duty. Furthermore, many older people are particularly concerned about retirement and health, leading to a particularly high proportion of elderly investors in these areas, and consequently, a high number of failed investments. In recent years, a large portion of failed financing schemes, illegal fundraising cases, and P2P platform collapses involved money from the elderly.
Xia Bozhou mistook Qingmu for an investment fraudster, but he spoke in a relatively tactful manner and was not arrogant. Moreover, what he said was not without reason, so Qingmu was too lazy to argue. He thought to himself that he was dealing with Elder Xia, not him.
When Xia Bozhou saw that he didn't speak, he thought he had hit the nail on the head. Seeing his arrogant attitude, as if he had the old man figured out, Xia Bozhou got angry. Even the most well-mannered person can lose their temper.
He sneered and asked, "You say you're responsible for the safety of the old man and Aunt Xia! What makes you think you can take responsibility?"