Chapter 374 Who are they?
Gu Le had just run to the school gate when she saw her grandfather's car.
Halfway there, the car window rolled down, revealing Gu Yin with a big smile and Zhou Wansheng tilting his head to look at them.
Gu Le was overjoyed: "Sister! Grandpa!"
Gu Yin opened the car door and called out, "Slow down! Don't rush!"
Once everyone was in the car, Gu Yin handed him a handkerchief: "It's hot, why did you drive so fast? I said I'd pick you up, so wipe yourself off."
Gu Le took the handkerchief, wiping her forehead as she looked at Zhou Wansheng: "Why did Grandpa come over too?"
Zhou Wansheng took his schoolbag and put it aside: "We're not going home for dinner tonight. I'll take you guys out to eat. Let's change our clothes first, and then we'll go."
Gu Le asked in surprise, "Are we going to the Ai family's house for dinner?"
Remembering that the Ai family had a daughter about the same age as Gu Le, Zhou Wansheng nodded in understanding: "Yes, it's his family. His daughter is your classmate."
Gu Le was surprised that she had just refused to go to Ai's house today, but she still had to go later. She nodded and said, "Yes, it's Ai'er's birthday tonight. She invited all the classmates to come over, but I refused. I was originally planning to go home to be with my older sister, but I didn't expect that Grandpa also received an invitation."
Zhou Wansheng patted Gu Le's hair: "Tonight, people from all the prominent families in Hong Kong will be there. It's actually fine if we don't go, but I was thinking that we're going to hold a welcome party for you soon. It'll be quite a large event, so I'd like you to go tonight first to see if you can handle the atmosphere. If you really don't like it, I'll reduce the number of people and hold a press conference later to announce your return. However, I still prefer a cocktail party. You know how this circle works. Holding a cocktail party shows that the Zhou family values you, and your grandmother and I will personally promote you. This will prevent people in this circle from gossiping. Although you are both very capable, you may not care about those people, but it's good to reduce some unnecessary trouble."
Gu Yin and Gu Le are not children at heart; they understand Zhou Wansheng's meaning and have no objections to his arrangements.
The three arrived at the Zhou family's own styling studio. Gu Yin changed into a black strapless mermaid dress, her hair was slightly curled, and the jewelry on her neck and wrists was pearl, which made her skin look even more like porcelain. She looked graceful and elegant. Once the Hong Kong-style ancient makeup was completed, Gu Yin appeared even more aloof.
Zhou Wansheng and Gu Le were much simpler. Zhou Wansheng wore a black suit and Gu Le wore a white suit. They looked simple, but the material, cut and style of the clothes made Zhou Wansheng appear more reserved, and Gu Le also looked much more composed!
After getting their hair and makeup done, the three of them got into the car and headed to the Ai family's house.
Due to his position, Director Ai's daughter's birthday party was not held at a hotel, but at his own villa.
It was just a birthday banquet; there was no need to make such a grand spectacle. The main reason for the large celebration was that Mr. Ai had retired, and his only son, Mr. Ai Yongcheng, would be making further progress next year.
The old man held this banquet for two reasons. First, he wanted to pave the way for Ai Yongcheng. Second, it's a common problem for those in power: after holding power for so long, they can't let go of it immediately after retirement. So he held a banquet to show everyone that even though he's retiring, he still has connections and influence. It's a kind of warning.
When Zhou Wansheng and his two grandsons arrived at the Ai family villa, the area outside was already filled with all sorts of luxury cars. It seems that everyone still respects Old Master Ai, and so far, there's no sign of the villa collapsing.
Led by a waiter, the three entered the venue.
"Hey! The shipping magnate is here! Old Ai, come quick!"
Mr. Ai was talking to his son when his in-laws' voices made him look up at the door. There he saw Zhou Wansheng, who rarely appeared in front of others, actually attending the banquet!
In the past, Zhou Wansheng was rarely seen at banquets, big or small. This time, his family was hosting a banquet, and an invitation was sent to Zhou Wansheng. As for whether he would come or not, Old Master Ai had no hope, and even thought that the other party would definitely not come. But unexpectedly, the other party actually came! Fortunately, when his son asked him if he should send an invitation to Zhou Wansheng, he said yes, otherwise he would regret it tonight!
That's a shipping magnate! He has connections with political figures from various countries, collaborates with major companies around the world, and is worth hundreds of billions!
"Welcome, welcome! Mr. Zhou, it's been a long time! How have you been lately?" Old Master Ai greeted him with a smile.
Zhou Wansheng reached out and shook hands with him: "Not bad, Mr. Ai looks rosy-cheeked and as charming as ever. It seems you've had a lot of good news lately!"
Mr. Ai laughed heartily: "I'm about to retire, after working hard for most of my life, I can finally relax. I don't have to leave early and come home late, and I don't have to attend meetings every day. Of course I'm in good spirits! Isn't this great news?!"
“You’ve served the people for most of your life, it’s time for you to take a good rest. Going out to sea for fishing or traveling around would be nice. As for other things, let the young people handle them! We’ve trained them for so long, it’s time for them to take over!” Zhou Wansheng said, glancing at Ai Yongcheng with a meaningful look.
Mr. Ai glanced at his son and shook his head: "He still has a lot to learn!"
Ai Yongcheng smiled modestly and said, "We are still very inexperienced, not even scratching the surface. Even if we take over the business, we still have to learn! If I do anything wrong, Uncle Zhou, please don't go easy on me because of my dad, and give me some pointers! That way, I will have room to improve!"
Zhou Wansheng nodded and looked at Mr. Ai: "Your son has the humility and composure you had when you were young. He has a bright future!"
Mr. Ai was overjoyed. In his life, besides sitting in the highest position in the port city, he had also raised his son to be a great man.
"Who are these two?" Mr. Ai asked curiously, looking at the two children who had been quiet and patient beside Zhou Wansheng.
Everyone in Hong Kong's high society knew that the Zhou family had run into trouble recently, with Zhou Wansheng's brother Wang Tianbao and Old Madam Zhou's sister Mu Hong being sent to prison.
Zhou Ming was also sent abroad, and Zhou Tengfei and his sister never appeared in Hong Kong again. Everyone speculated that Zhou Ming and Wang Tianbao had cooperated to seize power, but after their failure, they were both dealt with by Zhou Wansheng.
But people of Old Master Ai's status actually know some inside information. For example, he guessed that Gu Le and Gu Yin, who look very similar to Wang Yanzhi, were probably dealing with the issue of offspring.
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