The conversation was brief, and Chen Ke simply explained the intention to cooperate to Avery. As a businessman driven by profit, Avery, even though he was somewhat drunk, keenly sensed the potential for profit.
Chen Ke said he wanted to work with him to sell art and antiques to France and other European countries, which greatly appealed to him. The upper-class French aristocracy was extravagant and loved collecting antiques and art.
Although this ancient Eastern country is technologically and militarily weak, it has a profound cultural heritage and its artistic achievements are unparalleled. The porcelain and silk that were previously shipped back are still as popular as ever, with people frantically buying them.
So after hearing Chen Ke's proposal, Avery expressed a strong interest in cooperating. However, fearing that he might not be clear-headed when discussing cooperation after drinking, he rescheduled a time with Chen Ke.
Watching Chen Ke and Chen Zhuo leave, Avery patted Lauters on the shoulder, "We should get to know this Chinese businessman better. He's willing to sell off large quantities of his country's antiques for money. We can make better use of people like him."
Lauters was stunned when he heard this. Wasn't Boss Chen someone who didn't care about money?
Chen Ke knew, of course, that Lauters was doubting his persona at this point, but the two were not true friends to begin with. Lauters was buying antiques from him to make money, so he probably wouldn't be heartbroken because of his friend's "collapse".
Moreover, Chen Ke was not afraid that Avery would say something to Hebrew. Apart from a few truly powerful nobles who had nothing better to do than study spiritual ideas all day long, everyone who went to the cultural salons held by Hebrew had other purposes.
Take Alfred, for example. What interest would a true businessman like him have in studying doctrines, ideologies, or spiritual pillars? Like Chen Ke, he wasn't there to attend the salon; he was there for the meaning behind it!
So in a sense, Avery and Chen Ke are the same kind of people. If he goes to the Hebrews and says that Chen Ke's purpose in attending the salon is impure, then he is simply revealing his own secrets.
How could a shrewd businessman do something so harmful to others and himself?
As Chen Ke had expected, after this conversation, Avery not only did not say a bad word about Chen Ke in front of Hebrews, but also praised him highly for being honest and straightforward and a friend worth making. Because of this, Chen Ke was able to set up a trading company in the French Concession very smoothly, mainly engaged in foreign export trade.
During this period, the auction hosted by Xu Manling was also very successful. On the day of the auction, the ballroom was packed with people, and each item was auctioned off, with the bids getting higher and higher.
In the coffee shop, Xu Manling couldn't help but sigh as she recalled the scene: "In order to make her female companion smile when she got the exhibit she wanted, or to get the envious look of those around her, money really became just a string of numbers in their mouths."
Chen Ke knew, of course, that it was difficult for anyone to remain rational in such a high-energy atmosphere, but for the sake of long-term planning, he told Xu Manling that it was best not to bid high prices continuously, so that these people would not go back and feel that it was not worth it and never come again.
Xu Manling smiled, "Although I'm not a pure businesswoman, I still understand this principle. But speaking of the auction, didn't I tell you the time in advance? Why didn't you come?"
Chen Ke paused for a moment. Why didn't he come that day? It was because a certain temperamental child had given him a sarcastic hint that he was all talk and no action. He had clearly said he would teach him to drive, but there had been no news for several days. He thought that with Xu Manling's abilities, the auction should be no problem, so he took the time that day to teach Chen Zhuo to drive for half a day.
Thinking about this, Chen Ke was still a little puzzled. Logically speaking, with Chen Zhuo's intelligence, learning to drive in half a day should be no problem at all, but Chen Zhuo couldn't even learn to start the car in that half day.
Chen Ke couldn't believe it. He thought Chen Zhuo was deliberately failing to learn it, but when he saw Chen Zhuo's distressed and anxious expression because he couldn't learn it, he felt that he wasn't faking it and might really be bad at it.
"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen? What are you thinking about? What happened to the question I just asked you?"
Chen Ke smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, something came up that day and I was delayed."
Xu Manling scoffed, "You were busy during the auction, but now that it's time to settle accounts and divide the money, why are you all free?"
"I trusted your abilities, Miss Xu, which is why I didn't come."
Xu Manling has received countless compliments and praises since she was a child, but this was the first time she had heard Chen Ke's compliment. Although she knew it was just a polite remark, she couldn't help but turn her head to the glass window and secretly raise the corners of her mouth.
But the smile on her lips froze halfway down her face as she was startled, because Chen Zhuo was standing outside the window with a dark expression, his gaze meeting hers.
Xu Manling's heart pounded, but Chen Zhuo outside the window smiled gently and warmly, though his dark eyes were devoid of any warmth.
Xu Manling suppressed the fleeting panic on her face and smiled as she said to Chen Ke, "Your brother is here."
At this moment, Chen Ke, who was drinking water, looked outside and nodded slightly to Chen Zhuo, signaling him to come in.
Xu Manling looked at Chen Ke, who seemed completely unsurprised, and asked in surprise, "You knew Chen Zhuo was coming?"
Chen Ke: "This place is close to his school, so I chose it so I could wait for him there."
Xu Manling's eyes widened in disbelief. "Didn't you specifically ask me out to settle the score with you from that day?" She had come thinking that Chen Ke had finally figured out that he should invite people to a coffee shop instead of his own antique shop, but...?
Chen Ke originally wanted to say that he had specially invited you, but when he saw Chen Zhuo walking in this direction, he changed his words as if possessed, "I came here to pick up Chen Zhuo, and since I still had time, I thought I would take the opportunity to invite Miss Xu out to settle the score from that day."
Xu Manling, who had even put on makeup before leaving home thinking of going to a romantic place like a coffee shop: ......
"No, no, Chen Ke, are you even a man?" Even if they weren't even friends, just business partners, it was still incredibly ungentlemanly for a lady to say something like that.
"What does it matter to you whether my brother is a man or not?" A cold voice rang out behind Xu Manling.
Xu Manling turned around, and without the obstruction of glass, their eyes met directly.
Chen Ke was still wondering if he had misheard Chen Zhuo calling him "brother" when Chen Zhuo, seeing that Xu Manling didn't answer, asked again with perfect clarity: "So what does it matter to you whether my brother is a man or not?"
Xu Manling felt she should be assertive, but now she inexplicably felt less confident.
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