Yang Yajing asked Zhou Pengfei to help her get involved simply so she could become a familiar face among those high-ranking officials.
Because if you're just a passerby, no matter how rich you are, if a dispute arises, no one will care.
However, if you are someone who has had some contact with them and will need their help in the future, and you don't want to ruin the relationship, then these high-ranking officials will take notice.
Isn't it true that everyone has to look out for themselves? Anyone who's gotten to that position is a shrewd and calculating individual.
As an artist, Zhou Pengfei had direct contact with those officials. However, most of the funds Zhou Pengfei received were used for Yang Yajing's charitable work.
Because personalized customization is a luxury item, but using charitable funds to cover the expenses is doing good deeds on the side.
With Christmas approaching, Zhou Pengfei suggested they get to know the person in charge of the charity he supports, and he was sure they wouldn't object.
Because everyone wants to show their achievements at the end of the year, and those are the things that need to be shown before the February meeting!
Inviting these people shouldn't be extravagant, so Yang Yajing cleverly invited them to Madam Xia's venue.
A food court is a place that people with a bit of money and status wouldn't consider extravagant.
If someone wants to audit the accounts or deal with these people, they will almost always ignore them once they see the food court.
Officials are happy to send people to places where they won't cause trouble.
Especially regardless of whether you end up in a private room or not, the high prices make "food court" synonymous with "frugal and honest".
This food court is owned by Mrs. Xia, who is also the head and shareholder of the charity foundation, so it can't be too bad.
A place that can generate a good reputation without being too shabby is truly the best place to invite officials.
Yang Yajing had another ulterior motive in choosing that location: to show off Madam Xia and her close relationship with her.
With the "gene scandal" breaking, Mrs. Xia will definitely be trending on social media. Based on Yang Yajing's understanding of traditional media, they certainly won't let go of such a long-running gossip story.
Mrs. Xia is acquainted with Yang Yajing, who is also the head of the charity foundation they support and the girlfriend of their painter. This relationship will definitely be taken seriously.
Yang Yajing really didn't treat this meal to anything too shabby. She not only took care of both face and personal feelings, but also prepared some very special dishes.
Although it wasn't Moutai or Wuliangye, the low-alcohol wines on the table were all Mrs. Xia's private selection, transported from a French farm.
"Oh my! This is fine wine! It's mellow and rich on the palate, neither too sweet nor too sour, and its color is clear!" The director of the Cultural Bureau is a connoisseur who has traveled all over the world.
"It should be good, but I don't know much about wine." Yang Yajing smiled modestly. "My sister Tao heard that the leaders were coming to dinner, so she offered up her secret wine for me to use as a gift!"
"Private goods?"
"Yes, Sister Tao... oh, she's the owner here. She said we can't let this dinner be too shabby." Yang Yajing had already been modest before, making fun of the fact that the dinner was shabby.
“These dishes are all fresh and delicious, and they look and taste very healthy. How can they be considered cheap?” The executive minister, who is very knowledgeable about health, is from the south.
"I wonder if Mr. Tao here still has this 'hidden collection'? I'd like to buy a bottle." The Minister of Culture really does love and understand wine.
"I don't know that. How about this, I'll have Sister Tao come over and explain it to me herself? I hope you gentlemen don't mind?"
"It's an honor for us that the boss has personally come forward, we wouldn't mind at all," they exchanged glances and smiled.
Having people taste the wine was just a side effect; Yang Yajing's real purpose was to bring Mrs. Xia into the conversation.
However, when Madam Xia arrived, she said that this was not on the drinks menu, and that the red wine was the one Xia Changlong liked to drink and that he had brought it from his own home, so she didn't know anything about it.
"Director Zhu, if you like, you can take a bottle home. In fact, Changlong just got a whole case, twelve bottles in total!" Mrs. Xia said with a smile.
"How can that be? That's bribery! The director of the Legal Affairs Bureau is sitting right here!" Director Zhu said with a smile.
"This stuff can't be very expensive, can it?" Mrs. Xia asked, seemingly clueless about the market. "How much can a bottle of wine cost?"
"Sister Tao, your concept of 'how much money' is a bit different from ours, isn't it?" Yang Yajing laughed. The drink that Xia Changlong likes to drink can't be cheap.
"Let me ask?" Mrs. Xia said, hanging up the phone with Xia Changlong. "Changlong, how much is a bottle of your red wine?"
Which red wine?
"It's the one I gave to the maid to serve guests."
"Oh! Is it because the girl likes it?" Xia Changlong assumed Yang Yajing liked it. "It's only about a thousand yuan a bottle. If the girl likes it, let her take it herself. Remember not to take it all. Leave me two bottles!"
After asking, Madam Xia said, "Chang Long said it's not expensive, only a little over a thousand a bottle, take as much as you want."
"More than a thousand? I wouldn't dare take more than a thousand! What would I do with my official position if I did?" Director Zhu laughed, "The wealthy really don't lack money!"
But it really was good wine. After taking another sip, I really loved it! Director Zhu immediately made the decision to buy a bottle for a thousand yuan and said he wanted an invoice so that there wouldn't be any ambiguity when the accounts were checked.
This price of a little over a thousand is actually quite cheap. This is a privately owned item, so it's tax-free. If you add the consumption tax on luxury wines, wouldn't it be worth two or three thousand in the market?
Especially after learning that this wine came from Xia Changlong's private vineyard and was not available on the Chinese market.
Good wine is hard to come by, and he couldn't find something that the Xia family didn't care about. How could he not be tempted?
Director Zhu didn't have many other hobbies, except that he would always collect a few bottles of fine wine whenever he went abroad. He was secretly pleased that Mrs. Xia was willing to part with them, and his impression of her improved considerably.
Especially for someone of his status who had seen many powerful and wealthy people, he particularly admired Madam Xia's gentle and unassuming nature.
Especially the way Yang Yajing affectionately called Tao Jie, and the way the two joked around without any restraint, without Yang Yajing showing any flattery, showed that her casualness was not an act.
Accustomed to the scheming atmosphere, the atmosphere at the dinner table became refreshing because of these two women.
Yang Yajing and Mrs. Xia's casualness was like a breath of fresh air in society, making people feel comfortable.
The meal was very pleasant; they discussed charitable initiatives during holidays and current events. All the officials praised Yang Yajing's extensive knowledge.
They were more familiar with Zhou Pengfei than with Yang Yajing, and repeatedly praised Zhou Pengfei for his good taste!
"This girl is a treasure! Painter Zhou, you must hold on tight to her; marrying her would be a lifetime of good fortune!" Director Zhu exclaimed.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Director Zhu. I will definitely not let her get away!" Zhou Pengfei said with a smile. "If I can successfully marry Ya Jing, you must come to our wedding!"
"Hahaha! Young man, you want to start a family! Keep it up! Keep it up!" Director Zhu laughed.
"Did you hear that? I'm a treasure! You have to pamper me!" Yang Yajing said with a mischievous grin.
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