Chapter 48
Thomas gave his name, and the others immediately recognized him.
Mr. Ji's heirs are the ones who sold the shares to Hu Zhenzhen.
They had just finished gossiping about Hu Zhenzhen buying Mr. Ji's shares when another gossipmonger appeared so quickly.
"Hello, Mr. Thomas."
Thomas's attention had already shifted elsewhere as soon as Quan Shiqian's father greeted him, and he reluctantly swallowed the words he wanted to say.
Oh well, anyway, getting to know these powerful families from F country won't do any good.
Thinking about it that way, he felt relieved.
"Mr. Hu, are you going to catch up with your old friend? We'll take the kids to the hotel first."
He finished speaking with a smile, and without giving Hu Zhenzhen any time to react, he said a few words of farewell to her and then turned and walked towards the exit.
Hu Zhenzhen couldn't bring herself to say anything to persuade him to stay.
Oh no, how come all these people left so easily?
Doesn't anyone want to get to know Thomas?
He's Mr. Ji's chief designer! Doesn't anyone want to get to know him?
Hu Zhenzhen stared at their departing figures, desperately wanting to follow them.
If she could, she wouldn't want to stay here, catching up with Thomas amidst shouts of "Big Brother, Big Brother!"
According to Thomas, they have known each other for seven or eight years, but have always been online friends and have never met in person.
To welcome his good friend whom he had never met, he specially studied the culture of country Z and prepared a grand welcoming ceremony, all to give her a surprise.
After hearing this, Hu Zhenzhen could only smile and pretend to like it.
"Thomas, you've gone to such great lengths, I'm so touched."
As for surprises, there were quite a few.
Joy──
Playing this kind of music at the airport is indeed quite festive; it's a kind of joy in itself.
Hu Zhenzhen prepared herself mentally. "Thomas, my good friend, let these people go back first. Let's have a meal together. I brought you a gift from Country Z."
After she finished speaking, she didn't forget to introduce Jiang Chen, who had been standing silently beside her, to him.
“This is my son, Jiang Chen. Little Chen calls him Uncle Thomas.”
"Hey, I noticed this adorable baby a while ago."
Thomas was very enthusiastic. As soon as Hu Zhenzhen introduced Jiang Chen, he reached out, picked Jiang Chen up, and swung him around a couple of times.
This is a favorite game for one- or two-year-old children.
Unfortunately, Jiang Chen was already eight and a half years old and had never experienced this before, so he panicked and grabbed his arm tightly.
Thomas thought it was just enthusiasm.
"Oh, my lovely baby, Hu, look, he's so happy he wants to grab my hand."
No, he doesn't seem happy.
Hu Zhenzhen was speechless and quickly grabbed Thomas's hand, "Thomas, he's still airsick, put him down quickly."
Thomas really liked Jiang Chen, this adorable child, and when he heard Hu Zhenzhen say that, he sighed with regret.
"What a pity, I wanted to take him to ride the Devil's Roller Coaster."
Let's forget about it; just hearing the name tells you how steep the roller coaster's angle is.
Hu Zhenzhen smiled and pressed Thomas's arm down firmly.
"Let's talk about this another day. We're mainly here to go skiing. Do you want to come with us, Thomas?"
"Skiing? Of course!"
Thomas is thirty years old, but he still has the personality of a little boy.
“Skiing is my forte, so you’ve come to the right person. I’ll be your teacher and I’ll definitely turn him into the most handsome skiing boy in all of France.”
He took Jiang Chen's hand.
"Boy, what would you like to eat?"
Children are easily influenced, and under the guidance of an outgoing person, Jiang Chen also became more cheerful.
"I want to eat turkey!"
Before coming to ski, Jiang Chen searched online for a long time and immediately fell in love with the giant turkey posted by foreign netizens.
He had never eaten turkey before, so he subconsciously tried to match the taste of roast chicken with what he had eaten.
Thinking about it this way, roast turkey is just a larger version of deliciousness.
After Jiang Chen told Hu Zhenzhen, Hu Zhenzhen felt embarrassed to shatter the child's fantasy.
In short, you have to eat it once to truly know what turkey tastes like. Rather than shattering his dream too early, it's better to let him try it for himself.
Hu Zhenzhen was indeed thinking that way.
However, she didn't expect that Jiang Chen's expectations would be dashed as soon as she landed in F country.
"Turkey? You're quite the holiday-loving boy."
Thomas looked somewhat reluctant, as if he didn't really want to eat the turkey.
However, when he looked down and saw Jiang Chen's expectant look, he gave in again.
"Boy, I hope you won't regret this later."
He turned to Hu Zhenzhen and said, "Let's go, Hu. It's not easy to find turkey at this time of day. We need to find a good restaurant, you know what I mean, otherwise we might have to go hungry overnight."
Hu Zhenzhen understood what he meant.
Turkey isn't exactly bad, but because it's so big, the meat is quite dry, and it's hard for a whole roasted turkey to absorb the flavors, so it's not exactly delicious.
If you try it with high expectations, you'll probably only be disappointed.
As the host, Thomas had already booked a five-star chef.
At his level, it doesn't matter whether he goes to the restaurant or not; he can simply hire a chef to come to his home and cook a delicious meal.
Considering that Hu Zhenzhen is from country Z, and her concept of being a guest might be different from that of country F, Thomas still decided to hold the meeting at the store.
"I've already made the call. The chef said it's okay to add a turkey dish, but it will take a while."
"It's okay, we're not very hungry right now."
It was only evening, and Hu Zhenzhen and the others had eaten afternoon tea on the plane, which they hadn't fully digested yet.
"That's good," Thomas said, seeing off the two rows of runway models.
The models dressed in haute couture had to change clothes in the airport lounge before they could leave by car.
Hu Zhenzhen listened to their retreating figures for a while, then asked, "Are these the new products that will be launched this quarter?"
“That’s right, Hu, my friend, you were the first audience member to see them.”
Thomas raised his chin and showed off to Hu Zhenzhen.
"I incorporated elements of snow-capped mountains into it, in order to give everyone a thrilling experience of ice and snow before winter arrives."
Thomas is a genius when it comes to design.
Hu Zhenzhen's eyes were fixed on the beautiful haute couture pieces, and she couldn't help but praise him, "Thomas, as expected of you, you are truly a genius in design."
People in country F are good at praising others and love to praise.
Upon receiving Hu Zhenzhen's praise, Thomas proudly spread his hands and said, "Of course, my friend, I am the best designer in F country."
"Tell me which ones you like, and I'll customize them for you and have them flown directly to Z country."
"Thank you so much."
Hu Zhenzhen didn't stand on ceremony, after all, Mr. Ji now belonged to her.
It's quite normal for a big boss like her to wear her own haute couture every day, right?
The two chatted as they walked, and Thomas had a wonderful charm that quickly brought them closer within minutes.
He is indeed a friend worth having.
After talking for half an hour, Hu Zhenzhen decided to accept Thomas as her good friend.
To treat Hu Zhenzhen to dinner, Thomas booked the entire second floor of the restaurant and had the five-star chef serve them exclusively.
The restaurant's first floor remained open, with only a few customers.
When Hu Zhenzhen entered, she glanced around and saw that the other guests were eating quietly and talking in hushed tones, except for a couple who were talking loudly.
However, none of this has anything to do with the second floor.
After they went upstairs, the waiter put up a "No Entry" sign on the stairs leading to the second floor.
The mealtime was delayed by an hour compared to the original plan.
There were only two appetizers on their table, and ice cream that Hu Zhenzhen had specially ordered for Jiang Chen.
She discussed the procedures with Thomas.
"Don't even mention it. Ever since the news came out, I've been so annoyed. Politicians and financiers have been trying to persuade me to change my mind under all sorts of pretexts."
“What a joke,” Thomas said, taking a sip of wine. “I was the one who suggested it, and I can’t go back on my word.”
Unlike other French people, he doesn't care much about rules.
“I’ve been looking forward to your arrival for so long. Once this matter is completely settled, no one will bother me anymore.”
With the system handling the process, most of the paperwork has already been completed. Hu Zhenzhen's personal trip is merely to sign in person and go through the motions.
Hearing Thomas's distress, she immediately replied, "Then let's get it done tonight so you won't have to worry about it."
Thomas's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful, Hu, my friend, thank you so much."
Whether this matter happened a couple of days earlier or later wouldn't have made much difference to Hu Zhenzhen. Since dealing with it a couple of days earlier would allow Thomas to get away with it, why not do it?
The two were having a pleasant conversation, and Thomas's voice grew louder.
Fortunately, the entire second floor was booked, so even if he shouted, it wouldn't affect anyone else.
That was what Hu Zhenzhen originally thought.
Unexpectedly, a little accident occurred before the main course was served.
People who can afford to dine at this kind of restaurant are either rich or noble, and most of them are well-mannered; a "No Entry" sign is enough to stop them.
But there are always exceptions.
The couple Hu Zhenzhen saw on the first floor liked to do things unconventionally.
"Honey, are you sure this will really work?"
"Of course, that couple was definitely here for an affair, otherwise why would they book an entire floor for a secret rendezvous?"
"What if we get caught?"
"It's okay, the second floor is so big. Let's find a quiet spot. Besides, wouldn't it be more exciting with other people around?"
When Hu Zhenzhen heard these words, she could hardly believe her ears.
But looking up at Thomas's expression, she knew she must have heard correctly.
I don't know where this pair of wild lovers came from. They're so bold as to trespass into a place that's been reserved by someone else.
"Two wild boars in heat," Thomas cursed, becoming even angrier when he remembered the children were there.
He forced a smile at Hu Zhenzhen, "Please wait here for a moment, I have something to take care of."
Jiang Chen couldn't understand foreign languages and didn't know what was happening, so he ate his ice cream in a daze.
Hu Zhenzhen nodded to him.
After all, the sound was really unpleasant to the ear, and Hu Zhenzhen didn't want to hear the sounds of adultery in the restaurant.
Thomas booked the entire second floor, ostensibly without any accompaniment, but his two bodyguards were watching him from a corner of the restaurant.
The security situation in Country F is not as good as in Country Z, and it has become common practice to bring bodyguards.
Even Hu Zhenzhen hired a special bodyguard team for this trip.
However, most of the bodyguards went to the hotel with the parents first, leaving two behind to stay with her.
Not long after, Thomas returned with his men.
To avoid the children, he deliberately chose a place that was far away.
Hu Zhenzhen saw his concerns and genuinely didn't want Jiang Chen to see these things, so she said, "Xiao Chen, can you go to the front desk with the bodyguard uncle and order a glass of iced cola for Mommy?"
Jiang Chen peeked over at Thomas, saw nothing, and obediently agreed.
"Okay, Mom."
He took his bodyguard's hand and went downstairs with the two men by his side.
Actually, all Hu Zhenzhen needs to do is say something upstairs, and a waiter will bring her anything she wants.
Jiang Chen understood that this was an attempt to get him out of the way, so he stood at the counter and ordered an extra glass of juice that took longer to prepare, politely declining the waiter's offer to bring it to him.
As soon as Jiang Chen left, Hu Zhenzhen couldn't sit still any longer and went to Thomas's vicinity to watch the excitement.
"Thomas, what's going on?"
Thomas turned around and saw that she was the only one there, and immediately cursed angrily.
"Hey, these two are actually planning to do *that* on the second floor of the restaurant, it's disgusting!"
The two people who were caught were disheveled and lying on the ground, clearly indicating that the first step had already been taken.
Hu Zhenzhen instantly lost her appetite after being overwhelmed by the greasiness of the man's exposed white flesh.
Thomas was furious. "Call the police! I'm calling the police!"
The man on the ground then began to speak.
He was also a wealthy man, and he spoke clearly and logically, immediately calling out Thomas's name.
"Thomas, I was just having a secret rendezvous with my lover here by chance. There's no need to bother the police with this, is there?"
"A coincidence? Don't be ridiculous!"
Thomas didn't recognize the man, but since he knew his name, the man must come from a good family.
"Since you know my name, you should know my temperament."
Thomas crouched down and patted his face. "If I were this easy to talk to, I wouldn't be called a lich."
The man then remembered his eccentric temper and chuckled twice.
"Don't do that, Thomas. My grandma and your grandma are related."
“Ha,” Thomas laughed. “My grandmother is related to the king. Do you want me to take you to see her and let her tell you about that history?”
Everyone knows that Mr. Ji only left Thomas as his heir.
His grandmother passed away a long time ago, which is exactly what happened. What if Thomas goes crazy and actually tries to put it into practice?
The man hadn't forgotten why Thomas was called the Lich.
In the year Mr. Ji passed away, there were many people who coveted shares in Mr. Ji's brand.
Thomas had just come of age and was still seen as an immature child; nobody took him seriously.
Yet this young man, barely an adult, managed to drive a group of unscrupulous entrepreneurs to the brink of mental collapse.
During that period, wherever they went, Thomas could always be seen.
When it came to business negotiations, Thomas would create all sorts of trouble to sabotage the deal.
While they were getting to know each other, Thomas told his partner about the scandal he had uncovered.
He seems to never sleep; he is omnipresent, day and night.
After a month, those who wanted to force Thomas to give up his shares finally couldn't hold out any longer.
From that day on, high society gave Thomas the nickname "lich."
The nickname was unpleasant, even derogatory, but for Thomas, it was a compliment.
"Wait until you get to the police station to explain."
The man didn't argue with him anymore, only saying, "Why bother, Thomas? You know I can walk out of there unscathed in just a few hours."
After all, this isn't Thomas's private space, so even if he trespassed, he wouldn't be charged.
The people of F country are very open-minded, and you can do anything on the street. Even if a man does this kind of behavior on the street, at most he will be looked down upon, but he will not be taken away by the police.
Hu Zhenzhen couldn't stand his smug and arrogant attitude.
She interjected, "But I was just discussing a very important business deal with Thomas. In F country, wouldn't that be considered eavesdropping on trade secrets?"
The man's expression suddenly changed, and he looked up at her.
Thomas clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right, Hu, you're so smart!"
The rest depends on Thomas's actions.
Since this was Hu Zhenzhen's first time visiting, she didn't know much about the situation in Country F and could only offer a basic suggestion.
The man on the ground stared intently at her face, clearly holding a grudge.
Hu Zhenzhen's foreign appearance was difficult for men to recognize, and it took him a long time to match her with the person in the news.
“I remember you. You are the businessman who acquired Mr. Ji.”
Hu Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and ignored him.
The man continued, "Do you think acquiring Mr. Ji is a good thing? Otherwise, why would someone with such a big brand like Mr. Ji sell it to a foreigner?"
To make his words seem more authentic, he lowered his voice and leaned forward.
"Why else would he choose you over rich people in his own country? Does F country lack rich people? It's just that foreigners are easier to fool."
It's remarkable that he could come up with such a long and divisive statement in such a short time.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a system reward, Hu Zhenzhen would probably have seriously suspected that there was something fishy going on.
The man stared at Hu Zhenzhen's face, simply to see her reaction.
The more she acted this way, the more Hu Zhenzhen wanted to make him suffer.
Thomas cursed a couple of times, "Hu, don't listen to him! I..."
Before he could explain, Hu Zhenzhen raised her hand to stop him.
Her eyes were fixed on the man on the ground, but she was speaking to Thomas.
"Thomas, don't worry, of course I know what's going on. How could an outsider like him know the details of our deal?"
Hu Zhenzhen smiled deliberately, "He thought these words could sow discord between us, but he's really overthinking it."
"There are many wealthy people in Country F, that's true."
Hu Zhenzhen swirled the wine in her hand and took an elegant sip.
"As for why Thomas wanted me to take over Mr. Ji's job instead of choosing someone from his own country, isn't that quite obvious?"
She smiled confidently, "Because I'm richer, richer than the richest person you can imagine."
"Choosing to cooperate with more reliable people is a wise choice."
The man clearly didn't believe her. "Don't be so arrogant, ma'am. There are plenty of rich people in the world. What are you, someone who's not even on the list, yelling about?"
"Can rankings really tell the whole story?"
Hu Zhenzhen didn't care about his rudeness and casually sat down on a nearby chair.
"The fact that I can directly come up with 8.5 billion to buy Mr. Ji is enough to demonstrate my financial strength."
8.5 billion —
The man's eyes widened instantly.
The details of Mr. Ji's acquisition have not been disclosed to the public, leading many to speculate that Thomas may have sold his shares at a low price, which is why he dared not hold a press conference to discuss these details.
When the man heard the figure of 8.5 billion, he felt it was absurd.
There are many people in the world with 8.5 billion, but only a handful can readily spend over 8 billion to buy things.
How can someone of this caliber not be on the rich list?
The man was both shocked and frightened. He was just the second son of a local businessman, and his family had no intention of grooming him. He had also rarely met any big shots in the business world.
In the men's minds, Thomas was already a top-tier tycoon.
He didn't dare offend Thomas, so he targeted women, hoping to regain some confidence from them.
Unexpectedly, this nameless foreign woman was even more capable than Thomas.
He could not afford to offend a tycoon of that caliber.
The man understood this and immediately shut his mouth, afraid that Hu Zhenzhen would hold a grudge against him for what he had just said.
Thomas was thoroughly entertained by his appearance.
"Hey, Hu, look at him, his face is as white as a corpse."
Hu Zhenzhen glanced at Thomas, gave a casual reply, and couldn't help but complain in her heart.
How could this white woman still see that the man's face was deathly pale? In her eyes, the man's face was no different from Thomas's.
"Mommy, Coke!"
Upon hearing Jiang Chen's voice, Hu Zhenzhen immediately stood up and returned to her original seat at the dining table.
The child was very well-behaved; he knew they didn't want him to see, so he didn't wander around after going upstairs and went straight back to his original seat.
"Thank you, Xiao Chen, you've worked hard!"
Hu Zhenzhen picked up the iced cola, took a sip, and ruffled her son's hair.
Thomas, who was inside the house, had someone cover the mouths of the two men, and he didn't want to hear their voices again until the police arrived.
Fortunately, F country has a large police force, and when dealing with incidents involving wealthy people, they arrive quickly.
Thomas had just returned to his seat when someone rushed in and took away the two men from earlier.
Hu Zhenzhen received a phone call from Chen Kai, who had gone to the hotel to deliver her luggage.
"Boss, you're trending on social media in the country. Should we handle this?"
Mr. Ji's acquisition will likely spark discussion, which Hu Zhenzhen had anticipated and was not surprised by.
"What is it about? If it's about Mr. Ji, then there's no need to worry about it."
Chen Kai glanced at the screen and pondered for two seconds.
"It's related to Mr. Ji's matter, but the main topic of discussion is you."
"oh?"
Hu Zhenzhen became interested. "What do I have to discuss?"
The news was a mix of negative and positive. After carefully considering his words, Chen Kai said, "Someone has revealed the specific amount of money involved in the acquisition of Mr. Ji, and there is discussion online about whether you are planning to change your nationality."
"ha?"
For a moment, Hu Zhenzhen understood the netizens' thought process.
After thinking for a few seconds, she finally understood why.
"This matter definitely needs to be addressed."
Chen Kai, on the other end of the phone, lowered his head and skillfully pulled out a pen. "Yes, boss, please speak."
"First of all, let me clarify that I am here in Country F for tourism, not to settle down."
"Secondly, investigate where the rumors started and who leaked the amount. If there are any behind-the-scenes manipulators, remember to record it and deal with it when I return to China."
After saying that, Hu Zhenzhen still felt something was missing and asked another question.
"What exactly did that trending topic say? Read it to me."
Chen Kai cleared his throat. "President Hu spent a huge sum of 8.5 billion to acquire Mr. Ji and had a secret meeting with Thomas, Mr. Ji's only heir, in Bach, the capital of F country. Insiders revealed that the two may have sparked a romance."
"ha???"
She and Thomas were meeting openly and honestly, so how did the media portray it as a secret rendezvous?
But that wasn't all. Chen Kai continued, "President Hu took his son to meet Thomas. Thomas and President Hu's son hit it off immediately, embracing for several minutes at the airport. It was a heartwarming scene."
Almost every single one of them speculates that Thomas and she were lovers.
Hu Zhenzhen felt it was outrageous, yet also funny.
This group of people has a really rich imagination. If Jiang Chen didn't look like he was of mixed race and wasn't her biological son, they might have guessed that the child's biological father was Thomas.
She took a sip of wine, ready to hear just how outrageous the marketing accounts could get.
Before she could even swallow her drink, Chen Kai read out a news article that made Hu Zhenzhen choke.
"Hu Zhenzhen is in a sweet relationship with Thomas. Will Thomas, with his 'electric butt,' become her stepfather?"
"Cough, cough, Chen Kai..."
Hu Zhenzhen choked, and before she could finish her sentence, Chen Kai understood what she meant and took the initiative to answer his boss's question.
"Boss, it's a news article from the Hong Kong City Daily."
"..."
Ah, that's not surprising; their news headlines are always this sensational.
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