Chapter 195: Cooperation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Brother Chao, the villas here are so beautiful!” Zhou Chao had just driven into Tangong, and Jiang Li was captivated by the architectural style.
“Yes, they are indeed beautiful. It’s a pity there are no new houses available; otherwise, we could buy a villa too.”
Soon, they arrived at Uncle Li’s villa. Zhou Chao parked the car near the entrance.
“We’re here. Let’s go!” Zhou Chao nodded towards Li Yang’s house and opened the car door to step out.
“Ding dong!” Zhou Chao rang the doorbell at Li Yang’s house. Soon, a butler-like person in his fifties appeared.
“Hello, you must be Mr. Zhou Chao. Please come in. I’m the butler of the Li family, you can call me Butler Li!” Seeing the butler’s warm attitude, Zhou Chao wasn’t quite used to it.
“Thank you, Butler Li.” Zhou Chao expressed his gratitude and led Jiang Li inside.
“Zhou Chao, why did you arrive so late?” As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard someone calling out and looked around to see who it was.
“I’m here!” On the second-floor terrace, a woman in casual clothing called out to Zhou Chao.
“Shen Lan!” Zhou Chao waved towards Shen Lan and then walked over with Jiang Li.
As soon as they entered, they saw Shen Lan coming downstairs.
“You finally arrived. I’ve been so bored at home. This is your girlfriend, right? How about introducing her?” Zhou Chao pulled Jiang Li in front of him.
“This is my girlfriend, Jiang Li. This is Li Yang’s girlfriend and future wife, Shen Lan.” Women tend to be more outgoing, and in no time, the two of them were chatting away.
“Shen Lan, why are you all alone? What about Li Yang’s family?” Zhou Chao asked when he noticed Shen Lan’s lonesome demeanor.
“They are all at work, and they didn’t let me go. They told me to stay at home and rest!” Shen Lan’s appearance made Zhou Chao feel that he might have some headaches in the future.
“You two chat, I’m going for a stroll!” Seeing that the two of them were getting along well, Zhou Chao found an excuse to leave and explore the mansion, which covered thousands of square meters.
Zhou Chao admired how well the courtyard was maintained, with rockeries and flowing water creating a unique atmosphere.
“You must be Zhou Chao!” While Zhou Chao was admiring the courtyard, he suddenly heard a deep voice from behind. Turning around, he saw a man in his forties, dressed in a black suit, with a sharply defined face. If he were twenty years younger, he would have been quite the charming figure.
Zhou Chao quickly walked over and greeted him with a hint of surprise. “Uncle Li?”
“Yes, I’m Li Daoming, Li Yang’s father. I heard from Li Yang that you have something to discuss with me?”
“Yes, there’s a matter I’d like to trouble Uncle Li with.” Li Daoming had heard about Zhou Chao from his son Li Yang, who described him as a mysterious friend with a net worth of at least a billion.
“Let’s talk in my study.” Li Daoming led the way, and Zhou Chao followed.
Shen Lan, who had been chatting with Jiang Li, stood up when she saw Li Daoming return, and Jiang Li followed suit.
“Uncle Li!” Li Daoming nodded at the greeting. His gaze briefly lingered on Jiang Li before he continued upstairs. Zhou Chao followed behind Li Daoming, giving a subtle nod to Jiang Li, and then proceeded upstairs.
“You and Li Yang are good buddies, so I will call you Xiao Chao.” They both sat in the study. Li Daoming was in the process of preparing tea.
Zhou Chao nodded in agreement, remaining silent. Instead, he watched attentively as Li Daoming handled the tea set.
Before long, Li Daoming had brewed a pot of tea and filled Zhou Chao’s cup to about seventy percent full.
Zhou Chao smelled the fragrance of the tea and knew it was a rare Pu-er tea.
“Uncle Li, this Pu-er tea seems to have some age to it, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re a tea enthusiast too?”
“I do enjoy tea, although I’m just an amateur. It just happened that today I brought some tea leaves for you, and coincidentally, there was Pu-er tea among them!”
“How thoughtful of you. Go ahead, tell me, what do you need my help with?” Li Daoming took a sip of his tea and asked.
“Well, Uncle Li, your company has a long-distance transport fleet, right? 1 happen to have a batch of machinery and equipment that needs to be transported from Hong Kong Island to Peng City. It’s not very far, but the items are quite valuable. 1 don’t feel comfortable entrusting this to anyone else, so I was wondering if you could help.”
“Peng City is so close to Hong Kong Island that it could be done in a day with a car. Why do you need my assistance?” Li Daoming appeared puzzled. After all, Hong Kong Island and Peng City were adjacent, so why go through the trouble? “I’d like you to take this batch of goods on a round trip before returning,” Zhou Chao said calmly, taking a sip of tea. He knew that this Pu’er tea was a rare find.
“A round trip? You’ve piqued my curiosity. There’s something you’re not telling me,” Li Daoming said after a moment of hesitation. He looked at Zhou Chao with a probing gaze.
“Uncle Li, you’re curious about what we’re transporting, aren’t you? 1 can tell you, but I’d like you to keep it confidential.”
From the beginning, Zhou Chao had a plan. The reason he came to ask Li Daoming for help was twofold. First, he considered Li Daoming trustworthy, someone he could confide in. By having Li Daoming transport the goods in a circuitous route, it would make it difficult for others with ulterior motives to trace the source quickly. Second, he aimed to bring Li Daoming into his alliance, forming a powerful group. That’s why he used this bait, the cargo to be transported, which was a concept he came up with after discussing it with Ye Zhengfeng.
The more allies he could gather, the easier things would become. Zhou Chao’s goal was to bring Li’s Group into his alliance.
“In fact, what 1 want you to transport are two production lines.”
“Production lines? What kind of production lines would require such elaborate arrangements, including a round trip?”
“12-inch wafer production lines,” Zhou Chao dropped the bombshell. The words “12-inch wafer production lines” hit Li Daoming like an explosion. Globally, there were only a handful of facilities capable of producing these, and they were in extremely high demand. It was essentially a money-making machine.
“Xiao Chao, I…” Li Daoming was about to ask if there was any way he could join in, but he hesitated. Even he couldn’t easily obtain these production lines, as it required specialized production technology.
“Uncle Li, we’re all on the same side. When we start mass production, I’ll make sure to prioritize supplying your needs,”
“Hahaha, with your assurance, I feel at ease. Don’t worry about the transportation; 1’11 have Li Yang personally make a trip to Hong Kong Island!” Li Daoming’s face lit up with a smile at Zhou Chao’s words.
“It just so happens that I’m planning to go to Hong Kong Island tomorrow. I’ll go with him.”
“Alright, that works. I’ll let him know when he comes back later.”
After discussing business matters, the conversation turned to more casual topics. Zhou Chao gained a good understanding of the Li family’s business scope and shared his thoughts with Li Daoming, who was receptive.
As they chatted more comfortably, there was a knock on the door. It was followed by the entrance of Li Yang.
“Hey, Dad, you guys are still chatting? Dinner has been waiting for you two!” Zhou Chao checked the time and realized it was already 7 o’clock in the evening.
“Let’s go. It’s time to have dinner.” Li Daoming stood up, and the three of them headed downstairs.
When Zhou Chao descended the stairs, he saw Jiang Li and Shen Lan busy serving dishes and setting the table. Their diligence surprised him, considering that at home, he usually did the cooking and cleaning himself. It seemed like he might be able to enjoy a bit of laziness in the future.
“Xiao Chao, this is your Aunt Yang.” Li Daoming called Zhou Chao over and introduced him to the lady behind him.
Zhou Chao looked at a woman in her thirties who emerged from the wine cellar, holding two bottles of red wine. She had maintained her figure well, and she appeared notably youthful. Zhou Chao’s gaze inadvertently shifted towards Li Yang, who was standing beside her.”
“Hello, Aunt Yang.”
“So, you’re the Zhou Chao that my son often talks about. Handsome young man, and you’ve found such a lovely girlfriend. Good, good!”
“Alright, let’s sit down and eat!” The butler on the side quickly took the red wine from Aunt Yang’s hands and opened it with a decanter.
Everyone gathered around the dining table, and Zhou Chao couldn’t resist the temptation of the sumptuous dishes.
Zhou Chao and Li Yang sat on either side of Li Daoming.
“Let’s begin!” As the host, Li Daoming saw that everyone was already quite hungry and didn’t want to delay the enjoyment of the delicious food any longer.”
“Uncle Li, your chef is excellent. The dishes are not only delicious but also beautifully presented.:
“You’ve got good taste. My chef is a five-star executive chef. I called him over specially for today. He’ll return to the hotel after preparing the meal. Otherwise, 1 would have introduced you to him.”
“Dad, stop praising him. Xiao Chao’s cooking skills are much better than that five-star chef of yours!” Li Yang couldn’t help but interject from his seat.
Li Yang’s words caught the attention of everyone at the dinner table, and they all looked at Zhou Chao with incredulous expressions.
“Do you not believe it? Ask Jiang Li if it’s true!” Li Yang suddenly turned to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li blurted out, “Well, Zhou Chao’s cooking is really delicious!”
After saying this, she realized what she had just confessed and immediately covered her mouth. Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
“We’ll have to taste your cooking someday,” Li Daoming said, looking even more pleased with Zhou Chao.
The group continued to chat and laugh. The red wine was opened again, and they enjoyed it, especially Jiang Li, who became quite red-faced like a ripe apple after drinking.
“Uncle Li, it’s getting late, and it’s time for us to go,” Zhou Chao remarked, checking the time, which was almost 11 PM.
Li Daoming glanced at the time and nodded, “I’ll arrange for a driver to take you back. It’s not safe to drive after drinking.”
“Thank you, Uncle Li. See you tomorrow!” Zhou Chao said his farewells to Aunt Yang and Shen Lan before leaving with Jiang Li. Soon, the sound of the car driving away echoed in the distance.
“Li Yang, come with me,” Li Daoming said, leading Li Yang to the study.
“Tomorrow, you’ll accompany Zhou Chao to Hong Kong Island. When you arrive, contact the Hong Kong Island Transportation Division and follow their normal procedures.”
Seeing Li Yang’s puzzled expression, Li Daoming continued, “If you encounter any issues, just ask Zhou Chao for help. Now, get some rest.”
Li Yang walked out of the study looking thoroughly confused..