Chapter 32
Zhou Chao set off early in the morning and the streets were already bustling. He hailed a ride-hailing car that he had booked earlier and headed to the Window of the World.
Before he reached the Window of the World, Zhou Chao’s phone rang. It was George. Since their last sea trip, Zhou Chao had named his luxurious yacht “Ephemera”, as a way to explore his own meaning.
Answering the call, Zhou Chao said, “Hello, George. Why are you calling so early? Is there something you need?”
“Boss, it’s been almost a month. I just wanted to ask when you’ll be back. We’re getting bored day by day on the boat, and we don’t have money for any entertainment activities.” George said, beating around the bush.
Zhou Chao understood what he meant and replied, “I’ll finish up my business in a few days, and then I’ll return to Modu City. I’ll pay your salaries then. If you guys feel bored, you can go on a sea trip. Just show me the expense list later.”
“Thank you, boss! You’re amazing!” George’s voice was filled with cheers from the others. Zhou Chao laughed and hung up the phone.
Before he could catch his breath, the phone rang again. Zhou Chao quickly answered, “Big Bro Li, why are you calling so early? Is there something good happening?”
“I didn’t intend to call you so early, but I felt something was amiss if I didn’t call and let you know.”
“What good news made you feel this way?”
“This morning, Qin Lang called me and said that his elder brother is interested in getting to know you. Remember when he saw those few nice cars in your garage? Well, he’s planning to invite you to join the Supercar Club in Modu City. As soon as Qin Lang mentioned it to me, I called you.”
“Are you talking about Qin Shao, the big shot in Shanghai?”
“Well, then why do you think I called you so early?” Li Yang replied helplessly.
“I understand. By the way, Big Bro, when will you attend the Third Bro’s wedding?”
“On the 13th. After I settle some company matters, I’ll fly over. How about you?”
“I’m in Peng City now. Once I finish my business here, I’ll head straight there. Maybe a few days earlier, so I can catch up with Qin Shao after the Third Bro’s wedding in Modu.”
“Sounds good. I’ll hang up now,” Li Yang said before ending the call.
Zhou Chao was pleasantly surprised by Li Yang’s call. He thought it would be best to discuss these matters once he was back in Modu City. For now, the main focus was on having fun and enjoying the food.
Soon, a ride-hailing car arrived at the entrance of the Window of the World. As Zhou Chao got off the car, he saw a towering iron tower near the entrance. He raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was the Eiffel Tower.
He bought a ticket and entered, passing through the China Gate, beginning his day-long journey of exploring the world.
The Window of the World was divided into eight main areas: World Square, Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, America, World Sculpture Park, and International Street. There were over 130 world-famous attractions constructed to scale, making it an exciting place to explore. Zhou Chao decided to focus on a few areas for his day of adventure.
Inside, there are many things to enjoy, especially for families with children. However, after exploring a few areas, Zhou Chao felt a bit bored, mainly because he was alone without anyone to take pictures with. He had seen several world-famous buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, sculptures, and the Egyptian pyramids before leaving the Window of the World.
Around noon, Zhou Chao decided to go to Dongmen Street to see what delicious food he could find. He hailed a car and headed there.
As soon as he got out of the car, he was greeted by the tantalizing aroma of food. Zhou Chao embarked on a culinary journey, where he discovered a store specializing in selling insects as snacks. To his surprise, there was a constant stream of people queuing up to buy these peculiar treats.
While enjoying a bowl of skewers, Zhou Chao received a call from Ma Huateng: “Hello, Teng Uncle (munching munching).”
Hearing Zhou Chao eating, Ma Huateng couldn’t help but feel exasperated. “Where are you now?”
“I’m at Dongmen Street, the food street.”
“Come to my place quickly; we’re short one player for the game. I’ll send you the address.” Ma Huateng said and promptly hung up, apparently not wanting to hear Zhou Chao’s chewing sounds.
Zhou Chao checked the address Ma Huateng sent him: it was at the East Overseas Chinese City Tianluo Villa area, with panoramic sea views, luxurious beyond imagination. He was eager to see the beautiful scenery.
Before long, Zhou Chao rang the doorbell of Ma Huateng’s villa. The door was opened by none other than Liu Zhiping, a top executive at Tencent. “We’ve been waiting for you. Come in quickly.”
“I took a taxi, who knew it was so far? If I had known, I would have asked you for a car to drive me here yesterday.” Zhou Chao complained as he walked in.
It was the weekend, and a few senior executives from Tencent had planned to play chess and mahjong together, but they were missing one player. As Zhou Chao entered, he saw Zhang Xiaolong, Xu Chenye, and of course, Ma Huateng, engrossed in a game of Go. Xu Chenye was smiling while looking at Ma Huateng, his opponent.
Turning to Liu Zhiping behind him, Zhou Chao said, “Uncle Liu, it seems Teng Uncle’s Go skills are a bit lacking.” Liu Zhiping chuckled in response.
When Zhou Chao looked back, he noticed Ma Huateng staring directly at him. “Young Zhou, can you please lower your voice when talking behind people’s backs? I could hear you,” Ma Huateng said, seemingly feeling unjustly accused.
After exchanging greetings, Ma Huateng immediately pulled Zhou Chao over to sit down. “Come, Old Ma said you’re quite skilled at Go. Let’s have a match with Chenye and see whose skills are superior.” Zhou Chao reluctantly took over the game.
With Ma Huateng and the others observing, Zhou Chao and Xu Chenye played a game of Go. In the first round, they had already made 56 moves. Xu Chenye’s Go skills were undeniably high, with a strong offensive strategy, but he ultimately lost to Zhou Chao.
As all of them were high-level players, losing the first round meant they were determined to win back the next. However, Zhou Chao won five consecutive rounds, astonishing Ma Huateng and the others. After all, they were well aware of Xu Chenye’s exceptional Go skills, which ranked among the best in the entire Tencent company. Yet, he couldn’t win a single game against Zhou Chao.
Feeling frustrated, Xu Chenye stopped playing and went to the balcony to smoke alone.
“Sigh.”
“Alright, let’s play mahjong. Chenye, come back, and win your money back on the mahjong table.”
Ma Huateng, Zhou Chao, Xu Chenye, and Zhang Xiaolong sat at the mahjong table, while Liu Zhiping watched them from the side.
They played mahjong until it was dark outside, and the result was surprisingly consistent: Ma, Zhang, and Xu lost and felt reluctant to continue. Every time they had good tiles, Zhou Chao would snatch the win away, leaving the three feeling frustrated and swearing never to play mahjong with him again.
After the mahjong game, they chatted and had dinner at Ma Huateng’s house before heading home.
Zhou Chao was driven back to his hotel by Ma Huateng’s driver.