Chapter 206 Truly in Awe
A really powerful man would stay low-profile to the core. No matter which part of the social ladder he was at, he would be compliant and respectful to those above him and would make himself easily approachable by those below them and stay humble. He would not boast proudly over a small achievement and would not cry over a bit of spilled milk. He who can achieve these things would have an upward journey in life.
However, most people could only do one of the two. There were very few people that could do all. Hence, this was why the society was in the shape of a pyramid and the people are divided by the social ladder. Everything stems from the seed you planted for yourself. It would eventually grow into a flower and bear fruits.
Since Uncle Zhuang introduced Qin Sheng to Cao Da, Qin Sheng believed that Mr. Cao’s character would not be bad. However, it was up to him to figure out if Mr. Cao was suitable for him. It was not up to Uncle Zhuang to tell him, nor was it based on the words that Mr. Cao says. After all, there were too many people in the society that was ‘No Action, Talk Only’. Eventually, you have to treat each matter individually. You could not just rely on talking, you must produce results.
Hence, Qin Sheng was carefully observing and evaluating Mr. Cao’s each and every move.
At this current moment, Mr. Cao and Mr. Liu’s different reactions that happened at the same time caused the atmosphere to become awkward. The table was filled with smart people, it was impossible for them to not understand such an obvious meaning. No one had expected Cao Da to stand up, including the old man and Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu suddenly realized what was going on and since he has already embarrassed himself, he could only follow suit.
At this instant, the manager who was standing at a side and offering his service immediately realized what was going on. He secretly scolded this waiter for being brainless. Before everyone else snapped back from their thoughts, the manager quickly walked over and said with smiling eyes, “This Huangqi wormwood black chicken soup is very good for the elderly. Elder He, please give us some feedback on our soup.”
This sentence managed to alleviate the situation. Mr. Liu swiftly took over the bowl of soup handed to him by the waiter and placed it in front of the old man and said, “Elder He, please try this. If it is to your liking, I will get them to make some more for you to bring home.”
Although Elder He was very unhappy, he still put on a smile and said, “Okay, okay, okay.”
Everything happened in a split moment and was solved in the blink of an eye. Cao Da accepted the fact and sat down with a smile on his face and did not say a word. However, he was scolding Mr. Liu in his heart because he was basically a selfish man that got his way. “You’re just a selfish man.”
The person who felt the most upset today was undeniably the old man. He let out a sigh and could not help but feel that he had made a wrong judgment. Back then, there were so many things he did for him. Now that he was no longer as powerful, he no longer treated him seriously. The old man felt like he deserved it today, but this was definitely the last time.
After this small interlude, Mr. Liu did not manage to change his attitude. He was still yearning to do something to make himself look good. The other guests all cooperated with him. Cao Da and the old man were already not talking much.
Witnessing the whole dinner, Qin Sheng felt that it was really awkward. He could barely continue watching. At this moment, Mr. Liu started to recount the old man’s embarrassing stories. Qin Sheng could feel that Mr. Cao was starting to get nervous. Mr. Cao was probably waiting for the dinner to end soon. Otherwise, something bad might happen.
Fruits were served before the dinner came to an end. With the previous lesson in mind, no one dared to move before the old man did. Hence, the old man smiled faintly and said, “My stomach is too cold, I’ll give it a pass.”
After everyone took a piece, at this moment, Mr. Liu spoke again. He lifted up the plate of watermelon and said cheerfully, “Come, come. Do not waste food. It is shameful to waste food.”
After which, he started distributing the watermelon slices to everyone. Two of them landed on Elder He’s plate. His facial expression immediately showed how awkward he was. Until the end, he never touched those watermelon slices.
Cao Da finally understood what this dinner was for. “Damn, can’t you afford to play? It’s not like you didn’t receive anything after your sacrifices. Why are you being so selfish and despicable today?” Cao Da made a decision to never come for such dinner gatherings again after this meal
Hence, Cao Da called the manager over in a soft voice and said, “Bill please.”
At the same time, he bowed towards the old man and asked, “You had more praises for how well they cooked the fish. I’ve already asked them to do another one the same way and packaged it such that you can bring it back and have it tomorrow. Is that fine with you?”
Elder He was obviously moved. He quickly replied, “Thank you.”
At this point in time, Mr. Liu’s face color was very ugly. Yet, he still smiled and said, “Lao Cao, I invited everyone to come over and catch up, why are you paying the bill? Aren’t you disrespecting me?”
Cao Da laughed and said, “Lao Liu, it’s all the same. I move fast, first come first serve. Take it as my blessing to you for your company’s listing. Hope everyone can give me this chance.”
Actually, it was because he could not talk with them any longer. Mr. Liu also sensed that the atmosphere of tonight’s dinner was not quite right and gave up eventually.
After the dinner ended, the manager packaged the fish and brought it over. Qin Sheng quickly took over and helped to carry it. Everyone smiled as they sent the old man out and onto his car. They no longer dared to be obnoxious like before.
After Elder He left, that Mr. Liu walked over excitedly and said to Cao Da, “Lao Cao, round two, a round of cigar?”
Cao Da threw him a glare and said, “I can’t afford to smoke your cigar, how about a rain check?”
After that, Cao Da went to the car with Qin Sheng and left right away. He did not care about how the rest were to comment on his behavior today, but this was his way of doing things.
After leaving Meijiawu, Qin Sheng focused on driving while his mind recalled every detail at tonight’s dinner, especially what Mr. Cao said and did. Even though he was just an observer today and the main character was Cao Da, he still managed to learn a lot. Just from this matter alone, Qin Sheng could tell them Cao Da was an upright person. He also understood why he said that he had several enemies. With a temper like his, it was impossible to not have enemies.
Out of a sudden, Cao Da, who had been resting his eyes, suddenly said, “I do tend to follow the rich and powerful people, but at least I know how to be a decent man. You can only laugh and let go of some of the maliciousness. You sacrificed back then and now have rewards. When you’re in trouble, whether or not people will help you depend on whether you have the capabilities. Now that you’ve some achievements, everyone is happy, but there is no need to do this. I have always been interacting with Mr. Liu ever since he became who he is today. But it’s time I put a stop to this whole respecting him but not being able to get closer to him.”
This was naturally meant for Qin Sheng to hear. He made Qin Sheng follow him to see how despicable one could become and how cold the world could be. Those who were powerful could also have small hearts.
He could not be bothered to care if Qin Sheng understood him. He could only touch and go.
“What you’ve done today has caused Mr. Liu to develop hatred towards you,” Qin Sheng said casually. He naturally understood what Mr. Cao was trying to say.
Cao Da smiled disdainfully and said, “If I cared about that, I wouldn’t have done it. I just can’t stand that look on his face and the stuff he said. The old man helped him a lot back then. One must know to repay the kindness he received. The old man is no longer as powerful as before. Sometimes he might have the desire but he could not do as he wants. However, this Mr. Liu is so full of himself. His behavior is such a put-off. This is not how you should act as a person.”
Qin Sheng was truly in awe of what Mr. Cao did today. If it was not for him, the old man would have had a very hard time.
“Today’s incident is not as easy as it seems. It’s filled with lessons to learn. You can think about it when you go back. One day I’ll ask you what you saw,” Cao Da said in a low voice. This was a homework he gave Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng answered thoughtfully, “Okay.”
“I’m a little tired, send me back,” Cao Da ordered.
Meijiawu was not far from Jiuxi Rose Garden. Cao Da did not say anything else on the way, let alone give Qin Sheng more work for today or tomorrow.
After arriving at Jiuxi Rose Garden, Cao Da made Qin Sheng park the car at the entrance and walked in. He told Qin Sheng that he did not have to take care of him and that he could walk around. He also let Qin Sheng drive the car away.
After leaving Jiuxi Rose Garden, Qin Sheng, who had been busy the whole day, called Lin Su. It was his first day at work and also her first day at work. He wondered how she was doing.
Not long after, the call went through. He heard that it was a bit noisy at the other end of the line and asked, “Have you got off work? How does it feel to be working again after half a year, my dear female president?”
Lin Su used to be the president of the Lin Family’s company back in Shanghai, so Qin Sheng was actually teasing her. Lin Su laughed and replied, “You and your mouth! It was alright, work was relatively easy, I just spent some time to familiarize myself with it. However, I might have to go to West China regularly for business trips. I had already ended work and was going to go home already, but my leader wanted to throw me a welcome party so we’re still having dinner outside. I might come home late. What about you? How was it?”
“I just sent Mr. Cao back home,” Qin Sheng laughed and replied. “Then you go and do your thing, tell me when you’re almost done, I’ll go and pick you up.”
“Okay,” Lin Su replied softly.
Qin Sheng did not want to go home so early. After hanging up, he headed straight for what was once known as Meili Jinzuo and now known as Poly International. This was the nightclub that Mr. Qian was in charge of. Qin Sheng was very interested in this. Besides, this was a task that Cao Da had given him.
Some of the more well-known nightclubs in Hangzhou include Huadu International Club, which was located at the west gate of Huanglong Sports Center, the Star East International Club on Baohu Road beside West Lake, and the Jingzhe Club on Qingchun Road.
There were three nightclubs under Cao Da’s business: Poly International Club, Yunding International Entertainment Club, as well as Xin Ding Hong Honor Club. A few years back, when Cao Da was at his peak, these three clubs were very famous in Hangzhou. Cao Da’s background was evidently strong as he was able to start up nightclubs like these. These few years, more nightclubs entered the playing field, like the previous three and many other small nightclubs. Hence, business was no longer as good as before. Meili Jinzuo was the only one that was still as lively as before after it renovated and renamed to be Poly International. Hence, this was why Mr. Qian had the guts to act like a big shot in front of Cao Da.
Qin Sheng headed straight to Poly International. After he arrived, he did not directly drive Mr. Cao’s Mercedes-Benz S600L inside. This was to prevent others from noticing him for it would be disadvantageous for future actions.
He parked the car by the roadside and walked towards the entrance. The entrance was really fancy. There were probably not many people that could imagine how low-profile the big boss behind this place could be. Qin Sheng was increasingly full of admiration for Mr. Cao.
The sharp-eyed guest-receiver quickly came up to him. After a greeting, he asked if Qin Sheng had made any reservations. He replied that he did not. Without further ado, the internal department was notified to welcome a guest.
After entering, a beautiful lady who wore a black uniform, stockings and a pair of high heels quickly came up to him. She also greeted him politely and asked if he had made any reservations.
Qin Sheng’s answer was still a no. The beautiful lady then asked how many guests she should expect and would arrange for it right away. Qin Sheng slowly answered and said that there was only one person.
The beautiful lady in uniform was startled for a second. She laughed over a few sentences but did not inquire too much about it. After all, in this day and age, there were all kinds of customers with all kinds of liking. However, it was very rare to see a customer come alone to such a business setting.
The beautiful lady in uniform brought Qin Sheng into a small private room. Although it was said to be a small private room, it could actually accommodate six to seven guests and a service lady. The following procedure was relatively simple. After ordering his drinks, it was time to choose the accompanying lady.
It was not that Qin Sheng had not been to such places before, but those were all for show. More than 10 beautiful women came in. They were all not bad. Qin Sheng chose one randomly.
Next, through drinking and chatting, Qin Sheng inquired about some news about Poly International. After gulping down a few shots, Qin Sheng called a waiter over and said, “Help me get your Mr. Qian here. Just say that I’m Qin Sheng, Mr. Cao’s special assistant.”
“Please wait a moment; I’ll do it right away.” The waiter was very polite. Although he did not fully understand, he still did as told anyway. After all, it was related to Mr. Qian. He even heard Mr. Cao’s name.
The beautiful lady from Chengdu continued to drink with Qin Sheng and chatted with him. After a few minutes, a better-looking man came in. He looked like he was in his 30s. His hair was combed black and shiny. He said with smiling eyes, “Oh my, Assistant Qin, my name is Yang Guorong. I am the head of Poly International’s security department. Mr. Qian is busy right now, he asked me to drink with you first. He’ll be here in a short while.”
Qin Sheng frowned slightly but still stood up and shook hands politely.
And just like that, this manager named Yang Guorong kept drinking with Qin Sheng. He also asked the lady to continue pouring them drinks. However, Mr. Qian never came.
20 minutes, 30 minutes, 50 minutes…
After waiting for a whole hour, Qin Sheng had lost his patience completely. This Mr. Qian was really too full of himself! Qin Sheng got up and left directly without giving a damn for Manager Yang’s feelings.