549 How much sincerity do you have? (2/2)
”I originally thought you were just a driver. My mistake.”
”Not at all. I'm just an ordinary reception staff member,” Liu Haotian said humbly.
Jiang Chen smiled without saying anything more. He stepped over the high doorsill and headed directly into the manor.
On the door he just walked through were two giant words written with calligraphy.
The layout of the manor was in good taste with elegance; the rock gardens were complementary to each other. Although Jiang Chen wasn't well-versed in traditional culture, he still could see that it was a combination of characteristics from a northern climate combined with characteristics of Suzhou gardens.
Although there wasn't anything particularly extravagant inside, Jiang Chen knew well that to own such a large manor in Shangjin, where land was equivalent to gold, money alone wasn't enough.
With Liu Haotian's guidance, Jiang Chen followed the pebbled stone path and arrived at the tea room in the main building. Here, he saw an elder with all white hair. From the courteous expression on Liu Haotian's face, the status of the elder was important.
The layout of the tea room was simple - there was only a table, a chess board, and a cup of tea…
It was tea again. Jiang Chen's eyebrows twitched. He drank tea all afternoon, so his stomach felt agitated at the scene of tea.
”Are you not going to sit?” Seeing Jiang Chen wasn't taking any action, the elder pleasantly asked.
Jiang Chen then politely smiled and sat on the sofa across from the elder.
”How should I address you?”
”I am Liu Xiangguo. By age, it is fair for you to call me uncle.” The elder poured hot tea for Jiang Chen and himself.
Liu Haotian looked at his father, surprised, but quickly moved his gaze elsewhere.
”Uncle Liu,” Jiang Chen cleverly addressed him.
Perhaps pleased with the way Jiang Chen addressed him, Uncle Liu smiled and examined Jiang Chen with the eyes of an elder looking at the young. His cloudy but still shrewd eyes hid their sharpness within the rising white cloud.
Although it was disguised, Jiang Chen could still sense the elder prying into his life with his gaze. But even if he sensed this, he didn't react and replied honestly to the obvious inquiring gaze.
”Uncle Liu invited me over just to have tea with me?”
Unable to see through Jiang Chen, Liu Xiangguo retracted his prying gaze without a change in expression.
”No particular plan. I have seen you quite a few times on the news. With this opportunity, I wanted to meet you.”
”Oh? Am I fortunate enough to know Uncle Liu's view of me?”
”Stellar individual.”
Jiang Chen took a moment to process this before he humbly said:
”You're overcomplimenting me.”
At Jiang Chen's modesty, Liu Xiangguo smiled and took a sip of the tea without making any further comments.
Just as Jiang Chen wryly thought the old man would act identically to the people from the Ministry of Business Development that afternoon and play riddles with him for half the day, Liu Xiangguo put down his teacup and suddenly said:
”From your facial appearance, Mr. Jiang is someone who likes to dive straight into the topic, so I won't play riddles with you.” He paused. ”How sincere are you with regards to the economic and trade cooperation between our two countries or cooperation between Future Group and Hua?”
When Jiang Chen heard this, his disinterested expression instantly disappeared with a smile emerging on his face.
Finally.
He had been waiting for this sentence for too long.