Chapter 4: Acquiring a Fortune of Gold and Jade

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“What???”

The four men were first surprised to hear Xie Yunze’s words, then their gazes unconsciously fell on his remarkably handsome face, as if he belonged to a different realm from ordinary people.

It seemed... having a son like Xie Yunze’s who became a major celebrity was no pressure at all. After all, with such a face, maybe heaven had already prepared a feast for him!

“That should make him easy to find, right?” Kong Miao, upon hearing the other party was a big star, realized it would be easier to locate him. However, since he didn’t pay much attention to male celebrities, he couldn’t think of which star resembled Xie Ge.

“Yeah, Xiao Xie, you said your son has been missing for eighteen years, and now that he’s a big star, his life should be better. So why are you here at the construction site looking for him?” Zhang Liang was puzzled.

If Xie Yunze’s son really was a celebrity, wouldn’t it be quicker to look for him through his entertainment company’s address?

Being laborers doing physical work on the construction site, few of them knew much about male stars. Before Xie Yunze could say anything, Shi Hongju’s eyes lit up suddenly, as if he had just figured something out.

He slapped his thigh, looking at Xie Yunze.

“I know! Xiao Xie, about a week ago the foreman’s group chat announced a variety show would be filming here on the site. It’s supposed to have a big star experience the hardships of bricklaying workers. When the show airs, it’ll be positive publicity. The group chat was buzzing about it. So you came here for this show?”

Exactly. Shi Hongju didn’t understand much about male or female celebrities, but his daughter did! His daughter was sixteen this year—an age obsessed with idol chasing. Her favorite variety show was “Challenge the Star.” When he saw the news in the group chat, he even told his daughter that if she met a favorite star, she could ask for an autograph.

Xie Yunze didn’t expect Shi Hongju to know, and immediately nodded.

“Yes. I came here to move bricks on purpose because I knew my son would participate in this show. I wanted to run into him by chance. So I hope everyone keeps my identity a secret. When the production team arrives, please don’t reveal who I am.”

That show had been deliberately set up by someone targeting Chu Yiming. If he didn’t cooperate well with the act, it would have been a pity.

Only then did Li Dongfeng and Zhang Liang recall the variety show mentioned in the worker’s group, suddenly understanding.

“Oh~ Xiao Xie, you mean the ‘Challenge the Star’ show, right? The group chat did post about it, but I didn’t expect it to involve your son…”

Li Dongfeng said this, but inwardly suspected the program was arranged by Xie Yunze himself. If he knew his son was a star and wanted to test whether the boy was vain, he might have deliberately set this up to have a celebrity work as a laborer. The star wouldn’t know Xie Yunze’s identity, but he’d be right under his nose.

Zhang Liang, however, didn’t overthink it and simply nodded in understanding.

“I get it! Xiao Xie! Don’t say more, I understand now. This show must be your test for your son whom you haven’t seen for years. Don’t worry, the four of us won’t reveal your identity. When the time is right, you two can reunite as father and son and build your relationship. That’s great, very good…”

In no time, each of them clearly imagined the whole story. Even Xie Yunze didn’t need to explain further. Kong Miao even patted his chest.

“Don’t worry, Xie Ge. When I see your son, I’ll definitely look out for him.”

...

Was that really necessary???

[Ding! Kong Miao’s trust value +100!]

[Ding! Shi Hongju’s trust value +100!]

[Ding! Li Dongfeng’s trust value +500!]

[Ding! Zhang Liang’s trust value +100!]

Once again convinced that lying was the simplest thing in the world, Xie Yunze forced a smile, tinged with a hint of wistfulness.

“Yes. That child was stolen from me when he was young. We haven’t met for eighteen years. Though I now know some news about him, I still don’t know how to interact with him. I came to the construction site hoping to gauge his feelings. After all, he already has a new family, and I’m afraid of disturbing his new life.”

Besides this son missing for eighteen years, Xie Yunze couldn’t help but think of his twin boy and girl at home. He hadn’t seen those two children either for eighteen years, and didn’t know how things would be when he returned.

“…That’s hard to say. If the child has a good family raising him, you can’t just snatch him away,” Shi Hongju, having a daughter himself, fully understood Xie Yunze’s feelings. But seeing Xie Yunze’s downcast expression, he quickly added:

“Let’s meet the child first, Xiao Xie. Maybe the child also wants to find his biological parents. Don’t lose heart. With your status, if your son really knew he had such a powerful father, he’d definitely want to acknowledge you.”

After his rapid speech, he realized he might have made it sound like the son was greedy for power and status, so he immediately shut up.

Li Dongfeng secretly stomped hard under the table on Shi Hongju’s foot, fearing Xie Yunze might overthink things. He forced out a smile.

“Xiao Xie, you’ve said your son is a big star, so he must have been well trained. Those stars on TV not only look good but can sing and dance well, and all that takes money to train. At least our kids who have been drifting around have had decent lives, right? That’s a good thing, so don’t be sad.”

Defending Shi Hongju’s words, Zhang Liang quickly added.

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“Yeah, Xiao Xie, no matter what, blood is thicker than water. I believe that if you meet your son, the blood bond will pull you together. That bond can never be cut.”

These were words of comfort. They mainly spoke like this because they saw Xie Yunze looking low-spirited. Kong Miao looked at his elder brother with longing, wanting to say something but at a loss for words.

Having gained much trust from the four men, Xie Yunze slowly pulled himself out of his melancholy and thanked them.

“Brother Hongju, Brother Li, Brother Zhang, I know you mean to comfort me. Actually, even if the child doesn’t recognize me, I won’t blame him. After all, it was my fault as his father for losing him. If he’s been well raised elsewhere, that’s fortunate. If he doesn’t accept me, I’ll accept it.”

As he spoke, the four men inexplicably felt a twinge of sadness. They didn’t even know how to comfort him anymore.

Just as they were about to speak again, Xie Yunze asked Kong Miao beside him.

“Xiao Miao, you think the ‘Golden Crab Banquet’ here tastes good, but I don’t know if my son’s ever eaten it. If I buy this ‘Golden Crab Banquet,’ wouldn’t my son be able to come eat it anytime he wants?”

Even though he hadn’t met his long-lost son yet, he was already thinking about sharing a crab feast. Kong Miao envied Xie Ge’s son and nodded without hesitation.

“Of course! Brother Xie, if you buy this place, your son can come eat anytime he wants. Maybe someday you can bring him here to eat.”

Kong Miao had never considered how expensive “Golden Crab Banquet” was—a three-story top restaurant on the precious riverside in Mingzhu City.

“Then I’ll buy ‘Golden Crab Banquet.’ Xiao Miao, if you like, we can have people prepare meals and deliver them to the construction site every day. Eat as long as you want.”

Seeming to agree with Kong Miao, Xie Yunze looked satisfied. He glanced at the butler standing nearby, Easton, who immediately understood his master’s intentions and bowed.

“Master, I will go find the owner to meet with you now.”

Without delay, he left. Such decisiveness was worthy of a butler.

This scene left Li Dongfeng and the other two amazed, eyes wide, unsure where to put their hands.

Li Dongfeng was thrilled! He knew Xiao Xie was no ordinary man—buying such a huge restaurant on a whim was incredible!

Shi Hongju was about the same—he thought buying a restaurant must be like buying vegetables for Xie Yunze.

Zhang Liang watched Easton’s retreating figure and felt that following Xiao Xie would definitely broaden his horizons. Buying an entire restaurant just so his son could eat the crab banquet—truly extravagant!

[Ding! Li Dongfeng’s trust value +1000; Shi Hongju’s trust value +1000; Zhang Liang’s trust value +1000. Congratulations, host, on completing the second lie task. You have earned the three men’s full trust and a special reward: a black card with a 1 billion credit limit. Please use it to purchase ‘Golden Crab Banquet’ and prove your financial power.]

Hearing about the 1 billion credit black card, Xie Yunze finally smiled, very pleased with the system’s reward. At least this meal could be settled.

Soon, Easton found the manager of Golden Crab Banquet. Then, led by the manager, they met the owner, Gao Yizhou, who was inspecting the restaurant that day.

Gao Yizhou was in his office reviewing monthly accounts when he saw the blond, blue-eyed foreigner Easton and was stunned by his words.

“Mr. Gao, my master wants to buy your restaurant. Would you be willing?”

Wow. This was the first time in two years of running the restaurant that someone came directly to buy it.

As a wealthy second-generation entrepreneur, Golden Crab Banquet was Gao Yizhou’s first successful venture. Two years ago, he invested over ten million renting the best three-story riverside property in the Bund, then renovated it lavishly. After two years, it was finally profitable. Now someone wanted to pick the fruit?

Gao Yizhou sneered coldly at the foreigner and scoffed.

“Oh? You want to buy my restaurant? Where is your master? I’d like to meet him.”

He thought the owner might also be foreign, since locals wouldn’t be so unreasonable in business. Business was give and take. A profitable restaurant wasn’t something you could just buy on a whim.

“My master is dining outside. Please, Mr. Gao, come with me.”

Easton seemed oblivious to Gao Yizhou’s displeasure and elegantly invited him, calling his master “my master” repeatedly. Gao Yizhou inwardly mocked the foreigner’s pretentiousness but was bored and curious, so he got up to follow.

Soon, Gao Yizhou and Easton arrived at a riverside dining table on the fifth floor. Gao’s sharp eyes immediately noticed that except for the central table, the surrounding and nearby seats were guarded by foreign bodyguards—muscular and alert, reminding him of the Saudi prince’s guards he had seen during his studies abroad.

At this moment, the items on Xie Yunze’s table had been cleared away. Easton led Gao over, and everyone’s eyes followed.

“Master, this is Mr. Gao Yizhou, owner of Golden Crab Banquet.”

Xie Yunze finally looked up at Gao Yizhou. Gao was surprised to see that this foreigner’s master was actually a local. While amazed, he put on a perfect smile and extended his hand.

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“Mr. Xie, I am the owner of Golden Crab Banquet. Welcome you and your friends to dine here.”

Bringing so many bodyguards to eat, Gao was cautious not to offend. It wasn’t that he doubted their wealth or power, but if any trouble broke out here, he’d be the loser.

“Mr. Gao, sorry for the intrusion. I came to dine at Golden Crab Banquet today and found the crab feast truly exquisite. Unfortunately, my son isn’t with me, so he missed out.”

Xie Yunze shook hands with Gao Yizhou, and their conversation felt friendly.

“So, I want to buy your Golden Crab Banquet to make it convenient for my son to come here anytime. What do you think, Mr. Gao? Money isn’t a problem.”

...So?

Gao Yizhou smiled, about to ask, but then heard Xie Yunze continue.

“Since my son can’t eat here now, I want to bring him here later. That’s why I’m buying the restaurant.”

...Why not just bring him to eat directly? Why buy my restaurant? Do you know how much I invested and how profitable it is? Do you know how hard I worked to open this place? Hearing this, I just want to slap you!

Though furious inside, Gao Yizhou controlled himself, knowing the many bodyguards made him vulnerable. He kept smiling.

“Mr. Xie, rest assured, Golden Crab Banquet has only been open two years but will last ten or twenty more. I plan to make it the best crab feast brand in Mingzhu City. Whenever your son wants to eat, you can bring him here anytime. Why go through the trouble of buying the whole restaurant? Managing it is complicated.”

As a businessman, Gao didn’t want to offend anyone, so his words were very polite.

Xie Yunze knew he was asking for trouble. The restaurant was indeed well operated and established. He was generous.

“Mr. Gao, I have no intention of managing the restaurant. Rest assured, my butler Easton will handle it. The current staff will keep their jobs. As for the price, please name your price.”

The restaurant couldn’t possibly be worth a billion, so Xie Yunze was relaxed.

Gao Yizhou nearly laughed in anger. Was this man an idiot? Didn’t he realize he was rejecting the offer? Who demands to buy a restaurant like this?

The atmosphere grew awkward. Li Dongfeng and the others dared not speak, watching Xie Yunze negotiate. They felt Gao’s smile was forced.

Gao was indeed unhappy but didn’t want conflict. He came up with a way to make things difficult.

“Mr. Xie, it’s not that I don’t want to sell. But from the preparations to opening two years ago, I invested heavily—over ten million just on leasing and renovation. On top of that, staff and marketing cost a lot. If you sincerely want to buy, I won’t cheat you. The name ‘Golden Crab Banquet’ is established and is a cash cow. I’ll sell it for 80 million.”

Golden Crab Banquet had broken even and made a profit in two years, but after deducting original investment, earning over 50 million would take years. Gao’s price was high, as the restaurant business is unpredictable.

Xie Yunze didn’t expect the price to be so low and nodded approvingly.

“No problem. Easton, draw up the contract with Mr. Gao today. You have full authority.”

Unexpectedly, Gao’s 80 million price was meant to discourage, but Xie Yunze boldly accepted. Just as Gao wanted to say more, Xie Yunze added:

“Mr. Gao, I’m taking something precious. Everyone in Mingzhu City knows Golden Crab Banquet’s reputation, and I’m sure you invested a lot. How about this: since you’re willing to sell for 80 million, I’ll pay 100 million. What do you say?”

Gao Yizhou was speechless. He had tried to pressure Xie Yunze with 80 million, but the other party raised it to 100 million while showing respect for his effort. As a second-generation entrepreneur who finally found success, this warmed his heart. There was no complaint.

Gao raised his cup to Xie Yunze.

“Mr. Xie, you are generous. Having a new owner like you is good for Golden Crab Banquet. I founded it, and I believe under your management it will continue to flourish. This cup of tea is to toast you.”

This was an agreement to sell, and a willing one. Xie Yunze raised his cup, and they reached consensus, astonishing the four men watching.

One hundred million... just like that, spent in a few words???

Not a hundred or a thousand, but a hundred million...

When they saw Gao and Easton sign the acquisition contract, the four were dumbfounded.

Xiao Xie bought an entire restaurant just so his son could enjoy a crab feast. If he really reunites with his son, won’t he spoil him endlessly?

Kong Miao was curious—who exactly was Xie Ge’s son, the celebrity?

Having a father like Xie Ge must be incredibly fortunate!