China Business Trip (2)
The business talks with Zhonghua Media Group seemed roughly settled.
There was nothing left to conclude, so any further conversation would simply be a waste of time.
Crucially, if they got moving now, they could still make it to Shanghai in good time — and Chairman Choi read every ounce of that calculation written across Young-hoon's face.
His insight was, as always, practically at the level of mastery.
"Little sister Xu, Chairman Wang is waiting for us in Shanghai, so if things are more or less wrapped up, let's go grab some lunch."
"Is it that late already? Hmm... instead of running off to that Wang fellow, why not stay here and play with me?"
"Oh come now, sister, what's this about? To me, you and the Wang family are equally my dear younger siblings. You know better than to be jealous of me meeting young Wang, don't you? We're short on time, so let's just have lunch."
"Very well. I've made a reservation somewhere I think you'll all enjoy. Please, allow me to escort you there."
Young-hoon's party enjoyed a lavish lunch with Chairman Xu Jiayin. It was a grand spread of delicacies that in no way fell short of the feast they'd had the previous evening.
With a pleasant fullness in their bellies, they stopped by the hotel to collect their luggage and headed for Beijing Capital International Airport.
Chairman Xu Jiayin, Chairman Li Keqiang, and Director Xu Linhong all came along to see them off, as if reluctant to part. Director Xu Linhong in particular gazed at Young-hoon with eyes brimming with something that looked very much like yearning.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something to him, an incident erupted.
They had run headlong into Chairman Wang Chenchen's party, who had come out to greet Young-hoon's group at the airport.
The airport transformed instantly into a battlefield.
Killing intent poured from the eyes of Chairmen Xu Jiayin and Wang Chenchen, while their two daughters glared daggers at each other with equally savage expressions.
At that moment, Chairman Jang — the seasoned fixer — stepped forward.
"Aigoo, what in the world is all this?"
At his single remark, the storm-before-the-calm tension dissolved in an instant.
Chairman Wang Chenchen offered an excuse that was barely an excuse.
"I came to welcome our elders, and a swarm of pesky flies keeps buzzing around after them."
Chairman Xu Jiayin bristling at those words was only natural.
"What did you say? Flies? Look at this pig-faced oaf who never finished growing. Shall we have a go, then?"
Chairman Jang watched the two chairmen bicker for a moment before speaking, his voice edged with anger.
"Aigoo, you people! Can't you sit still for one moment? I must have raised my little siblings wrong."
Chairman Choi chimed in as well.
"Listen here, you two. Keep this up and I'm cutting ties with the both of you for good."
The truth was, to Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi, the relationship between Wang Chenchen and Xu Jiayin looked nothing short of pitiable. After all, hadn't the two of themselves spent decades as friends and rivals both? And yet, sadly, not a shred of warmth could be felt between these two — only pure, unadulterated hostility flowing between them.
They were old enough, surely. If only they could open their hearts to each other even a little, they might end up as thick as thieves, just like the two elders themselves. And if that happened, the rest of their years would be none too shabby a life indeed.
So thought Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi, each privately resolving to find some opportune day to patch up the rift between the two men.
Meanwhile, the moment Chairmen Xu Jiayin and Wang Chenchen heard the interpreter's words, their tails tucked completely between their legs. Cutting ties meant, quite simply, no more elixir supply. Because of that, neither man could afford to fight in front of Chairmen Jang and Choi.
'Hogu little brothers' seemed an entirely accurate description after all.
Having restored order, Chairman Choi asked quietly, "Little brother Wang, what brings you all the way up here? We would have found our own way down just fine."
Having received Chairman Choi's rebuke through the interpreter, Chairman Wang Chenchen pulled out the excuse he had prepared in advance.
"With our elders coming all this way, how could I possibly sit back and wait like some people do? Naturally, as the younger brother, I had to arrive first and be waiting."
Right to the very end, Chairman Wang couldn't resist needling Chairman Xu. Chairman Xu itched to fire back in kind, but the elders' watchful eyes were too frightening, so he swallowed it for now.
It was a scene that made it plain just how long a road still lay ahead before these two could ever get along.
Having parted ways with Chairman Xu, Young-hoon's party boarded their private jet and flew straight to Shanghai. Chairman Wang Chenchen's jet was the exact same model as Chairman Xu Jiayin's, so there was nothing particularly novel about it. Lunch hadn't fully settled yet, so they simply settled into comfortable seats and dozed for a while.
Upon landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, they boarded the limousines Chairman Wang had arranged and headed for the Shanghai Grand Hyatt Hotel, reputedly the finest in the city.
Once again, Young-hoon's party unpacked in presidential suites. The hotel boasted eighty-eight floors — evidently a symbolic nod to the number eight, which the Chinese so adore.
Chairman Wang Chenchen seemed to have tracked every detail of their Beijing itinerary, and his preparations matched it blow for blow. With the hotel already top-tier, the rest of the schedule was bound to be first-rate as well. A swell of anticipation rose unbidden, and Young-hoon found himself smiling for no reason at all.
After settling in briefly, the party gathered once more in Chairman Jang's room, where Chairman Wang Chenchen and Director Wang Mimi were already deep in conversation with him. Since Wang Mimi spoke fluent Korean, there was no language barrier to speak of, and she interpreted her father's words on the spot.
Drawing on his experience with Chairman Xu, Young-hoon had come prepared with five bottles of elixir in hand — and both father and daughter's mouths fell open wide as dinner plates.
A little later, Chairman Choi and Director Park also joined them in Chairman Jang's room. Now it was time to get down to the real business of selling the elixir.
Young-hoon handed the five bottles over to Chairman Jang, who silently extended his open hand toward Chairman Wang. True to the old saying that even mumbled nonsense gets understood perfectly by the right listener, Chairman Wang had his secretary bring up proof of a one-hundred-billion-won wire transfer.
Only then did Chairman Jang pass the five bottles of elixir over to Chairman Wang. Thorough as ever when it came to business, that was Chairman Jang for you.
The moment Chairman Wang Chenchen got his hands on the elixir, his face lit up with joy like a child receiving presents on Christmas morning. It was honestly astonishing that a man so shrewd and meticulous in all things could wear an expression so utterly innocent.
Chairman Choi asked the same question he had before.
"Chairman Xu aside, why would you need as many as five bottles of elixir, Chairman Wang?"
"Ah, the truth is, my mother has grown suddenly frail these past few months. I made an urgent request hoping she might try it."
"Still, I doubt she could drink all five bottles."
"Well, one bottle is for my mother, of course. Two more must go as tribute to my daughter standing right over there. And I intend to keep the last two as an emergency reserve."
"Hmm. Does Director Wang Mimi know the elixir's benefits well enough to demand it from her own father? It's really a wonder drug for us men, you know."
"Yes, Chairman. It doesn't seem to be exclusively for men, though. It leaves the body feeling refreshed, makes the skin firm and springy — and above all, makeup goes on beautifully."
"You'd spend something that precious on skincare? And Chairman Wang just hands it over?"
Wang Mimi answered with utter certainty, and very briefly: "Yes, Chairman."
It was Chairman Wang Chenchen, rather, who grumbled in a voice full of grievance.
"Naturally I told her it was absurd too. But what can I do? The girl threatened to spout all sorts of nonsense to her mother."
"Oh my — nonsense, he says? Dad, so can I really tell Mom everything I know, then?"
"Hey now! I set aside your two bottles, so keep your mouth shut."
Chairman Wang Chenchen warned Wang Mimi to hold her tongue once more, then shot her a meaningful glance. It meant: if your business here is done, get a move on.
But Wang Mimi showed not the slightest intention of getting up.
A long silence settled over the room. With her present, it felt awkward to bring up the main topic — the evening's schedule. In the end, it was Wang Mimi who spoke, as if reluctantly conceding the point.
"I know perfectly well what's on the schedule tonight after dinner, so I'll just eat and leave. Don't worry yourselves about me. And I know full well that Director Kim had a spirited run in Beijing, too. If you're out there running tonight and your partner runs out of stamina — just call for me. I'll freshen up and be waiting."
Chairman Wang Chenchen's eyebrows shot up in astonishment as he stared at his daughter. But Wang Mimi looked entirely unashamed.
"You enjoy your own fun behind Mom's back, don't you, Dad? And now that we have the elixir — Director Kim is more than up to the task. You don't dislike Director Kim either, do you, Dad?"
Young-hoon had never before met a woman who came on to him so brazenly. To be fair, Wang Mimi was more than sufficiently beautiful. Her perpetually confident manner made her look a bit sharp-tongued, but even allowing for that, she was a woman brimming with charm.
Even so, he hadn't expected her to put the moves on him this directly, right in front of her own father. And something told him that if he eagerly snapped up what was being offered, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
After a brief silence, Chairman Wang, his face twisted into a deep scowl, spoke up.
"You and I are talking separately later. Elders, I apologize. My daughter has no sense whatsoever — I'm embarrassed. Please rest a while, and we'll meet in the lobby at six."
Chairman Jang answered for the group, shortly and simply.
"Right, understood. See you then."
Chairman Wang bowed politely and ushered everyone out. A short while later, raised voices drifted in from the hallway — father and daughter, it seemed, were at war.
After resting at the hotel for nearly two hours, the party came down to the first-floor lobby, joined Chairman Wang Chenchen and his daughter, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at what was said to be the most famous restaurant in all of Shanghai. Once again it was a royal banquet, much like the one in Beijing — a true taste of Shanghai cuisine, one of China's four great culinary traditions.
With their appetites pleasantly satisfied, Young-hoon's party moved on to the bar Chairman Wang had prepared. Unlike Beijing, this time it was a quiet, secluded villa. When they arrived, the drinking tables were already set, and beautiful women stood waiting.
Young-hoon's partner said her name was Soso. It was surely not her real name, but that hardly mattered.
Glasses were poured and emptied in long, convivial rounds, and a merry time rolled on. But this was merely a probing match — a preliminary bout, as they sized each other up. What remained was the main event.
The athletes returned to the hotel, spirits burning, and filed off to their respective rooms.
The moment Young-hoon entered his room, he changed straight into his competition gear. His opponent caught sight of his equipment and her jaw dropped in astonishment — but there was no time to wait for her to collect herself.
The whistle blew, and the first half began at once.
Last night, Langlang had raised the white flag after a mere three hours, but Soso held out valiantly all the way to the second half. After a fifteen-minute breather, they entered overtime — and about five minutes in, Soso collapsed flat, and the overtime match was regrettably called off.
Perhaps worn down by the grueling schedule and having settled his heart's affairs the night before, Young-hoon no longer felt much pull toward that particular sport(?). And so he resolved to simply sleep deeply until morning.
When dawn broke and the appointed hour drew near, Young-hoon took a quick shower. Under the cascading water, the fatigue seemed to wash clean away.
He came down to the first-floor lobby right on time, and the others began to gather one by one. Everyone's face was bright — apparently they'd all had an enjoyable match the night before — except Director Park, whose complexion was decidedly poor.
Just as Young-hoon wondered if something was wrong and moved to ask, Chairman Jang beat him to it.
"You showed off the mettle of a true son of Korea again last night, I trust?"
"Of course. I'm completely wrecked right now — flat on my back. I killed it right up until dawn. Though it seems Director Park didn't fare so well?"
Director Park hesitated, then spoke in a deflated voice.
"...Well, you see, I only managed three hours of the match."
"Why? What happened?"
"Mid-match, the condom tore and the game had to be suspended. I had no spares, and it felt awkward to ask at the front desk... Aaagh~"
Everyone except Director Park erupted in thunderous laughter. A misfortune for him, certainly — but it made for a wonderfully cheerful mood.
A little later, Wang Mimi walked into the hotel lobby. The moment she spotted Young-hoon, she broke into a radiant smile and came gliding over.
"I freshened up and waited all last night, and not a word from you. Was she prettier than me?"
It was clearly meant as a joke, yet for some reason it sounded dead serious. And when that seductive voice came with it, his heart fluttered despite himself. Here was a woman he had no feelings for whatsoever, throwing herself at him saying she liked him — and he had no idea how to respond.
In the end, Young-hoon could only brush it off vaguely.
"What are you talking about? I just slept quietly, that's all."
"Director Kim, you might as well deceive the heavens. Don't you know all of Shanghai rests in the palm of my hand?"
Too embarrassed to say anything, Young-hoon could only stand there flustered. Leaving him to stew, Wang Mimi turned and greeted the rest of the party with impeccable courtesy. Then they set off for Shanghai Media Group, where Chairman Wang was waiting.
The Shanghai Media Group headquarters was a ninety-story tower, with Chairman Wang Chenchen's office on the eighty-eighth floor. Eighty-eight again, naturally. The Chinese really did have an obsessive love for the number eight.
And true to form, it was virtually identical to Chairman Xu Jiayin's office by comparison.
Inside the office were Chairman Wang Chenchen and a man who looked slightly younger. Their features were so alike that the two had to be brothers, and Young-hoon knew it instinctively at once — this was the younger uncle Wang Mimi had mentioned back when she came to Korea.
Interpretation duties this time would once again fall to Wang Mimi and Director Park.
"Elders, did you enjoy yourselves last night?"
Chairman Jang spoke for the group.
"Thanks to you, little brother Wang, we spent a delightful evening. Your taste, as always, deserves high praise."
"Hehehe. I'm truly glad to hear it. Elders, this is my younger brother. He runs a distribution group — a fairly sizable one. It ranks within the top three in the country."
Having finished the introduction with evident pride, Chairman Wang Chenchen passed the baton to his brother.
"Introduce yourself. These are the elders I look up to as my own big brothers — and those two over there are the partners we'll be entering business with."