and Mei Lan. It used to be the shop Mom later leased out; during every weekend in high school, Su Can would often bring various books he borrowed from a nearby rental bookshop, sit facing the sun unde...Chapter 91: Design

The teams from both sides had already met at the end of the individual dining area, and the beautiful secretary on Zhange's side was impressive. However, Dazhi hadn't expected that Su Can's team would have Wang Yu, Jiang Ming, Ren Ying—these young company executives. But when he thought about the age of someone who could invite Zhange to dinner, it wasn't surprising at all.

Zhange’s team met with people like Lin Guangdong in a very low-key manner, speaking softly; they were all dressed formally and each individually managed at least 100 million yuan in circulating funds and had over a thousand employees working for them. They might live in luxurious condominiums in the city's upscale neighborhoods and drive high-end cars. Any one of them could be recognized by their name.

Now, these elites skilled at brainstorming to solve problems were sitting in a clean dining room with clear floors and soft, delicate lighting from crystal chandeliers above, creating an impression like a floating world painting.

However, each person had subdued their sharp edges, hiding their keen eyes and conversed very easily with Su Can's team in hushed tones.

This was because the distance to the main dining area wasn't long; any louder sound might disturb Zhange’s meeting there. And since Zhange could control such a group of elites, he obviously wasn’t an easy person to deal with. Their expressions showed how much they respected him.

This made Wang Yu and others subconsciously look towards the entrance of the main dining area, feeling worried: As grassroots individuals, or even as student bosses like themselves, could they handle themselves well in front of Zhange’s lone wolf

Opposite the transparent floor-to-ceiling window where the influential figure from the Yangtze River Delta financial scene—Zhange—had been waiting for a long time, upon seeing Su Can, he asked, "Is Old Man Xu Zheng doing well"

If there had been a third person present at this moment, they would likely have been stunned by this question. What did it mean Did he already know the young man in front of him

"I had some health issues recently, but I am gradually recovering."

Su Cen sat down opposite him very calmly, showing no surprise at all that Jian Hua would ask about Mr. Xu.

The lounge and restaurant were separated by glass, yet behind the curtains of the bar, pairs of eyes could always be seen from a unique angle, staring in their direction.

Among these observers was Fei Fengshan, whose sharp eyes never missed anything. While Jian Hua’s dinner location wasn’t strictly confidential, it certainly didn’t lack secrecy. Quite a number of people learned about this through "secret" channels and the restaurant, along with its bar, had been fully booked for three days already. Fei Fengshan naturally obtained an access route through connections; he came accompanied by Luo Zhi who believed that Jian Hua knew about their bid rigging and hurriedly took some measures in response.

Although at this stage of his life, there weren’t many people Fei Fengshan feared, if Jian Hua decided to gather strength to cause trouble for him, he would have no choice but to temporarily avoid it. During this period, he set up information nodes and maintained a highly vigilant stance; however, Jian Hua’s side showed no signs of action, none of which were directed at them.

This left Fei Fengshan puzzled, ultimately deciding to come together with the inexperienced Luo Zhi in order to finally see what was on Jian Hua's mind. They wondered if he could truly turn a blind eye to those who disrupted the auction. As such, it wasn’t just Su Cen’s team managers now worrying for him but also Fei Fengshan and Luo Zhi.

However, no matter how others speculated or thought, they couldn't have imagined that in the dramatic dining area across from them, such a conversation would take place.

Jian Hua put down his glass and smiled, saying, "Old age comes with fewer worries to handle, but this old man still doesn’t rest. He’s finally stretched out his hand into Shanghai."

Jian Hua rapped on the table, signaling for Su Cen to take a look at what was in front of him.

Su Cen's desk had a leather file folder placed in front of it. Su Cen sat down casually and ignored the item, though he was very tempted to open it. He even thought wickedly that maybe Zhan Hua had stuffed large amounts of cash inside, hoping to cry out and beg him to take it. If so, that would be a great deal for him. With his eyes fixed straight ahead, Su Cen finally opened the leather file folder. It was not full of cash as he had imagined but some A4 printed papers. When Su Cen took them out and looked at them, they turned out to be copies of his student records, detailing his performance in high school by subject.

"I’ve always been curious who designed the auction. Our company’s intelligence department can obtain the most accurate information. So I asked them for help. You have only one item in your hand and there are no attachments here at all. No other people except my colleagues from the intelligence department have seen this material so far, so you don’t need to worry about privacy issues."

Su Cen suppressed his excitement caused by seeing the contents of the file folder with a grin on his face. "I’m not afraid; I don’t have any secrets."

Zhan Hua narrowed his eyes and glanced at Su Cen before saying, "A week before the auction, I went to Sichuan Province. Back then, I didn’t know that Su Lichen was your father. A bolt of lightning flashed through Zhan Hua’s mind as he recalled those fancy banquets in a hotel in Chengdu where guests whispered and circulated among each other, and an elderly man talking with him. Putting all these clues together, he took a deep breath. “If I had known about this earlier, I would have done things differently. You wouldn’t be here now.”

Su Cen thought to himself that it was too bad Zhan Hua wasn’t someone who could relive his life but he, Su Cen, was. Therefore, unfortunately, everything was up to him.

There had never been an auction like this in the future. Even after Warren Buffett’s lunch auction ended, there were no celebrity lunch auctions in China. Zhan Hua’s three-hour session with Shi Yuguang was already a pioneering version of such events within the country, and it wasn’t until then that these types of celebrity lunch auctions began to catch media attention.

Zhan Hua hadn’t held an auction in Shanghai in 2001. He had been under Xu’s command as an old subordinate when he was a soldier, but by now the construction battalion had become a thing of the past. With the times changing, that same construction battalion had grown into a state-owned enterprise worth billions and leading Chengdu, while Zhan Hua himself had transformed from being a young soldier younger than Su Cen to becoming one of the most prominent figures in the Yangtze River Delta’s golden triangle and ranking among China’s top 20 on Forbes’ list.

Every move he made could stir up public opinion and lead trends.

The only thing he hadn’t anticipated was that someone had outwitted him despite his unmatched foresight in the financial media and when making strategic investments for his fund company.

In the new western energy development strategy investment conference in Rongcheng, Old Man Xu and I discussed over tea, subtly hinting at his auction. Inadvertently, he also gave a subtle nod to his own auction, suggesting that Jian Hua's impromptu decision to auction off his dinner this time had something to do with the influence of Old Man Xu.

"You're very clever. If we were grading this matter out of 100 points, I would already give you a high score of 90. Your father, Su Licheng, has discussed the auction with me and even proposed emulating Warren Buffett's lunch to Old Man Xu as well. However, I didn't expect that all these efforts were being made for your sake… For Old Man Xu to personally get involved is quite unusual… Su Licheng really has raised a good son.

Uncertain if this move would make Jian Hua uncomfortable in his heart, but even if it did, at this point there was no time to care about it.

Jian Hua had invested in numerous companies and enterprises in Rongcheng, with close ties to Dayong Construction and many joint projects. He also had further cooperation planned with my father and a profound connection with Old Man Xu, who was incredibly influential.

Su Can couldn't wish for Jian Hua to consult him because of this relationship to stage a show for his auction in order to boost the fame of Su Can Enterprises; that would be too naive. Moreover, it was unlikely that Old Man Xu would openly ask Jian Hua to do so either, at most offering subtle advice – already quite an impressive support.

Theoretically speaking, if Old Man Xu gave a "nod," Su Can could have smoothly progressed in Shanghai; Jian Hua might invest, perhaps even give a magazine an ad due to this relationship, and the magazine's progress would likely be steady. As for the auction, it wouldn't need any consideration.

But that wasn't what Su Can wanted. He never hoped that Jian Hua would open his purse strings because of their familial connection, providing him with a supportive investment. He should have his own path, his own operational capital, and his own way to gain recognition. Rather than accepting this favor wrapped in personal connections.

Otherwise, even a small department manager under Jian Hua could dismiss Su Can, without needing such an elaborate meeting on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel, overlooking scenic views.

In the end, one still needs to rely on their own strength to gain their standing.action, and his promise of benefits, he wouldn’t be so proactive.The benefits are indeed tempting; if there's a position at the headquarters, Li Yuhu promises to help Ma Nan secure it. He has long wan...