Chapter 1580
Language
Hong Kong, Queen's Road Central.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The most bustling area, the best hotel.
This place costs HK$10,000 a night, and that's just for the basic room type.
It has hosted Princess Diana, Nixon, Ford, and George H.W. Bush, three former presidents of the United States, who also stayed here when they visited Hong Kong.
Celebrities and famous people have received countless guests.
Tom Cruise also stayed here when he was filming Mission: Impossible III.
But the most famous one has to be Leslie Cheung.
On April 1, 2003, this Hong Kong superstar jumped from the 24th floor of this hotel.
It has been rumored ever since that the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental is closed to guests and has been sealed off.
Zhang Yuan went up to take a look, and thought, "What a load of crap!"
Another inexplicable urban legend.
They're just making a mess of all this fancy stuff.
However, he wasn't there for the celebrity tour today, and soon he went down to the 7th floor.
He came here specifically for a restaurant on the 7th floor of the hotel.
Amber, literally translated, means amber.
It is also the name of this most famous Michelin three-star French restaurant in Hong Kong.
Here, a meal for two starts at 4800.
It is the minimum, with no upper limit.
It was here that he made an appointment with Huang Xiaoming to have a meal together.
"Brother Xiaoming is here."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Brother Xiaoming was as polite as ever.
Yang Tianbao stayed by his side.
"It didn't take long."
"Besides, it's worth waiting for Brother Xiaoming to come." He was equally polite.
He booked a small private room with a sea view. There was a minimum charge, and if there wasn't enough food, they would make up for it with drinks.
"Miss, please bring me some chilled champagne first."
Soon the waiter brought over an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne worth several thousand dollars inside.
By this time, Xiao Ming had already amassed considerable wealth, and he could afford to drink champagne worth several thousand yuan.
Yang Tianbao got really excited, instinctively thrilled at the sight of expensive champagne.
Zhang Yuan thinks it might be a habit he developed from his early days as a young model working in nightclubs.
"Take a look at the menu first, and we'll order and talk as we go."
When the menu was brought out, Xiaoming was completely bewildered.
French.
In his eyes, it was no different from scribbles.
"I'll do it." The little darling wanted to show off as soon as she saw that it was a foreign language.
But after taking it, he was still completely bewildered.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuan asked knowingly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
"Sigh..." Both of them were a little embarrassed to speak.
"Waiter," he called, asking if they had a Chinese menu. The staff replied that they only had English and French menus.
So I asked them for two copies in English.
"Please don't take offense, this is just how Hong Kong is."
"Baby should know this quite well."
"Hehehe, yes, in Hong Kong, it's okay if you don't speak Cantonese, but you really can't do without English," Yang Tianbao replied with a laugh.
"You've lived in Hong Kong for many years, your English must be quite good, right?"
"It's alright." With that, Yang Tianbao held up the menu and leaned closer to Xiaoming, ready to order together.
But when the two of them get together, they just stare at each other blankly.
"Honey, what does this mean?" Xiao Ming asked, hugging his girlfriend.
“Uh…” Yang Tianbao was speechless.
Actually, she's only a mediocre person. She moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong when she was a teenager and learned Hong Kong-style English both in and out of school.
I can speak, but my grammar is poor.
It's watchable, but not for complex content.
Even so, this already surpasses most college students who can't even open their mouths.
As for why she still couldn't bring herself to say why the menu had been changed to English.
Zhang Yuan didn't choose this place randomly.
It's definitely expensive, after all, it's a Michelin three-star restaurant.
And it's not just any ordinary three-star restaurant; this French restaurant is a green star.
The so-called Green Star is the concept that white people like the most: sustainable development and vegetarianism.
A large portion of the dishes at this restaurant are dairy-free, meat-free, and have a whole host of other restrictions.
Use soy milk, plant protein, vegetable shortening, or cheese as substitutes.
In short, the goal is to make wealthy people feel not only no guilt after a meal, but also that they are very environmentally conscious and superior to others.
Therefore, the menu will describe the ingredients and their origins in detail.
If you could completely understand this menu, you would have passed Level 6 a long time ago.
Hua Ge recommended this place to him because he is a vegetarian.
Occasionally, guests will be invited over.
Just when the two were at their wits' end, Zhang Yuan waved and called over a waiter.
"Russian sturgeon caviar with Hokkaido sea urchin and soy milk cauliflower mousse."
"Pigeon breast with black truffle duck liver sauce".
"Plain sheep liver mushrooms with white asparagus and oxalis."
He ordered his food in fluent French.
The waiter nodded and smiled, replying in French as well, and the communication was very smooth.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuan pretended to have just noticed the dilemma of the two people opposite him.
“The menu here is a bit complicated.” He stood up and came between the two of them.
A little bit of enthusiastic translation, a little bit of explanation.
It took quite a bit of effort to get it done.
"Thank you so much, you've gone to so much trouble."
"You're treating us, so you're also going to help us order the food."
Xiao Ming said somewhat awkwardly.
"This place isn't cheap, is it?"
"Let's not talk about the price," Zhang Yuan replied.
"Now that you're the boss, do you really need this much?"
"Don't try to pay the bill with me later."
The two smiled at each other.
When Zhang Yuan asked them to meet today, his excuse was that the two sides had not had any formal communication since "Ip Man 2".
Now that the other party is no longer in Huayi, let's clear up any misunderstandings as soon as possible.
Xiao Ming is a true local; he immediately agreed upon hearing this.
He also brought up the matter himself.
“I understand that you had no choice at the time.” Zhang Yuan gestured with his hand to show his understanding.
"There is no conflict between us."
"We can cooperate in the future if there is an opportunity."
"As for now," Zhang Yuan said with a friendly smile.
"Even if there is competition between us, it is peaceful competition."
“Yes, we’re all friends,” Xiao Ming immediately agreed.
It would be strange if they didn't agree.
Firstly, he was somewhat innocent in what happened back then, but he couldn't defy the law.
Now that I'm independent, although I still work with my former employer, I have more freedom.
If you're talking about having money, holding 2% of Huayi shares is worth quite a bit.
It's just not on sale yet.
Therefore, he currently has a paper net worth of hundreds of millions, but it has not been converted into actual cash.
But he still has tens of millions of dollars invested in many projects.
Among male celebrities in mainland China today, he is definitely among the wealthiest.
But... it depends on who you're comparing it to.
His total paper wealth is less than Zhang Yuan's cash flow.
This is a difference of at least one order of magnitude.
And Brother Xiaoming knows this.
So when Zhang Yuan said the past is the past, he was naturally happy to accept it.
The other party is much better than me, and their generosity is a good thing for me.
Yang Tianbao, standing to the side, clicked his tongue, sensing that something was amiss.
Could he really be that kind?
How can someone who's so kind make so much money?
Putting everything else aside, I can afford to eat and drink these things now, but that's all I can afford.
She didn't know how many houses Zhang Yuan owned in the capital.
At this moment, Yang Tianbao, like Xiaoming, is not in his complete form.
After all, she was dependent on him.
In another year or two, she will be able to afford a luxury house in Hong Kong worth tens of millions of dollars... which is actually only about 100 square meters.
At the peak of his career, he bought a house in Hong Kong for over 100 million HKD, which made him very famous and even made the news.
He bought the property under his mother's name, and later did not receive any property in the divorce.
I don't know if it was part of the plan all along.
But 100 million in 6 or 7 years is not the same as 100 million now. This girl knew that as Zhang Yuan's "female investigator," it was best not to talk nonsense.
Zhang Yuan looked at the two of them, wanting to say something to both of them.
"You married a geisha who's already been used by a businessman, and you treat her like a treasure."
The merchant is none other than myself.
The competition he was referring to was, of course, the movie "American Dreams in China".
Yes, fair competition.
Just as Yang Tianbao thought, Zhang Yuan would soon show him why he could make so much money.
"Brother Xiaoming, there's something I'd like to remind you of."
"Although I shouldn't say anything, I still want to."
"It's alright, go ahead."
"Those Huayi shares you hold should be out of lock-up period by now, right?"
"My advice is not to sell yet, but to hold on and wait for the stock market to recover before making a sale. That way you can get a better price."
"Yes." Huang Xiaoming nodded repeatedly.
Because what Zhang Yuan said was almost exactly the same as what his older sister, Yiping, said.
If my own sister wouldn't harm me, then it means Zhang Yuan genuinely cares about me.
Even Xiaoming was a little touched.
Look at me... Back then, when I left the film crew, it caused them a lot of trouble while they were filming, and now they're giving me advice.
Huang Xiaoming is a person with a somewhat inferiority complex, but not the kind of inferiority complex personality disorder like Stephen Chow.
Because Xiaoming comes from a well-off family, both his parents are highly educated, and he received a very good education.
His personality is more magnanimous than that of Deng Chao and Chen Kun, which is a result of his family background.
But low self-esteem is something we are born with.
People with this kind of personality are genuinely nice to you when you're on good terms with them, and you're easily moved.
On the contrary, it is very difficult to impress people who are particularly confident.
The atmosphere immediately warmed up, and the other person took the initiative to talk about their life.
I'm planning to buy a house in Hong Kong so my eldest child will have a place to live.
But Xiaoming isn't stupid; he still wrote his own name, which made him smarter than Baoqiang.
While enjoying the luxurious and exquisite dishes, Zhang Yuan also talked about his culinary experiences in France and other parts of Europe, and commented on the excellent details of these dishes.
Xiao Ming listened with a curious expression, but felt a little sad inside.
Compared to others, I'm so vulgar!
What are you talking about, buying a house?
They talk about all over the world, but I've never been to any of those places...
"Hello, sir."
Not long after, the waiter pushed the door open and came in.
"Oh, Richard's at work?"
"Yes, please follow me."
Richard Ekkebus is Dutch and is also the head chef of this restaurant.
The menu has remained unchanged since the restaurant opened in 05; all the dishes were designed by this person.
The concept of using sustainable ingredients, such as seafood that is not overfished, and sustainable flora and fauna, was also proposed by this person.
The restaurant got its Michelin stars entirely because of other people.
Most upscale Western restaurants have a chef's inspection session, where the head chef will personally chat with guests and inquire about their taste in the dishes.
This restaurant goes a step further, allowing you to visit the kitchen and watch the chef cook your main course.
It's all about the presentation, but only if you spend enough money. Otherwise, even if the second chef cooks for you, you can forget about coming to the kitchen.
A large portion of the money spent is for the experience, for the services and feelings.
"Bonjour, chef de cuisine."
Zhang Yuan saw a tall foreigner with flaxen hair in the kitchen.
Although the Dutch speak Dutch, learning French cuisine will definitely require speaking French.
After Zhang Yuan chatted smoothly with the other party for a while, the foreigner looked at Xiao Ming and Yang Tianbao.
"How was the meal?" the foreigner asked the two, meaning "How was the meal?"
The two of them were still completely bewildered.
The foreigner seemed to know what he was doing, so he asked again in English. Yang Tianbao understood, looked happy, nodded repeatedly, and gave a thumbs up.
After struggling for a while, Xiao Ming finally managed to utter a "GOOD" with a strong oyster accent.
"Zhang Yuan, what was that foreigner saying just now?" Xiao Ming was very curious because he saw the foreigner chatting happily with him, even giving each other a high five, looking very much in sync.
"He asked me if there were any adjustments needed to the menu?" he replied frankly.
"The bottle of red wine I mentioned is not the right one."
"Bordeaux wines are strong-flavored, and pairing them with seafood can be a bit too much."
"It's best to use wines from the Rhône Valley, where fish and shrimp are plentiful. The water quality is different from that of Bordeaux, and the soil is richer in minerals, making it a good match for white-fleshed fish."
"The chef said that the sauce used for the fish is made with Rhône Valley red wine."
"They think I'm very knowledgeable."
Actually, this is one of the standard combinations in French cuisine; you can guess it if you do your research beforehand.
But after hearing this, Xiaoming felt like a complete country bumpkin!
Thinking back to when I looked at the menu earlier, I couldn't understand the French, and I still couldn't understand the English.
When I came to chat with the head chef, I couldn't even open my mouth.
How could I be so embarrassing?
Compared to Zhang Yuan, I'm like an idiot.
"Brother Xiaoming, don't worry about these things. You'll understand everything after you come more often."
"Let's get together often when we have the chance," Zhang Yuan said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
“Yes, I’ll treat you next time,” he said eagerly.
He wanted to save face by paying the bill.
The food was delicious, but not worth the price… That was Zhang Yuan’s assessment after finishing his meal.
But I didn't come here today for the food.
After leaving the restaurant, the two parted ways.
Zhang Yuan went directly upstairs to stay and rest.
Xiao Ming and Yang Tianbao went to stay at another hotel, and planned to look at some properties tomorrow.
Even now, Xiaoming can't afford a big house in Central.
After showering, the two prepared to start their pre-bedtime exercise as usual.
However, Ms. Yang, who was wearing only underwear, found that her husband wasn't very interested.
"what happened?"
"Tsk... I'm thinking." Brother Xiaoming lay on the bed, his hands behind his head, his armpit hair showing, looking worried.
Compared to others, why am I so bad at everything?
"Now I think, it's lucky that he played the role in 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' back then, otherwise I might have been a disaster."
"Don't think like that, no way, you're great," Yang Tianbao quickly reassured him.
At this point, she hadn't "gotten too big for her britches" yet, and was acting like a perfect girlfriend.
You're so kind.
So what? She's a bit older than him, poorer than him, and... a bit younger than him.
It's okay, you're a good person.
But it's still the same. Xiaoming has an underlying sense of inferiority, and once he gets caught up in this kind of thinking, he can't get out of it.
"Look at the restaurant we were eating at just now, such a high-class place."
"I don't even know the most basic foreign language, I'm making a fool of myself."
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, clutching his head in pain.
"People online are laughing at me too, making fun of my songs."
"How could I be so bad?"
"They're both actors, but their foreign languages are so good."
"No wonder he can act abroad."
Yang Tianbao nodded, then shook his head vigorously.
She subconsciously admitted it, because Zhang Yuan's spoken English was clearly much better than hers.
Seeing her man like this, she couldn't tell the truth.
"I've lost all confidence."
"President Wang even arranged for me to compete with others for roles."
Xiao Ming remembered that the character was an English teacher.
I can't even speak English fluently, how am I supposed to act?
Their spoken language is just like their native tongue.
She also speaks several foreign languages.
He originally planned to practice diligently after being cast in the role, and even hired a tutor to learn from him.
Xiao Ming is persistent and willing to put in the effort.
But would I give you that chance?
Using a knife to kill someone is too low-level!
If I set my sights on something, you'll only get a chance to have it if I don't want it.
Just like your woman.
In short, if I give it to you, you can take it; if I don't give it to you, you can't take it.
Considering your good character, I went to the trouble of helping you.
Using the phrase "Nao Tai Tao" to create momentum online is just a means to an end; the real purpose is to plant a seed in his heart.
Planting a seed that will make you a laughingstock if you speak English.
Now I've found a high-end restaurant where I need to communicate in both French and English. I can communicate seamlessly with them. Can you?
Once Xiaoming's psychological defenses crumble and his inferiority complex reaches its peak, his goal will be achieved.
He knew the other person's personality well; once they lost their temper, they were finished.
Making money requires brains; fighting and killing won't get you anywhere.
Murder is so ugly.
It's better to attack their spirit. (End of Chapter)