Chapter 447
Small Money?
"Old Su~"
As soon as Chen Yao got into the car, he put his arm around Su Chen's shoulder and asked in a low voice, his face full of curiosity.
"What's going on with these people? They're carrying things on their waists, and they even have bulletproof briefcases. I heard Chen Fei say they're one of our own. Tell me about it!"
As he spoke, Chen Yao's gaze would occasionally drift to the burly man sitting in the passenger seat. The man's arms were thicker than his legs, and even his expression gave off a sense of dread.
As luck would have it, Chen Yao's gaze met the other man's, and he saw the burly man's cold, sharp eyes in the rearview mirror.
Chen Yao immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He instantly realized that the burly man sitting in the passenger seat had been to the battlefield, and was even a K/DA player. He had truly seen blood.
He had seen many people like this before, but compared to the person in front of him, this one lacked a bit of cold-bloodedness.
"You don't know?" Su Chen raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing Chen Yao's question. He had previously thought that Xiao Chen had told Chen Yao all his secrets.
"Huh?" Chen Yao was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and explained, "Please, I just got back from the Northeast this morning. I hadn't even been talking to Brother Chen for half an hour when you arrived!"
In the end, Chen Yao's eyes held a hint of resentment, as if he were blaming him for appearing at the wrong time.
Su Chen couldn't help but laugh when he saw Chen Yao's expression. "What, is it my fault for arriving early?"
Su Chen's expression immediately became more serious. He patted Chen Yao's hand on his shoulder and waited for him to remove it before saying, "They are indeed all on our side! They are from the Southeast Asia branch of IPS Security Company. The one sitting in the passenger seat is called Ghost, and he is the leader of the special operations team!"
"IPS?!" Chen Yao muttered to himself, immediately thinking about what this IPS security company was. It was a top-tier security company comparable to Blackwater, and even more mysterious than Blackwater in some aspects.
“No wonder…” Chen Yao took a deep breath, and couldn’t help but feel a little curious. How did this famous IPS security company become one of their own?
He certainly didn't think it was a security team that Su Chen had specially hired. After all, they had bodyguards with them when they came. Moreover, there are special security companies of our own abroad, so why would we need to hire IPS? It might even leak the secrets of their trip.
As one of the most outstanding young people in the Chen family, Chen Yao is quick-witted; otherwise, he wouldn't have become Old Master Wang's student.
He quickly realized that Su Chen must know the importance of this trip. The fact that IPS people were accompanying him meant they were highly trusted by Su Chen, and considering the earlier mention of their own people…
An outrageous idea immediately popped into Chen Yao's mind.
Although he found it somewhat unbelievable, Chen Yao couldn't think of any other idea that could convince him besides this answer.
"Gulp~" Chen Yao swallowed nervously, looking at Su Chen with a mixture of curiosity and shock, and asked, "Old Su, don't tell me... you're one of the shareholders of IPS Security Company!"
"One of the shareholders?" Su Chen smiled slightly, then gently shook his head. "I am not a shareholder of IPS Security Company."
Hearing this, Chen Yao breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if Su Chen was a shareholder of IPS Security Company, his wealth would be terrifying. But just as his heart settled down, Su Chen's voice rang in his ears again.
"I am the behind-the-scenes boss of IPS Security Company, the only boss!" Su Chen emphasized this again, seemingly to avoid Chen Yao misunderstanding.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yao was completely stunned. He stared at Su Chen with his mouth agape, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He and Su Chen had only not seen each other for a little over half a year, so how could such a drastic change have occurred? Not only had Su Chen made a name for himself in China, but he had also become the behind-the-scenes boss of IPS Security, one of the world's top three security companies!
How could Chen Yao possibly accept this in such a short time!
It feels like Su Chen is the top third-generation elite in the capital, while he's just some nobody from the grassroots.
Chen Yao was quite adaptable, having seen his share of big events in the capital. He quickly processed the news that Su Chen was the behind-the-scenes boss of IPS Security Company.
He lightly punched Su Chen's chest with his left hand and teased with a smile, "Alright~ you little rascal, tell me what else I don't know, so I won't be surprised when I find out later!"
Su Chen shrugged calmly and said, "I'm sure you've already told me about the domestic ones. As for the international ones, besides the IPS security company you already know about, he's also the largest individual shareholder of the world's three major luxury brands and a shareholder of Manchester City Football Club."
Hearing familiar names come out of Su Chen's mouth, Chen Yao was completely stunned, his eyes wide open as if he had heard something unbelievable.
He suddenly grabbed Su Chen's shoulders, his voice trembling slightly: "Wait! The world's three major luxury brands?! You're one of those top luxury groups in France?"
Su Chen felt a little dizzy from being shaken, so he quickly pressed Chen Yao's hand down and nodded in response, "Hmm~ not much, just ten percent of the shares for each company!"
"Ten percent per household isn't enough?" If they weren't in the car, Chen Yao would have jumped up and given Su Chen a good beating, grabbing his collar and loudly questioning him, "What do you mean by 'not enough'?"
Leaving aside the other two luxury goods companies, the market value of LVMH alone is already close to 500 billion US dollars. If we calculate it that way, Su Chen's 10% stake would be worth 50 billion.
When Chen Yao thought about 50 billion, and it was in US dollars, how could he remain calm? Even as a top third-generation heir in the capital, he had never seen so much money.
If you add the shares in two luxury brands, Chen Yao thought to himself, "Oh my god!"
The ghost sitting in the front row heard the commotion coming from the back row, glanced through the rearview mirror, saw Chen Yao's surprised look, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his coldness.
What could be more enjoyable than watching others in shock?
Su Chen touched his nose, realizing that what he had just said did seem a bit pretentious. Ten percent might not sound like much, but the sheer number of people involved made up for it.
"This is just market value, not real money in my pocket. What, you top young master of the capital, you wouldn't be eyeing my little bit of money, would you?" Su Chen's lips curled up slightly as he jokingly feigned surprise.
He immediately received two eye rolls from Chen Yao.
"Small change? You call 50 billion US dollars small change? I really want to strangle you. This is no way to show off." Chen Yao gritted his teeth. If he had known it would be like this, he would never have asked Su Chen about these things.
"If you don't like this small amount of money, you can give it to me. I'd be laughing in my sleep if it were 500 million Chinese yuan, let alone 50 billion US dollars!"
This wasn't just Chen Yao making things up. As one of the top families in the capital, anyone with a little knowledge of business could make a fortune. But his patriarch was extremely strict about this. Doing business was fine, but using the family name was not.
Not only the Chen family, to which Chen Yao belongs, but also the Xiao and Jiang families, to which Xiao Chen and Jiang Yang belong, are very strict in this regard; otherwise, the relationship between the three families would not be so close.
The three families certainly don't lack money, but they can't compare to someone like Su Chen, who has hundreds of billions in assets. They could easily have a few hundred million or even a billion.
Upon hearing this, Su Chen stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Don't even think about giving it to me. I'm afraid your old man will come to the courtyard house to settle accounts with me tonight. But I can still help you earn some money."
Upon hearing that Su Chen wanted to help him make quick money, Chen Yao's melancholy vanished instantly, replaced by an expectant smile. He leaned closer to Su Chen and said, "Really? You said it yourself, I didn't force you!"
He had complete trust in Su Chen. Since Su Chen said he could make money, he must be able to make money. As for how much he could make, that was not Chen Yao's concern!
Hearing this, Su Chen chuckled speechlessly. "I said that after this is over, you go back and raise the funds, and then you can just wait to count the money." "Hahaha~ Good brother, you're a true friend!" Chen Yao laughed heartily.
The car gradually slowed down, and then the ghost's voice rang out, "BOSS~ We've arrived at the hotel!"
Upon hearing this, Su Chen and his companion, who were chatting, turned their gaze to the window. A six-story pink building immediately came into view, completely different from the modern star-rated hotel Su Chen and his companion had imagined.
Looking at the pink hotel in front of him, Su Chen frowned slightly. This made Ghost, who had been paying attention to Su Chen's expression, feel a pang of unease. Ghost quickly explained, "Boss, this hotel is very famous in Hawaii. The environment and service are top-notch!"
Ghost originally intended to arrange a separate manor for Su Chen. It would be fine on the Big Island of Hawaii, but this is Honolulu, and it's really hard to find one in such a hurry.
"It's nothing, I was just curious why this hotel is pink! Let's go, my stomach is growling!" Su Chen understood that there must be a reason why Ghost arranged for them to be here, so he calmly waved his hand, opened the car door and got out.
Chen Yao got out of the car and looked up at the hotel in front of him, which was so pink it was almost glaring. His lips twitched slightly. "Old Su, do you think the Bald Eagles have some kind of peculiar aesthetic taste? They turned a perfectly good hotel into pink."
Su Chen didn't respond to Chen Yao's words, but instead looked towards the hotel lobby, which appeared magnificent and luxurious under the crystal chandeliers, instantly elevating its class.
"Let's go!" After seeing the people in the cars behind him get out, Su Chen gave Ghost a look, signaling him to lead the way.
The arrival of the convoy had already caught the attention of the hotel lobby manager, especially when he saw the strong and burly bodyguards getting out of the cars. He immediately realized that some important person had arrived, and the service staff subconsciously put on their best appearance.
"Good evening, sir!" The lobby manager and several greeters came up to greet him. When they saw Su Chen, who was dressed in casual clothes, and Chen Yao beside him, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but they quickly regained their professional smile.
Ghost stepped forward and said in fluent English, "We have already booked the top-floor suite and ten double rooms!"
Upon hearing this, the lobby manager nodded quickly, his attitude becoming much more respectful than before. "Yes, gentlemen, please follow me!"
The hotel check-in process was quite fast; it only took less than ten minutes for everyone to complete the necessary procedures.
Su Chen immediately instructed Ghost to arrange for the dozen or so people who had come with him to be settled in. Then, led by the lobby manager, they took the elevator to the top floor.
The elevator went straight to the top floor. Ghost and several team members checked the suite's security first, and only after confirming it was safe did they allow Su Chen and Chen Yao to enter.
The suite is decorated in an extremely luxurious style, with a total area of over 300 square meters. The living room alone is over 100 square meters, not to mention the five super large bedrooms. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of Honolulu at night, with its dazzling lights and gentle sea breeze.
"Tsk tsk, this place is really nice. I was almost fooled by the hotel's exterior!" Chen Yao plopped down on the sofa, picked up a piece of fruit from the table, and took a bite. "Old Su, what are our plans next?"
"What arrangements? Of course, it's dinner!" Su Chen said, giving Ghost a look, signaling him to have the lobby manager bring their dinner to their room.
Everything had been pre-booked, and less than twenty minutes after the arrangements were made, the waiters pushed two food carts and knocked on the door.
After being examined by the ghost, he was finally led into the room.
"Do you have to be so serious? Is there anyone who would want to harm you?" Chen Yao teased, a little jealous, when he saw this.
"Better safe than sorry, after all, this isn't our own territory!" Su Chen was quite satisfied with Ghost's caution, which showed that Ghost was always concerned about Su Chen's safety.
No one would complain about having too many dedicated and responsible subordinates like that.
After the waiter left, only Su Chen, Chen Yao, You Ling, and Chen Fei remained in the room. Su Chen immediately waved for everyone to sit down.
The dinner delivered by the hotel was quite sumptuous, including the standard tomahawk steak, Hawaiian-style grilled pork chops, fresh tuna sashimi, tropical fruit salad, and several bottles of chilled champagne.
"Let's eat first, then we'll talk!" After flying for nearly ten hours, even though he had eaten quite a bit on the plane, Su Chen felt very hungry and picked up his knife and fork to start eating.
Chen Yao and Chen Fei were no exception; their stomachs were already growling with hunger. Their attention was drawn to the food on the table, and seeing that Su Chen had started eating, they also picked up their knives and forks and began to eat heartily.
The ghost, who usually had a cold and aloof expression, was the complete opposite of Su Chen and the other two. He ate very slowly and deliberately, making it seem as if he were the one of the nobles.
In a whirlwind, the four of them devoured all the food on the table, especially Chen Yao, who, with his large belly, collapsed on the sofa with a look of utter satisfaction on his face.
Su Chen wiped his mouth, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Alright, now that we're full, let's get down to business!"
As he spoke, Su Chen gave Ghost a look, and the latter immediately understood, taking out a small item from his bulletproof briefcase.
Upon seeing the gadget in Ghost's hand, Chen Yao immediately sat up and exclaimed in surprise, "The most advanced anti-eavesdropping device from the White Eagle?"
Chen Yao hadn't expected that the ghost would carry such a thing with him; he only knew about it because of his previous work.
If he remembered correctly, this anti-eavesdropping device had only been developed a few months ago, and the Bald Eagles had only just begun to put it into practice.
It can not only block eavesdropping and secret filming, but also interfere with signals within a ten-meter radius, making it quite versatile in terms of functionality.
Upon hearing this, Ghost glanced at Chen Yao with surprise. He had only recently acquired this thing, just in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Su Chen also looked curiously at the thing in the ghost's hand, but quickly looked away and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, attracting everyone's attention.
"Ghost, is everything arranged?"
...(End of chapter)