Chapter 150: Chapter 120: Open Your Eyes and See the World
"Mr. Su~ Is there something you need, calling so early?"
As soon as the call connected, a slightly lethargic voice came from the other end.
"Er..." Hearing this, Su Chen glanced at the time. It was exactly 2:00 PM, which, when converted to Paris time... was apparently 6:00 in the morning.
He chuckled awkwardly. "My apologies, Arno. I’ve disturbed your rest. I’ll call you back later!"
Just as Su Chen was about to hang up, he heard Arno’s voice again. "It’s no problem, Mr. Su. You must have something important to discuss, calling this early."
"Go ahead and tell me. It’s fine. I’m in my study now!"
Hearing Arno say this, Su Chen paused.
He glanced at Xiao Chen beside him, then said, "Arno, I’m calling to ask for a favor."
"Oh? Mr. Su, what is it you need my help with?" Arno was a bit surprised. It didn’t seem like there was anything Su Chen would need his assistance for.
"Do you remember those two bronze animal heads you gave me before?"
Arno’s brow twitched. ’Don’t tell me Su Chen is asking me to find the others?’ he wondered.
"Is something wrong with them? Don’t tell me your experts claimed they’re fakes!" Arno joked lightly.
"That’s not it..." Su Chen thought for a moment and decided it was best to be direct. ’Beating around the bush really isn’t my style.’
"Here’s the situation. The relevant authorities are very interested in the two bronze heads you gave me. Their hope is that you will donate these two heads in the name of the Arno family! What are your thoughts on that?"
Arno’s mind couldn’t quite process it at first. ’I already gave both bronze heads to Su Chen, so why are they now asking for them to be donated in my family’s name? Is there some ulterior motive here?’
’How will this affect my family? These are all things I need to consider.’
After a long silence, Su Chen finally heard Arno’s voice again. "Mr. Su, let me consider this for a bit. My mind is still a little fuzzy, having just woken up. I’ll call you back later!"
"Alright~ I look forward to your call!"
The moment Su Chen hung up, Xiao Chen immediately sidled up to him. "So? Did that Arno fellow agree or not?"
Since the two had been speaking the language of Gaul, Xiao Chen hadn’t understood a single word and had just been pacing anxiously nearby.
Su Chen shot him an exasperated look. "Brother Cheen, it’s only six in the morning over in Paris. If someone called and woke you up at that hour, wouldn’t you be pissed?"
"I wouldn’t be angry! I’m always prepared!" Xiao Chen said, his back ramrod straight and his expression resolute.
Su Chen fell silent at his response. ’Right, I forgot about Xiao Chen’s identity... he’s one of *those* dedicated people.’
"I explained the situation to Arno," Su Chen said. "He wants to think it over. He’s probably trying to figure out why the donation ceremony has to be in his family’s name. In any case, he’ll call me back later, whether it’s a yes or a no."
Su Chen explained the whole situation to Xiao Chen so he would know where things stood.
The two of them settled in for a long wait. Su Chen even had Jiang Hui buy some braised duck snacks to help pass the time.
..............
Meanwhile, in Paris, Arno was having breakfast with his daughter, Shuraya, in their resplendent dining room.
"What do you think this Su Chen is playing at? Calling out of the blue to have us donate two bronze heads in our family’s name... isn’t that just a free boost to our family’s reputation? Would such a wonderful offer really just fall into our laps?"
Arno knew there was no such thing as a free lunch, but he just couldn’t figure out what Su Chen—or whoever was behind this suggestion—was up to.
Shuraya didn’t respond, instead continuing to eat the croissant in front of her in a slow, deliberate manner.
Only after she had finished the croissant on her plate and taken a sip of coffee did she speak. "Perhaps they want to leverage our family’s fame to achieve some goal. After all, our family does have some clout in Europe."
Shuraya’s words were like a bolt from the blue, and the old fox, Arno, instantly understood everything.
CLAP!
"So that’s what this is about!" Arno exclaimed, clapping his hands together in excitement.
"You’ve figured it out, Father?" Shuraya asked, her face full of curiosity.
"Mhm~"
Arno gave his daughter a meaningful look. "Shuraya, how much do you know about Su Chen’s country, Huaxia?"
"Huaxia? Not very well. I’ve only seen some reports on social media that say aside from cities like the Imperial Capital, Shanghai, and Peng City, the rest of the country is quite poor."
A clear flicker of disappointment crossed Arno’s face at his daughter’s answer.
"No, Shuraya. Huaxia is extremely developed. Even its third and fourth-tier cities are not that far behind our Paris. Moreover, that country’s strength has already propelled it into the top three in the world."
"In terms of both economy and military might!"
’My daughter is still too young,’ he thought. ’Although she has spent some time honing her skills at the company, her worldview is still severely lacking.’
’An heir to a major conglomerate like ours can’t just keep their head down and focus on managing the company’s growth. They also have to look up from time to time and observe the changes in the world.’
’Those who fail to keep up with the current of the times will inevitably be swept away by its torrent.’
"How is that possible? You’re saying Huaxia is even more powerful than our Gaul?" Shuraya asked in disbelief.
Arno heaved a long sigh. He couldn’t blame Shuraya. Across all of Gaul, and even all of Europe, countless people shared this mentality. Even within the great families that had existed for centuries, there was no shortage of people just like her.
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