Chapter 151: Chapter 120: Open Your Eyes to the World
Open your eyes and see the world!
Second and third-generation heirs like Shuraya have sharp minds, but unfortunately, their vision is a bit short-sighted. They only focus on their own country instead of the entire world.
But that’s to be expected... ’If she could see the bigger, global picture, I wouldn’t have to worry so much. I could just step aside and pass the torch to her.’
’Looks like it’s time for her to see the world,’ Arno decided.
Shuraya was shocked by the fact of Huaxia’s power, but what did that have to do with calling Su Chen?
She immediately voiced her confusion.
"What do you mean, ’what does it have to do with it’? It has everything to do with it!"
"Everyone knows that this great eastern nation has five thousand years of history. It’s the only country with a complete, unbroken historical record, so naturally, it has produced countless cultural artifacts. However, in recent times, many of its national treasures have been lost overseas for various reasons."
"And the reason Su Chen made this call is that he wants our Arno family to take the lead—to proactively return their country’s lost artifacts and set an example for other people and nations!"
Shuraya’s perspective might have been a bit narrow, but she was incredibly smart. The moment her father finished speaking, she understood everything.
"Father, Su Chen is asking us to be his shield! We can’t agree to this! If we do, we’ll inevitably be targeted by certain families!"
If they agreed to Su Chen’s request, the Arno family would truly be sticking their necks out.
Arno shook his head. "No, we’ll agree. And not only will we agree, but we’ll also use the Arno family’s influence in Gaul to gather as many Huaxian artifacts as we can!"
"What?" Shuraya could hardly believe her ears.
’He’s using you as a pawn, and you’re rushing to hand him the ammunition?’
Seeing the confusion on Shuraya’s face, Arno chuckled before explaining, "In recent years, Huaxia’s development has been incredibly rapid. Its economy is now the second-largest in the world. Add to that its formidable military strength, and who could possibly challenge its position?"
"Su Chen is most likely the chosen executor for their cultural relic repatriation plan. If we actively cooperate with him to complete this plan, doesn’t that mean we can gain the friendship of a great power?"
When faced with a choice between gaining the friendship of a great power and dealing with the dissatisfaction of a few minor families, Arno didn’t even have to think about what to choose.
It was just a few artifacts. It wouldn’t be a significant loss for those families; they would just feel a little embarrassed, that’s all.
"I understand, Father!" As the family heir, she naturally understood the concept of maximizing benefits.
In the eyes of Arno and Shuraya... profit was always the top priority.
"I’ll arrange this personally. When the time comes, Shuraya, you will go to Huaxia yourself. Go and see what that mysterious eastern nation is really like. Your perspective can’t be clouded by the biased media in Europe!"
"Understood, Father!" A deep curiosity now filled Shuraya’s heart. ’Just what kind of country is this great eastern nation... to make my father adopt such a cautious attitude?’
...........
"Su Chen, do you think that Arno fellow is actually going to call back? We’ve been waiting for over two hours. I’m about to wilt!" Xiao Chen asked, his eyes hazy as he lay on the sofa.
Xiao Chen had even managed to take a nap while they waited.
"Come on, Brother Cheen, Arno’s no fool. You think he doesn’t know we’re using him as a pawn?"
"Of course he’s going to think things through carefully before calling back. If he gets sold out, who’s he going to turn to?"
Just as Xiao Chen was about to retort, the phone Su Chen had left on the table started ringing.
Before Su Chen could even get up, Xiao Chen shot up from the sofa with a SWOOSH.
He glanced at the caller ID—it was Arno. He immediately handed the phone to Su Chen.
The moment the call connected, Arno’s enthusiastic voice came from the other end.
"My apologies, Mr. Su, for keeping you waiting!"
"Not at all... I’m the one who wasn’t paying attention to the time this morning and disturbed your rest."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Arno finally brought up the matter of the donation himself.
"Mr. Su, we’ve agreed to the matter you mentioned earlier. However, I have a small request, and I was wondering if you might be able to grant it."
Su Chen raised an eyebrow. ’The old fox is up to something.’
"And what request might that be?"
"Hahaha! Nothing unreasonable, of course. It’s just about the donation ceremony... I feel it would be more official if a member of the Arno family were present. I’m planning to have Shuraya come to Huaxia in a few days. I hope you, Mr. Su, can show her around and let her broaden her horizons!"
Hearing this, Su Chen couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ’He really is the man at the helm of the Louis Vuitton Group. What an old fox!’
’A perfect plan to kill two birds with one stone!’
Having Shuraya represent the Arno family at the donation ceremony in the country would be tantamount to high-level free advertising, and it would also give Shuraya valuable experience. It was the best of both worlds.
Su Chen covered the mouthpiece and relayed Arno’s request to Xiao Chen.
He thought Xiao Chen would need to ask for instructions, but to his surprise, Xiao Chen just nodded and agreed immediately.
Su Chen could only suppress his curiosity. "Arno, that’s no problem at all. Just let us know when Shuraya will be flying over, and we’ll make the necessary arrangements."
Upon receiving a positive reply, Arno’s voice became noticeably lighter.
"I still have a few things to take care of on my end. I’ll have Shuraya fly over in half a month at the latest. How does that sound?"
In truth, Arno wanted to do it sooner, but he wanted to make the donation a larger-scale event, which meant finding more of Huaxia’s national-treasure-level artifacts...
All of that required time, so he had no choice but to postpone it as long as he could.
"Alright, no problem. I’ll personally go to the airport to pick up Miss Shuraya when she arrives."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up.
Tossing the phone onto the table, Su Chen collapsed onto the sofa.
"Brother Cheen, that old fox Arno is sending his daughter to the donation ceremony. He’s obviously just trying to get us to give him a major publicity boost in the country. Why did you agree?"
Xiao Chen chuckled. "It works both ways. We can use the Arno family’s name to get publicity around the world, too. For us, it’s nothing but a benefit!"
"And don’t you think having the heir to the Arno family personally attend a donation ceremony like this makes it even more meaningful?" A mischievous smile played on Xiao Chen’s lips, his own schemes hidden from view.
Su Chen shrugged. He had no desire to understand all the intricate twists and turns. It was best not to get involved in such mentally taxing games.
"By the way, Arno said she can’t fly to the Imperial Capital for another half a month. You’ll have to arrange your schedule accordingly!"
"Half a month?"
Xiao Chen did a quick mental calculation. That would be right around the New Year. The timing wasn’t bad at all.
"Alright, I got it. I’ll report this to the relevant person in charge."
With the matter settled, Xiao Chen didn’t plan on staying any longer. He was just about to get up when Su Chen stopped him.
"Brother Cheen, what’s there to do for fun and what’s good to eat in the north during winter?"
"Fun and food?"
Xiao Chen glanced at him. He knew Su Chen had basically been cooped up at home lately, not going out to bars or anything. It must be getting pretty boring after a while.
"There really aren’t that many fun places in the Imperial Capital. Ice skating at Shichahai, right in front of your courtyard, is about as lively as it gets!"
Su Chen rolled his eyes at that. ’You’re telling me in this huge northern region, besides the lack of nightlife, there’s also nothing to do in winter?’
"If you want to go out skiing or see some ice sculptures, I’d recommend you head to Ice City in the northeast. They have a huge ice sculpture festival there every year, plus a lot of authentic local food you can try."
"Ice City in the northeast?" The first thing that came to Su Chen’s mind wasn’t skiing or ice sculptures, but barbecue.
For no other reason than this: why was northern barbecue so cheap, and why was there so much meat on each skewer?
In the south, a single lamb skewer cost at least seven or eight yuan. If it had a decent amount of meat, it could be over ten.
But in the north, a lamb skewer was just two yuan...
Two yuan! In the south, that wasn’t even enough for a skewer of dried tofu. Maybe a skewer with twenty kernels of corn, if you were lucky.
A price like that... any southerner who loved barbecue would be green with envy!
Comments