"Alright, go to Old Song's place, you're disturbing my peace and quiet..."
A smile appeared on the old man's face. Although he was very dissatisfied with his stubborn and ill-fated son-in-law, he adored his grandson.
"What's all this about? Am I that flamboyant?"
After leaving Grandpa Song's courtyard, Zhuang Rui also had a piece of calligraphy in his hand. Looking at the two pieces of calligraphy, Zhuang Rui was both amused and touched by the painstaking efforts of the two old men.
Ouyang Gang only gave Zhuang Rui the two words "conceal your talents," but the old man, who had spent his life in battle, wrote these two words with a sharp edge and a murderous aura. It might have been more appropriate to replace them with the words "show off."
As for the four characters "难得糊涂" written by Mr. Song, they are written with rounded strokes and smooth lines, which have a similar charm to Zheng Banqiao's calligraphy.
"I need to keep a lower profile from now on..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't stupid; of course he knew the meaning behind those two calligraphy pieces. He was already wondering if he should "hide his talent" again at tomorrow's press conference.
Chapter 1200 Deception
"Fourth Brother, Grandpa and Grandma are getting old. Of all the brothers in Beijing, you have the most time. Please come and visit them more often when you have time..."
Zhuang Rui drove Ouyang Jun out of Yuquan Mountain. He knew that if Ouyang Jun didn't have something to ask him, he probably wouldn't come here except during holidays.
"I'm not liked by the old man, so what difference does it make whether I come or not?"
Ouyang Jun pursed his lips, his face somewhat gloomy. Why is it that among so many grandsons, he is the one who gets scolded by the old man all day long?
Zhuang Rui shook his head dismissively and said, "Fourth Brother, you grew up with Grandpa since you were little. If you ask me, the person he loved the most was you..."
"Forget it, I'm the most useless of all my brothers. Have you ever seen the old man even give me a second glance?"
Ouyang Jun chuckled self-deprecatingly. Over the years, he had always felt that he was an insignificant member of the Ouyang family, so he had always been decadent, spending his days drinking and mingling with celebrities, until he had matured a bit in recent years.
"Ahem, Fourth Brother, that's called 'the deeper the love, the deeper the hate.' The old man is just frustrated that his son isn't living up to his potential..."
Zhuang Rui had a clue about the relationship between the grandfather and grandson, because every time he came to give the old man acupuncture, the old man would always ask about Ouyang Jun's situation, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Seeing the disbelieving look on Ouyang Jun's face, Zhuang Rui continued, "Fourth Brother, the development of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum is related to the foundation of the family's future development. The fact that it's entrusted to you shows that the old man values you highly..."
Zhuang Rui's words were pure nonsense. The old man was only in charge of the family's overall direction; he didn't have time to manage the development of a project. Zhuang Rui said this to strengthen Ouyang Sige's confidence.
Are you telling the truth?
Ouyang Jun looked at Zhuang Rui with a hint of excitement on his face. No one wants to be treated as a good-for-nothing for a long time, especially since Ouyang Jun had admired his grandfather since he was a child. Although he didn't say it, he really wanted to gain the old man's approval.
"Of course it's true. Most of the family members are in politics, and you're the only one in business. I think you'll be a regular addition to the family's core meetings in the future..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and nodded. In today's society, power is certainly important, but a solid economic foundation is also essential. At the very least, it can ensure that family members involved in politics do not make mistakes with money, which is also crucial.
Zhuang Rui has always been an outsider, and no matter how capable he is, he will not participate in the Ouyang family's various decisions. Moreover, Zhuang Rui did not want to get involved in this mess, so the only way is to drag Ouyang Jun into it.
"So what do I need to do?"
Ouyang Jun seemed a little flustered. He had always been the least valued member of the family since childhood, and now that things had changed, his fourth brother was at a loss.
"Yes, Fourth Brother, the construction of the Genghis Khan Mausoleum and its subsequent tourism development are both very important. This will also be a significant source of income for the Ouyang family in the future. As long as you do a good job, I believe the old man will definitely look at you differently..."
Zhuang Rui had long since figured out Ouyang Jun's true intentions. He wasn't as cynical as he appeared; he just hadn't had the chance to demonstrate his abilities.
"Okay, I'll hand over the real estate projects in Jiangsu Province to someone else, but I'll personally oversee the Genghis Khan Mausoleum project..."
Ouyang Jun's face lit up with excitement, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"Fourth Brother, I support you. Just talk to Huangfu Yun about the loan; he'll cooperate with you..."
Zhuang Rui turned his face away, barely suppressing the laughter in his heart. He hadn't expected Ouyang Jun to be so easily fooled. Originally, Ouyang Zhenwu wanted Zhuang Rui to be in charge of the specific development work of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum, but now his fourth brother had taken it all over, and Zhuang Rui was happy to have an easy time.
Zhuang Rui had to go to the Ministry of Culture today to discuss tomorrow's press conference. After dropping Ouyang Jun off at his courtyard house, Zhuang Rui didn't linger and drove off in a flash.
"Huh? The old man seemed to say that the development of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum was your job, how did it become my business?"
After getting out of the car, Ouyang Jun realized something was amiss. It seemed his father had told him that all he needed to do was cooperate with Zhuang Rui to complete the loan procedures. ...
"Director Li, this is Zhuang Rui. Does Minister Ouyang have a moment now?"
Zhuang Rui drove to the gate of the Ministry of Culture and first called Director Li of the General Office. People of Ouyang Zhenwu's rank are not people that anyone can see just because they want to. Not to mention Zhuang Rui, even Ouyang Jun couldn't see him.
"Is this Xiao Zhuang? Please wait a moment while I check the arrangements..."
Director Li had met Zhuang Rui twice and knew about his relationship with the minister, so he didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly checked his schedule and said, "The minister has fifteen minutes in half an hour. Why don't you come and wait for him, Zhuang?"
"Thank you, Director Li. I'll go over in half an hour..."
Actually, Zhuang Rui didn't need to see Ouyang Zhenwu today. However, since Director Yun took the Imperial Seal of the State, Zhuang Rui felt uneasy and decided to ask Ouyang Zhenwu about it.
After registering at the entrance, Zhuang Rui first found the official in charge of tomorrow's press conference, introduced himself, and received a printed copy of the speech.
"Formalism, everything's arranged, what's the point..."
Zhuang Rui took the manuscript and walked out of the office, unable to help but mutter a curse to himself, because the manuscript had already written down everything Zhuang Rui was going to say tomorrow, and all he had to do was read it.
Even when answering reporters' questions, the instructions provided several possible answers, meaning Zhuang Rui could only answer according to the instructions. It's likely that the reporters asking the questions were also given pre-arranged answers.
This greatly diminished Zhuang Rui's interest in the press conference, which he had originally intended to use as an opportunity to promote the exhibition of the Imperial Seal of the State at the Dingguang Museum.
Ouyang Zhenwu had just finished receiving a cultural delegation from Europe and looked slightly tired. When he saw Director Li leading Zhuang Rui in, he pointed to the sofa and said, "Xiao Rui, sit down. Have you met Xiao Jun?"
Director Li made Zhuang Rui a cup of tea, nodded to him, and quickly walked out of Ouyang Zhenwu's office. Hearing Ouyang Zhenwu address Zhuang Rui by his name, he knew this was a private conversation.
"I've met Fourth Brother, Uncle. Fourth Brother hasn't been busy lately, so the Genghis Khan Mausoleum project can be handled by him. I'm going to Hong Kong in a few days; it's Xuanbing's grandfather's 80th birthday..."
Zhuang Rui curiously looked around Ouyang Zhenwu's office. Apart from the unusually large desk with a small red flag on it, it didn't seem as impressive as Huangfu Yun's office in the museum.
Ouyang Zhenwu, unaware of Old Master Qin's birthday celebration, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said, "Xuanbing's grandfather's birthday? I must go. I'll ask my elder brother to write a calligraphy piece for you to take over..."
"Oh? That's great! I don't even dare to ask my uncle for calligraphy..."
Upon hearing Ouyang Zhenwu's words, Zhuang Rui stood up happily. After all, Ouyang Zhenhua was one of the core leaders of the country. If he could personally write a calligraphy to wish Old Master Qin a happy birthday, the significance of that would be self-evident. It was likely that those wealthy businessmen in Hong Kong would have to redefine their relationship with Qin's Jewelry.
Ouyang Zhenwu waved his hand and said, "That's only right. But Xiao Rui, is Xiao Jun capable of handling the work at the Genghis Khan Mausoleum?"
Ouyang Zhenwu knew his son's character quite well. Apart from being involved with celebrities, he hadn't heard of any other special talents in the boy. He was a little worried about entrusting such an important family business to Ouyang Jun.
"Ahem, Uncle, you can't judge people with your old-fashioned perspective..."
Zhuang Rui had never seen a father like this before, actually asking others if his son was capable. After coughing twice, he continued, "Fourth Brother has been developing real estate these past few years, and he didn't use your name, did he? Didn't he still make billions? How could he make so much money without the ability?"
Zhuang Rui exaggerated Ouyang Jun's profits a bit. While the projects Ouyang Jun developed did indeed generate that much money, most of it went to banks, and his personal profits were only a few hundred million.
"He wasn't even using my name, so why would he need to?"
Ouyang Zhenwu waved his hand, both amused and exasperated. Although he held a high position, he was well aware of the shady dealings below. With the current power of the Ouyang family, Ouyang Jun didn't need to use anyone's name when he went out to do business; there were plenty of people eager to help him.
"Alright, since you don't want to get involved, let Xiaojun handle it. Is there anything else?"
Ouyang Jun looked at Zhuang Rui and gave him the order to leave.
"Hehe, Uncle, when...when are we going to hand over that Imperial Seal of the State to the Dingguang Museum?"
Zhuang Rui grinned shamelessly, rubbing his hands together and putting on an embarrassed look.
"Understood. After the press conference, you should complete the handover procedures with the relevant departments. Do you think the government will renege on your debt? Get out of here if you have nothing else to do..."
Ouyang Zhenwu really didn't know what to say to his nephew. Instead of doing something that would bring him great wealth, he was getting hung up on an artifact. No matter how precious the Imperial Seal of the State was, it didn't belong to Zhuang Rui. How much money could they make from just a three-month exhibition?
"Get lost now, disappear immediately, hehe, thanks, Uncle..."
After receiving the confirmed news, Zhuang Rui finally felt relieved. Ouyang Zhenwu didn't know that what Zhuang Rui sought was not money, but fame and social influence.
Putting aside everything else, the mere announcement of the first exhibition of the Imperial Seal of the State at the Dingguang Museum is enough to save the Dingguang Museum at least ten years of hard work.
After settling these two matters, Zhuang Rui was in a great mood. He was humming a little tune as he got into his car when a phone call came in.
Chapter 1201 Answering Reporters' Questions
"Fourth wife?"
The phone number was unfamiliar, and the person who called surprised Zhuang Rui even more. Hearing the slightly lazy voice on the other end of the line, the image of Fourth Aunt appeared in his mind.
"Mr. Zhuang, it's really not easy to find you..."
The fourth wife's slightly reproachful voice came through the phone.
"Ahem, Fourth Madam, I've been quite busy lately. Is there something you need from me?"
Zhuang Rui didn't want to get too close to the Macau gambling king's faction, as it seemed that every time he dealt with them, he would always get into some trouble.
Leaving aside the fact that the fourth brother was tricked into losing hundreds of millions in Macau, how could he encounter a terrifying incident while helping them gamble? Zhuang Rui is still heartbroken over that genuine Xuande incense burner.
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong? Mr. Zhuang, do you not want to answer my calls?"
Hearing Fourth Aunt's voice, Zhuang Rui felt a chill run down his spine. Please, if you were twenty years younger, perhaps speaking in that tone would be more appropriate.
"Well, Fourth Wife, I've been really busy lately. If you're not busy, let's leave it at that for now..."
Zhuang Rui was about to hang up when he spoke. Although he still owned 10% of the shares in the new gambling company in Macau, he had entrusted it all to Huangfu Yun to manage. He had never asked about it and did not want to.
"No, Mr. Zhuang, am I really that annoying?"
The fourth wife's resentful voice came through, seemingly afraid that Zhuang Rui would hang up the phone. She continued, "Mr. Zhuang, our new company opens next Saturday. As the major shareholder, you must attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony..."
The fourth wife made this call out of a dilemma, because the company belonged entirely to her and had been separated from the gambling king's assets. However, this meant that she could no longer enjoy many of the gambling king's resources.
The reason why Fourth Wife reluctantly invited Zhuang Rui was because she was afraid that someone would come and cause trouble on the opening day. She had only managed to invite a washed-up gambling king as the casino's technical director, and she was really worried about that. After thinking it over, she decided that inviting Zhuang Rui would be the only way to keep things in order.
It's worth noting that although the Las Vegas gambling license battle has been over for some time, Zhuang Rui's reputation in the world of gambling is still at its peak, and he has even become a legend in the gambling world.
During his time in China, Zhuang Rui had been harassed in various ways, with casinos inviting him to participate in various gambling competitions. This annoyed Zhuang Rui to no end, so his attitude towards Fourth Wife was not very friendly.
Zhuang Rui, showing no awareness whatsoever of being a shareholder of the new gambling company, said, "Fourth Wife, I have fully authorized my lawyer, Mr. Huangfu Yun, to handle the casino matters. He can attend on my behalf..."
Because he couldn't refuse the company shares that his fourth wife offered him, Zhuang Rui accepted the 10% stake, but it wasn't a "dry share" because he had invested all the hundreds of millions of US dollars he had won in the United States into it.
If this money hadn't been invested in the new casino in Macau, Zhuang Rui could have easily taken out the 1.5 billion when Ouyang Zhenwu mentioned it.
Zhuang Rui did this because he didn't want to cause a lot of trouble in the future by taking a 10% stake. So after investing real money, he and Fourth Wife had an agreement that he would only take dividends and would not interfere in any matters of the casino, including disputes such as the casino being raided.
“Mr. Zhuang, the company’s opening is a special occasion. As a shareholder, it’s not appropriate for you not to attend, is it? Or… should I have Mr. He call you?”
After hearing that Zhuang Rui was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Fourth Wife had no choice but to bring up the gambling king.
"No, Mr. He is so old, how could I possibly accept his call? Alright, I'll take a day to go over there..."