Therefore, Dong Qinghong's only purpose in staying in North America was to see if he had any hope of becoming the housekeeper's son-in-law, or even just one of the candidates.
Once Guan Yi chooses someone else, Dong Qinghong's "usefulness" will be completely gone. At that time, he will only be given a few million dollars in "dispatch fees" by his family and left to fend for himself somewhere... Several million dollars may seem like a considerable sum to ordinary people, but for those of them who have been used to spending money since childhood, it may not even be as much as a gamble!
To be honest, Dong Qinghong's fate is quite tragic. He can only place all his hopes on a woman who is unlikely to love him. But if it were an ordinary person, knowing their fate, they should at least make plans for their future. Or, if you're here to be the housekeeper's son-in-law, this is a major event that affects your entire life, so you should at least do something about it, right?
For example, try to please the old butler and make a good impression, or find a way to get closer to the young lady butler... At least you should establish a good image for yourself and gain more leverage.
Even if you know that you will not be able to make the cut in the future, and the result of not making the cut is that you will lose your current wealth and status and become a small-time rich man, then you should start thinking about your future now.
As a result, this guy not only earned himself the nickname "Mad Dog" in Las Vegas, but also had a criminal record in the police station that filled an entire safe.
Loan sharks, drugs, extortion... and so on. Countless people are waiting for this guy to fall from power. It's foreseeable that once the Dong family of Nanyang abandons this mad dog, he will inevitably become a drowning dog that everyone wants to beat... Finding one or two corpses in Las Vegas is not uncommon, especially those guys who were arrogant just a day ago but have become penniless in the blink of an eye.
The key to the mad dog's downfall lies with the housekeeper.
So, upon hearing that the young lady of the house was having a very ambiguous relationship with a strange man, this mad dog immediately couldn't sit still... This makes one wonder: Where were you before?! Is this the kind of law you'd follow when waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump? Or do you think the young lady of the house is some kind of blind, stupid rabbit?!
Dong Qing stared intently at Chen Xu, his gaze seemingly intent on devouring him whole. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of incredibly white teeth... Anyone who had heard of this mad dog knew that those snow-white teeth were all false, because he had lost all his teeth in a car accident while speeding.
"Kid, you're pretty arrogant. Do you even know who I am?" Dong Qing pointed at Chen Xu with the finger holding his cigar: "How dare you talk to me like that?"
"Those lines are so corny." Chen Xu shrugged, looking disdainful.
Chen Xu's shrug was comical, making Guan Yi smile involuntarily... No one knew Chen Xu better than her; this guy was the type who responded better to kindness than force. The more arrogant someone was towards him, the more arrogant he became. If someone was polite to him, even if Chen Xu disliked him, he would have to consider that one shouldn't hit a smiling face.
Guan Yi saw Mad Dog's actions as nothing short of suicide, and he could imagine that, given Mad Dog's temper, he would not let it go so easily, and Chen Xu would naturally make him pay!
Guan Yi wasn't afraid of Chen Xu offending people here, especially someone whose future was destined to be bleak. Besides, she was making an example of him; Guan Yi's shrewd calculations were clear... Since she was here, she wanted to make a big deal out of it. Chen Xu and she now held influence with both their family and others who were just watching the spectacle or had ulterior motives. If she didn't seize this opportunity to make a big scene and solidify their relationship and marriage, she wouldn't be Guan Yi.
Guan Yi's "momentum" lies in the following three points.
First, Grandpa Guan suddenly wants to get married, and the bride is none other than Guan Yi, a substitute for him. Grandpa Guan feels guilty towards Guan Yi, both in terms of the choice of bride and Guan Yi's feelings for her mother. This guilt gives Guan Yi leverage, a bargaining chip that can barely keep Grandpa Guan from objecting to her choice of future husband.
II. "Conquer the World" is about to launch its global open beta. Normally, these powerful clans wouldn't even consider the online gaming industry… how much money could they possibly make? But clearly, "Conquer the World," currently the world's only "global-level" online game, is different from ordinary online games. Nasdaq's professional economists have assessed the game's prospects, and the results have everyone green with envy!
$3.5 billion! This will be the first year's net profit!
Microsoft's net profit in 2004-2005 was only $12.25 billion. How can a newly established company make a huge profit of $3.5 billion in one year? Isn't that a miracle?
With such a considerable income, Chen Xu, who is labeled with SMMH, would definitely be able to thrive even in the upper echelons of American society... For businessmen in capitalist societies, they only recognize what makes money and what doesn't, and what makes money is only divided into two types... what can't be done in the light and what can be done in the light.
There are countless shady businesses in the world that can earn $3.5 billion a year, but those that can earn that much in the open are few and far between. And online games... they're a perfect place for money laundering!
For game companies, everything in an online game is just a set of data. But if a game has hundreds of millions of players, it becomes an ideal platform for laundering money… its convenience and operability are even more considerable than gambling. Based on this alone, Chen Xu has enough leverage to gain the attention of the upper echelons of society!
In this day and age, which wealthy person dares to say that all their money is clean?!
Third, the last "momentum" is this mad dog in front of us.
Guan Yi felt his luck was so good he could buy a lottery ticket, or even go to the gambling tables and wreak havoc today. Because, looking across Las Vegas, no one was more suitable to be taken down than this mad dog!
First of all, this mad dog belongs to one of the four major families.
Guan Yi knew that the obstacles she would encounter in her marriage would come from these four major Chinese families!
To maintain the purity of their bloodline, overseas Chinese families have an unspoken agreement regarding marriage alliances: the partners must be of East Asian descent—Japanese or Korean, but absolutely not of European or American descent! Of course, these family marriages, especially those of the main heirs, are primarily with Chinese partners. This is because these families are essentially remnants of the Qing Dynasty who emigrated during the Self-Strengthening Movement, and their attitude towards Japan is naturally not friendly. Moreover, at that time, Korea was merely a tributary state of the Qing Dynasty, not even entitled to its own flag. Over the past two centuries, these families have easily developed some biased views: the Japanese deserve to die, while the Koreans… they have no right to do so.
The four major Chinese families are the Guan, Li, Dong, and Yu. It's hard to say which family is the strongest now. Given their shared Chinese heritage, these four families have supported and helped each other for over a century. Intermarriage is naturally one way to strengthen the close ties between these families.
To overcome this resistance, we must first target the four major families!
Mad Dog is the perfect person to play the role; no one is more suitable!
First of all, he's a scion of the Dong family, one of the four major powerful families, and everyone knows his main purpose in North America is to marry Guan Yi, to become the Guan family's son-in-law—a chance as high as the Chinese national football team winning the World Cup. In other words, nominally speaking, this guy is at least a rival of Chen Xu in love.
And this mad dog... hardly needs to consider the Dong family's thoughts anymore. If he can't marry Guan Yi, that guy is nothing. And the one who can decide this matter is at least Guan Yi himself, who has a lot of influence... If this mad dog doesn't know what's good for him, even if Chen Xu kills him, the Dong family won't argue with the housekeeper over such a mad dog.
Moreover, there's another person involved, which I won't go into detail about...
Therefore, considering these three advantages, it was absolutely the best choice for Chen Xu to seize this opportunity to enter North American high society.
Well, this might seem like he's scheming against Chen Xu, but it's for their future, and Guan Yi believes Chen Xu won't mind. In fact, while Chen Xu can't list all the benefits like Guan Yi can, he knows that since he's already here, there are some things he has to do.
This includes offending some people... but that's what he's least afraid of; Chen Xu has never been afraid of offending anyone.
"Your nickname is Mad Dog?" Chen Xu asked innocently and adorably. "Why not Toad? A toad that wants to eat swan meat?"
As soon as he said that, everyone around him knew things were going to get ugly!
Li Chang and Yu Lang, in particular, secretly admired this guy for daring to disrespect this mad dog, but at the same time, they had a vague idea in their hearts... This should actually be taken for granted.
How can it not be taken for granted?
In terms of rank, Li Chang and Yu Lang were slightly better than Dong Qinghong, but only by a small margin. In reality, the difference was only a fraction of a step... because they knew that as members of a collateral branch of the family, they could never become the head of the clan. At most, they could only be regional lords, similar to the Taiping Princes of ancient times.
The difference between a prince and an emperor is more than ten thousand miles!
But this Chen Xu is Guan Yi's fiancé, and judging from Guan Yi's expression, she clearly intends to marry no one but him. In terms of status, he will at least be considered an "empress" in the future, so he naturally has the right to say such things to someone who is barely holding onto her princely title!
The hierarchical system of these large families overseas is extremely strict!
Surprisingly, Dong Qinghong wasn't angry at all. He didn't even frown. Instead, he took a deep drag on his cigar, the thick smoke making his eyes squint, and said, "You're half right. I am a toad, but it's not that I want to be a toad!"
Chapter 346 Trillion-Dollar Fortune
A rabid dog is called a rabid dog because it bites people randomly. Even if you don't provoke it, it will still bite you. In addition to the immediate pain, it may also cause the fatal and persistent rabies disease.
If a rabid dog has its fur washed clean and trimmed neatly, walks with a refined manner, and doesn't even bother with female dogs or bones, and doesn't bite anyone, and even if someone kicks its butt, it looks at them with a look of disdain without retaliating... is that still a rabid dog?
Chen Xu didn't understand this mad dog, but the expressions of the people next to him instantly became extremely strange!
Nothing happened?!
You should know that the nickname "Mad Dog" is what this guy hates the most. Once, at a banquet full of celebrities, this guy smashed the head of a US congressman who ridiculed him with a Royal Salute bottle. Since then, no one has dared to say that to his face again... Of course, his nickname has also come true.
Chen Xu had originally intended to stir up trouble... He and Guan Yi now shared a tacit understanding, often knowing what the other was thinking with just a glance. Using this mad dog as a scapegoat was his original purpose, so Chen Xu clapped his hands and laughed, "So it seems I wronged you. But since you don't want to be a toad, why did you come all this way?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chang and Yu Lang next to him both looked a little uncomfortable. Although Chen Xu was talking to this mad dog, the implication of his words—pointing at and cursing the bald monk—was very clear... These two are toads too.
Dong Qinghong smiled, revealing a mouthful of dazzlingly white teeth: "Casinos are open for business, and I've never heard of any casino in Las Vegas that I can't enter. I come here to gamble, so it's not like I can't come, right? Of course, besides gambling, there's another very important reason: I wanted to come and see you, to see which guy finally freed me."
relief……
Guan Yi was furious, even though she had no opinion on this matter at all.
But she's a girl after all. Even if she doesn't like or even hates someone, if that person says something like, "Great, you're finally going to marry me," it would probably make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Chen Xu was still unclear about Mad Dog's origins, but the others were incredibly surprised. According to Mad Dog's words, could it be that he had found a new backer? Because everyone knew that the day Guan Yi was confirmed to marry him was the day Mad Dog would be brought back to his original form, yet this guy didn't seem to care at all? Instead, he looked relieved. This was truly bizarre.
"What, are you surprised?" Mad Dog chuckled mockingly, but Chen Xu didn't think he was being mocked. Mad Dog beckoned to him with his finger: "Do you know how to gamble? Play a couple of rounds with me later. If you win, I can tell you a secret about your current situation and the secret of the beautiful lady next to you."
Chen Xu looked back with a troubled expression: "The only game I know how to play here is guessing whether it's big or small."
"How can someone who can't gamble become the butler's son-in-law?" Mad Dog made a face with a toothache: "Forget it, there's no point in bullying someone who can't gamble. Alright, Miss Guan, I guess you're too lazy to see me anymore. I'll go find a place myself. Miss Guan, the butler is rich and powerful, he shouldn't mind if I win some pocket money, right?"
Guan Yi smiled and said, "The casino is open for business. How much you win is entirely up to you. Please do as you please."
Mad Dog chuckled and walked straight into the casino. Li Chang and Yu Lang, who came with him, looked rather embarrassed... They had originally planned to watch a good show, but it seemed the script wasn't playing out as they expected. Here, the two of them were completely relegated to supporting roles, unable to get a word in edgewise. However, Li Chang reacted quickly and laughed, "I've been in North America for so long, and I've been to this casino a few times, but I've never really had a proper time to play. Miss Guan, would you mind if we played a few rounds too?"
Guan Yi's smile was very professional: "I hope you all have a great time."
The two men practically fled into the casino. Chen Xu whispered to Guan Yi, "Didn't you say that guy was called Mad Dog? Why didn't he come up and bite me just now?"
"I don't know either." Guan Yi frowned, feeling that something was not quite right. "Never mind, if he behaves himself, I don't need to target him. But what secrets did he talk about? That mad dog."
As Chen Xu listened to Guan Yi's words, he felt confused.
Xiaomin has already drawn up her analysis of these people.
Li Chang appeared calm and composed, but he was actually nervous. He had originally been expecting a good show, but the mad dog's performance was far beyond his expectations, leaving him bewildered.
Yu Lang, who hadn't spoken a word, wasn't a good guy either. He had been observing, looking for an opportunity. When she provoked the mad dog, Xiao Min caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes. Unfortunately, the show didn't happen... or rather, the show hadn't even started yet.
As for that mad dog, Chen Xu really couldn't figure it out.
Based on Chen Xu's intuition, this guy seemed to be hiding something, and he didn't know what he was up to. However, based on his feeling just now, calling this guy a mad dog seemed like a personal attack.
This guy seems pretty shrewd!
However, there's something else...
Back at the hotel, Chen Xu first gave Guan Yi a long kiss, then smiled and said, "Okay, darling, what do you want to tell me?"
Guan Yi smiled. Things had come to this point, and there were many things she could no longer hide.
"Our family history... well, let's not go into the past. In 1862, the year after the end of the Second Opium War, our ancestors, along with some other families, went overseas to settle and develop their families, following a secret order from the Qing Dynasty's Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry). This was a strategy of the Self-Strengthening Movement at that time."
"The Self-Strengthening Movement? Learning from the barbarians' superior techniques to control them?!"
“That’s right. From our current perspective, the fall of the Qing Dynasty was already beyond saving, and there weren’t many people who could see that back then… Our steward’s ancestor was one of them.” Guan Yi smiled and said, “Our steward family was once a wealthy family in Jiangnan, with generations of merchants. So we had some experience in speculation. According to the records in the family archives, our ancestor spent money to buy a local official position, but he found that the Qing Dynasty’s fate was sealed… Heh, buying an official position is just buying a government post, which was very common in the late Qing Dynasty.”
Chen Xu digested the information for a moment, then said with a sweaty expression, "Your family has these things recorded? Uh, I only remember my grandfather's name. I don't know anything about my great-grandfather and beyond. Our family has been poor farmers for eight generations!"
Guan Yi smiled and patted Chen Xu, signaling him not to interrupt, and continued, "My ancestor was very farsighted. He knew that if we kept our property in the country, even if the Japanese didn't invade, it would eventually be drained by the remnants of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, or divided up by peasant uprisings. Back then, there was the Taiping Rebellion, and Li Xiucheng took away a lot of our family's property. This made my ancestor see the general trend at the time. No matter the officials of the Qing Dynasty, the local small regimes, or even the uprisings, they could not reverse the situation."
If our family wants to preserve its roots and continue to thrive, we must stay away from the war; in other words, we can no longer remain in Qing China.
"So, taking advantage of the Self-Strengthening Movement, the head of the family abandoned all domestic industries, converted them into gold, and then the whole family migrated across the ocean to America to start a new struggle. With the support of a large amount of gold and silver, they quickly integrated into Western society and developed with the help of the Second Industrial Revolution, eventually becoming the scale they are today."
Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat. His family had been poor farmers for eight generations. How could he have imagined that the woman standing in front of him was someone with such a powerful background? ...Even though he had slept with this woman countless times.
A family that's been around for a century! A family that's been around for a century!
In fact, the history of the butler family is definitely more than two hundred years old. In the early days, the butler family was a wealthy family in the Jiangnan region. Otherwise, they would not have had so much real money to take to America to start a new business.
Chen Xu scratched his head: "So you mean to tell me that I unintentionally hooked up with a rich woman? And a really, really rich one at that?"
Guan Yi playfully slapped him: "You really want to hook up with a rich woman?"
"That's right!" Chen Xutian shamelessly said, "Didn't you see what 'Rob-B-Hood' said? You have to be determined to find a rich girl! It's a one-time solution!"
Guan Yi was both amused and exasperated, and deliberately put on a serious face: "Alright, then congratulations, you really got what you wanted. You really did snag a rich woman, because I am now the first in line to inherit the family, and in the future, I will be able to inherit at least trillions of dollars in assets."
"Huh?!" Chen Xu was genuinely surprised!
Trillions of dollars?!
What does this mean?!
"It's equivalent to the combined value of three Microsoft companies plus Google."
Of course, Chen Xu knew that this figure definitely included fixed assets... but trillions was a number he could hardly imagine.
He was even more surprised. Well, he knew Guan Yi's family was rich. They had guessed it back in college, and thought the housekeeper was at least a multi-millionaire... For an ordinary college student, the term "multi-millionaire" was already quite intimidating.