Basil Winton wasn't angry at Lin Yao's affectionate way of addressing him without his surname, and he went along with it by using a nickname for Lin Yao as well. However, he felt a little strange because he was certain that this was the first time he had met Lin Yao, and he felt that the other person was much better looking than in the photos.
"Please come in!"
Basil Winton greeted Lin Yao with an impeccable gesture, leaning slightly forward with a radiant smile. "Excuse me, didn't Mr. Angel come with you? I just received a call from him."
Lin Yao walked past Basil Winton into the hall, turned back and smiled gently, "Basil, I am an angel."
Lin Yao, whose accent had instantly changed, spoke Mandarin, but Basil Winton understood him because the sentence was very simple, containing only his name and the name "Angel." He could roughly guess the meaning of the other words, having heard them many times before.
This simple sentence left Basil Winton speechless, as if he had been petrified, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single sound.
Is that an angel?!
Lin Yao is an angel?!
My God! How is this possible?!
Basil Winton was instantly filled with questions and shock, still unable to believe that Lin Yao was an angel.
He had seen angels up close before. Basil Winton could even recall what they looked like with his eyes closed. Apart from being the same height and having a similar build, Lin Yao and the angel had nothing in common, not even their eyes, which were said to be the windows to the human soul.
But Basil Winton could immediately tell that the angel had spoken those words, because angels have very distinctive accents, and he could never mistake someone who would have such a significant impact on his future.
"Hello everyone! I am Lin Yao, and also the angel you have seen before. I was in disguise back then, sorry!"
Ignoring the stunned Basil Winton behind him, Lin Yao continued to greet the group of somewhat bewildered old men in his angelic voice and broken English.
There was a deathly silence; not even a person was breathing heavily. The excellent rest and self-control made the luxurious hall seem completely empty.
"What? Doesn't everyone welcome my arrival?"
Lin Yao resumed speaking in his own accent, and looked with a smile at the group of old men who, though surprised, showed no surprise at all.
"Lin, welcome!"
Piander McWeas was the first to express his welcome and warmly walked over to hug Lin Yao. Lin Yao had to endure the strong perfume smell on the foreign man to accept the bear hug. He felt like a fragile little chick because Piander was almost 1.9 meters tall, and he looked petite in front of him.
"Angels are indeed extraordinary; none of us recognized them."
Piande's hearty laughter ignited the enthusiasm of the entire hall.
"Mr. Angel, it is an honor to see your true face!"
The one standing closest, South Korea's Winton, was the second to hug Lin Yao. His heavy breathing almost touched Lin Yao's nostrils, forcing the young angel to turn his head slightly to avoid it.
"Mr. Angel, I wonder if you still remember me. I am Ronald Cook, it's an honor to meet you!"
Another older man stepped forward to hug him, and Lin Yao simply held his breath and greeted each of them one by one, wondering to himself if he was being too easygoing. This time, he had become very close to them all at once, without any sense of distance between them.
"Yaoyao, it's okay. Foreigners all do this. It's just basic etiquette. Actually, people will still be a little awkward around each other, even if it's a kiss."
Xiao Cao took a break from translating to explain things to Lin Yao, which brought him some comfort.
From Lin Yao's speech, everyone could clearly sense that his English was very poor, so they deliberately slowed down their self-introductions. It took half an hour for the group to hug each other back and forth. Lin Yao felt very tormented, but he endured it for the sake of the fundraising plan and even forced a smile.
After everyone had finished greeting each other, Lin Yaocai stood on the chair closest to the door and, in his capacity as an angel, confirmed the membership promises previously made by Basil Winton and Peter McWeas.
"Gentlemen, welcome back to beautiful China. This isn't our first meeting, but it can be considered our first formal meeting. I personally extend a warm welcome to all of you for agreeing to join the China Minhong overseas club!"
Just like the chairman's speech, the 153 foreigners gave enthusiastic applause. As if by prior agreement, the applause was very enthusiastic when it started, but stopped almost at the same time. This tacit understanding made Lin Yao feel very novel.
"As Mr. McWeis and Mr. Winton have said, the membership eligibility criteria for Minhong International are quite strict, and the rights and obligations of members are also clearly defined. I would like to clarify some issues that are of particular concern to everyone..."
Lin Yao then proceeded to clarify the key issues in the charter he had previously drafted with Basil Winton and Peter McWeas, which reassured everyone.
These terms were all memorized, translated, and read aloud by Xiaocao. Lin Yao only needed to read them word by word, following Xiaocao's instructions. Although he stumbled and sounded awkward, his grammar and pronunciation were perfect, and everyone could hear him clearly.
"Gentlemen, I have a personal request to make, and I hope you can help me with it."
Lin Yao changed the subject, stood up from his chair, and said, "Everyone should have some understanding of China's Minhong Pharmaceutical. If not, I can send an email to anyone who needs it if they want to know."
Lin Yao paused, and a burst of good-natured laughter came from below. Clearly, those present were unaware that Minhong Pharmaceutical did not exist; this seemingly secret information had already been widely circulated.
“Minhong is my family’s private enterprise, a wholly-owned private company. I want to make that clear first. So Minhong’s business is my business, and what I’m about to say is related to that.”
"Those who follow China Minhong Pharmaceutical know that we are currently facing financial difficulties due to certain special reasons. There is a large funding gap, and the fees collected from treating you and others in similar situations are completely insufficient to cover China Minhong's current problems."
"Therefore, I would like to ask for your support."
As soon as Lin Yao finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire hall became heavy. From his perspective, it was impossible to judge anyone's thoughts. It seemed that this surprising information did not elicit much of a reaction. Perhaps these foreigners were aware of the situation, since it was easy for them to know what was happening in China.
"I need $12 billion to deal with the current difficulties facing China Minhong. Of course, I can use equivalent fixed assets as collateral, so your risk is actually not high. Moreover, we are willing to pay all interest and handling fees according to international rates. I just hope that you will not push the loan interest rate too high. If it is too high, it will put me in a difficult position, and I may have to increase the consultation fee accordingly in the future. This is unfair to those who receive treatment in the future."
Lin Yao's words elicited laughter from the crowd, and the atmosphere became more harmonious. However, no one interrupted Lin Yao's speech, because they knew there must be other conditions involved; otherwise, this kind of cross-border loan business would not have piqued their interest.
These people clearly distinguish between treating illness and doing business.
"Gentlemen, I now propose a condition to see if it can sway you."
Lin Yao paused again after speaking, raising everyone's curiosity to its peak.
"The loan is based on a base of one hundred million US dollars. Anyone who is willing to provide a loan of one hundred million US dollars will be given a free treatment opportunity, and I will be lenient to the maximum extent in terms of patient identity verification."
"At the same time, I promise that if anyone is interested in choosing the longevity plan in the future, all fees will be charged at half price. By the way, the term of this loan is two years, and I will repay the loan and interest in full when the two years expire."
After Lin Yao finished speaking, he emphasized his last sentence, "There is an old Chinese saying that there are two kinds of help: one is to provide charcoal in the snow, and the other is to add flowers to brocade. Now I need funds. If you can provide charcoal in the snow and help me, you will gain my friendship, a true friendship!"
"Mr. Angel, if we provide two hundred million US dollars or more, will the number of treatment slots be increased accordingly?"