National Tide 1980.

“This teacup is really beautiful.”

Guo Kefeng sat in a private room of the Tokyo branch of Tan Gong Restaurant, opposite Ning Weimin, admiring the teacup and covered bowl in his hand towards the suspended ceiling, fiddling with them from different angles.

The translucent bone china, with gold-powder outlined edges, has an overall beautiful and lively shape, and is elegant and noble. It is a rare fine product no matter how you look at it.

Especially the colors, blue, green, red, etc. painted on a yellow background are even more eye-catching.

The yellow is thick and bright, the blue is of consistent depth, the green is rich and deep emerald, and the red is festive and peaceful.

In order to reflect the royal dignity, this cup lid bowl also uses a large amount of gold to paint auspicious words such as "happiness" and "longevity" in gold.

The dazzling golden color highlights the magnificence of royal porcelain.

Ning Weimin, who was looking at this uninvited guest with a cup of jasmine tea in front of him, appeared calm on the surface but in his heart he just wanted to laugh.

For no other reason, first of all, he didn't expect that the Guo family would be so anxious.

He had only been back in Tokyo for a day.

Perhaps the embassy leaked the information to the Guo family, and as a result, on December 12, Guo Kefeng, who claimed to be the nephew of the Sugar King, took a flight and rushed over from Beijing.

When he arrived, he immediately asked for a meeting through the embassy.

Moreover, this guy actually found out about Director Huo's connections and brought a handwritten letter from Huo Yanping.

It can be seen from this that the offensive and defensive situations have changed, and it is now the Guo family's turn to get anxious.

Being able to get a wealthy family in Asia to the point where they would actively seek peace made Ning Weimin feel a little proud.

Secondly, Chinese people pay attention to serving tea to guests, but this Chinese Singaporean doesn’t seem to know much about this.

He had just sat down, and in order to say a few polite words, the nephew of the Guo family actually raised his glass.

This... does this mean you want to send my guests away? Let me go?
Ning Weimin was thinking wildly and felt it was really absurd.

However, after reading Huo Yanping's letter, Ning Weimin hesitated for a moment. He felt that he should give the other party some face and not be too arrogant and embarrass the other party.

Because although there were only a few sentences in the letter, and Huo Yanping did not explicitly say that Ning Weimin had to do this or that.

But between the lines, there is hope that Ning Weimin can value peace, and be able to resolve the misunderstandings with foreign businessmen like the Guo family.

Ning Weimin knew the subtext without having to think about it. It was nothing more than the Guo family's huge investment in the mainland, which was the foreign capital that the motherland needed most now.

Especially in Beijing, they have invested in two very luxurious hotels.

Huo Yanping wanted him to consider the overall economic development of the capital and not to escalate the problem or make the situation awkward.

Otherwise, even if he is right, he will still suffer backlash.

At this time, Guo Kefeng couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Ning, this is porcelain from Jingdezhen in the mainland, right? I've heard about it for a long time, and it really lives up to its reputation. This is the first time I've seen such exquisite things. I have an unwelcome request, can I ask you to buy a few sets to take away?"

So Ning Weimin agreed without any hesitation.

"This is not made in Jingdezhen. It's an antique porcelain made by a handicraft factory in Beijing. If you like it, I'll give it to you. There's no need to buy it. This set of tableware has 88 pieces, for eight people. How many sets do you want? Are four sets enough?"

When guests like the Guo family come to visit and start praising something, of course you can't take it seriously. It's just a topic of courtesy.

This request was just a polite remark. Ning Weimin understood that the other party only asked for permission to get closer to him. It would be naive of him to take it seriously.

So even if the other party praised him again and again, or even asked for it, he did not feel complacent at all.

As expected, Guo Kefeng immediately showed his joy and wanted to give him a gift.

"That's great. Mr. Ning is really straightforward and generous. But I really can't use four sets, so I'll just take two. And it's not nice to ask for other people's things for nothing. If you don't mind, I have a little thing here, so please accept it. We can just exchange what we have. No one will suffer any loss."

As he said that, he took out a box, put it on the dining table, and pushed it to Ning Weimin.

Ning Weimin is a connoisseur of valuables. Looking at the size of the box and the Rolex logo, he knew it must be a gold watch or something like that.

So out of politeness, he opened the lid of the box and took a look, then closed it again, smiling and saying something insincerely, "I didn't expect it to be such an expensive gift, and it cost Mr. Guo a lot of money."

"Mr. Ning, what are you talking about? This is not valuable. Your watch is much more expensive than the one I gave you. It's just a small gift. I'm afraid you'll dislike it..."

It’s not that we should despise it, as Rolex is indeed one of the watches that holds its value best, for the simple reason that it is recognized by the public.

A watch costs hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, and can be pawned for tens of thousands of yuan in any pawnshop in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for emergency use.

Ning Weimin was deeply impressed by the role he played in the movie "Young and Dangerous", as it was a plot based on real life.

However, considering Ning Weimin's current wealth, he doesn't take it too seriously.

He took the Rolex box and put it aside, then smiled and said, "Thank you, but Mr. Guo came to Japan for business, right? Let's not rush to make friends, let's talk about Mr. Guo's purpose. I must give Mr. Huo face. It's amazing that you actually found his door. It's really thoughtful. I just don't know what you want me to do."

That's a powerful statement!

This immediately forced Guo Kefeng into a moral dead end.

What you mean is, do you in the Guo family have any shame? When you can't defeat me in a fight of strength, you call for reinforcements to suppress me. Don't you have any ambition?
Therefore, no matter how big Guo Kongfeng's face was, he could not make specific demands on Ning Weimin at this time. Instead, he had to explain that he had no intention of taking advantage of Huo Yanping's influence to pressure others. He just wanted to get in touch with Ning Weimin as soon as possible and turn hostility into friendship as soon as possible.

And since the difficulties of contacting Ning Weimin have been discussed, Ning Weimin will naturally not be polite.

He was unreasonable and brought up the incident when he sent people to Singapore to explain things to the Guo family in person but was met with a cold reception.

This made Guo Kefeng even more anxious and sweat broke out on his forehead.

He is a smart man. When he came to Tan Gong Restaurant to meet Ning Weimin today, he was already surprised by the high-end decoration and furnishings here. In his mind, people in the mainland did not have such aesthetics and tastes.

When he met Ning Weimin again, after just a few words, he felt that hearing about him was not as good as meeting him in person. He was really surprised that such a person had emerged in mainland China, who was far more outstanding than the children of officials he had met.

Now, the actual verbal confrontation made him realize that it was not a fluke that Ning Weimin could achieve such results at such a young age. This guy seemed harmless on the surface, but his brain and eloquence were both sharp and his logic was tight. Just a few words from him could make him feel more stressed.

He knew the conversation couldn't go on like this, and he couldn't even apologize for anything specific.

Because if we follow Ning Weimin's rhythm, then it will be that unlucky guy who died, Zhou Fang Yuxiong sent the Yakuza to smash the store, and then the people sent by the Guo family were rude. All of this will be blamed on the Guo family, so no matter how he apologizes, it will not be too much. It's too passive.

So he cleverly vagued everything and did not dare to give Ning Weimin any chance to continue questioning him. Instead, he changed the subject and used pleasant language to seek common ground while reserving differences.

"The fascists in the past didn't ask for any conditions. They just wanted war, but what was the final result? Even the most powerful empire will collapse. Even the most powerful army cannot conquer the world. We are all businessmen. Of course, we look at problems differently from those reckless men who shout for war and killing. In my opinion, all disputes are nothing more than price issues. Let's talk about the future calmly and don't worry too much about the past. We can negotiate the price seriously like sincere friends. Who wants to really start a war? That will only hurt both sides."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Indeed, this is true. Guo Kongfeng immediately grasped the crux of the problem. Ning Weimin is also a businessman.

Business negotiations always revolve around interests. As long as the interests are explained clearly and thoroughly, there is no need to discuss anything extra.

His beautiful words made Ning Weimin look at him with new eyes, and he felt happy that he had met a worthy opponent.

This is more like it. Otherwise, if the Guo family sends another idiot like the last one who can't see the situation clearly and can only rely on the power of others, he would really have to doubt the Guo family's background.

However, although Ning Weimin agreed, he then said, "That's right, we are all businessmen. Isn't it better to use our precious time to make money? Only fools would waste it on meaningless things. But I didn't expect you to come. I just came back from France and haven't had time to think about how to end this matter. Otherwise, you can first tell me your demands..."

This was a request for a quote, and Ning Weimin's calm response was a little beyond Guo Kefeng's expectations.

This made him further realize that Ning Weimin was a very difficult person to deal with, and his experience in negotiations was not as young as he appeared to be.

This is like performing Tai Chi, silently turning from passive to active, what a master.

"The loss suffered by your restaurant was not actually the intention of the Guo family, but since it is related to us, and the culprit who caused this incident has passed away, then whether it is a misunderstanding or an accident, the Guo family is now willing to take full responsibility and compensate. Of course, I believe you must be willing to help our hotel restore its reputation and let our business return to normal. As for me, I am currently in charge of the refined oil extraction project in mainland China. I heard that the Agricultural University has a close relationship with Mr. Ning, and I need you to help me put in a few good words with those experts. In exchange, if Mr. Ning has any ideas for investment in Southeast Asia, or wants to start a business in Hong Kong and Macao, our Guo family also has some influence, and I think we can definitely provide you with some help..."

Guo Kefeng thought for two minutes before speaking.

His words were tactful and pragmatic.

To be honest, some things, such as exchanging resources with Ning Weimin, were completely impromptu decisions he made after meeting Ning Weimin today.

His original idea was to solve the problem purely with money, but after meeting Ning Weimin and feeling his temperament and behavior were different from ordinary people, he temporarily changed the conditions.

It should be said that his conditions were very sincere, and Ning Weimin obviously felt this. He admired Guo Kefeng, who was in charge of the negotiations, and appreciated his gentlemanly demeanor and attitude towards follow-up.

However, he still rejected Guo Kefeng's suggestion.

"There is no need. The restaurant's losses will be covered by the insurance company, not the Guo family. As for me, I don't have any plans to develop in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau, so I can only appreciate your kindness..."

"Then what do you want?" Guo Kefeng's expression and tone became gloomy.

At this moment, he looked at Ning Weimin, thinking that he was playing a trick on him. In fact, he did not want to make peace, but was just looking for the pleasure of having the upper hand.

To be honest, he is also the chosen one and an outstanding figure in the Guo family.

There were not many people he could take seriously, even those uncles from the Guo family. In his eyes, they were all a group of corrupt things destined to be destroyed by the great waves of the times.

But he still looked up to Ning Weimin.

But respect is mutual. If Ning Weimin didn't take him seriously and turned a blind eye to the hand he extended, that would be another matter.

“Okay, then I’ll be frank.

However, Ning Weimin was still in high spirits, and even smiled as he poured some hot water. He eased the atmosphere before saying, "I know that the Guo family has plans to open a new chain of hotels in mainland China. I hope that I can choose a space in each of the Guo family's mainland hotels to open a restaurant of the Tan Palace Restaurant. Of course, I will pay the rent. We can discuss this in detail. Secondly, I also hope to represent LVMH and negotiate an exclusive supply agreement with the Guo family's hotel on the temporary supply of wine and beverages. LVMH products can be resumed. But as far as wine, champagne and cognac are concerned, I need the Guo family hotel to only use LVMH products in the future. Of course, there will definitely be discounts on the price. Finally, I would like to invest personally. I will invest in opening a cinema in Singapore, an independent cinema of an artistic nature, not seeking box office, but only to provide more channels for the exchange and promotion of mainland films overseas. In contrast, after the filming of Crazy Rich Asians is completed, I will invite you to have a sneak peek, and I can refer to your opinions for editing without affecting the quality of the film. I must reiterate that our film really has no ill will towards the Guo family, it is just a simple love movie with a happy ending. What do you think? As for your investment project in mainland China, although I personally have no power to influence anything, I can help the other party communicate with the Agricultural University. Many things, aren’t they due to lack of communication, that lead to misunderstandings..."

Listening to Ning Weimin's conditions, Guo Kefeng's mind raced, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The more he listened, the more relieved he felt, and his complexion gradually returned to normal.

He didn't expect that Ning Weimin's idea was much better than what he asked for. Yes, since both parties are businessmen and have common interests in some aspects, why not become partners?
If we want to turn hostility into friendship, wouldn't it be more stable to work together?

If this is the case, the right or wrong of this matter is not so important, and both the Guo family and the other party can save face.

He deliberately didn't mention the apology just now because he felt that this matter was difficult.

The key point is that Ning Weimin has firmly promised to help him solve the problems of the Agricultural University, or at least will not exert influence or deliberately hinder him.

This matter is more important to him than anything else.

So he immediately said happily, "Mr. Ning, although this is the first time we meet today, it's a pity that we met too late. Whether you agree or not, I think we are destined to be together. I am sure that our future cooperation will bring countless wealth. As long as we wait patiently and work together, small streams will eventually merge into a great river!" (End of this chapter)