"In a city of hurried footsteps, I still live alone. I once yearned for something more, but it led to nothing. All I have is a song..."
Su Qingya, who was binging a show on the second floor, heard the incessant ringing from downstairs and frowned slightly.
'What's my brother up to? Why isn't he answering his phone? It's rung several times already!'
Su Qingya got out of bed and headed downstairs in her slippers.
"Bro! Your phone has been ringing for ages, why aren't you answering?" As Su Qingya reached the stairs, she saw Su Chen leaning against the sofa.
When she saw Su Chen wasn't reacting at all, her heart sank, and she rushed downstairs.
Seeing Su Chen's closed eyes and the phone that wouldn't stop ringing, a sense of foreboding washed over her.
"Bro~" Su Qingya walked over to Su Chen, her voice trembling on the verge of tears.
She tremblingly raised her index finger and placed it under Su Chen's nose.
SMACK~
"Ow!" Su Qingya cried out.
It turned out Su Chen had just opened his eyes to see a hand in front of his face and had instinctively swatted it away.
"Qingya! What are you doing? Did I hurt you just now?"
"I didn't do it on purpose."
Seeing Su Qingya's eyes glistening with tears made Su Chen nervous.
He thought he had hit her too hard and quickly apologized.
"Bro! You're okay! You scared me to death just now!" Seeing that nothing was wrong with Su Chen, Su Qingya's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
She plopped down weakly onto the sofa.
"I'm fine. What could possibly be wrong with me?" Su Chen asked, a bit confused.
"Your phone was ringing off the hook, and I called your name a few times... but you didn't answer. I thought you..."
Su Chen scratched his head, at a loss for a moment, but then he seemed to understand what had happened to him.
"Ahem... I must have fallen asleep. I was pretty out of it..."
Hearing this, Su Qingya rolled her eyes at him. "Hmph! You jerk, you made me worry for nothing!"
After landing a few playful punches on Su Chen, she jogged back upstairs.
'Sigh... I guess this is a lesson learned.' Su Chen sighed, then began to process the information in his head.
He had completely absorbed the ten languages, making them his own, as if he'd been born with them, just like Chinese.
"Stop!"
"Fuck it!"
Su Chen said a couple of random phrases and nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing his phone nearby, Su Chen finally remembered Su Qingya saying someone had been calling him.
He picked up his phone and saw three missed calls from three different numbers, but the caller ID for all of them was Shanghai.
After a moment of deliberation, Su Chen called the first number back.
The phone barely rang twice before it was answered.
"Hello. This is Su Chen. Did you just call me?"
"Ah, Mr. Su, good afternoon!"
"And you are?" Su Chen asked, confused.
"Mr. Su, I'm the head of the Greater China region for the Richemont Group. My name is Hamis. I apologize for disturbing your rest."
Hearing the name Richemont Group, Su Chen instantly remembered the shares he had acquired.
"Hello, Hamis. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Mr. Su, it's like this... headquarters sent an official notice informing me that a Group shareholder is in Shanghai, and they've specifically instructed me to deliver the exclusive shareholder card to you. I was wondering if you might be available."
'So they're here to deliver my shareholder perks card,' Su Chen thought.
"I'm free. I'm at Sea View One. You can come directly."
After that, they exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Su Chen hung up.
'Looking at the other two missed calls, they must be from the other two groups.'
Su Chen called them back one by one. Just as he suspected, they were all calling to deliver the exclusive shareholder cards. He gave them his address and hung up.
-----------------
「The underground garage of Sea View One!」
"Hamis, what are you doing here?" Emma, the head of the Louis Vuitton Group's Greater China region, asked in surprise.
Emma was surprised to see Hamis. Both were heads of Greater China for major luxury brands, but their relationship was not exactly friendly, as their respective companies were direct competitors.
"I'm here to visit a Group shareholder, of course! Emma, why are you here?"
"What a coincidence. I'm also here to visit a Group shareholder."
Just as they were talking, a Bentley Bentayga pulled up beside them.
A middle-aged foreign man got out of the car, instantly drawing the gazes of Hamis and Emma.
"George, you're here too? Don't tell me you're also here to visit a Group shareholder!"
George, the head of Kaiyun Group's Greater China region who had just gotten out of the car, was also baffled to see the two of them.
'What is going on?'
The heads of the Greater China regions for the big three luxury conglomerates had actually gathered under such circumstances.
"You're also here to visit a Group shareholder?" George asked, puzzled.
Hamis and Emma exchanged a look and nodded in tacit understanding.
An absurd thought arose in all three of their minds at the same time. 'Don't tell me we're all visiting the same shareholder?'
None of them spoke. They walked straight into the elevator. When Emma pressed the button for the 39th floor, both Hamis's and George's hearts skipped a beat.
And when Emma saw that the other two didn't press a button, she understood as well.
"You're also here to visit Mr. Su!" Three voices spoke as one.
The moment the words were out, the three of them fell silent, saying nothing more.
Soon, the elevator reached the 39th floor. Su Chen had already opened the door and was quietly waiting for their arrival.
When the three of them saw Su Chen's youthful appearance, they were all a bit stunned.
'Is this Mr. Su himself? Or Mr. Su's son?'
"Mr. Su?" George called out, uncertainly.
"You three, don't just stand there. Please, sit. I didn't expect you all to arrive together." Su Chen waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down.
The three of them, Hamis, Emma, and George, exchanged glances and each found a seat.
The room fell quiet for a moment. The three of them seemed hesitant, none daring to speak first.
Su Chen noticed their hesitation and said, "Let's talk in the study. You can come in one by one."
With that, he got up and walked toward the study. Hamis, the slyest of the three, immediately followed behind Su Chen.
Emma and George could only stamp their feet in frustration.
"Mr. Su, this is the Group's exclusive shareholder card. Please accept it!" As soon as they entered the study, Hamis took a golden card out of his pocket.
"Is this made of gold?" Su Chen asked, a flash of surprise in his eyes as he looked at the exclusive card in his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Su. The exclusive cards are all crafted from solid gold. Yours is number 003!"
"You'll enjoy the highest level of service at any of our Group's stores, and new arrivals can be sent directly to your home for you to choose from. You also get five complimentary purchases per year! Additionally, the CEO hopes you'll have a chance to visit our headquarters!"
Regarding the three groups... Su Chen had taken a moment to look them up. They comprised the world's major top-tier luxury brands. It was safe to say that Su Chen had become the new hotshot of the luxury world.
"Alright, I understand."
"Mr. Su, if you have time... you could visit our Greater China headquarters in Lujiazui!"
"I'll go if I have time."
Hamis bowed slightly and left the study.
As soon as he came out, he saw Emma and George rushing over. In the end, Emma, leveraging her youth, got into the study first.
"George, you should work out more. If your headquarters found out about this, I wonder if they'd replace you!" Hamis said with a triumphant smile, as if he'd just won a battle.
"You!" George was so angry his hands trembled.
Emma went in quickly and came out quickly, staying for less than five minutes.
But compared to her earlier urgency, she now seemed much more relaxed.
"It seems Miss Emma and Mr. Su had a pleasant chat."
"Of course!"
George, standing to the side, saw their smiling faces. With a dark expression, he shot them a glare and headed for the study.
The moment he stepped into the study, George's face had already switched to an eager smile.
....
After seeing the three of them out, Su Chen sat on the sofa, fiddling with the exclusive cards.
The three exclusive cards were all more or less the same. They were made of solid gold, yet felt surprisingly light in his hand.
"Huh? Bro, what's that card in your hand? It's so shiny... and pretty."
"Here, take one. It's an exclusive card. You'll get special treatment if you shop at any of this group's brands." Su Chen picked one out and handed it to Su Qingya.
"The Louis Vuitton Group? This logo looks just like the Louis Vuitton store we went to this morning. Don't tell me it's one of their companies?" Su Qingya looked at Su Chen excitedly, as if she'd discovered a new continent.
"Mm, I think so," Su Chen nodded slightly.
"Hehe! Thanks, bro!" Su Qingya carefully placed the card into her wallet.