Chapter 17
The person in charge of KT Consortium was Long Aoyu—even his name sounded awe-inspiring.
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Long Aoyu had four sons, each of whom outstanding. Interestingly enough, Long Aoyu didn’t have the pedantic view that the eldest son should receive the family business.
In Long Aoyu’s point of view, the position of the head of the KT Consortium should go to the most capable person.
Thus, Long Aoyu’s four children vied ruthlessly—both openly and in secret—to be the person-in-charge.
His eldest son, Long Zhize, had worked at KT Consortium since he was only 22-years-old. And in just six years, he attained the position of the Asian Managing Director step-by-step, but at the expense of many people.
Some time back, there had been some issues with Long Aoyu’s health that caused him to recuperate at home and thought of giving up his power.
His four children, knowing that their father wouldn’t live much longer, stepped up their battles with each other.
Long Zhize wanted to have some achievements so he could impress his father and gain his approval. When his other three brothers were hastily trying to collaborate with major international corporations, Long Zhize chose Zeus Airlines instead.
He was putting all his eggs in one basket.
Secretly, many people were waiting for Long Zhize’s downfall. Sitting in the car, Li Li and Han Zhan started talking about a major family scandal behind Long Zhize.
“Long Zhize is the eldest son, and his mother passed away long ago, and he isn’t close to his grandfather either. Although his other three brothers have ambiguous identities, their mother’s family can still lend them a helping hand.”
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“This Long Zhize is a lone wolf.”
“Since he chose us, many people are waiting for him to fail.”
Han Zhan had his eyes closed, as if he was sleeping. Only after Li Li finished talking did he open his eyes. He then said, “It might not be a bad thing for long Zhize to not ask his mother or grandfather for assistance.”
Li Li was confused. “How so?”
Han Zhan laughed briefly. “If one leaned against a hill, it may collapse. If one leaned against a person, he might run away. Only a person with no one to lean on will place his weight on his own feet, and only by standing on stable feet can one not be blown away by the wind.”
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Li Li thought about it and sighed. “That’s also true.”
As they chatted, they arrived at the destination.
“Mr. Han, we’ve reached.”
“Mmm.”
Long Zhize’s most trusted subordinate, Jiang Shang, along with Long Zhize’s best manager and the company’s top management, were waiting to receive Han Zhan and the rest at the company’s entrance.
Upon seeing Li Li and the rest alight from the car, Jiang Shang approached immediately. “Mr. Li, welcome. I’m Jiang Shang, the general manager of KT Consortium’s Asian branch.”
Li Li shook hands with him. “Hello, General Manager Jiang. This is Manager Wang from our legal department. This lady is Manager Su of the project, and this is Mr. Han.” When introducing Han Zhan, Li Li did not describe his identity in detail.
Jiang Shang was socially adept. After hearing the introduction, he took another look at Han Zhan.
Han Zhan was tall, around 1.9 meters. He had worn a pure-white blouse beneath a three-piece black formal suit. His short hair and facial lines looked tough. His blue-gray eyes seemed emotional, but when they focused on Jiang Shang, they seemed cold and arrogant.
Jiang Shang had the chills.
He frequently saw this look in CEO Long’s eyes.
Hurriedly retracting his gaze, Jiang Shang stood in front and led Li Li and the rest into the company. Upon entering the lobby of the company, Jiang Shang noticed that Li Li and the rest had slowed down and automatically stood behind Mr. Han.
Observing this scene, Jiang Shang had a better guess of Han Zhan’s identity.
When they arrived before the lift door, Jiang Shang took the initiative and said to Han Zhan, “Mr. Han, after you.”
Han Zhan nodded and entered the lift with Li Li and the rest following closely behind him.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Shang knew that his guess was right.
The lift was spacious, but only Jiang Shang from the KT Consortium accompanied Han Zhan and the rest in the lift, while the other employees took another lift up.
It required some time from level 1 to 38. As Jiang Shang chatted with Li Li and the rest, he subconsciously glanced down and noticed a strange sight.
On a hot summer day, Mr. Han’s right hand had a leather glove on.
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Wasn’t it hot?
However, Jiang Shang was not interested in exploring other people’s quirks. Although he felt that it was strange, he didn’t take it to heart.
Long Zhize was already waiting at level 38. Upon seeing their arrival, he didn’t act high and mighty. He walked up and shook hands with Li Li under Jiang Shang’s guidance. “Mr. Li, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“CEO Long, you’re too kind.” After a good grip, Li Li and Long Zhize’s hands let go. Li Li turned his body slightly to introduce Han Zhan beside him, saying, “CEO Long, this is Mr. Han, the boss of Zeus Airlines.”
Jiang Shang secretly thought, ‘Indeed.’
Long Zhize took a deep glance at Han Zhan before he stretched out his right hand. “Mr. Han, it’s an honor to meet you. It’s indeed amazing that your corporation only took a few short years to develop into its current large scale. I didn’t expect the boss behind Zeus Airlines to be so young—it’s really commendable.”
Long Zhize wasn’t sugarcoating his words. He had really thought that the boss behind Zeus Airlines would be a scheming old man who was at least forty-years-old—if not fifty or sixty-years-old.
Unexpectedly, Han Zhan was so young.
Han Zhan emphasized wellness. Although he, being 32-years-old, appeared mature and classy, he didn’t look old. People who didn’t know his age would treat him like he was a 28-years-old youth.
Han Zhan stretched his right hand out, grabbed Long Zhize’s hand without removing his glove, and said with a smile, “CEO Long is also an outstanding figure.”
Long Zhize didn’t take Han Zhan’s words seriously.
Long Zhize’s current position could be attributed to the fact that he was the eldest son of the KT Consortium. However, a person like Han Zhan, who had achieved his current position using his capability, was instead more admirable.
Long Zhize grabbed the man’s gloved hand. Somehow, he felt that the gloved hand had some slightly strange joints underneath, but he couldn’t exactly put his finger on its strangeness.
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Without showing the doubt in his mind, Long Zhize released Han Zhan’s hand and said, “The meeting room is right up ahead, please.”
“Okay.”
…
The meeting officially began. Li Li retrieved his laptop, opened up the PowerPoint slides, and formally introduced the ‘Star Reaching Plan’ to Long Zhize.
Long Zhize listened intently to Li Li’s description. After that, even he couldn’t help but feel that Zeus Airlines had conceptualized the plan ever so beautifully. It somehow made him want to jump onto the spaceship as soon as possible to take a trip to space.
Long Zhize sincerely wanted to collaborate with Han Zhan’s company and had already thoroughly assessed the feasibility of the ‘Star Reaching Plan’ long ago. As a businessman, the benefits of this project drew him in, and thus, he had wanted to invest in it.
After Li Li finished his presentation, it was time for KT Consortium to speak. Long Zhize said, “We’re very willing to collaborate with Zeus Airlines. For a start, we plan to invest 100 billion yuan into this project.”
Upon hearing such words from Long Zhize, Li Li heaved a sigh of relief. Han Zhan still maintained his steady expression with pursed lips. Just when everyone started to lower their guards down, Han Zhan stared at Long Zhize. He asked calmly, “What do you want?”
Everyone’s heart sank.
Long Zhize smiled mildly. He acted classy and appropriate, yet his words were wildly arrogant. “I want twenty percent of your company’s shares.”