"You little rascal, you really don't hold back at all!" Wang Ling's mouth twitched, indeed, if wealth were brought into the light, the so-called world's richest man wouldn't count for shit in front of Zhang nglong.
"Poladi? Who's that? I rember the richest man on the Forbes list is Bezos, right? The one who runs the online store."
"Pfft!" Wang Ling almost spat out the tea he had just sipped upon hearing those words.
What do you an 'runs an online store'? That's the world's largest online e-comrce company, with a market value of 1.57 trillion, the second-largest internet company globally. How did it turn into a re 'online store' in your mouth? Can't you show a minimum of respect?
"It's clear you've been preoccupied with dating these past few days and didn't hear about such a big event," Wang Ling said, "This Poladi just topped Forbes last week, like the 'Oracle of Omaha', making his fortune through stock trading.
Recently, thanks to a surge in tech stocks, his net worth skyrocketed from 120 billion US Dollars to 180 billion US Dollars, knocking that online store guy down a notch."
"Oh, so he's a stock trader," Zhang nglong nodded, "Doesn't that make him the new 'Oracle'?"
"Exactly!" Wang Ling said, "Lately, so many people have been trying to dine with him to learn investnt techniques that he's probably gotten a bit conceited. He's started to pull the sa stunt as the 'Oracle of Omaha', selling spots to dine with him. This must be like the eighth al already."
"Are there really such big suckers?" Zhang nglong wasn't a stranger to buying stocks. As an individual who'd been cut like leeks, he had saved up ten thousand RMB over a year and threw it into the stock market, only to lose three thousand in less than half a month. Since then, he saw the clear nature of his leek-hood.
"Big suckers not only exist, but they also form queues!" Wang Ling said with a laugh, "Poladi will only be staying in Huaxia for two days, and he auctioned off two spots to have lunch with him starting at a Bid of five million US Dollars. The final transaction price for each surpassed ten million US Dollars."
"With that much money, wouldn't it be nicer to stew so ribs or get a massage?"
"If soone can earn that kind of fortune, naturally they've got so skills. You know, the guy who had lunch with Warren Buffett just a few days ago has seen his net worth multiply by five tis since. Just exchanging a few words and getting insights from these people is invaluable."
"Cut it out, a bunch of sycophants acting like we Huaxia people can't make money," Zhang nglong remarked as he sat down, "Where are they eating anyway?"
"Right here!" Wang Ling pointed to the center table, which stretched over ten ters, "The owner of this place really knows how to do business, setting up their dining area in this hall. He's raised the prices for today's dishes to three tis the usual!"
"Whether it's three tis or even ten tis, I reckon plenty of people would still be willing to co."
"You're absolutely right. If it weren't for my dad knowing the owner here, we wouldn't have been able to eat here today!" Wang Ling whispered, "Those dining here today are all entrepreneurs worth at least a hundred million; they've all co to pick up so tricks."
"Hahaha!" Zhang nglong couldn't help but laugh, "Won't Poladi and that so-called sucker mind?"
"They'd love nothing more than to tell the whole world!" Wang Ling said, "Poladi wants to boost his reputation and influence in other countries through this event, and that 'sucker' you ntioned could easily profit from the hype around this event, even if he doesn't learn anything today."
"True," Zhang nglong nodded, in essence, it was still a transaction of interests, just dressed up and glorified by those capitalists.
"Here they co!" His buttocks had barely ward his chair when, accompanied by a hubbub, a brand-new Rolls-Royce pulled up at the hotel entrance. A slightly portly man in a suit stepped out from one side of the car.
The man seed to be in his 60s, with half of his hair already turned white, though his complexion was very vibrant. In addition to several individuals who looked like bodyguards, a throng of reporters buzzed around him, their flash going off incessantly over his fra.
Following that Rolls-Royce was a Maybach, and descending from it was a middle-aged man in his forties, his face equally flushed with health. With the buzz created by this news alone, his company's stocks had surged these past days, and he had nearly recouped the cost of the lunch.
"Mr. Poladi, what a pleasure to finally et you, I've been waiting for this day for a long ti," the middle-aged man said as he went up to shake hands with Poladi. "I'm honored to invite you to dine with
today, and I hope you can bless
with your advice later on."
"Mr. Song, you're too polite. Coming to Huaxia this ti, my aim is to network with Huaxia's entrepreneurs. Whatever I know, I will share it generously," Poladi said, with a smile plastered all over his face. As for how much trust one could put in his words, that was another matter.
The saying goes, "A well-fed apprentice starves his master," so if others mastered the art of his fortune-making, wouldn't Poladi soon have to say goodbye to his status as the world's richest man?
His purpose for coming to Huaxia was crystal clear, for one, as the newly crowned world's richest man, he wanted to make himself unforgettable to the world as quickly as possible, and secondly, in his opinion, the money of the Huaxia people was the easiest to earn!
"Who is that guy?" Zhang nglong asked, pointing at the middle-aged man.
"That's Song Mingxiang, the chairman of Gu Lu Holdings, who also works in venture capital. Not very famous before, but his company has grown significantly in the past two years, now with a market value exceeding 20 billion US dollars. He's quite a remarkable person now," soone replied.
"Oh, twenty billion," Zhang nglong responded nonchalantly before continuing to cut the steak on his plate.
"Mr. Poladi, you must be hungry after your long trip, so let's start, shall we?" Song Mingxiang said, making himself look very humble.
Poladi was anything but modest. In his eyes, as the world's richest man, it was only natural for others to bow and scrape before him.
Surrounded by a group, Poladi and Song Mingxiang made their way inside the hotel; in that mont, all eyes in the room focused on them.
"Mr. Poladi, you wouldn't mind dining with
in such a public place, would you?" Song Mingxiang asked cautiously.
"Of course not," Poladi practically wished for a live broadcast so that all of Huaxia would know soone had spent 12 million US dollars just to have dinner with him.
"Great, then please, take a seat," Song Mingxiang stepped aside.
Poladi nodded with satisfaction. As he walked, his gaze swept over the surrounding entrepreneurs, basking in all the attention, which brought imnse satisfaction to his heart.
"Damn, this guy isn't here to eat, he's f*ckin' here to show off on a paid vacation!" Wang Ling, a seasoned expert in showing off, saw right through Poladi's intentions. "Old Zhang, hurry up and flaunt your bank account balance; you could take down this so-called world's richest man in a minute!"
"Let him show off. He didn't beco the world's richest man until his sixties. He deserves to strut for three days and nights," Zhang nglong comnted casually, "I prefer to keep a low profile. If people knew I'm actually the real richest man, I'd probably have to cover my face every ti I go out."
"Ha ha, you dare say you're low profile, you're anything but!"
The two of them laughed and made such a noise that they unintentionally caught Poladi's attention.
"Huaxia people really lack manners, could it be..." However, the mont his gaze landed on Zhang nglong, he froze. An image surfaced in his mind, one that was strikingly similar to Zhang nglong.
He got a chill and hurried over to Zhang nglong's table.
"Sir, may I have the pleasure of dining with you?"
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