Chapter 2087

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the plane touched down steadily at Tokyo Airport. Once the cabin door opened, Zhou Andong and his group filed out.

Just as they walked out of the arrival hall, they noticed a large sign being held high not far away, with the name "Zhou Andong" written prominently upon it.

"Boss, over there!"

Yuan Wanqi pointed at the sign, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"I didn't expect Sony to actually send someone to pick us up."

Zhou Andong smiled slightly and walked toward the sign, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Japan is famous for being a 'land of etiquette.' When a distinguished guest visits, they naturally have to come and greet them. Otherwise, the whole world would know they are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites."

Chen Hua, walking in high heels right beside Zhou Andong, agreed, "The boss is absolutely right. I once studied abroad in Japan. When I first arrived, I was moved by the Japanese people's manners, thinking they had taken etiquette to the extreme."

"But as time went on, I gradually realized that these manners are just a facade; in reality, they are extremely hypocritical. Especially those Japanese politicians and so-called upper-class socialites—not only are they hypocritical, but their inner selves are filthy and disgusting."

At this point, a hint of disdain flashed in Chen Hua's eyes. "They always pretend to be polite on the surface, but behind the scenes, they do all sorts of unspeakable things."

"For example, the recent fraud scandals exposed in Japan involved every industry, and even the Ministry of Finance didn't escape unscathed. Yet, before this, they were always touting the so-called 'craftsmanship spirit' of the Japanese."

Having said this, Chen Hua let out a laugh, the mockery in her tone quite evident: "Perhaps the Japanese 'craftsmanship spirit' is just fraud."

Zhou Andong cast a surprised look at Chen Hua. This woman was a native of Hong Kong who had studied in Japan; that she could say such things really took him by surprise.

It also gave him an idea: once the swap for Sony Music and Sony Pictures was completed, he would definitely need to leave someone in charge of the Japan branch. Letting Chen Hua stay on as the person in charge seemed like a good choice—he just didn't know if she would be willing.

Their group was quite conspicuous. As the crowd dispersed, Yoshioka Kunihiko spotted Zhou Andong immediately. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, feeling the tightness in his chest ease up a bit.

"Mr. Zhou, we meet again. Welcome to Japan."

This guy knew Chinese, but this time, he spoke in Japanese.

Chen Hua translated from the side. Zhou Andong nodded. "Since we parted in Jiangzhou, I have missed President Yoshioka dearly. I had hoped to come to Japan to meet with you as soon as possible, but I have been tied up with business and only managed to arrive today."

Yoshioka Kunihiko also brought an interpreter, a short, thin young man standing beside him. As soon as Zhou Andong finished speaking, he translated it for Yoshioka.

Zhou Andong bringing an interpreter was normal, as aside from the few phrases often spoken by the heroines in Japanese adult films, he truly didn't understand the language.

But Yoshioka Kunihiko bringing an interpreter, in his view, was purely for show, because this old devil understood Chinese—even if his spoken Chinese was terrible, his listening comprehension was perfectly fine.

The two of them exchanged polite pleasantries, each harboring their own ulterior motives, before arriving at the parking lot. Zhou Andong and Yoshioka Kunihiko got into a Mercedes, while the others boarded several commercial vans.

…………………………

The Hotel New Otani is located in the Akasaka district of Tokyo, near the Japanese Diet building. In 1962, to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics two years later and solve the shortage of hotel accommodations, Otani Heavy Industry President Otani Yoneo accepted a government commission to build this large-scale hotel.

Sony arranged for Zhou Andong to stay at this hotel. It was a bit far from Sony's headquarters, but it wasn't to make things difficult for him; rather, this hotel held special significance for China-Japan relations.

In 1972, when China and Japan normalized diplomatic relations, the embassy in Japan didn't have its own premises yet, so it rented several rooms at the Hotel New Otani as office space. Thus, the hotel became the first "Chinese Embassy."

Because of this connection, most Chinese leaders visiting Japan would stay at the Hotel New Otani, and many important large-scale events for the Chinese Embassy were also held there.

Therefore, in this regard, Sony's arrangement for Zhou Andong was quite thoughtful and showed genuine sincerity.

After arriving at the hotel, Zhou Andong's group returned to their rooms to settle in. At 4:00 PM, Yoshioka Kunihiko came personally to invite Zhou Andong to a welcome banquet.

The venue was the banquet hall of the Hotel New Otani. By the time they arrived, Watanabe Yasutō and the board members, along with Sony's key executives, were already waiting.

"Mr. Zhou, this is our Sony President Watanabe, this is Board Member Mitsui Gen'nosuke..."

Yoshioka Kunihiko introduced them to Zhou Andong, with Chen Hua translating on the side.

"President Watanabe, I have long admired you. When I was in college, the first electronic product I used was a Sony Walkman."

"It was only then that I realized there was such a great company as Sony in the world; it changed the way people all over the world enjoy entertainment..."

Zhou Andong was laying it on thick, buttering them up with reckless abandon. He never skimped on things that didn't cost money.

Not just Watanabe Yasutō, but the other board members, including the man with the small mustache, were all in high spirits.

Only Yoshioka Kunihiko's expression remained unchanged, while he cursed inwardly. This guy was just too shameless.

Especially when he saw those board members unable to hide their smug satisfaction, he felt like cursing again.

They were truly a bunch of idiots. Zhou Andong had come with malicious intent; his flattery of Sony must also have had an ulterior motive.

"Mr. Zhou!"

Yoshioka Kunihiko interrupted the long-winded Zhou Andong and said very politely:

"You must be hungry. Let's eat while we talk."

"Right!" Mitsui Gen'nosuke showed great respect toward Zhou Andong: "Mr. Zhou is in the white liquor business in China. I wonder if you have ever tasted our Japanese sake?"

Zhou Andong was quite dissatisfied with Yoshioka Kunihiko for interrupting his flow, so he ignored him and smiled at Mitsui Gen'nosuke.

"Japanese sake is world-famous. I have heard of it, but I have never tasted it."

"Then you must try some Japanese sake; it will surely give you a different feeling." Mitsui Gen'nosuke's smile was very sincere: "Let's drink until we're drunk."

Zhou Andong suddenly felt that this guy named Mitsui was quite interesting. Even though the President and Vice President were both present, he was pulling Zhou Andong aside to drink until they were drunk—this was a case of the guest usurping the host's role. ===== CHAPTER 2088 =====

Zhou Andong suddenly felt that this guy named Mitsui was very interesting. If the president and vice president were both there, he pulled Zhou Andong to drink until he was drunk, which was usurping the host's role.