Chapter 3026: Finally Meeting You Again!

At ten o'clock in the morning, a private plane modified from a Boeing 747-8 landed at Jin Ling Airport.

Steve Rothschild, the heir to the Rothschild family, arrived on the same plane with his entourage, and then completed the customs clearance procedures as quickly as possible.

The Rothschild family's staff in China had been waiting here for a long time. Although Steve didn't know when he would be able to hold power, in the eyes of others, he was the number two figure of the entire Rothschild family in the true sense, so they were naturally respectful to him.

When Steve left the airport, a state guest motorcade composed of Cadillacs was already waiting outside the airport.

These vehicles were all the same presidential models ordered by the Rothschild family from the United States. Although they didn't look as luxurious as Rolls-Royce, the cost of each car was

In fact, the money-grubbing families had long since abandoned Rolls-Royces.

Nowadays, Rolls-Royce owners are mostly young second-generation rich kids, or those young people who have suddenly become wealthy through crypto speculation or self-media.

After Steve sat into a bulletproof Cadillac, he directly instructed the person in charge of the reception, "Go to Tianxiangfu."

The person in charge had arrived urgently from Jingcheng yesterday and was not familiar with Jin Ling, but he had carefully studied the route to Tianxiangfu, so he said without hesitation, "Very well, sir, we will head directly to Tianxiangfu."

At this time, Tianxiangfu had already suspended business to the public, and the parking lot was guarded by designated personnel; not a single car had been let in.

Hong Wu drove Ye Chen and Chen Zekai to arrive at Tianxiangfu a step ahead. After parking the car, Ye Chen strode into the main gate of Tianxiangfu and said to Hong Wu, who was on the side, "Hong Wu, you are the host. You will handle the reception here later. Remember, no matter how many people are in their party, only Steve Rothschild is allowed to come in."

"Understood, Master Ye!" Hong Wu nodded heavily, then added, "By the way, Master Ye, the business van you asked me to prepare is already parked at the back door."

"Good." Ye Chen smiled slightly and said, "Remember, there is no need to be too polite to this Steve, lest he really thinks he is some kind of honored guest and fails to understand his own position."

Hong Wu nodded and laughed, "Master Ye, rest assured, Hong Wu knows his limits!"

Ye Chen greeted Chen Zekai and said, "Old Chen, let's go to the private room and wait."

Hong Wu hurriedly said, "Master Ye, let me take you and President Chen up!"

Ye Chen laughed, "It's not my first time here, no need for such trouble."

Hong Wu nodded, "The Diamond Room, you know the way."

Ye Chen and Chen Zekai stepped upstairs, while Hong Wu remained on the first floor to wait.

Upon arriving at the private room, Ye Chen sat directly in the main seat facing the door, then said to Chen Zekai, "Old Chen, you sit on my left."

"Understood, Young Master!" Chen Zekai nodded respectfully and immediately sat down on Ye Chen's left.

Chen Zekai, who had just rushed back to Jin Ling today, did not know the intention of the Rothschild family's arrival. He asked somewhat nervously, "Young Master, is there anything I should pay attention to when I meet the people from the Rothschild family later?"

"Pay attention?" Ye Chen smiled, "There is nothing special to pay attention to. Just remember not to take him too seriously."

Chen Zekai was slightly stunned, then nodded heavily, "Understood, Young Master, I know."

Soon, the motorcade consisting of Cadillacs drove in grandly from the intersection directly in front of Tianxiangfu.

Seeing the motorcade, Hong Wu instructed the lackey in the parking lot to lift the barrier and let the motorcade in.

After the motorcade had successively entered the parking spaces, more than a dozen bodyguards in black suits immediately got out. As soon as they descended, they immediately surrounded Steve's car with professional stances, watching their surroundings vigilantly.

One of the blond white men stepped toward Tianxiangfu, and Hong Wu walked out to meet him at this moment.

That blond white man, looking like a CIA agent, looked left and right vigilantly while whispering into the intercom microphone he was wearing, "Everyone stand by, stay alert!"

After he finished speaking, Hong Wu had already reached him.

He looked Hong Wu up and down and asked, "Are you the person in charge of Tianxiangfu?"

If Ye Chen hadn't tipped off Hong Wu in advance, Hong Wu might have been intimidated by the posture of the person in front of him. However, at this moment, Hong Wu already knew Steve's identity and his subsequent itinerary to the dog farm, so he didn't take this person seriously at all, just saying disdainfully, "What person in charge? I am the owner of this place."

After speaking, Hong Wu raised his eyebrows and asked him, "What about you? Are you the security captain of this motorcade?"

The man did not expect to be labeled with the title of security captain and said somewhat displeased, "I am the security consultant for the Rothschild family. I previously worked at the C..."

"Stop talking." Hong Wu reached out to interrupt him and said blandly, "I came over personally just to meet a guest named Steve. Since you are not him, there is no need to waste words with me. Our boss is waiting upstairs. Tell Steve not to put on airs in the car; hurry up and get out so he can come up with me."

After speaking, Hong Wu ignored the other party's annoyed expression and continued, "By the way, only he alone can enter the gate of Tianxiangfu. No one else is allowed to enter, nor are they allowed to leave the parking lot by even half a step."

The other party was already quite angry, and upon hearing this, he was even more furious, immediately shouting, "You are just the owner of a mere restaurant; who gave you the capital to dare speak to me like this? Do you know how important Mr. Rothschild's safety is?"

Hong Wu said blandly, "Anyway, my boss is already waiting upstairs. Whether your boss comes up or not, give me a straight answer!"

Steve, who had been in the car, had heard the entire conversation between the two through the driver and bodyguard's intercom system. Upon hearing Hong Wu say this, it was clear that he was not prepared to make any concessions, so he hurriedly pushed open the car door and got out.

The security consultant was about to argue with Hong Wu, but seeing Steve get out of the car personally, he hurriedly turned and ran toward him, saying, "Sir, you cannot go up alone; we cannot guarantee your safety!"

Steve waved his hand, "It's fine. Since Mr. Ye is the host, safety is certainly guaranteed. You all just wait for me here."

The man hurriedly said, "Sir, this..."

Steve interrupted him, "That's enough, no need to say more. This is Mr. Ye's territory; show enough respect. Tell your people to wait in the car. Until I come out, no one is allowed to get out."

Steve knew very well that although the bodyguards he brought were all top-tier agents, they were nothing in front of Ye Chen. Furthermore, they were not qualified to carry guns in China, so their combat capability was greatly reduced. In this situation, if Ye Chen really wanted to mess with him, it made no difference whether they were there or not.

Rather than that, it would be better for him to be straightforward and just go up with the owner of Tianxiangfu in front of him.

Seeing Steve's insistence, the security consultant couldn't say anything more, so he had to take his intercom off his waist and hand it to Steve, "Sir, if you have any needs, press the red button on top, and we will arrive immediately!"

"No need." Steve waved his hand, "If I carry this, it will definitely make Mr. Ye misunderstand."

After finishing, Steve didn't say anything more to him and walked directly to Hong Wu, saying with a smile, "Hello, I am Steve Rothschild. Sorry to trouble you to take me to see Mr. Ye!"

Hong Wu nodded, "Follow me."

Steve followed Hong Wu into Tianxiangfu and arrived at the entrance of the Diamond Room.

At this time, the door to the private room was wide open, so he saw Ye Chen sitting in the seat directly facing the door at a glance.

Thus, he hurriedly smiled and greeted him, saying obsequiously, "Mr. Ye! Finally meeting you again!"

Ye Chen nodded and smiled, saying, "Come, come, come, Steve, sit wherever you like."

Steve looked at the large round table with more than a dozen seats in front of him and suddenly felt a bit troubled.

He did not quite understand the rules of Chinese dining.

This table was truly massive; if he sat face-to-face with Ye Chen, he would probably have to speak quite loudly to be heard. However, with such a huge table and so many empty seats, if he were to force himself to sit right next to Ye Chen, it would indeed seem a bit too sycophantic.

Just when Steve didn't know what to do, Ye Chen directly patted the seat on his right hand and said with a smile, "Sit here, Steve. This table is too big; sitting far away seems distant. Let's just sit a bit closer, it will also seem more intimate."

Steve hurriedly nodded and came to sit down beside Ye Chen.

Ye Chen then pointed to the empty seat next to Steve and said to Hong Wu, "Hong Wu, you sit next to Steve; get to know each other better."

Hong Wu nodded, "Alright, Master Ye!"

After Steve was seated, Ye Chen said, "Come, Steve, let me introduce you. The person beside you is my subordinate, and also the owner of Tianxiangfu, Mr. Hong Wu."

Steve hurriedly said politely, "Hello, Mr. Hong!"

Hong Wu laughed, "Hello to you too, hello to you too!"

Ye Chen then pointed to Chen Zekai beside him and introduced, "This is the current head steward of our Ye family, and also the Ye family's general agent, Mr. Chen Zekai."

Steve nodded and hurriedly said, "Hello, Mr. Chen! A pleasure to meet you!"

Chen Zekai also said very politely, "You are too kind."

Ye Chen then said to Hong Wu and Chen Zekai, "Hong Wu, Old Chen, this is the famous current heir to the Rothschild family, Mr. Steve Rothschild. There is an introduction about him on the encyclopedia; you can search and take a look when you have time."

Both of them very politely said it was a pleasure to meet him.

Even though both were Ye Chen's subordinates, and Hong Wu seemed to be just a restaurant owner, Steve did not dare to put on any airs at all. He said with a humble face, "It is my honor to know the two of you. When you come to the United States in the future, please be sure to contact me, so I have the opportunity to play the host."

Ye Chen laughed, "Steve is truly hospitable. We must have a few drinks later."

After saying this, he said to Hong Wu, "Hong Wu, have the waiter serve the cold dishes and the white liquor first. We'll drink and chat."

"Understood, Master Ye!" Hong Wu hurriedly arranged it, and the kitchen, which had already prepared the dishes, immediately had the waiters bring out the cold dishes one by one.

Before Steve could recover, the nine waiters who had entered one after another brought up eight cold dishes and a five-jin bottle of vintage Jinjue Moutai.

Just as Steve was looking at the massive liquor bottle in astonishment, the waiter had already filled the decanter in front of him and then poured him a glass of liquor.

After the waiter left, Ye Chen picked up his glass and smiled, "Come, Steve, welcome to China. According to our rules here, let's drink three glasses together first."

Steve smelled the strong scent of the white liquor and exclaimed, "This... this liquor has a high alcohol content, right?"

Hong Wu laughed, "Fifty-three percent proof, authentic vintage Moutai."

"Fifty-three percent..." Steve was shocked and blurted out, "We haven't done anything yet, and we're starting with three glasses?!"

Ye Chen laughed, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You must not think I am bullying you on purpose; this is just the rule here. When a dinner party begins, everyone drinks three glasses together first."

Ye Chen was indeed not lying to Steve. The opening three drinks are almost the rule in most Chinese cities, though the alcohol content and glass size vary depending on the average drinking capacity of the region.

For those with high tolerance, three glasses of high-proof white liquor, at least one liang per glass;

For those with low tolerance, three glasses of ordinary beer, at least 150 milliliters per glass.

Steve also knew Ye Chen wouldn't lie to him, but he still had some doubts in his heart, muttering, "I... I have also been hosted by Chinese people... but... but I have never drunk like this..."

Ye Chen laughed, "With your status, those who invited you to dinner before wouldn't dare force you to drink. Even if such a rule existed, they would probably never mention it when they met you."

As he spoke, Ye Chen changed the subject and said, "I am different. I don't need you to do anything for me, I don't need to borrow money from you, and I don't rely on you for advancement. So how could I break the rules for you? Don't you agree?"

Steve thought about it, and Ye Chen was indeed right. In the United States, the people he encountered felt they were a notch below him, so they were naturally respectful to him in every way. At the dinner table, if he didn't propose a toast, no one dared to touch their glass, so no matter what the rules were, they were no match for his own rules.

But Ye Chen was different.

It was he who had come to curry favor with Ye Chen, so naturally, he had to follow Ye Chen's rules.

Thinking of this, Steve hurriedly said, "It's all my fault for not understanding the rules of Chinese dinner tables before. Since that's the case, I will follow the local customs. Whatever you say, I will drink!"

Ye Chen nodded, picked up his glass, and said with a smile, "Everyone pick up your glasses for the three drinks. As the saying goes, 'deep affection is shown by downing it in one gulp.' We will finish the full glass and put down an empty one. After three glasses, we can drink freely."

Steve looked at the glass with a capacity of about 20 milliliters and felt his heart pounding, thinking, "With such strong liquor, without even adding ice, won't it burn my stomach if I drink it straight?"

Just as he was pondering, Ye Chen had already picked up his glass and said very refreshingly, "Come, everyone, the first glass, bottoms up!"

Hong Wu and Chen Zekai hurriedly picked up their glasses, clinked them with Ye Chen's, and shouted, "Bottoms up!"

Steve was a bit intimidated, but he could only follow suit. He clinked glasses with the three of them and said, biting the bullet, "Alright! Bottoms up!"

Ye Chen, Hong Wu, and Chen Zekai all drank it in one gulp. Although Steve was not used to this way of drinking, he also swallowed it decisively.

Ye Chen nodded with satisfaction, picked up his chopsticks, and said with a smile, "Come, come, come, everyone use your chopsticks. Let's eat a few bites of food, and then we'll have the second glass."

Steve was helpless and could only do as Ye Chen said, following the host's lead.

After three rounds of white liquor, Steve was already feeling a bit dizzy. In fact, his drinking capacity was not bad; he often drank high-proof spirits like cognac, whiskey, and vodka, but he had never tried this somewhat hurried way of drinking.

At this time, Ye Chen looked at Steve and asked curiously, "By the way, Steve, what exactly are you here in Jin Ling to do? I can be considered a local snake in Jin Ling; if you say it out, I might be able to help you."

Upon hearing this, Steve felt a sudden joy in his heart.

When he came to Jin Ling, he was actually completely in the dark. After all, the Horowitz family had sent people to look before, but all leads had been cut off, and they had returned empty-handed after searching for a long time.

This time, he had originally wanted to hurry over first to leave a good impression on the old master, Howard, making him feel that he attached great importance to this matter.

But he hadn't figured out how to find that father and son specifically; he could only come to Jin Ling first and visit Ye Chen before deciding.

Now that Ye Chen had taken the initiative to offer help, it was naturally the best thing for him.

So he said to Ye Chen, "Mr. Ye, to tell you the truth, I came to Jin Ling this time to find someone."