Chapter 3099

Ye Chen invited Steve over, partly to conveniently tie him to his own ship. Although this guy isn't exactly kind-hearted, he is, after all, the number two figure in the Rothschild family right now, so pulling him in appropriately isn't a bad thing.

What's more, as long as he sits here today, drinking and chatting happily with him and Zhou Liangyun, he can be considered completely dragged into the water. If his old man knew he was eating and drinking with Ye Changying's son and Peter Zhou, who took the Four-Directional Treasure Tower from the Rothschild family, he might really want to shoot this unfilial son with a gun.

And although it will be difficult for him to become the heir to the Rothschild family in the short term, his utility value remains very high. Ye Chen lets Helena handle his father, Howard, and then handles him personally; in the future, going to the United States will probably be no different from returning to his own home.

So, Ye Chen looked at Steve and smiled, "Having this attitude is truly impressive."

After saying this, he raised his wine glass and laughed, "Come on, Steve, let's have a toast to the friendship of the three of us."

Steve threw caution to the wind, raised his glass, and said readily, "Cheers to friendship!"

The 53-degree strong liquor made Steve somewhat unable to handle it. After taking a sip, he couldn't help but gasp at the cold air and sigh, "Oh my, this liquor is really spicy, like the vodka I drank at parties when I was young. It's just a pity that my health doctor hasn't recommended I drink high-proof liquor for a long time, and even red wine like Romanée-Conti has to be limited, saying I shouldn't exceed one ounce a day."

After speaking, he couldn't help but sigh, "I'm older, my combat effectiveness isn't what it used to be, and even drinking isn't as good as it was. We used to drink vodka with a higher proof than this, and we wouldn't be afraid at all. Now it's not working; the body has all sorts of minor ailments and chronic diseases, and the various precautions given by the health doctor are thicker than the Oxford Dictionary."

Ye Chen sized Steve up and said with a smile, "People, you know, start going downhill at thirty. Every bodily function will constantly decline, and by the time you're in your fifties, it's certainly inevitable that there will be many problems. But as long as there are no fatal diseases, it's generally like an old car; although it has many problems, it can still be driven."

Steve looked at his wine glass, lost in thought, and sighed, "When a person reaches this stage, they feel very tired. Just as you said, they gradually age into an old car with many problems. Even with all the money in the world, there's no way to change this reality. I actually have many old cars, and because I have the best team to maintain them, I can make them look no different from how they did decades ago, but they are actually very fragile. Some can no longer be driven and can only be displayed statically, and the parts that can be driven are also very difficult to support for normal intensity use."

Speaking of this, Steve paused slightly and added, "Actually, people are not as good as old cars. Old cars can be wantonly replaced with spare parts. If you are willing to put in the effort, you can even make production lines that have been dusty for decades operate again and produce brand-new replacement parts, but people can't. I can afford the best house and bed, but I can never get back the sleep I had at twenty; I can have the best chefs from all over the world cook delicacies for you, but I can't get back the appetite I had at twenty; my wine cellar is full of the best wine in this world, but my health doctor tells me to drink at most one ounce a day. I specifically had someone help me calculate it: if I can only drink one ounce a day, it would take more than 6,800 years to finish all the wine I have in my collection now."

Seeing the sorrow on his face, Ye Chen asked him with a smile, "So, you should understand some of your father's decisions now."

Steve was slightly stunned, then smiled bitterly, "Understand, how could I not understand? If I could get back the state I was in a few years ago, I would also be willing to pay a great price and make great sacrifices. Not to mention the distant past, just take five years ago: five years ago, I could sleep eight hours a day, jog five miles, and party every night. Now, I sleep less than six hours a day, running has stopped for a year and a half, and that aspect is becoming more and more bland and tasteless."

As he spoke, Steve sighed softly and continued, "I'm only in my fifties and I miss my youth immensely. If I reach my father's age, I'm afraid I will only value life and health even more."

Ye Chen said with a smile, "You always think I'm setting you up, but in reality, I can be considered to have indirectly helped you secure the position of first heir. As far as I know, before this, the Rothschild family hadn't really determined who the next heir would be, right?"

Steve smirked, "You're right... I am the first heir now, but my father has the medicinal pill you provided; maybe he will live longer than me..."

Ye Chen said, "Steve, since everyone can sit together and drink happily, I won't beat around the bush with you. For me, it doesn't matter who lives longer, you or your father; what matters is who can reach a better cooperation with me. At the current stage, your father's sincerity is much higher than yours, which is why I let Helena provide him with the medicinal pill."

As he spoke, Ye Chen added, "Do you know what your father has been busy with in Northern Europe recently?"

"I know a little," Steve said, "It seems to be something about a data center."

Ye Chen nodded and said, "I let Helena give him a new offer. As long as he can build an AI model for me in Northern Europe, I will provide him with another medicinal pill. By then, his physical state will be even better. If he can continue to cooperate with my requirements in the future, maybe at some point in the future, the two of you will have the same physiological age."

Steve felt extremely depressed. It seems that his father has already hugged Ye Chen's thigh through Helena. In the future, if Ye Chen wants him or even the entire Rothschild family to do anything, he only needs to take out the medicinal pill and let Helena pass the word to get a positive response from the old man. In this way, he, the heir, might really have to wait until he dies.

Feeling somewhat desperate, he picked up his wine glass, drank the remaining half of the glass in one breath, then looked at Ye Chen and said respectfully, "Mr. Ye, I was indeed saying one thing and meaning another before, but I have deeply realized my mistake. I beg you to point me in the right direction. If I still have a chance, I will definitely work twice as hard. If I don't have a chance, then after I go back this time, I will completely lie flat and not think about anything else."

Steve knew very well in his heart that once his father's lifespan was continuously extended and he himself grew older, the future heir would become further and further away from him. If he waited until his father was one hundred years old to pass the baton, he would already be at retirement age. By that time, for the sake of the family's development, the old man would definitely bypass him and let his son succeed him;

Letting his son succeed him is still fine, but if he let his younger brother succeed him, then it would be completely over, because by then, his branch would be destined to become the maternal relatives of the Rothschild family and be gradually marginalized.

Therefore, he is now willing to be a beast of burden for Ye Chen in exchange for a chance, but all of this depends on whether Ye Chen is willing to give him this chance.

Ye Chen smiled at this time and said, "Do you understand the situation of the Fei family?"

Steve said, "I understand a little."

Ye Chen asked him, "Do you know why the old man of the Fei family, like your father, was clearly in a state of great recovery, yet was still willing to pass the position of family head to Fei Kexin?"

Steve shook his head and asked tentatively, "Is it because he loves this granddaughter?"

Ye Chen waved his hand, "Doesn't your father love you, his eldest son? Loving you doesn't necessarily mean he has to pass the position to you. Isn't giving you endless money and the best living conditions and material foundation in this world also a manifestation of his love for you?"

Steve caught something unusual and asked quickly, "Mr. Ye, please enlighten me."

Ye Chen said, "The reason why the old man of the Fei family was willing to pass the position to Fei Kexin is because the condition for me to let him live a long life was that he had to pass the position to his granddaughter. If he didn't pass the position, I wouldn't give him the medicinal pill. Even if he offered more money, I wouldn't give it."

As he spoke, Ye Chen looked at Steve and said seriously, "If one day you make me feel that you are more reliable, I will also tie your father's chance of longevity to you. Just imagine, if one day your father could only obtain the medicinal pill through you, would he refuse if you asked him to give you the position of family head?"

Steve's eyes lit up, and he said, "If he could choose between power and life, he would definitely choose both, but if he could only choose one, he would definitely choose the latter."

After speaking, he immediately said to Ye Chen excitedly, "Mr. Ye, what do I need to do to help me get what I want?"

Ye Chen smiled, "Steve, an indestructible friendship needs time to be tempered and verified. However, you don't need to be afraid of time. If I can let you live to be a hundred, even if you succeed at sixty, you will still have forty years. If I can let you live to be one hundred and twenty, then when you succeed at sixty, you will be in your prime."

Steve did not doubt Ye Chen's words at all. His medicinal pill is very magical; letting people live to one hundred and twenty is definitely not a problem.

If it were really as he said, then he must do his best to win his help. Otherwise, once the person who lives to one hundred and twenty is his father, then he will really have no chance of ever coming out on top.

Thinking of this, he said without hesitation, "Mr. Ye, after I go back this time to report, I will apply to my father to be responsible for the family's business in the Asia-Pacific region in the future. By then, I will increase the family's investment in Jin Ling and work with you to build Jin Ling bigger and better. In the future, Jin Ling will be my, Steve Rothschild's, second hometown! In that way, I can also come to Jin Ling often to drink and chat happily with you. I wonder if you welcome me?"

Ye Chen nodded and smiled, "Of course I welcome you if you are willing to come to Jin Ling for investment and development."

Steve said immediately, "Then it's a deal! You wait for my good news. The day I come to Jin Ling next time, I will definitely set the highest record for foreign investment in Jin Ling's history!"