Gao Hongzhi maintained his consistent style.
He was meticulous, never missed a mark, and possessed a near-tyrannical persistence.
The acquisition negotiation in Yanjing had lasted a total of 72 hours, spanning three rounds of meetings, five valuation revisions, and two reconstructions of the legal terms.
The traps hidden within the clauses, meticulously designed by his opponents, were practically transparent to him.
He didn’t expose them on the spot but waited patiently instead.
He waited for them to step into their own traps.
Ultimately, under Gao Hongzhi’s strategic finesse, the valuation shifted from the initially insisted twenty-eight billion, loosening all the way to 23.5 billion.
Control was ceded to the Horizon Core Technology Group, more than half of the board seats were secured, and the additional performance-based clauses were proposed by the opposing side.
The moment the signatures were finalized, there was no applause in the conference room, only a faint sigh.
It was the sound of the opponent’s Chief Financial Officer, whose eyes held both a sense of defeat and deep respect.
Even if Gao Hongzhi had been an adversary until a moment ago, he was absolutely an opponent worthy of respect.
“Everyone, good work,” Gao Hongzhi said.
His tone was steady, devoid of any victor’s arrogance as he closed the file.
After he rose and left the conference room, the meeting concluded.
The fact that things went exceptionally smooth this time was no accident.
Thorough preparation was one reason, but beyond that, Gu Yebai was very sensible.
The boy had realized that Gao Hongzhi needed to pull away to handle the thorny business in Yanjing, so he had taken the initiative to suggest leaving Linchuan.
He was so sensible that he hardly seemed like a 16-year-old child.
Gao Hongzhi had originally planned to accompany him through the process of handling his Donghai household registration, then his school enrollment, along with all the various trivial yet necessary procedures.
Even with external capital eyeing the Horizon Core Technology Group like hawks, he couldn’t show even a hint of impatience.
No matter how his career fared, he was a father first.
Family was never less important than business.
Now, everything was settled, and everyone was happy.
A rare sense of relief rose in Gao Hongzhi’s heart.
‘Thank God,’ he thought.
‘A child as obedient and sensible as Gu Yebai is my own flesh and blood.’
Gao Hongzhi especially liked those eyes—clean, transparent, and devoid of any greed.
For someone of Gao Hongzhi’s age, determining whether a person was good or evil usually didn’t require time to verify.
One glimpse was enough.
If Gu Yebai was willing to take over the family business in the future, Gao would personally hand the group over to him.
If he had his own ideals, like a dream of being a writer, Gao would support him as a father with everything he had, even if his creations couldn’t bring in money.
The family wealth was enough to last for several lifetimes.
“Dear, let’s book the tickets back to Donghai,” Ya Xinyao said.
“It’s time for us to go home and see our children.”
“Yeah, it’s time to go back,” Gao Hongzhi replied.
“To be honest, I miss them too.”
“Dear, we are so happy right now.”
“We are.”
Gao Hongzhi was currently driving a Maybach S680, waiting for a red light.
“Honey.”
“The chassis tuning of German cars is truly solid. The steering is clear, it’s stable at high speeds, and there’s no hesitation in the corners.”
“You can actually see a company’s culture through the driving experience—rigor, restraint, and control.” Gao Hongzhi paused, suddenly full of enthusiasm.
“I’ve decided that for Young Gu’s 18th birthday, I’ll buy him a Maybach S680.”
“Karl Benz invented the first automobile. The Mercedes three-pointed star symbolizes land, sky, and sea.”
“Let the engine conquer the land, sea, and air.”
“Sitting inside a Mercedes, a sense of indomitable resilience naturally arises.”
“I think Young Gu will like it in the future. A writer driving a Maybach is quite fitting, don’t you think, dear?”
Ya Xinyao gave him a gentle, playful roll of her eyes.
Whenever cars were mentioned, he could talk endlessly.
“I understand that you love cars, dear,” she said.
“But after we get back to Donghai, shouldn’t we first resolve the issue of Young Gu’s school enrollment?”
“Ah, right, right.”
Gao Hongzhi snapped back to reality.
“Let’s arrange for him to go to St. George’s International School. He’ll be in the same school as Hongyi, so they can look out for each other.”
The traffic light turned green.
The Maybach started forward slowly.
St. George’s International School was the top private aristocratic international school in Donghai.
It utilized a dual-track system of IB and A-Level.
It catered to top entrepreneurs, financial oligarchs, and families of foreign executives.
Tuition started at 800,000 per year.
Admission required background checks and recommendation qualifications.
It wasn’t a place an ordinary family could enter just because they wanted to.
But for Gao Hongzhi, these barriers were nonexistent.
It was a school truly woven together by capital and bloodlines.
For a boy who had just left a small county town, it might not be the friendliest environment.
Yet, Gao Hongzhi still decided to arrange it this way.
He wanted to announce one thing to the outside world openly and honorably—Gu Yebai was his son.
There was no need for him to be hidden away.
And there was certainly no need to worry about so-called “embarrassment.”
“But will the pressure be too much for Young Gu?” Ya Xinyao asked hesitantly.
“Young Gu was able to fight his way to that level even at Linchuan Fifth High School. He’ll definitely be fine at St. George’s,” Gao Hongzhi said with a firm tone.
The Maybach merged into the flow of traffic.
The road ahead was wide.
“There will absolutely be no problem.”
“Because that kid has our blood flowing in his veins.”
….
It was 4:00 PM by the time they returned to the China World Summit Wing hotel.
The sunlight slanted down between the high-rises of the CBD, passing through the glass curtain walls and casting calm, restrained shadows on the lobby floor.
Gao Hongzhi planned to rest for a bit with Ya Xinyao.
They would go to Sanlitun in the evening to pick out some gifts for the two children, catch a flight tomorrow morning, and be back in Donghai before noon.
Everything was arranged in an orderly fashion.
As they stepped into the hotel lobby, a man was already standing there, appearing as though he had been waiting for a long time.
Gao Hongzhi’s assistant followed closely behind the man, his expression slightly more solemn than usual.
“And who is this?”
The man bowed slightly. “Hello, President Gao.”
“My name is Baek, Baek Jeong-hun.”
“I am the Vice President of the Semiconductor Division of Samsung Group, in charge of manufacturing layout in Asia.”
His Chinese was extremely fluent.
Only specific syllables carried a slight accent.
If one didn’t listen closely, it was almost impossible to detect any foreign traces.
Gao Hongzhi didn’t respond immediately.
He simply looked at his assistant.
The assistant immediately explained, “President Gao, Mr. Baek arrived at the hotel this afternoon. Since you were in a meeting at the time, I planned to arrange for Mr. Baek to wait in the VIP lounge, but he insisted on staying in the lobby. He said he wanted to meet you as soon as you returned.”
Baek Jeong-hun smiled faintly.
His smile was gentle, his suit was impeccably tailored, and his temperament was cheerful, giving off the impression of a kindhearted man.
Gao Hongzhi didn’t dislike Baek Jeong-hun’s eyes.
“I have long heard of your great name, President Gao. Waiting in the lobby is a small way to show my sincerity.”
“I believe our group will have deep cooperation with your Horizon Core Technology Group in the future.”
“Is your car a Mercedes? German cars have always been known for their precision, especially Mercedes. That three-pointed star symbolizes land, sky, and sea.”
“You truly have excellent taste, President Gao.”
This sentence made Gao Hongzhi involuntarily look at this man from Seoul with a bit more regard.
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