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Tao Mu stood at the ticket window stupidly, feeling that the extent to which he was affected by Shen Yu’s IQ lowering buff must be deeper and longer lasting than he had thought.
“Hello, please show your passport?” The service staff behind the window kept a polite smile and reminded him again.
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“Huh?” Tao Mu came back to his senses, feeling particularly embarrassed: “It’s nothing, I won’t be buying a ticket now. Sorry for the trouble.”
Tao Mu pulled the suitcase and retreated a dozen steps away in embarrassment. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he still had to toughen his skin and call Li Xiaoheng.
Far away on the other side of the earth, taking advantage of the gaps between work time, Li Xiaoheng planned a perfect tour and travel plan. He was just waiting for Tao Mu to fly over and meet him. Li Xiaoheng looked at the suddenly vibrating mobile phone, and couldn’t help but smile as he answered the call:” Have you booked your flight ticket? What’s the flight number? When will it arrive? I’ll pick you up.”
“Um
..” Tao Mu scratched his nose and said with embarrassment: “I may not be able to go.”
As if his heart missed a beat, Mr. Business Partner who was full of eager expectations suddenly felt his heart sink slightly. After speedily suppressing the disappointment, Li Xiaoheng asked in a warm voice: “What’s wrong? Is it too busy at work there, so you can’t come over? That’s okay, in the future we can——”
“I forgot to apply for a passport and visa!” Tao Mu felt that his face was completely flushed red, and even his ears and cheeks felt hot. It was with extreme difficulty that he interrupted Li Xiaoheng’s words.
A few seconds later, muffled laughs came from the other end of the line. Li Xiaoheng coughed in a very gentlemanly manner. After suppressing his wide smile, he asked with understanding: “This is your first time going abroad?”
It was indeed the first time in this life!
Tao Mu drooped his head, unable to believe that he would make such a low-level mistake: “I’m sorry, I——”
Tao Mu rubbed his face with his hands in upset, feeling that he didn’t have the face to apologize——if this was a formal business negotiation, with this kind of IQ and work efficiency he would immediately be kicked out of the negotiation room. Someone asked him why he was kicked out——only for him to reply that his visa and passport were not processed and he got stuck in customs.
Maybe he could defeat a competitor this way, by causing the other to die of laughter.
Tao Mu wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and bury himself inside. How could he always make such low-level mistakes in front of Li Xiaoheng!
It would definitely affect his think tank image in the eyes of the bigshot!
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.” Li Xiaoheng consoled in a warm voice: “I didn’t know that you were going abroad for the first time, so I forgot to remind you.”
“It has nothing to do with you, I am too stupid.” Tao Mu didn’t know why he was suddenly so stupid. He felt that Li Xiaohang must definitely be secretly feeling disdain for his stupid mistake.
But he didn’t know that Li Xiaoheng was actually smiling brilliantly on the other end of the phone. Even he himself didn’t notice the indulgence and pampering in that smile.
He just felt it was terribly endearing that his business partner, who had always been shrewd and intelligent, would also make this common sense error. Both endearing and stupidly adorable.
It seemed that the distance had narrowed suddenly. Li Xiaoheng could even picture Tao Mu’s annoyed hair pulling directly in his mind. He patiently consoled Tao Mu: “It’s nothing. It’s just a pity that I can’t spend the holiday with you. As for the specific details of launching FlyNews in country M, we can talk over the phone.”
“En.” Tao Mu hung up the phone in a depressed mood, and tugged his suitcase back to Night.
Liu Yao and Meng Qi were in the store, watching the bartender Ah Wen experimenting with a new cocktail. Seeing Tao Mu coming in with a big suitcase, they were both surprised: “Why are you back? Didn’t you say you are going to country M?”
“I didn’t apply for a visa or passport.” Tao Mu was expressionless, he felt that he didn’t need face anymore.
Fortunately, his brother Yao never let him down: “Aren’t you just going on a trip?” Did one need a visa and passport for this kind of thing?
As soon as the words sounded, Night, which had been buzzing with the sounds of talking, suddenly fell silent. The waiters who had yet to work their shift and the young masters and princesses looked at each other, before finally turning their attention to Liu Yao.
Meng Qi sighed weakly, and stretched out his hand to push Liu Yao: “Don’t speak anymore.”
“What’s the matter?” Liu Yao was very upright: “I have never left Beijing in my entire life. Can’t I be short-sighted?”
“Sure, of course you can.” Ah Wen put the adjusted cocktail in front of Liu Yao and said with a smile: “Even if brother Yao goes to country M, it is estimated that he will have to smuggle himself there. So passports or visas or something, for brother Yao, it’s indeed not necessary. Brother Yao doesn’t have this mindset at all. It’s understandable. Say Da Hui, am I right?”
Da Hui put on a pair of sunglasses expressionlessly, his desire to survive was very strong.
All the employees roared with laughter. Liu Yao was angry: “Ai, how can you talk like that? Who are you looking down on! Why should I have to smuggle in order to go to country M? According to you, I should just not think about openly and justly setting foot on the land of capitalism in my life? I don’t believe in this nonsense.”
As he spoke, he stretched a long arm around Meng Qi’s shoulders: “We will go to apply for visas and passports after October. Doesn’t old M country have a Hawaiian beach that is very excellent. Brother will take you on a honeymoon. And you can bring your bikini——”
“Fuck off! You wear a bikini.” Meng Qi elbowed Liu Yao in annoyance, comforting Tao Mu: “It’s okay, after National Day we’ll get the visa and passport together. By the way, we can also get one for old Song, and when you have winter vacation, we’ll go on a family vacation.”
“I also want to go on a family vacation!” A few number zeros (TN: one=gong/seme, zero=shou/uke) sitting on the side giggled and raised their thin arms: “Brother Xiao Qi, how about you tell brother Yao, our employee benefit this winter is to go to Hawaii for vacation. We want to wear bikinis too~”
“Fuck off! Did you earn enough money to go to Hawaii for vacation?” Before Meng Qi could speak, Liu Yao snorted and said with a strong sense of survival: “Besides, what kind of bikini would you wear with that chicken figure you have? Aren’t you afraid that the foreigners will grow callus on the eyes from seeing your bikini self?”
“Then take it as me winning glory for the country!” Little Zero straightened up proudly: “And brother Yao, it’s stye not callus. Feet grow callus, do you have any common sense!”
“That’s right!” Another male host laughed and said, “Besides, brother Yao, if you take little zero to Hawaii for vacation, Little Zero might even earn some foreign exchange. What can you do with Tao Mu? He is now a college student and he’ll be a big star in the future. Didn’t you say that we can’t curry favor with him? Then why are you so partial——”
“Enough!” Liu Yao uttered loudly, and put the wine glass on the bar heavily: “Damn, is there any place for you to talk here?”
Seeing that Liu Yao was really angry, the male host who was speaking quickly stood up and defended himself with a scared expression: “Brother Yao, I just feel that it’s unfair for you. Someone has climbed onto a high branch and wants to be a phoenix, disdaining us lowly people.”
“Are you fucking finished——”
“Brother Yao.” Tao Mu interrupted Liu Yao and bowed deeply to everyone present: “I know I was ignorant before, which hurt everyone. I hope everyone will give me a chance.”
“No matter.” A resident singer with smoky makeup and a sleeveless leather vest snorted coldly: “You are a big boss now, and you will be a big star in the future. People like us don’t dare to claim connections with you.”
“Brother Sai Wen.” Tao Mu looked at the resident singer sitting behind the drum set, bowed his head and admitted, “I’m sorry.”
Sai Wen snorted out a laugh, poking his inner cheek with his tongue, and said nothing.
“Alright already!” Liu Yao glanced at Sai Wen: “You’re all grown men. It’s all in the past so forget it. Don’t be so narrow-minded. Sai Wen, you are nearly thirty, so what’s the point in squabbling with a kid?”
Meng Qi lectured Tao Mu: “What you did before was indeed a bit mean. It just so happens that everyone is here today, so hurry up and show everyone your cooking skills, treat us with a meal to make it up.”
Tao Mu quickly agreed: “Ai. I’m going to the back kitchen now.”
Tao Mu threw the suitcase aside and obediently went into the kitchen.
Little Zero, who was clamoring about going to Hawaii to earn foreign exchange, blinked his big eyes covered with mascara and eyeliner: “I will help too.”
“Ai, you get back here!” The male host who spoke earlier watched as Little Zero skipped into the back kitchen, and threw his clothes down angrily: “Why don’t you have any backbone at all. Just forget it like this?”
“Oh, so you have a backbone! Don’t eat when Tao Mu finishes cooking then.” Liu Yao squinted at the little male host.
The little male host straightened his back: “Fine!”
Before Liu Yao could get angry, he mumbled lowly: “I’ll just drink wine.”
This timid display caught everyone off guard, and the group of people bursted into laughter again.
Tao Mu was looking for ingredients in the back kitchen, and when he heard the laughter coming from the front, he also smiled slightly. Little Zero, who followed him in, shook his head and sighed: “You kid, don’t be like that anymore! It was very hurtful!”
Tao Mu laughed: “Speaking like you are much older than me.”
“Three years older is also older. You have to call me older brother.” Little Zero raised a pinky finger and delicately rolled his eyes: “Make me a dish of tofu Kung Pao Chicken. I am trying to lose weight recently and don’t dare to eat meat. I’m almost dying with the craving.”
“Okay.” Tao Mu dug through the refrigerator: “Are there any gluten? Help me find it.”
“Aiya, you find it yourself. My manicure was just done and I can’t work. Besides, brother Yao did not let the later cooks change the placing of the kitchen utensils and ingredients. Everything is in the previous position. Not~even~a~little~change~” Little Zero sung in an effeminate way. Seeing Tao Mu suddenly look stunned, he added with heartfelt emotion: “So, brother Yao and brother Xiao Qi are indeed really good to you. Now that you have come back this time, don’t make them angry in the future.”
After Little Zero finished speaking, without waiting for Tao Mu’s response, he left with a twist of his little waist. Tao Mu was left alone in the empty kitchen, picking up different ingredients and seasonings in his familiar spot, cooking up a meal smoothly and easily.
On the other side, Yao Wenxiao, who still wanted to teach Tao Mu a lesson, also found the Weibo headquarters to discuss cooperation with the Weibo platform. As for the first part in the cooperation, he wanted to join hands with Weibo to discredit FlyNews and the founder of FlyNews.
Yao Wenxiao was the most beloved grandson of Yao Sheng’an, chairman of Sheng’an Group, and Yuxiao Media, founded by Yao Wenxiao, was also very famous in Shanghai. Because its backing was the Sheng’an Group, Yuxiao Media’s influence even faintly covered the entirety of the Jiangnan area. The senior executives of Weibo originally thought that this cooperation would be a strong alliance, and they had been looking forward to it for a time.
However, as soon as the negotiation started, the senior management of Weibo felt that something was wrong. Although it was not clear why Yao Wenxiao targeted FlyNews and Tao Mu, when it came to business, Weibo would not give up this cooperation opportunity because of untimely curiosity. Under the excuse of “FlyNews was established not long enough, and there was no black material about its founder that could be found”, they patiently discussed other cooperation points with Yao Wenxiao.
Finally, they managed to fool Yao Wenxiao. Looking at the confident back of a certain young master, the director in charge of the publicity department turned his head and looked at the CEO: “Does our publicity plan need to be adjusted?”
“No need for the time being.” The CEO of Weibo disagreed: “We are doing business, and business people should keep in mind the saying, amiability makes you rich. How can one pour dirty water on competitors at every turn.” What the CEO of Weibo did not say was that even if one poured dirty water, one must not use too low-end methods to pour the dirty water. Did people really think that there was no backing behind FlyNews!
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“When you go back, find some time to call that young fellow from FlyNews. You don’t have to say too much. Just reveal a little bit of Yao Wenxiao’s attitude.” The CEO of Weibo felt that Tao Mu, who founded FlyNews, was a talent. Even if one day FlyNews was no longer popular——of course it was better to be acquired by Weibo. At that time, Tao Mu could also switch to working for Weibo, and everyone could then work together. Expressing goodwill in advance would always count as a favor.
They were all in the same circle so why bother to offend people to death. Did people really think that talents were that easy to find?!
TN: bonus chapter coming up!