With a satisfied smile, Luke left with a glass of wine and headed to other social circles. Seeing Luke leave, Jiang Chen originally thought he would have nothing to do, but he clearly muttered about his attractiveness, or the attractiveness of Future Group to investors.
The eyes on him were either peeking, indifferent, jealous, or admiring … but no one ignored him.
As a newcomer to this banquet and the president of Future Group with a pivotal position in the tech industry, regardless of their motives, there were plenty of people who were happy to greet Jiang Chen and exchange business cards. Regardless of whether they could reach a partnership, no one would complain about having more friends, right?
Therefore, in the next two hours, Jiang Chen was almost exhausted dealing with the following social greetings.
"Mr. Jiang Chen, it's nice to meet you. This is my business card … If you need to handle mergers and acquisitions in the future, please contact our bank," a banker said.
"Mr. Jiang, are you interested in financing? Don't be in a hurry to reject us, hehe. If Future Group has a cash flow problem or has a major investment project, please contact us! " A Wall Street investor who looked at Jiang Chen as if he was looking at a vault said confidently.
"Is this your first time in Frankberg? If you have time, I'd be happy to take you on a tour of this beautiful country. " A lady with a familiar face, but Jiang Chen couldn't remember her name, said with a smile.
…
In just two hours, the not-so-spacious pocket on his suit was filled with all kinds of business cards. And the gold stamped business cards he prepared were almost all given out.
While dealing with the enthusiastic guests, Jiang Chen's eyes intentionally or unintentionally drifted to the fancy food such as foie gras and Marseille Fish Soup. But what made him feel helpless was that it wasn't until the melodious violin sound was replaced by the waltz and the socialites walked to the circular dance floor that he finally got rid of the enthusiastic big shots.
But at this time, the main course on the long table was replaced by sweet desserts …
When he came out of the venue, the cool breeze in his face reduced the heat. Perhaps because he breathed in too much carbon dioxide, Jiang Chen felt the air from the pine forest was particularly fresh.
Carmen disappeared after the final speech, and Jiang Chen didn't wait for him. After the curtain call, he left the venue with the flow of people. At the end of the day, the two of them were just acquaintances. They were more like business partners than friends.
Because he wanted to stay outside for a bit longer, he took a detour and walked along the gravel road beside the pine forest.
His shadow lengthened under the streetlight as he flipped through the stack of business cards in his hand. He put the ones he didn't need in his left pocket and the ones he might need in his right pocket. Before throwing them into the storage space, he hoped to at least categorize them so that he wouldn't have to look through them for a long time when he needed to use them.
However, the only thing he found useful were the two business cards.
One belonged to Luke Joyce, and the other belonged to Elon Musk, the boss of Space-X.
Jiang Chen didn't expect to meet this guy here. When the brown-haired middle-aged man shook hands with Jiang Chen, he had a very bright smile on his face. He obviously heard the rumor that Jiang Chen had acquired an aerospace company to enter the aerospace field, but he didn't express an antagonistic attitude toward this strong competitor. Instead, he expressed his hope to cooperate with Future Group in the aerospace field to achieve the great but unreachable strategic goal of colonizing Mars.
Although in Jiang Chen's eyes, this goal was not so unreachable …
In short, Jiang Chen kept this business card. Maybe he would really cooperate with Space-X in the aerospace field in the future.
Just when Jiang Chen was halfway there, his stomach growled.
"I'm still a little hungry … Whatever, I'll get something to eat when I get back." Jiang Chen sighed.
But at this moment, a wisp of the fragrance of roasted meat floated past the tip of his nose.
He looked in the direction of the wind. In the depths of the pine forest beside the path, Jiang Chen faintly glimpsed a sparse campfire.
The smell of barbecue seemed to be coming from there. But who would be barbecuing meat in the woods of the Rothschild estate at this time?
It was obviously impossible for Carmen. He was probably busy wrapping up the party.
"Is it a servant of the Rothschild family?" Jiang Chen said to himself.
For some reason, he remembered the old man he saw in the morning, the old man who was building a boat in front of the lake.
Driven by curiosity, Jiang Chen walked in the direction of the fire.
The muddy ground was covered with withered and soft pine needles. When he stepped on it, it made a hoarse sound. The woods were very cool and quiet, completely different from the hustle and bustle of the banquet hall.
[When I'm done playing, I'll buy a house like this and live in seclusion.]
For some reason, this idea suddenly popped into Jiang Chen's head. But soon he shook his head with a smile and denied the idea.
He was still young. If nothing unexpected happened, he could continue to be young. If he didn't live a carefree life for more than a hundred years, it would be a shame to his identity as a traveler.
"Barbecued lamb leg, you're in luck."
Perhaps the old man sensed Jiang Chen's arrival, but he didn't turn around as he smiled at the fire.
Standing next to the old man, Jiang Chen glanced at the dried pine needles on the ground.
"Are you not afraid of a fire?"
"It won't burn."
Perhaps it was because of his confidence in his barbecuing skills, the old man's dry lips formed a confident smile.
"Can you give me a piece? Of course, I'll pay. "Looking at the golden lamb leg, Jiang Chen's appetite was also aroused.
Hearing Jiang Chen's words, the old man turned around. The murky eyes glowed like black pearls in the dancing fire. Jiang Chen couldn't describe the feeling. His gaze was like that of a hunter, but it wasn't focused on an antelope.
"If you want to eat, just sit next to me. You don't have to pay." With that, the old man turned around.
Looking at the soil mixed with pine needles, Jiang Chen hesitated for two seconds, but he still sat cross-legged next to the old man.
About five minutes later, the aroma was strong. The old man skillfully sprinkled salt and cumin on the lamb leg on the grill. Then, he took out a knife, and after a flash of white light, he handed the knife to Jiang Chen.
"Try it."
Hesitantly, Jiang Chen put the tip of the knife to his mouth, blew on it, and took a bite. His eyes instantly lit up.
"How does it taste?" The old man smiled.
"It's amazing." Jiang Chen returned the knife to the old man, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and didn't hold back on his compliments.
The old man grinned and didn't respond to Jiang Chen's compliment. Instead, he cut a big piece from the lamb leg and handed it to Jiang Chen. Then, he took out a spare knife and a bottle of wine from his bag.
"I already taught you how to cut the meat, now you can try it yourself," the old man said after taking a sip.
Jiang Chen, who drank a stomach full of champagne, declined the wine the old man offered and only ate the lamb leg. The two of them just sat in the forest and didn't say anything. They just silently enjoyed the delicious roasted meat.
"Speaking of which, I think I saw you by the lake this morning," Jiang Chen abruptly said.
"Oh. I was cutting wood at the time. "The old man grinned.
"That boat, you built it?" Jiang Chen put the meat into his mouth, chewed, and asked in a casual tone.
"The Garen boat, from the keel to the sails, it was all built by me." A proud smile appeared on the old man's face as if he was showing off something amazing.
But it was amazing, even in the eyes of a layman like Jiang Chen.
"The Rothschild family didn't help you?" At this point, Jiang Chen already realized that the old man's position in the Rothschild family was not ordinary. To be able to start a fire in the woods of the manor, it would be impossible for a normal servant.
But looking at the old man's unkempt attire, Jiang Chen couldn't connect him with the Rothschild family. Just from the feeling Carmen gave him, the people in this family paid great attention to their appearance and manners.
"I told them not to help," the old man said with a smile.
"Sorry, you are?"
When he heard Jiang Chen ask for his name, the old man grinned and wiped the greasy knife.
"Jacono Rothschild."
"… That's a name that resounds like thunder in the ears."
The former head of the Rothschild family. When Jiang Chen investigated this financial family, he did investigate this name. The legendary figure who led the Rothschild family out of the haze of the decline of World War II, but the historical description of him was only a few words.
Even when he passed the position of head of the family to his younger brother and lived a secluded life in the Bava manor, it was only a passing comment in the financial news.
"That's right, so after I retired, I didn't use this name," Jacono said emotionlessly.
"Then which name do you use?"
"Paris." The stubble on his chin trembled. The light from the bonfire illuminated the smile on the old man's face.
The name sounded familiar, it seemed to belong to a hero in ancient Greek mythology. The prince who was questioned by Zeus who to give the Golden Apple to, the man who ignited the Trojan War.
Jiang Chen wanted to ask why he chose this name, but he held back.
If possible, he didn't want to have anything to do with the Golden Apple.
However, the old man spoke first.
"If you obtained the Golden Apple, who would you give it to? Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite? "
It was a difficult question to answer.
Jiang Chen let out a sigh, pinched his chin, and seriously thought for a moment.
"This is a difficult question to answer. Power and wealth, I pretty much have it. The wisdom and courage to create a hero's path, I don't seem to lack it. Perhaps I would give it to Aphrodite? Since in this era, the more power and wealth you have, the further away you are from pure love. And a war comparable to the Trojan War wouldn't be boring. "
"Hahaha." As if he heard something interesting, Jacono laughed heartily.
The aged voice echoed in the pine forest.
After a moment, the pine forest returned to silence, only the rustling of the pine needles could be heard.
"An interesting answer. Although the choice is superficial, the reason for the choice is surprisingly interesting."
Jiang Chen didn't mind Jacono's comment and used a half-joking tone to return the question.
"Then which god would you give it to? Mr. Paris. "
Jacono grinned, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together.
Under the illumination of the fire, the smile looked creepy, or more accurately, barbaric.
"It would be hell no matter who I give it to. Of course, I would keep it for myself."
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