I'm back in 1990

Chapter 544: Outrageous Advice

After signing the contract, Huang Xiaochuan and his group declined Richard's invitation and went to the East Coast Seafood Center branch of Treasure Seafood Restaurant for a meal.

When the group arrived, they learned that this famous restaurant required reservations in advance. Without a reservation, they had to wait in line at the door. However, the restaurant provided outdoor seating and parasols.

Huang Xiaochuan certainly didn't want to waste too much time here.

"Guangde!" Huang Xiaochuan gave Mai Guangde a look.

Having followed Huang Xiaochuan for many years, Mai Guangde immediately understood Huang Xiaochuan's meaning.

He walked into the restaurant alone, found the restaurant manager, and after whispering for a while, the two shook hands with smiles, and several large US dollars were exchanged without leaving a trace.

A few minutes later, Huang Xiaochuan and his group sat down at a window seat in the restaurant.

They came here specifically for the restaurant's signature dishes, such as chili crab, black pepper crab, and cereal shrimp. Considering Zhou Wei and the others' appetites, Huang Xiaochuan arranged double portions for them.

After the dishes were served, Huang Xiaochuan tasted them and found them to be quite good. The sweet and spicy sauce paired perfectly with the fresh and sweet crab meat.

Just as Huang Xiaochuan was enjoying his meal, Mai Guangde's satellite phone rang.

The call was quickly connected; it was Zhang Yun calling. Mai Guangde handed the phone to Huang Xiaochuan.

"Mr. Huang! It's Catherine."

Huang Xiaochuan wiped his hands and took the phone from Mai Guangde.

"What is it?"

Zhang Yun arrived at the hotel only to find it empty, so she called: "I came to the hotel to have dinner with you, but you're not here. Where are you now?"

Huang Xiaochuan glanced at the line of diners outside and then said, "Zhenbao Seafood Restaurant, East Coast Seafood Center branch, are you coming?"

After learning Huang Xiaochuan's location, Zhang Yun immediately walked out of the hotel: "I'm going there now."

While waiting for Zhang Yun to arrive, Huang Xiaochuan leisurely sipped his barley water and looked out the window at the sea. The weather was excellent today, with high visibility at sea, and he could vaguely see the other side of the strait.

His gaze returned to the restaurant. Although it was peak dining time and the place was bustling with diners, Huang Xiaochuan really enjoyed the familiar, down-to-earth atmosphere.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Yun appeared in the restaurant, dressed in an orange off-shoulder chiffon dress and a wide-brimmed sun hat. She looked stylish and beautiful. All the diners, regardless of gender, were instantly attracted by her graceful figure. Huang Xiaochuan also saw her and had to admit that this woman had become even more charming after having a child.

Mai Guangde had given up his seat early on. After Zhang Yun arrived, she gently smoothed her skirt and sat down opposite Huang Xiaochuan.

Huang Xiaochuan asked her, "What would you like to eat? Do you want to order for yourself or should I order for you?"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yun picked up a fried mantou from Huang Xiaochuan's plate, dipped it in the sweet and spicy sauce of the chili crab, and put it in her mouth.

This scene left her assistant and bodyguards dumbfounded. You know, this woman always pays special attention to her image, no matter where she is. What's wrong with her today?

After swallowing the food in her mouth, Zhang Yun called over the waiter and ordered a few things.

After she ordered, Huang Xiaochuan asked, "Haven't you been controlling your figure all along?"

Zhang Yun gave Huang Xiaochuan a resentful look: "No one cares how well you maintain your figure."

Huang Xiaochuan knew exactly what the woman meant, so he simply ignored her.

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan remained silent, Zhang Yun suggested to him, "How about I go with you to look at houses this afternoon? I'll have someone contact a real estate agent right now."

"No need, I've already bought a villa in Sentosa Cove, the biggest one in that community."

Zhang Yun was surprised that Huang Xiaochuan had acted so quickly, already buying a house. She had originally wanted to help him choose the best one.

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Zhang Yun's face, but she quickly composed herself.

She smiled and said, "That's great! After we finish eating, could you take me to see the house you bought?"

Huang Xiaochuan didn't refuse the request; he nodded and said, "Of course!"

As the two were talking, the dishes Zhang Yun had ordered were served.

Huang Xiaochuan pushed the food towards Zhang Yun, saying, "I'm already full, you eat!"

After saying that, he looked out the window at the scenery again.

To maintain her figure, Zhang Yun didn't eat much, so she finished eating quickly.

After finishing her meal, she stood up and urged Huang Xiaochuan, "I'm done eating, let's go!"

Huang Xiaochuan glanced at the dishes that had been ordered later on the table. Zhang Yun hadn't eaten much at all; at least four-fifths of the food was still left on her plate.

After shaking his head, Huang Xiaochuan also stood up and walked out of the restaurant. There were still many diners sitting in the waiting area at the entrance, waiting in line.

Huang Xiaochuan admitted that the restaurant's specialties were indeed good, but he wouldn't have the appetite to eat there again. Different places have different customs, and while his Jiangnan palate could occasionally change its tastes, he absolutely couldn't stomach Southeast Asian cuisine.

Singapore's traffic management is very efficient, with a well-developed network of expressways. The group quickly arrived at the Sentosa Cove villa they had just purchased.

Zhang Yun toured the villa's interior and exterior with great interest, but she had a very discerning eye and pointed out many things she thought were not good enough.

When she saw the yacht marina, she ran excitedly to the marina and looked around.

After she finished her tour, she returned to the villa's living room.

As soon as Zhang Yun sat down, she said, "Xiao Chuan, according to etiquette, since you bought a new house, I should give you a gift. How about this? I'll arrange for someone to renovate this place. Also, it's such a waste that the dock is empty. I'll give you a boat as well! I took a look, and your dock can accommodate boats that are 50 meters long."

Huang Xiaochuan immediately waved his hand: "No need. We don't need the renovation or the yacht. I think the current decoration is fine. It would be too wasteful to tear it down and start over. Besides, I don't know how many times a year I'll be here. Would we put a boat here as decoration? That would be even more wasteful!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yun had already made up her mind. She planned to arrange for someone to renovate the villa after Huang Xiaochuan returned to China. As for the yacht, there was one that was already in place and was currently being built in a shipyard in Canada. It was nearing completion and was expected to be delivered in two or three months.

That boat was commissioned by Zhang Yun after the Southeast Asian financial crisis. "1990 I'm Back": It received rave reviews and overwhelming praise! The boat is 51 meters long, 9 meters wide, and has a draft of 24 meters.

Following Zhang Yun's request, the shipbuilder added a sunbathing pool, a foredeck sun lounge, and a glass curtain wall around the top deck to provide passengers with unobstructed views.

The yacht has six cabins and can accommodate 12 guests.

In addition, there is ample space to accommodate up to 10 crew members, including the captain. According to the initial overall arrangement, the master suite is located forward, featuring walk-in closets for men and women and a private office space, while the cabins are situated on the uppermost deck, with two elevators connecting all four decks.

The new boat is designed to have a top speed of 165 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots.

Zhang Yun has now decided to give the boat to Huang Xiaochuan as a gift.

Huang Xiaochuan was unaware that a few months later he would own a superyacht.

Just as the two were about to leave the villa, Xue Xiangsheng called Zhang Yun's cell phone.

"Grandpa!"

"I happen to be with him right now."

"Okay, I'll take him back with me later!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yun said to Huang Xiaochuan, "Grandpa wants to see you."

After reviewing Huang Xiaochuan's economic crisis response strategy based on the current state of the Xue family's businesses, Xue Xiangsheng couldn't help but applaud it.

Therefore, Xue Xiangsheng immediately summoned his capable assistant, Qiao Jingzhi, the current president of the Xue Group, and gave him the response strategy. However, Xue Xiangsheng did not tell Qiao Jingzhi where the response strategy came from.

After reviewing it, Qiao Jingzhi immediately convened the group's strategy department to study Huang Xiaochuan's strategy overnight.

This morning, Qiao Jingzhi, with bloodshot eyes, came to the Xue family's old house again. While drinking strong black coffee, he praised the strategy to Xue Xiangsheng and asked questions.

"Chairman Xue, which organization issued that strategy report?"

Xue Xiangsheng, leaning on his cane, asked Qiao Jingzhi, "What do you think is good about this strategy?"

Having stayed up all night, Qiao Jingzhi naturally answered the question without hesitation.

"Chairman Xue, from this response strategy, I can see the profound industry understanding and global strategic vision of the organization that issued this strategy."

After working overnight, the group's strategy department discovered that this strategy has six core advantages for our group.

First, the crisis cycle analysis was very accurate, and the tiered deployment proposed in the strategy was very much in line with the actual situation of our group. The suggestions to use futures hedging, spin-off listing, and medium- to long-term industrial upgrading were simply brilliant.

Secondly, we will enhance our regional advantages by leveraging Singapore's fintech resources to support our group's industries in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries, and by utilizing the low-cost labor and land advantages of these regions to support our group's development.

The third is...

Qiao Jingzhi concluded by praising, "This response strategy is entirely based on the current situation of our Xue Group, yet it accurately predicts the direction of economic development in Southeast Asia. It can be called a classic example of combining crisis response with strategic transformation."

Hearing Qiao Jingzhi give Huang Xiaochuan such high praise for his strategy, Xue Xiangsheng gained a new understanding of Huang Xiaochuan's abilities.

However, he couldn't understand how the person who gave him the information could find the problem from those documents.

Also, how come he has such a profound understanding of industrial and economic development at such a young age?

Xue Xiangsheng was stuck in a mental dead end. He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it, and in the end, he could only use the word "genius" to explain the problem.

No wonder his granddaughter was willing to have his child. It also shows that she has a good eye for people. It's just a pity that the young man is already married.

However, this is not a problem.

That's why he had his butler, Uncle Dong, call Zhang Yun and ask her to bring the young man back so he could have a good talk with him.

When Huang Xiaochuan returned to the Xue family's old residence, Xue Xiangsheng did not meet him in the reception room this time. Instead, the butler, Uncle Dong, took Huang Xiaochuan directly to Xue Xiangsheng's study and stopped Zhang Yun, who wanted to follow him in.

"The master said he wants to speak with Mr. Huang alone!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yun had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​going into the study with them.

However, she still whispered in Huang Xiaochuan's ear, "Not just anyone can enter my grandfather's study, which means he values ​​you highly."

Huang Xiaochuan didn't take it seriously when he heard this. In his opinion, it was just a study, and he already had one.

The study was simply furnished with a desk, a few armchairs, a tea table, a coffee table, and a row of bookshelves against the wall. A calligraphy scroll hung on the wall, and that was it.

"Please sit down! I've already had tea brewed for you. It's top-quality Tieguanyin, a gift from an old friend of mine whose ancestral home is Anxi. Why don't you try it?"

Huang Xiaochuan could smell the aroma of tea, so he unceremoniously sat down at the tea table, poured himself a cup of tea, and began to savor it.

After tasting it, Huang Xiaochuan praised, "Excellent tea!"

Xue Xiangsheng smiled and suddenly asked, "I heard you got married?"

Huang Xiaochuan was taken aback. How did this come up? Whether I get married or not doesn't seem to have anything to do with you, does it?

However, he still replied, "Yes, I'm married and I have twins, a boy and a girl, who are five years old this year."

Xue Xiangsheng looked at Huang Xiaochuan and said, "Little Huang, I'm a businessman, and I like to be direct in some ways. If you feel uncomfortable after hearing this, please don't take it to heart, okay?"

Huang Xiaochuan immediately became curious and wanted to hear what this old man, who claimed to be a businessman, would have to say.

"Please speak, sir!"

"I have a suggestion that would be a good thing for you, me, and Yun'er."

Huang Xiaochuan: "???"

Seeing Huang Xiaochuan's puzzled expression, Xue Xiangsheng decided not to keep him in suspense any longer.

"If you are willing to divorce your spouse and marry Yun'er, I will hand over the Xue Group to you in the future."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan's first thought was whether the old man was senile.

Just as he was about to refuse, Xue Xiangsheng stopped him.

"Young man, don't rush to refuse. How about you listen to the conditions I'm about to tell you?"

Huang Xiaochuan looked at Xue Xiangsheng sitting opposite him with a cold expression and didn't say anything. Since he was already sitting there, he might as well listen to what he had to say!

However, this also shows that Zhang Yun did not tell the old man her true financial situation, otherwise he would never have made such an outrageous suggestion to her.