“Mr. Harold, the Special Economic Zone is different from Beijing. Beijing has a cultural heritage, but the Special Economic Zone has preferential policies. You won’t be disappointed when you get there.”
These words came not from George, but from Ya Ji.
Her English was perfect, and she had put great effort into her appearance today, looking radiant.
Any normal man would welcome a conversation with such an attractive Eastern woman.
However, Harold didn’t seem captivated by Ya Ji – after all, what would a fashion designer know about investments? Harold certainly wouldn’t take her advice! Butler Allen was right – wealthy men had many options. Though Ya Ji possessed Eastern charm and had George completely smitten, that just showed George’s particular taste.
Harold didn’t fancy this type.
He wouldn’t give a second glance to women whose chests weren’t bigger than his pectorals.
Though Eastern women aged well, Ya Ji had brought her 20-year-old son Jiang Yuan Ji, which eliminated any possibility of Harold having romantic thoughts.
While wealthy men were often philanderers, Harold’s tastes were specific. He disliked pretentious women, having grown tired of upper-class ladies long ago.
When Ya Ji spoke up, Harold merely smiled, then turned to Jiang Yuan Ji: “You enjoy IPSC? We should play a few rounds together sometime, though China’s gun control makes that difficult to arrange.”
After being so cold earlier, his sudden initiative surprised Jiang Yuan Ji. But he had to follow up on this opening: “There are shooting ranges. If you’re interested, Mr. Harold, I can ask around.”
A shooting club was out of the question – where would you find one in China now?
But arranging some shooting at a range was doable.
Seeing Harold’s lack of interest in shooting ranges, Jiang Yuan Ji recalled his roommate Bai Yan Xiong’s stories about his hometown, and spoke with some confidence: “It doesn’t have to be a range – we could hunt wild boar in the mountains! I hear there are bears too, though we might not encounter any.”
Even Jiang Yuan Ji didn’t enjoy shooting at stationary targets.
Harold probably enjoyed more sophisticated shooting. While high-end firearms weren’t available, wild hunting offered its rustic charm. Even if Harold had hunted in Africa, hunting in China’s forests would provide a different experience.
Jiang Yuan Ji’s mention of bear hunting caught Harold’s attention.
“Really?”
The two chatted about this topic for quite a while, leaving George and Ya Ji on the sidelines. George didn’t mind, engaging in conversation with Butler Allen – after all, he needed Jiang Yuan Ji to socialize, and wasn’t he doing a great job?
Ya Ji, however, felt uncomfortable.
She wasn’t jealous of her son, but she was used to being popular – even men in their twenties had pursued her in America. Suddenly encountering someone cold towards her made Ya Ji very unhappy!
It would have been fine if Harold had remained consistently formal, but he had just been flirting with the hotel staff while in his bathrobe. This is what bothered Ya Ji – she might not have had any intentions, but men had always fawned over her, yet Harold showed more warmth to the hotel staff than to her.
George discussed Harold’s itinerary with Butler Allen, who remained tight-lipped and redirected the conversation to George:
“Will you marry Ji?”
“Of course! If Ya Ji hadn’t wanted to stay in China, we would have already held the wedding. Getting married in China would be beneath her.”
Butler Allen didn’t understand how marrying a Chinese woman in her homeland could be considered beneath her.
However, he said nothing – a butler tends to his master’s living needs but doesn’t question their personal life. Besides, Harold paid Allen’s salary; the butler wouldn’t question George’s love life – laughing at a fool could be done privately, with no need for public ridicule.
China was so backward; Chinese women dating American men had only one purpose: gold-digging!
Gold-digging meant not just financial support but also immigration status.
If Ya Ji knew even a butler thought this way about her, she’d likely have an emotional breakdown, fortunately, she couldn’t read minds.
After chatting for over an hour, Harold glanced at his watch twice, and Jiang Yuan Ji knew it was time to leave.
Jiang Yuan Ji stood up:
“Mr. Harold, we won’t disturb your rest today. If you’re free, you can have someone find me at Huaqing University anytime… Though for hunting, it would have to be on weekends!”
Jiang Yuan Ji’s background had been pretty well covered during their conversation.
Harold found it curious, “You gave up attending university in America to study in China. Young man, you’ve lost many opportunities.”
Wouldn’t Wall Street be the ultimate goal for someone like Jiang Yuan Ji, who chose to study business administration?
If Jiang Yuan Ji had attended Harvard, MIT, or Stanford, he could have gotten Wall Street internship opportunities after graduation. China’s Huaqing University? Harold didn’t even know its world ranking, and Wall Street wouldn’t recognize this degree.
This young man was at least more interesting than his nephew George, which was why Harold commented further.
“Sir, wherever I study, I’ll need to pass the CFA as an entry ticket!”
Ah, that was certainly true. The CFA, established by the American Investment Management and Research Association in 1963, had become the strictest and most valuable qualification exam in the global investment industry by 1985, the world’s premier financial certification… While Harvard undergraduates might only get menial Wall Street jobs, a CFA certificate was a true entry ticket to Wall Street, setting one apart from countless interns.
Outside the hotel, Ya Ji couldn’t hold back:
“Mr. Harold manages billions in assets, his advice must have some merit! You’ll only have a good future if you return to study in America!”
America wasn’t the only country in the world.
And Wall Street wasn’t the only place to work!
Jiang Yuan Ji countered, “If I return to study in America, would you give up your studio here?”
Ya Ji was stunned, eventually nodding:
“…Of course!”
Jiang Yuan Ji didn’t believe her.
His mother’s current studio wasn’t about her career; it was purely to irritate Xiao Lan Xia.
Or perhaps the ultimate goal was to cause trouble for his birth father. Previously they wouldn’t let her leave, now they probably wouldn’t easily agree even if asked to leave. After all, Mr. Harold was the foreign support that his mother and George had worked hard to bring in – how could they let him go without achieving their purpose?
As for whether Harold would follow his mother and George’s plans, Jiang Yuan Ji thought the possibility was low unless their interests completely aligned – Harold didn’t seem like someone easy to manipulate!
Jiang Yuan Ji quietly walked to his bicycle and asked George:
“Does today count as work? I did manage to connect with Mr. Harold.”
George nodded vigorously, “OK, it counts!”
Jiang Yuan Ji immediately held out his hand:
“Then you should pay me now. I work for daily pay, no credit given.”
George had to pull out $100 for Jiang Yuan Ji.
Jiang Yuan Ji stuffed the money in his pocket, mounted his bike, and waved: “If Harold wants to go hunting, you’ll have to arrange it yourselves. You can’t expect a student like me to find connections.”