Chapter 211: Shengzhu Restaurant!

A sleepless night.

The next day.

Shen Fei was awakened by a loud ringing sound.

The screen displayed the large words “Duan Guxiang.”

This puzzled Shen Fei.

After all, Duan Guxiang, the second-generation heir of a mining family, had never contacted him proactively before. So why now?

“Guxiang, what’s going on?” Shen Fei rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked, still half-dazed.

“Xiao Shen, heh, am I disturbing your rest?” A voice filled with age and kindness came from the other end of the line.

The heavy Bincheng accent immediately woke Shen Fei up.

“Uncle Duan?”

Since leaving the antique exhibition a while ago, he hadn’t seen Duan Guxiang or Duan Guoan again.

He never expected that Duan Guxiang would take the initiative to contact him now.

“Yes, yes, yes! I didn’t think Xiao Shen would still remember Uncle Duan. Hahaha!” Duan Guoan laughed heartily.

“Of course I remember, Uncle Duan! What brings you to call today?” Shen Fei quickly sat up, fully awake.

“Well, there’s nothing special, but you know the early tea culture in Shenzhen, right? Uncle Duan wanted to experience it and, by the way, we haven’t seen each other in a long time, so I thought we’d meet up!” Duan Guoan spoke with a sense of justice.

However, Shen Fei could detect some underlying thoughts behind his words.

Although Duan Guoan was often mocked as a nouveau riche, he had genuine skills and means. Otherwise, he would have been schemed against in the business world long ago.

Moreover, despite being called a nouveau riche, Duan Guoan had better judgment than any such person. This might not be evident in Duan Guoan himself, but it was certainly demonstrated in Duan Guxiang.

The main reason was Duan Guxiang’s eloquence, knowledge, and manner that could easily outshine half of the second-generation heirs in the country.

But now, someone like this was using an excuse of inviting him for early tea.

Shen Fei couldn’t make sense of what Duan Guoan was really after.

“Since Uncle Duan is treating, I definitely have to go! Where are we meeting?” Shen Fei laughed.

“Shengzhu Restaurant, a super luxurious private room! Impressive, right?” Duan Guoan said proudly.

Shen Fei chuckled at the slight arrogance in Duan Guoan’s tone when he mentioned the super luxurious private room and took the chance to tease him.

“Uncle Duan, don’t tell me that Shengzhu Restaurant is now owned by your family!”

Shen Fei had suspected this for a while, and he was pretty sure that Duan Guoan had tried to acquire it.

But it was unlikely that he had succeeded.

After all, Shengzhu Restaurant had some considerable strength.

“Don’t mention it, Xiao Shen, I had that thought, but the owner of Shengzhu Restaurant refused to sell! I had to give up on that idea!” Duan Guoan said with a hint of frustration.

“Hahaha, Shengzhu Restaurant, super luxurious private room, right? I’ll get ready and head over!” Shen Fei didn’t take the bait and changed the subject with a smile.

“Alright, Xiao Shen, I’ll be waiting for you in the private room!” Duan Guoan said.

At that moment, in front of Shengzhu Restaurant.

A long black Bentley smoothly parked there.

Inside the car, Duan Guxiang frowned and said disdainfully,

“Dad, I’m not saying anything, but just look at yourself—you’re radiating that nouveau riche vibe! No wonder people gossip about how vulgar you are! If you spent less time talking about money and more time reading, wouldn’t you have mastered the right aura by now?”

“Stupid boy, you’re good for nothing but criticizing your old man! Reading? I’m already at this age, what’s the point of reading? Besides, what’s wrong with being a nouveau riche? When people hear that title, they know that your old man has nothing but money! If you want me to read and follow the hypocritical, smooth business world rules, forget it! Let’s see if you can control my aura first!”

Before Duan Guxiang could respond, Duan Guoan continued,

“Xiao Xiang, I brought you to Shenzhen to help you grow and learn about the world. But you’re only seeing one side of things! You just care about how bad the term ‘nouveau riche’ sounds. Yes, it’s not a great title, but you don’t understand—sometimes, whether in business or life, it can also be a protective shield, a way to mislead others.”

“Alright, stop talking about this! I’ve lived like this all my life, and I can’t change! The reason I sent you to that prestigious school is because I don’t want you to end up like me! As for the aura, you just focus on mastering your own. I understand—sometimes that title might embarrass you. But I can’t help it! This is the aura I have, and that’s the title I’m stuck with. You just make sure your aura is strong, and when I’m gone, as long as people associate your elegance with me, that’s enough.”

Duan Guoan rambled on for quite a while.

Duan Guxiang was deeply moved.

He had always found his father’s “nouveau riche” title embarrassing and often disliked his father’s actions. But he didn’t realize that his father harbored these feelings inside.

As he thought about it, he felt guilty and self-reproachful for his previous behavior.

Just as he was feeling guilty, Duan Guoan switched the subject.

“Stop daydreaming, get out of the car! Uncle Jiang will be here soon!”

“Dad, what do you need to talk to Feige about?” Duan Guxiang asked in confusion.

“You’ll understand once Xiao Shen gets here!” Duan Guoan replied, not wanting to elaborate further.

Without waiting for any response, Duan Guoan stepped out of the car.

As soon as they stepped out, the driver immediately drove the car to the parking lot.

Looking at the lavish décor of the restaurant, Duan Guoan shook his head and said regretfully,

“If this restaurant doesn’t sell to our family, it’ll be a huge loss!”

Hearing this, Duan Guxiang’s earlier feelings of guilt disappeared instantly.

“Dad, so what if they don’t sell? What loss do we have? I think you just want to spend money! Honestly, if I didn’t call you a nouveau riche, I’d be doing you a disservice with that grand gesture! Shengzhu Restaurant’s background is massive, so let’s not touch it!”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

He had originally thought his dad was just making an excuse to entertain Shen Fei, but it turned out that his dad really had the idea of buying it.

“What background does Shengzhu Restaurant have?” Duan Guoan asked, catching the keyword in Duan Guxiang’s sentence, clearly puzzled.

Duan Guxiang was momentarily speechless. He simply changed the topic.

“Old man, I just want to ask, what use do all those antiques at home have?”

“They’re for showing off! Besides, antiques can appreciate in value, right? If one day we fall on hard times, I can sell some and live a comfortable life!” Duan Guoan replied nonchalantly, shaking his head.

“…”

Duan Guxiang was completely speechless!