Chapter 113: A Proper Attitude, Ryu Inoue

“You can ask Ichiro Kawasaki yourself,” he said.

“How much capital do you actually have?” Nick Sada asked in disbelief.

Taotianming smiled and replied, “At the end of February, my cash was nearly zero. I only had one house I could use as collateral for a loan.”

“That’s impossible!” Nick said flatly. Thirteen hundred million yen—converted to nearly ten million US dollars. Two months’ time? What kind of international joke is this to me, a half-blood?

This made Taotianming laugh; the logic was sound.

Zhao Yuanxi was much calmer, only a change in his eyes betrayed his thoughts, but he said nothing.

Taotianming looked at him and smiled. “You didn’t treat me dismissively just because I’m so young, which I appreciate. Nick says your abilities surpass his, so I look forward to working with you.”

Zhao Yuanxi spoke, “So it seems, Boss Tao, you’re quite skilled at gambling?”

“Foreign exchange trading is not gambling!” Nick quickly defended Taotianming, then asked, “Did you really make that much? So, you maximized profits on every market wave?”

Taotianming shook his head. “Impossible. I’m not really using high leverage all the time to gamble.”

After all, 2.1 billion yen of the money was borrowed or loaned. Except for the bigger gamble during the interest rate cut on March 12, he didn’t chase maximum returns at other times.

But now, that might change.

April was nearly over, and another rate cut was coming soon.

Zhao Yuanxi asked, “Boss Tao, since you’re looking for me, what do you plan to do next?”

“Step by step,” Taotianming said, not revealing his full plan here. “Nick told me you started working in Japan and were met with exclusion. Then you went back to Hong Kong Island, joined a family business but felt frustrated again, and recently resigned. Why not help me with something first? I’ll pay you. Through the Cayman Islands, help me register an offshore company, then register two more companies in Tokyo. How much would you charge for that service?”

Zhao Yuanxi laughed for the first time. “Boss Tao, many people can do that.”

“Well, I have nothing better to do. Earning a little to cover living expenses while getting to know me can’t hurt,” Taotianming smiled and asked, “Aren’t you curious about me?”

Recalling Taotianming’s first question, “Can you speak Mandarin?” Zhao Yuanxi chuckled. “Well, if you really made that much in two months, who wouldn’t be curious?”

“Whether you accept me, or I accept you, we’ll have a judgment in a month. For now, let’s just say this is the start of a connection. So, how much for this? I’ll pay half upfront.”

“…Shouldn’t you ask if I can even handle it?” Zhao Yuanxi asked with mixed feelings.

“Is it that hard? If you don’t know how, learning to get one thing done is a skill. The main question is, do you want to try? If you take it on and don’t understand something, I can teach you.”

Zhao Yuanxi looked at him, sensing his confidence, and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you fail to graduate from undergrad, or graduate school?”

“I’m 21. How about you?”

“…26.”

“Then, Old Zhao,” Taotianming switched to Mandarin, “shall we give it a try?”

…

The next morning, with no classes, Taotianming went to the bank first.

There, Inoue Ryu was already waiting for him.

“Really ready to withdraw more funds?” Taotianming smiled as he saw him. “Aren’t you accelerating the acquisition of property lease rights on the ground? Real estate prices have risen again since last month. If you give me this money, it won’t be available in the short term. What if you need it?”

Inoue Ryu, confident, replied, “No problem! I’ll give you 300 million yen. We still have an agreement covering more than four months. The remaining funds are enough for acquisitions over those months.”

“But these funds can only start producing returns from May. On the 10th of next month, I can only give you 10 million yen.”

“I understand that.”

Inoue Ryu accompanied him into the bank, and Taotianming took him directly to meet Kumi Maehara.

“Oh my, your account manager suits you well,” Inoue joked with a smile.

“Don’t joke around. Miss Maehara is very serious about her work.”

When Kumi Maehara heard Inoue intended to transfer 200 million yen to Taotianming’s account, she checked and said, “Mr. Inoue… your account with us was just upgraded to premium, but I’m not your service representative… Please wait a moment; I’ll call the colleague in charge.”

“No need for that. You handle it,” Inoue said, winking at Taotianming, then added, “Should I ask your manager to accommodate our requests?”

“…Certainly,” Kumi replied happily but without acting on her own authority. “Please wait a moment.”

When the manager came out, Taotianming said, “President Inoue is a client I introduced. Since we frequently transfer funds, could Miss Maehara also handle his account?”

“Of course, no problem. Maehara, please provide careful and thorough service.”

“I understand!” Kumi gratefully glanced at Taotianming and began processing Inoue’s transaction.

Taotianming then asked, “Is Segawa busy lately? I have something I need to ask him.”

“Very busy! The financing department has heavy tasks, and he just stepped out.”

“I see,” Taotianming nodded. “My mobile number is with Maehara. Could you ask your manager to pass it on to him and ask him to contact me?”

“No problem! If Tao-kun needs funds, Segawa will be glad to help.”

“Yes, there are two properties in negotiation.”

“I see! I’ll tell him as soon as he returns!”

Inoue, waiting for the paperwork to finish, asked with surprise, “Properties? What are you planning?”

Taotianming casually said, “You bought my house; I have to buy a new place, right?”

Kumi Maehara’s mind raced. Could this 200 million yen be the money President Inoue paid Tao for the house? A house worth 200 million yen — how big must it be?

Apparently, he really was a wealthy heir, selling the house to buy a new residence. Two properties — could one be for that mother and daughter he had met before?

This was truly a grand gesture…

Taotianming then had Maehara open a foreign currency account for him before heading to the parking lot with Inoue.

Looking at his car, Inoue exclaimed, “This car looks really cool. Too bad I’m a bit old to drive it.”

“It’s just okay,” Taotianming said, looking at him and casually asking, “Inoue, is everything really alright lately? I heard loud quarrels in the neighboring building last night. With such tight deadlines, has Lord Suzuki been pressured into escalating his methods?”

Inoue sighed, “You let Runa leave me; I lost a very capable employee. Also, since Suzuki convinced the group to allocate 500 million yen to you, the tasks assisting me have been handed over to another young leader. After Yuta left, coordination with the newcomer hasn’t been smooth. But I didn’t handle that matter. According to President Kinoshita, since there’s a condition that Tomokazu and Mirai must start construction within a year, the holding company Tomokazu is pushing the project forward and welcomes it. In short, I have competitors now!”

“I see,” Taotianming smiled wryly. “But this won’t affect your agreement with Brother Xiufeng, right? Regarding your compensation and such.”

“No, not at all. In fact, I can now participate in all the land parcels acquired by President Kinoshita. It’s all based on merit!”

“Understood. Starting June, you’ll receive 30 million yen monthly. Hopefully, that helps.”

“Much appreciated!” Inoue bowed to him and got in his car to leave.

On April 10th, after receiving the 10 million yen from Taotianming on time, Inoue’s attitude became more upright.

Learning that Taotianming was receiving 52 million yen annually as a consultant fee from Xiufeng Kinoshita, Inoue immediately decided to release another 200 million yen, entrusting Taotianming to manage it.

Making money is the greatest prestige.