Chapter 498 - 300: The Player, Placing Pieces Across the Globe

Chapter 498: Chapter 300: The Player, Placing Pieces Across the Globe

With Rashid watching, Lin Chu put his arm around the woman and danced with her to the melodious party music.

She wore a sexy evening gown that showed off her impressive cleavage.

However, even for a beauty, her Central Asian features didn’t quite match his aesthetic preferences.

’An eight out of ten, at most. Not a point more.’

’These days, for a woman to truly catch my eye, she basically has to be a perfect ten.’

’Or have some other special quality.’

After the dance, Lin Chu politely excused himself.

The woman sensed his distraction and didn’t press the matter. She just smiled and moved on to her next target.

As for Lin Chu...

’High-society parties... there’s nothing "high-society" about them.’

’It’s just a different venue for hitting on people and talking business.’

He’d long since seen through the illusion of it all.

’Back at the party at Jackie Chan’s house, I still wanted to show off a little, to make my presence known. Now, I can’t even be bothered to do that.’

’People grow.’

’You could call it a kind of peace, or just a shift in interests.’

’Making a name for myself is no longer my goal in life.’

’Because I’ve already achieved it.’

’Now, I just want to do things—things I’m genuinely interested in, things that are worth doing.’

"Chu, what’s wrong?"

"You seem a little down."

After finishing a dance with another partner, Rashid saw Lin Chu sitting and drinking by himself again. He walked over with a smile and asked.

Lin Chu hadn’t been like this on the yacht earlier.

He’d been having a blast.

Of course, maybe this kind of event just wasn’t his scene.

But that didn’t explain why he seemed so gloomy.

"It’s nothing. I just wanted some quiet. I might be a little tired lately... When can we talk business?"

Lin Chu denied it with a smile and pressed the question.

’Schmoozing and playing along are all optional when there’s real profit on the line.’

’They seem to be enjoying themselves, though.’

’But I haven’t forgotten my main objective for today.’

Rashid glanced across the party. Seeing his brothers all singing and dancing together, he knew it wasn’t a good time to interrupt. He shrugged and said with a helpless smile, "There’s a reason China developed so quickly. Just wait a little longer. Now’s not the right time. It would be a total buzzkill if I went over to talk about it now."

Lin Chu smiled and nodded in understanding.

"You go have fun. Don’t worry about me, I’m just going to think about a few things."

"Alright, suit yourself."

Rashid shrugged. There wasn’t much else to say, so he headed back into the party.

...

Lin Chu went back to the document Bian Gaige had sent him. After finishing it, he gave a long stretch. A craving for a cigarette hit him, so he stepped outside and lit one up.

He had barely taken two drags when he saw a message from Dongnya.

"We had hotpot tonight, and it’s snowing. What are you up to? I miss you."

He smiled, took a picture of the party in front of him, and sent it to her.

"At a party thrown by the Prince of Dubai."

Dongnya: "Wow! I see the lion! He’s so majestic!"

"Yep. The whole party is to celebrate this lion’s birthday."

’I don’t even have the energy to mock this,’ Lin Chu thought, exasperated.

Though it had nothing to do with him, his mind inexplicably drifted to the children in the war-torn Middle East who didn’t have enough to eat.

This was the origin of the idea he had just discussed with Gao Haitao.

’There’s a selfish motive in there too, of course.’

’But saving one is still saving one.’

’The old saying "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of turmoil" makes it crystal clear.’

’I remember seeing all sorts of old movies where they’d gather a group of orphans and train them from childhood to be like secret agents or something. That’s what I want to do.’

’You definitely can’t do that with kids from orphanages in China. That would be asking for trouble.’

’They have to be cultivated in a "civilian" direction.’

’But abroad? Anything goes.’

As his mind wandered, another reply came from Dongnya: "Your birthday is coming up, you know. My Lion King, how do you want to celebrate it?"

"I can’t wait."

"Fourteen days left on the countdown!"

Lin Chu casually replied, "Why don’t we go to the Philippines? I bought an island there, a good friend of mine is there, and we can go sunbathing on the beach."

He had been planning this for a while.

As someone from the Northeast, his yearning for the ocean and sunshine was a lifelong obsession.

"Wow!"

"Yes!"

"I’m one thousand percent on board!"

Dongnya replied excitedly.

"Okay, let’s plan on that for now. I’ve still got things to do here. Talk later."

Lin Chu took the initiative to end the conversation.

’Distance really does make the heart grow fonder.’

’It’s time to properly develop Daber Island.’

A while back, Xiong Jianwu had sent him a message.

Construction was already underway, and Lin Chu had already wired him a sum of money for the initial infrastructure costs.

In addition, there was his friend from his last visit, Zhong Yunlong, a seasoned operator in Southeast Asia, who was also interested in using the island as a base.

’First, construction.’

’Then, send over the Security Group.’

’Then, once my plane and yacht are built and transportation is easy, the place will be a true hidden paradise—my own private kingdom, where I can do whatever I want.’

’If the world map were a chessboard, I’d be one of the players now.’

’Placing my pieces as I please.’

’Vying for control of the world might be an exaggeration—there’s not much worth vying for anyway—but being one of the players on the board? That’s entirely possible.’

’Money is the most powerful cannon of all.’

As he finished his cigarette, Lin Chu glanced back at the party. The princes were still going wild, caught up in some kind of tacky rave.

’These dickheads really don’t do any real work, do they?’

’So laid-back.’

’All they do is party.’

He sighed. Helpless, and in no hurry to rejoin them, Lin Chu grabbed a glass of champagne and returned to his table by the door, aloof and apart from the world.