Before the Dongjiao State Guesthouse was ever opened to regular tourists, its very name wasn't known to outsiders. People only whispered about it as Zhongshan Mausoleum No. 5.
The Jinling Museum might be wealthy and ranked among the top eight national museums, but it still wasn't bold enough to book out the entire guesthouse. They'd only reserved the conference hall and the lobby bar. The main entrance was still busy with cars and people, since plenty of tourists and official guests invited by Jinling's government continued to stay there.
As a side note, the rooms at the Purple Mountain Guesthouse cost about the same as a three-star hotel, so ordinary travelers could afford them.
"Someone donated the bronze snake head from the Old Summer Palace, but the government hasn't made any announcements?"
"How many of the zodiac heads are still overseas?"
"I think most have already been returned."
"What about the dragon head, the most important one? Where's that now?"
"Which rich guy donated this one?"
Visitors muttered among themselves. Their chatter was sparked by the signboard at the entrance. On a red background, golden letters announced: 'Guests attending the donation ceremony for the bronze snake head from the Old Summer Palace, please proceed to Counter 2.' Many stopped in their tracks, hesitant. Like people often said, the twelve bronze zodiac heads were too well-known across the country.
Counter 2 was on the left side of the lobby. On the right, Counter 1 stood as usual, where government greeters welcomed guests. Today, the ones arriving were Koo Hyo-yeon and Koo Yeon-pyo, along with the rest of the Koo family's entourage, one of South Korea's five major chaebol families.
The official assigned to receive them was Deputy Director Sun from Jinling's investment promotion bureau. If the bureau chief hadn't gone to South Korea to lead another delegation, the Koo family would've been received by the top leader himself. That was the level of formality this visit deserved.
Biopharmaceuticals were one of Jinling's eight major industries. LG Life Sciences had been a leading company in that sector for nearly thirty years in Jinling, investing more than 22 billion USD. They definitely deserved respect.
Koo Hyo-yeon was the eldest daughter of LG Group's current head, managing LG Chem, while Koo Yeon-pyo, the third son, had taken over LG Electronics. Their visit to Jinling this time was driven by plans to expand investment.
When their car pulled up at the guesthouse, Koo Yeon-pyo frowned the moment he saw the crowd of reporters—Guangming Daily, Jinling Daily, Shanghai Morning Post, China Youth Daily—all pointing cameras and microphones at him.
"Sister…" He removed his sunglasses, irritation bubbling up. He was already in his mid-thirties and had been president of LG Electronics for two years, yet his temper hadn't changed at all.
"Take another look. When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Koo Hyo-yeon stopped him from losing his cool.
Deputy Director Sun also stepped out of his car. Seeing the situation, he quickly explained, "There's a donation ceremony today. A celebrity's attending, so the media came."
The translator passed the explanation along. Both siblings relaxed immediately. They were here to discuss new investments, but the funding size and direction weren't finalized yet. For a moment, they thought Jinling's officials had leaked the news to the press to pressure them. That had happened once before in the Philippines, and the fallout forced LG Electronics to practically pull out of that market.
"Which celebrity? Is it someone named Meng… Meng Wuping? He was in that drama Palace Within the Palace, right?" Koo Yeon-pyo asked with interest.
The historical idol drama starring Meng Wuping and Lin Xia had gone viral across Southeast Asia, even gaining popularity in South Korea. Clearly, he had a particular fondness for Meng Wuping. And no, that wasn't a typo—fondness spelled as 性趣 had more to it.
Since the museum and the investment bureau weren't related, Deputy Director Sun had no idea who the celebrity was. All he knew was that Jinling's museum had fought tooth and nail to secure the right to exhibit the donated snake head instead of Beijing's Palace Museum.
"I'll send someone to ask," he replied.
"If it really is…" Koo Yeon-pyo wanted to say he'd absolutely treat Meng Wuping to a meal, but a light cough beside him shut him up immediately.
He closed his mouth at once. No matter how much he liked Chinese celebrities, this wasn't South Korea's entertainment industry, where he could throw his weight around.
"Deputy Sun, let's head in first," Koo Hyo-yeon said.
The bureau staff led the way while Sun quietly told his secretary to find out which celebrity was there.
If LG confirmed another 2 billion USD investment, that'd be huge. Last year's target was "utilize at least 4.5 billion USD in foreign investment, aiming for 5 billion." An extra 2 billion could create countless new jobs. In that case, what was wrong with inviting a celebrity to dinner? Deputy Sun thought it made perfect sense.
Meanwhile, Koo Yeon-pyo wasn't thinking about investments at all. He was already daydreaming about sleazy fun.
"Keep yourself in check here in China. If you screw up our cooperation, you'll explain it to Father yourself," Koo Hyo-yeon said coldly.
He hurriedly promised he'd never let that happen.
Celebrities didn't matter to her anyway. From the age of seventeen, she'd schemed against her brothers for the family inheritance. She'd even orchestrated things so her third brother, Koo Yeon-pyo, was labeled gay, and had long manipulated their fourth brother until he feared the very sight of her. To rise as a woman and become president of LG Chem in South Korea, her methods were ruthless. Among the Gu sons, they secretly called her the "Praying Mantis Queen."
Inside a small conference room, LG's senior executives sat with Jinling's investment bureau to negotiate preferential policies.
"Deputy Sun, the celebrity at the donation event is Chu Zhi," the secretary whispered in his ear.
"??" Deputy Sun froze. "You mean Counselor Chu, the one who got shot recently?"
The secretary nodded firmly. Deputy Sun's mind spun. Their city's museum was really this powerful? They'd invited Chu Zhi of all people?
"The donor's actually Chu Zhi's fan. That's why the bronze snake head was given," the secretary added after asking around.
No wonder Chu Zhi stood above other celebrities. With his political standing and influence, he could bring back national treasures on his reputation alone. Who could compare?
Deputy Sun instantly abandoned the idea of inviting him for dinner. What rank was he? What rank was Chu Zhi? The gap was enormous.
After two hours of back-and-forth, LG's executives and Jinling's officials reached a preliminary agreement on the main conditions. The details still needed more meetings. For investments of this scale, it was normal to hold twenty or thirty rounds of talks, sometimes even drag it out for half a year.
"Deputy Sun, may I ask who the celebrity is at the other side's donation ceremony?" Koo Yeon-pyo asked quietly while his sister was away. He was still hung up on Meng Wuping. In Palace Within the Palace, Lin Xia's acting was better, but he had a soft spot for Meng Wuping's wooden face.
What could Deputy Sun say? If he told the truth and this brat made an unreasonable request, he couldn't possibly deliver. But staying silent also felt wrong.
Just then, Koo Hyo-yeon returned. Koo Yeon-pyo shrank back like a mouse spotting a cat.
But her next words stunned Sun. "Deputy Sun, will Mr. Chu Zhi also be staying at this hotel today?"