The car drove into the ancient manor. Servants were waiting there early, respectfully opening the car doors and guiding the honored guests onto the velvet red carpet that had been laid out, leading them into the banquet hall.
When Zhou Yi, arm in arm with Xia Ruis, entered the banquet hall, even the music in the hall paused for a moment. Xia Ruis' beauty had the magic to make people stop breathing. Looking at the guests in the banquet hall, who had all stopped their actions and were watching here, Xia Ruis nervously clutched Zhou Yi's arm tightly.
"Don't worry, Xia Ruis. You are the brightest star at the Banquet. Look, their eyes are filled with envy and jealousy. You should be proud of it!" Patting Xia Ruis' hand, Zhou Yi led her towards Alfred Ashford, the host of the banquet.
"Long time no see, Mr. Ashford. It's an honor to accept your invitation!"
Alfred was a golden-haired man filled with a feminine aura. His face was exquisite, not inferior to many women. His somewhat narrow eyes always gave him a sinister look. Such a person was often more difficult to deal with than those with a rough temper, especially when he also had the identity of a nobleman.
Alfred saw Zhou Yi, his narrow blue eyes brightened slightly, and immediately went forward. He warmly shook Zhou Yi's right hand.
"Long time no see, my dear friend. I heard that you have come to Paris, and I have been looking forward to your presence. It's really wonderful to see you healthy and well again."
"Not at all? You are too kind." Zhou Yi shook hands with him in a polite manner, and then quietly pulled his right hand away. It was not a good feeling to have a man holding his hand all the time.
At this moment, Alfred seemed to notice the woman beside Zhou Yi. He lowered his head slightly and politely asked, "I haven't asked yet, who is this beautiful lady?"
"This is my sister, Xia Ruis. Ferguson. It's her first time attending a banquet like this with me," Zhou Yi introduced Xia Ruis. This was the proper etiquette for such occasions. The identity of one's companion was also important; not just anyone could be brought to such a banquet unless the man's status was so prominent that he could disregard such rules.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ferguson. Your beauty would make all the stardust pale in comparison." Alfred, with impeccable manners, took hold of the tip of Xia Ruis's fingers and lightly kissed the back of her hand. His actions were full of British gentlemanly charm, polite without being vulgar.
However, Xia Ruis's expression was slightly cold; she wasn't entirely used to these formalities. Quickly withdrawing her small hand, Xia Ruis said coldly, "You flatter me, Mr. Alfred. You still need to greet the guests; we won't disturb you."
"Then I'll take my leave first, Mr. Zhou Yi. I hope we can have a more in-depth conversation later." Alfred apologized; as the host of this banquet, he had many responsibilities.
"Of course!" Zhou Yi nodded in understanding and, taking Xia Ruis's arm, left the area. With his sister by his side, he didn't have any interest in flirting, nor did he want some butterflies to appear before him. Xia Ruis was his precious sister; he didn't want those young playboys, who had already bedded a hundred women, to come and deceive her feelings.
So, he chose a more secluded spot and sat down with Xia Ruis. He also used his tall frame to block the gazes that were constantly peering at Xia Ruis from all sides.
If it were before, he might have been one of those playboys constantly circling around. But now, he was a good brother willing to do anything to protect his sister. It was at this moment that he finally understood the feelings of those fathers who brought their daughters, who had just come of age, to this kind of Banquet. Sometimes, he really wished he could pull out a double-barreled shotgun at any time to blast these little bastards who didn't know when to quit.
Although Zhou Yi had used various methods to disperse a large group of people who didn't know what was good for them, there were always people who weren't afraid of death, one after another. Especially with Xia Ruis by his side, this group of people was even more excited than if they were on drugs, always appearing in front of Xia Ruis in a pretentious manner, wanting to win the favor of the beauty with their charm.
Xia Ruis had been watching this group of strange male creatures with the mentality of watching a zoo. In her eyes, these guys were as strange as the gorillas in the zoo. Their pretentious performance and behavior had no other effect except to add a little capital for Xia Ruis to chat and laugh with Zhou Yi.
But this couldn't stop this group of playboys from feeling good about themselves. They rushed to Xia Ruis one after another, using all sorts of exaggerated tones to promote themselves. In the end, even Xia Ruis couldn't stand this endless harassment.
"Brother, are all the people invited to the Banquet this kind of boring guys?" After coldly rejecting a smooth-talking French youth, Xia Ruis began to complain to her brother.
For this question, Zhou Yi really couldn't say anything. Because in many cases, he also played this kind of role, but he thought he was much better than these guys, at least he wouldn't cause disgust from women.
"Don't you have any way? If this goes on, I really can't take it anymore." Xia Ruis complained, Zhou Yi's silence was not the result she wanted.
"Let me think about it, you know, this kind of superficial thing has never been pleasant." After surveying the crowd for a while, Zhou Yi found his target. "Come with me, Xia Ruis. I think a Physics class is much better than dealing with these fools."
"In that case, I'd rather be in Aurora's Physics class." Xia Ruis playfully rolled her eyes at her brother, slipping her hand into his arm. Then, she followed her brother as they walked towards an unassuming gentleman at the Banquet.
"Long time no see, Mr. Richards!" Zhou Yi addressed a man who looked somewhat stern. His appearance was unremarkable, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, indicating he was a man of considerable inner depth. And for Zhou Yi, who knew the man's background, he was indeed no simple fellow.
Reed. Charlitz, a graduate of the State University of New York, held multiple doctoral degrees. His research in Physics was at the world's top level, especially his studies on Cosmic Rays, which put him ahead of almost everyone else.
Unfortunately, he was a rigid fellow. He preferred to study those fascinating but ultimately useless Cosmic Rays, rather than convert his technology into products that could stimulate consumption. Therefore, in the eyes of many investors, this man was not well-regarded.
"And you are?" As someone absorbed in research, Reed. Charlitz clearly hadn't recorded the information of this world-leading investor in his notes. So, he could only ask with some embarrassment, "I apologize, things have been a bit muddled recently."
"Reed, you're being too forgetful. This is the well-known Mr. Zhou Yi, one of the largest investors in research institutions in America." Another gentleman came up to Reed, sneering with ill intent. But when he turned to face Zhou Yi, he immediately put on a friendly face.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am Victor. Von. Doom, the chairman of Doom Enterprises. It's truly an honor to meet you!"
Looking at the man who extended his right hand, Zhou Yi shook his hand while sizing him up. Neatly combed golden hair, a face that looked somewhat stern, with a few faint scars. His eyes were sharp, and when he looked at people, he had an unwavering gaze. This type of person usually wouldn't give up until they achieved their goal. And this type, precisely, was the most troublesome.
"Doom Enterprises, I've heard of it. A promising enterprise!" Zhou Yi offered a slight compliment, but didn't say more. After all, a Doom Enterprises didn't mean much to him. There were too many companies in America that relied on the backing of Wall Street vampires. They were the kind of small fries that couldn't withstand any setbacks; perhaps a single economic fluctuation could make them vanish. So, Zhou Yi generally wouldn't waste time remembering such things.
"Mr. Richards, I'm very interested in your last published research paper on Cosmic Rays. Do you have any more specific ideas?" Compared to Victor's Doom Enterprises, Zhou Yi showed more interest in this physics genius professor. The content of his research was very useful to Zhou Yi.
And when he asked about a topic like this, those who knew him understood that he was already considering investing. As a financial tycoon, he had enough funds to make any research lab or enterprise envious. Perhaps a single investment could allow a studio to complete several research cycles without worry. Such generous methods were something those Wall Street vampires couldn't compare to at all.
However, not everyone could get him to say such words, but Reed Richards happened to have this ability.
"Are you referring to the issue of Solar Periodic Quantum Storms?" Reed thought for a moment and shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. That research is still in the theoretical stage. Currently, I've just agreed on a contract with NASA. If we want to have the possibility of further experiments, we still need a period of data collection."
This kind of wording actually revealed only one meaning: not accepting Zhou Yi's investment for the time being. This ignorant behavior made Victor, who was watching from the side,'s eyes turn slightly red with jealousy.
"Is that so? That's really a pity." Zhou Yi shook his head, showing obvious disappointment. "To be honest, I really hope to see some research results on cosmic storms, but since Mr. Reed says so, then I'll wait a while."
"Excuse me, may I?" Victor couldn't help but interrupt from the side. "If you have an interest in investing, why not take a look at our Doom Enterprises' research projects? Believe me, we won't let you down."
"Oh! Tell me about it!" Zhou Yi, who had a large sum of money at his disposal, was rather nonchalant about investments. As long as it was valuable and could bring him returns, he had no problem with it at all.
"Of course, our project is like this." Seeing Zhou Yi nod, Victor said earnestly and with a hint of fanaticism. Getting Zhou Yi's investment was a huge boost for the development of his company, and such an enticement made him work hard.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
" American Comics: Transforming into Tokisaki Kurumi "
" Marvel: A Wizard Descending "
" DC universe: Days of Being a Magic God in Marvel "
" Marvel: Starting from Loading the Shadow Army "
" A Certain Summoner of American Comics "
" Druid's Marvel Travels "
" The Stand User of the Marvel World "
" A Certain Unscientific Marvel Scientist "
" Superman in American Comics "
" My World: My Daily Life in Marvel "
" The Cute King of the Marvel World "
" Marvel: I Am the Silver Age Superman, Joining Group"
many more are available 80+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)