As soon as Deputy Secretary Liu Shangfu saw Seok-won, he stood up. Wang Yongwei greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Ah, I see you arrived before us."
Liu glanced briefly at Seok-won before turning away and replying coolly, "The earlier meeting wrapped up sooner than expected, so I got here a bit early."
Naturally, the exchange was in Chinese.
Wang, mindful that Seok-won didn't speak the language, smoothly brought him into the conversation so he wouldn't feel excluded.
"Let me introduce you first. This is President Park Seok-won, who runs a major investment company on Wall Street."
Han Ji-sung, fluent in Chinese, stood beside them and provided real-time interpretation. Seok-won smiled and extended a hand.
"Park Seok-won."
Han immediately translated his greeting into Chinese.
Liu gave him a brief, assessing look, then smiled gently and took his hand.
"Liu Shangfu. A pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's mine as well."
With the introductions complete, the group took their seats around the large round table.
"Shall I begin preparing the meal?" asked a slim young waitress dressed in a red qipao.
Wang gave a nod. "Yes, please."
The waitress brought over a ceramic teapot and began pouring pu'er tea into each of their cups.
Meanwhile, other staff entered and began setting the table with thin wheat pancakes, fresh vegetables, and a selection of special dipping sauces served in individual dishes.
A few moments later, a chef in a white uniform wheeled in a cart carrying a perfectly roasted duck.
"Oh-ho."
"Smells amazing."
The duck was plump, with glistening, crispy skin that made it look incredibly appetizing.
With deliberate care, the chef carved the duck before them using a square Chinese cleaver, slicing it cleanly and precisely.
The waitress then plated the slices and served them to the guests. Wang spoke with visible pride.
"This is authentic Peking duck, the kind you can only get here in Beijing. While you can wrap it with vegetables in a pancake, I recommend starting by tasting the meat on its own, lightly dipped in the house sauce, to fully appreciate the flavor."
"Noted," Seok-won replied with interest.
Seok-won followed Wang Yongwei's lead, picking up a piece of duck with his chopsticks, dipping it deeply into the sauce, and placing it into his mouth.
Despite the visible fat, which might have seemed overwhelming, the taste was exquisite—just as Wang had proudly claimed, this was one of the best dishes Chinese cuisine had to offer.
"It's tender, and the burst of juices in my mouth… I can see why foreign dignitaries are so fond of it."
As Seok-won nodded in appreciation, Wang replied with a smile.
"I'm glad it suits your taste."
Once the chef had expertly carved the duck and politely excused himself with a final wish for them to enjoy the meal, the table moved on to the next course. Small glasses of Moutai liquor were poured, and the meal began in earnest.
As the atmosphere warmed and conversation flowed more freely, Deputy Secretary Liu, seated across from Seok-won, initiated a conversation.
"To be honest, when Mr. Wang Yongwei told me someone wanted to meet me, I was a little curious."
"I would've felt the same way."
Seok-won placed his glass down and responded calmly.
"May I ask what the reason is for wanting to meet?"
Liu gazed at him steadily. Seok-won met his eyes without hesitation and answered clearly.
"I'd like to become your laopengyou (老朋友)—a true friend with whom you can speak openly."
"...!"
Both Liu and Wang, who had arranged the meeting, looked visibly surprised at Seok-won's frankness.
But Seok-won had expected this reaction. Without losing composure, he took another sip of his drink and continued in an even tone.
"I've heard that relationships are the most important thing when doing business in China—more so than in any other country."
Liu furrowed his brows slightly, his tone turning cold.
"That's true. But real relationships aren't built just by exchanging business cards and meeting a few times. And the kind of laopengyou you mentioned… is something even rarer."
In China, not all guanxi (關系)—relationships—were equal.
Typically, once a new connection was established, the other person might be referred to as pengyou (朋友), or friend. As trust deepened, that might become haopengyou (好朋友), meaning a good friend.
But laopengyou (老朋友)—an old friend—implied a relationship so strong and long-standing that you could be completely candid, a true and enduring partner in both personal and business matters.
So for Seok-won to suddenly use that term upon first meeting was, understandably, both startling and perhaps offensive to Liu.
Sensing the sudden chill in the air, Wang Yongwei let out an exaggerated laugh, clearly trying to smooth things over.
"President Park's Chinese isn't very fluent—he probably meant haopengyou instead. Don't you think so?" he said, glancing at Han Ji-sung for confirmation.
But Han looked troubled as Seok-won spoke again, making the situation even more awkward.
"No, I meant exactly what I said."
As Wang's expression grew strained, Seok-won turned calmly to Liu.
"Bing dong san chi, fei yi ri zhi han. (氷凍三尺,非一日之寒.)"
"…"
"It's a Chinese idiom that means, 'Even three feet of ice isn't formed in a single day of cold,' though I'm sure you already know that."
Receiving Liu Shangfu's silent gaze, Seok-won continued speaking calmly.
"Of course, I don't expect to become your laopengyou right away. What I meant, as the saying goes, is that I hope we can begin building that kind of relationship step by step."
Wang Yongwei, who had been silently fretting that Seok-won might say something outrageous again, let out a subtle sigh of relief.
Deputy Secretary Liu also eased his expression slightly, the tension in his face softening.
"If that's what you meant, then it seems I may have misunderstood."
"No, the fault is mine as well—I was too abrupt with my words."
Seok-won answered with a faint, easy smile.
Then Liu, still wearing a look of lingering doubt, asked him pointedly, "Someone of your standing could surely forge connections with people far more powerful than me. I'm curious—why choose me?"
Naturally, Liu Shangfu had done his homework after Wang Yongwei told him someone wanted to meet. He wasn't idle or generous enough to waste time on opportunists looking to take advantage of him.
The reason he had agreed to today's lunch was because he had determined that meeting Seok-won could benefit him as well.
Still, it struck him as odd—someone hailed as a titan even on Wall Street had specifically sought him out. That had made Liu suspicious. So when Seok-won first used the word laopengyou, Liu had momentarily bristled, thinking he was being patronized.
Leaning back in his chair with an air of composure, Seok-won replied,
"If I truly set my mind to it, I could probably establish ties with Central Committee members—or, if I really pushed, even with Politburo Standing Committee members."
Within the Chinese Communist Party, the Politburo Standing Committee—comprising just nine individuals—held the highest level of power in the entire country.
To Liu, who wasn't even a full Central Committee member but merely an alternate, and ranked 151st at that—barely squeaking in thanks to favors from senior Party elders—those Standing Committee members were like gods.
And yet, knowing the kind of influence and wealth Seok-won wielded, it didn't sound like mere bluster.
"But even if I managed to forge guanxi with those at the pinnacle of power," Seok-won added, "at best, they might become haopengyou—good friends. They would never be laopengyou—true friends I could grow and walk with in trust."
Internally, Liu nodded in agreement.
Still, a trace of doubt lingered on his face as he asked once more,
"Even so, aren't there other young Central Committee members or alternates with promising futures you could've chosen instead?"
"That's exactly why I'm sitting across from you right now," Seok-won replied, looking Liu Shangfu directly in the eye with a serious expression.
Liu's thick eyebrows twitched slightly.
"...You're saying that person is me?"
"I don't go around building relationships lightly with just anyone."
"Honestly, I'm flattered by how highly you regard me... though I must admit, I'm also a bit taken aback."
Wang Yongwei, who had been quietly holding his breath while listening to the conversation, couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled—even if he didn't show it outwardly.
Sure, Liu had been born with a silver spoon as the son of a revolutionary elder, and his career path was more or less guaranteed. But even so, it didn't seem likely that he would ever make it to the very core of political power.
While he did hold a significant post as Deputy Party Secretary of Fujian Province and Party Secretary of Fuzhou, most of his career had been spent in the provinces, with barely any connection to the central Party apparatus.
Aside from the old elders who were friends with his father, Liu had little in the way of a political base or backing in the Central Party.
That's precisely why—when he was later appointed to the coveted post of Shanghai Party Secretary, then rose through the Politburo Standing Committee, and ultimately became President of the country—no one saw it coming at the time.
It was exactly because he didn't stand out, because he seemed so middling, that he was able to seize such an extraordinary opportunity.
Brushing aside those thoughts, Seok-won let a subtle, meaningful smile touch his lips.
"There's a saying, —'A needle in a pouch will eventually poke through.' Right now, people may not see it, but I believe that in time, everyone will come to recognize your true worth."
After this heartfelt exchange, Liu's expression softened—his suspicions now clearly eased. He even looked slightly moved.
"I appreciate you saying that."
"In that case," Seok-won said with a gentle smile, "would you do me the honor of becoming my friend?"
Finally, Liu Shangfu returned a warm smile.
"There's an old saying that age doesn't matter when making a good friend. I hope we can build a strong relationship that's mutually beneficial going forward."
Wang Yongwei took the opportunity to chime in with a cheerful tone.
"Such a meaningful day, when the two of you have forged a new friendship—we can't possibly skip the celebratory drink!"
Wang Yongwei lifted the bottle and poured a generous amount of Maotai into the empty glasses of the two men.
"Alright, let's raise our glasses and make a toast to a good day!"
Seok-won and Deputy Secretary Liu Shangfu both smiled, clinking their glasses before drinking them down in one go.
After setting his glass down, Seok-won looked at Liu Shangfu and spoke.
"I heard that you're pushing forward with a major project to build a new port in Fuzhou. Is that true?"
"That's right."
"In celebration of our new friendship, I'd like to make an investment."
Liu Shangfu, who had been struggling to attract foreign investment for the ambitious new port project, was immediately delighted.
"I'd be grateful if you did."
"Then I'll invest 1 billion dollars."
The unexpected sum caused both Liu Shangfu and Wang Yongwei to widen their eyes in astonishment.
Liu Shangfu leaned forward, as though unable to believe what he had just heard, and asked,
"Did you just say 1 billion dollars?"
"That's right."
Seok-won replied casually, and Liu Shangfu unconsciously swallowed a dry gulp.
A 1-billion-dollar investment would cover the entire required amount and then some.
Realizing just how immense Seok-won's financial power must be to offer such an amount so effortlessly, Liu Shangfu couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha. It seems I've met a true benefactor today."
Seeing Liu's cheerful reaction, Seok-won also smiled broadly.
With that, Seok-won had fully captured the heart of Liu Shangfu, the future power broker who would one day dominate China, establishing a solid and strategic connection.