The vehicle traveled along the elevated highway. Shinra, sitting in the back row, looked at the scenery continuously receding outside the window, but what he was thinking about was how fortunate it was that it was high noon and not a rainy night.
Otherwise, a rainy night, an elevated highway, a Maybach—all the elements would be gathered, so to speak.
Alas, this was the reason Shinra wouldn't buy a Maybach. It was too easy to mix up contexts.
The destination for this trip was a private residence in Minato Ward, Tokyo. There, Shinra would meet the current head of the Mori Conglomerate, who was also his great uncle.
In his original memories, Shinra's impression of this great uncle was not deep. Although he would see him once every year as a child, it was mostly just to receive a red envelope and then leave. Aside from saying a few auspicious words, they had almost never spoken a proper conversation.
He only remembered that the red envelope this elder gave was quite thick and felt heavy in his hand.
Although the end result was always that his mother would 'safekeep' it in his name, he had at least briefly possessed it for a time.
This meeting would be considered Shinra's first formal interaction with this family elder since becoming an adult.
"Uncle Li, what kind of person is the Old Master, generally?"
The entire journey from Chiba to Tokyo was about 60 to 70 kilometers, requiring over an hour by car. This time on the road naturally couldn't be wasted, so Shinra thought about learning of his great uncle's personality from Uncle Li, to better prepare for the upcoming conversation.
"Chairman Mori... is an interesting person." Uncle Li thought for a moment before replying.
"An interesting person?" Shinra was taken aback. He had considered many possible answers but had never expected him to say that.
Interesting, in what way?
"Speaking of which, Young Master Shinra, you resemble Chairman Mori in many ways." Uncle Li said, gripping the steering wheel and glancing at Shinra in the rearview mirror.
Whether in appearance or personality, this grand-uncle and grand-nephew pair were very similar. So much so that Uncle Li felt that compared to Chairman Mori's direct grandsons, Shinra, this grand-nephew, seemed more like his actual grandson.
"Uncle Li, you mean my great uncle resembles me?"
"It is you who resembles your great uncle." Uncle Li corrected.
The grandfather resembling the grandson? You brat, that's completely backwards.
"Doesn't saying it that way make him seem younger?" Shinra said filially.
Uncle Li: ...
He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't.
With great effort, he suppressed his laughter and saved his hard-earned job. Uncle Li said: "You really aren't nervous at all."
"What is there to be nervous about? It's not like my great uncle is going to eat me, is he?"
"He can make you pay back the money."
Hearing this, Shinra's expression turned serious as he said, "Then I really should be a little nervous."
Money... Shinra definitely didn't have any right now. As the saying goes, even a hero can be stumped by a single penny. Even if Shinra could discharge electricity now, he couldn't conjure up money, especially such a large sum.
Even robbing a bank wouldn't get that much.
"Is there anything I should pay attention to after meeting him?" After this reminder from Uncle Li, Shinra felt that he should, more or less, show some respect to his sponsor grandfather.
"Be careful not to make jokes like the one just now." Uncle Li said, slightly annoyed.
"Of course. I'm not stupid. Anything else?"
Who jokes around when meeting an elder for the first time? You definitely have to wait until you're more familiar!
"Other than that..." Uncle Li thought for a moment. "Other than that, there shouldn't be anything else."
After all, Chairman Mori had always been very tolerant of talented people, not to mention Shinra was his grand-nephew.
The hour-long car ride passed in a flash, and they finally arrived at their destination—a high-end Japanese-style villa covering an area of over 2,000 square meters. It was called a villa, but its size was actually closer to that of a manor. The building's footprint occupied less than a third of the space; the rest was almost all courtyard landscape.
Considering its location in the heart of Tokyo's Minato Ward, its price was likely to be quite moving.
After verifying their identities, Uncle Li drove the car directly to the villa's entrance.
Just as the car came to a steady stop, an attendant came up and respectfully opened the door for Shinra.
He was finally experiencing the genuine life of a young master.
The butler responsible for guiding him looked to be advanced in age, estimated to be a good decade older than Uncle Li. His attire was impeccable and appropriate, and his every move exuded professionalism. Shinra followed him to the dining area.
Speaking of which, Shinra had been traveling all morning. By the time he reached Sobu High, it was already almost eleven o'clock. Then he sat in the car for another hour to get here. Usually, he would have already eaten lunch by this time.
"Young Master Mori, please." The old butler pulled the door open for Shinra and bowed slightly.
"Thank you." Shinra said politely, then stepped into the room.
Neither the butler nor Uncle Li followed him in. After closing the door again, Uncle Li looked at the old butler and asked, "Dad, how is Chairman Mori's mood today?"
The old butler glanced at his son and said in a slow, measured tone, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Also, use titles during work hours."
Uncle Li's mouth twitched upon hearing this. Considering his old man's martial arts skills, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to call him 'Title Li'.
Returning the perspective to Shinra, upon entering the dining room, he immediately saw the high-spirited, robust old man sitting at the head of the table.
The old man was wearing a traditional Zhongshan suit. His face was solemn and serious, his hair was black, and his beard was grayish-white but impeccably trimmed. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were deep, but his eyes were sharp and piercing, as if they could see through a person's heart. Just sitting there, he exuded an imposing aura without being angry. [Chinese tunic suit]
This was the master of the residence, Shinra's great uncle, Mori Kunitaka.
"You're here? Sit." Mori Kunitaka's voice was unhurried and full of vigor.
Seeing Shinra sizing him up, Mori Kunitaka's mouth quirked. He half-joked, "What, you don't recognize your grand-uncle anymore?"
"That's not it. I just feel like something is missing." Shinra pulled out a chair next to Mori Kunitaka and sat down, replying as if deep in thought.
"Oh? What's missing?"
"A red envelope."
After all, in his memory, every meeting with his great uncle was basically during the New Year family reunion. Only when asking for a red envelope could he chat with him for a few sentences. The rest of the time, the man was surrounded by his sons and relatives, leaving no space to interject.
Of course, his original self hadn't thought about striking up a conversation with him back then either. After getting the red envelope, he would just find a way to slip away.
The same was true for this body's biological grandfather. During the New Year, he was slightly better than his great uncle, and they could chat a bit more, but that was the extent of it.
This was because Shinra's parents did not have a high status in the family; their presence was quite faint. And in his memory, his father and grandfather did not have a harmonious relationship. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to move so far away to live here in Japan.
However, judging from his biological grandfather's reaction after his parents' accident, the man actually cared a lot about his father. At the funeral, he had repeatedly wanted to take his grandson back home.
But unfortunately, Shinra was afraid that if he went back, his secret would be exposed over time. In the end, he chose to settle in Japan alone.
"Heh! You brat certainly aren't modest." Mori Kunitaka pointed a finger playfully at Shinra, not angry. Instead, he said, "I already gave you that red envelope. Mm... it was for that little girlfriend of yours."
He directly classified the resources Shinra had previously mobilized as a 'red envelope', effectively closing the book on that matter.
"How many years' worth of lucky money must that be an advance for?" Shinra clicked his tongue.
Mori Kunitaka saw this little fox Shinra was still probing, so he stopped beating around the bush and said frankly, "That report you made was quite good. Let's just consider that the consulting fee."
"That's not nearly enough." Shinra knew the value of his report very well. A few hundred million yen probably wouldn't even cover the labor costs.
A team of talents capable of producing this quality of planning would have an annual salary starting in the tens of millions, and in dollars at that.
Although Shinra had borrowed the Mori International team, the main content of the report was completed by him. The others merely served as assistants.
It was no exaggeration to say that, given enough time, Shinra alone was worth an entire team.
Faced with Shinra's haggling, Mori Kunitaka didn't indulge him. He pointed directly to the key issue.
"Your report isn't complete. Only a complete one is worth a higher price. This current price is the 'family rate' I'm giving you because you're my grandson."
Mori Kunitaka enunciated the word 'grandson' very heavily. Shinra had reason to suspect the other party was taking advantage of him.
But thinking about it carefully, he really was his grandson.
Never mind then.
"Then, Grand-uncle, your meaning is..."
"You get paid for how much work you do."
He wants me to be a beast of burden.
A complete strategic development report needs real-time follow-up and adjustments during its implementation. And for the development report Shinra had planned to be fully realized, the time required would be counted in years, ten years at the very least.
According to the Old Master's meaning, if Shinra wanted to receive the full payment, he would have to start working from today until the plan became reality.
Shinra had no intention of dedicating the best years of his life to the free market. So, he decided to quit while he was ahead, saying, "You're right. That price is fine. I won't ask for more."
Mori Kunitaka wasn't anxious. He continued to chum the waters and lay the bait: "Don't you want to know what price I would offer?"
"No." Shinra replied without even thinking.
I have the system. I can't waste precious time on money.
Money is just a thing. Enough is enough.
Wish-power points are much more practical.
Seeing Shinra's expression, which didn't seem to be feigned, Mori Kunitaka's interest was piqued.
He had seen many people in his life and had his own unique ability to judge character. Therefore, he could tell at a glance that Shinra was not the type to be content with mediocrity. The young man's ambition was vast, greater than any other young person he had ever met.
Yet, it was precisely this person who had, without hesitation, refused the stage he offered to display his talents.
This left Mori Kunitaka somewhat unable to understand.
If it had been anyone else, Mori Kunitaka would not have offered a second chance after giving the first.
But Shinra was different. First, he was very talented. Second, he was his own grand-nephew, and he had been orphaned at a young age.
With these factors combined, Mori Kunitaka was exceptionally tolerant of Shinra. The level of intimacy in his words even surpassed how he treated his own biological grandsons.
After all, none of his sons or grandsons were as promising as Shinra.
Just a bunch of... Alas, better not to mention them.
In the original plan, this meeting was supposed to take place after Shinra graduated from high school. Mori Kunitaka had actually wanted to wait until Shinra started university to slowly expose him to the core business of the Mori Conglomerate.
But later, as Shinra revealed more and more, and in increasingly exaggerated ways, Mori Kunitaka's thoughts naturally changed as well.
Compared to inheriting the family's core business, someone as talented as Shinra was perhaps better suited for pioneering. High school graduation was still two years away—too late. It was best to start cultivating him now.
In any case, with the abilities Shinra had demonstrated, there was no fear of 'pulling the seedlings to make them grow'.
Although the Mori Conglomerate was currently a well-known conglomerate in the world, it still lacked the deep foundation of the truly top-tier families. But once Shinra's vision was realized, the Mori family would gain an additional core industry no less significant than their current one. This improvement for the Mori family would be far more than just 1+1.
When that time truly came, Mori Kunitaka wouldn't mind letting Shinra succeed him as the new head of the family, even if he wasn't his direct grandson.
It was better than letting those worthless descendants ruin the family business he had worked so hard to build.
It was just that the plan had barely begun, and it seemed to have already hit a snag.
This little fox, Shinra, seemed to have seen through something and was unwilling to take his bait. Forget taking the bait; he wouldn't even glance at it.
Faced with this situation, Mori Kunitaka wasn't anxious. Fishing, after all, was all about patience. He doesn't love money? Simple. Power, beauties—there must be one that this brat wants. He refused to believe Shinra was as desire-free as he appeared.
Never mind anything else, just look at that little celebrity, and this kid's female classmate, and the daughter of the Chiba prefectural assemblyman...
Count them. How many is that already? Looking at Shinra, he doesn't seem to plan on letting a single one go. In that case, the necessary money and power are indispensable.
Therefore, Mori Kunitaka felt the advantage was his. He wasn't worried about Shinra lacking ambition.
"If you don't want to know, so be it. Eat, eat." Mori Kunitaka didn't rush to state his price. Instead, he smiled and invited Shinra to eat, his eyes full of kindness and concern, as if looking at his own nuclear-powered beast of burden.
However, just indulging in the comforts of gentle romance wasn't enough. Those girls were nice, but they were too immature. They couldn't put pressure on Shinra. And without pressure, there's no motivation. Waiting until the pressure of marriage talks came in the future... the time gap was too long.
Therefore, Mori Kunitaka had specially prepared another grand gift for Shinra...
"Oh, by the way, I've been invited by a local dignitary to a private dinner party tonight. Shinra, you should come with me." Mori Kunitaka said, as if discussing a trivial matter.
"Dinner party... dignitary..." Shinra didn't understand what the Old Master was plotting, so he didn't immediately agree.
"Don't worry, you won't go for nothing. Those shares in your little girlfriend's agency, aren't they still listed under the company's name? If you go, those shares are yours."