From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Chapter 94: Chapter 92: Interlocking Rings, a Cunning Old Fox

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

The words of our ancestors had a point: if someone showers you with attention for no reason, they’re either up to no good or a thief.

’What kind of decent person gives such a huge gift before you even meet? Even I’m not this extravagant when I give gifts.’

The only explanation was that Arno definitely needed his help with something!

"Mr. Su, are you here in Paris for pleasure this time?"

"Of course I’m here for fun. The League of Legends World Championship finals are being held in Paris, you know? As it happens, an esports club I own made it to the finals. And coincidentally, you, Mr. Arno, had also invited me to visit Paris..."

"So, here I am... mixing business with pleasure. The best of both worlds, right?" Su Chen said with a calm and unhurried air, taking a small sip of his coffee after he spoke.

"Hahaha! I didn’t expect you to have such leisurely tastes, Mr. Su. To be so fond of gaming!" A man of Arno’s stature wouldn’t know the first thing about League of Legends, so he could only follow Su Chen’s lead in the conversation.

The two chatted for a while longer. Arno felt the time was right and gathered his thoughts.

"Mr. Su, I wonder, what are your thoughts on the Louis Vuitton Group?"

Su Chen’s eyes twitched slightly at the words. He exclaimed internally, ’Finally, we’re getting to the point!’

Shaking off his previous languidness, he sat up much straighter. "Thoughts? What thoughts could I have?"

"The Louis Vuitton Group became number one in the luxury industry under the Arno family’s leadership. As an outsider, I have no interest in giving directions or meddling. I’m content to just wait for my dividends."

A flash of delight passed through Arno’s eyes when he heard this, but his expression remained placid and unreadable.

"You’re not considering appointing an executive to the group? That Chen Mengyan you sent over before is very capable. She’s a quick learner—in just two short months, she familiarized herself with the entire company’s operations!"

Su Chen knew Arno was probing him, trying to see if he had any intention of meddling in the group’s internal affairs.

He shook his head gently, set down his coffee cup, and gazed at the distant horizon. After a long moment, he said slowly, "I just want a life of leisure. I have no desire to get involved in any struggles."

Su Chen suddenly felt a bit tired. Talking to these wily old foxes was truly mentally exhausting. He might as well just lay his cards on the table.

Arno hadn’t expected Su Chen to be so direct. Although it was a bit awkward, his thick skin didn’t betray any strange expression.

"My apologies, Mr. Su. You must be amused. But as you know, maintaining internal harmony is the most fundamental thing for a group!"

Su Chen strongly agreed with this. If there was no internal stability, how could they even talk about competing for market share against rivals?

With Su Chen’s assurance, a faint smile appeared on Arno’s face.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Su, I have another gift for you. I hope you like it!" After speaking, Arno waved to Shuraya, who was standing not far away.

Shuraya was seen walking to the parking lot with a man who looked like a bodyguard and taking a box out of a car.

Soon, a box made of golden silk-nanmu wood was placed on the table.

Arno made an inviting gesture with his left hand, then looked at Su Chen with a smile.

Su Chen looked at the box before him, a little puzzled, wondering what tricks Arno had up his sleeve...

’It seems I’ll only find out what’s going on by opening the box.’

He then reached out and lifted the nanmu wood lid, revealing a bronze animal head resting inside.

When he got a clear look at the animal head’s face, Su Chen flinched.

This was mainly because Su Chen was afraid of snakes. Seeing the stunningly lifelike animal head, he couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

"Is... is this... the snake head? How is that possible? Wasn’t this thing missing?"

In recent years, with the country’s rapid development, many wealthy Chinese citizens have bought back numerous cultural relics from overseas. The most representative of these are the twelve zodiac heads. So far, seven of the animal heads have been returned one by one.

Four others remained missing. As for the dragon head, it was rumored to be in the Wanwan Museum, though whether that was true had yet to be verified.

The snake head was one of the four missing ones. Many people in the country had exhausted themselves searching for information about it without success. Now, a snake head had appeared right in front of Su Chen. To say he wasn’t excited would be a lie.

"Is this real or a fake?" Su Chen tried to calm his excitement, still harboring a bit of suspicion about the object.

Hearing Su Chen’s doubt, Arno’s expression instantly turned serious. "Of course it’s real. The Arno family is one of the most prominent in all of Europe. Why would we try to fool Mr. Su with a fake!"

Su Chen didn’t press the matter further. He already understood in his heart why the animal head was in Arno’s possession. After all, the Arno family had a legacy stretching back over two hundred years and had been prominent in the world for more than a century.

"I am very pleased with this gift. Thank you, Mr. Arno!" In any case, Su Chen was very grateful that he would give him the snake head.

Seeing Su Chen’s solemn expression, Arno nodded in satisfaction.

"By the way, I also have information about another animal head. I wonder if you would be interested, Mr. Su!" Arno steepled his fingers, rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, and leaned back with a faint smile on his face.

Hearing this, Su Chen cursed Arno a thousand times in his mind. ’He really is an old tortoise, lying in wait for me right here.’

’If I ask about it, or if I get the other animal head back through Arno, I’ll owe him a huge favor. Then he won’t have to worry about me having any other ideas.’

In the eyes of these families with legacies stretching back a century, or even several centuries, a debt of gratitude was like the family’s honor—it could not be desecrated.

’When you’re out in the world, your reputation is very important. Who would want to be friends with someone who repays kindness with malice!’

Su Chen pondered for a moment before finally asking, "Oh? I’m listening."

The corner of Arno’s mouth tilted up. Without dawdling, he shared the information he knew.

It turned out that when Arno went away on business, he had met with a Duke in the United Kingdom. In the UK, his family’s influence was second only to the royal family. They owned a luxury brand, and Arno had gone to discuss an acquisition.

In the duke’s manor, he had seen an animal head displayed in a glass case—the rooster head!

Su Chen’s fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a rhythmic TAP, TAP sound, while Arno calmly sipped his coffee.

After a long moment, Su Chen’s fingers stopped tapping. He looked at Arno and said, "Mr. Arno, you should know what these animal heads mean to us. I hope you can help with this matter!"

"Hahaha! Mr. Su’s business is my business. Leave it to me. The animal head will be before your eyes in a week at most!" Arno’s mood was now exceptionally cheerful. He considered this the forging of an alliance with Su Chen.

"Cheers!" Su Chen said, raising his coffee cup.

"Cheers!"

Only at this moment did the two of them truly become friends.