"Menglong, since you're here, why not stay for dinner?" Professor Chen, having looked over materials all afternoon while Zhang Menglong waited alongside, now had dinner ready thanks to his wife.
"Sure, I won't be shy!" Zhang Menglong's stomach was conveniently rumbling.
This was a table probably over a decade old, and it seemed like nothing much had changed in the Chen household since they had moved into this small house allocated by the school.
The table's wood was already cracking, and the meal was just a simple spread of three dishes and a soup.
"Menglong, the living conditions here are so so, don't mind it!" Mrs. Chen said, somewhat embarrassed.
Actually, the conditions at home weren't that bad, but because their child's living expenses were high, most of the family's income was used to support the child, leading to a modest life for a professor.
Seeing the situation, Zhang Menglong couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart and placed a bank card on the table.
"Menglong, this... this is..."
"There's ten million in this card, as an advance on your salary," Zhang Menglong said with a smile, "Use this to improve your living conditions at home and take care of the mistress for now since, for the next little while, you might not have time to look after your family."
"He always neglected the family!" Mrs. Chen said, a mix of complaint and pride, proud that her husband was receiving such recognition.
"Menglong, this isn't right!" Professor Chen objected.
"Why not? I trust your integrity!" Zhang Menglong joked, "But this will be deducted from your annual salary!"
Professor Chen was incredibly moved by the complex emotions swelling inside him, but frankly, they really needed the money. He nodded after a moment, "In that case, Menglong, thank you!"
After a simple but warm dinner, Zhang Menglong immediately flew back to Jiangnan City. All personnel were ready, and it wouldn't be long before the whole world would witness Huaxia making an astonishing debut in the chip domain!
"Hey Zhang, are you free tomorrow?" Zhang Menglong had just gotten home when he received a call from Wang Ling.
"I have no plans at the moment. What's up?" Zhang Menglong asked, detecting a trace of hesitation in Wang Ling's tone.
"My dad's planning to come to Jiangnan City tomorrow."
"Oh, and so?" Zhang Menglong asked curiously, his dad coming to Jiangnan City was none of his business!
"My dad wants to visit you."
"What?" Zhang Menglong was momentarily stunned, "Visit me? I'm not some big shot, why visit me?"
"I'm not sure, but my dad knows we're good friends and wants me to arrange a visit. Could you do me this favor?" Wang Ling asked with a pleading tone. "President Zhang? Handsome Zhang?"
"Alright, alright, stop it, let's just meet," Zhang Menglong said, flustered by Wang Ling's persistence. He'd met the world's wealthiest, nobility, princes, princesses, mutants from Earth and the Solar System alike—what was there to fear from a former richest man of Huaxia? It was just a friend's father, after all.
"Great, then I'll come to your place tomorrow noon, and grab a meal while I'm at it!" Wang Ling responded, clearly delighted.
"Sure," Zhang Menglong said, "See you tomorrow!"
The next day at noon, Wang Ling and his father Wang Jian arrived at Zhang Menglong's house on time.
In the past, Zhang Menglong had often been seen in the parody zone of a small station, and this was the first time Wang Ling met him in person, a middle-aged man with an impressive demeanor.
"Mr. Zhang, I've long admired your reputation!" Wang Jian said with a smile as he shook hands with Zhang Menglong.
"Uncle Wang, you are too kind. Since Wang Ling and I are friends, just think of me as one of the juniors. There's no need for formalities with 'Mr. Zhang'. Let's just keep things simple," Zhang Menglong responded with a smile.
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony," said Wang Jian, unreservedly. "Wang Ling told me that this entire neighborhood belongs to you?"
"Yes," Zhang Menglong nodded, "Villas and such are too high-profile. I prefer to keep it low-key!"
"There he goes again!" Wang Ling rolled his eyes like a little sidekick next to him. Could he have misunderstood what 'low-key' means?
"Haha, young people have their own way of thinking, very good," Wang Jian remarked, not minding it.
"Uncle Wang, what brings you here this time? Any advice for me?" asked Zhang Menglong.
"You're the world's richest man, what advice could I possibly have for you," laughed Wang Jian, "I came to ask for some advice from you this time."
"Asking me for advice?" Zhang Menglong was surprised. "Uncle Wang, I'm only good at spending money and showing off. I have no other strengths. I'm not skilled in business, and the companies under my name are operated by people arranged by my family. I'm afraid you've made a wasted trip this time."
"Seems like you do have a very clear understanding of yourself!" Wang Ling nodded vigorously on the side.
"Shut up! You know nothing!" Wang Jian scolded Wang Ling without any hesitation. "If your business acumen was even half as good as Menglong's, even if I were to pass away one day, I could rest assured leaving our fortunes in your hands."
"Dad? Are you crazy?" Wang Ling exclaimed in disbelief. "If I had half of his capability, our family's fortune wouldn't last even a month!"
"That's because you lack vision!" Wang Jian argued. "On the surface, Menglong spends money, but the logic behind his spending is something beyond your understanding."
"What?" Wang Ling widened his eyes. There was a logic behind Zhang Menglong's ostentatious spending?
"Menglong, actually I've secretly investigated you!" Wang Jian admitted. "I owe you an apology, since my son is close to you, I needed to make sure you had no ulterior motives."
Zhang Menglong nodded in understanding; it was something any normal father would do.
"But I had no idea until I looked into it, and I was stunned," said Wang Jian. "Let's start with your investment in the universities. You invested ten billion in Professor Guo's research group to help them with their antiviral research, and just last week, they announced their first wave of results!"
"The clinical trial was very successful. The total value of this pharmaceutical development could very well exceed 200 billion US dollars, and according to the development ratio, Menglong could earn over 80% of the profit!"
"What?" Wang Ling's eyes bulged wider than light bulbs.
"Nani?" Zhang Menglong himself was also shocked. He hadn't expected that Professor Guo would be so formidable. With the right funding and equipment, he actually managed to lead the world in completing the project!
"And about Professor Zhu's space exploration project, it looked like that investment was the least likely to turn a profit. Yet, twelve days ago, Professor Zhu discovered a comet from outside the Solar System. This comet will pass by Earth in five years, and preliminary analysis shows it contains a large amount of rare elements found on Earth. With our current technology, in five years, we'll have matured techniques to mine and collect material from the comet!"
"The value of those rare elements could exceed several hundred billion US dollars, and as the discoverer, he can own half of the profits. According to the contract Menglong signed at that time, he would get ninety percent of the project's profits—that's another few hundred billion US dollars!"
"Good grief!" Zhang Menglong was stunned. "Is my investing capability that awesome?"