The car drove into the ancient estate, where waiters were already waiting, respectfully opening the car door and guiding the distinguished guests from the car onto the prepared velvet red carpet, into the banquet hall.
When Mr. Zhou walked into the banquet hall with Charisse, even the music in the hall paused. Charisse's beauty had the power to make people stop breathing. Seeing the guests in the banquet hall stop their movements and gaze at them, Charisse nervously hugged Mr. Zhou's arm tightly.
"Don't worry, Charisse. You are the brightest star at the banquet. Look, their eyes are full of envy and jealousy. You should be proud of it!" Patting Charisse's hand, Mr. Zhou led her towards the host of the banquet, Alfred Ashford.
"Long time no see, Mr. Ashford. It's an honor to accept your invitation!"
Alfred was a blonde man with a feminine aura. His face was exquisite, comparable to many women. His somewhat narrow eyes always gave him a sinister feeling. Such a person is often much harder to deal with than those with a rougher temperament, especially when he also holds the title of nobility.
Alfred saw Mr. Zhou, and his narrow blue eyes lit up slightly. He immediately came forward and cordially shook Mr. Zhou's right hand.
"Long time no see, my dear friend. I heard you arrived in Paris, and I have been eagerly awaiting your presence. It's wonderful to see you healthy and well again."
"Not at all? You are too kind." Mr. Zhou shook his hand ceremonially, then subtly withdrew his right hand. The feeling of a man holding his hand for too long was simply too unpleasant.
At this moment, Alfred seemed to notice Mr. Zhou's female companion. He lowered his head slightly and politely asked, "May I ask, who is this beautiful Young Miss?"
"This is my younger sister, Charisse Ferguson. This is her first time attending such a banquet with me." Mr. Zhou introduced Charisse, as this was the rule in formal settings. The identity of a female companion was very 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, Young Miss Ferguson. Your beauty can overshadow all the stardust." He ceremoniously held the tip of Charisse's finger and lightly kissed the back of her hand. Alfred's demeanor was full of British gentlemanly grace, polite and not vulgar.
But Charisse's expression remained somewhat cool. She was not yet very accustomed to these formal gestures. She quickly withdrew her small hand and said coolly, "You flatter me, Mr. Alfred."
"You still have guests to welcome, so we won't disturb you."
"Then I'll excuse myself for now, Mr. Zhou. I hope to have a more in-depth conversation with you later." Alfred said apologetically; as the host of the banquet, he still had many responsibilities.
"Of course!" Mr. Zhou nodded clearly and left with Charisse. With his younger sister by his side, he had no intention of attracting attention or letting any unwanted attention come his way. Charisse was his darling younger sister, and he didn't want those young playboys, who had conquered countless women, to come and deceive her feelings.
So he chose a relatively secluded spot and sat down with Charisse. He also used his tall body to block the gazes that were constantly peeking at Charisse from all around.
In the past, he might have been one of those playboys constantly circling around. But now, he was a good older brother who would stop at nothing to protect his younger sister.
It was at this moment that he finally understood the feelings of fathers who brought their newly-out-of-the-house daughters to such banquets. Sometimes, he wished he could pull out a double-barreled, large-caliber shotgun at any moment to blast all those little rascals who appeared out of nowhere into smithereens.
Although Mr. Zhou used various methods to disperse a large number of reckless individuals, there are always waves of people who are not afraid of death in the World. Especially with Charisse by his side, this group of people was even more excited than if they had taken drugs, constantly appearing before Charisse with affected poses, hoping to win the favor of the beauty with their charm.
Charisse had been watching these strange male creatures from the side with the mindset of observing a zoo. In her opinion, these guys were as strange as gorillas in a zoo. Their affected poses and behaviors had no other purpose than to provide Charisse with a little something to laugh about with Mr. Zhou.
However, this did not deter the playboys' self-confidence. They rushed to Charisse, one after another, promoting themselves with various accents. In the end, even Charisse couldn't stand the endless harassment anymore.
"Brother, do the banquets you attend always invite such boring people?" Charisse asked coolly after rejecting a slick French youth, then began to complain to her older brother.
Mr. Zhou really couldn't say anything about this question, because many times, he played a similar role, though he considered himself much better than these guys, at least not causing disgust from women.
"Don't you have any method? If this continues, I really can't stand it." Charisse complained; Mr. Zhou's silence was not the result she wanted.
"Let me think, you know, this kind of social interaction is never pleasant." His eyes scanned the crowd for a while, and Mr. Zhou found his target. "Come with me, Charisse. I think a physics class would be much better than dealing with these fools."
"In this situation, I'd rather be in Ororo's physics class." Charisse playfully rolled her eyes at her older brother, then slipped her arm into his. Then, she followed her older brother step by step towards an inconspicuous gentleman at the banquet.
"Long time no see, Mr. Richards!" The person Mr. Zhou was speaking to was a somewhat rigid-looking gentleman. His appearance was unremarkable, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, indicating that he was a man of considerable inner talent. And for Mr. Zhou, who knew the details of this gentleman, he was indeed not a simple person.
Reed Richards graduated from the State University of New York in the United States and holds multiple doctorate degrees. His research in physics can be said to be at the World's top level, especially his research on cosmic rays, which is almost ahead of everyone else.
Unfortunately, this is a rigid fellow. He is more willing to research those magical but not very useful cosmic rays and does not want to transform his technology into products that can stimulate consumption.
Therefore, in the eyes of many investors, this guy is not well-liked.
"You are?" As someone engrossed in research, Reed Richards obviously hadn't recorded the information of this investor, whose financial prowess was among the World's best, in his memo. So he could only ask somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I've been quite muddled lately."
"Reed, you are really too forgetful. This is the famous Mr. Zhou, one of the largest investors in scientific research institutions in the United States." Another gentleman came up to Reed and mocked him somewhat maliciously. But when he faced Mr. Zhou, he immediately put on a cordial smile.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am Victor Von Doom, Chairman of Doom Company. It's a great honor to meet you for the first time!"
Mr. Zhou looked at the man who extended his right hand, shaking his hand while sizing him up. His golden hair was neatly combed, and his somewhat resolute face had a few faint scars. His eyes were sharp, and when he looked at people, he even had an unwavering gaze.
This type of person usually belongs to the kind who won't stop until they achieve their goal. And this type is precisely the most troublesome one.
"Doom Company, I've heard of it. It's a very promising enterprise!" After a brief compliment, Mr. Zhou said no more. After all, a Doom enterprise was nothing special to him. There are too many such companies in America that are built on the foundation of those Wall Street Vampires.
They are the kind of Little fellow that cannot withstand any setbacks; perhaps a single economic downturn could make it vanish into thin air. So, Mr. Zhou generally doesn't waste time remembering such things.
"Mr. Richards, I am very interested in your last published research paper on cosmic rays. Do you have any more specific ideas?" Compared to Victor's Doom enterprise, Mr. Zhou placed more interest in this Genius Professor of physics. The content of his research was very useful to Mr. Zhou.
And when he asked such a question, those familiar with him knew that he was already considering investing. As a financial tycoon, the funds in his hands were enough to make any research laboratory or enterprise in need of funding envious and excited.
Perhaps a single investment could allow a studio to complete several research cycles without worry. Such a generous approach was something those Wall Street Vampires simply couldn't compare to.
However, not everyone could make him say such a thing; it just so happened that Reed Richards had that ability.
"Are you referring to the issue of the Sun's periodic quantum storms?" Reed thought for a moment and shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. That research is still in the theoretical stage, and I have just finalized a contract with the U.S. Space Agency. If we want to have further experimental possibilities, it will require some time for data collection."
This statement actually conveyed only one meaning: for now, Mr. Zhou's investment was not accepted. This ignorant behavior made Victor, who was watching from the side, turn red with jealousy.
"Is that so? That's really a pity." Shaking his head, Mr. Zhou showed clear disappointment. "To be honest, I really hope to see some research results on cosmic storms, but since Mr. Reed said so, I'll wait a while longer."
"Excuse me, may I interrupt, Mr. Zhou!" Victor on the side couldn't help but interject. "If you have an interest in investing, why not take a look at our Doom enterprise's research projects? I believe we won't disappoint you."
"Oh! Tell me about it!" For investment, Mr. Zhou, who had a large sum of money, appeared quite indifferent. As long as there was value and it could bring him a return, there was absolutely no problem.
"Of course, our project is like this." Watching Mr. Zhou nod, Victor said earnestly and with a hint of fanaticism. Obtaining Mr. Zhou's investment would be a huge boost to his company's development, and such temptation compelled him to exert himself.