Dragon Raja: I practiced Naruto ninjutsu next to Lu Mingfei.

Page 479

Gu Ran took out the tea leaves given to him by Nuwa, boiled water and brewed a pot for Su's father. After the water boiled, the boiling water dispersed the tea leaves in the teapot, and in an instant, the aroma of tea filled the air.

As soon as Mr. Su smelled the aroma of the tea, he knew that the tea leaves were special. After Gu Ran poured him the tea, he couldn't wait to pick up the teacup and take a sip.

"Excellent tea!" Mr. Su raised an eyebrow immediately after taking a sip. This tea was special; it was refreshing and invigorating.

"I'm glad you like it. You can keep the tea here." Gu Ran used this opportunity to give the tea that Nuwa had given him to his father-in-law.

Mr. Su picked up the tea box, which was unwrapped and looked very simple, and asked, "Where did you buy this?"

Such delicious tea, he'll have to ask someone to buy a few pounds to store.

"It was a gift from an elder; there's nowhere to buy it," Gu Ran said honestly. "I heard it came from those three old tea trees, and there's only a little bit of it each year."

"Those three trees?" Mr. Su paused for a moment, then immediately recalled a legend in the tea industry, asking incredulously, "Tribute?"

"I think so," Gu Ran said with a smile.

Legend has it that those three trees are the ancestors of all teas, and only a small amount of new tea leaves sprout each year, making them priceless!

Mr. Su took another sip of tea, this time drinking it more carefully. The refreshing taste and mellow flavor were indeed different from other teas.

Mr. Su couldn't wait to pour himself another glass to taste, and the more he savored it, the more delightful it became.

Truly worthy of being a tribute!

He glanced at his future son-in-law and thought to himself that the boy was quite filial, giving him such good tea.

Moreover, this tea is priceless, and the fact that his elders gave it to him proves that he is deeply loved by them.

Another point is that it shows Gu Ran's family background is extraordinary, as they can even obtain such tribute tea.

I don't know if my daughter marrying him is considered marrying above her station.

Although Mr. Su had longed for such a wealthy and powerful family when he was young, he was a little worried about his daughter marrying into one. After all, wealthy families are often rife with troubles, as has been the case since ancient times.

He was just worried that his daughter would suffer injustice in the future.

But Gu Ran liked his daughter and treated her well. Moreover, he had met his future mother-in-law, Mr. Su, who was a very kind person despite her noble appearance. They had met a few times to discuss the engagement, and Mr. Su found that his future mother-in-law also liked his daughter very much, so he felt at ease.

Gu Ran also entrusted Su Xiaoqiang with the management of the family finances. As a man, Su's father also accepted Gu Ran and regarded him as family.

"After you two get engaged, I should retire. I was originally planning to let Xiaoqiang take over the company after she graduated from university, but I didn't expect her to follow you before she even graduated..."

Gu Ran smiled and asked, "I heard from Xiao Qiang that your company has already started to be sold?"

“Yes, you’re all making more money than me now, and I’m too lazy to deal with the mess at the mine.” Mr. Su said with a smile, “It’s also fortunate that Xiaoqiang is with you. If we let her manage the mine, I don’t know how long it would have taken her away.”

The mine involves many conflicts of interest, and Su's father manages it in a family-style manner. In addition to him, there are some relatives in the family who also do business in the mine. So if Su Xiaoqiang takes over in the future, it will definitely be a very messy situation.

For example, engineering quotes often inflate the amount of oil extracted by millions, and the mining operations below also require people to be paid off, otherwise the mining trucks can't even leave the village...

But she is capable and should be able to manage things well very quickly. However, her carefree days are gone forever.

So Su's father was actually very satisfied with his daughter marrying Gu Ran, because she could continue to live a carefree life.

that's enough.

"By the way, I've looked at your company's investment projects and investment history, and I noticed that your investments are all in internet projects," Mr. Su asked. "Have you considered real businesses? With your cash flow, you could quickly establish yourself in the market if you went into manufacturing!"

Gu Ran took a sip of tea and said to his father-in-law, "Real industries are too troublesome. Besides, the most valuable real industry companies are all state-owned. If they are private, the background is too big. I'm too lazy to compete with them. So the Internet is better. No one is competing with or scrambling for it."

Su's father understood the meaning behind Gu Ran's words: he had the ability to run a real business, and he also had connections and background, but he was too lazy to compete with others, so he chose the Internet industry.

Internet companies really don't need any special background to achieve success.

Sometimes when he had free time, Mr. Su would help his daughter check the figures, actually wanting to see how big his daughter and son-in-law's business was.

Then, after a while, it was discovered that, regardless of whether the couple's company was profitable or not, Gu Ran's cash flow was truly terrifying.

He receives a sum of overseas cash every now and then, and the terrifying cash flow is far more exaggerated than that of his mining company!

Mr. Su calculated the total value of his company and realized that it had been surpassed by Gu Ran by several times...

Yes, long before Gu Ran swindled the Gattuso family out of more than 200 million US dollars, his net worth exceeded that of the Su family's mining business. It should be noted that Gu Ran's assets were in cash, while the Su family's assets were mostly difficult to liquidate because the mineral deposits belonged to the state, and their company only had mining rights.

That's why Mr. Su finally had the idea of ​​retiring. His son-in-law was already making so much money, why should he still suffer and work so hard in that mine?

Su Xiaoqiang also repeatedly advised her father over the phone to retire and hand over the entire company to the state.

Mining is not an easy business. You have to win over people at all levels, especially the local authorities. There are also production safety issues. If something goes wrong at the mine, like if the mine suddenly collapses... then Mr. Su will probably have to spend a few years in jail in his later years.

After being persuaded by Su Xiaoqiang several times, Su's father had indeed begun to consider retiring. His heart had always been weak, and he originally planned to hold on for a few more years until his daughter graduated from university, after which he would let her manage the company.

But now, his daughter has found a good husband and even has her own company, which is bigger than his.

So Mr. Su decided to sell the company and retire.

"By the way, I heard you and Xiaoqiang are going on a trip to Europe after your engagement?" Su's father asked.

"Yes."

Mr. Su nodded: "Then there's something I need your help with. I have several offices overseas, and their accounts are a bit off..."

Mr. Su's company is a large business, exporting minerals all over the world, so it has several offices abroad to facilitate settlement and business operations.

More than two months ago, he announced that he would sell his company and retire. The first thing he needed to do was to find an accountant to take stock of all his assets, including those overseas.

He had been overseeing the domestic industries himself, so there hadn't been any problems. But overseas, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, so he couldn't keep an eye on them anymore.

He hired a foreign accounting firm to help with the accounting for his overseas company, but the financial statements prepared by the foreign accounting firm were clearly different from the usual ones.

The overseas assets calculated by foreign accounting firms are nearly one-third less than Mr. Su expected!

So Mr. Su sent a letter to the foreign company asking if there was any mistake, and at the same time asked the branch office to improve the comparison of the reports between the two parties.

The result is still incorrect.

The accounting firm told Mr. Su that their accounting firm has partnerships with major banks around the world, so after obtaining Mr. Su's authorization, they directly calculate every transaction through the bank account information.

They can guarantee that their results are correct, unless Su's father has other hidden assets that are not settled through the bank.

The implication is that either Mr. Su concealed his assets to evade taxes, or someone embezzled their family's property.

“These overseas debts are quite substantial, totaling tens of millions of US dollars. If they turn into bad debts, I will suffer significant losses,” said Mr. Su.

"I understand. I'll investigate with Xiaoqiang then," Gu Ran said with a smile. "Trying to take our family's money? That's impossible. Whose money grows on trees?"

Mr. Su nodded: "Be careful. Things are different abroad than at home. Don't be fooled by the fact that foreigners seem to be very conscientious about contracts when doing business with you. In reality, they can be ruthless and show no mercy if they turn their backs on you."

“I do know that.” Gu Ran, who usually enjoys reading history, smiled and said, “Just look at the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and you’ll understand.”

Mr. Su was very satisfied with Gu Ran's alertness. This son-in-law also knew martial arts, and with him accompanying his daughter, Mr. Su felt more at ease.

*……*……*

Before they knew it, it was time for Gu Ran and Su Xiaoqiang's engagement. Since it was just an engagement, it was not a high-profile event. They simply invited relatives and close friends from both sides to gather together.

The engagement ceremony was held in the garden of the Su family villa, where the lawn, covering several hundred square meters, was large enough to accommodate the guests.

Besides her parents, Su Xiaoqiang's side also included many uncles, aunts, and other relatives.

Su Xiaoqiang and Gu Ran share the same stance on disliking their relatives.

Chapter 558 Engagement Banquet

To be honest, Su Xiaoqiang would not have wanted to invite these relatives if he could, because every time they came to his house, they would ask his father for money or projects.

She had seen these people's faces since she was a child.

But since they're relatives, it wouldn't be right not to invite them. If they didn't, they'd keep recommending boyfriends to Su Xiaoqiang and arranging blind dates for her. So inviting them this time would solve the problem once and for all, and no more clueless relatives would try to introduce Su Xiaoqiang to boyfriends in the future.

Gu Ran's relatives were simple; besides her mother and aunt, she only invited Tang Shishi as a family member to come along.

Although there weren't many people from their family, each of them possessed an extraordinary air about them. Everyone who saw these three women could deduce from their behavior that they must be of unusual status.

This is the allure of mixed-race individuals among the population, and the composure of those in positions of power.

Dragons have always been very composed creatures because they possess power and authority, and hybrids, who possess dragon blood, are no exception.

The engagement ceremony was simple and not too complicated. Liu Miaomiao played "Wedding March" on the side while Gu Ran and Su Xiaoqiang walked onto the stage to the music and exchanged engagement rings in front of their relatives and friends.

Thus, the engagement is considered complete.

"You look so beautiful," Gu Ran whispered in Su Xiaoqiang's ear. "Who picked out your clothes?"

Today, Su Xiaoqiang is wearing a pure white dress, not a wedding dress, but an off-the-shoulder long dress, somewhat like a noblewoman from the 18th-century French court.

“My mom picked it out for me.” Su Xiaoqiang reached out and hugged his neck. “You look handsome today too.”

Gu Ran was wearing a black tuxedo, and his upright posture made him look very energetic, giving him a more aristocratic air than usual.

The two stared at each other on stage, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, and simply smiled.

"Want a kiss?" a childish voice asked from the side. "Do you want a kiss?"

Today, Xiao Lianhua is a flower girl, wearing a pink and white dress and white Mary Jane shoes. She is staring at the two of them with her big, curious eyes.

"Give me a kiss!" Liu Miaomiao stopped playing the piano and started cheering.

So the guests started clapping, cheering, and making a ruckus.

Gu Ran and Su Xiaoqiang looked at each other and smiled, then pouted slightly and kissed.

"Wuhu!" The crowd cheered once again and began to applaud.

The two slowly parted their lips, and Gu Ran looked at Su Xiaoqiang, who smiled shyly.

After exchanging rings, the couple went to toast their relatives and friends one by one.

This engagement party was thus officially completed.

The engagement banquet went fairly smoothly today. The only thing that displeased Su Xiaoqiang was her own relatives, who kept toasting Gu Ran, seemingly trying to get some benefits from his family.

Knowing that Gu Ran and Su Xiaoqiang had started an investment company, they flocked to them like hyenas. After all, an investment company needs money to make investments.

Moreover, they all knew about Su's father's recent sale of the company. These relatives all held positions in Su's father's company, but did not own shares. As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and they knew that once Su's father sold the company, their lives would definitely not be easy. Therefore, they wanted to get on Gu Ran's good side in advance.

Su Xiaoqiang knew the character of these relatives. One relative even asked Su's father for a quote of four million yuan in order to build a conveyor belt for the mine.

In fact, one million is enough.

But in the end, Mr. Su still gave them two million yuan because they were all relatives, and he couldn't refuse. If he didn't, the entire mine might have to shut down.

This is the difficulty of family businesses.

So Su Xiaoqiang stood in front of Gu Ran like a lion guarding its territory, preventing anyone from encroaching on their company.