Chapter 1618: Old Acquaintances
The people from the Dongfang Family had arrived, but Xu Ke didn’t go out to welcome them right away.
First, he wasn’t sure those people were really from the Dongfang Family; second, in his current capacity as host, he needed to stay here and attend to the other guests.
As for what would happen later, it would depend on how the people from the Dongfang Family chose to handle things once they came in.
While Lin Xiangyang was still thinking, another president walked over.
He was holding a glass of wine in his hand, clearly intending to clink glasses with Xu Ke.
Xu Ke was slightly taken aback, but he casually raised his own wine glass and tapped it against the other man’s.
Seeing how forthright Xu Ke was, the man instantly broke into a broad smile.
"President Xu really is straightforward. Just for that attitude alone, our Jinghua Group will be the most sincere partner of your Xu Group."
The man’s words did surprise Xu Ke a little; he had heard of this Jinghua Group.
It was a listed company, mainly engaged in the automobile sector.
In the automotive field, the Xu Group could be said to be weak. If they could cooperate with a company like this, it would be a very good thing for them.
"So it’s you, President Li. I didn’t recognize you at first, my apologies. I only just took over from my grandfather, so if there’s anything lacking in the way we’re hosting you, I hope you’ll be forgiving."
"What are you saying, President Xu? Who ever gets everything right from the very beginning? Didn’t all of us work our way up step by step from when we were young? If you ever need help with anything in future, just say the word to me, Li, and I’ll do my best."
President Li’s attitude made his intentions very clear: he wanted to build a very deep cooperative relationship with the Xu Group.
This was exactly what Xu Ke wanted as well; after all, the Xu Group was in great need of strong partners like this right now.
Seeing how happily Xu Ke and President Li were chatting, many of the presidents present started doing their own calculations.
They couldn’t always let others get the jump on them; otherwise, their opportunities would shrink considerably.
After all, the Xu Group only had so many lines of business, and the available slots were limited. If they didn’t start fighting for them early, there was a good chance those spots would be taken by competing companies.
So five minutes later, a number of presidents promptly came over to strike up conversations with Xu Ke.
Although Xu Ke really didn’t like this, for the sake of the company’s future development he could only force a smile and slowly deal with these bothersome presidents.
As time ticked by, the banquet was about to get into full swing.
Just then, Old Master Xu suddenly walked out from the private room next door.
This completely caught Xu Ke off guard, because the old man had already told him beforehand not to bother him unless it was something important.
He hadn’t expected his grandfather to come out on his own in a situation like this, and for a moment Xu Ke had no idea what the old man was thinking.
Old Master Xu’s appearance in the hall immediately drew everyone’s attention.
After all, Old Master Xu was the previous president of the Xu Group. Although he had now stepped down, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; there were still plenty of company presidents eager to go up and talk to him.
This time, Old Master Xu had come out specifically to look for Dongfang Shuo; he had been waiting in the private room for a long time and still hadn’t seen anyone from the Dongfang Family.
"Xu Ke, did the people from the Dongfang Family come just now or not? It’s been so long already; it shouldn’t be like this."
Hearing the old man say that, Xu Ke suddenly remembered that he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the people from the Dongfang Family just now.
But when they came in, they hadn’t walked toward him; instead, they had gone to sit alone in a corner, so Xu Ke hadn’t paid them any further attention.
"Grandpa, if you mean the Dongfang Family, I think they should be over there." As he spoke, Xu Ke pointed to a very inconspicuous corner.
Following Xu Ke’s gaze, Old Master Xu immediately spotted Dongfang Shuo sitting off to the side.
Even after all these years, Old Master Xu still recognized this old acquaintance at a glance.
"Dongfang Shuo!" Old Master Xu called out loudly.
As soon as they heard Old Master Xu’s voice, everyone from the Dongfang Family turned their heads.
Dongfang Shuo also lifted his head at this moment; clearly, he’d heard someone calling him.
When he saw that the person was Old Master Xu, a tear suddenly slid from the corner of his eye.
"Old Xu, after all these years, you still haven’t changed." As he spoke, Dongfang Shuo limped over to stand in front of Old Master Xu.
Old Master Xu hurriedly helped Dongfang Shuo up and quickly guided him over to a nearby stool.
"Old Dongfang, after all these years you haven’t changed either. But I didn’t expect you to age in reverse like this—your body’s in even worse shape than before."
"You’re no better. Just look at yourself now, all withered and worn. I’d say it won’t be long before you, old man, go back to the dust."
The two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in so long started trading jibes like this.
Standing off to the side, Xu Ke felt a surge of emotion.
He had heard his grandfather talk about this old story before, but actually seeing these two elders together stirred up a lot of feelings in him.
It was like watching those glorious years with his own eyes, seeing for himself the bond between Old Master Xu and Dongfang Shuo.
After the two of them chatted for a bit, Old Master Xu immediately called Xu Ke over.
"Brat, what are you still standing there for?"
Hearing this, Xu Ke trotted over at once.
"This is the Grandfather Dongfang I told you about. He’s an old friend of mine and he’s my benefactor. What are you waiting for—call him Grandpa."
Following Old Master Xu’s words, Xu Ke quickly greeted him.
"Hello, Grandfather Dongfang."
Looking at Xu Ke beside him, a trace of surprise flashed in Dongfang Shuo’s eyes.
"You’re Xu Ke, right? Then you must be Old Xu’s grandson. I really didn’t expect his grandson to look exactly the way he did back then. If Old Xu weren’t sitting in front of me right now, I might’ve mistaken you for him."
Hearing this, Old Master Xu burst out laughing.
"Old Dongfang, so you feel that way too. Ever since my grandson grew up, I’ve felt more and more that he looks like I did back then. I remember when we were about his age, that’s when we first met. We were so high-spirited then, and now look at the two of us. I’d love to go back to those days, to live through all of that one more time."
"Old Xu, don’t bring up those sad stories. I came this time especially to congratulate you. Your Xu Group has someone to carry the torch now; I can tell your grandson’s future achievements definitely won’t be any less than yours. You really have found yourself a good successor. Not like me—I still don’t even know who I should pass the position of Family Head on to next."