I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 183 Chinese Movie, Don't Burn the Barbecue
Like most overseas Chinese-funded companies that can conduct "international education" in domestic universities, "Guyue Education" has no business in Japan whatsoever; it's just a shell company.

The essence is to earn money domestically and then spend it abroad. There's no need to send large sums of money directly overseas. By cooperating with companies owned by ancestors and former subordinates, the accumulated foreign exchange can be lent out abroad.

Of course, lending it out directly is a less sophisticated approach; it's just an investment.

"Guyue Education" is rather brazen, operating under the guise of "special investment for cultural exchange." If we were to use something more familiar, it would be the same as those in China who receive "Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsidies."

However, it's the other way around.

There's a slightly bewildering aspect to this: those receiving "Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsidies" use the money to criticize China; those receiving "special investments for cultural exchange" also use the money to criticize China.

The latter seems to be somewhat like someone who takes the money but doesn't do the work, but perhaps it's also possible that they take the money and do the job properly...

In short, "Guyue Education" is quite powerful, especially in terms of its network and influence.

So how could we not have some complaints about the sudden cessation of business in Beijing?

Through the connections of his ancestors' former subordinates, he found out that Zhang Da'an had chartered a plane to Japan and seemed to have entered through Osaka. He then tried to contact "Zhang An Education" and asked to sit down for a meal.

They didn't mean anything by it; they just wanted to keep their business going. They just needed to use the "Zhang An Education" shell. They didn't care about the area outside Beijing, but they wanted the area inside Beijing to continue to survive.

That's how it was phrased. The letter they sent to Zhang Da'an was written in very formal calligraphy, meaning that they just wanted to make money and survive, and they asked Chief Instructor Zhang to be lenient.

Very polite.

However, this angered Coach Zhang.

The person who leaked his whereabouts must be in Jiangning.

Without any hesitation, he made a phone call back and had Lao Chen report the situation.

Old Chen himself didn't know when Zhang Da'an went to Japan, he only knew that he went, so the only way to resolve this matter was to report it to his superiors.

So things got really messy in Jiangning. It wasn't impossible to insist that Zhang Da'an was just a businessman, but the higher-ups had to believe it.

Zhang Da'an not only agreed to meet with Hu Xianda, the owner of "Guyue Education," but also treated him to a meal in Kobe, not Osaka.

The reason is simple: one of the three "professional teams" involved in the money-making operation surrounding this "World Cup" did not actually stay in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka after flying to Japan.

Upon landing in Osaka, we stayed at the Sheraton Hotel in Kobe.

To be precise, it's the Kobe Bay store. Nearby, there are European cruise ships where you can directly buy "World Cup" special lottery tickets from Mediterranean Betting Company. They also have them in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, and even more in South Korea. So recently, there have been a lot of short-haul flights between Japan and South Korea.

Besides the surge in tourists, there are countless gamblers hoping to get rich overnight.

Zhang Da'an invited Hu Xianda and his group to eat grilled beef in Kobe. Hu Xianda was accompanied by some educators and writers who lived in Japan, as well as a diplomat who appeared out of nowhere.

Overall, the scene was quite lively.

It wasn't as noisy as the conference room in Jiangning City.

"Playing the piano recklessly! The consequences of this are very serious! It must be dealt with seriously! Haven't you considered what kind of impact this will have?!"

“I also believe that this needs to be thoroughly investigated. Leaking Zhang An's whereabouts is not a trivial matter. It is a very serious disciplinary issue. Such incidents have happened before, and the negative impact they have caused takes a long time to heal. Furthermore, Zhang An is no longer an ordinary private entrepreneur; he has to consider politics…”

"There's no need to overreact. We need to see what his attitude is. We can't just panic without communicating at all. We also need to seriously consider Zhang An's opinion. If he doesn't care, it would be better if we acted too aggressively."

"That being said, this matter has little to do with his personal opinion. It's an internal issue for us, and the nature of it is different."

……

The meeting in Jiangning City lasted for a long time, and no consensus could be reached. While the dispute was at its peak, the chefs at a well-known barbecue restaurant in Kobe Bay demonstrated how to cut beef. Afterward, the chefs left happily amidst applause.

The diners are mostly foreign tourists. Americans are mostly families traveling together, and the small tables near the bar are convenient for watching the sushi being made. Europeans, on the other hand, prefer the seats with a direct view of Kobe Bay, and there is also a "KobeBay" sign nearby.

Zhang Da'an's restaurant was on the top floor, with an outdoor terrace. There were quite a few backpackers who liked the sea view and wanted to have a drink, as well as some American soldiers dressed in Hawaiian uniforms, wearing sunglasses and gathered in groups of three or five.

"Mr. Zhang, thank you for gracing us with your presence. My name is Hu Xianda, and this is Zhao Xiaobing, a shareholder of 'Guyue Education' and my partner."

"please."

Inviting the other person to sit down, Zhang Da'an smiled, but his mood was unreadable.

That forced smile made Zhao Xiaobing, who had come with Hu Xianda, feel uneasy. He subconsciously said to the bodyguard who had come with him, "Brother Wu, why don't you and your men get some drinks over there?"

"Yes."

The man Zhao Xiaobing called "Brother Wu" was wearing sunglasses and had a buzz cut. He looked around warily, but his attention was almost entirely on Zhang Da'an.

Of all the people, Zhang Da'an's physique was the most exaggerated; Hu Xianda and Zhao Xiaobing looked more than a size smaller standing opposite him.

"Mr. Zhang, please forgive my earlier intrusion. We suffered significant losses and were eager to remedy the situation, which left us with no choice but to resort to this measure..."

"Mr. Hu, you don't need to be so polite."

After Zhang Da'an sat down, he smiled and said, "With a family background like yours, Mr. Hu, someone from a small town like me would be too busy trying to curry favor with you. If it weren't for the fact that my business has grown a bit by chance, normally I would never have been able to sit down and have barbecue with such an important person as Mr. Hu. It's my honor. Come, let me toast Mr. Hu."

Zhang Da'an also brought people with him on this trip to Japan, but they were mostly his "cousins," so that they could broaden their horizons.

There were also people from Five Star Village, but not many; they were mostly uncles and cousins, who were just wandering around Osaka taking photos.

As for bodyguards, Zhang Da'an's bodyguards are not professional, and it's impossible to expect his "cousins" to be as professional as the people Zhao Xiaobing brought.

Hu Xianda dared to come to Kobe from Osaka because he knew Zhang Da'an and knew that Zhang Da'an didn't have anyone around him who did dirty work.

Moreover, when we arrived at this yakiniku restaurant next to Kobe Bay, which specializes in Wagyu beef, we had someone check it out beforehand. It was full of international tourists, and the World Cup atmosphere was very strong. The restaurant was filled with customers drinking beer and watching the live or replay of the games.

very safe.

Adding to the terrace floor where Zhang Da'an came from, upon entering, one could see various white foreigners on the outer terrace, while inside, there were tables of young people excitedly eating high-end beef. They were clearly country bumpkins who had come to Japan on a group tour, speaking with an incredibly peculiar Lingxi-accented Mandarin, which made Hu Xianda want to laugh.

Aside from a few accompanying secretaries, Zhang Da'an was accompanied by two small, skinny followers.

Liang Chunbo, nicknamed "Pineapple Boy," had a brand-new camera hanging around his neck, while Tang Jianqiu was dressed in a formal suit, but because of the heat, he looked like a "puppet soldier" who was about to die from the heat.

Unfortunately, I didn't choose the right formal wear; it was more than one size too big.

After all, he was wearing a "big brother" jacket, which felt like being in a sauna in June. Fortunately, the air conditioning on the terrace restaurant floor was quite strong, so Tang Jianqiu didn't get too hot.

"Mr. Hu, I'm a little curious. With your family background, how did you get into this kind of small business?"

"You're joking, Mr. Zhang. The 'international education' business isn't about education; it's about building connections."

Hu Xianda was quite polite. When the beef was served and grilled, he took a sip of Japanese sake exported from Fujian and Yue, and then said, "Take Mr. Zhang's 'Zhang An Education', for example. It's also a business that focuses on networking. Now it's growing bigger and bigger. My older brother and sister are all extremely envious. They all say that if Mr. Zhang were in Yuzhang Province, they would definitely want to cooperate with him."

"After I return to China, I must visit Yuzhang Province when I have time."

“No problem. If we can cooperate with Mr. Zhang, to be honest, our Hu family has a presence not only in Japan, but also in Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, Canada, and Perth, Australia. Some of our old classmates who studied in France in the past have settled down in these places, and some of them are even among the few Chinese members of parliament in their respective countries.”

Hu Xianda made no attempt to mince words, as if demonstrating his strength to Zhang Da'an. "Well, I had some bad luck over a decade ago, so I had no choice but to stay here and do some small business. Last year, I heard the storm had passed, so I scraped together over ten million US dollars, planning to use my old connections in Beijing to make a comeback. My family was supportive and gave me a lot of help. But I never expected that Mr. Zhang would come down like a tiger descending the mountain, wiping out everyone in our line of work in Beijing. Mr. Zhang, in all these years, there haven't been many heroes like you. We in Japan all praise you. We all want to cooperate with you."

"Oh? I didn't expect I had such a reputation in Japan's high society?"

"The last emperor who fled from the capital was included in the imperial family genealogy, so he was considered a prince in Japan. He did a lot of business, dealing in antiques and calligraphy, and also investing in Papua New Guinea. If he wanted a prestigious official position, he could just buy one there. But compared to your 'three consecutive top scorers' dominating the retake education market, it's nothing, not worth mentioning."

"..."

Seeing Hu Xianda's smug expression, he was somewhat dazed.

Is this something to be happy about?

Zhang Da'an was thinking that the person who locked up the "last emperor" and treated him like an animal was your ancestor.
It's really contrary to Tiangang.

It's a ghost.

"Mr. Zhang, you see... regarding business matters, if there's anything you can do for us, just let us know. As long as we can cooperate, it will definitely be a pleasant collaboration. As for our connections in Japan, I'm not bragging. As long as it's within the 'Imperial University system,' we can help you get a letter of recommendation. With your influence in Jiangkou Province, Mr. Zhang, sending out hundreds of people every year is a piece of cake for you."

“A hundred or two hundred is really nothing. But for my current business, I’m not really interested in deals worth a hundred or two hundred million. I sell electronic dictionaries, and my revenue is already a billion. Making over two billion a year is a piece of cake.”

"Oh, Mr. Zhang, we know that. Who would take on that spring press conference you organized in Beijing without a powerful figure in the family? Mr. Zhao and I run a small business, but the market potential is huge! You have to believe that, Mr. Zhang, right?"

"With the domestic economy taking off, the market potential for 'gilding' overseas is indeed huge, just as Mr. Hu said. Moreover, it is a blue ocean market. If you have a strong brand, it is not a problem to achieve a market value of 50 to 60 billion in the US stock market."

"Speaking of market value, Mr. Zhang, I heard that you have an internet company that's going public? It's called 'Zhang Xiaobai Technology Co., Ltd.' It's all over the place. There are a few people who run guesthouses in Hokkaido whose families used to work in the road and bridge industry in Jiangning. They're all talking about it, saying that if they hadn't come out, they would have caught up with it."

"I don't care about going public. I have no interest in cashing out in the stock market."

Zhang Da'an smiled, and at that moment, a group of teenagers at a table in the distance were taking pictures of the sea view on the terrace with their cameras. One of them was Tang Jianqiu.

As if he didn't know Zhang Da'an, Tang Jianqiu and his "cousins" took pictures everywhere, looking like complete country bumpkins.

As the waiter pushed the trolley under the parasol on the terrace, several American soldiers in Hawaiian shirts cheered. The trolley had an ice bucket filled with several bottles of beer.

After opening the bottle, I enjoyed a refreshing drink, and the sea breeze from Kobe Bay made it quite pleasant.

Seagulls occasionally glide by, making it a truly enjoyable experience on a nice day.

At this moment, another group of young people at a table in the restaurant were also praising the beef, saying it was really good, with just the right amount of fat and juice, almost melting in their mouths, and it was hard to believe that it was beef.

However, Zhang Da'an didn't like eating this kind of beef. He looked at Zhao Xiaobing, who remained silent the whole time, and then at Hu Xianda, who was talking non-stop, as if he were watching a sitcom.

It was bustling, yet unusually quiet.

In the past few years, Zhang Da'an has never done anything particularly outrageous. Even in Shazhou City, he only threw things at people.

As for the unfortunate old woman in the "Tong Jinmei incident," all she got was a face full of Coke and a slap across the face. That's it.

There was nothing more outrageous.

In the broader internet community, Gou An is nothing more than a low-quality animal with a crazy, foul mouth. It's really impossible to associate him with any strange thieves or petty criminals.

This is word of mouth.

Hu Xianda probably thought Zhang Da'an was indeed easy to talk to, so he started boasting about his family's rise to wealth, and even expressed great pride in the fact that he had danced in a minefield in a state-owned enterprise without any problems.

It was a strange arrogance that Zhang Da'an had never seen before. Even though he had already debased himself to the point of groveling and begging in a foreign land, just like the Manchu bannermen, he was still able to put on an air of being the boss.

It's not the stubbornness of "the donkey falls but the frame doesn't," it's not the last bit of self-respect of the poor, it's completely different. It's an attitude of regarding oneself as a superior species above humans.

Or rather, they themselves naturally categorize themselves as "superior humans," while the "superior humans" from other lands are considered to be even more superior than them.

There are also differences between "higher humans".

As for Zhang Da'an, in their eyes, he was already a lower-class human who was qualified to receive the "Honor Embrace". After review and examination, he could become a member of the "higher-class humans".

High above, controlling the world.

This sense of absurdity made Zhang Da'an even more curious, like watching a classic satirical film performed by Charlie Chaplin. What he had previously found boring and tedious suddenly became quite moving at a certain moment.

Tang Jianqiu and his companions were interrupted by a furious "Fuck!" followed by American soldiers, who had spilled beer all over them, surrounding them. A scuffle quickly broke out, and the two sides were pushed and shoved into the restaurant.

The shouts of the American soldiers were accompanied by a sharp crack as a beer bottle smashed open the head of one of them. Before the restaurant's security guards could react, a dozen or so people from the surrounding tables rushed forward. At the same time, the lights suddenly went out, creating a stark contrast between the bright sunlight and the dim interior of the restaurant.

"Boss, get down!"

"Brother Wu!"

Bang!
When "Brother Wu" lunged forward to protect Zhao Xiaobing, he was pinned down in mid-air.

Bang bang bang!
Several batons were immediately thrown at his head, hands, and feet.

The sound of bones cracking and the screams of agony were almost simultaneous. In that instant when Zhao Xiaobing's mind went blank, everything went black before his eyes and his mind truly went blank.

He was struck squarely on the head with a baton, starting from his left cheek. As his head tilted to the side, he lost consciousness instantly.

Before he could even feel the pain, his body went limp and he slid under the table.

"Soldier! Soldier! What's wrong!"

Hu Xianda, whose vision had not yet returned, cried out twice, and then felt a large hand press his head directly onto the hot grill pan.

laugh--

"what!!!!!"

laugh!
laugh!
laugh!
puff...

The screams stopped abruptly. Hu Xianda's last thought was that the large hand pressing down on his head was wearing a pair of leather gloves.
The chaos in the restaurant lasted for more than twenty minutes. The tourists, still in shock, all left. By the time the power was restored, the terrace restaurant was in complete disarray.

Besides the four or five American soldiers still groaning on the ground, there were three corpses.

One of them was lying face down on the table, its entire face still being roasted by the baking pan, and the edges were already charred.

The local guests at the scene were still discussing "Chinese movie," which refers to films with Chinese-style violent aesthetics, not to "Chinese films."

Besides the tourists, Liang Chunbo and Tang Jianqiu, as well as their "cousins" who had arranged for them to disperse, were also still in shock.

The only calm one was Zhang Da'an himself. He even had time to take off the black rubber gloves on his hands and throw them into the sea while whistling to the local "Japanese girls" on the roadside who wanted to hook up with international rich guys.

Because of his tall stature and the fact that he had a "Fukuzawa Yukichi" card between his fingers, he easily attracted a girl in a uniform who bounced around and took his arm.

"Do our guests need a guide? I know Kobebay very well."

Do you speak English?

"..."

"OK, Sayonara~~"

He simply changed "Fukuzawa Yukichi" to "Higuchi Ichiyo" and stuffed it into the girl's collar. The girl cooperated by pulling up her bra so the customer could check its condition.

It's a bit dark.

Just consider it a few hundred yuan for watching a movie.

She earned 5,000 yen in less than 200 meters, and the girl was quite excited. She even wanted to have something happen with this seemingly tough guy, but he waved to his friend across the street and said goodbye to her.

I should have studied English properly before.

As the muscular man left, the girl immediately regretted her actions. If it weren't for the World Cup, she would never normally encounter such a high-value international sweetheart.

I suffered from the lack of education.

"Brother Da'an".

"Let's all go back to the hotel and have a good meal."

"Brother Da'an..."

Liang Chunbo looked at Zhang Da'an with a complicated expression. For the past two and a half years, everyone had been working hard to practice survival skills. Brother Da'an often taught everyone that when you're out in the world, you should value harmony and not be aggressive.

But this doesn't seem right...

At this point, the "cousins" still didn't know what had happened.

Tang Jianqiu only knew that beating up a few Americans was a bit exciting.

When they fled, there was a huge crowd, and no one paid attention to anything else.

Only Liang Chunbo... he was at the four o'clock position where Zhang Da'an was.

The "Brother Wu" that Zhao Xiaobing brought was located at the two o'clock position.

As they were leaving, one of the "cousins" heard screams, but they were very brief and short-lived.

Now, with the arrival of the local police, it was discovered that someone had died.

"What? Are you scared?"

Zhang Da'an smiled, as if nothing had happened.

"A little."

"I wasn't lying," Liang Chunbo nodded slightly, then said, "Brother Da'an, someone as important as you..."

"What do you know."

He patted Liang Chunbo on the head and said, "Don't worry about 'Pineapple Boy,' there's more to come."

"..."

More exciting?
Yes.

Even more exciting!
Zhang Da'an paid a reporter stationed in Japan to cover the murder case in Kobe and even revealed the identity of the deceased.

Following this, the consulate issued a notice, which was essentially a reminder to Chinese citizens traveling to Japan to be aware of their safety.

As for domestic portal websites, as well as "Jinbang Blog" and "Chat Bar," they suddenly had more big spenders buying traffic and reporting extensively on the hot topic of the "World Cup."

This news might not seem like much elsewhere, but in Jiangkou Province, it carries considerable weight.

Zhang Da'an was practically ready to go to Jiangning and confess that he was the one who killed the man.

The impact was enormous because it completely overturned previous judgments about Zhang Da'an, directly refuting various character portraits and profiles.

I can accept Zhang Da'an slapping an old woman like Tong Jinmei, but to say I can accept Zhang Da'an killing someone...

Can't accept it.

That's neither logical nor reasonable.

What's the motive?
Just for that ten million dollar deal?

Zhang Da'an's net worth is... how many tens of millions of US dollars?!

This bizarre behavior was beyond the province's imagination.

however……

There are even more exciting ones.

On his blog, "Jinbang Blog," Zhang Da'an not only shared information about a murder case at a restaurant in Kobe, but also wrote about his experience eating barbecue.

The title is large, bold, and highlighted.

When grilling meat, don't overcook it; if it's burnt, it won't taste good.

(End of this chapter)