Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

That afternoon.

Gutfred personally led Satsuki into Solomon's fixed income trading area.

He seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. After getting out of the elevator, he took the initiative to introduce the changes on this floor to Satsuki, and even did not miss the several trading desks that had been readjusted in the past few months.

"I originally wanted them to free up their afternoon time, but you know how traders are, the more you tell them you have important guests today, the more likely they are to find something to do at the last minute."

Gutfred gestured with his chin toward the still bustling trading area not far away.

"So you might have to make do today, Miss Saionji. If anyone leaves us hanging, please don't think it's because Solomon is being unhospitable."

Satsuki followed his gaze.

The trading hall still presented the same familiar scene.

The sounds of phone calls, price quotes, and conversations mingled together as men in shirts gathered around their respective trading desks, some holding a phone in one hand while reaching for the terminal next to them with the other.

"Now that you mention it, I'm even more eager to see them."

"That would be perfect."

Gutfred stretched out his hand, gesturing for her to come with him.

Frank walked beside Satsuki, looking at the Salomon CEO who was much more enthusiastic than when they last met, and found it somewhat amusing.

Is this Wall Street king going to personally give a tour of the entire building today?

As he passed a row of trading tables, Gutfred suddenly spotted a familiar figure and immediately raised his hand to greet him.

"Hey! You rascal, I heard you landed another great deal with one of our old clients this morning, why didn't you come and tell me?"

The man who was on the phone looked up, saw him, pointed to the receiver in his hand, and then gestured to the person next to him.

Gutfred didn't mind at all; instead, while waiting for him, he introduced Gutfred to Satsuki.

"He's been working here for almost twenty years. I've known him since I was young."

"Don't let his serious demeanor fool you. Back in the day, this guy almost kicked down my office door to argue with me about who got the business deal."

Satsuki was somewhat surprised.

"You really dare to keep him around?"

"Of course! Didn't he earn even more for the company later?"

Gutfred answered matter-of-factly.

"As long as it makes money, I'm always quite tolerant of these guys' tempers."

The man next to me finally ended the call, and upon hearing the last half of the sentence, he immediately stood up from his chair.

"John, before you say that, have you forgotten who called me up and berated me for half an hour last month over some budget issue?"

"That's because your budget is absolutely outrageous!"

"I knew you'd say that."

The man straightened his shirt cuffs as he walked over and extended his hand to Satsuki.

"Miss Saionji, welcome to Solomon. John told me a couple of days ago that he insisted on meeting you today."

"Hello."

Satsuki grasped his hand and responded politely.

Gutfred stood to the side and offered to introduce the two.

"He's worked in the fixed income department for almost twenty years, and many of Saionji's transactions over the past few years have gone through their department. You guys in Tokyo should be very familiar with his name, but you've never had the chance to meet him before."

"Your group has always been a very important client of ours."

The man took over the conversation, speaking in a very enthusiastic tone.

"I have worked with the Tokyo trading team many times. They are very professional and have their own judgment on the market. It is my honor to finally have the opportunity to meet Ms. Saionji in person today."

"You're too kind. We've been fortunate to receive Solomon's support these past few years, and we'll continue to rely on you and your team in the future."

"Of course, we look forward to future cooperation."

Gutfred listened for a while, then suddenly interrupted.

"Alright, if you two keep being so polite, I'm starting to wonder if I've come to the wrong place."

The man turned his head.

"John, I can't possibly treat Ms. Saionji the same way I treat you every time we meet on our first meeting, can I?"

"So you don't need to be polite when you see me?"

"If you really want me to be a little more polite to you, that's not impossible."

The man thought for a moment, then suddenly revealed a very serious expression.

"Mr. Goodfred, since you seem to be in such a good mood today, I wonder if there's been any new progress on the prize application I gave you last time?"

Gutfred's smile immediately faded.

"I knew you wouldn't let this opportunity slip by."

"You yourself told me to say that."

Did I tell you to say it?

"Didn't you just say you hoped I would be polite to you?"

The man shrugged.

"I have been as polite as possible, sir."

Gutfred looked at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, then turned to Satsuki.

"You see, this is what I deal with here every day. This guy did well in the Asian business last year and came to my office asking for a bonus. He's back again this year, and every time he has a new reason."

"That means our department has indeed been making money for the company, John."

"Of course I know, otherwise who do you think approved that bonus last year?"

"But the final figure you approved was much less than what I applied for."

"That's why I'm the CEO."

Gutfred answered confidently.

"If I only give out whatever amount each person applies for, do you think this company will have the money to invent next year's bonuses?"

The man couldn't find a good reason to refute it for a moment, and could only shake his head helplessly in the end.

"Well, it seems I'll have to keep working hard this year."

Satsuki, listening nearby, smiled slightly.

This was the first time she had ever seen someone dare to haggle with the CEO of a large investment bank in front of outsiders.

If it were the Saionji Group instead...

Well.

It's probably not that absolutely no one dares to do that... right?

But even if there really are, it would probably only be those old guys like Endo.

Just then, someone called out to the man from the trading platform.

He turned around and replied, then said to Satsuki with a slightly apologetic tone:

"I'm sorry, Ms. Saionji, I have to go back and handle a transaction. It was a pleasure meeting you today, and I hope your company will continue to give us the opportunity to cooperate in the future."

"Of course, please go ahead with your work."

Gutfred chimed in, "I've only had her here a few minutes ago, and you're already trying to kick her out?"

"John, I didn't mean to kick Ms. Saionji out." The man glanced at him. "But you, you told me last time not to keep clients waiting for my call. I can't just change the rules because you're here, can I?"

"Alright, fine, you're right."

Gutfred waved his hand and patted him on the shoulder.

"Go on with your work. If you do a good job on this deal today, I'll remember it when we talk about bonuses next time."

"I'll remember that!"

The man bid farewell to Gaoyue and turned back to the trading table.

Gutfred then led Satsuki forward.

During the rest of the trip, Gutfred introduced Satsuki to several department heads.

Some people had clearly been notified in advance and were already prepared to introduce their business to her; others had just stepped away from the trading table, their shirt sleeves still rolled up, and immediately started talking about the recent market situation after shaking hands.

Gutfred was quite familiar with these departments, and when introducing the heads of these departments, he would occasionally mention a brilliant deal or a tricky case that the other party had handled in the past.

The person who is called on will usually say a few words, and then steer the conversation back to their work.

Satsuki could sense that these people respected Gutfred.

Some of them were very familiar with him, while others were noticeably more reserved, but he seemed to be able to find suitable topics to get them into the mood quickly.

But Gutfred today was much more talkative than Satsuki had seen him before.

Several times, after the person in charge had finished their introduction, he would proactively add to it, as if afraid that Satsuki would miss any commendable aspect of Solomon.

Satsuki noticed that Gutfred was clearly enjoying the atmosphere today.

He was even more talkative than the people being introduced to, frequently bringing up past events as if he couldn't wait to introduce her to everyone he had known in Solomon over the past few decades.

Satsuki was quite pleased with this arrangement.

She could roughly guess what Gutfred was thinking.

However, compared to sitting in a conference room listening to someone explain page after page, this way of walking around and looking at things is obviously much more interesting.

Seeing that she was in good spirits, Gutfred became more talkative.

Several times, when people reminded him of the time for the next scheduled event, he waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to rush. He even took the initiative to ask his secretary to postpone an internal meeting that was originally scheduled for half an hour.

"We've got such a great opportunity today, we can't just let Ms. Saionji go back after looking at a few offices, can we?"

He turned to look at Satsuki, his tone very cheerful.

"Anyway, I've already reserved this afternoon for you. Just tell me who you want to see or where you want to go."

"I assure you, as long as it's in this building, at least today no one will tell you they don't have time."

Upon hearing this, Satsuki raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Mr. Goodfred, if you put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"I would be delighted, Ms. Saionji. That's exactly what I wanted to hear today."

Gutfred gestured for her to proceed, then led the group to the next office area.

He has already had his secretary prepare the joint statement.

Once the visit is over and Satsuki returns upstairs, the two sides can sit down and, taking advantage of the atmosphere today, settle all the remaining matters at once.

At least, he hoped so.

……

After another introduction, Gutfred glanced at his watch.

It was later than he had expected.

He had originally arranged for two other departments to participate, but now he felt there was no need to prolong the trip any further.

He glanced at Satsuki discreetly; she seemed to be in a good mood.

I've already shown Satsuki enough places today, and there's a press release upstairs waiting for her to review.

"Looks like we'll have to stop here for today."

As he approached the elevator, Gutfred turned around and shrugged at Satsuki.

"I was hoping you could meet a few more people, but if we keep going like this, I'm afraid I'll have to arrange an office for you."

"You've introduced me to quite a few people today."

Satsuki glanced at him.

"If this continues, I'll start to suspect that you're planning to put me working at Solomon Islands."

"If you'd like, I'd certainly welcome you!"

Gutfred answered quickly.

"However, you'll probably be disappointed with the salary. Given our current financial situation, if we send the application to hire Ms. Saionji to the finance department, it will probably be returned the same day."

"Then I'll become an investor first."

"This idea is much better."

Gutfred reached out and pressed the elevator button, taking over the conversation as he went.

"Speaking of which, Williams has already had the joint statement we discussed this morning revised."

"I was planning to talk to you sometime today, and now that the tour is over, why don't you come back to my office and sit for a while?"

Satsuki looked at him.

"Shall we talk now?"

"If it's convenient for you, I hope we can finalize the draft today. As you can see, there are so many people in Solomon's who are waiting to know how things will go. The market is probably even more anxious than they are."

As he spoke, he added:

"Of course, the specific wording will depend on your opinion. I've had them prepare several versions; if you feel anything is inappropriate, we can revise it in person."

The elevator doors opened at that moment.

Satsuki nodded gently.

"Let's go take a look."

"Very good."

Gutfred turned aside and waited for her to enter the elevator before following her in.