Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 289 - Chapter 289 Chapter 278 10000000 Greenbacks

Chapter 289: Chapter 278: 10,000,000 Greenbacks Chapter 289: Chapter 278: 10,000,000 Greenbacks Lu Jiaxin washed her face, allowing herself to regain a clear mind, and then called Nie Zhan.

Nie Zhan answered with a laugh, “Did you just wake up?”

Lu Jiaxin confessed that the female technician’s skills were too good, making her fall asleep without realizing it: “Have you had dinner yet? If not, let’s go have some late-night snacks.”

Having just taken a nap, she wouldn’t be able to sleep before midnight. She felt that she had become somewhat decadent recently, with her daily routine all messed up.

Nie Zhan was almost done with his tasks and said with a chuckle, “Wait for me for half an hour.”

Lu Jiaxin yawned: “Okay, I’ll read for a bit.”

While having late-night snacks, Lu Jiaxin mentioned that she needed to go to the bank the next day: “If you’re busy tomorrow, don’t worry about it, I can go by myself.”

Nie Zhan said, “The appraisal will take some time, I’ll head over in the afternoon.”

Lu Jiaxin was certainly going to go; though it was Nie Zhan’s older brother, she couldn’t feel at ease with such a large batch of goods unwatched. Of course, it was also an opportunity to learn some antique knowledge.

Since Nie Zhan had to work the next day, they didn’t linger over their late-night meal for too long, and by eleven-thirty, Lu Jiaxin suggested it was time to head back: “Go back early and rest, don’t stay up late, or you’ll go bald quickly.”

Men also need to maintain a good routine and exercise, otherwise not only will they go bald, but their body shape will also change.

Nie Zhan smiled indulgently, “Don’t worry, my dad often stays up late, and he still has a full head of hair.”

He usually only stayed up late when dealing with thorny issues or emergencies; otherwise, he’d rest before midnight. Seeing Lu Jiaxin’s self-discipline, he felt they were quite in sync.

Remembering what Zong Jinghua had said, Lu Jiaxin asked in feigned surprise, “Nie Zhan, your dad still has a full head of hair? The media previously reported that your dad… could that have been a false report?”

“My dad didn’t die young; he’s still alive and well.”

With a puzzled face, Lu Jiaxin inquired, “Then what was that report about? Why didn’t you clarify it? I always thought your dad had passed away a long time ago.”

Nie Zhan expressed his helplessness, “It was my mom who, during an interview, said he was dead, gone in a car accident, and the media just blew it up. My grandfather thought it was best to lightly handle the matter and didn’t intervene. Actually, our family’s friends and relatives all know my dad is still alive.”

Uh… Lu Jiaxin hadn’t expected the false report to have been concocted by Second Miss Nie. It was unclear how much grief they had suffered when they split up, to the extent of fabricating the other’s death.

Lu Jiaxin asked, “From what you say, it seems like you have a fairly good relationship with your dad.”

Nie Zhan described it as neither good nor bad, “My dad is just a workaholic, wishing he could spend twenty-four hours a day in the lab. Thankfully, he has an assistant to remind him to eat and sleep on time, or else he would have starved to death long ago…”

No wonder Second Miss Nie wanted a divorce. For a beauty who held love above all else and yearned for romantic escapades, this was unbearable.

Curious, Lu Jiaxin asked, “How did your dad and mom come together in the first place?”

Nie Zhan, a child of their marriage, had no reservations about this part of their history: “They met at a party, where they fell in love at first sight and quickly fell in love. Two months later, they registered their marriage. Both families found out only after the registration and, although they were angry, they still sat down to discuss wedding dates. Just when the date was set, my mom wanted to break up with my dad.”

“For what reason?”

Nie Zhan’s expression conveyed the complexity of it all: “My dad was invited by his advisor to join an experimental project and didn’t have time for her, which made my mom feel unappreciated and unloved.”

…

“That’s how they split up?”

Nie Zhan shook his head and said, “My mom was so angry that she went back to Hong Kong. Not long after, she discovered she was pregnant and called my dad, hoping he would come to Hong Kong, but my dad said he’d join her in Hong Kong once he was done with his work. By the time he finished, more than five months had passed.”

Lu Jiaxin looked at him and asked, “The baby she was carrying at that time was you?”

“Yes, it was me. My mother wouldn’t forgive and wanted a divorce; my father disagreed, but my mother said she would abort the child if they didn’t divorce. To ensure I was born safely, my dad agreed to the divorce.”

Lu Jiaxin felt it was better for them to be divorced. With such disparate temperaments, they couldn’t possibly live together happily. Divorcing early was a relief for both parties.

“Then why do you bear the Nie surname?”

Nie Zhan replied, “I was born in Hong Kong, and it was my grandfather who registered my household. It’s just a surname; my dad doesn’t care about that.”

Lu Jiaxin thought his father was quite open-minded. She was about to speak when Gu Wenfeng reminded them they had arrived at the hotel entrance.

The next day, Lu Jiaxin arrived punctually at Wan Sheng Bank at nine o’clock. Nie Jingwen had invited six experts to help appraise these items. Lu Jiaxin didn’t interrupt while they assessed; she just listened attentively.

In the end, the appraisal results showed that all the porcelain found in the Sun Family’s secret passage was authentic, and the more than thirty items collected by Old Man Sun were all genuine, as well as the jade jewelry collected by Mrs. Lu. Only three items collected by Lu Hongjun were fakes. Thankfully, only one-tenth was counterfeit, so it was still a huge profit.

After the appraisal, Lu Jiaxin followed Nie Zhan to Nie Jingwen’s office.

Nie Zhan asked, “Big brother, these items should be good for a mortgage of ten million greenbacks, right?”

Nie Jingwen coughed from being caught off guard, “These items can only be mortgaged for a maximum of thirty million. Miss Lu, this is already a very high price; you absolutely can’t get this amount anywhere else.”

Lu Jiaxin had expected between twenty and thirty million, so being able to mortgage for thirty million was already very satisfying to her. However, she was in need of money and naturally, the more, the better.

Nie Zhan didn’t wait for her to speak and said, “Big brother, that set of emerald jewelry could sell for at least five million at auction; and each piece from that chest of porcelain wouldn’t go for less than three million at auction.”

Lu Jiaxin knew he was fighting for her interests, so she remained silent.

Nie Jingwen looked at her somewhat helplessly and said, “Ten million greenbacks is the total value of these items. We are talking about a mortgage. Don’t you understand what that means?”

Nie Zhan replied, “I studied finance; you don’t need to tell me what a mortgage is. These items will become more valuable over time, ten million greenbacks isn’t much.”

This was plainly siding with someone else, but seeing his stance, Nie Jingwen knew he wouldn’t agree to relent. Nie Jingwen said, “Ten million greenbacks it is, but you will have to act as the guarantor.”

Nie Zhan found it superfluous, yet still agreed, “Have the money transferred to my account.”

Nie Jingwen looked at Lu Jiaxin in surprise and asked, “The money will be transferred to Ah Zhan’s account?”

Although Lu Jiaxin didn’t know what he was up to, she nodded and said, “Ah Zhan said he would help me invest. If the money were transferred to my account, I would have to transfer it to him anyway.”

Hearing this, Nie Jingwen realized why Lu Jiaxin would entrust the money to him. He said with a smile, “Ah Zhan is very good at investing. He made a lot of money for many clients at Goldman Sachs. Since coming back to Hong Kong, many people have wanted to hire him as an investment consultant, but he has turned them all down.”