Chapter 357 - 199: Oh, My Foolish Son

Chapter 357: Chapter 199: Oh, My Foolish Son

Early the next morning, Arthur and his two companions arrived at New York’s Central Park.

"What did you say? Su Chen is already gone!"

Arthur’s brow furrowed instantly as he looked at the sleepy-eyed Raymond standing in the doorway.

Even John and Abdullah, standing behind him, were completely baffled. They had never imagined that Su Chen would have already left.

When they left last night, they had agreed to see him off today, but now...

"Yeah. The Boss left from the New York airport at midnight last night. He’s probably already flown out of the country by now!" Raymond said, letting out a series of yawns.

After getting a definite answer, Arthur snorted, turned, and walked into the elevator, paying no mind to the expressions on John and the others.

As the elevator began its slow descent, a smirk appeared on John’s face. He nudged Abdullah, who was beside him. "Doesn’t it feel great to see the young master of the Morgan family get snubbed like that!"

"Isn’t that obvious? If my family didn’t need to do business with them, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day long ago. Such an arrogant prick!" A grin of satisfaction also spread across Abdullah’s face.

The two didn’t bother to hide their conversation from Raymond, who got to witness some juicy drama. He never would have thought that the trio, who seemed so close on the surface, were actually like this in private.

It was quite the eye-opener. ’Seems like for these top financial families, there’s only profit, no real friendship.’

After venting for a moment, John turned to Raymond and asked, "Raymond, did Su Chen leave any message before he left?"

"Er..." Raymond glanced at John in surprise. Su Chen had, in fact, left a message for him.

John saw the astonishment on Raymond’s face, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up. He knew he’d guessed right.

"The Boss did indeed leave a message before he left." Raymond paused for a moment before continuing, "He said, ’If you two are interested, we can pursue more collaborations. And you’re welcome to visit Huaxia in the future!’"

Hearing this, John’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He took a business card made of gold from his pocket and handed it over.

Abdullah, at his side, caught on quickly and hurriedly handed his own card to Raymond.

"Let’s stay in touch!" John said, excitedly patting Raymond’s arm, which was as thick as a thigh.

Raymond smiled and nodded without saying anything more. After all, pretty much everything that needed to be said had been said.

Having gotten the answer they wanted, the two didn’t linger. They said goodbye to Raymond and left.

Meanwhile, Arthur, who had left earlier, had already arrived at the Morgan Mansion in downtown Manhattan. He took a private elevator straight to the president’s office on the 120th floor.

"Father, Su Chen left New York in the early hours of the morning!" Arthur said, standing before the desk with his head lowered, addressing a portly middle-aged man.

This man was none other than Ponte Morgan, the CEO of Morgan Group and the current head of the Morgan family—a top magnate who controlled a financial consortium worth trillions.

Ponte Morgan acted as if he hadn’t heard Arthur at all, continuing to look at the report in his hands. Arthur, for his part, remained slightly bowed, not daring to move an inch.

After about twenty minutes, Ponte Morgan finally put down the document. He looked up at Arthur, his gaze devoid of any emotion, and asked in a calm tone, "Start from the first time you met him. Tell me everything, in detail."

Arthur quickly recounted everything, starting from his first meeting with Su Chen in the San Francisco Bay Area to everything that happened after dinner last night. He laid it all out.

He even described the subtle changes in expression while they were chatting over tea—anything he could remember, he relayed.

He even emphasized certain points several times.

After speaking for a full ten minutes, Arthur finally stopped. He kept his head down, glancing sideways at Ponte Morgan, who was seated in his chair, trying to gauge his expression.

As luck would have it, their eyes met for an instant, startling Arthur and making him lower his head even further.

Arthur knew his father well. Though he appeared calm and unruffled on the surface, underneath he was like a tempestuous sea. When he got angry, it was terrifying.

"You fool!" The two words escaped Ponte Morgan’s lips, cold as ice.

He couldn’t believe his son could be this stupid. If Su Chen were a Westerner, then after a few dinners, some drinks, and being introduced to some aristocratic socialites, the two of them would have become sworn brothers. Add in various business interests, and he could have been perfectly bound to their commercial empire.

But Su Chen was from Huaxia. A Huaxian, heir to a culture with several thousand years of history!

In Su Chen’s eyes, Arthur’s crude tactics were nothing more than a clown’s performance. Not only did they fail to bring them closer, but they likely created a deep-seated distrust in Su Chen’s heart.

He’d suspect you of having ulterior motives, of plotting to gain something from him.

How could a true Huaxian possibly fail to see through such blatant maneuvering?

’Did you really think he was some incompetent fool, unable to see your calculations?’

’Your intentions were as subtle as a sledgehammer, yet he didn’t even give you a dirty look—that was him showing the Morgan family respect. And my foolish son couldn’t even see that.’

Ponte Morgan also blamed himself for his miscalculation. He hadn’t shared his insights on how to deal with people from Huaxia with Arthur.

He had originally thought that since they were close in age, they would have plenty of common interests to talk about. Then, by slowly boiling the frog, they would eventually win Su Chen over.