112. A Bold Guess

“Do you think Xiao, the big tycoon, could be the son of some high-ranking official?” Zhao Weidong’s eyes flickered as he boldly speculated.

“Quite possible. He’s so young, and even if his family is wealthy, it’s just the opening of a restaurant. It would be hard to get these two distinguished guests here, right? Look at them—they’re chatting and laughing like they’re very close,” He Jiayi guessed randomly.

“You all better stop guessing. I’m pretty certain Xiao the tycoon isn’t the child of any major official,” Gu Weiwei said firmly. “If that were the case, Fan Shichang and Jiang Juchang would probably keep their distance. At most, they’d send their secretaries; they definitely wouldn’t come in person. Otherwise, there would be gossip. These two leaders wouldn’t overlook that.”

“Then what do you think Xiao’s background is? I don’t even dare to guess anymore,” Zhao Weidong said, growing more curious about Xiao Yao’s family background.

He Jiayi replied, “So many of Xiao’s friends came today. Once we get to the table and have a few drinks, we can ask. Let’s not waste time guessing here.”

Noticing Sang Qingye frowning nearby, Gu Weiwei asked, “Qingye, why did you stop the livestream?”

“These two guests have somewhat special identities. I think it’s better if my viewers don’t know who they are. If it causes trouble for Xiao the tycoon and these two leaders, our livestream would turn from a good thing to a bad one,” Sang Qingye explained. She usually didn’t pay attention to current affairs, so she didn’t recognize the two leaders. She only stopped the livestream after hearing Gu Weiwei’s answer.

Although Gu Weiwei had instinctively lowered her voice when replying, Sang Qingye wasn’t sure if the viewers heard the identities of these two guests clearly.

She guessed that if she hadn’t stopped the livestream, the viewers would be discussing the four guests who arrived last.

When she restarted the stream, she planned to find a way to quickly steer the conversation away from this topic.

“Let’s go outside and film the flower baskets sent by the guests. Maybe there will be some surprises,” Sang Qingye suggested.

“Good idea. Let’s finish filming quickly and head to the eighth floor. It would be bad to miss the opening ceremony,” Zhao Weidong and the others were somewhat distracted.

At the entrance of the building, flower baskets were arranged in two long rows stretching far.

“So many flower baskets! I don’t think there are that many guests here today,” Sang Qingye exclaimed.

Gu Weiwei said, “Xiao the tycoon didn’t send invitations. Those with weaker relationships probably didn’t come. The people may not be here, but the flower baskets and gifts certainly were. So it’s normal to have more flower baskets than guests. Nothing to be surprised about.”

“Okay, I’ll start the livestream again.”

After restarting the stream, Sang Qingye said, “Look at all these flower baskets at the entrance—aren’t they amazing?”

She captured all the flower baskets with her camera. “This is the first time I’ve seen so many flower baskets for a restaurant opening. Quite an eye-opener. Now, let’s see who sent these flower baskets.”

She moved to one side and began filming the red ribbons on each basket closely.

“The first one is from Taigu Investment. Has anyone heard of Taigu Investment? I’m quite unlearned and don’t recall this name at all,” Sang Qingye commented while filming.

The name was indeed unfamiliar. None of her three friends had heard of it, and even the viewers in the livestream chat hadn’t mentioned it.

“Investment firms are usually mysterious. It’s normal not to have heard of them. At least this shows I’m not completely unlearned. Now, let’s see who sent the second flower basket,” she defended her ignorance.

“The second flower basket is from Tianhui Group. That name sounds familiar—I think I’ve heard of it,” Sang Qingye said with a somewhat proud tone. “Looks like I really am knowledgeable; claiming to be unlearned was just modesty.”

Gu Weiwei interrupted with a teasing tone, “Stop embarrassing yourself. The famous Tianhui Group and you say you only find it familiar? Are you even Chinese? Or are you a foreigner pretending to be one?”

Sang Qingye replied innocently, “Is Tianhui Group well-known? I studied broadcasting and hosting and don’t usually follow financial news.”

“Tianhui Group is one of the top five, or even higher, large state-owned enterprises in the country. You haven’t heard of it? You really are unlearned,” Gu Weiwei criticized her mercilessly.

“Oh, it’s a large state-owned group? Look, these flower baskets behind also say Tianhui Real Estate, Tianhui Mining, Tianhui Energy, Tianhui Investment, and so on. Sounds like all subsidiaries of Tianhui Group,” Sang Qingye said while filming. “Since Tianhui Group sent so many flower baskets, Xiao the tycoon must have a good relationship with them.”

Zhao Weidong and the others exchanged glances, all deeply shocked. Seeing these flower baskets, they naturally thought Xiao Yao was likely connected to Tianhui Group.

If that were true, it would explain why prominent local business figures like Ding Songqing personally came to offer congratulations.

A giant group like Tianhui, any one of its subsidiaries would be larger in scale than Ding Songqing’s and others’ enterprises.

After seeing the Tianhui Group’s flower baskets, the subsequent ones from Huahui Bank, Hanguang Real Estate, and others didn’t seem surprising.

The large number of flower baskets outside the building came mostly from tenants of the Taigu Building, aside from friends and family.

Since the restaurant was operated by the building’s owner, tenants sent flower baskets even if they couldn’t attend.

Xiao Yao had maintained his usual low profile and hadn’t sent out invitations to anyone. Otherwise, the number of congratulatory guests today would have doubled.

Worried about missing the opening ceremony, Sang Qingye quickly filmed the flower baskets on both sides of the building and hurried back to the eighth floor.

When the three of them arrived, fortunately, it was still early. Guests who brought gifts had just taken their seats, and some were still registering their gifts at the entrance.

“What do you think would be an appropriate amount to spend on a gift?” Gu Weiwei asked.

“It’s hard to say now. Let’s go check first and decide later so we don’t embarrass ourselves by giving too little,” Zhao Weidong said. They planned to get closer to Xiao Yao; this was a great opportunity, and their gift should be generous rather than modest.