A youth must cherish lofty ambitions and pledge to be the finest in the world. Chapter 157: Journey to the Cherry Blossoms (Part 2)-Reborn in the Era of Summer Blossoms(The Crane Returns Alone to Hawthorn Hill)

Fang Yu walked around the room in silence. Indeed, a five-star hotel was something else entirely. Before his rebirth, he had visited once with a tour group; although that had also been a star-rated hotel, the room was much smaller, practically identical to a domestic budget hotel.

"Well, this place is very close to Ginza, definitely the most prosperous area in Tokyo. It's a pity Zhao Bin didn't come; he loves this kind of metropolis the most," Fang Yu nodded with a trace of regret.

Xia Churan chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I heard both he and Lu Zhen like that girl Zhang Yan, right? It's just that Zhang Yan is currently dating Lu Zhen, so Zhao Bin threw a tantrum and refused to come, didn't he?"

"Pretty much. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell the truth. It's their personal business, so it's not really our place to pry."

"Will you accompany me to see the cherry blossoms tonight?" The young girl asked, hugging him coquettishly with a beaming smile.

"Hmm, let's make it tomorrow. The locals are just like back home; major companies generally have a two-day weekend, so the earliest I can go talk business is Monday," he checked the time.

A hint of tender affection flashed in the young girl's eyes, mixed with a trace of astonishment as she giggled, "Fang Yu, what on earth are you? Why do you need to come here to talk business when you've barely started university? Even a milk tea shop couldn't possibly expand all the way here, could it?"

"Ha, would you believe me if I told you I'm an Ultraman from the Land of Light? Actually, I'm Taro. Do you believe in the light?" he rambled casually.

"Pfft, talking nonsense again. I'm ignoring you. I'm going to wash my face. I heard the girls here in Tokyo are really good at makeup."

On the first day in Tokyo, everyone essentially behaved themselves and stayed inside their rooms. Dinner was served at the hotel, and Zhang Hao, having drunk a few cups of sake, smiled with a particularly lewd expression.

"Old Fang, hehe, do you want to try the massages here tonight? This is something you can't experience back home, you know."

"Hahaha, Old Zhang, you're into this kind of thing?" Fang Yu hadn't expected that even the upright-looking Zhang Hao would fall from grace.

"What of it? I'm a man, and besides, I don't have a girlfriend, so why not? Are you going? If you go, the company covers it, and I'll just write it off under business entertainment later!"

Actually, Fang Yu was quite eager to experience it, but alas, his fair lady was right beside him, glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks. He could only shake his head with a pitiful look.

"I'll pass. You guys take the staff and go ahead; just get it reimbursed later."

Having bustled about all day, most of them were somewhat fatigued. After dinner, they all returned to their respective rooms to rest, and even Hu Yan didn't drag Baozi out for shopping.

Fang Yu went down to the hotel lobby alone and, using his halting English, asked a waiter for a cup of coffee. Just as he was preparing to enjoy a taste of high-society life, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

"Mr. Fang? I didn't expect to run into you here."

He quickly turned around to see a young man in rimless glasses smiling at him—none other than Zhou Yun, whom he had met previously at Shawan.

"Oh, so it's President Zhou! What a coincidence, are you here in Tokyo for leisure?"

Zhou Yun shook his hand as a matter of etiquette and then pointed toward the upper floors. "I'm here on official business with my boss, and we're staying at this hotel too. Is Mr. Fang here for a vacation?"

"Well, I'm much like you; I'm here to talk business." At a time like this, he simply had to put on airs, and besides, he wasn't lying.

A flash of surprise crossed Zhou Yun's eyes. "Mr. Fang is so young, yet you're already here negotiating business? It seems you come from a distinguished family background." Naturally, Zhou Yun also took him for a wealthy second-generation heir from back home.

"Ha, I wonder what kind of project President Zhou is here to discuss?" Fang Yu rolled his eyes. The man was the executive assistant of Taoyuan Group, a veritable business elite in Shawan and even all of Asia. Asking for directions wouldn't hurt; perhaps he could even glean some experience.

Zhou Yun adjusted his glasses. "Nothing much. This time, we're here to discuss some financing projects with Tokyo's Micro-Silver Group."

*Tsk, so even a company as massive as Taoyuan Group has to borrow money from others. I thought only guys like me needed to,* Fang Yu naturally didn't dare let Zhou Yun hear these muttered thoughts.

However, what he hadn't expected was that Zhou Yun was also here looking for Micro-Silver Group. "Well, then our minds truly meet. I'm also here to discuss financing matters with Micro-Silver Group."

Zhou Yun looked even more curious. "May I ask where Mr. Fang is currently employed?"

For this trip, Zhang Hao had specially had a batch of business cards custom-made for him, as the locals placed great emphasis on such details. Thus, he had them on hand and casually pulled one out to hand over.

"Here is my card. Please forgive my discourtesy last time, President Zhou."

Zhou Yun glanced at it, carefully tucked the card into his pocket, his expression turning instantly solemn as he smiled politely.

"It is I who was blind. I didn't expect President Fang to be so young and promising. I will certainly tell our President Yu about what I've seen and heard today."

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries with Zhou Yun, the two parted ways. Fang Yu saw clearly as Zhou Yun walked toward the elevators to greet a middle-aged man in a navy blue suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The man looked refined and scholarly, giving off the distinct aura of an intellectual merchant.

"Well, looks like that's his boss, then," he scoffed, taking a sip of the coffee on the table.

According to information he had gathered online, Taoyuan Group's president was named Yu Ting; that middle-aged man was presumably him.

Zhou Yun did not immediately mention the preceding encounter to Yu Ting, after all, Kyushu Group had only just started out and was nothing more than small fry to them.

Yu Ting and Zhou Yun, followed by several staff members, swaggered out of the hotel. Fang Yu didn't pay much attention, holding a local magazine and flipping through it, though he could only understand the pictures.

"Damn it, didn't they say there are legal adult movies here? How come I can't find any?" he muttered curses as he stood up, preparing to head back upstairs.

At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. The screen displayed a string of garbled characters—naturally, traveling to Tokyo required swapping to a local SIM card.

"Damn, do the locals have telemarketers too?"

He was just about to hang up directly, but the next second, driven by a mischievous urge to see what local sales calls were actually all about, Fang Yu answered.

"Moshi moshi~" he mimicked anime lines in a weird voice.

"Respected Host No. 007, please complete the beginner's task to activate Version 1.0 of the system. I am your system administrator and will proactively contact you when necessary. The beginner's task will be sent to you shortly. Goodbye."

"What the heck? A sales call in Mandarin? No wait, what system? What beginner's task?" At that moment, he was utterly bewildered.

Less than ten seconds after hanging up, a text message arrived on his phone:

"Respected Host No. 007, please earn 2,000 yuan within one week to activate the Version 1.0 system. Task deadline: April 22, 2006, at 21:00."

"Damn, what is this? Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated these days. How come I never noticed this kind of scam before? 2,000 bucks, tsk, that's quite a hefty sum to scam for." He didn't take the text message seriously at all.