CHAPTER 324: CHAPTER 323: GOLDEN THIGH IN THE EYES OF OTHERS (3)

"Mr. Chen, long time no see," it was Man Suling.

Chen Gu even noticed that the young woman sniffed him lightly with her nose!

Tao Tao’s eyes lit up. "Man Suling? I really like your songs..."

The men were momentarily left out in the cold as the two women chattered excitedly. Ossosa looked at Gao Mengjiu in astonishment. "Gorilla, you actually agreed to bring Man Suling out?"

Everyone knew that Gao Mengjiu had personally groomed Man Suling. When Chen Gu was away, their group would get together, and Ossosa often joked, asking Gorilla to bring Man Suling to sing a song to liven things up.

But Gorilla never agreed.

Gao Mengjiu rolled his eyes and glanced at Chen Gu. "She wanted to come herself."

Instantly, Ossosa understood. Thinking of his own daughter, he said to Gorilla with shared sentiment, "You better keep a close eye on her. Don’t let some pig snatch her away."

Chen Gu was speechless.

Zhao Ji opened a bottle of good wine and poured it for everyone. After they all had a drink, he still couldn’t help but ask Chen Gu, "How well do you really know that Qiao Shuangmu?"

"I have a business deal with him—why do you ask?"

Zhao Ji stealthily glanced toward Tao Tao and said in a low, sympathetic voice, "Tao Tao seemed a bit down after returning from Capital Star. Apparently, she didn’t get to see General Delos."

"Tao’s Industries’ backing in the military collapsed some time ago. In recent years, they haven’t received any new orders from the military. Tao Tao was probably looking specifically for Delos this time. However, it’s clear Delos only granted the meeting as a favor to Qiao Shuangmu and had no intention of getting involved with Tao’s Industries."

Chen Gu understood and said with a smile, "You really are a kept man who dotes on his wife."

"Of course!" Zhao Ji took pride rather than offense. "A pure gold meal ticket like this is hard to find."

Tao Tao overheard and snapped, "Zhao Ji, what are you saying?"

"Nothing, nothing, just joking. Give me some face in front of everyone." He immediately begged for mercy. Tao Tao giggled and turned back to pump Man Suling for celebrity gossip.

Zhao Ji then asked Chen Gu, "Could you help make a connection?"

Chen Gu wasn’t unwilling to help. However, he had a good idea of what kind of person Qiao Shuangmu was. Their relationship was purely transactional, and Chen Gu was likely no longer of value to him. Approaching Qiao Shuangmu again might just lead to a dead end.

After some thought, he asked, "Is Tao’s Industries willing to spend money?"

"No problem," Zhao Ji responded. "How much?"

"This isn’t about Qiao Shuangmu," Chen Gu shook his head. "Forget it, I won’t discuss this with you; you’re a complete blockhead and know nothing about these things. Get your wife over here to talk to me."

Zhao Ji became wary. "What are you trying to do? I’m telling you, you can fancy Old Ossosa’s daughter or Gorilla’s goddaughter, that’s fine. But you can’t covet my meal ticket..."

Chen Gu laughed and cursed, "Get lost! This is serious business!"

Tao Tao quickly came over; she had a clear sense of priorities between entertainment and business.

Chen Gu considered for a moment and, without revealing any secrets, said, "There’s a project that I believe has more than a seventy percent chance of success, but Tao’s Industries will have to provide the initial funding. I can’t say how much the return will be, but it will definitely help re-establish your relationship with the military."

Tao Tao pondered for a moment and then asked for details. Chen Gu helplessly replied, "That... involves classified information. I can’t disclose it."

Tao Tao then asked, "How much do you estimate the initial investment will be?"

Chen Gu couldn’t give a clear answer. He realized his impulsive idea was too ill-considered, so he stood up. "I’ll go make a call to verify some things. You guys go ahead and eat."

As soon as Chen Gu stepped out, he called Bai Yunpeng. "Marshal Bai, regarding those spacecraft from our last encounter, is the military interested in exploring them?"

Bai Yunpeng knew he was talking about the "ferries" used by those extraterrestrial mechanical species.

"Of course, we are. However, the military currently lacks the budget for it." Bai Yunpeng smiled. "We’ve only hauled back the wreckage that crashed on the planet and sent a small team to planet JM662 to locate the hidden base. We’ve set up an observation post there. Why, do you have something in mind?"

Chen Gu replied candidly, "My best friend, Zhao Ji, is married into the family behind Tao’s Industries. I have an idea: Tao’s Industries could fund the exploration, and both parties would share any findings. What do you think?"

Bai Yunpeng pondered for a moment. "Tao’s Industries? They’re an established military contractor. Yes, we could collaborate."

He thought for a little longer and then said, "How about this: have their person in charge come see me, and we can discuss the specifics."

"Alright."

Chen Gu hung up and went back inside. Tao Tao immediately looked at him. Chen Gu smiled and said, "Go find Marshal Bai Yunpeng to discuss the details. The military is interested; now it’s up to you to convince them."

Tao Tao was thrilled. "Bai Yunpeng? Marshal Bai from the Central Operations Room? The young rising star of the Bai family?"

Chen Gu nodded. "I’ll give you his private contact information later."

Overjoyed, Tao Tao hugged Zhao Ji beside her and gave him a forceful kiss. Zhao Ji was dizzy with happiness, while Ossosa and Gorilla looked at Chen Gu in astonishment. "Kid, since when are you so chummy with military folks?"

All this was earned by risking my life, Chen Gu sighed inwardly.

But these were things he couldn’t share with everyone. He raised his glass. "To my success in the college entrance exams, and to my admission into the Tiangong Military Division as I wish!"

Everyone had already raised their glasses, but upon hearing him, they put them down again. "No need for that. With your abilities, you have no chance with the Tiangong Military Division."

Truly my goofy friends, Chen Gu inwardly praised.

After dinner, Tao Tao and Zhao Ji got into their car. Tao Tao’s expression turned serious. "Chen Gu is no simple character. You’ve helped him a few times, and in such a short period, he’s already discussing business with Qiao Shuangmu and important matters with Bai Yunpeng."

Zhao Ji didn’t have a clear concept of what the names "Qiao Shuangmu" and "Bai Yunpeng" signified within the Confederation. He said nonchalantly, "Is Bai Yunpeng that impressive? Aren’t there many marshals in the Confederation?"

Tao Tao rolled her eyes at him. "You! You don’t pay attention to anything or care about anything. You really should learn more."

Zhao Ji responded confidently, "With such a capable wife, what do I need to learn? Isn’t it great just living off you?"

Tao Tao was amused by him again but still explained, "There are many marshals, but Bai Yunpeng is from the Bai family. The Bai family has deep-rooted influence in the military, with a marshal emerging in each of the last four generations."

"When Bai Yunpeng was young, he was reckless and unruly, leading everyone to assume he was just a good-for-nothing heir. Surprisingly, he joined the military twenty years ago. In that short time, he rose to the rank of marshal purely on military merit. Moreover, he’s now one of the three giants in the Central Operations Room, a core military department."

"He is definitely one of the most powerful and influential young figures in the military today. If this collaboration succeeds and Tao’s Industries solidifies a partnership with Marshal Bai, our company can rest easy for decades to come."