Chapter 21: Yacht Gathering
Zhou Chao held his disconnected phone and looked at the bustling Huangpu River filled with passing ships. Suddenly, he let out a loud shout that lasted for a few seconds, releasing the uneasiness in his heart.
"Bro, have you gone crazy? Shouting so loudly early in the morning, you've disturbed my beauty sleep."
"The sun is already up, get up quickly!" Zhou Chao replied, then turned and walked into his study. On the desk in the study, there were two boxes. Zhou Chao picked up one of the small boxes and opened it to reveal a Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref6002 watch. He checked its price online and found it to be worth around 13 million. He casually put it on his wrist.
As Zhou Chao gazed at the second box, he understood that it held the keys to his collection of luxury cars. With anticipation, he opened it and discovered six meticulously arranged keys: Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Elegant, Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Lamborghini Poison, Koenigsegg One1, and an unfamiliar car that piqued Zhou Chao's curiosity.
Zhou Chao snapped a photo and swiftly conducted an online search. As he gazed at the image displayed on his computer desktop, his eyes gleamed with excitement. It was the Karlmann King, a customized armored version. Carrying the six keys, he dashed out of the study and made his way directly to the underground garage. The sight of the colossal Karlmann King resting in the garage overwhelmed him, prompting him to run his hands along its body, reveling in its commanding presence.
Spending over an hour in the garage, admiring the cars, Zhou Chao reluctantly returned home. Only then did he remember the luxurious yacht. "System, where is my luxury yacht?"
"It's docked at Modu City. The yacht is equipped with six crew members, and their salaries will be your responsibility."
"How much per month?"
"200,000, but it doesn't include yacht maintenance expenses."
"So, I have to spend at least a few hundred thousand each month?"
"Yes, Host. The captain's contact number has been saved on your phone."
After contemplating for a moment, Zhou Chao decided not to dwell on this issue anymore. Money was not a concern for him. While lost in his thoughts, Zhou Chao received a call from Guo, the President of China Bank in Modu. With his balance now reaching 1 billion, the bank had upgraded Zhou Chao's card to a black card. He just needed to find time to go to the bank and complete the process.
Zhou Chao thought for a moment and decided to call his yacht captain. But before he could dial the number, he saw an incoming call from the captain on his phone.
"Hello, boss, this is George," a fluent Mandarin voice greeted Zhou Chao, surprising him.
"Hello, George."
"Boss, when will you come to visit your yacht? If you don't come soon, your crew will starve."
"I'll come tomorrow. Don't you have any money?"
"Boss, our crew was deployed urgently, and we didn't bring much money. We've run out of it."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao responded, "I'll transfer 200,000 to you. Make sure to treat yourselves to a good meal and have the yacht thoroughly inspected. I'll personally come to see it tomorrow."
"Thank you, boss. We look forward to your arrival tomorrow."
Tomorrow, he would attend the gathering with Li Yang and also visit his yacht. Zhou Chao had never played on a yacht before, let alone such a luxurious one.
Ding dong.
Zhou Chao picked up his phone and saw a message from Chao Yue, "Zhou Chao, do you have time to hang out tomorrow?"
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Chao replied, "I'm going out with my friend tomorrow. If you don't mind, you can join us."
After a while, Chao Yue responded, "Sure, what time tomorrow?"
"Come to my house in the morning, and we'll go together."
"Alright, it's a deal."
Zhou Chao began to look forward to tomorrow's gathering. He had initially thought of informing Li Yang to bring a few more people but then decided against it. He could handle the arrangements if there were more people.
The next morning, early in the day, Chao Yue arrived. When Chao Yue arrived, Xiaoyan came downstairs with disheveled hair. She happened to be noticed by Chao Yue, who was sitting on the sofa. Startled, she quickly retreated back to her bedroom, thinking that her ladylike image was now forever gone.
At noon, the three of them prepared a simple lunch of three dishes and a soup at home. After finishing their meal, with some time still left, Zhou Chao and the others lay on the sofa for a short nap.
At 1:30 PM, Li Yang called and said he had arrived at the Metropolitan Yacht Club. He asked if Zhou Chao was ready to go. Zhou Chao immediately called the others, grabbed the key to the Phantom, and headed out.
The other cars were all sports cars and couldn't accommodate so many people. Zhou Chao didn't like driving the Bentley, so he chose the Phantom.
Chao Yue and Guo Yan followed Zhou Chao down to the underground garage. As they watched Zhou Chao open the door of the Rolls-Royce, they were stunned. "Bro, when did you buy another car?"
Zhou Chao replied, "Not just one, but several. Look, these cars beside it are also mine!"
"Zhou Chao, you're such a big spender. So many luxury cars."
"Alright, let's go. We're running out of time." With the two women in the back seat, Zhou Chao felt like a chauffeur as they chatted non-stop.
Less than 10 minutes later, Zhou Chao arrived at the yacht club's parking lot. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Li Yang and a few other wealthy gentlemen chatting and laughing near the berth where the yacht was moored. A group of elegantly dressed ladies stood nearby. Zhou Chao walked over with the two women.
"Brother," Zhou Chao greeted Li Yang.
Li Yang turned his head and saw Zhou Chao approaching with the two women. "Chao, you're here. Let me introduce you. This is Qin Lang, the cousin of Qin Shao, 'The Emperor of Shanghai.'"
Zhou Chao looked at the handsome and elegant young man standing in the center of the group and extended his right hand. Qin Lang discreetly glanced at Zhou Chao's left wrist and shook his hand, saying, "Hello, Zhou Chao." This left the other second-generation heirs dumbfounded.
After a brief hesitation, Li Yang continued the introductions. "This is Yin Keting and Yang Shuo, both well-known figures in Modu." Zhou Chao greeted them one by one.
"Now that everyone is here, let's set sail. I borrowed a large yacht from a friend. Let's go out to sea and have some fun," said Qin Lang, who was leading the way.
"Look at that luxury yacht over there. It's so beautiful," Zhou Chao heard Li Yang say beside him.
Zhou Chao looked up at the luxury yacht Li Yang was referring to and realized it was his own!
Ding ding ding. Zhou Chao received a call from George.
"Hey, George, what's up?"
"Boss, when are you coming? I can't wait to set sail."
Zhou Chao heard the urgency in George's voice and replied, "I'm coming right away."
Li Yang overheard Zhou Chao's words and asked, "What's going on?" Zhou Chao gave Li Yang a mysterious look and said, "You wanted to see that luxury yacht, right? Follow me, I'll take you there."
Li Yang informed Qin Lang and the others, and Qin Lang said, "Let's go together." They all headed towards the luxury yacht.