Chapter 282: This is what you hoped for

Zhou Ming followed the man out of the teahouse. During their conversation along the way, Zhou Ming learned that the man's name was Hoover, and that he was the president of the Brighton branch of the Tang Bank. An extended Lincoln limousine was waiting at the entrance, and they got in together and left.

'The place we're going to is a bit far from Chinatown, in Lexington. I think you've heard of it, right?' Hoover said to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming smiled and said, 'I think anyone who knows American history knows about Lexington, because American independence began here. I went to college and read about this history in my textbooks.'

While Zhou Ming and Hoover were chatting, the car slowly started and arrived in Lexington about an hour later.

Lexington is located northwest of Harvard University. It is a very quiet rural town. Perhaps it is due to the excellent cultural environment here, or perhaps it is to protect the historical appearance of the area, in any case, there has been no industrial development here for more than 200 years. It is also precisely because there is no industrial pollution that this place has become a gathering place for Brighton villas. Many wealthy people like to build their own private villas here.

Zhou Ming and his destination is a villa with very Chinese characteristics. This villa is not just a house, but is made up of three houses with very Lingnan characteristics. At the entrance of the house is a very spectacular archway. In the end, Zhou Ming got into the extended Lincoln limousine and entered the archway to park in front of a side building. Zhou Ming got out of the car and didn't go in right away, but looked back at the main building first before going in.

Regardless of whether it is China or abroad, if you are going to receive an important guest, you will definitely arrange it in the main building. Now that he is in a side building, it shows that he is not that important.

Although Zhou Ming is not a very arrogant person, he can understand that he is just a young man in his twenties. Although he has done some amazing things at home and abroad, not only has he been received by the president of the country, he has even participated in the downfall of a superpower and a 20 trillion knife tower plan, which has indeed attracted the attention of those super families or certain groups, but this capital is not yet enough.

But knowing and understanding are one thing, and whether one can accept it is another. After all, being summoned at any time and arranged to be received in a side building is not a good feeling no matter what.

Zhou Ming did not know who exactly wanted to meet him, but the fact that he was able to get a consul general based in New York to bring him the news and then have a branch manager of a bank pick him up made his status obvious. If it were anyone else, they would be overwhelmed to be received by someone of such weight and status, but Zhou Ming would not think this way. He would only feel this as a sign of contempt and an insult.

Just wait, one day I will be living in a better villa than this and will be in a position higher than the person who invited me this time!

Zhou Ming vowed secretly in his heart.

Zhou Ming followed Hoover through a long corridor, around a screen, and finally arrived in the hall of the side building. The decoration of this hall was very much in the Lingnan style, as was the entire villa. In the centre of the hall was a table, where an old man was sitting drinking tea. He was wearing a yellow horse-riding coat and a melon-skin hat, and looked quite the scholarly type.

There was no one else in this hall except for this old man, and this situation made Zhou Ming feel a little surprised. Zhou Ming couldn't understand whether they had so much confidence in themselves, or whether this old man was very powerful himself, or whether there was some kind of mechanism here, otherwise no matter how much they trusted themselves, they should have brought a bodyguard here. These people were able to get the New York Consul General to bring them news, and Zhou Ming didn't believe that ** could hide anything from them.

So in this situation, what if he wanted to do something bad, or had any bad thoughts?

When he saw Zhou Ming enter, he didn't even look up, just held the teacup in one hand and the lid in the other, indicating the seat opposite him and saying, 'Sit.'

Zhou Ming waved to tell ** to stand aside before sitting in front of the old man and saying, 'Hello, Uncle Hu, I'm Zhou Ming, I'm here.'

This opening line was what Hu Fojiao told Zhou Ming when he came in. The old man listened to Zhou Ming's words with an expressionless nod, then put down his teacup and asked, 'How is the matter with Huang Yi being handled? Now that you have arrived at my place, I presume the president's pardon has been delivered on time?'

Zhou Ming nodded nervously and said, 'Yes, Uncle Hu, that important pardon came very promptly, and I am very grateful that you were able to help me at such a critical time...'

The old man interrupted Zhou Ming with a hand gesture: 'I don't want to say too much about this matter. I just want to ask you, in your opinion, what does a presidential pardon from the president of a superpower actually mean?'

The old man's question was very general. Zhou Ming thought about it for a while before answering: 'I think a presidential pardon is a very important administrative document, and it can even be called the ultimate one.'

'An administrative document that is considered to be the ultimate? It seems that it can indeed be said that after all, having the presidential pardon is equivalent to holding a golden ticket to freedom, or even more powerful than a golden ticket to freedom, because it can pardon all crimes.'

The old man paused for a moment after saying this and then continued, 'So since this is such an important administrative document, why didn't you wait until the most critical moment to use it, but instead exhausted every means to fight for it for a single student? Do you think you can get it at any time?'

'Uncle Hu, of course I don't think that,' Zhou Ming said, "and I understand the importance of the presidential pardon, but if there is no pardon now, I don't have any other options.'

'Do you think Brooke is so powerful that he has blocked all your paths?" the old man asked again.

'Of course not,' Zhou Ming said, "to be honest with you, Uncle Hu, I don't know how influential this Brook's family is in Brighton and the whole of Massachusetts, but from his performance in this matter, at least the resources he can mobilize are not that many.'

As Zhou Ming's words fell, the old man immediately added, "But it is this kind of person who has forced your trump card!'

Zhou Ming suddenly felt a shock in his heart, because the old man's words hit the nail on the head. This presidential pardon was indeed his trump card. He had to know that he was new in the United States and had almost no connections. If anything could be influenced, it would only be with the help of external forces, and the only external force he could borrow was North Russia, which had invested 1 trillion and had a great influence on the president.

But even if one could influence the White House through Northern Russia, it would be impossible to do so again and again. Not to mention whether President Nikolayevich of Northern Russia would always listen to one's advice and help one to clean up one's mess, just consider how much influence this newborn and poor Northern Russia could have on the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. One could secure the favour of the American president for the first time, but could this favour be granted every day?

Just imagine, if the US president signs a pardon for a foreigner every day, I'm afraid that as soon as this news comes out, the whole of America will boil over, and this president will have to step down immediately. Only a fool would do this.

It is also for these reasons that although others may think that they can get a presidential pardon and be very impressive, in fact, Zhou Ming himself knows only too well that he has played an irreplaceable trump card.

Ordinary people only reveal their trump cards when they are at their wits' end, but now he has only met an American second-generation rich kid and has been forced to reveal his trump card. Isn't this a disgrace? Of course, it is true that Zhou Ming has only just arrived in the United States and has not yet had any opportunities to develop, and he has directly encountered a large team battle. How could he not use his summoner skills?

However, these are not excuses. Being forced to reveal one's trump card is being forced to reveal one's trump card, and there is nothing to explain.

'Uncle Hu, but I don't regret being forced to show my hand by a punk, because I am a Chinese, and I cannot tolerate my own countrymen being bullied like that in front of me, and I remain indifferent,' Zhou Ming said.

The old man raised an eyebrow, looking a little surprised. He looked up and down at Zhou Ming a few times and shook his head lightly: 'But you have to know that what you saw is something that happens every day in this country, and there are some things that are even more outrageous than what you saw. Do you have to get involved every time you see it? But this presidential pardon thing, there won't be a next time.'

'Uncle Hu, I understand that. In fact, I understood it from the first day I arrived at Harvard, but I don't think that conflicts with whether I get involved or not,' Zhou Ming said.

'What do you mean?' the old man asked with interest.

'Uncle Hu, I think I already said earlier that I cannot tolerate my compatriots being bullied in front of me, because this is something I can do. As for other things that happen elsewhere, or things that happen in front of me that are beyond my ability, I can only say I'm sorry. It's not right to force people to do things they don't want to do, and it's even more wrong to force yourself to do things you can't,' said Zhou Ming.

'If I hadn't seen you with my own eyes, I really would have found it hard to believe that you were only in your twenties,'

The old man sighed, after all, face and self-esteem are two insurmountable chasms. The old man has not seen any Chinese with strong nationalistic sentiments in the United States for half his life, but they are often impulsive. Even if they occasionally encounter someone who can look at things rationally, they will make some wrong judgments due to their face and self-esteem. However, Zhou Ming is a person who can face reality very well, and his attitude is also the most practical.

'I am very surprised that you can maintain an objective mood, but that alone is not enough,' the old man said.

The old man stopped there, and Zhou Ming, knowing what to say, took up the conversation: 'So I need to develop and strengthen my own capital strength to ensure that if something like this happens again in the future, I won't be forced to reveal my hand so easily. At least I can still think of other solutions.'

Zhou Ming suddenly changed the subject: 'Uncle Hu, I think this is what you want me to say, isn't it?'

Uncle Hu was stunned.

!!!