Chapter 164: Fifth in Line Tang Lin

'Talk to the person in charge?' Hoover's expression was a little awkward as he said, "I don't understand what you mean by saying that, Mr. Zhou Ming. Are you dissatisfied with my arrangement for Miss Tang Ran? Or do you really want to see the other heirs" methods?'

Zhou Ming smiled and said, 'Mr. Hoover, you are also a man who has passed the age of 40, and you are still using this method to scare people. It seems that if you don't need to, you will also be despised, right?'

Zhou Ming saw that Hoover's expression was a little tangled, and he continued, 'I understand. It seems that perhaps the order you received at the beginning was to convince Tang Ran, or perhaps that gentleman's temper is not very good, so if you disturb him rashly before completing the task, you will anger him, and the consequences are very serious, at least you cannot afford it.'

Hoover looked at Zhou Ming blankly, wanting to say something but unable to find the words, because Zhou Ming's words had hit the nail on the head and made him feel a sense of fear.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Ming continued, 'But orders are dead, and things need to be flexible. Now that my arrival has caused unpredictable accidents, I advise you to go back and report first. After all, it is still negotiable. If we wait until we have left to talk about it, I'm afraid you will be in big trouble, don't you think so, Mr. Hoover?'

'You say you will leave here?' Hoover asked.

Zhou Ming smiled and replied, of course, and then glanced at the door and said, 'Or does Mr. Hoover think that the two ladies at the door can stop us?'

Hoover did not say anything more in response to this question, because he remembered the nervousness that the two female bodyguards had shown when they had entered just now. They were bodyguards personally selected by Hoover, retired female mercenaries who usually looked down on everyone. This was undoubtedly a sign of their fear of Zhou Ming's bodyguards. Therefore, if that person wanted to protect Zhou Ming and get him out of there, without any other preparations, I'm afraid they might not be able to keep him.

Finally, Hoover had no choice but to nod and say, 'Okay, I understand. I'll contact them for you right away, please wait a moment.'

After saying this, Hoover got up and went out to make the call, leaving Zhou Ming and Tang Ran in the room. Tang Ran kept her head down, and Zhou Ming comforted her, saying that it was okay and that everything would be fine.

However, Tang Ran suddenly looked up and asked Zhou Ming, 'Brother Ming, do you really want the Tang Bank?'

Zhou Ming did not react at first, and then he realised that Tang Ran thought he had agreed to Hoover's request in order to inherit the Tang family's legacy.

So Zhou Ming asked Tang Ran in return, 'Ran, do I look like the kind of person who is obsessed with money?'

Tang Ran immediately shook her head and said, 'Brother Ming would never be like that!'

This answer was within Zhou Ming's expectations, and he continued, 'I really am not. Although I know from Hoover that the Tang Bank does have a lot of wealth, it is not enough to make me reckless. The reason I agreed to Hoover's proposal is that on the one hand, San Francisco is the base of the Tang family's operations for two hundred years, and it is better not to cause trouble here, and on the other hand, it is for your future.'

'For my future?' Tang Ran said in surprise, obviously still not quite understanding.

Zhou Ming nodded and continued, 'It's for your future, because the Tang Bank is at least the second largest banking group in the United States. As long as you can inherit this banking group, you will be able to live a comfortable life even if you don't do anything in the future.'

Having said that, Zhou Ming saw Tang Ran open her mouth to say something, so he continued, 'Of course I also understand that this is not what you want, which is why I want to get to the third point. Do you still remember what Hoover said earlier? The Tang family does not have an heir who can completely control the situation, and these heirs fight with each other. Whether or not someone was set on fire and killed in their villa is true or not, but it is very dangerous for you to be caught in the middle. I am unwilling and unable to let you take this risk.'

'Then since these things are originally yours, you deserve them, and you may be in danger if you don't take them. At least this is wealth that is being offered to you for free!' Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran nodded and gave a heavy affirmative, and she told Zhou Ming, "no matter what Zhou Ming says, she will do it".

At this time, the only door in the room opened, and Hoover came in and told Zhou Ming, 'I have already contacted the other side. The gentleman is expected to arrive in two hours. His name is Tang Lin, the grandson of my great-uncle. According to the family rules, he is the fifth-in-line successor of the Tang family, and is also a senior executive at Tang Bank. He also wholly owns several of the top technology companies in Silicon Valley, and is the most powerful heir in the family!'

When Hoover told Zhou Ming this news, in Los Angeles, southeast of San Francisco, a young Chinese man in his thirties put down his mobile phone. He was now standing on the balcony of his room, looking up at the opposite side. On the top of the hill on the opposite side was the famous Hollywood white sign. He stared for a long time, before laughing lightly in contempt.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him, and his secretary whispered to him, 'Sir, we can't delay any longer. I hear there are still many reporters waiting outside...'

Before the secretary could finish speaking, the young man said, 'Let them wait a little longer. Here in California, even the governor has to say hello to me. When will these TV reporters be able to climb above me? Besides, I'm not delaying, I'm being meticulous!'

The young man spoke disdainfully as he took out a cigarette, smoked it leisurely, and then returned to the room. There was a burly man sitting on the sofa, a household name in the United States, the famous muscle movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the young man come in, his back, which had been slightly bent, immediately straightened like a javelin, and he asked carefully, 'Mr. Tang Lin, I wonder how you are considering it?'

If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have been shocked. Arnold Schwarzenegger was already in his forties, and was still Hollywood's most famous superstar. His films were popular all over the world, and such a person should be arrogant and proud. How could he be so careful and humble with a young man? But no one in the room found this strange, because to them, this was as normal as eating and sleeping.

The young man named Tang Lin only thought about it for a moment and said, 'I don't think there's a problem. As long as you make good movies and continue to portray your tough guy image and leadership on screen, I think in less than ten years, I can get you to the position of governor.'

This made Arnold Singer ecstatic, and his voice even trembled a little. 'Mr. Tang Lin, is this true? You really will help me become governor?'

Tang Lin said with disdain, 'Of course. It's just a governor. It's not hard. Are you doubting me?'

Arnold Singer hurriedly shook his head and said, 'Of course I won't doubt you. You are an important figure in the Tang family. You control most of the wealth in California. If you say it's possible, it's definitely possible!'

'I'm glad you understand. I'll leave now, and you take care."

With that, Tang Lin stood up and left the room. He and his secretary and bodyguard took the elevator to the first floor, where a crowd of reporters had gathered.

When the reporters saw someone coming out, they were very excited and took out their cameras to take pictures. However, Tang Lin, who was wearing sunglasses, walked out instead. When Tang Lin pointed his finger, the reporters immediately fell silent. There was no way around it; after all, Tang Lin was a well-known tycoon in the whole of California.

After getting into his car, he arrived at the Chinatown Bank Building in San Francisco two hours later. Without any formalities, he went straight upstairs to the room that Zhou Ming had mentioned.

Tang Lin's arrival was very imposing. Although it was only a temporary meeting, it was still very surprising when the door was opened. First, several young and beautiful maids came in and used rags to clean the carpet and sprinkle it with flower petals. Then the well-dressed Tang Lin walked in. The suit on Tang Lin fit him perfectly, and anyone with a little discernment could tell that it was made by a famous European tailor.

As he walked into the room, Tang Lin's eyes carried a sharpness that shot straight at Zhou Ming and Tang Ran in their seats. Tang Ran subconsciously hugged Zhou Ming, clearly a little scared, while Zhou Ming patted her back to calm her down.

With someone to lean on, Tang Ran let out a sigh of relief. She then whispered to Zhou Ming, 'Is this guy really the young master of the Tang family? Why is he so effeminate? Sprinkling flower petals as you enter the door, even Yang Guifei wouldn't do that!'

Her words instantly undermined Tang Lin's efforts, and his face fell. Hu Fo immediately jumped up and shouted, 'What are you talking about? This is Mr. Tang Lin, your cousin! He...'

Tang Lin waved his hand to indicate that Hu Fo should shut up. He walked up and took the initiative to shake Zhou Ming's hand and said, 'Hello, Mr. Zhou Ming, I am Tang Lin. I think I am the person you are looking for.'

As for Tang Lin, his situation was a bit unexpected for Zhou Ming, but it was also within expectations. What was unexpected was that Tang Lin was too young. Originally, Zhou Ming thought that the heir should be at least 40 or 50 years old, but then Zhou Ming thought, since he is the heir like Tang Ran, then perhaps in the same generation, the age difference may not be too much.

But compared to these things, his calm reaction and ability to quickly adjust after the collapse of things made Zhou Ming feel that this was not a good opponent to deal with.

Zhou Ming shook Tang Lin's hand and said, 'I'm very happy to meet you,' and then they sat together on the sofa, looking at each other.

Tang Lin saw that Zhou Ming was just a young man in his twenties and laughed contemptuously, while Zhou Ming saw that Tang Lin did not look much like Tang Ran. It seemed that although he was the fifth-in-line heir, they were not closely related by blood, otherwise he would not have hurriedly asked Hoover to find Tang Ran and gave him a strict order to convince Tang Ran.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Lin finally asked, 'I heard what Hoover said on the way here. You said you want to cooperate with us, right? I don't know how you want to cooperate.'

Zhou Ming laughed after hearing Tang Lin's doubt: 'I think there seems to be a flaw in Mr. Tang Lin's sentence, because before asking how to cooperate, shouldn't we first ask what you want? Then I wonder what Mr. Tang Lin's goal is in fighting for this inheritance?'

Tang Lin was very surprised by Zhou Ming's rhetorical question. He didn't expect such a young man as Zhou Ming to be able to remain so calm and ask himself a question at such a critical juncture. At the same time, the angle of his question was also very good, as it would at least make him a little bit more passive. Tang Lin continued, 'My goal for inheriting the family business is relatively simple. I simply want to end the current family succession farce, so that the family can recover as quickly as possible.'

After listening to Tang Lin's words, Zhou Ming applauded and said, 'It seems that Mr. Tang Lin is a person of very noble thoughts and character, and everything is for the sake of the family.'

Having said that, Zhou Ming suddenly changed the subject and said, 'In that case, I'm afraid I can only say sorry to you, because there is no basis for cooperation between us.'