Chapter 1216: A Sudden Proposal

The Sumito family did not hold a grand welcoming ceremony for Xia Yu, but that did not mean they didn't take it seriously.

'Xia Jun, Ms. Elena, I am Sumito Shinichi, representing the Sumito family to welcome you!'

When Xia Yu and Elena arrived at the Sumitomo residence, they saw three generations of the Sumitomo family, including Sumitomo Shinichi, Sumitomo Kosuke, and Sumitomo Kumiko, standing in the doorway to welcome them, to show how much they valued him.

This level of formality was actually extremely high. After all, the fact that Sumitomo Shinichi had personally greeted them meant that he regarded Xia Yu as a peer, which was a great honour and recognition.

Xia Yu could certainly feel it.

So a warm smile appeared on his face, and he shook hands with Sumitomo Shinichi to express his gratitude: 'Mr. Sumitomo Shinichi, I'm really embarrassed that you've come to greet me personally.'

'It's only right. Mr. Xia is our family's most honoured guest, and it is only right that I receive him,'

Sumitomo Shinichi said with a kind smile.

'Please come inside quickly, let's sit down and talk!'

'After you!'

...

After a few polite refusals, Xia Yu followed the warm invitation of Sumitomo Shinichi and walked in together, while Elena whispered to Sumitomo Kumiko.

The Sumitomo family is worthy of being the top family in the island country, with a long history of inheritance, which can be felt from the various layouts of the living room, full of cultural connotations.

However, he withdrew his gaze after a brief observation.

Sumitomo Shinichi then introduced his son to Xia Yu: 'Xia Jun, let me introduce you. This is my eldest son, Kosuke, who is currently the chairman of Sumitomo Bank. You may not know him, but your subordinates should have had a lot of contact with him.'

'Hello, Mr. Kosuke Sumitomo!'

'Hello, Xia Jun!'

'As for my granddaughter, Kumiko, you already know her, so I won't introduce her.'

'Haha...'

After a brief introduction, the group of people started chatting.

Of course, when it comes to a group of people chatting, in reality, it was basically Xia Yu chatting with Sumito Shinichi, with Sumito Kosuke occasionally adding a few words, while Elena and Sumito Kumiko just kept smiling and listening quietly.

'Xia-kun, I wonder when you came to the island country?'

'Although we have never met before, I have heard a lot about you, Xia Jun, and I have been looking forward to meeting you.'

Sumitomo Shinichi smiled and asked Xia Yu, and also flattered Xia Yu lightly.

Flattery gets you everywhere, and Xia Yu naturally didn't begrudge it.

'Mr. Sumitomo Shinichi, I have also just arrived in the island country not long ago.'

'Before coming to the island country, I did my homework. You single-handedly created the current Sumitomo Group and brought the Sumitomo family back to prosperity. I have always hoped to learn from you, but I have never had the opportunity.'

'Fortunately, I was lucky enough to meet Ms. Kumiko, and I am fortunate to be able to come to your family today to have a good chat with you.'

'Xia Jun is too modest. I dare not accept your advice. We should discuss it with each other.'

'Yesterday, I was still telling Kosuke that at his age, he is in no way comparable to you, but he didn't believe me. Today is the perfect opportunity to let him recognise his own abilities.'

While speaking, Shinichi Sumitomo glanced at Kosuke Sumitomo, who happened to reveal an embarrassed smile.

This technique of belittling one's own people and flattering others can subtly draw people closer together and make them more relaxed.

However, Xia Yu, who is actually young in appearance but a veteran fox with a lot of experience, easily noticed this, but he also came with the mentality of getting closer to the Sumitomo family, so he laughed in agreement, saying, 'Mr. Shinichi Sumitomo, Mr. Kosuke Sumitomo is much more capable than me. The most obvious thing is that he is able to take charge of Sumitomo Bank, while I have been idle all this time. This is the most obvious difference.'

'You say that, but you're not trying to hide something, are you? I came here today with an open mind, and I can't leave empty-handed, can I?'

'Hahaha...'

Sumitomo Shinichi couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

'Xia Jun really knows how to joke. You are the most esteemed friend of our family. How could I do such a thing?'

'You can ask me anything, I will answer you without holding back.'

...

Once Shuichi Sumitomo had said this, Xia Yu felt at ease. He had a hunch that this visit would definitely be fruitful, otherwise Shuichi Sumitomo would be slapping himself in the face.

Sure enough, the content of the ensuing conversation became very diverse due to Xia Yu's questions, and it could be said that they ranged from the economic characteristics of various regions of the island country to the development of industries and the judgment of the international situation.

Although Xia Yu believes that his overall perspective is the strongest in the world, he is, after all, human and not a god. He cannot understand everything and there are always some shortcomings or things that he has overlooked.

This chat has inspired him a lot.

At the same time, from the words and attitude of Sumitomo Shinichi, he learned some more hidden things about the major families and consortia in the island country. There are some old grudges accumulated over the years that even the intelligence department of the Luo network cannot investigate.

Overall, this visit was very fruitful.

At noon, unable to refuse the hospitality, Xia Yu and Elena stayed at the Sumitomo residence and enjoyed a lunch with very distinct island characteristics. They were then warmly seen off by Shinichi Sumitomo and Kosuke Sumitomo before leaving the Sumitomo residence.

Over the next week, Xia Yu and Elena, along with Cindy Mellon, formed a group and travelled around the island country of Tokyo, Nagano, Hokkaido and other places, enjoying the unique scenery of the island country.

Originally, in Elena's imagination, it was a sweet trip for the two of them, but the unexpected appearance of Cindy Mellon caught her off guard.

However, Cindy Mellon is a very charming and likeable girl with a very moving smile and a very sweet mouth. Elena could not be angry with her, and she accepted the reality after feeling depressed for a while.

In addition to the three of them, Cindy Mellon's university classmate Sumito Kumiko was also in the group for a very good reason. She is an islander and wanted to be a good host and entertain Xia Yu and the others, and of course everyone would not refuse.

Apart from the bodyguards, the group left laughter and joy in their wake as they travelled around the island, and they also took some very memorable photos with their cameras.

On the last day, the group had dinner at a top restaurant called Juwaritsuke Soba Muramasa in Minato, Tokyo.

'We've had a lot of fun over the past week, so let's toast to the good times!'

'Kumiko,

'Thank you for all your hard work, letting us drag you around with us all this time.'

After the group of people had celebrated, Xia Yu raised his glass to Sumito Kumiko alone.

Sumito Kumiko gave a sweet smile and said softly, 'Xia Yu, this is what I should do. In fact, I haven't been to most places either. I'm very happy to be able to go with everyone. Thank you!'

After saying this, she held the cup filled with rice wine in both hands, lightly touched it with Xia Yu, and then took an elegant sip. After the drink went down her throat, it stimulated her pretty face and added a touch of red to it.

'Cindy, the trip to the island country is over. Where are you going to go? Back to the United States?'

Xia Yu asked, smiling, after taking a sip of wine and looking at Cindy Mellon.

Cindy Mellon blinked her eyes and looked at Xia Yu with some expectation: 'Xia Yu, I'm going to follow my original plan and go to your hometown of Xiangjiang. I've heard that Xiangjiang is the most prosperous place in Asia besides the island countries, and it also has a beautiful nickname called the Oriental Jewel. I want to go and see it.'

'I found out that Hong Kong used to belong to China, and I also planned to go to the mysterious China, but my family warned me not to go, so I gave up.'

'By the way, Xia Yu, do you know what China is like?'

'Most of the media reports on China are negative, but there are also a lot of positive ones, and I don't know which ones are true.'

'Does China really have 5,000 years of history?'

It was clear that Cindy Mellon was curious about China. After talking about Hong Kong and China, she was like a curious child, her eyes wide with curiosity as she looked for answers to her questions.

Hearing Cindy Mellon's question, Elena and Sumito Kumiko, who had never been to China, looked at Xia Yu together.

With three pairs of beautiful eyes focused on him, Xia Yu instinctively felt happier.

He said with a faint smile, 'China is one of the four ancient countries, and it is also the only one of the four ancient countries that has survived thousands of years of trials and hardships and has been passed down to the present day.'

'The history and culture of China must be more than 5,000 years old. In 1979, an archaeological team discovered an ancient city and an altar at the site of Chengtou Mountain in Xiang Province, China, which is more than 6,000 years old.'

'It's just that because many of China's historical sites have not been successfully inscribed, the United Nations has not recognised them, and foreign countries do not recognise them and do not know much about them.'

'...'

Seeing that the three women were captivated by what he was saying, Xia Yu was in high spirits and told them in detail what he knew about the civilisation and characteristics of Huaxia.

Meanwhile, Elena and the others also asked questions from time to time, and Xia Yu answered them in detail and seriously using his knowledge.

The civilisation of Huaxia is full of charm, and it cannot be introduced in just a few words.

Xia Yu's talk instead aroused the three women's deep curiosity.

Cindy Mellon couldn't help but murmur with longing in her eyes, 'The United States was founded only 200 years ago, I really want to go and see what China, with its 5,000-year-old culture, is really like.'

'I once heard my father say that for the past 2,000 years, China has been in the number one position in the world for the vast majority of the time.'

'He has been to China a few times over the years, but he hasn't told me much about it.'

'I wonder when I'll get the chance to go and see China...'

Kumiko Sumito's ethereal and pure voice then sounded out.

At this time, Elena looked at Xia Yu and asked, 'Xia Yu, I remember you saying that your hometown is in China, and that it was your great-grandfather who came to settle in Hong Kong, right?'

'Yes!'

Xia Yu nodded with a smile.

After that, Xia Yu scanned the room with his eyes, finally settling on Elena. He could tell that Elena was actually also very curious about China, but because of her personality, she didn't show it as obviously as Cindy Mellon and Sumitomo Kumiko.

Xia Yu paused for a moment and suddenly said, 'It seems that you all want to go to Huaxia to take a look. Maybe I can take you there.'