The next day, Dai Li flew to the capital to apply for a British visa.
The visa application went smoothly this time. It can be said that it was a green light all the way. The British visa officer saw the invitation letter from Duke Gale and stamped the approval without saying anything.
Among British official institutions, hereditary nobles still enjoy certain privileges. The fixed seats of hereditary nobles in the House of Lords greatly protect the interests of the nobles. The British Parliament is elected every five years, and the Prime Minister is also elected every five years, but the number of seats for hereditary nobles is always so large. The so-called smooth Prime Minister and the iron-clad aristocrats are perfectly normal to describe the British Parliament. In particular, a long-established aristocrat like the Duke of Gale will definitely make the British civil servants show courtesy.
After applying for the visa, Dai Li booked a flight to the UK and spent fifteen hours arriving in Edinburgh.
The injuries caused by Duke Gale's fall from the horse were not serious. Apart from a few scratches, the most important thing was that he twisted his waist. If it were a young person, it would be just fine to do a simple massage and then rest more. But after all, Duke Gale is an old man in his sixties. It is said that old age does not rely on muscles and bones for strength. This simple twist of the waist made Duke Gale bedridden again.
But Duke Gale still didn't trust other rehabilitators. He only identified Li Dai. He would rather lie in bed and endure the back pain than accept treatment from other rehabilitators and wait until Li Dai arrived.
As people get older, their personalities will always become more and more stubborn, just like those old people in China who are deceived into buying health care products. No matter how others persuade them, they are willing to spend hundreds of thousands to buy something that is completely useless.
In that medieval castle, Duke Gale was lying on the bed, receiving a massage from Dai Li.
"My equestrian skills are very good. When I was young, I participated in the Olympic trials for British equestrian athletes. Unexpectedly, I accidentally fell off the horse! Ten years ago, doing this kind of action on a horse was a big deal. It's easy..." Duke Gale talked eloquently.
"Your Majesty the Duke, you have said it. That was ten years ago. Don't forget, you are now over sixty years old. You are no longer a young man. How can you do those fancy riding skills like you did when you were young? Movement." Dai Li paused, and then said: "And you have been in a wheelchair for ten years. During these ten years, various parts of your body, such as muscles and bones, will inevitably degenerate, so doing exercise When exercising, you should be more careful. I suggest that you still exercise under the guidance of a specialized coach.”
"It is precisely because I have been in a wheelchair for ten years that I can't wait to go for a ride on horseback. I have already wasted ten years, and I don't want to continue to waste time." Duke Gale shook his head and said.
At this time, Butler Thompson walked in. He bowed slightly to Duke Gale and said, "Your Excellency, guests from Hong Kong Island are here and are waiting in the lounge."
"Oh, I forgot about this." Duke Gale thought for a few seconds and then said: "I didn't want to see them anymore, so they said I was unwell and pushed me. I have to ask Coach Li to give me more Press for a while.”
"Okay, Your Excellency the Duke." Thompson bowed again and walked out.
Duke Gale turned his head, looked at Dai Li out of the corner of his eye, and then said: "Coach Li, how about having afternoon tea with me later? My chef has prepared the most authentic Scottish desserts, as well as your country's black tea. !”
"It's a great honor!" Dai Li smiled and nodded.
…
There were four Chinese men sitting in the lounge. If Dai Li were here, he would definitely be surprised, because he knew three of them.
Sitting on the sofa on the left is a man in his late sixties with a dignified appearance, and next to him is a middle-aged man in his forties.
These two people were Xiao Dingtian and his assistant Huang Zhicheng.
There is also a man in his sixties on the sofa on the side. This man wears gold-rimmed glasses and has shiny hair. Next to him is a man in his early thirties.
This man in his early thirties is Chai Liang, the third generation of the Chai family in Hong Kong Island, and the man around him in his sixties is Chai Liang's father Chai Zhennan, the eldest son of the Chai Ship King of Hong Kong Island.
Chai Chuanwang is ninety years old. He retired more than ten years ago and handed over the Chai family's business to his son, Chai Zhennan. This means that Chai Zhennan is now the actual person in charge of the Chai family. .
The four people were sitting in the lounge, drinking tea and chatting with each other. However, if there were outsiders present, they would definitely feel that the two sides were at odds with each other and had their own agenda.
"Duke Gale was paralyzed for ten years due to an accident where he fell from a horse. He has just recovered recently." Chai Zhennan continued: "So we came at the right time and took this opportunity to help him recover." Congratulations."
"What I'm more concerned about is whether the Duke of Gale will be willing to stand with us on the Canadian natural gas issue." Xiao Dingtian narrowed his eyes slightly and continued: "The British in my impression are all He is very arrogant, this Duke of Gael may make a lion open his mouth."
“Canadian Natural Gas Company’s piece of meat is indeed valued by many people, but the current European economic prosperity index is not high, and investors are also more cautious. I think no one will offer better cooperation conditions than us. Moreover, after natural gas is extracted, finding a market is also a big problem. Except for emerging markets, it is difficult for European and American countries to digest so much natural gas." Chai Zhennan said, tapping his fingers.
"Yes, although it is a piece of fat, it is a long-term investment." Xiao Dingtian raised his neck inadvertently, as if he was starting to calculate the gains and losses.
The four people waited for a long time and saw the butler Thompson walking in. Thompson was wearing a pair of clean white gloves and two exquisite paper boxes in his hands.
"The four of you have been waiting for a long time." Thompson bowed slightly and continued: "The Duke is feeling a little unwell, so he cannot come to see you today. The Duke asked me to apologize to the four of you. He is very grateful to the four of you. Sir, you have come a long way from here.”
Thompson said, showing an apologetic expression, while Xiao Dingtian and the other four people, the atmosphere instantly became depressing.
"In order to express my apology to the four of you, His Excellency the Duke specially asked me to bring some snacks to the four of you. Our pastry chef once served Her Majesty the Queen. He is one of the best pastry chefs in the UK. These two The boxes are freshly baked biscuits, authentic Scottish taste, please accept them." Thompson said, passing the two cartons to the four of them.
…
Duke Gale leaned on the chair, supporting his back with a cushion, then pointed to the pagoda-shaped dessert plate in front of him, and said: "Coach Li, my pastry chef once served Her Majesty the Queen, but Your Majesty, he seems Not too fond of traditional Scottish biscuits.”
"I think this is very delicious." Li Dai smiled and continued: "Actually, I haven't done much research on European desserts. I can't even tell the difference between British desserts and French desserts, but I think this is really delicious. It’s delicious.”
"As long as you like it, I'll ask the butler to pack a box for you when you leave." Duke Gale turned on the chatterbox mode again. It was rare for someone to like his afternoon tea so much, so Duke Gale kept talking. Let’s start by commenting on the afternoon tea culture in various European countries.
Dai Li listened helplessly, looking out the window inadvertently, and happened to see four people leaving the castle.
"The backs of those two people seem familiar! They remind me of Xiao Dingtian and his assistant Huang Zhicheng!" Li Dai thought of this and shook his head mockingly: "This is England, how could I meet them? Do you have 'father-in-law phobia'?"
…
"Well, after waiting for several hours, I got a box of biscuits!" Huang Zhicheng sat in the car, holding the box of Scottish biscuits, and continued with some anger: "This Duke of Gael's shelf is also big enough. We were sent away with a box of biscuits.”
"It's two boxes of biscuits. Chai Zhennan, wasn't he dismissed by a box of biscuits?" Xiao Dingtian's expression was still very calm, and there was a color of reflection in his eyes. He continued: "What happened today, I am also responsible, it seems that I overestimated Chai's connections in the UK."
"Chairman, when you say this, it seems like this is true. Mr. Chai boasted so much about himself before that he could speak to any British noble. It was as if the Queen of England would give his family three cents of noodles. But it's really... In England, you can’t even see a duke." Huang Zhicheng said with disdain.
"Perhaps even Mr. Chai himself overestimated his own existence. Speaking of which, the old shipping king was indeed quite prosperous. He was also a justice of the peace, and was personally received by the Queen of England, who gave him a knighthood. His For a person of this status, the Hong Kong Governor will show courtesy to him when he sees him."
When Xiao Dingtian said this, he sighed and continued: "It sounds like he has mixed into the British upper class and entered their aristocratic circle, but now it seems that these British guys don't regard him as their own at all. Human. Think about it, after all, it was a colony back then, and your British guy was your master, and he tried his best to show his loyalty, but the British guy may not treat you like a dog!"
"Chairman, what should we do? Duke Gale refuses to see us, so we can't keep dragging it out like this, right? Do you want to think of other ways? Or inquire about other ways?" Huang Zhicheng asked.
"It's too late to find other ways now!" Xiao Dingtian pouted, and then said: "Chai Zhennan definitely doesn't give up. He will make an appointment with Duke Gale tomorrow. Let's wait first."
…
"Your Excellency, Mr. Chai and Mr. Xiao from yesterday are here again today and are waiting in the reception room." Thompson's standard British butler accent was exceptionally deep and rich.
"Why are you here again? You didn't make an appointment with him today, did you?" Duke Gale continued a little irritably.
"It seems that Mr. Chai and Mr. Xiao are determined to get Canadian natural gas, and they are not willing to give up this big piece of meat easily." Thompson smiled and continued: "The father of Mr. Chai once won the Queen's The title bestowed by His Majesty makes him a very prestigious figure on Hong Kong Island."
"No one will show up without an appointment! Her Majesty the Queen has knighted hundreds of people over the years. If I had to meet every one of them, wouldn't it be very busy! Besides, Mr. Chai is only the son of Sir Chai. That's his father. Here you go, I won’t see you if you don’t want to!” Duke Gale shook his head indifferently: “As for the Canadian natural gas issue, I’m not short of money. I’ve been in a wheelchair for ten years, and I don’t want to see it again. Don't waste time on things like making money, I want to enjoy life. See off my guests for me!"
"Okay, Your Excellency Duke." Thompson nodded.
"By the way, is it time for Coach Li to come?" Duke Gale then asked.
Thompson looked at his watch: "An hour ago, the driver had already set off to pick up Coach Li from the hotel. If we count the time, he will be here soon."
"Then let the chef prepare more afternoon tea." Duke Gale continued: "I had a good chat with Coach Li yesterday."
Thompson chuckled and nodded without answering. He knew the virtues of his fast-talking Duke. Yesterday afternoon, instead of chatting with Dai Li, it was better to say that Duke Gale was talking non-stop there by himself. stop.
…
"Mr. Chai, Mr. Xiao, I'm very sorry. Your Excellency the Duke has a very full schedule today. He has distinguished guests to meet soon, so you two should go back first." Thompson looked very sorry and personally Chai Zhennan, Xiao Dingtian and other four people arrived at the door.
It's been a long time since Xiao Dingtian had been rejected like this. At least in domestic shopping malls, no one dared to reject Xiao Ding like this.
But this is Britain, not Xiao Dingtian's own territory. Xiao Dingtian has to act based on other people's faces. The status of Duke Gale is second only to the royal family in the UK. If the top of this kind of hereditary nobleman shows off, others will really have nothing to do with him.
In terms of assets, although Duke Gale is not as good as Xiao Dingtian, he is still worth billions of pounds. Moreover, most of the properties of these British nobles exist in the form of fixed assets, such as land, houses, precious metals, works of art, etc. These things basically appreciate steadily in value.
In comparison, the assets of entrepreneurs like Xiao Dingtian mainly come from holding shares in their own companies. If the company's stock price rises, they may become the richest man in the blink of an eye. If the stock price falls, their assets will be dozens of times higher. A hundredfold shrinkage. Therefore, neither party has to look at the other's face. Maybe Duke Gale, who has less money, will have a sense of superiority.
Xiao Dingtian is also flexible and flexible. Although he was rejected and was very unhappy in his heart, on the surface, he still looked as calm as before, as if he had not suffered the slightest setback.
Butler Thompson accompanied them out of the castle and came to the parking lot in front of the castle. At this time, a Rolls-Royce also drove from a distance. It was the car sent by the butler to the hotel to pick up Dai Li.
When Thompson saw the Rolls-Royce, a professional smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Is this the distinguished guest that the butler calls him? The person Duke Gale is about to meet is most likely him." Chai Liang whispered in Chinese from behind.
Chai Zhennan and Xiao Dingtian couldn't help but look at the Rolls-Royce. They also wanted to see who the "distinguished guest" Duke Gale was waiting for.
Finally, the Rolls-Royce stopped attacking, and Thompson stepped forward to open the door. He said enthusiastically: "Coach Li, you are finally here! His Excellency the Duke has been waiting for you!"
"Coach Li?" Huang Zhizhong repeated the title involuntarily, and Xiao Dingtian also frowned slightly. For these two people, the title "Coach Li" does have some different meanings.
The next moment, Dai Li stepped out of the car.
At this moment, Huang Zhicheng's expression was as cute as an owl in a tree.
And Xiao Dingtian, a big boss who kept his mood and anger secretive, also looked like he couldn't laugh or cry.
Only Chai Liang couldn't help but exclaimed: "Li Dai! Why are you here?"
Chai Liang's voice also attracted Li Dai's attention. The first thing he saw was not Chai Liang, but Xiao Dingtian.
"Why is Yu Nan's father here? He came to England to break up the two of us! My future father-in-law must be too cruel!" Li Dai thought in confusion.