Chapter 310 - A Heavy-assault Cruiser
Chapter 310: A Heavy-assault Cruiser
Xia Fei asked with a smile, “Mr. Li, are you satisfied with the piece?”
Li Guan tightened his grip on the glass and answered reluctantly, “It’s not bad.”
He could feel his face burning after uttering the words and had this urge to dig himself a tunnel to hide in.
It was Li Guan who suggested that Xia Fei play the galaxy piano, for he was planning to humiliate Xia Fei with it; alas, instead, he was complimenting him now as Xia Fei’s performance was simply out of everyone’s expectation. Not only did Li Guan fail to achieve his goal, Xia Fei slapped him right in the face, too.
The crowd gave their applause, with even a few sentimental women shedding tears.
Words were not needed to describe how great the performance was. The suffocating pressure it had placed everyone under conquered the scene.
Avril ran out of the crowd, hugged Xia Fei, and buried her face into his chest.
The crowd chuckled, yet their laughter no longer had any hint of disdain but admiration and envy, instead.
Nicole was clapping while in tears, as if she was the one who had jumped into Xia Fei’s arms instead of Avril. She could not help but think how fortunate Avril was to possess something she had always dreamed of. A forlorn pain gripped her heart. Nicole took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Her role in the circle was not as carefree as Avril, for she was carrying the heavy burden of leading the entire Gaia Industries; thus, she must remain firm and independent in front of outsiders.
“Thank you.” Xia Fei told Phantom.
Phantom sighed. “There’s no need to thank me; I’m just simulating the performance so you can play the right keys. It’s you who interpreted ‘Rebirth of the Galaxy’. To be honest, I’ve come to the realization that you possess great talent in music. It might be a little shaky at the start, but you’re able to adapt quickly to the techniques of playing the galaxy piano. You’re like a completely different person at the end, and your ability to perceive music is impressive, too.”
Xia Fei smiled, “We’ll worry about it later; I’m not interested in learning how to play the galaxy piano for now.”
Xia Fei had no idea how to play the galaxy piano. It was actually his first time playing an instrument. Normally, it was unlikely he could play such a difficult piece even with Phantom’s help, yet he somehow did it.
Perhaps the melody had reached somewhere deep in Xia Fei’s heart, for he felt as if he could understand what the melody was conveying. Many musicians lacked the vividness when performing ‘Rebirth of the Galaxy’ because they had never crossed paths with death in their lives. They were clueless about the gruesomeness their hearts would be filled with when darkness arrived.
Xia Fei’s approach was very simple. Phantom would be playing the galaxy piano first, but since he was just an apparition, the galaxy piano would not produce any sound when he was playing. He could only simulate it while humming the melody himself. Xia Fei merely followed the melody and mimicked Phantom’s movements, including the force he was applying to each key while expressing what he thought the melody was conveying.
Xia Fei was a speed ability user. His agility and memory were a lot more impressive than normal people, so he had been able to memorize Phantom’s actions and replay them like a projector.
Since Xia Fei had never practiced playing the instrument, he was a little clumsy at the beginning. He was only able to play the right notes accurately, and his finger placement obviously hinted that he was just an amateur. He was also struggling with his performance, but to his relief, the first symphony was the easiest part of the piece. It gave Xia Fei sufficient time to get the hang of the techniques while perceiving what the melody was trying to tell him.
Xia Fei had already gotten used to playing the galaxy piano when he reached the second symphony. He had also perceived the composer’s original intention when he wrote the piece by then, so he started adding what he had perceived into his performance, and the effects were surprisingly good. Even he was carried away by his performance.
Xia Fei, who had never studied music, was able to perform such a complicated piece despite his clumsy executions.
“Alright, let’s put the piano away and chat among ourselves,” Ernst said with a smile. As Avril’s grandfather, Ernst never wanted Avril to be with Xia Fei. The difference in their status alone was already an impassable obstacle for them, not to mention that Xia Fei had killed his son.
However, as the patriarch of the Jian family, Ernst was very pleased with Xia Fei’s performance tonight. After all, Xia Fei was still his guest. The young man even had the first dance with Avril, so the Jian family would be put to shame too if Xia Fei got picked on.
Ernst was now holding a strong grudge against Li Guan. He had tacitly agreed to Li Guan picking on Xia Fei since he preferred Avril to be with Li Mo. After all, the two were well-matched in terms of their status, but Ernst had never permitted Li Guan to involve the Jian family when he was picking on Xia Fei. Li Guan’s actions had seriously disgusted Ernst.
A few household staff carefully moved the expensive galaxy piano away. It was soon past midnight. According to the traditions of the capital ring, the host of the birthday party, Ernst, would be lighting up fireworks to celebrate his birthday. The party would also enter its next phase.
Everyone’s discussion was still revolving around Xia Fei’s performance. The upper class had the tendency to respect scholars and artists. Xia Fei’s performance might not be enough to help him blend into the circle completely, but it had greatly eliminated the doubts and distrust that many initially had toward him.
Tai having a secret conversation with Xia Fei, Avril asking Xia Fei to be her first dance, and the young man’s remarkable performance of ‘Rebirth of the Galaxy’—Xia Fei had won himself enough bargaining chips. A few sensible people were already taking the initiative to invite Xia Fei to their parties. They believed that Xia Fei might be able to secure himself a spot in the upper circle one day. Many people knew that having an extra friend was better than having an extra enemy. That being said, the so-called friends in the upper circle were not the kind who were willing to take a bullet for others, but the kind who were only concerned about attaining mutual benefits.
Li Guan coldly watched the people strike up conversations with Xia Fei, and suddenly he wore a faint grin. The old man with a goatee, who was taking orders from him, immediately understood his intention. He approached Xia Fei and pretended to give him a toast. He then said in a loud voice, “Xia Fei, I heard that you own a company.”
Xia Fei smiled and said proudly, “That’s right; it’s Quantum Holdings, which is based on my home planet.”
The old man with a goatee nodded. “I heard that Quantum Holdings’ revenue only amounted to 230 million star coins last year.”
The upper class was controlling most of the alliance’s money, so these bigshots were rather sensitive when it came to that. The sum of 230 million was only a monthly allowance to many people at the scene, yet it was the yearly revenue of Xia Fei’s company. The crowd was quite shocked. “Is he actually just a pauper?”
The place immediately fell silent. Even the slow-witted guests knew that the man with a goatee was purposely picking on Xia Fei. Who would suddenly bring up a company’s revenue for no reason? The upper class was very sensitive toward money, but people rarely discussed their earnings in public. They believed that it was embarrassing to be talking about money on an occasion like this, much less if it was just a paltry amount.
Ernst almost passed out from anger. The others might be unaware, but he clearly knew that the man with a goatee was Mandetta. His company owed the Planet Conglomerate Bank a huge debt because of poor management, so the man had submitted himself to Li Guan. He was the typical sycophant.
To think that Mandetta dared to pick on the Jian family in front of the crowd with his financial status. He would not have the guts to do it by himself, so Li Guan was obviously pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Ernst did not speak, but he was glaring at Li Guan. It was already the second time tonight; even a person with a good temper would lose it eventually.
Li Guan turned around and chatted with a foxy woman beside him, pretending that he had nothing to do with the circumstances.
Xia Fei responded calmly, “That’s indeed the case. Quantum Holdings was only established less than three years ago…”
The crowd suddenly chuckled as they listened to Xia Fei introduce his company.
“Three years? Even my dog has been around longer than that.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Shouldn’t a business that has only been around for less than three years, with a yearly revenue of less than three hundred million, be called a workshop, instead?”
“Does that make Xia Fei an owner of a workshop?”
“How amusing; I’ve never thought that I would have the chance to attend the same party as an owner of a workshop.”
Even though the people were talking softly, Xia Fei could still hear them clearly. It was a circle of people with money and fame, so Xia Fei was just a pauper in their eyes, and a pauper had no place in their circle.
Mandetta had no intention to stop there. He was hoping to turn Xia Fei into a laughingstock to fawn upon Li Guan. He was struggling to cheer himself up when he recalled the debt that was due next month. Even though he might end up offending the Jians, he did not owe them any money. Even if he was given a chance to change his mind, he would still choose to side with Li Guan.
“Your family has recently reached a deal with Nucleus Mining. They’ll provide your company with the needed ores for your products, but a few hours ago, that company was bought by Stalwart International and was forced to be liquidated. I’m afraid that the deal between you and Nucleus Mining is no longer valid. I wonder how your company is going to handle that?” Mandetta said gloatingly.
Li Guan was pleased with himself. Everything was done according to his plan, just to teach Xia Fei a lesson. A mining company was as insignificant as an ant to Planet Conglomerate, the biggest bank in the alliance. Driving the company that was working with Xia Fei’s company bankrupt to disrupt Quantum Holdings’ operations was akin to ordering a cup of coffee in a café, yet it was a deadly blow to Xia Fei’s company, which had only started not long ago.
Xia Fei was startled. Charlie did mention the ores meant to be used for producing the energy-shield boosters were bought by other parties at an extremely low price. Was it the same company this man had just mentioned?
“I have yet to receive any news about Nucleus Mining’s bankruptcy. Where did you hear about it?” Xie Fei asked.
Mandetta said indifferently, “Certain things are never a secret. Many people in the circle already know that Nucleus Mining’s liquidation will be disclosed tomorrow morning.”
Xia Fei smiled. “That’s fine; we’ll still get our deposit back if the company has gone bankrupt. We’ll just need to find another company to work with.”
“It’s not that simple,” Mandetta said cunningly. “The liquidation of a company won’t be completed within a day. I’m afraid that it may take some time. I heard that your company had signed a five-year contract with them. The deposit must be a lot for a small company like yours. If you can’t get the deposit back, won’t it affect the company’s operation?”
Xia Fei displayed outstanding psychological qualities while handling Mandetta’s aggressive provocation. He was being neither servile nor overbearing as he calmly answered the questions. It was Tai who felt anxious, instead.
Tai took a step forward and said in a hoarse voice, “Quantum Holdings is now an official A-list supplier of the military. Even if Nucleus Mining did go bankrupt, other mining companies should be more than willing to work with Quantum Holdings, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad news for it.”
“What?! Xia Fei’s workshop is an A-list supplier to the military?”
“How’s that possible? Not every company has the chance to work with the military, much less be an A-list supplier for it. It’s far more superior than ordinary suppliers.”
“I wouldn’t believe it if Xia Fei said this himself, but it’s Tai who said it. Are you seriously doubting his words?”
The crowd began discussing among themselves. Li Guan suddenly felt like the world was spinning. The plot twist was crazier than a science fiction novel. He was planning to use the fact that Xia Fei’s company did not have much influence to crush him and then threaten Xia Fei to end his relationship with Avril before murdering him.
However, Tai’s words had completely destroyed his plan. Even an idiot knew the consequences of going against the will of the military. If Xia Fei was now an A-list supplier of the military, it meant that Quantum Holdings would be providing the military with essential equipment. Even the formidable Li family could not stir any trouble with Quantum Holdings. After all, Xia Fei had the alliance’s army behind him.
The crowd suddenly became passionate. Many strangers went up to Xia Fei to introduce themselves and give him their contacts.
Xia Fei handled the situation calmly, claiming that he was only the owner of Quantum Holdings and did not take part in its management. He gave them Charlie’s contact, instead.
Avril was observing everything happily. Every woman would want their man to excel, and Xia Fei’s performance had greatly exceeded her expectation. She could not help but feel that she was the luckiest woman in the world.
The attention Xia Fei was getting served a great contrast with the sense of loss the Li father-son duo was feeling. Li Guan took a deep breath after seeing how dispirited his son was. He then turned and left while Li Mo followed behind him with his head lowered.
…
“Admiral Tai, thank you.” Xia Fei found the chance to express his gratitude.
Tai nodded. “I was just saying the truth. You will soon understand that being an A-list supplier of the military isn’t as simple as you think. Your prosperity and decline is tightly related to the military’s strength, so the military won’t just sit and watch when someone tries to pick on you. That being said…”
Xia Fei said, “I must keep my promise and fulfill my end of the deal punctually without compromising on the quality of the products.”
Tai chuckled. “That’s right. You’re a smart man. Our relationship is based on mutual benefits. Once you receive the plaque tomorrow, you should measure its weight first before hanging it up.”
Xia Fei was confused. “Didn’t you say I still need to wait for the Congress and the President’s approval?”
Tai said confidently, “Those politicians have no say in the military. They must pass the motion if I say so. The military serves the alliance instead of a single person or organization. Besides, I’ve already given my word today. The whole alliance will know about it soon, so we can simply skip the formalities.”
Xia Fei smiled. He admired Tai’s attitude of not treating the politicians seriously. The military possessed absolute power, so it would be disastrous to the people if a person or an organization was controlling it.
…
Avril quietly stood on one side while Xia Fei handled the crowd. She was holding a glass of juice as she ate fresh crystal grapes.
The surprise Xia Fei had given her tonight was beyond what she had imagined. She was unusually calm. The world had always belonged to men. Avril felt a lot more at ease after Xia Fei secured a spot on the big stage of the Pan-human Alliance.
Nicole came over. The two young women sat side by side while observing Xia Fei.
They were so alike, yet they were completely different, too.
Avril had Xia Fei. She was able to rely on him for everything, and she would rely on him even more from now onward. Xia Fei was the one who had stepped forward too in her most difficult time.
Nicole never had a person like that. She had to bear everything with her young and tender shoulders.
“You’re very lucky.” Nicole took a sip of the wine and spoke softly.
Avril blushed a little, then replied softly, “I think so, too.”
Nicole let out a sigh. She began drinking even one glass after another.
“I’ll go and talk to Xia Fei for a while. Do you mind?” Nicole asked mysteriously.
“Go ahead,” Avril replied.
“Aren’t you worried that I’m going to steal him?”
Avril wore a cunning look. “Xia Fei won’t leave me.”
“You’re that confident?” Nicole asked in a surprised tone.
“Would a man who risked his life for you leave you so easily? Unless I’ve done something wrong, but how could I possibly dare to hurt him?” Avril said in a voice filled with joy, then she subconsciously looked at Xia Fei.
Nicole was lost in her thoughts. She emptied the glass of wine in her hand before going to Xia Fei while murmuring under her breath, “It’s true that the world has never been fair.”
Nicole brought Xia Fei to a corner. He was a bit worried, since the lady was obviously a little drunk. She was already stammering slightly.
“Where’s the number I gave you?”
“I threw it away,” Xia Fei said honestly.
“Why?” Nicole glared at Xia Fei.
“Because I don’t need a job now.” Xia Fei smiled.
Nicole fell silent for a moment before she laughed self-mockingly. She took out a pen from her bag and wrote a number on Xia Fei’s palm. She said softly, “Call me at nine in the morning tomorrow. I won’t wait anymore after nine.”
Xia Fei frowned. “What for?”
Nicole said mysteriously, “I’m giving you a gift.”
Xia Fei smiled. “Miss Nicole, it’s my pleasure to be able to serve you, so you shouldn’t think too much about it.”
Nicole did not seem to hear it; she merely turned and went down Half Moon Hill, indifferently saying as she did, “No man is stupid enough to reject a heavy-assault cruiser, and you don’t look stupid to me.”