As Boss Ma was introducing his company, Mavi suddenly had the urge to interrupt him and say directly, "Alright, stop talking. I'll invest in you, okay? Is 30 million enough? If not, how about 50 million?"
"In U.S. dollars."
Of course, these words only existed in Mavi's mind. He wasn't foolish enough to actually say them out loud.
It was all because of his past life's perception of Boss Ma—his status and image were leagues ahead, untouchable. But in this life, their roles had completely reversed…
"Alright, Mr. Ma, it's a pleasure to meet you! How about we discuss business over a meal?" With experience from two lifetimes, Mavi could be exceptionally professional when he wanted to be.
"Sure, sure! Let me introduce you, Mr. Mavi. This is my business partner, Qiu Yangping. He's the operations director of our company, Alibaba."
The young Boss Ma spoke with enthusiasm, exuding an energetic spirit. His hair was also noticeably fuller than it would be a decade later.
"Mm, nice to meet you." Mavi casually shook hands with Qiu Yangping. Then, with an arm around Jennifer's slender waist, he led Boss Ma and Qiu Yangping into the Summer Palace.
With bodyguards clearing the way, Jennifer walked on Mavi's left, while Boss Ma and Qiu Yangping walked on his right.
"Mr. Mavi, have you visited the Summer Palace before? It was built by Emperor Qianlong as a tribute to the Empress Dowager Xiaosheng. The construction cost 4.48 million taels of silver..." In an effort to keep the conversation flowing, Boss Ma took on the role of a tour guide.
Mavi strolled leisurely among the bodyguards. This wasn't his first time at the Summer Palace—he had been here as a tourist before. But this time, his perspective was vastly different from his past life.
The park was filled with various halls, pavilions, and corridors, boasting over 3,000 structures. Among them, the Ting Li Guan (Listening to Orioles Pavilion) was one of the most important. Nestled on the southern slope of Longevity Hill, it faced the rippling waters of Kunming Lake, with lush bamboo groves surrounding it. Back in the day, Empress Dowager Cixi loved to watch operas and listen to music here...
"By the way, Mr. Mavi, are you dining at Ting Li Guan today? Their imperial cuisine is excellent!" Boss Ma widened his eyes and gave Mavi a thumbs-up, signaling that the place was top-notch.
"Their medicinal and longevity dishes are also quite famous. Very delicious!" Qiu Yangping added in English.
However, the two of them had yet to realize something—Mavi had traveled all this way not just for regular palace cuisine but for the legendary Manchu Han Imperial Feast. The kind of meal they were talking about wasn't even in the same league. After all, back in the year 2000, the Manchu Han Imperial Feast at Ting Li Guan was not something just anyone could eat, no matter how much money they had.
Five minutes later, as they approached the restaurant, they saw a long row of women dressed in pink and red palace outfits, wearing traditional headdresses, standing in front of the elegant, antique building. It was as if they were welcoming some kind of royalty.
"Why are there so many greeters today?" Qiu Yangping muttered in confusion. The last time he visited Ting Li Guan, there were only two greeters at the door, and they weren't particularly attractive. The current lineup was on an entirely different level.
Just as he was wondering about it, a middle-aged woman dressed in a palace outfit stepped forward. She appeared to be the manager, around her forties, and spoke in slightly broken English:
"Excuse me… Are you Mr. Mavi from Russia?"
"Yes, that's us."
The female translator quickly stepped in, worried that the manager's English might embarrass them in front of a foreign guest.
"Alright, alright! Welcome, welcome! Please, come inside!" Seeing that they had their own translator, the manager breathed a sigh of relief and switched to Mandarin, which was actually more comfortable for Mavi. He really had no interest in speaking English or Russian at this moment—it was too much of a hassle.
The line of young women behind the manager, all elegant and poised, smiled at Mavi. It was obvious they had already identified the true VIP among the group.
Boss Ma and Qiu Yangping, who were unintentionally overlooked, couldn't help but feel the cold indifference from their "compatriots."
But there was nothing they could do about it. In terms of wealth, status, and connections, they were undeniably playing supporting roles today. To put it bluntly, they were just here to bask in Mavi's glow.
"Mr. Mavi, don't tell me you actually reserved the Manchu Han Imperial Feast at Ting Li Guan?" Boss Ma and Qiu Yangping finally caught on. Based on the level of reception, Mavi was clearly receiving the highest-tier, state-guest treatment!
"Something like that." Mavi smirked and blinked, not wanting to show off too much.
Thanks to his family's extensive connections in Beijing and ties to the Russian Embassy, securing this meal had been effortless. All it took was some cash.
"Impressive!"
Boss Ma couldn't help but give another thumbs-up. If he remembered correctly, there was once a rich businessman who tried to pull strings and offered 250,000 RMB just to have the Manchu Han Imperial Feast at Ting Li Guan. But the restaurant flatly refused him. Their reason? The man was just a nouveau riche who reeked of money and had no respect for traditions—he thought wealth alone could buy anything.
By contrast, Mavi gave off an entirely different aura—calm, composed, and cultured. Despite his net worth exceeding billions of dollars, he still treated people with kindness, even if they were just ordinary folk.
"Boss Ma, you flatter me." Mavi chuckled, then put his arm around Jennifer and followed the palace-dressed greeters into a refined, elegantly decorated private dining room.
As they walked through the restaurant, the sight of this extravagant procession caught the attention of many diners, who kept turning their heads. It was obvious to anyone with a keen eye—Ting Li Guan had rolled out the red carpet for this foreign-looking man.
"Mr. Ma, the imperial kitchen has prepared everything. Shall we begin serving the dishes now?" The female manager of Ting Li Guan asked in Mandarin.
However, she hadn't noticed something—although Mavi's name was Russian, he wasn't actually surnamed Ma! His real surname was Mikoyan!
The only actual Ma present was the man who had just taken his seat—Boss Ma, or Ma Yun (Jack Ma).
Fortunately, Mavi played along with his Russian identity and pretended not to understand. Otherwise, the situation could have turned awkward very quickly.