Chapter 682 - Setting Up a Branch in Kyoto

Translator: Thyaeria

Kim Jung-yeon realised that she had taken it too far. She gave an embarrassed smile towards Su Tao before retrieving six notebooks from her bag, chuckling as she handed the books over. “These will be given out as rewards for activities in the fan club, so please sign them.”

Standing to the side, Kim Jung-ho shook his head, wondering if he really was Kim Jung-yeon’s biological brother.

After all, the treatment that he received from his sister was too great compared to Su Tao!

Sitting before the desk, Su Tao tried signing his signature in several styles on a piece of paper. When Kim Jung-yeon went over to take a look, a strand of her hair came in contact with Su Tao’s nose and the fragrance made Su Tao involuntarily take a deep breath. Covering her mouth with her hand, Kim Jung-yeon chuckled, “The style for the second one looks great!”

Turning his head to look at Kim Jung-yeon, Su Tao asked, “Why do I think that the third one looks better?”

However, Kim Jung-yeon stuck to her own view and replied, “The second version is gentle and smooth, and it’s more fitting for girls. The third one is too strong and firm.”

“Shouldn’t that be suitable for a man like me instead?” Su Tao was baffled.

“Do you know what the fans are calling you?” Kim Jung-yeon smiled as she continued, “They’re all calling you ‘Young Idol’.”

Su Tao sighed upon listening to her words. He could be considered mature, but it’s a pity that the current society placed importance on appearance. No matter how talented and cultured you were, they would only look at your appearance, and it’s genuinely vexing.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After Su Tao signed his name on the notebooks, Kim Jung-yeon carefully stowed them and asked as she held onto her cheek, “The number of fans is increasing daily, and it’s starting to pose a difficulty in management. We’re preparing to hire a few people to help out.”

“Do you need me to fund you for that?” Su Tao smiled.

“No need! Fan clubs like ours are considered a spontaneous organisation, and we’re going on a different route from others.” Kim Jung-yeon solemnly said before she continued, “Only by keeping our individual finances, can we guarantee the content that we release. At the same time, we will be able to host activities that are more suitable to the fans’ mentality.”

Su Tao was stunned since he never expected that Kim Jung-yeon would think so deeply. All of a sudden, he had an idea flashing through his mind and he smiled. “I have a person in mind, and I wonder if you can help him get a fan club established as well?”

“Who is it?” Kim Jung-yeon looked at Su Tao in curiosity.

“Ling Yu! He’s a good friend of mine, and he’s also an outstanding talent in the TCM industry.” Su Tao felt that it would be a pretty good choice to advertise Ling Yu. After all, Ling Yu had a delicate appearance, and he’s also elegant, so he’s undoubtedly more suitable as an idol.

“I know about him.” Kim Jung-yeon smiled before she continued, “Oppa, you truly have a wide breadth of mind. He’s clearly your rival, but you still want to help him.”

“Let me emphasise it again; we’re good friends!” Su Tao smiled.

If he wished to bring TCM onto the global stage, it’s impossible just by relying on him alone. He might be the leading figure, but he also required a mighty army of TCM backing him up. On this matter, Ling Yu was undoubtedly capable, and he could help fill up the army’s strength.

“Alright, I will help him establish a fan club as well. But don’t regret it if he surpasses you one day.” Kim Jung-yeon hoaxed.

“I can understand if he surpasses me.” Su Tao shrugged his shoulders. As someone who feared the camera, it’s a painful task for him to be a public figure.

If Ling Yu becomes the image of TCM as well, he would be able to settle behind the scenes and do the planning, avoiding all the terrifying cameras being directed at him.

Su Tao was never a perfect person. He had many merits, but at the same time, he also had his flaws. For example, he had a fear of the camera, and he would suddenly freeze whenever one was directed at him. He knew that if he wanted to get through it, he would have to rely on himself and talent. It’s not something that he could force.

However, he also wanted to get rid of this flaw. As the leading figure of TCM, he would definitely receive a lot more interviews in the future, so how could he get something done if he’s afraid of the camera?

Su Tao couldn’t take Kim Jung-yeon’s pestering, so in the end, he followed her to shop around. Furthermore, he had also promised Yan Sha that he would bring a present back for her.

Kim Jung-ho also wanted to follow along, but just when they were about to board the cab, he suddenly received a call before he bade his farewell to Su Tao and flagged another cab.

Evidently, Kim Jung-ho wasn’t so free when compared to Su Tao on his trip to Japan.

They arrived at Ginza, a district known as Asia’s most expensive street. Luxury brands could be seen everywhere in sight, and this was a haven for shoppers.

Normally, Kim Jung-yeon was a wise woman. But the moment she arrived at Ginza, she became insane, and it didn’t take long for Su Tao to be holding onto a bunch of bags. Since Kim Jung-yeon was an independent person, she did not get Su Tao to pay the bills, so Su Tao only felt exhausted and not hurting about his wallet.

Not only was Kim Jung-yeon proficient in Mandarin, but she was also proficient in Japanese, so she could bargain for freebies. While Su Tao stood to the side, many women walking past would direct their gazes at him. After all, his looks, temperament, and appearance were outstanding.

“That shop assistant praised your looks!” Kim Jung-yeon happily said after she paid the bill and continued, “It feels great shopping with you.”

Hearing her words, Su Tao was instantly left speechless before he bitterly smiled. “What logic is this?”

Tilting her head, Kim Jung-yeon briefly pondered before she answered, “It’s the same as men going to banquets. They would want to bring someone gorgeous as their partner to boost their confidence.”

Su Tao instantly figured out her logic and smiled. “I thought that women only dragged men along as ATMs.”

“Actually, there’s also another reason!” Kim Jung-yeon winked and continued, “Women are generally more willing to spend when they’re with a man, and they would also make up their mind to buy things that they didn’t dare to buy in the past. ATMs aren't appropriate, and accurately speaking, men are akin to tranquilizers.”

“Indeed, women’s hearts are as deep as the ocean.” Su Tao smiled.

There were two kinds of people in the world that you could easily earn money from: patients and women.

Looking at all the luxury goods, Su Tao could see Chinese characters as well as tourists from China. Looking at this scene, his heart was stirred and he hoped that the Three Flavour International could develop faster and gain a position in a district like Ginza.

The two of them looked for a café where Kim Jung-yeon ordered two cups of coffee. When she saw a smile hanging on Su Tao’s lips, she said, “You have more patience than my brother. If he was in your shoes, he would be grumbling by now.”

“That’s because the relationship between the two of you is different. If your brother was shopping with another woman, he would definitely not get fed up.” Su Tao smiled.

Letting out a sigh, Kim Jung-yeon took a sip of coffee and asked, “Do you think there's an issue with my brother? He might be involved in many scandals, but they are all celebrities of the Hallyu. Till today, he has never brought a genuine girlfriend home.”

“It might be because he has yet to meet the right person. He might have a loose lifestyle, but he will definitely be serious when it comes to marriage.” Su Tao shrugged.

Shaking her head, Kim Jung-yeon mysteriously smiled. “I suspect that he might be putting up an act.”

“What do you mean?” Su Tao was baffled.

“Do you think my brother likes men?” Kim Jung-yeon asked as she blinked her eyes.

Su Tao’s forehead was instantly covered with lines as he bitterly smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Your brother definitely likes women.”

“Actually, even my entire family was also curious about this!” Kim Jung-yeon briefly paused before she asked, “Then again, why are you so certain?”

As Su Tao pondered, he tactfully structured his words and explained, “In TCM, we have a phrase called Yang Disorientation Toxin. When two men engage in that, it will result in a type of disease. Your brother has a normal complexion and pulse, so he does not have any signs of that.”

“Engage in what?” Kim Jung-yeon was perplexed.

Letting out a sigh, Su Tao could only describe through a classic story, “There’s a tycoon that lives in the Meng River in his sixties. He has an unusual sexual preference, and one day, he suddenly felt abdominal pain with a vein-popping on his abdomen that went straight to his diaphragm. The width of the vein is half an inch, and it cannot be touched, nor can he bend his body. Day and night, he would be tortured by the pain of his disease, in which physicians determined it to be Yang Disorientation Toxin.”

Kim Jung-yeon pondered it for a long time before she suddenly blushed and glared at Su Tao. “You immoral rogue!”

Helplessly stretching his hands apart, Su Tao replied, “I can only answer you honestly since you asked me about it.”

Kim Jung-yeon pouted while pretending to be angry at Su Tao then started playing on her phone, ignoring him. But her act only briefly lasted before she couldn’t help talking again, “What do you think about this lady? She’s a crazy fan of yours, and she would post her selfies daily for you.”

Taking a glance at the photo, Su Tao smiled. “I don’t believe in photos, especially selfies taken by girls. Nowadays, beautifying tools are too terrifying.”

“Psh, you’re so picky. If I knew your answer, I wouldn’t have bothered to let you take a look at it.” Kim Jung-yeon took back her phone in annoyance.

Su Tao found Kim Jung-yeon to be adorable in how her mood swings so easily. In TCM, diseases originated from the heart, and with a personality like hers, it wouldn’t be easy for her to fall into depression. Her negative emotions would dissolve by itself, and it’s hard for her to fall sick,

After a brief chat with Kim Jung-yeon, the two of them resumed their shopping. Midway, Su Tao received a call from Ni Jingqiu, telling him that under Mu Jingchen’s re-evaluation, the Fuji Group has gained a whole new understanding of this project. Not only were they not changing the distribution of shares, but they’re also increasing their investments by a fold!

But the prerequisite was for Su Tao to swiftly open a Three Flavour Hall branch in Kyoto.

It was difficult since not only did it concern money; they also had to follow the standard of Japan’s medical enterprises.

Thus, Su Tao gave a call to Cai Yan and told her about the situation. When Cai Yan heard that Su Tao intended to establish their first overseas branch, she was excited and smiled. “You don’t have to hesitate on this matter. It’s a step that we had to take sooner or later, and since we found an opportunity, we will definitely have to grasp it. I will immediately get someone to evaluate the market.”

Right now, Cai Yan had a team behind her. Aside from Zhao Jian, there were also close to twenty others, so she no longer needed to manage everything herself.

When Su Tao ended the call with Cai Yan, he inwardly sighed since he never expected that he would gain such a great harvest on this trip to Japan. Aside from making preparations for the medicine factory, he even found an opportunity to set up a branch.

As Su Tao’s gaze drifted outside the window, he suddenly thought of Asaka Ochi. Ever since that night, there wasn’t any communication between the two of them. However, he believed that Asaka Ochi wasn’t that indifferent to forget about him.