novelslam Chapter 179 Past, Present and Future
Chapter 179 Past, Present and Future
Late June 1989.
London, England.
A persistent white mist hung over the Thames. The mist carried the faint fishy smell of the river and the coal smoke drifting from the distant old industrial area, shrouding the Victorian buildings on both banks in a hazy gray-blue hue.
A luxury vintage cruise ship, fully booked and custom-made, is moored next to the exclusive boarding pier on the Victoria Embankment.
The school trip for the high school students of Sheng Hua Academy is about to come to an end here.
Along the dock, the yellow glow of the streetlights cast long shadows on the water. The students had long since changed out of their dark blue school uniforms. The boys, dressed in tailored tuxedos or dark evening suits, their hair tied in Windsor knots, gathered in twos and threes by the deck railing. The girls, on the other hand, wore long silk and taffeta dresses carefully prepared by their families. Boys and girls mingled together, holding crystal glasses of non-alcoholic champagne, chatting quietly.
The fabric rustled softly in the night breeze.
The teacher in charge stood at the entrance of the gangway, his brows slightly furrowed, and looked up at his watch once more.
There were only five minutes left before the cruise ship was scheduled to depart.
Just as he was hesitating whether to give the order to set sail, two beams of dim yellow headlights pierced through the night fog of the Thames and swept over from around the corner of the embankment.
A black Rolls-Royce Phantom skimmed through the puddles, silently gliding into the dock and finally coming to a smooth stop at the end of the red carpet.
The engine stalled.
The driver, wearing white gloves, quickly walked around the front of the car and respectfully opened the rear door.
A pair of feet wearing silver strappy high heels stepped onto the carpet.
Saionji Satsuki got off the car.
At this moment, she was wearing a moon-white haute couture evening gown. The silk fabric shimmered with a pearly luster under the dim streetlights, and the cut perfectly hugged the girl's slender waist.
Her long hair was tied back with a pearl-encrusted hairpin. A necklace hung quietly around her fair neck.
Marie Antoinette's Bourbon Ruby.
The surface of the uncut gemstone has a hazy, misty quality. It absorbs the surrounding light, refracting a rich, somber dark red at its deepest point.
The teacher in charge breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Saionji-kun, you've finally arrived."
"I'm sorry to have worried you."
Satsuki bowed slightly, her face bearing an impeccable, gentle smile.
"There was a trust document from the family's European branch that required my personal confirmation and signature, which took some extra time to process. I really apologize for disrupting everyone's schedule."
The teacher in charge waved his hand repeatedly, his anxiety instantly turning into extreme respect.
"Not at all, family matters are naturally the top priority. As long as you arrive safely, the departure time of the cruise ship can be postponed for you."
The boys and girls around them stopped talking and turned their attention to Satsuki boarding the ship.
Their gazes were a mixture of awe and envy. Several young tycoon sons, who were usually arrogant and haughty, even subconsciously straightened their ties and stood up straight.
Satsuki smiled and nodded to everyone.
She lifted the hem of her moon-white skirt, and her silver strappy high heels clicked softly and steadily on the wooden gangway covered with a red carpet.
The cruise ship let out a low whistle and slowly sailed away from the dock.
The bow cut through the black surface of the Thames, stirring up layers of white foam.
The panoramic glass restaurant on the second floor of the cruise ship is brightly lit.
A brass chandelier hanging from the dome cast a warm glow. A pristine white linen tablecloth covered the long dining table, where silver cutlery and bone china plates were neatly arranged.
On a semi-circular stage in one corner of the hall, an invited string quartet was playing Edward Elgar's "Salut d'Amour." The rich sound of the cello echoed in the cabin, which was kept at a constant temperature of twenty-two degrees Celsius.
Satsuki walked straight to the semi-private booth on the right side of the restaurant.
As I passed the long table in the center, several boys were gathered together, their voices filled with excitement.
"Yesterday in Frankfurt, my father let me sit in on the machine tool procurement negotiations with Siemens of Germany." A young man swirled his wine glass. "Although it was tedious, watching a contract worth tens of millions of marks being written down definitely felt different."
"I bought a 1928 Bentley at Sotheby's yesterday," another boy chimed in. "I'm going to ship it back to Tokyo and put it in my garage as a display piece."
Satsuki walked past them, leaving behind a very faint scent of lily of the valley.
The boys immediately quieted down and nodded to her.
Satsuki responded with a smile and stopped in front of a booth by the window.
Ayako Yoshino and Reiko Isokawa were already seated there.
"Satsuki, over here." Ayako gently waved.
Satsuki sat down on the velvet armchair by the window.
A waiter came forward and poured her a cup of warm black tea.
"Where did everyone go during their free time these past few days?" Satsuki picked up her teacup, her gaze sweeping over the two of them.
Ayako put down the silver spoon in her hand and picked up a thick auction catalog that was on the corner of the table.
I went to Sotheby's auction house yesterday morning.
Ayako's tone carried a calm indifference, as if she were used to it.
"My father arranged for me to bid on a set of 19th-century Victorian sterling silver tableware in the name of the family. It was a total of 120 pieces, and it was even engraved with the coat of arms of a British viscount. Although the appreciation potential of silverware itself is limited, such items with historical heritage can certainly enhance the family's cultural atmosphere when entertaining guests."
Ayako chuckled self-deprecatingly, her fingers tracing the exquisite silver artifacts in the catalog.
"After all, for nouveau riche like us who made our fortunes through abacus calculations, what we need most is to spend money to buy some of the glory of other people's ancestors to decorate our image."
She turned a page of the catalog, the paper rustling crisply, and smoothly transitioned to the next topic.
"In the afternoon, the branch manager took me to sit in on a syndicated loan meeting with Barclays. The legal terms, all in English, sounded very dry, and the agreement on European interest rate swaps was even more complicated. However, seeing tens of millions of pounds move through the contracts firsthand was definitely more intuitive than economics courses at school."
Reiko listened from the side and nodded slightly.
She picked up a napkin and touched the corner of her mouth.
"Grandpa's task for me this time was much simpler. He had me look at a few properties."
Reiko looked out the window at the riverside buildings receding into the distance.
"Finally, we selected a manor in Surrey, a suburb of London. It's a Tudor-style building with a 50-acre private horse ranch and a rose garden. The agent said the previous owner was a bankrupt steel tycoon. I've already signed a letter of intent to buy it as a family holiday home in England. In the future, when we come to Europe in the summer, we won't always have to squeeze into hotel suites."
The sound of strings was melodious.
The laughter and chatter of the boys at the next table mingled with the clinking of cutlery.
Nineteenth-century silverware. A credit conference involving tens of millions of pounds. A fifty-acre estate. A Bentley in 1928.
For ordinary people, this is like a fantasy, a goal that they could never achieve even if they spent their entire lives trying.
But at this table covered with a linen tablecloth, this was merely what the students called a "qualified training session."
"Where's Satsuki?"
Ayako turned her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"You've been separated from the group these past few days, and you didn't even go to the auction. What good stuff did you manage to buy?"
Reiko also came over, her eyes fixed on Satsuki.
Satsuki held a bone china teacup.
She looked at the amber-colored black tea in her cup, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"I?"
Her voice was soft.
"I only bought some old books, a few buckets of spoiled grape juice, and a pile of rusty scrap metal."
Ayako paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Reiko laughed along, covering her mouth with her handkerchief. Several boys at the next table chuckled softly, seemingly finding the young lady of the Saionji family to have a unique sense of humor.
"Satsuki, you're joking again." Ayako shook her head with a smile. "How could the Saionji family buy those old things? You must have gone to see some master's top-secret art exhibition again, or bought some historical building."
"It's really just some old stuff."
Satsuki put down her teacup, but the smile in her eyes didn't reach the depths of her pupils.
The soft sound of leather shoes on the carpet drew near.
A man dressed as a cruise ship waiter pushed a food cart over.
He was wearing a crisp white vest and a black bow tie, his eyes lowered behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
Fujita Tsuyoshi.
He seamlessly integrated into the cruise ship's service system, even adjusting his walking pace to the light and inconspicuous rhythm of a waiter.
"Excuse me, ladies."
Fujita said in fluent English.
He picked up the silver teapot and tilted it slightly. The scalding hot black tea was poured precisely into the teacup in front of Satsuki.
During this process, he held a clean white napkin in his left hand, seemingly casually placing it under the base of the teacup, wiping away non-existent water stains.
Rotate your wrist.
A folded square sticky note, concealed by the napkin, silently slid to the edge of the saucer.
Enjoy your meal.
Fujita bowed slightly, pushed the food cart back into the passageway, and disappeared into the shadows behind the door.
Satsuki's expression remained unchanged.
She extended her right hand and picked up the teacup. Her index and middle fingers naturally held the note, gathering it in her palm.
Unfold.
The black ink on white paper reflects Fujita Tsuyoshi's consistently concise and to-the-point handwriting.
It's only a few lines long.
Satsuki's gaze swept quickly across the sticky note.
[All en primeur purchases have been confirmed. Irrevocable contracts have been signed for 30% of the 1989 vintage en primeur allocations from Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Mouton Rothschild, and funds have been transferred from the group's offshore account.]
One of the greatest vintages of the century in Bordeaux in half a century. This 30% allocation effectively cuts off nearly a third of the future liquidity of the world's top red wine market. In the coming decades, this liquid gold will appreciate dramatically in the cellars of the Saionji family.
Of course, the Saionji family may not care about that slight increase in value now, but they can never have too many of these fine wines; they can keep them for themselves.
Shift your gaze downwards.
[Two tons of unnumbered wild gold, unpublished Picasso manuscripts, and a complete set of antiques by Count Nicolas de Rochefort, including original sketches by Dürer, all owned by Abel Rosenberg. The three additional medieval artifacts you requested for acquisition have all been transferred through special channels. All of the above assets have been safely transferred to an underground vault in Zurich.]
The ultimate hard currency, capable of withstanding any inflation and regime change. Two tons of gold without any traceability, plus enough art treasures to support a national museum. The value of these items far exceeds the 19th-century tableware set in Ayako's hands.
My gaze fell on the last line.
The miniature film roll for the Carl Zeiss extreme ultraviolet lithography lens's front optical design, along with the precise chemical formula parameters for the special optical glass, has been safely retrieved and loaded onto the polishing machine's base. The special aircraft has entered international airspace and is heading directly to Tokyo.
The theoretical culmination of East Germany's national system. The most insurmountable optical barrier for the future semiconductor manufacturing industry.
Although it's only preliminary design and material formulation, lacking Western precision machine tools and microelectronic control systems, it's currently just a bunch of advanced data that can't be directly put into production.
But this is already the most crucial piece of that monopoly puzzle.
The remaining light source technology and mechanical control systems... go buy them. Just go to the US and West Germany and bring them back.
Europe's past, present, and future.
The sediment of history, tangible wealth, and the throat of technology.
It's best to secure all the profits.
Satsuki finished reading the final report. Her breathing remained steady.
He folded the note back into place with both hands.
She picked up the bone china teacup and took a small sip of black tea.
The warm liquid slid down my throat.
Across from them, Ayako was still enthusiastically describing the intricate patterns on the silverware set, while Reiko was discussing which varieties of roses needed to be replaced at the estate. The boys at the next table were still discussing the machine tool exhibition in Frankfurt.
Satsuki listened quietly.
The revaluation of the assets was instantly completed in her mind. Her grand, and audacious plan had taken another step forward.
The cruise ship moved smoothly through the dark river.
Outside the window, a massive steel outline appeared above the river.
Tower Bridge, London.
The two Gothic towers, illuminated by floodlights at night, take on a stark gray-blue hue. A massive suspension bridge spans the river.
"Look! It's Tower Bridge!"
The students in the restaurant erupted in barely suppressed gasps of surprise.
Everyone put down their knives and forks, the boys straightened their coats, and the girls lifted their skirts, rushing towards the open-air deck on the outside.
Camera flashes lit up the deck frequently, illuminating the night fog over the Thames.
Ayako and Reiko also stood up.
"Satsuki, shall we go take some photos together?" Ayako asked, turning her head.
Satsuki shook her head slightly.
"You guys go ahead. It's windy outside."
The two walked together onto the deck.
The restaurant suddenly became empty. The string quartet was still playing diligently.
Satsuki remained seated on the velvet armchair by the window.
The cruise ship sailed under Tower Bridge.
A massive steel shadow enveloped the entire glass cabin. Yellow lights from the bridge shone through the glass, casting dappled shadows on her face.
In the bone china cup on the table.
As the cruise ship moved forward through the waves, tiny ripples spread across the surface of the amber-colored tea.
The liquid surface reflected the outside lights and swayed incessantly.
"when--"
From the direction of Westminster Palace in the distance, a deep and resonant chime pierced through layers of rain and mist.
Big Ben chimes on the hour.
The chimes echoed across the Thames.
Satsuki picked up the cup of black tea.
She turned her head and looked out the window at the dark Thames River.
He slightly raised his wrist and raised his glass very gently towards the darkness.
"The holiday is over."
She said softly.
Just then, a sharp whistling sound tore through the rain and mist over the Thames.
"call out--"
"Bang!"
Golden light instantly illuminated the night sky. The closing fireworks show, customized by Saint Hua Academy, had begun.
A cheer erupted from the students on the foredeck, filled with exclamations of amazement.
Satsuki put down her teacup.
She stood up and straightened her pale white skirt. Avoiding the passageway leading to the bustling foredeck, she turned and pushed open the glass door leading to the stern of the cruise ship.
A river breeze blew in.
The high heels made a slight thud as they stepped on the damp, non-slip wooden floor.
The open deck at the stern of the cruise ship was deserted.
Satsuki walked to the wooden fence and gently placed her hands on the cool railing.
The river water churned at the stern of the boat, creating white foam before quickly disappearing into the night.
Fireworks burst open one after another in the night sky. Red, green, purple.
Multicolored light spots were reflected in her clear black and white eyes, flickering on and off.
"call out--"
The final, massive firework, trailing a long whistle, pierced through the low-hanging clouds.
The fireworks reached their highest point.
Then, it exploded.
come down.
Darkness once again engulfed everything.