The Versatile Master Artist

The thrill and tension brought by wealth made Mona’s palms sweat a little; the life of small bourgeois taste she dreamed of looked just like this.

”I’ve reserved a table for six.”

Jerry casually said to the waiter, ”The usual, the riverside spot on the second floor.”

Although Jerry acted like he frequented this place for meals, he was actually quite excited to be having dinner at Bistrot 1836.

He had only been here twice before, brought by his dad, and this time was reimbursed by his dad’s approval after he was admitted to Professor Cruz’s advanced class.

The seats on the restaurant’s second floor are rated on Google as the best place to view the Yangon River scenery. At sunset, golden sunlight blankets the shimmering riverbank, with delicate river breezes lifting the curtains by the window.

Who needs food!

Just watching the beautiful scenery is enough!

Which girl could resist such a sophisticated view?

The only pity is,

it’s not a candlelit dinner for two today, but rather with four additional third wheels.

”I’m sorry, sir, but there are already guests conducting business on the second floor.” The manager politely yet firmly refused his request.

”Guests? But there are at least four tables on the second floor?” Jerry frowned.

”VIP reserved.”

The manager raised an eyebrow and pointed to that beautiful Bentley outside.

...

”You have an office in Myanmar? You’re sent by Mr. Tree Sloth.”

Bistrot 1836, second floor.

Gu Weijing stirred the appetizer sweet lime salad with a fork and said in a peculiar tone: ”He... is this wealthy?”

”Our Asia headquarters is located in Xiangjiang, but we have offices in Tokyo, Bangkok, Yangon, and other key financial or tourism cities.”

The blonde young man shook his head, ”Mr. Tree Sloth... sorry, I don’t know the true identity of the Mr. Tree Sloth you mentioned. I’m only responsible for liaising with the office and yourself.”

”The specifics of the intermediary contract have been preliminarily communicated with you via email. One of our long-term clients requested Detective Cat - which is you - to authorize the agency artist agreement to Meiquan Palace Office. And this office will then, in the name of Meiquan Palace, authorize your contract to that client, which is your so-called Mr. Tree Sloth.”

”Um, that’s roughly how it is.” Gu Weijing nodded.

The blonde young man explained: ”The specific process might be a bit complex, but you can trust our capabilities. Business credibility is the cornerstone of the firm’s existence. During this process, we will strictly keep the true identities of both parties confidential.”

”Before officially signing the agreement, let me verify the customer’s requirements once more - ”

The blonde young man took out a Gopro portable camera.

With Gu Weijing’s consent, he activated the recording function and placed it on the table.

Then, he fiddled with the combination lock on his briefcase and pulled out an envelope.

The young man opened the envelope and extracted a slip of paper.

After clearing his throat, he read the elegant German handwriting on the paper aloud.

”Your name?”

”Gu Weijing.”

”You are indeed Detective Cat, specifically ’THE Detective Cat’s shop individual owner on the online part-time platform Nutshell.com?” The blonde young man continued to ask.

”Yes.”

”Can you prove that?”

The young man gazed intently at Gu Weijing.

Gu Weijing pondered for a moment, then took his phone from his pocket, accessed the Nutshell shop backend, and his linked personal email.

”Does this count as proof?”

The blond young man accepted Gu Weijing’s phone with both hands, examined the account, and nodded.

”That’s acceptable.”

He held Gu Weijing’s phone page in front of the camera for a moment, confirmed that its contents were captured, then breathed a sigh of relief.

The information initially obtained suggested Detective Cat was a middle-aged woman living in Algeria, but upon meeting, turned out to be a high school student in Yangon.

The specific reasons behind this belong to the client’s privacy, which he doesn’t concern himself with.

Meiquan Palace Office is only responsible for completing the task entrusted by the client.

The young man’s task is merely to locate Detective Cat and sign the agency agreement, as long as the counterpart can prove she is Detective Cat, it’s sufficient.

Everything else, whether she’s a baby in a cradle or an elderly granny, is none of his business.

To diligently fulfill his duties without asking inappropriate questions is the basic professional ethics when working for wealthy clients.

To prevent handwriting from revealing identities, the blond young man, in Gu Weijing’s presence, ignited the lighter and burned the handwritten note from Mr. Tree Sloth in an ashtray.

Then he lifted his head again, his smile becoming more sincere.

The blonde young man took a paper document and pen from his briefcase.

”This is the specific authorization agreement, if there is anything unclear about the content, please feel free to check.”

”And I - provided you agree - will become your private adviser.”

”Private adviser?”

”Handling investment audits, tax reporting, and avoidance in your daily income. And if needed, representing you in public events under the identity of private advisor.”

He placed his computer on the table and opened a refined PPT.

”Mr. Gu, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daisen Leon, graduated with a finance mathematics major at London School of Economics, earned a master’s degree from ESACP-Europe Berlin High School of Business. I’m a chartered accountant, previously worked at PwC for four years, handling regional actuarial services as director...”

Gu Weijing glanced at the PPT filled with numbers and reports, stunned by the profiles involving acquisition cases and investment plans often quantified in ten billion dollars.

”Would you agree to hire me as your financial assistant?”

The blonde young man enthusiastically spoke for a while and then asked expectantly.

”Do I need to pay for your salary?”

Gu Weijing felt somewhat overwhelmed; this resume should belong on Wall Street as a Golden Boy, to serve as a private advisor for his petty daily income is like killing a chicken with a bull ax.

”Meiquan Palace Office implements personal responsibility for its clients, so you don’t need to pay for my salary.”

The blonde young man explained.

Whether customers are satisfied determines his salary and year-end bonus.

Here, he only needs to work for very few clients, with generous income and more leisure than when he was at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Which is why he declined several offers from top companies, opting to join Meiquan Palace.

Gu Weijing scanned the paper English contract.

”If you’re worried, you could have a lawyer take a look at it.” The blonde young man reminded.

”It’s not necessary.”

Gu Weijing took a general look and found no significant issues overall.

To be honest, there’s no reason for them to make such a grand show to deceive him; while he’s curious about Mr. Tree Sloth’s true identity, he boldly signed his name on paper.

”Normally, at this point, I’d open a bottle of champagne. But... you probably haven’t reached the legal drinking age yet.”

The blonde young man smiled helplessly.

He asked the waiter for two glasses of fresh coconut juice and raised his glass.

”Congratulations on becoming a client of Meiquan Palace Office.”

Gu Weijing slurped the coconut juice with a straw in response.

”Mr. Tree Sloth says he’ll help you negotiate an advance payment for your illustrations with Scholastic Group, and it shouldn’t be long before the first payment is credited to your account.”

”If you don’t have any special requests, I will set up an international account for you post-tax. Considering that the Myanmar Kyat’s rate is unstable, I don’t recommend converting foreign exchange into the domestic currency. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, any regular investment intentions or substantial planned expenditures?”

The blonde young man casually asked.

”Does renovating orphanages count?” Gu Weijing pondered.

”You mean charity donations to avoid taxes?”

The blonde young man smiled and said, ”There’s no need to worry about this risk; we have a complete and professional tax avoidance plan to cope with inspections from various countries.”

”No, no, I mean my regular substantial expenditure is renovating orphanages.”

Gu Weijing shrugged.

”Cough, cough, well, you really... have a unique taste, no, admirable.” The blonde young man gave a peculiar look.