"Jinshi Golf Club spans 3,000 mu, with its courses divided into the Divine Turtle Course and the Golden Eagle Course, measuring 7,126 yards and 6,415 yards respectively... Jinshi Golf Club, co-created by American design master Pete Dye and Zhu Zongying, is hailed as the most beautiful coastal golf course."
As Sister Lan's car pulled into the parking lot, the broadcast from hidden speakers began a multilingual, looped introduction to Jinshi Golf Club.
Following Sister Lan into the clubhouse, they were immediately greeted by the manager, who led a caddy and a driver to welcome them.
Manager: "Sister Lan, Mrs. Tong and Young Master Tong are already in the lounge."
Sister Lan nodded, took the key from the server, and turned to Ouyang Chen. "Mrs. Tong has been my friend for over ten years. Her son just returned to the country recently, oh yes, he also returned from Swartz."
As the lounge door opened, a middle-aged woman, already changed into golf attire, was seen leisurely sipping tea at a tea table. Upon seeing Sister Lan, she greeted her warmly.
Through Sister Lan's introduction, Ouyang Chen learned that Mrs. Tong was Tong Li, the founder of China's largest online dating platform.
Furthermore, she was a visionary investor, ranking 71st on the Forbes list of top female venture capitalists. Her most sought-after investment projects spanned high-end technology, healthcare, TMT, and consumer goods.
Ouyang Chen wasn't sure why Sister Lan had brought him to play golf, but Mrs. Tong was precisely the guide he needed to expand into the domestic market! With her pointers, he was sure to navigate this path with far fewer detours.
Mrs. Tong sized up Ouyang Chen. "And who is this?"
Sister Lan chuckled, covering her mouth. "Look at me, I forgot to introduce him. This is Ouyang Chen, also just back from Swartz, the CEO of ATL."
Upon hearing "ATL," Mrs. Tong's eyes lit up, her pupils widening.
This baffled Ouyang Chen. In the eyes of major investment figures, ATL was merely a nascent investment firm, unlikely to attract their attention. Yet, Mrs. Tong seemed extremely interested.
Mrs. Tong's initial hint of displeasure at Sister Lan bringing a stranger instantly turned into curiosity. "So Mr. Ou is the executive of ATL. Truly young and promising!"
Sister Lan quickly interrupted Mrs. Tong's train of thought, seemingly wanting to avoid business discussions at this time and not wanting Ouyang Chen to interact too much with Mrs. Tong.
"The manager told me your son is here too. Where is he?" Sister Lan asked.
Mrs. Tong replied, "Speaking of which, Zekai went to the shopping area. This child is always so scatterbrained. I told him we were playing golf today, but he didn't bring his clubs or his outfit. So I had to let him go buy a set first."
Sister Lan turned to Ouyang Chen. "Oh, Chen, you didn't prepare either, did you? Why don't you go to the shopping area and buy a set too."
Ouyang Chen nodded and smiled, going along with Sister Lan's suggestion. He went to the shopping area and casually picked out an outfit and a pair of shoes. He knew he was just here to be an accessory today, so how he played didn't matter.
Just as he changed and stepped out of the fitting room, someone swung a golf club at the back of his head!
But Ouyang Chen reacted swiftly. He had been alert since entering the shopping area, sensing he was being watched and followed all the way to the fitting rooms.
Ouyang Chen spun around and grabbed the golf club, preparing to retaliate when he saw the man in front of him…
His movements faltered for a moment. The man lowered his club, planting it on the ground, and scrutinized Ouyang Chen.
"It really is you," the man said with a grin.
Ouyang Chen stared intently at the man, but he couldn't recall ever meeting him.
The man, seeing that Ouyang Chen didn't remember him, let out a cold snort. "What a heartless man. After using me, you've completely forgotten me."
Ouyang Chen remained silent, still trying to recall.
He was certain that ever since he'd arrived here, he remembered everyone he had met. This man must not have been met here…
Could it have been during his time as an adopted son?
Having gone on so many missions, it was inevitable that his appearance might have been exposed. If they had indeed met before, this man would be a problem.
A server appeared opportunely. "Young Master Tong, Mrs. Tong is calling."
Young Master Tong? Could this be Tong Li's son?! Tong… Zekai?!
Tong Zekai tossed the club he was holding to the server. "I'll take this club."
As Tong Zekai was about to throw an arm around Ouyang Chen's shoulder, Ouyang Chen instinctively pushed him away.
He looked coldly at the smiling man. This unfathomable strangeness made Ouyang Chen even more guarded.
"Brother, don't be so tense. Just old friends catching up. Isn't this what you're best at?"
Tong Zekai casually patted Ouyang Chen's back and strode forward, never looking back.
From the clubhouse to the driving range took a ten-minute car ride.
Initially, Sister Lan and Ouyang Chen were in one car, and Mrs. Tong and Young Master Tong in another. But Mrs. Tong insisted that the younger generation share a car, and the older generation share another. Thus, Ouyang Chen was forced into the same car as Tong Zekai.
During the ride, with the caddy and driver in the front, Tong Zekai remained relatively quiet, not bothering Ouyang Chen.
However, he sat diagonally facing Ouyang Chen, his eyes fixed on Ouyang Chen's face, which made him very uncomfortable.
Caddy: "Young Master Tong, Mr. Ou, we're approaching the tee box."
Tong Zekai took the gloves from the caddy and hopped out of the car with a stride. He stretched and performed a few warm-up exercises.
"Want to have a competition?" Tong Zekai asked.
"Not interested," Ouyang Chen replied coolly.
Tong Zekai ignored Ouyang Chen's response. He slung the club over his shoulder and surveyed the green. "Let's bet on the match. Eighteen holes per round, the winner is the one with the lowest total score."
Ouyang Chen slowly put on his gloves. His purpose today was not to compete with this strange man, but to be an accessory to Sister Lan.
Tong Zekai stood ready to tee off. He swung his club, but just as it made contact with the ball, he forcefully restrained himself and stopped his motion.
Tong Zekai turned back to Ouyang Chen. "Ah, I forgot to mention, what's the prize."
Ouyang Chen remained unmoved. He was about to walk towards Sister Lan when Tong Zekai prepared to tee off again. As the ball flew accurately towards the first hole…
Tong Zekai spoke again. "The winner gets to ask the other person one question. What do you say, are you tempted, Ou—Zhan."
Ouyang Chen: "!!!"
As if struck by lightning, Ouyang Chen hadn't heard anyone call him by that name in a very, very long time!
And 'Ou Zhan' had died in the struggle for succession!
Ouyang Chen stopped in shock. He regained his composure and slowly turned around…
Tong Zekai's caddy had already collected his club and was preparing to set up Ouyang Chen's ball.
Tong Zekai seemed delighted. "That's more like it. If we're catching up, we should do it with the right attitude, don't you think?"
At that moment, Mrs. Tong and Sister Lan nearby cheered and applauded. The scoreboard indicated that Tong Zekai had successfully teed off and achieved a hole-in-one!
Mrs. Tong boasted, "See? Isn't my son amazing? I even hired Bobby Jones to give him a week of private lessons."
Sister Lan clapped along, exclaiming, "Amazing, truly remarkable!"
"It's been a while since I played a proper round with you. Come on, let's have a match too," Mrs. Tong said enthusiastically.
Sister Lan quickly waved her hand. "I can't beat you. I've never won against you in all these years."
"Oh? Mr. Ou…"
Sister Lan followed Mrs. Tong's gaze towards Ouyang Chen.
At this moment, Ouyang Chen stood at the tee box. Tong Zekai waved to Mrs. Tong and Sister Lan from the side, and the caddy stood nearby.
All eyes were now on Ouyang Chen, yet his body was stiff with nervousness…
It wasn't because his skills were inferior to Tong Zekai's, but because the words 'Ou Zhan' echoed in his mind like a recurring loop, and the bloody memories were like a beast, tearing at his consciousness.