Chapter 985: Hundred People Meeting
In a blink of an eye, it was time for Zhang Hao to leave. He packed his luggage in advance and did not notify anyone. When he left, he just said goodbye to Ms. Vivian.
Zhang Hao drove to Los Angeles. It was noon when he arrived in Los Angeles. His flight was tomorrow, so he had a day to spare. Zhang Hao checked into the hotel he often stayed in when he came to Los Angeles. After arriving, he washed up. There was nothing to do next. Zhang Hao didn't want to stay in the hotel stupidly, so he went out for a walk.
The sun was shining brightly in Los Angeles and the weather was very good. Zhang Hao was strolling around the hotel and unknowingly came to a place. When he accidentally saw the mark on a building not far ahead, Zhang Hao suddenly remembered the invitation he received a few days ago.
After reading the invitation, Zhang Hao just put it aside. When he left, he couldn't remember whether he put it in his luggage or left it in his previous apartment. But it didn't matter. Zhang Hao had a good memory. The building in front was the address in the invitation. He was sure of it.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Hao walked towards the nearby building. He had nothing to do now anyway, so since he was already here, he might as well take a look and ask who sent him the invitation.
Unlike New York, although Los Angeles is also a famous city in the United States, there are not many skyscrapers in Los Angeles. Just like the building that Zhang Hao is in now, it has less than 20 floors. In New York, where skyscrapers are everywhere, such a building is not very eye-catching, but in Los Angeles it is considered a tall building.
As you step into the building, you will find that the interior decoration has a modern commercial feel. The layout of this building is somewhat different from ordinary buildings. Whether it is the structure, shape or materials, it is very stylish.
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" Zhang Hao stood in the lobby of the building, looking at the floor nameplate instructions on the side, while searching his memory for the specific information on the invitation.
At this time, a Western woman in her thirties walked towards Zhang Hao, smiling and asked him in a formal tone.
Zhang Hao was dressed very casually today because he had made a sudden decision to visit. Plus, the weather in California is like spring all year round, so Zhang Hao didn't look like a business person at first glance. He was wearing a T-shirt, jeans, sneakers, an ordinary jacket, and a shoulder bag. His young face and sunny image made him look no different from an ordinary college student.
"Hello, ma'am. I'm looking for Mr. Tom, Mr. Tom on the eleventh floor." Zhang Hao turned around and said to the woman, while pointing towards the nameplate.
"Okay, sir, please follow me." The woman said to Zhang Hao with a professional smile, and at the same time took Zhang Hao to the front desk of the building.
Inside the building, in addition to a receptionist and several young girls at the reception, there were two security guards. One security guard was sitting not far from the reception desk, and the other was standing slightly inside the entrance of the building. The security guards were all armed. When Zhang Hao came in, the two security guards habitually glanced at Zhang Hao. Perhaps it was because of his young Chinese face and the way he was dressed, the security guards looked at Zhang Hao and then shifted their gaze to other places.
When they arrived at the front desk, the woman asked Zhang Hao if he had an appointment with Mr. Tom. Zhang Hao told the woman that Mr. Tom had invited him and gave his Chinese name.
The woman asked Zhang Hao to wait for a moment, picked up the phone and dialed a number. Soon the call was connected. The woman explained a few words on the phone and gave Zhang Hao's name. After a moment, the woman hung up the phone, and the smile on her face became much more sincere.
After helping Zhang Hao register, the woman took Zhang Hao to the elevator nearby. When the elevator arrived, the woman helped press the button for the floor Zhang Hao wanted to go to, and told Zhang Hao to turn right after getting out of the elevator.
Zhang Hao nodded and thanked the woman, then entered the elevator. The elevator door slowly closed and carried Zhang Hao upwards.
More than a minute later, when the elevator opened again, Zhang Hao arrived at the eleventh floor of the building. Zhang Hao stepped out of the elevator and just turned around, he saw a Chinese woman in her thirties coming towards Zhang Hao.
"Hello, are you Mr. Zhang Hao?" The Chinese woman did not ask in English, but in Chinese instead. However, her Chinese had an accent and sounded slightly different from Mandarin in China.
Zhang Hao was not surprised by this, because people who speak Chinese in the United States come from all over the world. Some came to the United States from Hong Kong, the Taiwan Strait or Southeast Asia, or some are Chinese whose ancestors have been in the United States. The accents they speak have similar pronunciations, so you can usually tell whether the other person is from the mainland or from other places.
"Hello, I'm Zhang Hao. May I ask who you are?" Zhang Hao nodded and asked.
"I'm Anna, your assistant. Welcome, Mr. Zhang." Anna stretched out her hand and shook hands with Zhang Hao, then said, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Zhang. He is taking an important call, so I came to pick you up. Please follow me..."
Then, Anna led Zhang Hao inside. After passing a porch, there was a large office space. However, it was a little different from ordinary offices. The layout here did not look like a company. Instead, it gave people the feeling of a club.
Of course, the so-called club is not a nightclub or something. The layout of the club here is similar to that of a salon or a meeting place. The overall decoration is not luxurious, but the layout makes people feel very comfortable. Coupled with the green plants everywhere and the sunlight coming in through the large glass windows, people feel as relaxed as if they were at home.
Zhang Hao didn't see many people on the way in. Most places were quiet, with only two or three people sitting in a corner chatting quietly. Although it was not clear from a distance, Zhang Hao recognized those people as Asians at a glance, but he was not sure whether they were Chinese or from other Asian countries.
Soon, Anna took Zhang Hao to a room that was neither too big nor too small, about 30 square meters. The room was decorated very elegantly, without any office furniture, only a fabric sofa and some decorations, which was somewhat similar to the reception room at home .
"Mr. Zhang, please wait here for a moment. By the way, what would you like to drink? We have all kinds of tea here, or if you want to drink coffee, that's fine too."
"Please give me a cup of black tea." Zhang Hao's tea drinking habit is similar to Song Yuanchao's. He doesn't drink much green tea. On weekdays, he mostly drinks black tea or Pu'er. Coffee is also often consumed in the United States, but compared to coffee, Zhang Hao usually drinks tea when conditions permit.
"Okay, please wait a moment." Anna smiled and nodded, then left in her high heels. A moment later, a young woman came in with tea. She didn't say anything, but just put the tea set in her hand on the coffee table in front of Zhang Hao, then she made tea for Zhang Hao smoothly, then made a gesture of invitation and left.
Picking up the tea in front of him, Zhang Hao smelled a refreshing tea fragrance before he even drank it. He then looked at the tea soup carefully. It was amber in color, translucent with red. This was clearly top-grade black tea.
After taking a sip, Zhang Hao nodded slightly. His judgment was correct. This was indeed top-grade black tea. Drinking tea is not uncommon in the United States, as there are many foreigners who drink tea. However, it is not easy to drink this level of black tea in the United States. After all, foreigners usually drink black tea in bags. Zhang Hao has never seen this kind of tea, including the tea-brewing technique and tea sets, in the United States except in Chinatown.
For a moment, Zhang Hao was very curious about this place. He thought that everything he had seen since he came in was beyond his imagination. Moreover, whether it was Anna or the few people he saw when he came here before, plus the woman who made tea for him just now, they were all Asians, and might even be Chinese .
Just as Zhang Hao was wondering who Mr. Tom was and what his purpose was in inviting him here, he heard footsteps.
I looked up and towards the door. It was pushed open from the outside and a middle-aged Asian man walked in.
The man was of average height, well-dressed, with some gray hair on his temples, but he maintained a very good figure and it was obvious that he was the type who exercised regularly.
"Hello Mr. Zhang, I'm very glad to see you. I'm Tom, I'm so sorry for the delay. I just received an important call. I was supposed to pick you up." The middle-aged man spoke fluent Chinese with no accent. His Mandarin sounded very standard.
"It's okay, Mr. Tom." Zhang Hao stood up and shook hands with Tom, while looking at him. In fact, when he saw Tom for the first time, Zhang Hao was sure that he had never seen this person before, let alone knew him.
"Welcome to our association, please take a seat." Tom greeted Zhang Hao with a smile and shook hands with him.
"Association?" Zhang Hao was stunned. Isn't this an association instead of a company?
"Yes!" Tom saw the puzzled look on Zhang Hao's face and said with a smile: "I know you have a lot of questions in your mind now. It doesn't matter. Since you are here, let's have a good chat. In addition, I will explain to you why I invited you here."
Sitting down, Tom took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Hao, then introduced himself: "Mr. Zhang, you were not at home when I visited you last time, and I didn't have much time to stay that day, so I only left an invitation. I am very happy that you can come today. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Tom, of course this is my English name, and my Chinese name is Dongfangze, you can also call me Dongfang."
"I am a second-generation Chinese immigrant. My father immigrated to the United States after World War II. He is now a law partner in a small law firm in Los Angeles and a director of our Committee of 100 Los Angeles chapter."
"The Association of Hundreds?" Zhang Hao was stunned. This association sounded familiar to him, as if he had heard of it, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.
"The Committee of 100 is a non-political group of Chinese Americans and a formally registered legal association. It was founded in 1990 and was initiated by famous architect I.M. Pei and famous musician Yo-Yo Ma. Its headquarters is located in New York. Our Los Angeles branch is the largest branch besides the New York headquarters." Dongfang Ze replied with a smile. When Zhang Hao heard what he said, his mind reacted instantly and he finally remembered where he had heard of the Committee of 100.
