After Zhao Min informed him that the Rothschild heir wanted to meet, Chen Mo had asked Mo Nu to gather updated information on the Rothschild family, and he'd reviewed it again in detail.
The Rothschilds were once a legendary powerhouse, but after enduring multiple wars and historical shifts, they had gradually faded from the limelight. Still, even if they no longer shone as brightly, the depth of their influence remained far beyond that of most so-called giants. Their vast network of contacts and resources was precisely what allowed them to survive for hundreds of years without disappearing from the stage.
They'd acted as advisors in numerous major mergers:
China Unicom's $24 billion acquisition of Netcom
Geely's acquisition of Volvo
Nestlé's $11.9 billion purchase of Pfizer's child nutrition division
In all these deals, Rothschild Bank had served as the key financial consultant.
Despite missing their shot at dominating the U.S. market in the past, the Rothschilds had, in recent years, shifted their focus to China, aggressively investing in the hopes of riding its rise.
Their style remained characteristically low-key, but like a cockroach that refuses to die, the Rothschilds always managed to survive disaster. In the financial world, not knowing Rothschild was like not knowing Newton in physics.
Their primary business remained global financial consulting, accounting for more than half of their total profits.
Now, with Alexander at the helm and seeking to partner with the Marching Ant Company, it was clear that he aimed to change the family's direction.
Chen Mo had seen photos of Alexander before. In his thirties, yet already in charge of a top 20 investment bank, he wouldn't be where he was if he lacked ability. And the fact that he dared to partner with Marching Ant under pressure from other global giants—well, that took guts.
While Chen Mo was lost in thought, Zhao Min and Alexander had already arrived at the office.
When Alexander finally saw Chen Mo in person, his eyes lit up with a flicker of disbelief.
He had seen Chen Mo many times in photos and videos, but meeting him in person—he was younger, more charismatic than he'd imagined.
And yet, it was this seemingly ordinary young man who had built the Marching Ant Company from the ground up, launching it into global stardom in record time.
If someone were asked to name the greatest scientific mind of the 21st century, Chen Mo's name would certainly come up.Robotics, artificial intelligence, programming languages, new materials, seismology—this young man seemed almost limitless in talent.
To Alexander, this was a true god-tier figure. And even more impressive, Chen Mo was humble, not the least bit arrogant, which made him all the more respectable.
"It's a great honor to finally meet you, Mr. Chen," Alexander said in awkward but earnest Chinese. Clearly, he had practiced beforehand.
With a warm smile, he reached out to shake Chen Mo's hand like he was greeting an old friend.
"You're too polite, Mr. Alexander. Please, come in," Chen Mo replied, leading him into the office.
"Mr. Alexander, I'll leave you to chat with our boss," Zhao Min said once they were inside. "I have a few things to handle. Xiao Yu, stay here and assist."
With that, Zhao Min took her leave.
She had a mountain of work to deal with, and since Alexander was already with Chen Mo, her presence wasn't necessary.
"Mr. Chen, Miss Zhao is incredibly capable," Alexander said, making conversation as he sat down. "You really have an eye for talent."
"She definitely is," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"If anyone could marry Miss Zhao, they'd never have to struggle for the rest of their life, don't you think?" Alexander added with a half-joking grin.
Chen Mo's eyebrow twitched slightly. He glanced sideways and caught Xiao Yu giving him a mischievous, knowing look.
If Alexander knew the woman beside him was Chen Mo's fiancée, he probably wouldn't have said that.
"I don't need to struggle anymore," Chen Mo said calmly. "But unfortunately for you, I already have a fiancée."
Alexander raised his brows in surprise. "Oh? Mr. Chen's fiancée must be beautiful and accomplished."
"She is," Chen Mo replied, his tone softening. "In my eyes, she's the most beautiful woman in the world."
Hearing that, Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile, her heart blooming at the words—even if he'd said it partly for her benefit, she loved hearing it.
"Well, when the time comes, don't forget to invite me to the wedding," Alexander chuckled. "And if you don't, I'll crash it myself."
"I'll be sure to send an invite," Chen Mo replied.
Alexander's attention then drifted to the robot standing beside them—the one that had been translating their conversation.
"Mr. Chen, is that a new robot model?"
"Yes," Chen Mo nodded.
"Does it have new features?"
"No major new functions," Chen Mo explained. "Just improved design and processing power. This one's custom-made—it's my personal assistant."
This model was indeed smarter, built with superconducting chips that gave it vastly improved computing speeds. Thanks to recent breakthroughs in room-temperature superconductors, the robot was far ahead of anything available on the commercial market.
After hearing the translation, Alexander asked curiously, "So when will this robot be released to the public?"
"It can't be mass-produced yet," Chen Mo replied.
"It certainly looks much better than the earlier models," Alexander said, admiring the robot for a moment longer before shifting topics. "There's another reason I came to visit."
"Go ahead," Chen Mo said.
"First," Alexander began, "let's talk investment. Would you be interested in entering the telecommunications industry? We recently acquired a telecom company. If you're interested, we could invest together and scale it up."
Chen Mo pondered the idea. "If it's about investing, talk to Zhao Min. If she thinks it's viable, the company can invest."
Chen Mo didn't focus on telecommunications and wasn't interested in micromanaging. Zhao Min handled all of Marching Ant's investments—he simply signed off on final approvals. Unless he saw a clear red flag, he trusted her judgment completely.
"Alright, I'll follow up with Miss Zhao then," Alexander said, undeterred. "By the way, if you ever come to Europe, you must contact me. I'll be your personal guide."
Building relationships was part of the Rothschild DNA, and Alexander viewed Chen Mo as more than a business contact—he wanted to form a genuine friendship.
"If the opportunity comes up," Chen Mo replied.
In truth, he had no plans to go abroad any time soon.
After all, assassins had come after him more than once, even within China. Traveling overseas, where capital influence runs deeper, would be even riskier.
They chatted casually for a while longer—mostly small talk to strengthen their connection. During the conversation, Alexander even shared some of his investment insights and techniques.
Eventually, they left the office together to grab dinner.
As the host, Chen Mo wouldn't dream of being a poor host—especially not to a guest from the Rothschild family. Even if he disliked formal banquets, this time, he made an exception.
The dinner lasted into the evening. Only after it ended did Chen Mo and Xiao Yu return home to the villa.