Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 499 Guise had no choice but to compromise
Gus nodded and then looked at Zachary Burke.

To be honest, Gus really didn't want to work with Zakhar Burke. The guy's personality was really not good. He wasn't like Malak, who was a bit obsessive. On the contrary, Zakhar Burke gave people the impression of being greedy.

Greed is human nature, that's fine, but Zakaborg's expression of it is much stronger.

He is capable of doing anything for profit, and may even cross the line, with no boundaries whatsoever. Everything he does is driven by profit.

The reason for saying "maybe" is that some of the rumors about Zakaborg have not yet been confirmed.

I only know he's bad, but I don't know just how bad he can be.

Of course, Guss can't say for sure that Zachary Burke is all that bad, because there are quite a few people like him, especially in the Stonemasons' Guild. Out of hundreds of members, how many of them truly have a bottom line? Guss isn't really sure, and in fact, even Guss himself isn't sure if he has a bottom line.

In any case, since the leadership team has reached a consensus that the matter Gus mentioned can be permitted, but requires Zach Burke's involvement, Gus can't say anything and should feel fortunate.

This was already a result of considerable care from the leadership team, or rather, a genuine and substantial help from Chairod.

Moreover, if Zakaria does indeed have a completed space probe, it could save a great deal of time.

Guss said, "Mr. Zachary, could you send me a copy of the probe's data? This would make it easier for me to negotiate with Tenglong Island."

Zakbarke said, "Sure, no problem, but I'd like my people to be present during the negotiations."

Guss paused for a moment, then nodded and agreed.

Since we are in a cooperative relationship, it is normal for the other party to have such a request. If it were Gus himself, he would have made the same request.

Chalode raised his glass and said, "I must say, this is a wonderful night. I wish everyone a pleasant collaboration."

The three clinked glasses, finished their drinks, and Guss wondered whether he should leave.

At this point, Zakbarke asked, "I'd like to know what exactly is the background of that Tenglong Island space launch site? I heard it's in China; does it have any official backing?"

"Then please let Mr. Guise introduce himself," said Chalode.

Guss said, "As far as I know, this space launch site has no official backing; it's a private company, at least on the surface."

Zakhar Burke laughed dismissively: "Oh, I see. We might need to investigate further, but I don't think this collaboration will work out."

Gus asked curiously, "Why?"

"It's very simple. Their technology can't support launching a probe. I bet they would have refused in the first place."

Guss couldn't refute this, because he also felt that the technology at the Tenglong Island launch site might not be as advanced as he had imagined.

Chalode waved his hand: "Alright, gentlemen, it's too early to discuss these things now. Let's talk to the other party first."

Gus and Zach Burke are fine.

Zachary asked, "When does Mr. Guise plan to send someone over to discuss this?"

Guss thought for a moment and replied, "It's not decided yet, but I plan to send my daughter over to sound her out first."

Zakhar Burke raised an eyebrow: "Interesting. Would you mind if I had someone go with your daughter?"

"Huh? This... but they don't want to talk about cooperation in space, they want to talk about some other things."

Zakbark said, "That's fine. My wife has many relatives in Southeast Asia, and they are all very good people. I will choose someone who is capable to go and visit them."

Gus said "Oh," and then said, "No offense intended, but let me ask my daughter's opinion first. You may have heard that my daughter likes quiet and doesn't like excessive socializing."

"Okay, no problem. Please give me an answer when the time comes so I can make arrangements."

Gus agreed.

It's not surprising that Zakabak's wife has relatives in Southeast Asia, since his wife is Privia Chan.

You can tell just by looking at the surname that Zakabak's wife may have ties to China.

There is a little, but not much.

Privia's father was indeed originally from China, but he later moved to South Vietnam, married a South Vietnamese woman, and then the family immigrated to the United States.

Therefore, Privia actually had many relatives in South Vietnam, mainly from her maternal side.

The Southern Yue Kingdom was very close to Hong Kong Island in China, and there are even many people of Southern Yue descent in Hong Kong Island.

A moment later, Guss left the club, got into his Tesla, and drove back to Paradise 2.0.

The next day, breakfast time.

Gus told Catherine about what happened last night, and also mentioned Zachary Burke's request.

Gus said, "Catherine, if you don't like it, I'll just send Zach Burke a message and reject him."

Catherine took a sip of coffee: "Daddy, there's no need for that. Since Mr. Zachary has brought it up, it's not convenient to refuse for such a small matter. Just agree to it. It's just one or two more people on my itinerary."

Gus nodded, a pleased smile on his face. Catherine was truly his pride. She was very understanding, a top student, and a well-behaved girl, which was very rare in the United States.

That's how the matter was settled.

At least the preparation stage went quite smoothly.

Two days later, Victoria Harbour Apartments, Hong Kong Island.

Hu Jiangshan slept in late in the morning, and after washing up, he went out to have breakfast.

These past two days have finally been much quieter, with fewer trivial matters. After all, there are only three days left until Lunar New Year's Eve.

However, filming for the reality show will begin tonight. The entire crew of "Running Man" has already traveled there by boat, and all the filming equipment is in place. It must be bustling with activity there.

Fortunately, Hu Jiangshan, as the owner of Tenglong Island, didn't need to worry about those things. With Yu Sheng and Awang's help, he could manage.

Having people under your command means you won't panic in a crisis.

Just then, Hu Jiangshan's cell phone, which was on the table, rang.

Upon checking the caller ID, it turned out to be Catherine, Bill Guise's daughter.

Hu Jiangshan answered the phone, and a woman greeted him from the other end. She spoke Mandarin with a slight accent, but her pronunciation was very clear.

"Are you alright, Mr. Hu?"

“I’m fine, Ms. Guss.”

“Mr. Hu, I always felt it was strange that you called me that, it always felt like you were calling me Mommy. How about you just call me Catherine?” Hu Jiangshan smiled: “Alright, Catherine, long time no see.”

"Mr. Hu, do you have some time these next few days? I'd like to talk to you about a potential collaboration."

"Is it about a partnership with a resort?"

"Yes, there are a few other things to discuss."

Hu Jiangshan asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

"It's about some of my dad's thoughts, but it can't be explained in a few words. Let's talk about it in person."

"OK, no problem."

The call was brief, but you could feel Catherine's sincerity.

Hu Jiangshan pondered this as he ate.

Catherine came to discuss a partnership for the resort, there's no doubt about that.

But besides that, we also need to talk about her father's thoughts. What could her father, Bill Guise, possibly think?
Hu Jiangshan really couldn't imagine what he could possibly have to talk about with Gus.

Never mind, none of that matters. I'll find out when I meet Catherine.

If Hu Jiangshan knew that he had already been registered with the stonemasons' guild, even someone with the best mental fortitude would probably have some doubts.

That's a very powerful organization, like a Cthulhu hidden beneath the surface of the sea.

This organization's reach extends even to Hong Kong Island. Many prominent families have connections with the Stonemasons' Guild to varying degrees, and some family heads are even members of the guild.

So being targeted by such an organization is definitely not an honor. Of course, it's something to be proud of, since not many people receive this kind of treatment.

That day, Hu Jiangshan didn't go to Tenglong Island. They were recording a program there, and it was better not to get involved if there was nothing else to do. He might as well rest at home.

There might be a lot of trivial matters before the New Year, so take advantage of the free time now and be lazy if you can.

In the evening, Hu Jiangshan can watch the filming process of the reality show via live video.

To be fair, the production team of "Running Man" is indeed very capable. With so many guests, so many NPCs, and some invited audience members, totaling about a hundred people, everything was arranged in an orderly manner without any chaos.

The guests were in a great mood, all smiles, and seemed to really enjoy the filming process. They filmed from morning till night, and despite working all day, they didn't feel tired at all.

The main reason is that the filming location is just too beautiful.

Tenglong Island is beautiful in every way, beautiful from every angle. It's beautiful during the day and beautiful at night, but the styles are completely different.

Even without lights, Tenglong Bay is not dark at night. As long as there is moonlight, the whole bay seems to be glowing, just like a large piece of jade, or even a luminous stone.

Marine life is also very active at night, and you can see many strange things that you can't see during the day.

The atmosphere at Tenglong Island Resort is also fantastic. The lighting at night is just right – not too bright, not too dark either – creating a charming ancient town atmosphere. Gao Junli and the other main cast members felt that the resort was perfect for filming movies and TV series, and that the effects would be even better than filming at a film studio.

Hu Jiangshan saw Chen Yifei in the video; she was in a great position and was on point throughout. The other celebrity guests also performed very well.

Hu Jiangshan was relieved. Judging from the production team's organizational skills, there shouldn't be any unexpected situations.

Hu Jiangshan's biggest fear is getting injured or anything like that. Although the production team signed a detailed cooperation agreement with the resort with a clear division of responsibilities, if a problem really occurs, the resort still has to do something to prevent it from being exposed by the media and affecting its reputation.

A day later, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon.

A car drove along the road for a long time before finally finding a narrow empty parking space and managing to squeeze in.

Ma Jun was driving, and Hui Ge was sitting in the passenger seat.

As mentioned earlier, Brother Hui is a veteran paparazzi, a top-tier paparazzi who digs up news all year round, and often manages to uncover some truly groundbreaking stories. As a result, he is very successful in the industry, and he has several underlings working for him, Ma Jun being one of them.

Ma Jun looked around and said, "Brother Hui, is this the place?"

Hui pointed to the opposite side: "It's here, don't you remember? It's that shop, Wolong Ice Room."

"Yes, yes, that's the one, Brother Hui. It looks like business is good. There are quite a few people inside, and the first floor is almost full."

"Alright, stop sighing and get ready. Hu Jiangshan should be here soon."

While rummaging through his camera bag and checking the equipment, Ma Jun asked, "Brother Hui, are you sure the intelligence is correct? Hu Jiangshan is coming?"

"Definitely no problem, very accurate. Hu Jiangshan invited someone here, and that person is quite influential; it's most likely Chen Yifei!"

Ma Jun thought for a moment and then asked, "Brother Hui, Chen Yifei's agency officially denied the rumors yesterday. Do you think they are credible?"

Hui glanced at Ma Jun: "What do you think? If I thought the rumor was true, why did we come here? To go shopping? I'd rather ask a pretty girl to go shopping with me!"

Ma Jun chuckled: "That's true, why don't we invite two beauties and make two couples? Good things come in pairs!"

Hui glared at Ma Jun, who then stopped joking.

Yesterday afternoon, Chen Yifei's agency arranged a press conference, which was attended by Chen Yifei and her agent. They responded directly to the recent rumors circulating online. Although it was called a denial, it was actually a publicity stunt, with the theme being the latest episode of "Running Man".

It was said at the time that the filming location for "Running Man" was chosen to be the resort on Tenglong Island, which is a property under Hu Jiangshan's name.

Hu Jiangshan is Chen Yifei's rumored boyfriend, and he's the top handsome guy.

In other words, Chen Yifei's agency and Hu Jiangshan have a cooperative relationship. So, after meeting a few times, they were photographed by media reporters and paparazzi, which led to a series of rumors and caused quite a stir.

This clarification was indeed very thorough, explaining all the doubts clearly and with solid evidence. Any reputable media outlet would probably stop pursuing this, but that won't stop the less reputable paparazzi.

The fact that Hu Jiangshan did not appear at the media conference is the biggest point of suspicion, suggesting that there is still some kind of conspiracy involved.

Sure enough, Brother Hui obtained Hu Jiangshan's whereabouts through his own channels. He said that Hu Jiangshan would be meeting someone at an ice room in Kowloon today, and that the person would be a big shot. It's hard not to think of Chen Yifei.

That ice room couldn't be Kowloon Ice Room, because there are too many people there and it would be easy to expose one's identity. It could only be Wolong Ice Room, which Hu Jiangshan had visited before.

Just then, Hui saw a car, an old BMW.

After confirming the license plate number, Hui Ge said, "See that? Hu Jiangshan is here!"

Ma Jun nodded, quickly picked up his backpack and got off the car, then went into Wolong Ice Room first.

Hui Ge lingered in the car for a moment before following him inside.

(End of this chapter)