Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 614 Old Master Hu personally hosted a banquet, and the Speaker of the Hong Kong Island Council attended.
"Huh? Is it really that amazing? I still don't quite believe that one person can do so many things."

Yang Yulan blinked her beautiful big eyes, her face full of doubt and disbelief. She felt that her father's evaluation of Hu Jiangshan seemed a bit too high, too unrealistic.

Yang Junxian couldn't help but laugh and patiently explained, "Of course, it's impossible for one person to do it alone, relying solely on their own strength. But think about it, he has the powerful support of the entire Hu family behind him! The wealth, connections, and resources accumulated by the Hu family over generations are no joke. The amount of resources he can control and mobilize, the vast amount of funds, the intricate network of connections, and the prestigious Hu family name—the things he can do and the energy he can leverage are far beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

As Yang Yulan listened to her father's analysis, she couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

After all, she is a high-achieving graduate from Yale University, with high intelligence and comprehension. She is quick-witted and very smart.

She understood her father's explanation of the family business logic and the operation of vast resources immediately; she could fully comprehend the logic. However, she hadn't thought about it in depth before, or rather, subconsciously, she was reluctant to believe that Hu Jiangshan could manage such a massive amount of resources.

"Dad, do you think... Hu Jiangshan is really as capable as you say? I have a feeling something's not right about this. Everything happened too fast, too smoothly, so smoothly that it's a little unsettling, like... like it was deliberately hyped up? Like a carefully planned marketing tactic?"

Yang Junxian was amused by his daughter's guess and asked in return, "Publicity stunt? How can this be a publicity stunt? A living, breathing person is sitting right in front of you. His words, actions, logic, and expressions are all real and cannot be faked. Do you really think that everything he said, every expression he made, and every subtle movement was the result of long-term, rigorous, even obsessive, acting training? That he was showcasing his superb acting skills? How much effort would that take?"

When her father asked her this, Yang Yulan became a little uncertain: "Well... it's not entirely impossible. If one undergoes special and intensive closed training, and can put on an act for a short period of time to maintain a specific persona, theoretically... it's still possible, right? Aren't there many image management and public relations companies now?"

Yang Junxian smiled and said, "Okay, even if we take a step back and assume your guess is correct, if he really can put in the kind of hard work that ordinary people can hardly endure, and willingly accept that kind of extremely boring, depressing, and even potentially distorting performance training, just to maintain a perfect image in front of outsiders, then what does that say about him?"

He paused for a moment, then analyzed seriously, "That precisely shows that his temperament has become unusually calm! He can endure hardships that ordinary people cannot, he can withstand loneliness that ordinary people cannot imagine, and he knows how to deeply hide and disguise his true emotions and thoughts. Isn't this itself a very powerful ability and a terrifying quality? It's even one of the essential psychological traits for those who achieve great things!"

After listening to her father's meticulous and progressive analysis, Yang Yulan nodded: "Dad, what you said does seem to make some sense. Maybe Hu Jiangshan has really grown and transformed, but the speed of this growth is too fast! It's too amazing! It's like he's completely changed. This earth-shattering change makes people unable to believe it's real. It feels like reading some kind of magical realism novel."

"Let alone you, even an old guy like me who has been in the business world for decades and thinks I've seen countless storms and all sorts of people and things, was hesitant to believe it at first and had my doubts. But after our contact and observation just now, I really want to go to his space launch site to see it for myself and see for myself just how big a fuss he's made?"

"Dad! Dad!" Yang Yulan perked up immediately upon hearing this. "You mustn't forget! You must take me with you! I want to go too! I have to see it for myself!"

"Oh?" Yang Junxian looked at his daughter, who had suddenly become enthusiastic, with some surprise, and teased, "Are you really interested? Didn't you used to hate coming with me to visit this and that? You always thought that accompanying us old folks to social events was incredibly boring and a complete waste of time."

"This is different! This is completely different! This is a space launch site! Hong Kong Island has never had anything like this before! It sounds super cool! Super hardcore! It would be a shame not to take this opportunity to see it for yourself! You might even learn something and broaden your horizons!"

Yang Junxian smiled with satisfaction: "Alright! In a couple of days, once I've finished dealing with a few important matters and have no other plans, I'll contact Hu Jiangshan and ask him to help make some arrangements. My daughter and I will go together to show our support and broaden our horizons to see what a space base built by Chinese people like is really like!"

"Great! That's wonderful! It's a deal then! It's a promise!"

Yang Yulan is starting to have some expectations.

Although her major at Yale University was not in the field of aerospace, it was still a solid STEM background with a strong foundation in mathematics and physics.

In this regard, they might even be able to understand some of the intricacies, rather than being complete laymen who can only watch the show.

Even if we went there and couldn't understand most of the overly technical and complex details, we could still enjoy the spectacle!

Experience the high-tech atmosphere and the awe-inspiring engineering site!
This opportunity to get up close to, and even enter, the core area of ​​a space launch site is not something just anyone can have! It's an absolutely rare experience!

The next day, around 10 a.m., at Yunxi Xiaozhu.

This is an extremely secluded and upscale private restaurant located on the mountainside of Victoria Peak.

As mentioned earlier, these private restaurants on Hong Kong Island at this time are all about being extremely high-end, sophisticated, and classy, ​​serving the top wealthy class, celebrities, and political figures, and placing great emphasis on privacy and experience.

This courtyard-style Chinese restaurant, named "Yunxi Xiaozhu," has always been the favorite of Mr. Hu Yingxiang, the patriarch of the Hu family.

The old master of the Hu family was none other than the highly respected Hu Yingxiang.

Despite his advanced age and reclusive lifestyle, Mr. Hu Yingxiang occasionally chooses to dine, drink tea, and entertain guests at his favorite private restaurant when he is in a good mood, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

Yunxi Xiaozhu was booked out today.

It was arranged by the Hu family.

In other words, apart from the Hu family and the specific distinguished guests they have invited, Yunxi Xiaozhu will not be receiving any other guests today.

This kind of situation actually happens frequently here. These top-tier private restaurants cater to the elite, and private booking services are one of their regular offerings.

At this time, the main guest of the banquet, Mr. Hu Yingxiang, and other important guests had not yet arrived.

Several waiters dressed in simple Chinese uniforms were chatting quietly in a corner of the lobby, exchanging information and making final preparations.

A younger waitress asked the supervisor next to her curiously in a low voice, "Hey, sister, which big shot from the Hu family has booked the whole place today? Wow, quite the grand affair."

The foreman lowered his voice and replied with a hint of reverence, "I heard that it was personally booked by Mr. Hu Yingxiang."

"Oh my! That's incredible!" the young waiter exclaimed, quickly covering his mouth. "Old Master Hu himself has come! Who is he inviting? That's a huge honor!"

"Who could possibly know exactly who it is?" The head waiter shook his head. "But anyone whom Old Master Hu would personally book out the entire venue for a banquet must be an extraordinary VIP! Definitely a heavyweight among the heavyweights!"

Another waiter chimed in, "I heard... the person coming is indeed a very important figure. The kind who can directly influence the direction of Hong Kong government policy!" "Ah? Influence the Hong Kong government?! That's incredible!" The young waiter's eyes widened. "Who could it be? The Governor? Or the Speaker?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" the supervisor quickly stopped her. "You'll know when the person arrives. Since he's a big shot, he'll definitely be a well-known figure, someone who's always on the news. Maybe... if we're lucky, we can even get a chance to take a picture with him from afar? That'll be something to brag about for years!"

"By the way," the young waiter couldn't help but ask, "why is Grandpa Hu suddenly hosting a banquet? Why is it so grand? Is something big happening in Hong Kong? Or is some major project about to start?"

The foreman shrugged: "Who could guess that? It has nothing to do with us workers. We just need to do our jobs well and treat our VIPs well. As for the rest, let's not ask questions or gossip."

“That’s true,” another slightly older waiter chimed in. “Anyway, no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with us. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. We just need to provide good service.”

A moment later, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan drove up smoothly and, under the respectful guidance of the doorman, silently glided into the private parking lot in the backyard.

Although this private restaurant is not particularly large in total area, it has everything you need and is very cleverly planned.

The restaurant has a dedicated parking lot that can accommodate twenty or thirty cars, which is more than enough for a restaurant of this size and positioning.

After the Mercedes came to a stop, the door opened and two people got out.

Just as the shop assistants had been quietly discussing, one of them was indeed a very important figure: Wah Chun-fung, the Speaker of the Hong Kong Island Legislative Council.

It should be noted that at that time, Hong Kong Island adopted a relatively Western-style management model and implemented a parliamentary system.

As is well known, under this system, the speaker is a key figure with a very high status and great influence, wielding significant power and being someone that all forces strive to win over and respect.

Hua Junfeng was accompanied by a capable young woman, Ding Jiani, who was his special assistant.

Ding Jiani is very beautiful, has an outstanding temperament, and is also very young, probably only in her early twenties.

A young and beautiful female assistant like this, working alongside a high-ranking male leader, would easily lead people to have wild fantasies and subconsciously feel that there might be some unspeakable or indescribable ambiguous relationship between them.

However, while there is indeed a relationship between the two, and a very close one at that, it is definitely not the kind of romantic relationship people might imagine. Ding Jiani is Hua Junfeng's niece, a real blood relative.

To put it bluntly, Ding Jiani herself comes from a prestigious family and is a true heiress. She became an assistant more for training, learning, and building connections and experience.

Led by a waiter, the two walked through a winding corridor into the restaurant and were then led into a private and prestigious private room.

This private room is quite special. The indoor dining area is a full fifty or sixty square meters, extremely spacious.

Inside is the dining area, while outside is a separate, elegantly furnished tea break area, complete with a small and exquisite open-air courtyard.

In the courtyard, there is a small artificial rockery and fish pond, where several plump and brightly colored koi carp are swimming leisurely in the clear water.

Indeed, the restaurant's overall style is that of a high-end Chinese restaurant, full of traditional Chinese charm and elegance. No wonder Mr. Hu Yingxiang likes it so much; the ambiance here perfectly matches his taste and status.

Several waiters, seeing Speaker Hua Junfeng and Ding Jiani enter the private room from afar, were so excited they could hardly contain themselves, but dared not make a sound, and could only whisper excitedly to each other:
"Wow! Did I see that right? Isn't that Speaker Hua?!"

"It really is Speaker Hua! My goodness! Old Master Hu actually managed to invite Speaker Hua here! That's incredibly impressive!"

"Speaker Hua really gives Old Master Hu face! He actually came in person!"

"Of course! In Hong Kong, very few people would dare to disrespect Old Master Hu, right? That would be too ungrateful; how could they possibly survive in the industry afterward?"

"That's true, but... why did Old Master Hu go to such lengths to invite Speaker Hua over? Could something earth-shattering be about to happen? Or is there some major policy change?"

"Alright, alright, let's stop guessing. Let's see if we have a chance to take a picture with Speaker Hua later. This kind of opportunity is once in a lifetime, we can't miss it!"

"Yes, yes! I hope I'll have that chance later! Even just taking a picture from afar would be great!"

Inside the private room at this moment.

Hua Junfeng and Ding Jiani sat at a comfortable mahogany tea table, in front of them a pot of fine Pu'er tea that had been carefully brewed in advance by a waiter.

According to standard service procedures, a professional tea master should be available to provide service.

However, Hua Junfeng smiled and politely declined when he came in.

Since the tea has already been brewed in advance and placed in a thermos, they can pour it for themselves.

With outsiders around, it's actually inconvenient to talk, and many things can't be discussed in depth.

Looking at her uncle's calm and composed demeanor, Ding Jianni couldn't help but ask curiously in a low voice, "Uncle, tell me... why did Grandpa Hu specially invite you here this time? It's all so mysterious, and he even booked the whole place."

Hua Junfeng picked up the small, exquisite teacup, gently blew on it, took a sip of the mellow tea, and then steadily placed the teacup back on the table. Instead of answering, he asked, "Oh? So what do you think... it might be?"

(End of this chapter)