Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 615 From Playboy to Blacklist in the US: Hu Jiangshan's Character Undergoes a Dramatic Change
Although Hua Junfeng is actually close to fifty years old, he looks much younger than his actual age.

People meeting him for the first time might even mistake him for someone in his thirties.

This is partly due to his extremely good health maintenance and regular lifestyle.

On the other hand, it's because he has consistently maintained a fit physique over the years.

It is well known that people who regularly engage in scientific fitness have a vigorous metabolism, tend to age more slowly, and appear younger and more energetic.

Ding Jianni tilted her head and thought carefully for a moment, then tried to speculate: "Old Master Hu... could it be that he wants to ask you for a favor? For example, he hopes to place or promote someone from the Hu family in an important position in the Hong Kong government? This kind of operation seems to be quite common in the industry."

Upon hearing this, Hua Junfeng slowly shook his head and said with certainty, "Old Master Hu is not that kind of person. He would never do such underhanded things. If there is a real need for personnel operations at this level, there is no need for him to personally intervene. The current head of the Hu family, Hu Wenxin, can handle it directly, and even the professional management team below can manage it well."

"You mean to say that what Old Master Hu wants to do this time is of a very high standard and level? Perhaps even high enough that it would require the use of your level of influence to get it done?"

"That's right. It must be something that involves a very high level of government, a large scale of interests, or something of great strategic significance. Otherwise, given Mr. Hu's low-key nature, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths and specifically arranged to meet at an extremely private place like Yunxi Xiaozhu."

"Then... what could it be?" Ding Jiani's curiosity was completely piqued, but then a hint of worry appeared on her face. "It feels like it's going to be very difficult, right? Uncle, shouldn't you have agreed to come so easily in the first place? What if..."

"What if he brings up something particularly difficult or even tricky later? Wouldn't that make things very awkward and unpleasant? If we agree, it would violate our principles; if we don't agree, it would offend the old man."

Hua Junfeng leaned back, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "When I first received the invitation, I did have some concerns about it. I weighed the pros and cons for a long time, but... as you know, Mr. Hu is a highly respected senior entrepreneur in Hong Kong. He has made many contributions to society and has an excellent reputation."

"He's rarely given the time to speak up and take the initiative to invite me. I can't refuse him, both out of courtesy and reason, and besides..."

He paused, then his tone shifted to one of understanding and judgment: "I believe that, given Mr. Hu's consistent style of conduct and his far-sighted vision, he wouldn't ask me to do anything that's clearly against the rules, or in a gray area, or that would put me in a very difficult position. He knows what's important."

Ding Jiani was somewhat bewildered after hearing Hua Junfeng's analysis.

She knew what her uncle meant by those so-called difficult things.

That often involves a lot of power abuse, transfer of benefits, and even darker gray areas.

Hua Junfeng is a person with strong political principles and bottom lines, and he is indeed very resistant to and disgusted by doing this kind of thing.

But if the matter entrusted to him by Grandpa Hu doesn't fall into this category... then what could it be?

Ding Jiani was both incredibly curious and vaguely uneasy.

Mr. Hu is no ordinary person. After years of silence, he has suddenly made a high-profile move. It is unknown what kind of difficult problem or plan he will propose that will shake Hong Kong Island.

Just then, Hua Junfeng seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "By the way, who else came with Grandpa Hu today? The invitation seems to have mentioned other people."

Ding Jiani quickly took out her phone and checked the details of the memo on the electronic schedule: "Ah, right. It says that Hu Jiangshan will also be there."

"Hu Jiangshan?" Hua Junfeng pondered for a moment upon hearing the name, a playful expression appearing on his face. "This is interesting. Recently, the rumors and public opinion surrounding Hu Jiangshan seem to have reversed quite a bit, becoming quite positive, right? It's almost a complete 180-degree turn."

Ding Jianni laughed, and said with a hint of gossip, "That's right, Uncle. You might not pay much attention to these rumors. You don't know, but there are quite a few people in the industry now, especially the younger generation of entrepreneurs, who think that Hu Jiangshan is a rising star among the younger generation. He's a very successful young entrepreneur with great potential! He's really making waves!"

Hua Junfeng was amused by his niece's exaggerated tone and asked in return, "So what do you think? Based on your observations and understanding, is he truly an outstanding young entrepreneur now? Or is there a lot of packaging and hype involved?"

Ding Jiani suppressed her smile, shook her head seriously, and said objectively, "I don't know the specifics of how his company actually operates or what his core technologies are like. I don't have any firsthand information."

"However... judging from my intuition and past impressions of him, I think that even if Hu Jiangshan has indeed changed a lot and made great progress, the outside world's evaluation and rumors about him are probably still exaggerated and contain a lot of exaggeration."

"After all, it takes time to change a person's established image, and his change came too fast and too drastic, which made him seem unreal."

Hua Junfeng picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and nodded thoughtfully.

“Jiani, you’re right. What’s the real situation with Hu Jiangshan? We really can’t just listen to rumors. We need to observe him more closely and see for ourselves.”

Ding Jianni was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at her uncle with some surprise: "Uncle, you seem to care a lot about Hu Jiangshan?"

Hua Junfeng put down his teacup and sighed softly: "There's nothing I can do but care. You don't know, Hu Jiangshan has been very popular in Hong Kong lately, and his momentum is very strong. Just like you said, people often mention him and talk about him. Moreover, there are many voices in the industry now saying that he is one of the best among the younger generation and a rising star."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat serious: "Moreover, let me tell you, Hu Jiangshan's fame is much greater than you imagine, and his influence may have already extended beyond ordinary business circles."

"Huh?" Ding Jiani was truly stunned. "What do you mean? No matter how famous he is, how famous can he be? Isn't he just a relatively well-known third-generation rich kid?"

Hua Junfeng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "It's best for you to know about this, but don't spread it around. It's still considered a rather sensitive topic."

"Okay, Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely keep my mouth shut and won't tell anyone."

Hua Junfeng then slowly said, "I heard this from some well-informed friends in the United States. It is said that some key departments in the United States, such as institutions involved in high technology and strategic security, seem to have taken notice of Hu Jiangshan. They seem to be conducting some background investigations on Hu Jiangshan."

Ding Jianni's beautiful eyes widened instantly, almost thinking she had misheard. She exclaimed softly, "Huh? What? A key department of the United States?! Investigating Hu Jiangshan? Why? What's there to investigate about Hu Jiangshan? Does he... does he have some unknown secret?"

Hua Junfeng shook his head: "I don't know the specifics of why or how far the investigation has progressed. Those departments always operate in a secretive and secretive manner. If they are the ones conducting the investigation, they certainly won't reveal too much core information to us."

His tone shifted, becoming quite certain: "One thing is basically certain: Hu Jiangshan must have something going on, or something he's doing, that has attracted the other side's attention and vigilance. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so easily invested resources in doing something like this."

Ding Jiani nodded thoughtfully.

She was becoming increasingly curious about Hu Jiangshan. She felt that this former playboy was shrouded in an ever-growing mystery, possessing a more and more bewitching allure.

His reputation has improved and his image has become more and more glamorous, which is fine, but now he has even attracted the attention of the powerful agencies in the United States, and they are secretly investigating him!
That's no ordinary business investigation or gossip news!

If there are really no major suspicious points or potential threats about Hu Jiangshan that are worth digging into, then an organization of that level would absolutely not easily invest valuable resources in such a cross-border investigation.

There must be an unusual reason behind this.

As the two were talking in hushed tones, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and Old Master Hu Yingxiang walked in.

Although Hu Yingxiang has always been low-key and dislikes showing off, his reputation and status in Hong Kong are genuine; he is a highly respected senior figure.

Even a speaker of such high status as Hua Junfeng immediately stood up from his seat upon seeing Hu Yingxiang, greeted him with a respectful smile, and said, "Elder Hu, you've arrived!"

Hu Yingxiang was also very polite, without any airs, and quickly waved his hand with a smile: "Speaker Hua is too kind, please sit down, please sit down! Jia Ni is here too, good, good!"

Apart from his personal butler Liu Quan following closely behind, Hu Yingxiang did not bring anyone else with him.

He was a regular here and knew everything well. He wasn't one to show off, so he didn't need a large entourage.

Hu Yingxiang exchanged a few pleasantries with Hua Junfeng, asking about his recent situation. Then, he glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost time. Shall we order something? It'll be more comfortable to chat while we eat."

Upon hearing this, Hua Junfeng's expression became slightly more serious, and he tentatively asked, "Mr. Hu, are there any other guests coming today?"

Hu Yingxiang smiled and said in a calm tone, "It's alright, there are no outsiders here. It's just that my Ah Shan will be coming over in a little while. By the way, Ah Shan is Hu Jiangshan. You should have all heard of him, right?"

Hua Junfeng smiled appropriately and nodded: "I've heard of him, of course I've heard of him. Mr. Hu Jiangshan has been rising to fame recently."

Ding Jiani nodded involuntarily.

Who in Hong Kong's high society hasn't heard of Hu Jiangshan?
Whether it's his past glorious and absurd deeds or the recent rumors of his prodigal son's return, he has always been a hot topic.

It's just that it used to have a bad reputation, but now its reputation seems to be gradually improving.

To outsiders, this transformation is indeed amazing, even a bit unbelievable.

As they were talking, the cell phone rang in the bag that the butler, Liu Quan, was carrying.

That was Hu Yingxiang's private phone number, known only to a very few close friends and important business partners.

Liu Quan glanced at the caller ID, then whispered to Hu Yingxiang, "Master, it's the young master calling."

"Okay, give it to me." Hu Yingxiang took the phone.

"Yes, we've arrived. Yunxi Xiaozhu, the usual place. Come on over... Okay, be careful on the road." Hu Yingxiang said a few words and then hung up the phone.

He handed the phone back to Liu Quan and instructed, "Ah Shan is here. He's not very familiar with the area. Liu Quan, go and meet him at the entrance."

"Alright, sir, I'll go right away." Liu Quan nodded and immediately turned and left.

Hu Yingxiang then turned to Hua Junfeng and Ding Jiani, saying casually, "By the way, my son Ashan is about the same age as you, Jiani. Young people should have more in common, so you two should get along well."

Ding Jiani maintained a polite smile and casually replied, "Grandpa Hu is right."

But she didn't think so in her heart.

She didn't think she and Hu Jiangshan would have any common topics to discuss, let alone get along well.

Even if Hu Jiangshan's reputation has improved and he may have some merits, he is still far from the kind of insightful and profound elite she imagined.

At most, he's just a bit more composed and mature in his dealings with others than before.

A moment later, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and a person walked in—it was Hu Jiangshan.

The moment Hu Jiangshan appeared, Ding Jiani's gaze fell on him, and she froze, her heart skipping a beat.

She had clearly met Hu Jiangshan before, and more than once!
I've only seen him from afar at large public events, such as charity cocktail parties and business dinners.

Although we never spoke, I have an impression of him.

But when she saw Hu Jiangshan again today, she felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity!
Although their facial features do look quite similar, there haven't been any major changes.

But... facial features, no, to be more precise, the aura that a person exudes from the inside out, the difference is too great!

He's completely different from the Hu Jiangshan I remember!
My impression of Hu Jiangshan was that he always had a somewhat cynical and frivolous air about him, with shifty eyes and a slightly flamboyant demeanor.

The Hu Jiangshan before me was tall and straight, with a steady gait, clear and focused eyes, and a calm and...

An indescribable confidence and composure.

(End of this chapter)