Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 637 Doubts: Is this really the legendary纨绔子弟 (spoiled brat)?
This sounds polite, but the meaning is quite clear: it's essentially a polite way of saying goodbye.

Even if Li Kaixin was stupid, he could understand the meaning behind those words.

Although she was a little unhappy, she couldn't insist any further, so she just smiled and said to Wang Yutao, "Yutao, let's go back over there and sit down, so as not to disturb Sister Yifei while she waits for her friends."

Wang Yutao's face was full of resentment. He kept turning back to look at Chen Yifei, his gaze still lingering on her.

Li Kaixin whispered to Wang Yutao, "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities to show off later."

Wang Yutao reluctantly looked away and followed Li Kaixin back to their original seats.

After sitting down, he couldn't help but ask Li Kaixin in a low voice, "How many days are you going to stay in Hong Kong this time?"

"According to the company's arrangements, it seems we'll be staying for about five days. One and a half days of that is free time, which we can arrange as we please," Li Kaixin replied.

"Oh, that's good, then there's still a chance." Wang Yutao breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Kaixin chuckled and lowered his voice, saying, "What, you really are a die-hard fan of Chen Yifei?"

"Absolutely!" Wang Yutao said without hesitation. "I've loved watching her act for a long time! I never expected her to be even more perfect in person than on TV. She's so beautiful and has such a great presence!"

“Alright then,” a calculating glint flashed in Li Kaixin’s eyes, “Then you’d better step up your game and pursue her more! And then…”

"And then what?" Wang Yutao asked curiously.

Li Kaixin gave a mysterious and meaningful smile and whispered, "Then, when Chen Yifei is immersed in sweet love, she'll inevitably be distracted by her relationship, right? She might not be able to concentrate on her career as much, which would give me a better chance to make a name for myself in the company, wouldn't it?"

"Ah..." Wang Yutao finally understood Li Kaixin's true intentions.

It's simply that she feels Chen Yifei is a huge obstacle in her path, preventing her from obtaining more and better resources.

"Kaixin, what you're saying isn't right, is it?" Wang Yutao said, somewhat puzzled. "I see you're doing quite well now, aren't you? I heard you have a good chance of becoming a top-tier actress, and your resources are pretty good too."

"That still can't compare to Chen Yifei's current momentum!"

Li Kaixin's tone was tinged with a hint of sourness: "You have no idea, she's absolutely at the peak of her career right now! Almost every week, several top production companies come to her with scripts, offering her the lead role. She's overwhelmed with choices, she's incredibly popular! So, you should try your best to distract her from her career and let her enjoy life a bit more, wouldn't that be better?"

"Great! Of course!" Wang Yutao was delighted to hear this, as it suited him perfectly. "If you're happy, then you'll have to help me create more opportunities! I promise, I'll put in extra effort and try my best to win over our beautiful Yifei!"

"Okay! Then this matter is all up to you!" Li Kaixin nodded with satisfaction.

Wang Yutao then remembered what had just happened and asked, "By the way, Kaixin, who exactly is that friend Yifei mentioned? Do you think it might be someone I know?"

Li Kaixin curled her lip dismissively: "Probably not? What kind of friends of your caliber could Chen Yifei know in Hong Kong? I don't believe it. Probably just an ordinary friend."

Just then, Zhang Xiaorou, who had been sitting quietly next to Chen Yifei, suddenly stood up and walked towards the restaurant entrance.

Li Kaixin nudged Wang Yutao with his elbow, gesturing for him to look: "Zhang Xiaorou went out, probably to pick someone up. Pay attention to who it is."

A moment later, the restaurant door opened again. Sure enough, Zhang Xiaorou led in a tall, burly young man.

Li Kaixin subconsciously looked over, and when she saw the person's appearance clearly, she was stunned.

The young man following behind Zhang Xiaorou was tall and handsome, dressed in casual yet tasteful attire, and exuded a calm and confident air.

Li Kaixin had to admit to himself that this guy was actually quite handsome!
Moreover, this kind of handsomeness is not the refined kind like Wang Yutao's, but a more composed, restrained, and powerful masculine charm.

That's right, the person Zhang Xiaorou brought in from the restaurant entrance was none other than Hu Jiangshan.

As soon as Hu Jiangshan entered the restaurant, his eyes swept across the room and he immediately spotted Chen Yifei sitting alone by the window.

The two saw each other almost simultaneously. The moment their eyes met in the air, they both revealed knowing, warm smiles. A tacit understanding that needed no words flowed quietly in the air.

Hu Jiangshan didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight over, naturally sitting down in the empty seat opposite Chen Yifei.

Zhang Xiaorou was quite self-aware at this moment. Instead of being tactless and moving between the two of them, she wisely chose to sit a little further away, resting her chin on her hands and wearing a helpless yet amused expression that said, "I understand, I understand." She looked at the two people sitting opposite her.

Hu Jiangshan was amused by her appearance and took the initiative to greet her, "Assistant Zhang, don't sit so far away, come and sit with us? There's plenty of space here."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaorou immediately shook her head vigorously, waving her hands repeatedly, and jokingly said in an exaggerated tone, "What would I do there? Be a bright, shiny third wheel? I wouldn't do such an annoying thing! If I really sat there, you two might not say it to my face, but who knows what you're thinking, calling me ungrateful!"

Hu Jiangshan couldn't help but chuckle and assured him with a smile, "How could that be? We'd be thanking you, not scolding you. Come on over here."

"No, no, really!"

Zhang Xiaorou was adamant. She pointed at the two of them, then at herself, and said seriously, "You two chat as you please, just pretend I don't exist. I'll stay here and keep watch for you. If any irrelevant people try to bother you, I can help you fend them off and chase them away! That's an important duty of an assistant!"

Chen Yifei was amused by her and gently patted her, scolding, "Xiaorou, don't exaggerate! We're just ordinary friends meeting up and chatting casually. We're not saying anything secretive, so there's no need to make it so mysterious."

Zhang Xiaorou blinked, deliberately made a gesture of listening intently, and said playfully, "How would I know if you're whispering? I don't have super hearing, I can't hear that far."

As she spoke, she deliberately raised her hands and covered her ears, pretending that she couldn't hear anything, which made her look both childish and cute.

Zhang Xiaorou is still young, and her personality still retains some childishness and liveliness, occasionally revealing some innocent and naive behaviors.

However, it is precisely because of this genuine nature that talking to and spending time with her is easy and fun, and not at all dull.

Just then, Hu Jiangshan keenly sensed that two pairs of eyes seemed to be cast over from the seats not far away, landing on him and Chen Yifei.

He glanced at them discreetly out of the corner of his eye and saw a young couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful, both with outstanding appearances.

Hu Jiangshan turned his head slightly, lowered his voice, and asked Chen Yifei in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "Yifei, who are those two people sitting over there? Do you know them?"

Chen Yifei followed his gaze and glanced over, then briefly introduced in a low voice, "Oh, that lady is Li Kaixin, an artist in our company, and the one next to her is her friend, surnamed Wang." Hu Jiangshan's face showed a look of sudden realization, he nodded, and softly said "Oh."

Chen Yifei asked curiously, "What, you know her? Have you seen any of her TV dramas? What did you think of her? Is Li Kaixin quite popular with audiences? She's good-looking and young."

Hu Jiangshan chuckled upon hearing this and clarified with a smile, "Yifei, that's a leading question. I didn't make any comments. I haven't actually watched any of her TV dramas; I've only heard of her name."

In fact, Hu Jiangshan had indeed heard of Li Kaixin, but not in this life, but in his previous life.

In his memory, in his previous life, the artist Li Kaixin had indeed made headlines in mainland entertainment news because of some controversial incidents that caused quite a stir and caused a lot of controversy.

But later, it seems that due to something more serious, he gradually disappeared from the entertainment industry, and his career came to an abrupt end.

Hu Jiangshan knew very well that Li Kaixin was a genuine foreign artist.

If one does not have a deep enough understanding of or pay enough attention to the cultural environment, public opinion ecology, and social rules in mainland China, it is easy to unintentionally step into various minefields.

If handled improperly, it could easily lead to huge controversy and even ruin one's reputation. This is not uncommon in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the restaurant.

Li Kaixin and Wang Yutao were also huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

Li Kaixin noticed that Wang Yutao's expression had been a bit off ever since the strange man came in. He would sometimes frown and sometimes look puzzled, so she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Yutao, what's wrong with you? You look strange. You... you don't actually know that man, do you?"

Wang Yutao frowned, his gaze still fixed on Hu Jiangshan, and answered in a low, uncertain voice, "I... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, he looks familiar, but I'm not sure if it's the same person."

"You've seen him?" Upon hearing this, Li Kaixin's curiosity grew even stronger, and she hurriedly asked, "Then do you remember who he might be?"

Wang Yutao hesitated for a moment, then said in a lower voice, "I think he looks a bit like Hu Jiangshan."

"Hu Jiangshan?"

Li Kaixin's face immediately showed an expression of extreme confusion and disbelief. She couldn't help but take a closer look at the composed and well-mannered young man sitting opposite Chen Yifei, and muttered, "No way? He's that Hu Jiangshan? How is that possible! He doesn't match what I've heard at all!"

Li Kaixin had indeed frequently visited Hong Kong Island for work or personal reasons, sometimes staying for one or two months at a time.

The circle of friends she made here were mostly from wealthy and influential families, and she frequently attended upscale venues and high-society gatherings.

At the time, many local friends warned her, half-jokingly and half-seriously, that there was a playboy named Hu Jiangshan in Hong Kong Island's social circles who was a notorious troublemaker.

I repeatedly warned her not to get involved, otherwise she would definitely get herself into a lot of trouble that she couldn't get rid of.

Because the rumored Hu Jiangshan is an outrageous, morally bankrupt, and utterly shameless playboy.

But the man in front of her, who was chatting happily with Chen Yifei and seemed calm and polite, was not the same Hu Jiangshan that her friends had described.

The difference in their appearances is just too great!
Li Kaixin couldn't connect the two at all.

"You...you must have mistaken me for someone else?" Li Kaixin looked at Wang Yutao suspiciously.

"Or...it's also possible that I misread it."

Wang Yutao himself was also very confused, because the man in front of him had a completely different temperament from the infamous Hu Jiangshan in his memory.

But the face did indeed bear an eight or nine-tenths resemblance, and this stark contrast left him feeling disoriented.

"But...but they really look so alike..."

Wang Yutao couldn't help but emphasize again: "The facial features are really very similar!"

Li Kaixin's imagination ran wild, and he guessed, "Could it be that Hu Jiangshan has some twin brother? We just don't know about it?"

Wang Yutao immediately denied the guess: "That's impossible. Hu Jiangshan is the only son in the Hu family. This is common knowledge in Hong Kong circles. He doesn't have any twin brothers at all."

Li Kaixin's eyes darted around, a sly glint in them, and he suggested, "Guessing here won't do any good. How about... we try to find out?"

“Okay! Let’s find out!” Wang Yutao had the same idea.

"Watch me." Li Kaixin said, composing himself and putting on a warm smile again. He got up and walked towards the table where Zhang Xiaorou was sitting alone.

She walked up to Zhang Xiaorou, bent down, lowered her voice, and smiled familiarly, trying to get closer: "Sister Xiaorou, are you busy? Can I... ask you a small question?"

When Zhang Xiaorou saw that it was Li Kaixin, a look of vigilance immediately appeared on her face. She asked calmly, "What's the problem?"

Li Kaixin lowered her voice even further, almost whispering, "Is that the handsome guy sitting across from Sister Yifei, his name Hu Jiangshan?"

Zhang Xiaorou was clearly stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Hu Jiangshan, then at Li Kaixin who looked expectant, and quickly made a mental calculation.

Since Chen Yifei agreed to let Hu Jiangshan come directly to the restaurant she had booked, she probably didn't intend to deliberately hide their relationship.

Thinking about it this way, it seems there's nothing I can't say.

So Zhang Xiaorou nodded and admitted, "Yes, that's right, he is Hu Jiangshan."

Although Li Kaixin was somewhat prepared, she still couldn't help but widen her eyes and exclaim in a low voice after receiving confirmation: "Really? He really is Hu Jiangshan?!"

Her reaction was a bit too strong, startling Zhang Xiaorou, who asked in confusion, "Yes, yes, is something wrong?"

(End of this chapter)