Restart life

Chapter 563 0551 [The Young Master of the Modern Group]

A high-end private club in Haeundae, Busan.

The host and the guest hadn't arrived yet, but their bodyguards had already done so. Although the two bodyguards didn't know each other, they worked together seamlessly to check the house for any eavesdropping or surveillance equipment.

The previous incident has already spread throughout South Korean high society circles, leaving many political figures here feeling uneasy.

The person hosting this dinner had been secretly filmed last year. Chen Guiliang's discovery of the hidden camera saved him a lot of trouble.

As for the club owner (who was also a builder) who was involved in taking secret photos, he "committed suicide" a few months ago due to debt problems.

After the room inspection was completed, the two bodyguards did not leave. They took out their phones to report the situation and then remained in the room to keep watch.

Chen Guiliang did not arrive until nightfall.

Besides Oh Jin-ho, CEO of GamerSky's Korean subsidiary, there was also Jung Hyun-min, the second-in-command in Busan whom I had met at the game expo opening ceremony. The other person was very young, probably no more than 30 years old.

As the second-in-command of Busan, Zheng Xuanmin was simply there to keep them company and, incidentally, to get to know Chen Guiliang and the young man.

Wu Zhenhao introduced the young man to Chen Guiliang: "Chairman, this is Mr. Zheng Yingxuan, the son of the chairman of Hyundai Group, the chairman of Hyundai Elevator, and the chairman of Hyundai Eshan."

"Hello, Mr. Zheng!" Chen Guiliang smiled and shook hands.

Zheng Yingxuan was quite enthusiastic: "I am very happy to invite Chairman Chen to dinner. I am a loyal player of 'Oracle Era'. I also recently received an invitation code to become a beta tester of 'Legend of Martial Arts'."

This is a typical playboy, the kind who enjoys eating, drinking, and having fun while casually managing the company. His eldest sister has long been designated as the heir.

The internal power struggles within the Hyundai Group were chaotic. The death of the "Hyundai Crown Prince" in a car accident quickly sparked a "Prince's Rebellion." The seven younger brothers split into three factions vying for power, with the fourth brother driven to suicide by poisoning. The father, left with no other option, had to divide the Hyundai business into several parts.

Nine years ago, Zheng Yingxuan's father (the fifth son) committed suicide by jumping off a building, and his mother inherited the family business and took on the main responsibility. His uncle then jumped out to "profit from the family's demise" and publicly stated that the Zheng family's legacy should not be taken away by outsiders.

His mother almost lost control of the modern elevator company to his uncle. First, she issued new shares, diluting his uncle's stake. Then, she seized upon the loophole that the uncle hadn't disclosed his shareholding exceeding 5% during the acquisition, turning the tide and taking control of the situation.

Subsequently, his mother ousted his second uncle and seized the position of chairman of the Hyundai Group—his second uncle was sentenced to three years.

His branch of the family has close ties with the north, and even owns a company there.

Jung Hyun-min said, "Two months ago, I went to Minnesota, China. The Chinese friends there were very welcoming, and I also signed a mutual exchange agreement between Busan and Minnesota."

This man is truly an old friend of the people of Minnesota. He began visiting Minnesota in 2011 and has been cooperating with the state for more than a decade since then.

Chen Guiliang said, "For thousands of years, both the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties landed in Mingzhou whenever they sent envoys to China. That place truly bears witness to the friendship between China and Korea, and what Mr. Zheng did is beneficial to both of us."

Just then, three female celebrities arrived.

They all had good figures and looks, but Chen Guiliang didn't recognize any of them.

After they entered the room, they bowed and greeted each other, and then sat down next to Zheng Yingxuan, Zheng Xuanmin, and Wu Zhenhao respectively.

Zheng Yingxuan frowned and asked, "Why hasn't that person arrived yet?"

The middle-aged man who led the three actresses in quickly explained, "Park Han-byul is recording a program this afternoon, and she'll fly over immediately after she finishes. I just called to ask, and she's already landed."

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "It's alright, the plane might be delayed."

Jung Young-sun asked curiously, "Chairman Chen, don't you like our girl group? Our K-pop culture is popular all over the world. This year, Psy (Gary Stu) caused a sensation in Europe and America, and the whole world is chasing the Korean wave."

Chen Guiliang said, "I signed the exclusive online agency rights for Psy in China a long time ago."

“Haha, I’m very familiar with Psy,” Zheng Yingxuan laughed. “If I had known that Chairman Chen liked Psy’s songs, I should have brought him here for drinks today.”

Chen Guiliang had absolutely no interest in that guy, but he still said, "Let's have a few drinks together next time."

As they were talking, the three men were already drinking with the female star.

Given Chen Guiliang's current status, he has no need to attend this kind of gathering; he simply wants to expand his network for his subsidiary in South Korea.

As they chatted, Jung Young-seon said, "Chairman Chen has a very unique eye. He didn't choose a girl group member, but instead selected an actress who has been in the industry for many years. I didn't even know Park Han-byul before. I was studying abroad when she was at the height of her fame. I only realized how difficult it was to invite her when I sent someone to invite her this time."

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "But Mr. Zheng still invited them."

"It took a little effort," said Jung Young-seon.

Park Han-byul was initially a member of a girl group, but left the group before debuting. This proves that her family is not poor and could afford to cover all her expenses during her trainee period.

She then switched to other companies, and despite having the face of a first love heroine, she was often cast as villainous second female leads. This shows that she had someone promoting her, but her efforts were clearly insufficient, and she couldn't get leading roles.

Last year was even more impressive; she started her own company, and she was the only actress in the entire company.

"Dong dong dong."

"Come in."

Park Han-byul walked into the room carrying her bag, bowed to everyone, and said, "I'm sorry I'm late."

Just as Zheng Yingxuan was about to get angry and say a few words, Chen Guiliang spoke up first: "Come and sit down."

Park Han-byul didn't know who Chen Guiliang was. She didn't put down her bag or take off her down jacket, and just sat awkwardly next to Chen Guiliang.

She was actually very angry. Last year, she started her own company and didn't want to get involved in these kinds of drinking parties, so she had her agent turn them all down.

As it turned out, Zheng Yingxuan was too ruthless. She directly sent a message to her father, forcing him to persuade her to agree.

Her family is in the trading business; it's not a large-scale business, but it's not small either.

The room was heated, and the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius. Everyone was wearing only one or two layers of clothing.

Park Han-byul, however, wrapped herself up tightly in a down jacket and didn't say much, only symbolically taking a sip or two of wine.

Zheng Xuanmin pretended not to know anything and chatted with Wu Zhenhao with a smile.

Jung Young-seon was initially angry, feeling that Park Han-byul was disrespecting him. However, he held back and observed Chen Guiliang's reaction.

Chen Guiliang showed no reaction, continuing to drink and chat. He talked to Zheng Xuanmin about Sino-Korean trade and cultural exchange, and to Zheng Yingxuan about various new games.

Chen Guiliang even made an appointment with Zheng Yingxuan to team up and play "Oracle Era" together the next day.

Seeing this, Jung Young-seon stopped cursing and instead waited to see how long Park Han-byul could hold out.

Winter came early to South Korea this year, with daytime temperatures already dropping below 10 degrees Celsius, and everyone on the streets was wearing down jackets. Park Han-byul, not wanting to be groped while drinking, kept her down jacket on, and within minutes she was sweating profusely from the warmth of the heating.

She secretly observed Chen Guiliang and found that the man was very young and exceptionally handsome, guessing that he must be the son of some large conglomerate.

However, Chen Guiliang communicated in English the entire time and never spoke Korean.

This led Park Han-byul to a new guess: she thought that Chen Guiliang had studied in Europe and America for a long time and might have only recently returned to Korea, so his Korean was no longer fluent.

Moreover, Chen Guiliang was very clean; he didn't grope her or force her to drink.

Park Han-byul thought to herself: He seems to be a cultured and well-mannered person, unlike those who have lived in the country for a long time.

She couldn't hold out for more than ten minutes before her forehead and vest were drenched in sweat, and she finally couldn't resist taking off her down jacket. Underneath was a tight-fitting wool sweater that accentuated her curves.

"Hahaha!"

Jung Young-seon couldn't help but laugh, finding this kind of thing quite amusing, much more interesting than directly forcing female celebrities.

The other three girl group members who were drinking with Park Han-byul looked at her with disdain and jealousy.

They all came from impoverished backgrounds, their albums were lukewarm at best, and they could only accept various forms of escort services arranged by the company. Quitting was impossible; even if the company allowed them to leave, they couldn't afford the money—they had been working for the company, yet they owed the company training fees!
And what about Park Han-byul?
She left the group without hesitation, before even debuting. She moved between several companies, switching jobs whenever she wanted, and now she even owns her own company.

The two are worlds apart.

These girl group members both envied and were jealous of Park Han-byul, and they really wanted to see Park Han-byul suffer misfortune—ideally, she would offend the son of the chairman of Hyundai Group!
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Park Han-byul had no choice but to change the subject and asked Chen Guiliang in English, "Sir, in which country did you study before?"

Chen Guiliang said, "China."

"Huh?" This answer surprised Park Han-byul.

Chen Guiliang smiled. Because everyone deliberately didn't introduce him, Park Han-byul didn't even know his surname.

Park Han-byul grew increasingly curious: "Sir, you studied in China for so many years, you must have a doctorate, right?"

"More or less," Chen Guiliang said with a smile.

Jung Young-seon found it increasingly amusing. He knew Park Han-byul had made a mistake, but he didn't offer any explanation, instead drinking and watching the spectacle unfold.

Park Han-byul asked, "Is this trip back to Korea to take over the family business?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I own a company in China."

"You're really amazing, running an international business at such a young age." Park Han-byul was no longer nervous; she thought Chen Guiliang was a very gentlemanly man. He was even a little shy, like an innocent young man who had never been in a relationship.

Chen Guiliang said, "I started my own business when I was in college. I had a college roommate who was a fan of Ms. Park, and I watched Ms. Park's dramas and movies with him."

"Am I famous in China too?" Park Han-byul asked curiously.

Chen Guiliang said, "She has quite a few fans. Ms. Park could actually go to China to develop her career."

Park Han-byul said, "Forget it. I started a one-person agency last year, and I'm the only actor in the whole company. If I go to China to develop my career, the company will have to be dissolved. Besides, I don't have any channels or resources in China."

Chen Guiliang said, "I have a film and television company in China, and Choo Ja-hyun is an artist under my company."

"Choo Ja-hyun?" Park Han-byul's eyes widened.

Of course she knew Choo Ja-hyun; she had sat in the audience and clapped her hands in envy when Choo Ja-hyun won the award.

Jung Young-seon was truly lacking in cunning. After listening to their nonsensical conversation for a while, he finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing, "This Chairman Chen is the richest man in China, with a net worth of 23 trillion Korean won!"

Park Han-byul stared at Chen Guiliang, speechless.

The three girl group members were stunned, then their eyes lit up. They wished they could push Park Han-byul aside and run to sit next to Chen Gui-liang.

(End of this chapter)