Chapter 53

"Are you nervous?" Li Xuan turned his head to look at the delicate, smooth face that resembled fine white jade, and her watery autumn eyes made him feel an irresistible tenderness.

"A little!" Zhong Chuhong frowned slightly and said softly.

"What's there to be nervous about? It's not like we're going to climb a mountain of knives or descend into a sea of fire; it's just a cocktail party!" Li Xuan smiled and reached out to gently scrape her small, delicate nose with his finger, then lightly traced her cherry-red lips.

"Stop it, focus on driving!" Zhong Chuhong swatted his finger away and said with a sidelong glance.

In front of the Lin family's mansion in Deep Water Bay, various luxury cars were already parked, including fashionable and bold sports cars like Lotuses and Aston Martins, as well as noble and luxurious extended limousines like Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. Some say that Japanese cars are tools, German cars are machines, French cars are romantic, and British cars are art.

The mid-to-low-end car market in Hong Kong had long been dominated by inexpensive Japanese cars from Nissan and Toyota, while the high-end market remained the domain of British cars. As a British colony, Hong Kong's tycoons had a particular admiration for the aristocratic flair of cars from the mother country.

Li Xuan's American Chevrolet Camaro, a civilian sports car, stood out among the sea of British cars. He handed the car keys to the valet and turned to give Zhong Chuhong a reassuring smile. He then carefully brushed the slightly disheveled bangs from her forehead before taking his girlfriend, dressed in a red strapless evening gown, and strolling toward the villa.

This mansion, located in Deep Water Bay and covering over 2,000 square meters, was the residence of the Lin Guotai family. Today, Li Xuan was invited to attend his roommate Lin Yuhao's 20th birthday party. Lin Guotai was one of the few super tycoons in Hong Kong, and according to the valuation by Hong Kong's *Sing Tao Daily*, the entire Lin family's wealth, spanning industries such as textiles, hotels, and real estate, exceeded 5 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The Lin family's ancestral home was in Chaozhou, eastern Guangdong. Starting from Lin Guotai's grandfather, who operated a money shop and draft business, the family began to flourish. However, traditional Chao-Shan people valued the eldest son of the main branch to inherit the family business, and the younger sons received little inheritance. Although Lin Guotai's father only received a small portion of the family's wealth during the division, it was enough for the family to live comfortably.

Unfortunately, Lin Guotai's father contracted tuberculosis at the age of 30, depleting the family's savings on medical treatment and passing away at a young age, leaving behind a widow and orphans. Lin Guotai, not yet 15, started working as an apprentice to support the family. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the 20-year-old Lin Guotai partnered with an American to purchase surplus goods from the U.S. military on Guam at a low price, which he then resold in Hong Kong, earning his first fortune.

In the 1950s, Hong Kong's entrepot trade rapidly declined due to the British colonial government's blockade of the new China. With a certain amount of capital, Lin Guotai boldly entered the textile industry and, within a decade, became one of the few textile tycoons in Hong Kong who were not from Shanghai or Ningbo but from Chao-Shan.

Later, Lin Guotai saw the potential in Hong Kong's real estate market, and the Lin Group actively expanded into the real estate and high-end hotel industries. Now, at the age of 55, Lin Guotai, starting from nothing, had accumulated a fortune of over 5 billion dollars in just 40 years.

Hong Kong did not officially abolish the Qing Dynasty laws and ban polygamy until the 1970s, so most Hong Kong tycoons had multiple wives. Lin Guotai was one of the better-regarded tycoons in Hong Kong, having been married to his first wife for over 30 years with a good relationship, until the unexpected arrival of Lin Yuhao. Lin Guotai's first wife, Liu, did not treat Lin Yuhao's daily life harshly, but she was certainly not warm or considerate.

This evening banquet was to celebrate Lin Yuhao's 20th birthday and formally introduce him as Lin Guotai's son to everyone. The banquet was a cocktail party, and the guests who had arrived early gathered in small groups, discussing topics of interest.

Li Xuan, holding his girlfriend's hand, casually wandered through the banquet hall. Passing by a waiter, he took two glasses of brandy from the tray and handed one to Zhong Chuhong.

"Director Cai, don't make fun of me. I'm just a small fry! I don't even have the chance to speak to Old Lin, let alone talk to Little Lin!" Zhang Wencor smiled bitterly.

Standing next to him was Cai Yongmin, the first deputy director of the newly established Housing Bureau in Deepwater Special Zone. Upon learning that Zhang Wencor was a civil engineer at Lin Group, he wanted Zhang to help introduce him to the company's senior management.

Only Zhang Wencor knew his true position; he was not even a mid-level manager at Lin Group and had no opportunity to speak with the group's senior management, let alone introduce anyone.

"Hello!" Li Xuan, standing nearby, kindly raised his glass to the two men.

Li Xuan immediately noticed the two men. Although they were both wearing black suits, it was clear that they were bought from a department store. Compared to the high-end suits custom-made by top tailors that others wore, the quality of their clothing and fabric was noticeably different.

Moreover, in the midst of Cantonese and English, their Mandarin stood out, especially Director Cai's, which had a strong Northeastern accent.

Cai Yongmin and Zhang Wencor also smiled at Li Xuan.

"My name is Li, and my given name is Xuan!" Li Xuan extended his hand to shake theirs and introduced himself.

"Are you from the mainland, Mr. Li?" Cai Yongmin, hearing Li Xuan's standard Mandarin, asked curiously. Most Hong Kong people were very prejudiced against the mainland's backwardness and, even if they could speak Mandarin, many were unwilling to do so.

"No, I'm a native Hong Konger, but I just happen to know Mandarin!" Li Xuan took the business card Cai Yongmin handed him, which read "First Deputy Director of the Housing Bureau of Deepwater City, General Manager of the Real Estate Development Company of Deepwater City."

Such a position would be a solid deputy department-level official thirty years later, a powerful figure that real estate developers would bow and scrape to. If a large group like the Lin Group invited him, they would definitely send a dedicated person to accompany him. But now, no one paid attention to Director Cai, and many people who glanced over here did so with a look of disdain.

"Sorry, I came in a hurry today and forgot to bring my business card!" Li Xuan checked his wallet and found that the few personal business cards he had originally stored were gone, and he said apologetically.

"Are you a cadre who came south, Director Cai? Your accent sounds like you're from Northeast China!" Li Xuan asked.

"Mr. Li seems quite familiar with the mainland. I'm from Jilin and was just transferred from the military last year!" Director Cai said with a smile, his words carrying a hint of the straightforwardness of a Northeastern man. "What line of work are you in, Mr. Li? Are you also an employee of the Lin Group?"

"No!" Li Xuan shook his head. "I run a small electronics company."

"Being your own boss is great. You don't look very old, Mr. Li, you're really young and capable!" Director Cai praised. "If you have the chance, you should visit the Deepwater Special Zone. We warmly welcome Hong Kong compatriots to invest and start businesses on the mainland!"

PS: I'm taking a train back to Shanghai this afternoon. Updates will resume steadily from tomorrow. Please give me your recommendations!