70: High society

After Zheng Guoqiang finished his introduction, he then introduced Jiang Chen to Li Shaoyan.

“Director, this is Chairman Jiang Chen, Chairman of Xinghe Group.”

“Hello, Chairman Jiang.”

After Zheng Guoqiang finished the introduction, Li Shaoyan actually extended his hand first, smiling.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen quickly extended both hands, firmly shaking Li Shaoyan’s hand to show respect,

and said with a smile, “Director Li, I am Jiang Chen from Xinghe Group. This is my first time meeting you, and I didn’t recognize you. Please forgive any offense.”

Li Shaoyan lightly patted Jiang Chen’s hand, “Chairman Jiang, you are too polite.”

Then, as if reminiscing and sighing, he continued, “I am not unfamiliar with Xinghe. Seeing you now, you truly have some of Xu Shizhong’s youthful charm.”

Shizhong!? Which Shizhong could it be?

Jiang Chen’s heart jolted again upon hearing this. Listening to Li Shaoyan’s words, he must have a significant relationship with Elder Xu.

Li Shaoyan still held Jiang Chen’s hands and said warmly and proactively, “Xu Shizhong and I have known each other for decades, both rising from humble beginnings. As his successor, I finally get to meet you in person today.”

Indeed! Jiang Chen had already lost count of how many connections Xu Shizhong had left him.

It was the same in Shenzhen before, and now Hong Kong also had connections left by Xu Shizhong.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen seized the opportunity and enthusiastically said, “You and Elder Xu are family friends, and you are my senior. If you don’t mind, may I call you Uncle Li?”

Li Shaoyan looked at Jiang Chen in front of him, actually sighing in his heart that Jiang Chen had even more charm than Xu Shizhong in his youth.

Seeing him reminded him of an old friend.

Li Shaoyan saw the shadow of his old friend in Jiang Chen, and hearing him call him “Uncle Li” immediately put him in a great mood.

“Good, good, good!”

He released Jiang Chen’s hands, repeatedly exclaiming, then firmly patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder.

“As Xu Shizhong’s successor, you should indeed call me Uncle Li.”

Seeing Li Shaoyan agree, Jiang Chen quickly pulled Jiang Yan, who was standing nearby, “Uncle Li, let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Jiang Yan.”

Jiang Yan was very perceptive, bowing slightly and respectfully calling out, “Hello, Uncle Li.”

Li Shaoyan, in a great mood, noticed Jiang Yan, who bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Jiang Chen.

He treated Jiang Yan the same way he treated Jiang Chen, patting Jiang Yan’s shoulder and saying with a smile, “Good boy!”

Jiang Yan smiled shyly.

Zheng Guoqiang, witnessing this scene, secretly marveled and couldn’t help but click his tongue. No wonder Li Shaoyan, after hearing that Jiang Chen was coming, insisted on him making the introduction and personally came out to greet him. So there was this layer of connection!

Xu Minghao had a slight smile on his face. Although it was the first time he learned that Li Shaoyan and Elder Xu were old acquaintances, he knew how powerful Xu Shizhong’s connections were, so he wasn’t surprised at all.

He raised an eyebrow at his old classmate, as if to say, “Didn’t expect our Xinghe’s Elder Xu to have this kind of relationship with your superior, did you?”

Guests at the entrance stopped to watch, looking at Jiang Chen, who was conversing eloquently with Li Shaoyan, and speculating about his identity.

“Who is that young man? He can talk with Director Li for so long, and they look like they’re having a very pleasant conversation, full of smiles and laughter.”

“Director Li and the others really did come out to greet someone!”

Some people recognized Jiang Chen and Xu Minghao.

“That young man is the Chairman of Xinghe Group, and the other is Xu Minghao, the current CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways.”

“Xinghe Group has truly shaken the Hong Kong business community three times recently!”

Someone also exclaimed, “What? This is that ‘crossing the river fierce dragon’ Xinghe Group?!”

The acquisition of Cathay Pacific Airways by Xinghe Group during this period made the Hong Kong business community realize anew the formidable behemoth entrenched in Shenzhen, just a river away from them.

First, it acquired Cathay Pacific Airways, an airline that had existed in Hong Kong for nearly a century, overnight. Then, it used strong, thunderous methods to clear out dissidents on the board of directors, sending all the senior executives to “step on the sewing machine.”

“However, I heard that some people have voiced criticism about Xinghe’s approach…”

“Who cares about that? This isn’t something we can get involved in.”

“Oh my goodness, is Xinghe Group that powerful? To have Director Li personally come out to greet them.”

“Are you kidding? Xinghe started in manufacturing and hasn’t even gone public, yet its external valuation is as high as hundreds of billions. It’s said to possess a vast, undisclosed cash flow. Only they themselves know their actual wealth.”

“Let alone hundreds of billions, even Hong Kong’s richest man isn’t qualified to have Director Li personally come out to greet him, okay?”

“What’s more, the Director of the Security Bureau and the Commissioner of Police are also here.”

Recognizing Jiang Chen, Xu Minghao, and others, they all marveled at Xinghe.

Xiang Huaqiang, who had been without a sense of presence, noticed that everyone had been standing there for a long time, and more and more arriving guests were noticing their group.

Out of safety concerns, he said to Zheng Guoqiang, “Director, why don’t we go inside first?” After speaking, he gestured around them.

After listening, Zheng Guoqiang looked around and also felt he had a point. He quickly stepped forward and said a few words to Jiang Chen and Li Shaoyan.

Li Shaoyan laughed heartily, “Hahahaha, Director Zheng, it’s my fault, my fault. Seeing young Jiang now, I just couldn’t help but chat with him a bit longer.”

Zheng Guoqiang quickly waved his hand; he dared not say anything more.

Jiang Chen affectionately called Li Shaoyan, “Uncle Li, why don’t we go inside? So many of us blocking the way here are almost hindering others’ passage.”

“Good, let’s go in. I’ll also take this opportunity to introduce you to our local Hong Kong entrepreneurs.”

Li Shaoyan laughed heartily, pulling Jiang Chen directly inside. Seeing this, everyone quickly followed.

Following Li Shaoyan into the hotel entrance, they turned right, and after walking for another minute or two, they reached the banquet hall where today’s business dinner was being held.

Inside the banquet hall, a huge crystal chandelier emitted bright light, illuminating the entire hall brightly.

Although called a dinner, it was actually more of a cocktail party. There were no tables in the banquet hall, only some food placed on long tables along both sides of the hall, mainly pastries, cold dishes, and a small amount of hot food.

Then there were all kinds of alcoholic beverages. Any precious liquor that could be found in the world was displayed here: baijiu, foreign spirits, champagne… Most eye-catching was the tall, pyramid-shaped champagne tower in the center, built from countless champagne glasses stacked in layers.

Waiters, all holding trays, smiled as they precisely delivered the drinks from their trays to each guest’s hand.

The men and women in the banquet hall, the men all in sharp suits, the women in low-cut evening gowns, shone like dazzling stars in the night sky.

They either gathered in groups of three to five, like a flock of geese, or paired up, like mandarin ducks, holding wine glasses and conversing in low tones, clinking glasses and chuckling softly when the conversation was lively.

The clinking of glasses produced a crisp sound, like a magnificent symphony, perfectly showcasing the luxury and elegance of high society.