Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 553 Apology Gift
Jessie was not old, only in her thirties, but when she appeared on the deck of the yacht wearing a smart business suit, many people quickly followed Huo Chengrui to greet her.

The reason is simple: Jessie, who holds two doctoral degrees, is outwardly the general manager of a consulting firm and one of the most renowned actuaries in Hong Kong with dual CAS and CAA certifications. However, her true identity is that of a private consultant for the Fok Group.

She may not be able to decide on all matters, big or small, within the Huo family, but she can indirectly influence all the decisions made by the family's leader.

"...So Mr. Zhou, don't let her young age fool you, she has quite a few people in Hong Kong who are trying to curry favor with her."

Mu Li, who was introducing Jessie's identity to Zhou Wang, whispered, "I heard that Huo Yingxiong trusts her immensely. Only with her approval can you be on the shortlist for cooperation. With the scale of the Huo Group, even some peripheral businesses generate at least seven figures in profit every year..."

Zhou Wang nodded knowingly.

"Actuaries who can obtain dual certifications from both domestic and international sources are indeed very impressive."

As his assets continued to grow, Zhou Wang increasingly understood the importance of "specialization," and his own Wangzhou Group was also seeking such talent.

The reason why rich people usually get richer is because the best resources will always be concentrated in the hands of the fewest people.

In reality, many so-called "grassroots success stories" cannot stand up to scrutiny. In essence, those people did not change their fate, but rather... obtained a ticket.
……

"Jessie, what brings you to an event like this?"

Upon seeing Jessie, Young Master Huo, unaware of the seriousness of the matter, asked with a smile.

Jessie stopped, her hands in her pockets, her once-perfect makeup now slightly disheveled by the sea breeze.

She glanced at Huo Chengrui and said expressionlessly, "You know what? I was supposed to be on a date at Saigon Park tonight, and I really liked the guy."

"Uh……"

Huo Chengrui was a little confused as to why Jessie suddenly brought this up, but he still subconsciously replied, "That's good news! Jessie, you haven't been in a relationship for a long time, have you? This time you're probably aiming for marriage, right? Hahaha..."

"Then I received a call from your dad."

Jessie didn't laugh, but simply said calmly.

Huo Chengrui's awkward laughter stopped abruptly. When certain things were connected, and Jessie had obviously rushed over, even Huo Chengrui, who was not very bright, realized what was going on.

A bead of cold sweat suddenly seeped from his forehead.

He had initially thought that since his father hadn't called him, the matter couldn't be too serious. But this time, Huo Yingxiong had bypassed him and sent Jessie instead, which meant…

His father no longer trusted him at all.

Things are getting serious.

“Jessie…”

"Huo Chengrui, you're OK, you're very OK."

Jessie remained expressionless, but her words began to take on a cold tone, "I finally found someone I liked, and we were almost together, but thanks to you, a helicopter just fell from the sky and scared him away..."

"I just want to have a normal relationship like everyone else, is that so hard, huh?"

"I... Jessie, I'm so sorry, please let me explain, I really didn't mean to..."

Young Master Huo was somewhat incoherent, because he knew that Jessie, who was always kind to him, was probably really angry this time.

Although Huo Dashao couldn't be sure whether Jessie was angry because the date was ruined, or because she was too disappointed in herself to be so cold...

It's also possible that both are true?
But Young Master Huo really felt wronged; he clearly hadn't done anything!
Even if he made a mistake, it was that he shouldn't have listened to Wang Jia in the first place and agreed to let him help him find a female companion...

But damn it, he never expected that the girl Wang Jia found would be connected to Zhou Wang.

In the words of the people of Hong Kong Island, with his luck, he was "extremely unlucky"!
"You can go and explain to President Huo what's going on."

Jessie was clearly exhausted. After her cold outburst, she rubbed her temples. "Now, move aside, I need to go help you fill out the table!"

(Cantonese - 填氹: a metaphor for filling in the holes left by others, a helpless way of "wiping up the mess")

"'you'?"

Huo Chengrui, however, keenly noticed that Jessie's choice of words was somewhat problematic.

"In the past 20 minutes, thanks to the three of you, the leaders of the Hong Kong Island conglomerates have been thrown into disarray. If there hadn't been a shortage of time, they would have almost held a joint video conference."

Jessie spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but a deep sense of bewilderment and confusion flashed across her eyes.

“I’m the closest to you, and President Li and Uncle Huang trust me, so I’m their authorized representative to clean up the mess you three left behind.”

“But you’re really putting me in a difficult position. You expect me to come up with the best solution in such a short time… I’m just an actuary, not a god. More importantly, I don’t know his expectations.”

Jessie finally smiled, but her smile was full of self-mockery.

"But what can we do? It seems that no one else can handle this better than me."

Like an explanation, or perhaps a venting of complaints, Jessie finished speaking and then ignored the stunned Huo Chengrui, walking straight past him.

At this moment, Huo Chengrui's heart was already churning with turmoil.

Whose "psychological expectations"?
Of course it's... Zhou Wang's.

Huo Chengrui thought he had overestimated Zhou Wang's position in his father's heart, but now it seems he was still too conservative.

Why do people other than his father, including the heads of the Li family's large company and the Huang Group, value Zhou Wang so much?

But ironically, he had never heard of Zhou Wang's name before...

Jessie's implication was quite clear: in order to gain Zhou Wang's understanding, the three families were even willing to pay a certain price.

But looking at the whole story, Zhou Wang didn't actually suffer any loss; at most, he was just rebuffed a few times.

He couldn't believe that his father, with his abilities, wouldn't still be unaware of the full picture.

Even if Huo Yingxiong didn't know, given Jessie's usual caution, no matter how rushed the time was, she would definitely weigh the pros and cons carefully first.

That only shows that in this matter, right and wrong, cause and effect, advantages and disadvantages are not important. What matters is Zhou Wang's perception of this matter.

But why?

He couldn't possibly be the governor's illegitimate son, could he?
……

Yes, why exactly?
The same question also arose in Mu Li's mind.

She had the same misconception as Young Master Huo: that she had overestimated Zhou Wang's background and power, but it seemed... when she finally got close to Zhou Wang, she found that he was still shrouded in mist, and she couldn't see anything clearly.

The group was now in the cleared-out lounge of the yacht. Besides Zhou Wang, Jessie, and Mu Li, only Li Youjun sat dejectedly in a corner, and Wang Chengyun, who had followed with suspicion. Huo Chengrui had probably gone to make a phone call and had been missing for a long time.

As for Li Youjun, after receiving a phone call, she roughly understood what was going on. At this moment, she was like a wilted eggplant, not daring to utter a word, looking like she was waiting for judgment.

On the deck, Jessie greeted Zhou Wang very politely before they arrived here.

Zhou Wang had already vaguely guessed why Jessie had come, so his attitude was very calm. This made him seem even more unfathomable in Jessie's eyes.

While subtly observing the incredibly young Zhou Wang before her, she smiled and said:

"President Zhou, first of all, I must apologize to you on behalf of Cheng Rui. Although he is much older than you, he grew up in a privileged environment and has inevitably picked up many bad habits..."

"Ms. Chen, you've already said enough of these polite words, so there's no need to repeat them. It's getting late, so why don't we get straight to business?"

Zhou Wang raised his hand to interrupt her, and said with a faint smile.

When introducing herself to Zhou Wang, Jessie probably considered the regional issue and used a more formal Chinese name, so Zhou Wang addressed her by her surname.

Given Jessie's relatively low profile in Hong Kong, few people would interrupt her so bluntly. This surprised Mu Li, who was standing to the side. Even so, Jessie didn't seem unhappy at all; instead, she still had a smile on her face.

"Ok."

Jessie took a deep breath, her tone becoming slightly more serious, "Mr. Zhou, this time I've come with the sincerity of an apology. Due to the time constraints, I couldn't prepare any paper materials, but you can take a look at these electronic documents on my phone..."

As she spoke, Jessie pushed her unlocked phone in front of Zhou Wang.

Mu Li, however, seemed somewhat lost in thought.

The reason lies in Jessie's choice of words, "apology"...

Yes, it's like Jessie defined the nature of the matter from the very beginning.

It was all their fault; Zhou Wang was the one who was offended.

This isn't just being polite; it's downright servile.

But given the Huo family's status, why would they need to do this?
But if this scene is real, she can understand even more why that relative from Beidu spoke with such certainty…

At this moment, Zhou Wang was already looking at the files on Jessie's phone. Just as he had guessed, the electronic property ownership certificates and draft transfer contracts were indeed related to the three properties mentioned in the system notification...

No, to be precise, there are two lists, and one industry that Zhou Wang was particularly interested in was not included.

In addition, it seems that there are some other things mixed in.

"It's still the same problem: time is too short. This is all we can offer in a short period of time. However, there is one thing we hope Mr. Zhou can understand."

Jessie paused for a moment before speaking:

“None of the three major groups are run by a single authority, so there are some assets involved that require further negotiation. Mr. Zhou can consider this…”

There was a hint of caution in Jessie's voice when she said this.

Zhou Wang understood her subtext: she meant that Zhou Wang could choose from among them.

Of course, Zhou Wang understood that even if he were a little greedy, Jessie would most likely not refuse, since the fact that she could produce these documents already indicated their bottom line to some extent.

But Zhou Wang didn't really need to worry about it, after all... the system had already made the choice for him.

So after just a quick glance, Zhou Wang smiled and said, "I'm actually thinking of buying property in Hong Kong Island. I've heard that Hong Kong Island has a strong horse racing culture, and I'd really like to experience it... Also, if I remember correctly, the Huo family seems to have a stake in the Galaxy Group in Macau?"

“It’s not the Huo family. Our Huo Group doesn’t get involved in this kind of business at all. It was the Li family that invested.”

"Oh, maybe I remembered it wrong."

Listening to Zhou Wang's serious nonsense, Jessie's lips twitched involuntarily.

You do not know?

You might have misremembered?

Anyone who has heard even a little bit about the Li family would know whose territory Macau is, not to mention that the Galaxy Group was founded by the Li family patriarch...

But Jessie was also extremely frightened.

The assets on Hong Kong Island were fine, but she was surprised by how accurately Zhou Wang had chosen them, because both the property at 90 Repulse Bay Road and the shares in the Neptune Racecourse were top-ranked assets on the list.

However, the transferable assets of the Macau Galaxy Group were not actually mentioned in the documents, but the eldest son of the Li family mentioned them on the phone...

This is very confusing.

Was Zhou Wang a prophet, or had he already set his sights on the Li family's shares in Galaxy Group?

If it's the latter...

Thinking about this gave Jessie a chill down her spine.

"As far as I know, the Li family does indeed have some shares in the Galaxy Group that they can sell. Although they are just hotels under the group, they are still one of the core assets..."

Jessie laid this groundwork before saying, "But I need to make a call and ask for their opinion."

Zhou Wang immediately gestured for Jessie to go ahead, and Jessie then got up to make a phone call.

At this moment, Mu Li and Wang Chengyun, who were standing to the side, finally came to their senses from their shock.

What did they hear?
Knowing that Jessie has come to apologize, she will naturally bring a "gift" to show her sincerity.

But they never imagined that these gifts would be so significant.

Those are real assets, especially those involving Galaxy Group... those are pillar industries of the Li family, and they're just being given away like that?

At this moment, Jessie had finished her call and returned. As expected, the Li family, who were already prepared, naturally agreed.

Li Youjun, who had been somewhat incredulous in the corner, immediately looked up when Jessie said, "President Li has agreed."

"My brother just agreed like that?"

Although Li Youlong had already given him a good scolding over the phone, Li Youjun still didn't know who Zhou Wang was because of Li Youlong's vague explanation.

But Galaxy Group is one of his family's most important assets!
"Do you know why?"

Having already learned the details and knowing the inside story best, Jessie glanced at Li Youjun and recounted the events emotionlessly:
"President Li's exact words were, since my good-for-nothing brother can't even say a simple 'I'm sorry'... only we can apologize on his behalf."

(End of this chapter)