1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 688 Insightful Views
"Here, this is Kwok Tak-seng of Sun Hung Kai Properties. You can just call him Uncle Kwok!"

The first person that Bao Yugang introduced to Li Changhe was naturally his old friend, Guo Desheng of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

Upon hearing this address, Li Changhe involuntarily conjured up an image of Louis Koo's Yang Guo calling out "Uncle Guo" in his mind.

Okay, my train of thought has gone off track.

"Hello, Uncle Guo!"

Li Changhe greeted him politely.

Guo Desheng nodded, but didn't speak immediately.

Because there were several other people next to him.

"This is your Uncle Feng Jingxi."

“This is Li Zhaoji. He is the fourth child in his family, and everyone calls him Fourth Uncle. I think you should call him Fourth Uncle too.”

"This is Ho Tim, the founder of Hang Seng Bank. You can just call him Uncle Ho."

Bao Yugang introduced them to Li Changhe one by one.

Li Changhe called out to each person in turn.

"Qiran, to be honest, this is the first time I've met your nephew. He is indeed a handsome man."

“During the Chinese New Year, Ah Xian talked to me about Ah Yang, saying that he had never met such an outstanding young man. I had always wanted to meet him, but I never expected to finally meet him now.”

He Tian then spoke up.

As a banker and the mentor of the three musketeers of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Ho Tim naturally took the center position among them and was the first to speak.

The Ah Xian he mentioned is He Xian, the "King of Macau" from Macau. The two are brothers, with He Tian being the elder and He Xian the younger.

"Don't even mention you, he travels all over the world, and even I can only see him once every few months."

Bao Yugang shook his head and said, feigning helplessness.

"Qiran, I saw Shen Bi pull you inside just now. Was it because Youde was looking for you?"

Guo Desheng was the first to speak.

While these real estate developers are doing well, they can only be described as doing well. They may be considered top-tier among wealthy Chinese, but they are not the absolute top-tier in the entire Hong Kong island.

Among them, Ho Tin held the highest position as a banker at Hang Seng Bank. However, since Hang Seng is now controlled by HSBC, Ho Tin's position has been affected.

The group actually wanted to find out some of Youde's attitude or intentions from Bao Yugang.

Especially those targeting mainland China.

Each of them naturally had their own channels and knew some of the Governor's Office's intentions, but in such matters, a single piece of information is very one-sided. On the issue of the future of Hong Kong Island, everyone naturally wanted to stick together.

Whether it's the mainland government in the north or the Hong Kong government, they need to unite as one first before they can have a stronger voice.

"This isn't a good time to talk about this. Let's go out later, find a place to have dinner, and then discuss it in detail."

Bao Yugang smiled but did not give a direct answer.

This is, after all, the banquet hall of the Governor's House. Who knows if there are any listening devices inside, or if there are eavesdroppers around?
"Yes, I was oversimplifying things."

"Ah Yang, I heard you're going to start some kind of club in Hong Kong. How about we let our eldest son join as a member?"

Guo Desheng realized that his question was ill-timed, so he turned the conversation to Li Changhe.

He has three sons, all of whom are about the same age as Li Changhe, but Guo Desheng only mentioned the eldest son because he knew very well that, at present, only the eldest son was worthy of associating with Li Changhe.

After all, Li Changhe was no ordinary member of the Bao family. He was a member of the Bao family with his own independent enterprise and enormous wealth. In terms of wealth alone, the entire Guo family could not compare with him.

He can now rely on his seniority to claim the status of an uncle because of his good relationship with Bao Yugang. As for his sons, apart from the eldest son who can be considered the legitimate heir, the second and third sons are not qualified to associate with Li Changhe at present.

Of course, if they get to know each other and become friends later, that's another story.

Guo Desheng's current plan is to first introduce his son to Li Changhe so that they can get to know each other better.

“That’s right, Ah Fa has recently returned, and I think it would be a good idea to have him join us.”

“Our Jiajie definitely can’t miss it, I’ll sign him up too.”

Feng Jingxi and Li Zhaoji also spoke up at this time.

There always needs to be a reason to become friends with Bao Zeyang.

As for He Tian, ​​he didn't say anything. His sons and daughters were all too old to play with Li Changhe.

Besides, He Houzhao is already on the He family's side, so there's no need for his branch of the family to force their way in.

“I would certainly welcome my uncles to let some of my brothers join us.”

"In a few days, I will hold a gathering on Hong Kong Island, and I will send invitations to my brothers then."

Li Changhe, of course, welcomed all the young masters from these families. Some of them might not have inherited their family businesses, but none of them were good-for-nothings.

Moreover, those who rely on their family backgrounds for development are almost all talented individuals, which is enough.

“That’s good. It’s good for them to follow you, Ah Yang, and make more friends in Hong Kong Island. It will also save them from going out and fooling around every day.”

Guo Desheng then said with a smile.

“Especially my son, A-Jie, who is much younger than you, A-Yang. Could you help me take care of him?”

Li Zhaoji echoed this.

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Since you uncles have spoken, I will naturally do my best to introduce suitable friends to them."

Putting aside other matters, Sun Hung Kai Properties and Henderson Land Development both possess the Type B land swap entitlement that Li Changhe desired.

Sun Hung Kai Properties was the first real estate developer on Hong Kong Island to collect Type B land exchange entitlement certificates, and Lee Shau-kee also collected quite a few after he founded Henderson Land Development.

The four companies that will make a fortune through the Type B land swap rights are Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land Development, Nan Fung Group, and Chinachem Group.

Of course, now it might be counted as six companies, because Bao Yugang and Li Changhe also joined the ranks of those acquiring Class B land exchange rights certificates starting in 78 and 79.

Now, the two of them are practically big landlords in Hong Kong.

"By the way, Ah Yang, I heard you're still single? How about I introduce you to a few daughters of prominent families?"

He Tian, ​​who was standing to the side, also spoke up with a smile.

He didn't need his son to build a relationship with Li Changhe, but he was keen on acting as a matchmaker for Li Changhe.

If there's anything about Ho Tim's strengths, it's definitely not his assets and wealth, but rather his connections as a banker in Hong Kong.

He has influence with almost all the prominent wealthy Chinese families in Hong Kong.

Introducing Li Changhe to a wife would be a favor, wouldn't it?

Guo Desheng and the others, who were standing nearby, looked at Li Changhe with smiles, wondering how he would respond.

If Li Changhe agrees, then there will be women of marriageable age in their family.

"Uncle He, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm sorry, I've already met a woman I admire, and my uncle will be visiting her on behalf of our family in a while."

Li Changhe said apologetically.

"Oh? What a coincidence! Can I ask you, which family's daughter is it that won over our famous young master Bao Sheng?"

He Tian asked with some surprise.

The others also looked at Li Changhe with some curiosity.

"She's not from a prestigious family, just an ordinary girl, but we get along very well, so I like her a lot."

"Besides, I personally feel that a daughter of a prestigious family is not really suitable for me."

Li Changhe said tactfully.

Bao Yugang chuckled and said, "Ayang has his own ideas. Besides, he's so capable. I think it would be good for him to find a daughter from an ordinary family so she can stay home, be a good wife and mother." "We elders always respect the opinions of the younger generation."

He has four daughters, each married to a different nationality. While his sons-in-law are all quite accomplished, not all of them are from wealthy or influential families.

So when Bao Yugang said that, none of them doubted it.

"It looks like we'll be able to attend Ah Yang's wedding soon."

"Hmm, wedding gift, I need to think about it carefully for you two newlyweds."

He Tian said with a smile at this moment.

Several people echoed this sentiment.

At that moment, Yud came out with a group of white foreigners, stood on the central platform, and began to speak to everyone.

The speech was very simple, merely recounting how much Britain valued Hong Kong and his subsequent policy support for the island.

Everyone present applauded enthusiastically; the applause was thunderous. But what were they really thinking?
The group of people lingered there for a while, pretending to be friendly, and then, when it was almost time, they all made excuses to leave.

Li Changhe was initially curious as to why the event ended so abruptly, since they hadn't mentioned where they were going to meet up.

"Uncle, where are we going?"

After getting into the car, Li Changhe asked curiously.

Bao Yugang smiled and looked at Li Changhe: "Do you feel that we didn't agree on a place?"

"In fact, as long as Lao Guo is around, we basically eat at the same place: Fulimen Restaurant!"

"The Fook Lam Moon restaurant in Wan Chai is the most authentic Cantonese restaurant on Hong Kong Island. Kwok Tak-seng, Lee Shau-kee, and Ho Tim are all from Guangdong Province, so they basically eat at Fook Lam Moon."

"Perfect timing, I'll take you to try it today too."

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe became interested.

There are many brands that have been passed down for generations on Hong Kong Island, but it's really hard to say which one is the most top-tier.

However, since Fu Lin Men attracts so many wealthy people, it's clear that its quality is definitely up to par.

He'll have to try it later. If the taste is really good, then this store could become the exclusive flagship store for the city complex planned by Landsea.

"Is Fulimen a succession of imperial chefs?"

Li Changhe asked curiously at this moment.

"It's not so much about being a royal chef. In fact, the founder of Fook Lam Moon, Tsui Fook Chuen, used to cook for Sir Robert Ho Tung."

"Then at the Ho family, he not only cooked Cantonese cuisine, but also learned to cook Western food. Later, he figured out some tricks and created a Cantonese dish that combined Chinese and Western styles. It was his own recipe and tasted very good."

"Later, Xu Fuquan left the He family and founded Fu Ji, which was later renamed Fu Lin Men."

"Their food is really good, you'll see when you try it later."

Bao Yugang gave Li Changhe a brief introduction.

Li Changhe nodded, feeling even more excited.

Soon, the car arrived at the location of Fook Lam Moon store in Wan Chai District, and Bao Yugang and Li Changhe got out.

"Bao Sheng, Xiao Bao Sheng, you two have arrived!"

A man in a suit walked over quickly and greeted Bao Yugang and Li Changhe.

"Xiao Wu, you've come out to greet me personally, that's too kind of you."

"Ah Yang, this is the general manager of Fulinmen, and also the son of Lao Xu, the founder of Fulinmen. He is the fifth child in his family, so we all call him Xiao Wu."

"You can just call me Fifth Brother."

Bao Yugang introduced with a smile.

"Five brothers!"

Li Changhe didn't mind the form of address and greeted him with a smile.

Xu Peijun hurriedly waved his hand at this moment.

"I wouldn't dare let Xiao Baosheng call me that. If you don't mind, I'll be happy if you just call me Lao Wu."

"Bao Sheng, Xiao Bao Sheng, please. Lao Qi is already preparing the dishes in the kitchen. If there's anything you'd like to eat, just tell me and I'll have Lao Qi prepare the ingredients right away."

Xu Peijun adopted a very humble attitude. He knew very well that his family was just a cook and had no right to be on friendly terms with these wealthy young men.

Bao Yugang asked Li Changhe to call him Fifth Brother, because Li Changhe was being polite and wouldn't look down on him. But he couldn't take advantage of Li Changhe's kindness and actually make the famous Xiao Baosheng call him Brother.

"The seventh brother is his younger brother, and he is also the head chef of Fu Lin Men."

"Now the two brothers run Fulimen. Xiao Wu manages the shop, and Xiao Qi manages the kitchen. If there's any dish you want to eat, just tell Xiao Qi, and he'll make it for you."

"Xiao Qi has truly inherited their father's skills."

Seeing that Li Changhe looked a little lost, Bao Yu continued to explain to him.

Li Changhe then understood the relationships between the characters.

"I don't have any particular food in mind, I'll just eat with my uncles and elders."

Li Changhe then spoke to the fifth brother, Xu Peijun.

"Alright, let's go up first. Xiao Wu, you just do your own thing and don't worry about us."

Bao Yugang said with a smile.

"Mr. Bao, look at what you're saying. My job is to serve you all. The elevator is ready, this way please."

Fu Lin Men has an elevator reserved for VIP rooms for the wealthy, and Xu Peijun had already arranged for it to be parked on the first floor.

Subsequently, led by Xu Peijun, Li Changhe arrived at the private room of Fulimen, which was reserved for these wealthy people and was indeed luxuriously decorated.

Meanwhile, He Tian and his group had already arrived in the room.

"Qi Ran, come and sit down!"

Upon seeing Bao Yugang enter, Guo Desheng immediately beckoned him over.

"You can go out first. We'll call you later, and then you can arrange for the dishes to be served."

Guo Desheng then gave instructions to the waiter at the door.

The waiters immediately obeyed and left, then closed the door.

At this moment, Guo Desheng also looked at Bao Yugang.

"Qiran, now it's time to talk about it, what exactly does Youde mean?"

They asked Bao Yugang not only because he had met with Youde, but more importantly, because they knew that Bao Yugang had a close relationship with the Iron Lady's family.

Therefore, Bao Yugang must have deeper inside information than they do.

Bao Yugang then said with a smile, "On this matter, I think it's better for A-Yang to say it than for me to say it."

“He sees things much more clearly than I do. In fact, I’m mainly following his opinion now. Let’s listen to what he has to say together.”

Bao Yugang passed the right to speak to Li Changhe.

He Tian and the others looked at Li Changhe in surprise.

In matters like this, Bao Yugang would clearly not lie, nor would he elevate Li Changhe simply to promote him.

So the fact is, Li Changhe's vision truly convinced Bao Yugang.

While they were shocked, they thought of Li Changhe's achievements and looked at him with anticipation.

They wanted to hear what insightful opinions Li Changhe had to offer!
(End of this chapter)