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

Chapter 694 Spreading Money Globally!

"Jingle Bell!"

The phone rang inside the house.

Director Zhao and Director Wu immediately recognized this as a signal that the two families had likely come out.

"Let's go down too!"

They certainly couldn't bump into each other at the door, so the most suitable place would naturally be the elevator entrance.

Soon, Bao Yugang warmly saw the Gong family out.

For him, communicating with ordinary cultural figures like Mr. and Mrs. Gong was actually a form of downward compatibility.

Although Bao Yugang is older, the two of them still have a generation gap, especially when they talk about the changes in some old places in Shanghai and reminisce about the scenes in their memories. For Bao Yugang, this is actually a kind of fun.

And these happen to be the strengths of Mr. and Mrs. Gong. Although they suffered some hardships in previous years, they are, after all, locals and are familiar with some of the changes.

“My dear in-law, I’ll arrange some time in the next couple of days, and then you have to take me to that old office we were talking about. I’m really curious about it, and I won’t be able to eat or sleep until I go back and see it for myself.”

"No problem, dear in-law. You arrange your time, and I'll take a day off and show you around."

The two families were talking as they exited the elevator when suddenly shouts came from behind them.

"Mr. Bao!"

Bao Yugang heard the shout, turned around, and immediately a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, it's Director Zhao! Hello, hello!"

Bao Yugang took the initiative to extend his hand and shook hands warmly.

“Mr. Bao, we just happened to be here to receive a foreign business group. We didn’t expect to run into each other like this.”

"How about we come to my office for some tea?"

Director Zhao said with a smile.

Bao Yugang shook his head and said sincerely, "Thank you for your invitation, but the timing is a bit inconvenient for us today. We'll have to come back another day to enjoy your fine tea."

"Then you're welcome to come anytime!"

Director Zhao smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with Bao Yugang, then looked curiously at Li Changhe.

"Mr. Bao, if I may ask, is this young man your outstanding nephew, Mr. Bao Zeyang?"

"Yes, this is A-Yang. A-Yang, come here, let me introduce you. This is Director Zhao, who is in charge of foreign businesses in Shanghai."

I've heard they have a bright future ahead of them and shouldn't be underestimated!
"Hello there!"

At this moment, Li Changhe calmly extended his hand and greeted Director Zhao with a gentle expression.

As Bao Zeyang, he had to adopt this posture, after all, he was a person who dealt with the US president and various top figures around the world, but he didn't need to be too enthusiastic about the person in front of him.

"Hello, Mr. Bao Zeyang. I've long heard that you are young, promising, and have a great demeanor. Seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved. Welcome to our Shanghai."

In contrast, Director Zhao firmly grasped Li Changhe's hand and said sincerely.

“Thank you for the compliment!”

Li Changhe responded with a smile.

Seeing this, Director Zhao stopped interfering.

“Mr. Bao, then I won’t bother you any longer. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask. We will do our best to assist you.”

He orchestrated this chance encounter today mainly to confirm who Bao Zeyang is.

Bao Zeyang has invested a lot in Shanghai, such as in film studios, but this person has never shown up; it's always his subordinates who come to talk to them.

This is a mysterious figure who is rarely seen; it is said that he has only had contact with those above him.

Now that the opportunity has arisen, the person in charge in Shanghai naturally wants to find an excuse to meet with him.

Secondly, it was to meet Gong's parents and learn the purpose of Bao's visit. From then on, the Gong family would be a trump card in Shanghai's hands.

Of course, there's no need to make any introductions now. As long as the Gong family stays in Shanghai, there will naturally be opportunities to interact with them in the future.

Afterwards, Director Zhao left with his men, and Bao Yugang didn't say much. After saying goodbye to them, he saw Gong's parents off at the Peace Hotel.

At the door, Ah Hu immediately drove the car over and handed the keys to Li Changhe.

In the car, Mr. Gong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Ayang, was that Director Zhao from our municipal government? I think I've seen him once before."

He seemed to have seen his superiors from afar once when they came to inspect his workplace.

"Probably. It was my first time meeting him, and we weren't familiar with each other."

Li Changhe said with a smile as he drove.

Shanghai holds a special position, and its successors are all destined for greatness. However, he doesn't have much of an impression of the current leader. He guesses that the success might be limited, but it will likely be limited.

“We usually can’t even meet people like that, but judging from their attitude towards you and your uncle just now, they were so enthusiastic.”

"But Ah Yang, your reaction was a bit lukewarm. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

At this moment, Gong's mother asked hesitantly.

"Oh, Mom, you don't understand these things, so don't meddle."

Although Gong Xue didn't quite understand these things, she knew that Li Changhe must have a deeper meaning in doing things, and that he wouldn't show such an attitude for no reason, given his special status.

Besides, his parents were at most ordinary low-level cadres; how could they possibly give Li Changhe any advice on these things?

"It's alright, Auntie meant well."

"However, I guess these people didn't just happen to run into us, but were waiting for us there on purpose."

"He probably knows what we're doing. If I'm not mistaken, my uncle and aunt will probably be reassigned in their positions soon."

Li Changhe then explained with a smile.

A chance encounter?

What a coincidence!
"This"

Mr. and Mrs. Gong exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. They had no idea about these intricate details.

When they returned home, to the surprise of Mr. and Mrs. Gong, Gong Xue also came back with them.

Why didn't you walk with him today?

Looking at her daughter as she entered, Gong's mother said jokingly.

Actually, putting aside Li Changhe's shortcomings, if we look at it from Bao Zeyang's perspective, this son-in-law is full of advantages.

Gong Xue blushed after hearing this.

However, she calmed herself down afterward.

"Father, Mother, I have something I want to tell you."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

At this moment, Gong's mother looked at her daughter and asked.

Gong Xue mentally organized her thoughts before speaking earnestly, "Mom, let's move."

"move place?"

"Yes, I have an apartment on Huaihai Road. How about we move there as a family?"

"The main issue is that we really won't be able to live here anymore. Once the news of my marriage to A-Yang gets out, this place will no longer be suitable for you to live here."

"Moreover, Ah Yang has a special identity. Many people have seen him here, so it won't be convenient for him to come openly in the future. It would be better for him to go somewhere else."

Seeing their daughter's serious expression, Mr. and Mrs. Gong were somewhat surprised, but then they fell into thought. If word got out that their daughter had married a tycoon from Hong Kong, then indeed, their family wouldn't be suitable to live here anymore.

Whether it's sarcastic remarks or people coming to their door for help, it's all very troublesome for them.

Especially the last point, many neighbors have seen Li Changhe and Zhu Lin.

If the son-in-law visits later and is seen by others, how do you explain it?

This is indeed a problem.

"Your house on Huaihai Road?"

“They are some old villas in Shanghai. Later, in order to generate foreign exchange, Ah Yang bought a lot of them in the name of the Hong Kong company. He will give me one of them as part of the betrothal gifts.”

“Our family will stay there. The environment is nice and quiet. My older brother and sister can also stay there.”

Gong Xue explained the origin of the house.

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Gong initially wanted to refuse, but then they hesitated and didn't say anything.

Since they intend to accept this marriage, the dowry will certainly be substantial; a house is probably not even worth much to them.

"This could be considered private property, and it's beyond the permitted limits, isn't it?"

Gong's mother then said with concern.

"That's no problem. I heard that the authorities have started returning some private houses, and houses can be bought and sold again. I guess the previous area restriction is gone too."

"Besides, we've already come this far, so I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"If things really don't look good, we'll just go to Hong Kong Island as a family."

Mr. Gong has come to terms with it now. Having a relative by marriage in Hong Kong isn't a bad thing. Even if things change again, with the Bao family's help, they'll definitely be able to leave in time.

"Alright, let's move then. We've come this far, so there's nothing wrong with it."

"Your going abroad will be a blessing, at least you won't have to live in fear back home. Your mother agrees."

When Gong's mother heard what Gong's father said, she didn't insist on anything. Regardless of whether the house was given by Li Changhe or not, things had come to this point, and she would definitely prioritize her own daughter.

Seeing that her parents readily agreed to her suggestion, Gong Xue smiled.

"Let's tidy up the house in the next couple of days, and I'll arrange for us to move."

Moving will allow us to move on to the next step more quickly.

"Okay, hey, where are you going?"

Gong's mother nodded, and then saw Gong Xue run outside again.

"I'll go talk to A-Yang about moving."

Gong Xue finished speaking with a smile, then turned and walked out.

"Well, daughters grow up and leave home; the old saying is absolutely true."

Gong's mother shook her head and said helplessly.

"Alright, we've come this far, why keep saying all this? Let's go upstairs, pack our things, and get ready to move."

They were also looking forward to being able to move to a different place.

After all, they're not stupid. They've experienced how cramped it is to live in these narrow alleyways before.

They knew what the situation was like on Huaihai Road. Even if those Republican-era mansions were small, their area was still far larger than this small alleyway room.

On the other side, after Gong Xue went out, she strolled to the roadside, responding to the warm greetings from her neighbors along the way.

The main issue is that many people are subtly inquiring about the origins of the car that picked them up tonight.

Gong Xue responded evasively while quickly walking to the bus stop.

There was nothing she could do; she hadn't initially mentioned going to the villa, and Li Changhe hadn't waited for him.

Inside the villa, Li Changhe was somewhat surprised to see Gong Xue with a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"You should have told me sooner so I could have picked you up!"

"It's not far at all, I can just take a bus here."

"I have good news for you. My parents have agreed to move."

Gong Xue then happily spoke to Li Changhe.

Seeing this, Li Changhe nodded: "Then let's go upstairs and choose a house. Take a look and see which one you like, and we'll let them live there."

Zhu Lin manages all the courtyard houses in Beijing, while Gong Xue manages the old villas in Shanghai.

"I'm going to take a shower first, I'm so sweaty."

Gong Xue planned to take a shower first. The weather in Shanghai was hot now, and she had sweated a lot from taking the bus and walking.

"I'm sweating too, let's sweat together!"

Hearing Li Changhe's shameless words, Gong Xue rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, but did not refuse.

Gong Xue took a bath for more than two hours, leaving her completely exhausted.

Are you going back to Hong Kong Island next?

Inside the room, Gong Xue finally regained some strength and then asked Li Changhe.

"I won't go back yet. I need to go to Ninghai first, do some research there, and then I'll come back."

"But you should also make some preparations here. When I get back, I plan to take you to Hong Kong Island to get familiar with it first."

Li Changhe pondered for a moment and then said.

It just so happened that Bao Yugang and his family were also there. He could use this as an excuse to take Gong Xue back to Hong Kong Island and let her get familiar with the environment here.

"We're going to Hong Kong Island now, what about the Shanghai Film Studio?"

"Don't worry, everything has been arranged in Hong Kong. You can just go there directly, and Ah Hu will pick you up."

Li Changhe said softly.

Gong Xue nodded, then looked up and asked hesitantly, "Then, A-Yang, what will I do over there?"

"Continue acting? Make movies?"

The main problem is that besides being an actress, she doesn't seem to know how to do anything else!
"No need. It's not suitable to be an actor over there. Many ideas in Hong Kong are actually more outdated than in mainland China. They look down on actors and think that actors are a low-class profession."

In fact, it wasn't just Hong Kong Island; after going abroad, Li Changhe discovered that even the concept of "RR equality" wasn't being seriously popularized in many countries around the world.

Later generations in China saw many places abroad living in dire straits, barely able to survive, which seemed unbelievable. That's because those regions simply didn't have the concept of "equality."

Not everyone can be exposed to historical concepts like "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" from a young age. In many parts of the world, popular science education actually follows established concepts and is then supplemented with small incentives.

“After you leave, you will be Mrs. Bao in all her right. Didn’t I say that you will be mainly responsible for charity work?”

"I've made so much money, I definitely have to give back to society, especially since conglomerates in Europe and America like to use charity to package themselves, so I have to make arrangements for them too."

“In the past, it was all small-scale work, mainly because there wasn’t a suitable person to take charge. It’s good that you’re here. You can take charge of this part of the work. You don’t need to know much about it; just supervise the execution.”

"In the future, you can also use the name of charity to arrange for the money to be sent back to China. I will teach you how to do that then."

Li Changhe then spoke softly to Gong Xue.

How can Hong Kong's wealthy not do charity?

Previously, some of Li Changhe's charitable donations were made under the name of the Bao family's charitable foundation. Now that he is about to get married, he can naturally manage it himself.

Mrs. Bao enjoys doing charity work and spends money all over the world, including mainland China.

(End of this chapter)