Rebirth: The Tumultuous Year of 1979

Although Xu Zhengmao wasn't exactly a Hong Kong tycoon, he was a well-known small business owner with some involvement in jewelry and jade, and his net worth was over ten million. It was common for him to buy jade for his wife and mistress, but the most expensive pieces he ever bought were only around ten thousand.

In Hong Kong, he was particularly fascinated by jade. He had once seen a jade carving at Cheng's Jewelry, priced at several million, but it was only a palm-sized piece of jade, which already made him gasp. But the piece he had in his hand was twice the size of that one, clear and green all over, without a single flaw or bubble, like a piece of solidified ice, even more beautiful than that one worth millions.

"Gulp!" Xu Zhengmao's Adam's apple bobbed violently. This wasn't just jade; it was practically worth his entire fortune! The other two pieces of jade beside it were also extraordinary, pure white and translucent, cool to the touch and refusing to warm up for a long time. Could they also be comparable to imperial green jade? All three together…

A spark of ambition ignited in his heart: to seize this pile of stuff for himself! But the thought was quickly extinguished by the word "extortion." This young master Zhong was too cunning; he could even summon officials from Pengcheng with a single phone call. If he really got greedy, Xu Zhengmao would probably never be able to set foot on the mainland again in his lifetime.

He secretly rejoiced that he had suppressed his greed, and this matter later became a family motto passed down through generations of the Xu family, and it was also one of his proudest decisions.

Zhong Wei glanced at him: "Old Xu, it's okay to lower the price a bit. I reckon you'll only be in Hong Kong for a week."

"Understood!" Xu Zhengmao nodded hurriedly.

"Ring ring!" The phone rang inside the house. Xu Zhengmao glanced at the caller ID: "Young Master Zhong, the person I called should have arrived."

"Let him come up," Zhong Wei replied.

Xu Zhengmao straightened his clothes and answered the phone. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. He opened the door and led in a young man, introducing him to Zhong Wei: "Young Master Zhong, this is a distant relative of mine, named Dafei."

The young man, with blond hair, an open short-sleeved shirt, and arms covered in tattoos, called out "Boss" to Zhong Wei. Zhong Wei immediately understood. In Hong Kong, businessmen were often connected to triads, and Xu Zhengmao was no exception. Having spent a long time in the business world in his previous life, he knew the ropes: most triads were backed by wealthy patrons; the money came from rich people, and the action was carried out by thugs. Although Xu Zhengmao wasn't a top-tier tycoon, it wouldn't be difficult for him to call upon a few triad members. Moreover, given Zhong Wei's special status, if something went wrong in Hong Kong, Xu Zhengmao would never be able to return to the mainland for the rest of his life.

"Just call me whatever you would call Lao Xu," Zhong Wei said in fluent Cantonese.

"Huh? Young Master Chung can speak Cantonese?" Xu Zhengmao's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mm." Zhong Wei nodded. In his previous life, he loved watching Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat's movies and learned some Cantonese from them. Later, his company's business was mostly in Hong Kong, and he traveled back and forth between the two places, so he became fluent in Cantonese.

"Yes, Young Master Zhong." Da Fei immediately changed his address, becoming much more respectful.

"Okay, you've seen the person. You and Lao Xu can go back now. We won't go out today; let's rest for a day before we go sightseeing." Zhong Wei waved his hand.

He hadn't slept well for several days in the run-down guesthouse, so he planned to catch up on his sleep here before heading out again tomorrow.

"Alright, Young Master Zhong." Xu Zhengmao replied, leading Dafei out the door. He needed to quickly sell the jade and hand the money over to Zhong Wei.

Zhong Wei watched the two walk away, then fell asleep immediately.

The next day, when Lu Guoqiang and Huang Xiaowei arrived, Zhong Wei had just changed his clothes. He glanced at their attire and said directly, "Let's go shopping today, buy some clothes."

"Third Brother, I look fine like this." Lu Guoqiang looked down at himself, wearing the most fashionable jacket and trousers in Yanjing, looking quite smart.

"What's so great about it!" Zhong Wei rolled his eyes. "Look at them, and then look at you. It's not like we're short of money. I brought you all to Hong Kong to broaden your horizons and show you what 'spending money' really means."

"Seven hundred yuan a night at this hotel, I saw how much it hurt you guys," Zhong Wei poked his forehead. "How are you going to earn the money back if you don't spend it?"

Lu Guoqiang clenched his teeth; he was really in pain! Who knew Hong Kong was so expensive? Seven hundred a night, and they even booked two rooms!

Seeing Lu Guoqiang's frustrated expression, Zhong Wei couldn't help but chuckle mischievously. He thought to himself, why not find someone to take Lu Guoqiang to "experience" the luxury and corruption of capitalism and teach him a lesson for his stinginess?

No matter how much fun you have in Hong Kong, it can't compare to the excitement of neighboring Macau. But compared to the mainland right now, it's simply paradise on earth.

After a moment's thought, Zhong Wei told Lu Guoqiang to have a good time exploring Hong Kong. The allure of Macau was too great; once you got involved in gambling, you'd be ruined.

As the group went downstairs to the lobby, Zhong Wei immediately saw that Huang Mao Dafei had been waiting on the sofa for a long time, with two younger men standing beside him.

"Young Master Zhong." Da Fei immediately stood up to greet Zhong Wei respectfully as he entered.

"Okay, take us to the mall to buy some things." Zhong Wei glanced at him.

"Understood, Young Master Zhong." Da Fei nodded. "Boss Xu has prepared a car for us; it's right outside. Let's go straight to the nearest shopping mall."

Not far from home, they spotted a van parked there. Xu Zhengmao's thoughtfulness was evident in Zhong Wei's eyes, which deepened his positive impression of Xu Zhengmao.

After getting in the car, one of Dafei's henchmen drove, and they arrived at a shopping mall in about twenty minutes. The building was ninety-seven stories high and very impressive. Zhong Wei glanced at the traditional Chinese sign and noticed that there was a "supermarket" on the third floor, which later became a supermarket. He was slightly tempted, but supermarkets were not yet a big business in 1979, and he wasn't in a hurry to wait another year or two.

After parking the car, the group entered the mall. Zhong Wei had Da Fei lead them straight to the fourth-floor clothing section. Upon taking the elevator up, Lu Guoqiang and Huang Xiaowei were stunned. The mall was filled with glass interiors, brightly lit as day, and the spacious, airy feel was anything but oppressive; the luxury was breathtaking.

"Third Brother..." Lu Guoqiang rubbed his eyes, unable to believe that such a grand place was just a clothing store.

"Let's go." Zhong Wei smiled and started walking.

They randomly entered a store. Zhong Wei remembered that this brand was quite famous in his previous life, belonging to the luxury category. As soon as they entered, several female sales assistants smirked, their eyes darting around Zhong Wei and his companions' clothes as if they were country bumpkins, and no one came forward to greet them.

Zhong Wei frowned slightly, while Da Fei immediately flew into a rage: "Young Master Zhong, I'll smash this shop to pieces!"

"No need, let's go." Zhong Wei stopped him, slightly annoyed. He hadn't expected that a scene from a novel or TV show in his past life would actually happen to him. It was quite interesting. He noted down the nameplate and was about to leave with his people when a girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old came out from the inner room.

"What kind of clothes would you like to pick out?" The girl asked with clear eyes and a sincere tone, showing no sign of disdain.

"That silly girl Xiaoyue, why bother with those country bumpkins? It's a waste of time."

"Exactly, it's obvious they don't have the money to buy it."

"No wonder her sales are so bad; she hasn't even sold a few thousand dollars worth of goods in a month."

Hearing the female saleswoman next to him whisper a sarcastic remark, Zhong Wei smirked and said, "Pretty lady, help my two friends and me each pick out two outfits. No need to skimp on the price."

"Okay, sure." Xiaoyue nodded.

She quickly provided two sets for Lu Guoqiang and Huang Xiaowei each. Zhong Wei glanced at the price tags; they were only a little over three thousand Hong Kong dollars.

"Pretty lady, the clothes are too cheap." Zhong Wei frowned. "These are for them. Each person should pay at least HK$10,000, otherwise we won't buy them."

"Pfft," several female saleswomen scoffed immediately upon hearing this. Ten thousand Hong Kong dollars? You must be joking.

"Third Brother!" Lu Guoqiang was furious and almost lost his temper on the spot.

Zhong Wei waved his hand and laughed, "It's okay, take your time and see what it feels like to wear clothes that cost ten thousand yuan."

"Hahaha!" The saleswoman laughed even harder. She'd seen people pretend to be rich, but never one this pretentious. Xiaoyue glanced at Zhong Wei, who gave her a reassuring look. Soon, she got two sets each for Lu Guoqiang and Huang Xiaowei, totaling around 17,000 yuan, and picked out two sets for Zhong Wei for 9,000 yuan.

"Check, please." Zhong Wei waved for Lu Guoqiang to pay, and pulled out a thick stack of Hong Kong dollars from his rather unfashionable bag. The female sales staff froze instantly, their smiles fading as if they had been slapped hard, their heads buzzing.

Holy crap! These seemingly country bumpkins can actually afford clothes worth nearly 30,000 yuan, which is almost their entire month's sales!

They were completely dumbfounded.

As Zhong Wei and his group stepped out of the clothing store, the whispers of the shop assistants lingered behind them. Soon, the news of this "poor young man spending tens of thousands on clothes" spread throughout the entire mall. From then on, an unwritten rule quietly emerged in the mall: the more simply dressed a customer was, the more sincere the service had to be, because you could never guess whether the person in front of you was a "hidden tycoon" with a huge sum of money.

"Hahaha! That was awesome!" Lu Guoqiang came down the stairs, his eyebrows practically flying with pride. "Third Brother, did you see that? That saleswoman who just left had her eyes practically popping out of her head!" When he took out his money to pay the bill, everyone in the room froze, as if they'd been paralyzed. Although spending tens of thousands of yuan hurt, Lu Guoqiang felt incredibly satisfied. It was worth it!

"Hehe." Zhong Wei curled his lips into a smile. "Don't worry, we'll come again in a few days and give you an even better experience."

"Really?" Lu Guoqiang's eyes lit up.

"Of course." Zhong Wei's smile faded slightly. If it weren't for that saleswoman named Xiaoyue, he wouldn't have planned to spend any money here at all. But that girl was quite interesting... Zhong Wei felt a bit more favorably disposed towards her. He never expected that this girl's warm greeting, "Sir, please take your time choosing," would later make her the Asian regional director of this luxury brand, rising to a high-level position. Later, when she met the company's behind-the-scenes boss, she was shocked to realize that the "boss of the boss's boss" of the headquarters chairman was none other than that plainly dressed but extravagant young customer from years ago. This became a legend in the sales circle.

The group then went to a restaurant and ordered a table full of seafood. Prices in Hong Kong in 79 hadn't skyrocketed yet, but this lavish banquet still cost several hundred Hong Kong dollars. Besides Chung Wai, Luk Kwok Keung, and Wong Siu Wai, Da Fei and two of his underlings accompanied them.

It was already dark when they returned to the hotel. That night, Dafei knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. Zhong, Boss Xu said that the matter you entrusted to him has been taken care of, but he can only come over tomorrow."

"Alright, have him come tomorrow. I'll wait at the hotel." After seeing Dafei off, Zhong Wei sank into the sofa, his eyes slightly raised and a smile playing on his lips. This was his first "huge sum" of money in 1979. He let out a long sigh of relief. Once tomorrow arrived, his plans could be put on fast-forward, progressing rapidly.

The next morning at nine o'clock, after the group went downstairs for breakfast and returned, Xu Zhengmao had already rushed to the hotel. Only the two of them remained in the room.

"Young Master Zhong." Xu Zhengmao wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling, "I've taken care of everything you asked me to do." He handed over two HSBC bank cards and a piece of paper with the password written on it. "The money from the sale is all here, and the password is on this piece of paper."

Zhong Wei picked up a card, his fingertips tracing its edge. It was his first bank card since returning to this world, and he felt a strange sense of nostalgia for it.

"We had contacted the auction house, but the Zhou family somehow got wind of it and came directly to our door to demand the goods. Following your advice to 'sell quickly,' I compared the Zhou family's offer with the auction house's estimate, and they offered 50% more." Xu Zhengmao became increasingly excited as he spoke. "The last three pieces—one piece of icy imperial green jade and two pieces of top-quality white jade—sold for a total of fifteen million Hong Kong dollars!"

He stole glances at Zhong Wei, his eyes filled with envy. That piece of jade, which he had initially thought was just ordinary imperial green, turned out to be the legendary icy imperial green that only existed in books! Luckily, it was small; otherwise, it could have been worth tens of millions. Even so, that one piece alone sold for seven million; the Zhou family each contributed eight million to the other two pieces of white jade, totaling fifteen million, all of which went into HSBC's account.

Xu Zhengmao had been in business for over a decade, accumulating a fortune of tens of millions, mostly in assets like real estate and equipment. Zhong Wei's fifteen million, however, was solid cash; even someone with a net worth of over a hundred million might not be able to readily produce that much cash.

"Fifteen million?" Zhong Wei was slightly taken aback, not expecting it to sell for such a high price. Although this price might not seem like much decades later, this was 1979!

His smile widened even more; in 1979, he, Zhong Wei, became a multi-millionaire.

This is quite a mysterious matter.

Zhong Wei squinted and smiled faintly. This huge sum of money, if placed in China in 1979, would probably put him in the top 30 of the rich list. It was truly overnight wealth.

"Old Xu, well done." He smiled at Xu Zhengmao, then thought for a moment and asked, "Old Xu, I'm thinking of buying Hong Kong stocks, Japanese stocks, and US stocks. Do you know any stock traders?"

"Investing in the stock market?" Xu Zhengmao was taken aback, staring at Zhong Wei. "Young Master Zhong, the market isn't doing well right now, you..."

"I have my own plans," Zhong Wei waved his hand.

After the Chung family's downfall in his previous life, he read a magazine about the stock market while doing business, and later learned some tricks of the trade. More importantly, that magazine helped him remember the historical trends and major events in the Hong Kong, Japanese, and US stock markets. Now, reborn, although the butterfly effect can change history, its influence is currently limited, making it a good time to act. The HK$1500 million he has isn't enough to build a large business in a short time; he'll have to leverage the stock market.

Xu Zhengmao took a deep breath: "Young Master Zhong wants to buy stocks globally, HSBC can handle that. Besides deposits and loans, they also deal in funds, insurance, and stocks." He paused, then added, "We have an account with HSBC, so their loan terms are more lenient."

Zhong Wei's eyes lit up: "Okay, let's go to HSBC tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Young Master Zhong," Xu Zhengmao replied respectfully. Unconsciously, he had already placed himself in the position of Zhong Wei's subordinate. The wealth Zhong Wei had revealed in the past two days was terrifying: the jade he casually produced was icy imperial green, and the other jade stones were top-grade. In less than two days, his net worth had surpassed what Xu Zhengmao had accumulated over more than a decade. Comparison is truly infuriating.

The next morning, Xu Zhengmao personally accompanied Zhong Wei to HSBC. They arrived in just over ten minutes. This bank has deep roots in Hong Kong, and as soon as the two entered, Lu Guoqiang told the receptionist about the appointment and was quickly led into the VIP room.

Sitting inside was a woman in her late twenties, tall with a high nose bridge, dressed in a black suit, who looked like she had been waiting for quite some time.

"Manager Huang," Xu Zhengmao greeted with a smile.

"Boss Xu." The woman stood up, her gaze sweeping over Zhong Wei's face before returning to Xu Zhengmao.

"Mr. Chung, this is Huang Manyu, manager of HSBC's financial department," Xu Zhengmao introduced. "Manager Huang, this is Mr. Chung, our client for today."

Huang Manyu's gaze swept over Zhong Wei, a slight surprise in her heart. He looked considerably younger than her. "Young Master Zhong?" She had never heard of anyone with the surname Zhong who was so young among the major families of Hong Kong, but she knew that Xu Zhengmao was the owner of a garment factory with a net worth of over ten million, which was quite a large sum of money in 1979. For someone like him to be so respectful to a young man, his identity must be extraordinary.

"Hello, Mr. Chung." Huang Manyu walked over and extended her slender hand.

Chung Wai returned the greeting in fluent Cantonese, extending his hand to shake hers lightly with a polite smile: "Hello, Ms. Wong."

"Mr. Zhong, please have a seat." Huang Manyu gestured for them to sit. After the three were seated, she asked with a smile, "Mr. Zhong, how much money do you plan to deposit in our bank account?"

"Click!" Zhong Wei pulled two bank cards out of his pocket. "All the money in these two cards will be transferred to the account."

Huang Manyu's heart skipped a beat when she saw the card. It was a HSBC special card, which required a one-time deposit of five million to obtain. Two cards would cost at least ten million. No wonder Xu Zhengmao treated her with such deference; he must be a powerful young master from Hong Kong.

"Please wait a moment, I'll open an account for you right away." Her throat tightened slightly, and she immediately began the process. A moment later, it was done, and she started depositing funds. When the number "1500 million" appeared on the screen, her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't ten million, it was fifteen million!

Who exactly is this mysterious Young Master Zhong? A sense of dread washed over her.