When she saw Lu Chen, the woman in the long dress reached up and removed her sunglasses, revealing a sweet smile. A smile could hardly be more beautiful than that. At that moment, Lu Chen saw no one else.
Unable to help himself, he quickened his pace toward her. Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, he took her hands instead.
"What are you doing here?"
The stunning woman in the white dress was none other than Chen Fei'er. Filming on the Mongolian grasslands had tanned her fair skin ever so slightly, but it hadn't diminished her beauty in the least. If anything, it made her look healthier and more vibrant. Every smile and every glance were just as captivating as ever.
Lu Chen had never expected Chen Fei'er to come to Hong Kong with Li Mubai.
Letting Lu Chen hold her hands, Chen Fei'er gazed at him affectionately and smiled. "My scenes on the grasslands are finished. The director gave me half a month's vacation, so I came."
Then she pouted slightly. "Something this big happened, and you didn't even tell me. Sister Mushi was the one who let me know."
As she finished speaking, she shot him a mildly reproachful look.
Lu Chen could only smile helplessly. The reason he hadn't told Chen Fei'er was that he didn't want her worrying or letting it affect the filming of her TV drama. He just hadn't expected Li Mushi to tell her instead.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Left standing off to the side, Li Mubai protested. "Could you two stop showing off your love in public?"
Lu Chen burst out laughing, turned around, and gave him a big hug. "Welcome to Hong Kong!"
Li Mubai rolled his eyes. "Please. I know Hong Kong better than you do. I've got plenty of friends here."
Lu Chen surrendered. "Let's head upstairs and talk."
Neither Li Mubai nor Chen Fei'er had come alone. They had each brought an assistant, while Chen Fei'er was also accompanied by two female bodyguards. Altogether, there were six or seven people.
As they rode the elevator, Lu Chen asked Li Mubai, "Your sister told me you went to Hawaii for your honeymoon."
"Honeymoon? That's nonsense!" Li Mubai grinned. "I just went there with a friend to relax and unwind."
He called her "a friend," but the smug look on his face gave him away. Things were obviously going very well in his love life.
Lu Chen smiled. "So why didn't you bring her to Hong Kong too?"
Li Mubai shrugged helplessly. "Something came up with her family. Chen Qian actually wanted to come, but then she heard your girlfriend was..."
He deliberately coughed twice while secretly glancing at Chen Fei'er beside him.
Lu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Li Mubai made it sound like he had some sort of unusual relationship with Chen Qian, and that she didn't dare come because Chen Fei'er, the official girlfriend, was here. He was obviously trying to stir up trouble.
To be honest, Lu Chen's impression of the rebellious young woman had already begun to fade. Beside him, Chen Fei'er's eyes sparkled as she looked at him with an amused half-smile.
Fortunately, the elevator reached the workshop floor just then, and everyone filed out.
"Not bad," Li Mubai remarked as Lu Chen showed them around. "You've set this place up pretty well."
Under Lu Chen's guidance, the group toured the office. When the employees realized that Lu Chen's girlfriend, their future boss's wife, had come in person, they all greeted her warmly and respectfully. Chen Fei'er responded with her usual easygoing grace, making the atmosphere throughout the workshop especially lively and friendly.
After the tour, the three of them settled down in Lu Chen's office. Without the slightest hesitation, Li Mubai claimed Lu Chen's desk chair for himself, shooing Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er over to the sofa.
Patting the desk proudly, he declared, "I'm thinking of opening an office in Hong Kong too. I'll hire seventeen or eighteen employees and have people call me 'Boss' every day. Hahaha!"
Lu Chen was speechless. "Are you seriously that bored these days?"
If he could, he'd throw this oversized third wheel out the door right now so he could enjoy being reunited with Chen Fei'er in peace.
Li Mubai chuckled. "You think I'm joking? I'm serious. I didn't come to Hong Kong just for fun. First, we're setting up Muchen Crowdfunding's Hong Kong branch. Then we're going to get Muchen Crowdfunding listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange!"
"Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange?" Lu Chen was genuinely surprised.
Muchen Crowdfunding had only been around for a little over a year, yet Li Mushi was already preparing to take it public in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange had a long history and was closely connected with the international financial market. Compared with the mainland's stock markets, it was far more mature and stable. Many strong mainland companies chose to list there.
Li Mushi had previously told Lu Chen that she was considering a listing on the mainland's Growth Enterprise Market. Now she'd skipped straight to Hong Kong instead, a much higher starting point. If the listing succeeded, the huge influx of capital would send Muchen Crowdfunding soaring.
"It's a long story," Li Mubai said, waving his hand. "We'll talk about it later." His expression suddenly turned serious. "But there's something I'm not happy about."
He looked at Lu Chen with obvious dissatisfaction. "I can understand why you didn't tell Sister Fei'er when someone started causing trouble while you were filming in Hong Kong. You didn't want her to worry. But why didn't you call me?"
By the end, he sounded genuinely indignant, as if he were only one step away from pointing at Lu Chen's nose and accusing him of forgetting his friends. Some brother you are.
Lu Chen smiled helplessly. "It really wasn't that big a deal. I wanted to see if I could handle it myself first. If it had truly gotten out of hand, I definitely would've asked you for help."
When Honghua had first started provoking him, Lu Chen had briefly considered asking the Li family for assistance. But he believed it was better to rely on himself than immediately ask others for help whenever he encountered difficulties. So the thought had passed almost as quickly as it came.
In the end, he had successfully turned the tables on Honghua through his own efforts. Now Honghua was like a drowning dog. Throughout Hong Kong, they had become the target of universal condemnation. Even Zhou Yi had openly admired Lu Chen's methods. It proved that, with the right approach, almost any problem could be solved.
"The Jiang family does have some influence in Hong Kong," Li Mubai said seriously, having clearly learned about Honghua's background. "But you don't have to worry anymore. They'll probably come apologize to you themselves before long."
Lu Chen's heart stirred. "What did you do?"
If Li Mubai was so confident, it clearly had nothing to do with Lu Chen's own counterattack using the Little Pet Protection Association.
Li Mubai grinned. "Nothing much. I just had someone look into the Jiang Group's two factories on the mainland."
Lu Chen was stunned. "Wasn't that... making a mountain out of a molehill?"
What had started as nothing more than a local protection racket had now escalated into the Li family taking on the Jiang family. The situation had completely slipped out of Lu Chen's control.
Li Mubai lifted his chin proudly. "If they bully you, they're bullying me. If they bully me, they're bullying the Li family. In Hong Kong, I can't guarantee I can crush the Jiang family. But on the mainland..."
He simply laughed.
Lu Chen had no words. All he could feel was gratitude.
Just then, the phone on Lu Chen's desk rang. The indicator light showed it was an internal call. Lu Chen gestured for Li Mubai to answer it.
It was the receptionist. "Director Lu, a Mr. Jiang from the Jiang family is here to see you."
Before Lu Chen could respond, Li Mubai beat him to it.
"Tell him to get lost."
(End of Chapter)
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