thefictionvixens Chapter 336 Lin’s Annual Meeting
Chapter 336 Lin’s Annual Meeting
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, the banquet hall of the Peninsula Hotel was resplendent with lights.
Crystal chandeliers cast warm golden light upon the champagne tower, where business tycoons in suits and jeweled socialites strolled among the guests. Henry Fok was conversing quietly with Y.K. Pao, while Li Ka-shing and Lee Shau-kee raised their glasses in greeting. Tang Bingyuan, Fung King-hei, Kwok Tak-seng, An Tsz-chi, and other prominent figures from Hong Kong were all present—tonight, all the most influential people in Hong Kong had gathered here for the Lin Group's annual meeting.
Lou Zhenhua, along with his eldest son and Xu Damao, stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, their palms slightly sweaty as they gazed at the figures they had only seen in newspapers. Xu Damao, even more nervous, kept adjusting his tie and muttered under his breath, "Dad, this is too much of a spectacle..."
At that moment, the entire venue suddenly fell silent.
Lin Yi, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit, walked steadily onto the stage. His gaze swept calmly across the room, and without any gestures, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
Good evening, distinguished guests and friends.
A warm and clear voice traveled through the microphone to every corner.
"Thank you all for attending the Lam Group's annual meeting. Ten years ago, the Lam Group established itself in Hong Kong. Thanks to the trust of everyone present and the people of Hong Kong, we have grown from a small grain and oil shop into a company with businesses all over Southeast Asia."
His tone was calm and composed as he recounted the Lin family's footsteps:
"Over the years, we have been deeply involved in grains and oils, food ingredients, tea, winemaking, and medicinal herbs, all for a simple belief: to ensure that people's needs are met with controllable quality and affordable prices. Our expansion into real estate is to leave more livable spaces for this city; our establishment of a security system is to provide protection for this cause and for those who trust us."
When his gaze turned to Governor Perry at the head table, his tone became serious:
"The development of the Lam Group is inseparable from the Governor's outstanding contributions to the stability of Hong Kong. We are deeply honored to be able to give back to this land to the best of our ability. Donating to build the Chinese University of Hong Kong is to sow the seeds of knowledge for Hong Kong's future; raising funds to build eleven community hospitals is to hope that the health of our neighbors can be better protected. These are the Lam Group's responsibilities as a corporate citizen."
At this point, he raised his voice slightly and scanned the entire room:
"The achievements of Lin's today are not the result of one person's efforts alone, but rather the opportunity of the times, the strong support of partners from all sides, and the hard work of every Lin's employee. On behalf of Lin's, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you all."
Finally, he raised his glass, his voice resounding and sincere:
"Looking to the future, the Lin family is willing to continue working together with everyone, upholding the original intention of 'integrity, stability, and giving back,' not only pursuing business success, but also contributing our modest efforts to the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong."
"This glass is a toast to Hong Kong, to the future, and to everyone here! Cheers!"
The dignitaries in the room rose to raise their glasses in response. Henry Fok, Y.K. Pao, and others toasted the Lam brothers with smiles, their attitude both friendly and clearly respectful. Governor of Hong Kong, John Leigh, showed approval throughout, and specifically nodded in agreement to Lam Yi when raising his glass.
Xu Damao stared in disbelief, then quietly tugged at his brother-in-law and father-in-law's sleeves: "Dad, this... Mr. Lin Yi's demeanor is even more imposing than the Governor of Hong Kong..."
Lou Zhenhua took a deep breath, looked at Lin Yi and Lin Er, who were surrounded by a group of business tycoons, and replied in a low voice:
"Now you should understand how incredibly fortunate we are to have made this connection. Observe more, listen more, and speak less."
His hands trembled slightly, from nervousness, from the tangible reality of touching the outline of another world. In this world, the name "Lin" represented a power that would make all of Hong Kong take notice.
Midway through the annual meeting, amidst the elegant attire and swaying hair, Lin Er walked through the crowd and subtly gave Lou Zhenhua a look.
Lou Zhenhua understood immediately, whispered to Xu Damao and his son to wait where they were, then straightened his suit and followed Lin Er toward the center of the venue. As he walked deeper into the hall, he could clearly feel the scrutinizing gazes from all around him—curiosity, scrutiny, and perhaps even a hint of speculation.
At this moment, Lin Yi naturally stepped forward, placing his hand lightly on Lou Zhenhua's back and gently leading him to the center of the crowd. This subtle yet intimate gesture immediately made the gazes of the surrounding business tycoons become serious.
"Mr. Huo, Sir John Paul, Mr. Li," Lin Yi's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "Let me introduce you all. This is my family friend from Beijing, Uncle Lou, Mr. Lou Zhenhua. He came to Hong Kong to develop his career due to the recent situation in China."
He paused briefly, allowing the words "family friends" to settle in everyone's minds, before continuing:
"Speaking of which, the Lou family has been in business for generations in China, with deep roots in steel manufacturing and real estate. They have a well-known reputation in the country, known as 'Lou Half-City,'" Lin Yi smiled slightly, looking around at everyone. "It means that half of Beijing used to be owned by their family. Even the country's most promising steel rolling mill was originally donated by them."
This effortless introduction subtly moved even the seasoned tycoons present. Lin Yi concluded gently by adding:
"I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce my uncle to everyone today. If we have the chance to cooperate in the future, I hope you'll all look after him for me, okay?"
"Mr. Lin, you're too kind!" Bao Yugang said heartily first. "Friends of the Lin family are friends of me, Bao!" He took the initiative to extend his hand to Lou Zhenhua.
"Yes, Mr. Lou is a family friend of President Lin, so he's one of us." Fok Ying-tung nodded in agreement, his smile warm. Li Zhaoji and the others also raised their glasses in a toast.
Suddenly, Lou Zhenhua was surrounded by these people who were usually out of reach. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he suppressed his surging emotions and politely bowed in response:
"Nephew Lin, you flatter me. Zhenhua is new here and will need to learn a lot from you all in the future. There will be plenty of time in the future, and I will definitely pay you a visit."
His hand holding the wine glass was as steady as a rock, but only he knew that his palm was already damp with sweat. At this moment, he clearly realized what a door Lin Yan had opened for him. And the world behind that door was revealing a corner of its true nature to him.
Lam Er was having a quiet conversation with Governor Perry in a corner of the banquet hall. Over the years, Lam Er and the Hong Kong government have achieved remarkable results in cooperation in areas such as education and healthcare, and the two have long since become close friends through official exchanges. Lam Er enters and leaves the Governor's House as if he were at home, and Perry often jokingly refers to Lam Er as his "unofficial advisor."
This leisurely moment was interrupted by a commotion not far away. Lin Er shrugged helplessly at his friend, while Bai Liji patted him on the back with a smug look, signaling him to hurry up and deal with it.
Pushing through the crowd, Lin Er saw Xu Damao standing there, his suit jacket soaked with red wine, looking disheveled. Without a word, he took off his own suit jacket and handed it to Xu Damao, his gaze sweeping over the various wealthy young men present, a chilling aura emanating from him.
"Can anyone tell me," his voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the surroundings, "what happened?"
These usually arrogant and domineering second-generation rich kids didn't dare to utter a sound in front of Lin Er. At this moment, Zheng Jiaming walked over, swirling his wine glass, his tone mocking with a hint of enjoying the show: "Second Brother, it's this young master from the Zhou family who mocked Mr. Xu for not being able to speak English, and even said that people from the mainland are all bumpkins. Mr. Xu couldn't stand it and argued with him, so he got his wine splashed on him."
Lin Er rolled his eyes at Zheng Jiaming. This guy had been hanging out with Li Wenbin for too long and had learned to thrive on chaos.
He gestured for his staff to fetch Zhou Junnian, then looked around at everyone, his voice growing increasingly serious: "Those who have come to the Lin family's annual meeting today are all distinguished guests of the Lin family. To cause trouble here is to disrespect the Lin family." His gaze fixed on the troublemaker. "Young Master Zhou, what do you say?"
"Mr. Lin... I'm sorry," the young master of the Zhou family stammered, "I was just joking..."
Before the words were even finished, Zhou Junnian rushed over. After hearing the staff's brief explanation, he turned pale with anger and stepped forward to reprimand his son: "President Lin, please forgive me, it's my fault for not raising my son properly! I'll make this unfilial son apologize to Mr. Xu!"
Lin Er's expression softened slightly. He first turned to Xu Damao and asked in a low voice. Seeing Xu Damao nod slightly to indicate that he would not pursue the matter further, a hint of appreciation flashed in Lin Er's eyes. Only then did he look at Zhou Junnian:
"Mr. Zhou, there's something your son said that I disagree with." He suddenly raised his voice, making sure everyone around could hear, "I ask everyone here, including our Lin family, which family didn't come from the mainland? Back then, which of our ancestors didn't leave their hometown to make a living?"
His gaze swept across each young man's face like a knife: "What? After a few years of good times, you've even forgotten your roots? Young Master Zhou, today you not only have to apologize to Mr. Xu, but also to all the families here whose ancestral home is in mainland China—by calling mainlanders bumpkins, you are calling all of our ancestors bumpkins!"
These words carried weight, and many older generation entrepreneurs nodded in agreement. Zhou Junnian broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly pressed his son's head down, bowing deeply.
Lin Er helped the young man up, his tone gentle yet meaningful: "Remember, our current dignity is not a license to look down on others. I hope you will take care of yourself."
The storm subsided, but it left a mark on everyone's hearts—the second-in-command of the Lin family was not only skilled in his methods, but also possessed a vision and wisdom beyond his years.