boyutpedia Chapter 385 Lin Yan Makes His Appearance
Chapter 385 Lin Yan Makes His Appearance
Lin Yan flew back to the Deep Water Bay mansion on his sword. As soon as the sword light fell, he used his voice to summon Lin Er.
A short while later, Lin Er strode into the study, a familiar smile on his face, and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master, you're back! Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation; your aura is even more impressive than before!"
Lin Yan glanced at him and sat down behind the desk.
Stop flattering me.
"Yes, yes," Lin Er replied with a grin, straightening up.
"How is Hong Kong doing lately?" Lin Yan asked.
"That's good, everything's calm. With the Lin family's reputation standing here, who would dare to mess with us?"
He changed the subject and complained, "It's just that Lin Yi went to Singapore to take charge and took a lot of his capable people with him, leaving me here with a ton of work to do, and I'm really struggling to keep up."
"Lin Er, I gave you so many people so you could use them, not just to decorate them. A person who only knows how to bury themselves in work and doesn't know how to delegate or allocate tasks will ultimately exhaust themselves."
"Young Master—" Lin Er drawled, his face full of bitterness.
"You're really talking without understanding the situation. Lin Yi took a full five hundred Golden Core cultivators with him when he went to Singapore! I don't even have a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators I can directly command right now. Look at this mess I'm in: I have to oversee two cutting-edge research centers, maintain the existing foundations of grain and oil, brewing, medicinal herbs, tea, finance, shipping, and real estate, and keep up with relationships with all sides... I really wish I could split myself into eight. If you ask me, young master, you're just not paying enough attention to our Hong Kong business!"
Lin Yan listened to his half-serious "accusations" and touched his nose.
"Oh, I see. That must be a bit tiring!"
"That's exactly right!" Lin Er immediately seized the opportunity.
"Alright, stop howling." Lin Yan put down his teacup.
"I'll have Wang Qin send you a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators. Is that enough?"
The bitter look on Lin Er's face vanished instantly, and his eyes lit up.
"Enough! That's enough! Thank you, young master!" He answered quickly, as if afraid that Lin Yan would change his mind.
Then he moved even closer.
"Young master, there's a cocktail party at the Peninsula Hotel tonight, it's pretty high-class, how about... we go for a stroll together? Just to relax."
He stared at Lin Yan expectantly, waiting for a response.
Lin Yan raised his hand and gently pushed away Lin Er's fawning face that was too close.
"Alright, you just wanted an excuse to relax a bit, didn't you?" He said casually, which was considered an agreement.
Lin Er chuckled; his goal had been achieved.
7 p.m., the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered with light, elegant attire filled the air, and toasts were exchanged.
Lin Yan, dressed in a custom-made Libre de Soi suit that accentuated his tall and straight figure, followed Lin Er into the venue, his gaze calmly sweeping over the surroundings.
Very few people in Hong Kong's business community know Lin Yan in person, but as the public face of the Lin Group in Hong Kong, Lin Er is practically a walking golden signboard. As soon as he appeared, sharp-eyed business people gathered around him with wine glasses in hand, smiling and exchanging pleasantries.
Lin Er wore an impeccable social smile, responding calmly with nods and greetings, his words neither impolite nor lacking in distance. He didn't engage in deep conversation, and soon used an excuse to lead Lin Yan to a relatively quiet seat by the window.
After Lin Yan sat down, Lin Er personally fetched two glasses of champagne and gently placed one of them in front of Lin Yan.
He himself, holding his wine glass, leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice, saying:
"Young Master, this event tonight was arranged by Mr. Li Zhaoji. I reckon he wants to pave the way and test the waters for one of his recently integrated subsidiaries."
Lin Yan wasn't interested in the formulaic speech and outlook on stage. After a moment, he picked up his wine glass and walked alone to a quiet corner by the window.
The dazzling night view of Victoria Harbour outside the window made him feel more at ease than the noise inside the hall.
About half an hour later, Lin Er finally broke free from the various pleasantries and came over, also hiding in this quiet place.
The two leaned against the window, talking in hushed tones, their gazes sweeping over the banquet center in the distance, where figures were moving about.
However, this peace and quiet did not last long.
A cheerful, laughing voice rang out from my side:
"Xiao Yan? When did you go back to Hong Kong?"
Henry Fok, holding a wine glass, walked over at some point, a genuine smile on his face. His gaze first fell on Lin Yan, and then he nodded to Lin Er as well.
Lin Yan turned around and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Uncle Huo, how have you been lately?"
"Good, very good!" Fok Ying-tung approached, patted his arm, and said familiarly, "Now that you're back, don't hide here. Come, have a drink with your uncle!"
Without saying another word, she grabbed Lin Yan's arm and led him to the main table at the very front of the banquet hall, where the view was best.
Seeing this, Lin Er was afraid that his young master would become impatient, so he immediately followed closely behind.
The people who were talking at the main table all turned their attention to Fok Ying-tung when they saw him return with Lin Er and an unfamiliar young man.
"Mr. Lin, it's really not easy to get you to have a drink with me. I've tried to invite you to several gatherings!" Someone said with a smile, raising their glass to Lin Er.
Lin Er smiled and gave a perfunctory reply, focusing more on Lin Yan.
The other person's gaze fell curiously on Lin Yan, especially lingering for a moment on Huo Yingdong's obviously unusually friendly attitude.
"Who is this...?"
The speaker was Li Zhaoji, the host of tonight's party. He sized up Lin Yan, his eyes revealing a businessman's keen insight and a hint of inquiry, and then smiled and remarked, "What a handsome young man!"
Lin Er immediately stepped forward, smiling as he spoke, his tone carrying a natural air of protectiveness and teasing:
"Mr. Li, you flatter me. This is my younger brother, the little ancestor of our Lin family."
Henry Fok also introduced Lin Yan with a smile:
"Xiao Yan, this is Li Zhaoji, Mr. Li. His family has a very large business, especially in real estate, where they are experts."
Following Fok Ying-tung's introduction, Lin Yan looked at Li Zhaoji with no particular expression on his face, only giving a polite, slight nod.
"Mr. Li."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhaoji's gaze swept over Lin Yan's calm and composed face, then turned to Lin Er with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Lin Er's smile remained unchanged, tinged with apology:
"Please don't take offense, Mr. Li. My little darling is very quiet and can't stand crowds and noise. I had to practically drag her here today, and she's already resenting me."
At this moment, Fok Ying-tung noticed the impatience between Lin Yan's brows and was about to smooth things over when Stanley Ho walked over with a wine glass, obviously to greet Fok Ying-tung and Lee Shau-kee.
"Mr. Huo, Mr. Li, Mr. Lin." Stanley Ho greeted them with a smile, but when his gaze fell on Lin Yan beside him, he paused almost imperceptibly.
His smile remained, but his posture underwent a subtle change, an unconscious restraint and deference.
He bowed slightly to Lin Yan.
"Young Master Lin."
This address and this attitude caused a brief silence to fall around the main table. The gazes that had been fixed on Lin Yan, whether curious or scrutinizing, suddenly became varied.
Li Zhaoji's smile faded slightly, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes. There are very few young people in Hong Kong who can be addressed with such a title by Stanley Ho.