Chapter 11
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Li Shanshan was unaware of Xiang Hui’s despicable intentions. She was the last interpreter recruited by Fengcheng Translation Agency. Even though she had signed a contract, gaining access to the core materials was not so easy. Moreover, Assistant Wang had his own agenda and deliberately omitted mentioning Li Shanshan when notifying the relevant department leaders. Naturally, Li Shanshan was not qualified to attend the dinners and meetings between the leaders and Xiang Hui.
More professional and experienced interpreters handled the on-site translation, accounting for only half of the translation team.
However, Li Shanshan was not idle.
During lunch, relying on her pretty face and sweet tongue, she called one person “brother” and another “uncle,” quickly ingratiating herself with the entourage of Xiang Hui and the senior executives of Qilin Technology, joining them in gossip.
With Xiang Hui, a man who had been reborn, present, she dared not reveal that she spoke Cantonese. Fortunately, these people spoke Mandarin.
Though not perfectly fluent.
Li Shanshan understood perfectly and naturally gained some information.
She did not actively inquire about Xiang Hui; the entourage volunteered the details themselves, their tone full of envy and admiration. “Xiang Sheng was originally a poor boy, but after marrying Third Miss, he soared to success.”
There was nothing to hide; Hong Kong media had long exposed Xiang Hui’s background, and reports were everywhere.
“Was Mr. Xiang really poor before? You wouldn’t guess it!” one swaggered arrogantly, brimming with confidence.
That entourage member lowered his voice and confided to Li Shanshan, “Very poor. He’s originally from the mainland. We didn’t know much about his background at first, but once he made it big, he brought his parents, siblings—all of them—to Hong Kong, bought them apartments and hired staff. They often reminisce about their hard times. Plus, the paparazzi frequently watch them, so everyone knows.”
Another chimed in, “The Xiang family has caused many amusing incidents, but luckily Third Miss is magnanimous and doesn’t hold grudges. Marrying Third Miss was truly a blessing for Xiang Sheng.”
Many nodded in agreement.
Piecing it all together, Li Shanshan formed a rough outline of Xiang Hui’s background.
He was the same age as Yang Hailin, thirty-six this year. In the 1970s, he smuggled himself from the mainland to Hong Kong, successfully obtained a Hong Kong ID through the “touch base” policy when he was only fourteen. He earned his first pot of gold through horse betting and was admitted to the same high school attended by Yang Hailin and Zhou Yuqi, where Mao Yixuan also studied.
The entourage did not mention Mao Yixuan, but Li Shanshan knew he studied with Yang Hailin at the same school for seven years.
Since the school didn’t change, Mao Yixuan must have been there, unless an accident had happened.
“Xiang Sheng was very skilled at horse betting, never lost. When the Mark Six lottery first appeared, he even won the jackpot. Later, in stock trading, he never lost either.” This caught the attention of many, who followed suit in betting, trading stocks, and buying lottery tickets. “Before he even entered university, Xiang Sheng had already amassed a considerable fortune and had won the favor of Third Miss.”
Curious, Li Shanshan asked, “The information I saw said Mr. Xiang and Ms. Yang were first loves and university classmates.”
The entourage chuckled, “That’s true, but Third Miss met Xiang Sheng in high school. They were classmates, and Xiang Sheng pursued her then. Their romantic relationship started in university. Without Third Miss’s protection, Xiang Sheng wouldn’t have passed through those dangerous times so safely. Back then, Hong Kong was chaotic, and many wanted to control Xiang Sheng for their own ends.”
Li Shanshan nodded, “Winning at horse betting, stock trading, and the lottery would definitely attract unwanted attention.”
So that was how Xiang Hui made his fortune.
No wonder Yang Hailin would not casually associate or marry him.
There was profit to be gained!
Hong Kong capitalists were sharp, like sharks in the ocean, smelling blood and tearing apart their prey without mercy.
John's childish comment implied that at his core, Xiang Hui was quite innocent.
Yang Hailin likely saw through the secret.
This was Li Shanshan’s speculation, not yet certain.
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Xiang Hui often talked about rising housing prices with those around him, his tone so confident. To impress Yang Hailin, he must have revealed even more about the future, making anyone suspicious.
This made their marriage all the more intriguing.
The entourage member laughed at Li Shanshan’s words, “Xiang Sheng’s success is inseparable from our Third Miss. She dotes on him, worrying that he might be overworked, so making him the general manager of Qilin Technology is just nominal—a title for status. The actual investment is handled by John.”
Li Shanshan understood.
Their supposed worry about overworking Xiang Hui was really about withholding real power!
No real power meant no free rein.
Her mood suddenly lifted.
Handing the jade triangular melon to John for handling was the right choice.
“Since John is in charge, Mr. Xiang doesn’t have to make this trip. I’ve heard Hong Kong is far more prosperous than Fengcheng, full of skyscrapers and golden opportunities,” Li Shanshan said with bright eyes, deliberately. “When I grow up and earn money, I’ll definitely visit Hong Kong to broaden my horizons.”
Hearing her praise Hong Kong, the entourage laughed proudly.
“Xiang Sheng himself insisted on coming here to open an electronics factory in Fengcheng. No one knows what attracted him here,” said a shift guard, eyeing Li Shanshan’s youthful but striking face. He guessed something but dismissed it—Xiang Hui didn’t know Li Shanshan before; this was their first meeting.
Another entourage member added, “Compared to your Fengcheng, Hong Kong is definitely better—higher income, expensive housing, fancy clothes. But sadly, many citizens never own their homes, renting or waiting in line for public housing all their lives.”
The guard said to Li Shanshan, “If you go to Hong Kong, don’t worry—you’ll definitely become a superstar.”
Li Shanshan smiled coyly, “No way! I’m still in high school, aiming for university. My most important goal now is to do my job well and earn enough tuition.”
The guard replied, “Beautiful girl, if you develop in Hong Kong, you won’t have to worry about tuition.”
Many bosses liked girls like her.
Pretty and young, so fresh they seemed to drip with vitality.
Just last night, John asked her to dance twice, Xiang Hui danced three dances with her, and other local wealthy socialites joined in.
Li Shanshan still shook her head, “After finishing this translation job, I’ll earn a good sum, enough for future high school tuition and living expenses. Most importantly, I don’t want to leave home yet.”
As she spoke, Assistant Wang suddenly came downstairs.
Her face was sour as she approached Li Shanshan sternly, “Miss Li, your leader requests your presence.”
Li Shanshan put down her chopsticks, “They’re looking for me? I’m not responsible for important translations!”
“Just go up when asked. Why waste words?” Assistant Wang, jealous and upset that Xiang Hui was in a bad mood for not seeing Li Shanshan, had to come ask her on his behalf.
Xiang Hui wouldn’t ask himself.
If she couldn’t handle even this, she wouldn’t stay by Xiang Hui’s side long. Many other cunning women in the company were waiting to replace her.
Xiang Hui had looks, skills, and status—all within their reach.
Li Shanshan apologized to her dining companions, puzzled, and followed Assistant Wang upstairs straight to the presidential suite.
Xiang Hui was entertaining the leaders in the presidential suite’s dining room.
The Ronghua Hotel offered attentive service: an employee cafeteria inside, a large dining hall for Li Shanshan, the translation team, and entourage outside, separate large halls for grand banquets, private rooms both large and small, and even more exclusive elegant rooms occupying an entire floor, all resplendent with gold and jade. Those who entered were either wealthy or noble.
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To protect privacy, many suite guests preferred dining in their rooms rather than the restaurant.
Upon arriving at Xiang Hui’s presidential suite, Li Shanshan smiled before speaking, playing the part of an innocent girl, “Good afternoon, Mr. Xiang, good afternoon to all leaders. Is there any work you need me to do?”
“Little Li, come sit first,” said the leader who had previously relied on Li Shanshan as the accompanying interpreter, requesting an extra chair. She sat beside him, separated from Xiang Hui by John.
All these people were seasoned veterans; they could read between the lines.
Li Shanshan bowed slightly and sat, “Thank you, leader.”
Inwardly, she complained—drinking culture really did harm.
With economic development after the reform and opening up, it was common not only for businessmen but also government leaders on state salaries to invite young female employees to such occasions.
It seemed having a woman present made deals easier to close.
This was true in eighty or ninety percent of cases.
Suddenly, Xiang Hui spoke, “Miss Shanshan is really hard to persuade. Did my invitation yesterday for you to develop your career in Hong Kong upset you? You didn’t show up today.”
The leaders, unaware of this matter, were momentarily stunned. They were even more surprised by Xiang Hui’s straightforwardness.
Thinking back, he had been direct from the start.
Really...
Speechless.
Li Shanshan feigned a smile, “Mr. Xiang, you do joke well. Your invitation for me to debut as a star in Hong Kong was purely well-intentioned. How could I be angry? I’m no fool. I’m just young, average in ability, with limited experience, so I can’t participate in your talks with the leaders.”
Xiang Hui’s expression softened, “I think Miss Shanshan is talented and can handle important tasks.”
A leader immediately said, “Little Li’s English is indeed good. Little Li, thank Mr. Xiang for his trust. If cooperation is reached and contracts signed, you will certainly be entrusted with important responsibilities. You can understand contracts, right?”
“Thank you, Mr. Xiang,” Li Shanshan replied, then answered the leader, “I have translated business contracts.”
“Good, very good,” the leader nodded.
They decided to keep Li Shanshan close for the future.
Whether she would be needed or not was another matter, but she was definitely a good face to have.
Just then, John spoke up, “This is our first time in Fengcheng. Everything here is unfamiliar. Could we trouble Miss Li to be our guide, to show Xiang and us around, see the sights? Our chairman especially hopes Xiang can enjoy himself during this business trip.”
“A good idea,” Xiang Hui agreed enthusiastically.
The leaders hesitated briefly, glanced at Li Shanshan, who blinked twice, and immediately said, “No problem. Though Fengcheng is a small northern city, its scenery is exceptionally beautiful, especially in the snowy season when the mountains look stunning.”