Chapter 49: I Did a Stupid Thing

At 8:30 p.m., Zhou Ming and Li Cheng finished their meal and took the elevator down to the hotel lobby. The hotel manager greeted them at the elevator entrance and said, "Mr. Li, I hope the food was to your liking today?"

Li Cheng smiled and replied, "I'm not that picky. As long as you didn't serve me anything spoiled or expired, it's fine."

The hotel manager said, "Mr. Li is too kind. Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare do that! We know you were hosting an important guest today, and our goal is to make sure you are satisfied."

"That's a good service philosophy, but it's not just about my satisfaction; my guest needs to be satisfied as well," Li Cheng said, introducing Zhou Ming. "This is Mr. Zhou Ming, my guest today."

The hotel manager looked at the young man, who was at least ten years younger than himself, and muttered, "Mr. Zhou, a guest?"

The manager's reaction clearly showed his surprise. Given Li Cheng's status, although he wasn't yet the wealthiest Chinese person, he was already a notable billionaire in Hong Kong. Generally, those who interacted with him were either high-ranking officials or wealthy merchants, all of whom were middle-aged or older. Given this, it was believable that Zhou Ming could be Li Cheng's bodyguard, but it was hard to believe that he was Li Cheng's guest.

It was also not uncommon for Li Cheng to meet younger guests, but the manager was surprised by the introduction, as it was unusual for Li Cheng to openly introduce such a young person.

In fact, Zhou Ming himself hadn't anticipated this. Li Cheng's next words explained the manager's surprise.

Li Cheng said, "Mr. Zhou here is not simple. Although he looks young, he's the owner of Jinming Fund, the company that launched the capital-preservation fund."

This revelation shocked the hotel manager. He stared at Zhou Ming and said, "You... you're the owner of Jinming Fund, the financial genius who made the front page of Hong Kong Finance today?"

Zhou Ming awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Just drop the flattering titles. I'm simply Zhou Ming."

The hotel manager quickly extended his hand to shake hands with Zhou Ming. "Mr. Zhou, I didn't recognize you. I really messed up here."

Zhou Ming chuckled, "Manager, you're too modest. I'm really not that famous."

"No, it's Mr. Zhou who is modest. In my opinion, Mr. Zhou is definitely a leading figure in the financial market!" The hotel manager said. "Mr. Zhou, I know your fund company has launched a capital-preservation fund. Is there a quota that allows me to participate as well?"

"Of course," Zhou Ming replied. "But I don't have any materials with me right now. If you really want to invest, you can come to my company tomorrow to handle it. There's a quota of around one million."

The hotel manager eagerly agreed, and Li Cheng looked at Zhou Ming with admiration, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Now I understand what you were doing earlier. Your confidence is well-deserved. You're truly capable and know how to handle things."

Zhou Ming humbly replied, "I'm flattered. I know my actions didn't escape Mr. Li's notice. As the fund's owner, I could have directly agreed to the manager's request. However, that would have violated our company's policy. If the fund's quotas run out, it could lead to difficulties on both sides. By suggesting he come to the company to process it, I avoided breaking the policy while also keeping the manager happy."

As they reached the hotel entrance, a black BMW was waiting outside. The bodyguard quickly opened the door for Li Cheng. Li Cheng walked to the car and said to Zhou Ming, "Young man, go ahead and pursue your goals. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to seek my help. Although you declined my offer today, I can give you an opportunity to receive unconditional assistance."

Li Cheng's words left everyone around stunned: What? Zhou Ming declined Li Cheng's offer? Then why is Li Cheng still offering unconditional help? What's going on?

However, Zhou Ming's response shocked them further. Zhou Ming said, "Thank you, Mr. Li, but I don't think I'll need that opportunity."

Everyone stared at Zhou Ming, mouths agape in disbelief. Zhou Ming… is he too confident?

Li Cheng laughed heartily, then got into his car. As the car started, he rolled down the window and said, "I'll be waiting for you in the future."

Zhou Ming watched as Li Cheng's car drove away. At the same time, another black Audi arrived. This was Zhou Ming's car, but it had no secretary or bodyguard—just Lin Muqing. During their nearly two months in Hong Kong, Lin Muqing had learned to drive and obtained her driver's license. Zhou Ming admired this since it took him more than half a year to get his license in his previous life, which was far more difficult back then.

As they got into the car, Lin Muqing carefully started the engine and asked Zhou Ming, "I just saw everyone's reactions. What did you do?"

"I did a stupid thing," Zhou Ming said with a苦笑.

Lin Muqing blinked, intrigued. Zhou Ming continued, "Earlier, during dinner with Li Cheng, he offered to invest fifty million in my fund company."

"You were right; it really was like that!" Lin Muqing sighed. "But Li Cheng is quite generous to offer fifty million right off the bat."

"Li Cheng is a perceptive person. He can see the potential in things. I believe he will become the wealthiest Chinese in the world within ten years, if not for me," Zhou Ming said.

"It seems you have a high opinion of Li Cheng too," Lin Muqing said.

Zhou Ming smiled slightly, thinking to himself that it wasn't just a high opinion but knowledge that Li Cheng would indeed become the wealthiest Chinese.

"So, how did you respond to his offer?" Lin Muqing asked.

"I declined him, which is why I said I did a stupid thing," Zhou Ming said.

"Just as I thought," Lin Muqing slowly parked the car on the roadside and turned to look at Zhou Ming. "But I think what you did was not only not stupid, but actually very clever!"

Zhou Ming questioned, "Sister Muqing, are you suggesting that there's no such thing as a free lunch? Accepting his investment might mean we'd end up working for him once the fund company grows, and we'd essentially be working for him for free?"

"Isn't that the case?" Lin Muqing asked.

"Initially, it would be. But then he also said he could give me an opportunity for unconditional assistance, and I told him I probably wouldn't need it," Zhou Ming said.

Lin Muqing was surprised. "Unconditional assistance? Why is that?"

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, he's likely making a 'favor investment.' Even though business is like a battlefield and everyone is pursuing their interests, these big shots still have a sense of personal connections, especially among us Confucian Chinese. Favor investments are invisible and intangible, but once you grasp this point, you will find it immensely beneficial. I believe that Li Cheng's success and his future as the wealthiest Chinese are greatly aided by such personal connections."

"But many rich people in Hong Kong don't see this, yet you do," Lin Muqing said.

Zhou Ming smiled. "I wish I didn't see it. But nowadays, everything is good except for the difficulty of repaying favors."

After a pause, Zhou Ming said to Lin Muqing, "I'm sorry, Sister Muqing. Because of my stubbornness, it will be much harder for you to manage Jinming Fund in the future."

Lin Muqing shook her head. "Actually, I share the same view as you. Only money earned by oneself is real, and steady growth is beneficial. If you accepted Li Cheng's investment to speed up the fund's growth, it would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow—an overambitious move. If you had done that, I would have looked down on you."

"Just that…" Lin Muqing lifted her head to look at Zhou Ming and said, "When are you planning to return to the mainland?"

The topic brought silence between them. They had been in Hong Kong for almost two months, and during this time, Zhou Ming had created many miracles. Yet, Zhou Ming's family was still in Linyang, his father was still out of work, and Su Han was waiting for him to help her. Despite Zhou Ming's success in Hong Kong, he still needed to return.

Because Zhou Ming planned to return to the mainland, he needed to hand over the management of Jinming Fund to Lin Muqing and felt guilty about declining Li Cheng's investment.

After a while, Zhou Ming said, "Soon. Although I haven't formally obtained Hong Kong residency, returning now can still be considered as being a semi-Hong Kong businessman."

At this, Zhou Ming paused and asked Lin Muqing, "Sister Muqing, can you handle things here on your own? Do you need me to help find some female secretaries or hire an administrative staff member?"

Lin Muqing thought for a moment and said, "For now, it should be fine. Most of the company's business can be managed by Wang Yunlong, and Cao Haiyang is familiar with his work. Just ask Amin from the front desk to

 be my secretary. I've observed her for a while and find her smart and diligent, with no bad intentions. As long as there are no major problems, I should be able to handle it with her help."

Zhou Ming nodded. "Alright, no problem."

"Just…" Lin Muqing bit her lip and said, "I'll miss you."

Zhou Ming was surprised by this. Although he always considered Lin Muqing to be his significant other in his heart, she had never shown any clear attitude. Perhaps her expression of missing him was due to the sadness of parting.

Under the light, Zhou Ming saw the shimmer in Lin Muqing's eyes, which made his heart race. He said, "Sister Muqing, saying that will make me want to kiss you."

Instead of scolding him shyly, Lin Muqing actually hummed in agreement and slowly closed her eyes.

Zhou Ming felt his heart skip a beat, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, and he pressed his lips to Lin Muqing's.

This wasn't the first time Zhou Ming kissed Lin Muqing, but the softness of her lips always left him longing. Zhou Ming inhaled the faint fragrance of Lin Muqing, greedily savoring the sweetness of her mouth, his tongue exploring like a playful snake, finally finding her tender and sweet tongue, gently rolling and stirring.

Zhou Ming's hands also grew restless, climbing to Lin Muqing's chest, gently squeezing her fullness and softness. He could feel Lin Muqing shiver slightly at his touch but she did not push him away.

This excited Zhou Ming greatly. Just as he was about to take the next step, a sudden honking sound startled Lin Muqing awake. She used her last bit of reason to press down on Zhou Ming's wandering hand and murmured, "No… no, we're on the street."

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