Chapter 262: Shadows Stirring

The person referred to as "Third Young Master" was none other than Wu Honglin, the third son of the Wu family and Wu Hongyi's cousin. Just five days ago, in the city of Southampton, he had been humiliated by Xia Yu at his own restaurant.

After Xia Yu and his group left, Wu Honglin used his connections to try to track him down. Unfortunately, by the time he located the hotel where Xia Yu was staying, Xia Yu had already flown to Budapest, Hungary.

Wu Honglin was furious, having lost face in front of his friends. He smashed numerous things in his anger. To make matters worse, both his father, Wu Huachang, and his grandfather, Wu Chengde, found out about the incident. Although they expressed their concern, they also scolded him, which only added to Wu Honglin's frustration.

He thought he would have to endure this humiliation without recourse, but to his surprise, he spotted Xia Yu again at the London Chinatown Chinese Business Association's inaugural banquet. Overjoyed, Wu Honglin saw an opportunity to finally take his revenge. This time, he would make sure Xia Yu wouldn't slip away.

Quietly, Wu Honglin retreated to a less conspicuous spot and began gathering information about Xia Yu. Many businessmen had noticed Xia Yu earlier, accompanied by Wu Hongyi during a tour of Chinatown. After Xia Yu handed out numerous business cards, it wasn't difficult for Wu Honglin to learn more about him. 

Wu Honglin kept his emotions hidden as he absorbed the information, but his eyes darkened, and his resentment toward Xia Yu grew even stronger.

"No wonder the second brother suddenly became so involved in business affairs," Wu Honglin thought bitterly. "It must be because of this Xia Yu. Damn troublemaker!"

Growing up, Wu Honglin had never beaten Wu Hongyi at anything, whether in academics or other pursuits. He was always overshadowed by his cousin until Wu Hongyi's parents passed away unexpectedly. Wu Hongyi became a shadow of his former self, and Wu Honglin finally had his chance to shine.

Over time, Wu Honglin began to relax, believing that Wu Hongyi's spirit had been broken. But recently, he discovered that Wu Hongyi had started getting involved again, particularly with the affairs of Phoenix Tower, one of Wu Honglin's ventures. Wu Hongyi had become active in expanding his network and was deeply committed to the Chinatown Chinese Business Association.

Using his family connections and owning a restaurant in Chinatown, Wu Hongyi had secured a seat on the association's board of directors, which shocked Wu Honglin when he first heard the news. He immediately grew wary of his cousin's re-emergence.

Wu Honglin had no idea what sparked Wu Hongyi's sudden change, but after inquiring about Xia Yu, he began to suspect that Xia Yu had influenced Wu Hongyi. His guess wasn't far from the truth.

This realization only fueled Wu Honglin's hatred for Xia Yu. Not only had Xia Yu humiliated him, but now it seemed he was meddling in the family's affairs, tilting the scales in Wu Hongyi's favor. This was something Wu Honglin could not tolerate.

With one last glance at Xia Yu, Wu Honglin discreetly left the banquet hall. He was determined to have Xia Yu thoroughly investigated and figure out how best to deal with him.

As Xia Yu scanned the room, sensing an odd gaze directed at him, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure disappearing through the door. Furrowing his brows, he couldn't immediately recall who it was.

"Mr. Xia, is something wrong?" 

Xia Yu's behavior had caught the attention of Qian Wenchao, who asked with concern. Xia Yu dismissed his thoughts and smiled. "It's nothing, just some stray thoughts. Let's continue."

---

Wu Honglin exited the banquet and immediately got into his car. He turned to Liu Yuesong, who was waiting inside, and said, "Find out everything you can about this man, including his relationship with Wu Hongyi. I want information on their interactions from the very beginning."

He handed Xia Yu's business card to Liu Yuesong and relayed all the information he had gathered at the banquet.

"Understood, Young Master. I'll handle it right away," Liu Yuesong replied. A shrewd thinker, he then asked, "Young Master, since this Xia Yu is from Hong Kong and seems to have a strong standing, especially being able to converse equally with Ambassador Qian, shouldn't we look into his background there as well?"

Liu Yuesong knew Wu Honglin's personality well and could guess that Xia Yu was no friend. Moreover, given Wu Honglin's competitive nature towards Wu Hongyi, he was aware that this was not a matter to be taken lightly.

Wu Honglin, keeping a neutral expression, nodded. "You're right. However, our connections in Hong Kong are limited, and we haven't established a presence there yet. I will personally handle this."

"Understood," Liu Yuesong responded, now even more committed to addressing the matter with utmost diligence.

After returning home, Liu Yuesong wasted no time in starting his investigation.

Meanwhile, Wu Honglin retrieved his address book, scanning through the contacts. Soon, his finger stopped on a particular number, and a smile crept across his face. "Got it."

Without hesitation, he dialed the number, waiting as the international call went through. Anticipation coursed through him.

"The Jardine Matheson Group is Hong Kong's top consortium, and Charles, being the second heir of the Keswick family, is already involved in the family business. He should have detailed information for me."

Charles was an acquaintance Wu Honglin had made a year earlier. Although the Keswick family was far more powerful than the Wu family, especially in Hong Kong, in London, the Wu family had more influence. With Charles being only the second heir, he and Wu Honglin had managed to strike up a decent rapport.

The phone finally connected, and a familiar voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

Recognizing the voice, Wu Honglin smiled broadly, raising his voice enthusiastically. "Dear Charles, it's your old friend, Wu Honglin..."