Chapter 581: Leisure Time

After returning, Xia Yu sent someone to liaise with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to discuss donation matters.

Since Xia Yu had already determined the scale of the donation, they only needed to discuss some details, such as the use of the donated funds and when to make the announcement public.

The next day, Xia Yu's speech at CUHK and the recruitment drive by Jiuding Group companies dominated the news headlines in Hong Kong, sparking widespread discussion.

One set of data particularly shocked those in the know: the talents recruited by Jiuding Group companies accounted for 52% of the total graduates from CUHK that year.

Graduates from the Faculty of Arts were hired by subsidiaries like Jiuding Media Group's newspaper companies, publishing companies, and Global Television Network.

Most graduates from the Faculty of Law joined Standard Law Firm.

Graduates from the Business Administration Faculty were even more sought after, as all of Xia Yu's companies needed students with expertise in management and human resources.

Even graduates from the Faculty of Science, particularly those in mathematics, were recruited by financial companies, where there was a high demand for talent in modeling and data analysis.

It could be said that more than half of CUHK's graduates had already secured jobs before officially graduating, much to the delight of Ma Lin and others.

Upon learning of the situation, the senior management of the more established University of Hong Kong (HKU) became anxious, feeling outdone by their younger counterpart. They were especially concerned when, the next day, news broke that Xia Yu had donated HKD 30 million and a teaching building to CUHK. This caused a public uproar, further elevating Xia Yu's reputation.

HKU's senior management, envious and eager to catch up, quickly sought to connect with Xia Yu, particularly after learning that Professor Lin Shanyuan of their institution had a good relationship with him. They entrusted Lin Shanyuan to act as an intermediary for the university.

Soon, Xia Yu learned of HKU's intentions and secretly found it amusing. Since HKU was offering talent on a silver platter, how could he refuse?

It was simply a matter of holding another recruitment drive at HKU, especially since CUHK, due to its shorter history and smaller number of graduates, hadn't provided enough fresh blood for Xia Yu's more than 20 companies. Liu Tianci and Yan Wenhan had even mentioned this to Xia Yu.

As for donating to HKU, Xia Yu saw it as an investment in the future—one that would not only be rewarding but also bring peace of mind.

Therefore, Xia Yu gladly agreed, and HKU's senior management was delighted and quickly began negotiations with him.

Three days later, a series of Jiuding Group companies held a recruitment drive at HKU, and Xia Yu also handed over another HKD 30 million, though this time he didn't donate a teaching building since HKU's infrastructure was already well-developed after more than 60 years.

Despite this, HKU's senior management was still overjoyed, and Xia Yu received the honorary title of Lifetime Director from the university.

After the news broke, Ma Lin and others from CUHK privately criticized HKU for taking advantage of their lead.

In society at large, Xia Yu's reputation continued to soar, and he was firmly established as an educational philanthropist. Everywhere he went, he could hear people praising him.

At both universities, Xia Yu's name became well-known, and Jiuding Group's reputation also grew. Many of the graduates who had already been hired felt proud, and those who had not yet graduated had etched Jiuding Group into their hearts. A seed had been planted, and it remained to be seen whether it would sprout successfully next year.

Of course, at HKU, Xia Yu also proposed the idea of establishing the Jiuding Think Tank. Given the obvious benefits, HKU readily agreed.

With this move, Xia Yu effectively brought the two leading universities in Hong Kong under his influence. The news of the Jiuding Think Tank caused a stir in academic circles, with many scholars eager to participate. Someone willing to fund their research was a rare find, and with the opportunity to interact with scholars of similar caliber, it was a win-win situation. Only a fool would pass it up.

Xia Yu was pleasantly surprised to discover that both HKU and CUHK were even more enthusiastic about establishing the Jiuding Think Tank than he was. Delighted by this, he entrusted the well-acquainted Xu Zhixue and Lin Shanyuan to lead the coordination efforts at the two universities.

While the outside world and academic circles were buzzing, Xia Yu handed over control and went on a fishing trip with Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong.

A white yacht was anchored on the blue sea, and the gentle sea breeze made everyone on board feel relaxed.

Suddenly, as Xia Yu saw the buoy sink, he smiled and immediately started reeling in. The high-end fishing rod bent significantly as the big fish under the water struggled to pull away.

"Wow, Xia Yu, this fish must be bigger than the last one!"

Li Xi, standing nearby, watched the water's surface with anticipation and excitement.

"It should be. I think it's over four pounds. I believe it's a black porgy."

Xia Yu smiled and said calmly, standing firm as he quickly reeled in the line.

For Bao Yugang, who was not short of money, inviting Xia Yu and Huo Yingdong to fish naturally meant using the best equipment. The fishing line and leader were of excellent quality, so there was no worry of a four- or five-pound fish breaking the line.

Once the fish took the bait, all you had to do was reel it in with all your might.

"Xia Yu, judging by the bend of the rod, it seems to be more than four pounds—maybe even six pounds?"

Huo Yingdong, who had no bites on his line, was also watching Xia Yu reel in the fish with great interest.

"That's right, Xia Yu. I agree with Old Huo. It's at least six pounds. I bet it's a yellowtail."

Bao Yugang also laughed and added.

"After reeling in over ten meters of line, it's about to surface. Whether it's a black porgy or a yellowtail will soon be revealed!"

Xia Yu smiled and said as he continued to reel in.

Soon, the shadow of a fish appeared at the edge of the water's surface, and Xia Yu gave a final tug on the rod, pulling the fish out of the water.

"It's a black porgy, and it's a big one—definitely five or six pounds!"

"Old Huo, get the landing net ready!"

"On it!"

Huo Yingdong replied, grabbing the net, and as Xia Yu brought the fish closer, he swiftly scooped up the large wild black porgy.

"Bang!"

"Clap, clap, clap…"

The landing net was placed on the deck, and the black porgy flapped around, slapping against the deck.

"Wow, Xia Yu, let me put it in the bucket."

Li Xi excitedly ran over, and Xia Yu smiled as he watched her unhook the fish and grab the struggling black porgy to place it into a large bucket.

The bucket already held more than a dozen fish, including black porgies, yellowtails, golden pomfrets, green groupers, and red groupers.

Xia Yu and his companions were using live shrimp as bait, which was particularly attractive to black porgies, groupers, and other carnivorous fish.

There are over a hundred species of groupers in the sea, and the most valuable and best-tasting of them all is the red grouper, which Xia Yu happened to catch. It weighed around seven pounds.

At that moment, the red grouper had already been taken out to be cooked into grilled fish and fish soup on the other side of the 20-meter-long yacht. For this trip, Bao Yugang had even brought along a chef.

"The aroma is drifting over. It looks like it's ready to eat."

Smelling the fragrance in the air, Xia Yu's taste buds were awakened, and he couldn't wait to taste the red grouper he had caught himself.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's stop fishing and eat."

Bao Yugang said as he casually put down his fishing rod and swaggered over to the other side of the yacht.

Huo Yingdong and Xia Yu exchanged smiles, put down their fishing rods, and joined Bao Yugang. They sat down at a prepared table, and the chef immediately served the grilled fish and fresh fish soup.

"Come, Xixi, have a taste!"

"Mm, thank you!"

Xia Yu served Li Xi a bowl of fish soup, and a happy smile appeared on her face. Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong exchanged silent smiles.

"With grilled fish, how can there be no beer?"

Xia Yu said, taking a can of beer from the cooler. He turned to Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong and said, "Old Bao, Old Huo, want some?"

"Sure, I'll get my own!"

"Of course, I'll have some! I'll grab one myself!"

The two men replied, each grabbing a can of beer, opening it, clinking cans with Xia Yu, and taking a big gulp.