What’s going on?
Gao Fei, still half-drunk, sobered up instantly as over ten burly men in black surrounded him.
The driver who had brought him to the hotel was just about to drive away. Seeing this scene, he immediately pulled out his phone and called Huo Dongcheng.
Passersby and hotel guests also stopped in their tracks, looking curiously at the hotel entrance.
With a rush!
In the blink of an eye, fifteen burly men in black stepped forward and surrounded Gao Fei.
Gao Fei, standing amidst the crowd, cautiously observed his surroundings, his mind racing.
To cause such a stir in Hong Kong, there could only be one possibility: people brought by Huo Dongcheng’s rivals.
After all, his enemies in Kyoto were either dead or imprisoned.
Even if foreign powers wanted to kidnap him for the core secrets of the navigation system, they wouldn’t dare to do it so brazenly.
Only Huo Dongcheng’s rivals could come to a hotel in broad daylight to corner him.
Just as Gao Fei was wondering how many people were involved in the upcoming leadership transition in late November.
A sharp shout suddenly came from the back of the crowd.
“What are you all milling around for? This is Mr. Gao from Kyoto. Everyone stand at attention and greet Mr. Gao!”
As the words fell, the group of burly men lined up neatly.
Everyone bent over slightly.
“Mr. Gao!”
This ostentatious display and earth-shattering shout.
Gao Fei couldn’t help but frown slightly, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
At this moment, a man in his thirties walked out from the back of the crowd.
The man was wearing a white suit, somewhat thin, with narrow phoenix-shaped eyes that gleamed sharply. He didn’t look like someone easy to deal with.
“Hello, Mr. Gao, I’m Zhang Cong from Xinyi Group!”
Zhang Cong extended his hand with a friendly smile.
But in Gao Fei’s eyes, the man’s smile, paired with his sharp, unfriendly eyes.
This guy was definitely a ruthless and cunning operator.
However, this was just his initial impression.
He still extended his hand with a smile to greet the other party.
After a polite exchange, Zhang Cong gestured to the side, “It seems Mr. Gao has had quite a bit to drink tonight. I happen to have brewed a pot of tea in the tea room. Would Mr. Gao do me the honor of having a cup to sober up?”
Gao Fei chuckled and nodded, indicating his willingness.
“Mr. Gao, please!”
As they walked into the hotel, Zhang Cong walked half a step behind Gao Fei.
He didn’t walk alongside Gao Fei, nor did he maintain a distance like his subordinates. He struck a perfect balance in their relative positions.
Gao Fei glanced sideways at Zhang Cong.
He was now a bit curious about which powerful contender this Mr. Zhang of Xinyi Group was the frontman for, and what forces were behind him.
He now deeply regretted not having inquired about the recent situation in Hong Kong before coming here rashly.
Upon arriving at the tea room, the fifteen burly bodyguards divided into three groups. Two groups were stationed at the ends of the two corridors, while the third protected the entrance to the tea room.
Zhang Cong’s local accent was quite strong, but fortunately, Gao Fei had frequent contact with Huo Dongcheng when dealing with cosmetics, so communication was not a major issue.
After a brief chat, Zhang Cong picked up a teacup and placed it in front of Gao Fei, smiling, “Mr. Gao, now that it’s just the two of us, I’ll get straight to the point.
Is Mr. Gao’s visit to Hong Kong for business matters, or are you here for the boss behind Huo Dongcheng?”
“I’ll be frank with you, I will not get involved in political matters. I am in Hong Kong for business.”
Since the other party had brought it up, Gao Fei stated clearly that he would not participate in any of their election struggles.
Seeing Zhang Cong’s half-skeptical expression, Gao Fei said directly, “Tell your boss not to test me further. I am here for company business.
If you don’t believe my words, I can call Kyoto right now and pledge my allegiance to someone else.”
“Hahaha, Mr. Gao really likes to joke. I will definitely convey your words.
Mr. Gao, please have some tea!”
Zhang Cong forced an awkward laugh and quickly picked up the teapot to pour tea.
After finishing his tea, Gao Fei didn’t linger and got up to leave.
He just wanted to return to his room to sleep. Tomorrow, after sorting out the movie matters, he would return to Kyoto and stay out of this storm.
As Zhang Cong, with a fawning smile, escorted him out of the tea room, Huo Dongcheng arrived at the hotel with a group of people.
Besides Huo Dongcheng, another group similar to Zhang Cong’s also arrived from outside the hotel.
Dozens of people, forming a vast crowd, all converged towards Gao Fei’s location.
Hotel guests and staff quickly moved aside as the sudden gathering occurred.
No one present called the police.
This was because they were well aware of the identities of Huo Dongcheng, Zhang Cong, and another man. All three were major bosses in Hong Kong, and they generally wouldn’t cause trouble like triad gangs.
However, what puzzled them was the identity of the young man standing next to Zhang Cong.
When that young man had appeared earlier, Zhang Cong himself had come out to greet him with a very deferential attitude.
Now, Huo Dongcheng and another big boss had suddenly gathered at the hotel.
Anyone with eyes could see that their sudden appearance was likely related to the young man beside Zhang Cong.
Gao Fei, just emerging from the tea room corridor, stopped with his hands behind his back, not taking another step forward.
Zhang Cong, seeing Huo Dongcheng and Li Jiaguo, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, strode forward, a frown of displeasure on his face.
The fifteen burly men behind him immediately formed a defensive line in front of him.
“Zhang, your news travels fast. You even managed to intercept Mr. Gao at the hotel where he’s staying.”
Huo Dongcheng said with a cold smile as he approached.
Zhang Cong shot him a cold glance, “Hong Kong is only so big. Mr. Gao is an esteemed guest. I received the news as soon as he landed. If you, Huo, hadn’t gotten here first, I would have personally driven to the airport to pick him up.”
The two men locked eyes and exchanged cold smiles, ceasing their verbal sparring.
Li Jiaguo, who had arrived at the same time, ignored Huo and Zhang and called out to Gao Fei, “Mr. Gao, I am Li Jiaguo from Taihe Group. I am not here tonight to meet Mr. Gao, but merely to present a humble gift.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a follower stepped forward holding a pure gold flying crane.
With a look from Zhang Cong, his bodyguard immediately blocked the follower who was trying to advance.
Huo Dongcheng also sneered from the side, “Lee, how much is a pure gold flying crane worth? Do you think Mr. Gao would be impressed?”
As he spoke, Zhang Cong immediately retorted, “Huo, you’ve already hosted Mr. Gao. Now I’m entertaining him with tea. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.
As for you, Li Jiaguo, if you want to meet Mr. Gao, get in line.”
The three parties met, and the atmosphere became immediately confrontational.
Gao Fei, standing at the corridor entrance, felt a throbbing headache.
He had only come to Hong Kong to arrange the premiere of an uncensored film.
But he never expected that before the film’s premiere was even settled, he would be passively entangled in the struggle between the frontmen of three competing factions.
After a moment of thought, he took out his phone and, with his back to them, made a call to someone.
Outside the hotel entrance.
Chen Guanglin, He Xudong, and Huang Chen, having finished their dinner and played their roles, were about to head home. However, upon receiving a message from Huo Dongcheng, they returned to the Berlin Hotel.
As they arrived and before they even entered, they witnessed the three frontmen in a standoff.
Chen Guanglin stopped, his brow furrowed, “Both Zhang Cong and Li Jiaguo have appeared. This Gao Fei’s background is quite unusual!”
He Xudong was equally surprised and furrowed his brow in confusion, “Could it be that Gao Fei can truly decide who gets promoted and who gets demoted with just a word? But the information I’ve gathered from my channels indicates that Gao Fei doesn’t have that strong a background or influence.”
Huang Chen, standing on the left, narrowed his eyes and analyzed, “Besides his identity as a celebrity and businessman, Gao Fei also has the title of Chief Systems Engineer.
Whether in the mainland or Hong Kong, a researcher wouldn’t typically interfere with any political competition.
However, the appearance of Zhang and Li can only mean that Gao Fei is not simple.”
The other two nodded in agreement upon hearing Mr. Huang’s words.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Gao Fei’s Chief Systems Engineer identity was confined to the research circle.
Even if he had contact with high-level figures, it was generally unlikely that he could interfere with any political matters.
During their meeting at the restaurant, they had assumed that Huo Dongcheng was contacting Gao Fei to leverage Gao Fei’s identity and connections within the research community to lobby in Kyoto, seeking support for his boss’s promotion.
But now, with Zhang Cong and Li Jiaguo personally appearing to meet him, the three had to re-evaluate Gao Fei’s background.
After all, a researcher alone was not enough to warrant the personal attention of three powerful frontmen.
Just as the three hesitated outside, debating whether to go in.
They saw Huo Dongcheng, Zhang Cong, and Li Jiaguo all answer their phones simultaneously.
About a minute later, the three hung up their phones, exchanged polite farewells with Gao Fei, and then left with their entourages.
As they left, they no longer uttered threats. They exchanged looks of mutual dislike and departed in their respective vehicles.
As soon as Huo Dongcheng got into his car, Chen Guanglin, He Xudong, and Huang Chen immediately followed.
Seeing the three hesitant to speak, Huo Dongcheng chuckled, “You want to ask why Zhang Cong, Li Jiaguo, and I attach such importance to Gao Fei?”
The three were taken aback and nodded in unison.
However, he waved his hand and smiled, “I cannot tell you the secrets behind this. I can only say that a single word from Gao Fei might truly determine who rises and who falls.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Guanglin and the other two showed expressions of shock.
In fact, Huo Dongcheng himself was not entirely clear why his half-brother sought Gao Fei’s support.
He had only heard from his brother that Gao Fei had already come into contact with figures from that circle.
…
Berlin Hotel.
As the crowd dispersed, Gao Fei took the elevator back to his room.
He was just about to find Jin Qiqi to discuss and finalize the movie premiere.
Zhang Ziheng’s call happened to come through on his phone.
“Uncle Zhang!”
“Hehe, Xiao Gao, I already heard from Old Yang about your situation in Hong Kong!”
Zhang Ziheng on the other end of the line chuckled and continued, “Maintain your stance and don’t get entangled in those struggles, understand?”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Zhang,” Gao Fei replied with a smile.
Even without Zhang Ziheng’s reminder, after tonight, and until the end of November, he would not have any further contact with Huo Dongcheng and the others.
“It’s good that you can sort out your priorities.”
“However, Uncle Zhang, I have a question. Why does the higher authority allow the existence of frontmen for competitors in Hong Kong?”