Rong Zhaonan recalled the information he had seen and nodded: "Alright, we should go in now."
The group, dressed in plain clothes, went through a special passage and entered the VIP room to wait.
Three figures were already sitting and drinking tea in the VIP room, with white porcelain teacups decorated with landscape paintings on the table.
When Rong Zhaonan entered, two older men and a handsome young man were carrying notebooks, looking like a translator or secretary.
The young man was taken aback when he saw Rong Zhaonan.
But Rong Zhaonan's gaze only swept over him, as if he hadn't seen him at all, and finally landed on the middle-aged man who had stood up.
He wore a wide-shouldered suit, a rarity in China, and glasses with glass and metal frames. He had a square, long face and looked gentle and refined, but his eyes held a resolute and profound light.
"This must be Captain Rong. I've heard so much about you." The middle-aged man smiled and extended his hand to him.
Rong Zhaonan smiled and extended his hand as well: "You must be Director Ou. I was ignorant when I was young, and it seems that my reputation for causing trouble in the capital has spread to you."
"Not at all, not at all. Rong's eldest son is a genius, and he has always been a role model for us to use to educate our own children." The middle-aged man laughed.
This young man doesn't seem as unruly and troublesome as the rumors suggest.
Rong Zhaonan smiled faintly: "Is that so?"
As he spoke, his cool gaze swept over the young clerk to the side as if it were nothing.
The young, handsome clerk turned his face away, a flash of annoyance in his eyes.
Director Ou looked at the tall, composed young man in front of him with admiration: "May I call you Zhaonan? We'll need to work together again on this matter of hosting the Ning family from Hong Kong?"
Rong Zhaonan nodded: "Of course, I am a junior and only a temporary worker, so please give me your guidance."
Director Ou gestured for Rong Zhaonan to sit down and said meaningfully, "Don't call me Director or anything like that. We're here on 'private business,' not official business. Zhaonan, just call me Uncle Ou."
Rong Zhaonan understood in his heart that yes, this reception event had to be, and could only be, a "private matter"!
He nodded: "Uncle Ou".
Director Ou sat down with Rong Zhaonan, opened the document marked "Top Secret," and the two began to discuss matters.
The young and handsome clerk who had been standing by watched the scene expressionlessly, unable to utter a single word.
He lowered his head, his displeasure written all over his face.
When Director Ou took a sip of water, he glanced at him with a puzzled look, frowned, and continued talking to Rong Zhaonan.
Half an hour later, a staff member suddenly rushed over, opened the door to the VIP room, and said, "Reporting, the guests have arrived."
A short while later, a figure about 178 cm tall walked in, surrounded by several entourage members.
The man was around thirty-four or thirty-five years old, wearing a trench coat over a wide-shouldered suit jacket, with fine leather shoes and brown sunglasses.
Elegant and composed, he embodies the quintessential Hong Kong gentlemanly style.
Director Ou stood up with a smile and took a few steps: "Welcome Mr. Ning Bingyu from Hong Kong to Shanghai for a visit."
Ning Bingyu took off his sunglasses, revealing a handsome face with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He extended his hand and said with a smile in clear Cantonese, "Thank you all for your hard work!"
At that time, Hong Kong films had not yet become popular in mainland China, and almost no one in Shanghai could understand Cantonese, let alone speak it.
But the young clerk who had been following Director Ou suddenly spoke up, saying to Ning Bingyu in fluent Cantonese, "Brother Bingyu, it's been a long time."
Ning Bingyu was stunned for a moment, looking at the young man in front of him: "Are you... Ah Lang... Ou Minglang? You're such a big boy now?"
—Are you Alang? You've grown so much!
Ou Minglang, who was acting as the clerk, said with a smile, "Oh, I've grown up, Brother Yu!"
—Yes, I've grown up, Brother Yu!
A familiar exchange of pleasantries revealed that Ou Minglang and the current eldest son of the Ning family once had a good relationship.
Rong Zhaonan listened expressionlessly from the side.
If he remembered correctly, Director Ou had spent several years in the Hong Kong office, and Ou Minglang had followed him there.
No wonder that young lad Ou Minglang was able to participate in this special occasion of welcoming the main representative of the Ning family.
Director Ou understands Cantonese but cannot speak it, so he said with a smile in Mandarin, "It seems that Young Master Ning still remembers my son Minglang. My son caused you trouble when he was a child."
The term "comrade" is not commonly used in Hong Kong, so Secretary Au used the term most commonly used by people there to address Ning Bingyu.
With Ou Minglang's appearance interrupting things, Ning Bingyu stopped being as polite as before and said with a smile, "It's been many years, Uncle Ou, you're still as energetic as ever!"
The group chatted and laughed, but Rong Zhaonan didn't interrupt, standing quietly like a door god.
But unless he deliberately hides himself, he is never the one who can be ignored in a crowd.
After a quick reminiscing, Ning Bingyu looked at Rong Zhaonan, smiled slightly, and extended his hand, saying, "This must be Rong Sheng."
Mr. Rong is a gentleman commonly referred to as "Mr. Rong" in Hong Kong. People often use "Mr." to shorten the word "Mr." and add his full name to the title.
Rong Zhaonan nodded slightly and shook hands with the elegant Hong Kong gentleman in front of him: "Hello, welcome back to the mainland. I look forward to a pleasant investment cooperation this time."
“That’s for sure. We Hong Kong people do business with the belief that business will prosper and everyone will get rich.” Ning Bingyu said calmly.
If he wasn't mistaken, this young man, dressed in a leather jacket and work pants, who could be described as "handsome" but exuded an aura of hidden sharpness, was likely the main executor of this transaction.
Ning Bingyu summed up his visit as an "investment business," excluding anything else.
Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Bingyu with a deep gaze: "Yes, may everyone prosper and may business flourish. Young Master Ning, you don't need to be so polite. You can call me Anan."
Since we're doing business, let's follow the Hong Kong government's rules and use terms of address that will bring us closer.
The person in front of me is undoubtedly a very intelligent and shrewd individual.
No wonder he became the leader of the younger generation of the Ning family and was sent to the mainland to negotiate "business" with such a high level of secrecy.
Of course, everyone who could appear on such a special occasion was a smart person. They exchanged smiles, walked out together, got into their cars, and drove into Shanghai.
One after another, bodyguard vehicles quietly cleared the way.
Ning Bingyu's secretary was in the front seat of his car, while he and Rong Zhaonan sat in the back.
Ning Bingyu got into the car, put on his gold-rimmed glasses, took out a Sony camera, and smiled—
"My grandfather also taught in Shanghai decades ago. Now that he is old and bedridden, he can no longer return to the mainland. Can I take some photos to take back with me? Would that be considered a violation of discipline?"
Rong Zhaonan nodded: "No, this is not a military zone. There are often foreign guests in Shanghai. Young Master Ning, please feel free to do as you please."
Ning Bingyu smiled and took many photos along the way, remarking, "The mainland is truly full of vitality now, and I imagine there will be earth-shattering changes in a few years."
As he took photos, he casually asked—
“Our Ning family originally had ancestral homes in Ningnan and Guangzhou. Anan, you can understand Cantonese because you used to work near Ningnan?”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
