Chapter 263: Top‑Tier Private Banquet! The Xinghan Group

"Qingjun bro, you can do it, you didn't tell us the truth." Wang Yuyun, a lively girl, patted the still‑dazed Lu Qingjun and said, "This isn't a mansion, you call this a mansion? This damn is a palace!"

Lu Qingjun burst into hearty laughter at the profanity; the earlier tension and excitement turned into incomparable pride, his chest puffed out: "That's right! Can't you see whose house this is! Come, my brother is waiting for us inside!"

The group entered the ten‑meter‑high grand living room and at a glance saw Lu Qingshan drinking tea with Li Fuying and another unfamiliar middle‑aged man.

"Boss." Ye Ning was the first to recover, stepping forward quickly.

Li Zhi'an and Wang Yuyun hurriedly followed, respectfully calling out, "Mr. Lu."

They all know Li Fuying; this spokesperson of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has recently been dealing with them a lot. But the other man, wearing gold‑threaded glasses, with a refined demeanor yet a hint of unease, they were meeting for the first time.

"Everyone's here, have a seat." Lu Qingshan gestured to the wide sofa, a smile appearing on his face, "Let me introduce everyone, this is Mr. Liang Zhiwei."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the core team he had built, and said slowly, "Mr. Liang will now be our Comrade. I am preparing to establish a bank owned by us Chinese, named 'Xinghan Bank', with Mr. Liang serving as the first Bank President."

Bank President?!

Boom!

Those two words slammed down, and Ye Ning's pupils suddenly contracted!

She stared fixedly at Liang Zhiwei; as a finance practitioner, she was not unfamiliar with the name, the Chinese director of HSBC's investment department, a well‑known figure in the circle! The boss actually poached him from HSBC and wants him to be Bank President?!

Li Zhi'an and Wang Yuyun's mouths dropped open, their minds went blank. They had followed Lu Qingshan's lead, knowing the boss was formidable, but they hadn't expected it to be this extreme! Just after toppling a foreign‑capital giant, now he's about to set up his own bank!

That speed was literally faster than a rocket!

Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Li Fuying laughed triumphantly, stood up proactively, and warmly called, "Come, come, don't stand, sit down! From now on we're all family! Our Xinghan Bank, Star Han Investment are the two daggers of our Chinese capital; there will be plenty of tough battles ahead!"

Liang Zhiwei also stood, facing the colleagues he would fight side‑by‑side with in the future; he seemed a bit restrained, but more excited, and he solemnly bowed to Ye Ning and the others, "Greetings, everyone, I am Liang Zhiwei, please advise me in the future."

"Mr. Liang, you're too modest!" Ye Ning immediately responded, extending her hand, "I'm Ye Ning, in charge of investment trading. From now on we're comrades in the same trench."

With that statement, Li Zhi'an and Wang Yuyun promptly shook hands with Liang Zhiwei, and the team's atmosphere instantly became harmonious.

Lu Qingshan looked on with satisfaction.

His team needs both fierce generals and talented strategists. Ye Ning is the mastermind marshal, Li Zhi'an and Wang Yuyun are the vanguard generals who charge into battle, and Liang Zhiwei is the talent he placed in the financial sector to secure the rear.

"Alright, everyone sit." Lu Qingshan ushered the group to their seats; in the vast dining hall, beside the long mahogany table, for the first time it was filled with people belonging to him.

Looking at his younger brother and part‑time steward Lu Qingjun, at the investment talent Ye Ning, at the fierce generals Li Zhi'an and Wang Yuyun, at the future banker Liang Zhiwei, and then at the steadfast ally Li Fuying, Lu Qingshan felt a surge of heroic spirit.

This is the founding core of his future Financial Empire!

"Everyone's tired today, so I had Qingjun hire the best chef team on Hong Kong Island; we'll eat here tonight." Lu Qingshan lifted his teacup, "Consider this the Xinghan Group's first team‑building, and also… a warm welcome for our future enterprise!"

Wang Hai's team was extremely efficient; in just two hours, the first dish was brought out by a server on a silver platter cover.

The moment the cover was lifted, an indescribable fresh fragrance instantly spread.

"Boiled Water Cabbage."

Wang Hai introduced it himself, his voice exuding absolute Confidence.

The plate did not contain the richly colored dish everyone imagined, but a clear, almost colorless broth, within which a pristine vegetable heart stood upright, its leaves spread like a blooming white lotus.

Li Fuying, well‑versed and having tasted countless delicacies, couldn't help but show surprise.

"Boiled Water Cabbage" is a top Sichuan dish, the ultimate test of a chef's broth‑pulling skill. It appears as a thin clear soup, but hides profound depth.

He lifted the spoon, carefully scooping a ladle and bringing it to his mouth.

The moment the broth entered his mouth, Li Fuying's eyes widened sharply.

There was no trace of greasiness, only an ultimate richness and freshness exploding on the tongue! It contained old hen, Jinhua ham, scallops, pork ribs and countless other premium ingredients, simmered for hours to skim and clarify, removing all fat and impurities, concentrating all essence into one flavor.

Fresh yet intensely rich.

Another bite of the vegetable heart, soft and melting yet retaining its shape, the vegetable's sweetness and the broth's richness fused perfectly, achieving a marvelous balance in the mouth.

"Great! Great broth!" Li Fuying couldn't help exclaiming, swallowing a bowl felt as if thirty‑six thousand pores in his body relaxed, "This dish is like you, Qingshan—seems plain on the surface but hides profound power, containing thunderous strength!"

Lu Qingshan also nodded inwardly; this Master Wang truly lived up to his reputation.

The second dish was brought out: a crystal‑clear glass sphere containing a golden‑yellow "egg yolk".

"Mango Burst Sphere," Wang Hai explained, "using molecular gastronomy to encase fresh mango juice; it bursts upon biting. Western technique, but it still wraps our Eastern flavor."

Liang Zhiwei looked at the dish, thoughtful, and said, "Mr. Lu, this dish is much like our Xinghan Bank's future strategy. Borrowing mature Western financial tools and models, its core serves our Chinese capital. It looks trendy on the outside, pure inside, a single strike that lets the opponent taste defeat while being dazzled."

"Mr. Liang, well said," Lu Qingshan said, raising his glass, "To our Eastern flavor, cheers."

The subsequent dishes kept dazzling the eyes.

Iberian black pork leg cooked with low‑temperature slow‑braising, its skin lightly crisped, interior pink and juicy, meat fragrant and melting on the palate.

A "smoked yellow fish" arrived under a glass dome, filled with wafting apple‑wood smoke. When the dome was lifted, the aroma spread, the fish's freshness intertwining with the wood's scent, making one's fingers itch.

The final staple was not rice but a bowl of seemingly plain Yangchun noodles.

The noodles were hand‑rolled, firm and silky. The broth, simmered for eight hours from premium beef bones, was garnished with a few green scallions and a spoonful of pork fat for aroma.

Simple, yet lavish to the extreme.

Lu Qingjun ate with contentment, sighing, "After all these delicacies, this bowl of noodles is still the most comforting, the most settling for the stomach."

"That's right." Lu Qingshan set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and looked deeply at everyone, "No matter how far we go or how big our ventures become, we must remember where our roots lie. This bowl of Yangchun noodles is our root. Simple, pure, powerful. Never forget our origin."