Chapter 47

Huo Wenxi was stunned; was he hinting at something?

Seeing Lu Kuan stopped teasing her: "Don't mind me, I was just joking. The atmosphere was too tense just now, just trying to lighten things up."

Huo Wenxi smiled cooperatively, waved goodbye to him, and walked through the veranda in her high heels.

The veranda was very long, and Huo Wenxi was wearing a tight professional suit today, which perfectly displayed the excellent hip-to-leg ratio of a beautiful young woman.

The rhythmic 'click-clack' of her high heels rose and fell; she felt her back and hips being invaded by a gaze, and there was a slight burning sensation.

Taking the opportunity to get into the car, she secretly glanced back and saw the sharp-featured young man smiling and waving at her. Huo Wenxi's pretty face flushed slightly, and she hurriedly withdrew her gaze.

Mei Yanfang was currently basically in a state of vacation; the cure rate for early-stage cervical cancer was high, but there was a certain risk of recurrence.

She had to undergo initial treatment for more than a year; this was the minimum treatment requirement for a cure.

Seeing Lu Kuan's purpose for this trip had basically been achieved. After spending two days relaxing in international waters with Mei Yanfang, he urged her to rest with peace of mind and embarked on the journey north again.

It was still Wang Minhui who personally saw her off to the airport.

"Sister Hui, do you know any bookie bosses in Hong Kong?"

Wang Minhui was so startled she almost rear-ended the car in front; she didn't expect him to ask such a question.

"Mr. Lu, the risks of gambling are too high, and it's a bad habit. Sister Mei will be angry if she finds out."

Seeing Lu Kuan laughed: "A little gamble is just for fun. You forgot I'm the 'Little Immortal'."

Wang Minhui was noncommittal, thinking to herself that even if you were the Jade Emperor descended to earth, you might not be able to outplay those big bookies.

Hong Kong currently had no legal sports betting market; this might break everyone's perception, but that was indeed the case.

Hong Kong even revised its gambling ordinance before the start of the 2002 World Cup to prevent the massive illegal betting market from affecting the revenue of their horse racing industry.

It wasn't until July 2003, realizing that blocking was not as good as channeling, that the SAR government issued an exclusive license to the Jockey Club to compete with the massive underground market.

The reason Boss Lu was asking her if she knew anyone in Hong Kong involved in gambling was that he wanted to use a large amount of capital to participate in World Cup betting; the pool in the mainland was still too small.

Secondly, it was also to avoid suspicion; in the future, he would be a public figure appearing in front of and behind the scenes, launching works and building a persona as an actor and director, so it wouldn't be appropriate for news of him having participated in large-scale gambling to be exposed.

Therefore, placing appropriate bets through a middleman in Hong Kong was the best choice.

Furthermore, being reborn and buying sports bets or stocks definitely didn't mean one would automatically get rich.

Take the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup: even if the Koreans had planned in advance to eliminate Spain in the quarterfinals through off-the-field tactics, the referees who took the field with a mission still had to assess the situation.

The football field was full of uncertainty and randomness; a defensive clearance error or an offside misjudgment by a striker would drastically change the course of the game.

This would cause bookmakers to change their corresponding actions on the fly; the saying that a man cannot step into the same river twice meant exactly this.

Therefore, Seeing Lu Kuan decided to observe in secret first, see if the Koreans could successfully reach the quarterfinals, and then make a decision based on the point spreads and odds at that time.

Of course, before that, he had to find a stable and safe betting channel that could quietly convert these gains into legal income.

Wang Minhui was somewhat helpless, but since they had been in contact, his sophistication and maturity—including the calmness and professionalism he showed during the negotiations—convinced her, and she believed Seeing Lu Kuan was a person who knew how to balance entertainment and moderation.

"I'll ask around and let you know if there's any news."

Seeing Lu Kuan had originally wanted to plan this hidden path to gold through sports betting in Hong Kong before returning to Beiping, but a phone call from Zhuang Xu changed his itinerary.

According to the manager traits that his junior brother said the blog needed most, he had contacted an entrepreneurial talent who was almost tailor-made to Seeing Lu Kuan's requirements.

A university graduate with connections, knowledgeable in computer technology, young, and with a strong ability to accept new things.

"What's his name? Wang Xing?"

Zhuang Xu said impatiently: "Hurry up, I've already made an appointment to meet him at 6 PM tonight; he has to return to the United States tomorrow."

He was also a graduate of Huaqing University. After being entrusted by his junior brother before the New Year, he had posted 'hero notices' on well-known BBS sites like Shui Mu Qing Hua and Wei Ming Hu, but they had always sunk like a stone in the ocean.

Famous managers in the industry had absolutely no possibility of abandoning mature portal websites to come and struggle in his small, broken workshop.

This time, it was Wang Xing, who had the urge to start a business, who took the initiative to get to know this investment banking elite through a friend's introduction; this was a connection he could use for future financing.

"Brother Xu, when is President Lu arriving?"

"Don't be impatient, Xiao Wang. He went to Hong Kong to discuss business and is just rushing back this afternoon."

Wang Xing had just graduated last year and had entered the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Delaware in the United States on a full scholarship; he was only a freshman now.

There was no Spring Festival holiday abroad, and this was his first time returning to the country to visit relatives since the previous semester.

"Hong Kong? All the opportunities are in the mainland now; going to Hong Kong is a waste."

Wang Xing habitually made critical remarks.

Zhuang Xu frowned; he was used to observing clients from an investor's perspective, and it was obvious that Wang Xing was not his type.

He had been complaining to him all the way here—complaining about the United States, complaining about Huaqing, complaining about investors, talking to himself...

It takes a villain to deal with a villain; this kind of fly should be handled properly by that little bastard Seeing Lu Kuan.

Seeing Lu Kuan walked into the restaurant and clearly discovered a young man with sparse hair and round-rimmed glasses spouting off, while his senior brother Zhuang Xu looked somewhat hopeless.

"Hello, you must be Xiao Wang, right?"

Wang Xing looked up in fury; who was this, calling him a 'little bastard' right off the bat!

Zhuang Xu almost couldn't hold back his laughter and interjected at the right time: "Hello, President Lu. This is student Wang Xing."

In front of Wang Xing, he had built a persona for Seeing Lu Kuan as a second-generation film and television figure holding massive wealth, dabbling in the internet industry out of a whim.

Seeing Lu Kuan also did this intentionally; he knew these self-proclaimed high-minded Huaqing science and engineering men too well.

They were full of ideals and ambitions, and having just graduated, they couldn't wait to point out the direction of the country.

He had to strike at their psychological advantage and destroy their Maginot Line before they could better sell their lives for him later.

Wang Xing was too lazy to even waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Hello, President Lu! I heard from Brother Xu about the Web 2.0 concept you proposed, but I think there are still many flaws."

Seeing Lu Kuan almost spat his tea in his face; you really are a contrarian, you are the ultimate contrarian, automatically arguing with everything!

In later generations, Wang Xing argued with Ma Yun, argued with Lei Jun, argued with Ren Zhenfei, and argued across the world without a rival...

Such as saying the national football team couldn't beat the Tsinghua school team, sarcastically criticizing Huawei, repeatedly making wrong predictions about Meituan, etc., and was jokingly called the internet's most long-winded commentator.

Seeing Lu Kuan was noncommittal: "Tell me your thoughts."

Wang Xing's eyes lit up, preparing to sell his internet ideas to these two investors—one public and one private—Seeing Lu Kuan and Zhuang Xu.

(End of Chapter)