Chapter 152: The Gambling King's Eldest Son

As night fell, Victoria Harbour was illuminated by a dazzling array of lights.

At No. 22, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, a magnificent hotel overlooking Victoria Harbour had its parking lot filled with luxury cars. This hotel was none other than the Peninsula Hotel, the most luxurious in Hong Kong.

At this time, Xia Yu was already at the event venue, greeting the arriving guests.

In addition to Xia Yu, Wang Qi, Jin Jiajun, and other employees of Jiuding Securities Company were assisting at the venue, handling on-site fund subscription matters.

As more and more guests arrived, even though the event hadn't started yet, the atmosphere at the venue was already becoming increasingly lively. Some guests, with time on their hands, began inquiring with Jiuding Securities employees about the fund details.

As time went on, the status of arriving guests continued to rise, and Xia Yu had to personally greet them.

Just after Xia Yu had welcomed a minor aristocrat, he noticed a figure at the entrance and quickly went over.

"Mr. Li, thank you for coming!" Xia Yu warmly shook hands with the guest.

The guest was none other than Li Chaoren, Chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings.

"Mr. Xia, how could I miss such a grand opportunity?" Li Chaoren flattered with a smile.

"Ha ha, you're too kind. Please come inside!" Xia Yu said modestly, gesturing for Li Chaoren to enter.

As they walked inside, most of the attendees' eyes were fixed on Xia Yu and Li Chaoren.

Li Chaoren's arrival was just the beginning of a series of high-profile guests.

"Sir Shaw, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please come in!" Arriving next was Sir Shaw Yifu of TVB, who had been knighted by the British Queen the previous year.

"Mr. Dong, thank you for coming. Please come in!" The next guest was Dong Haoyun, the current head of the Dong family in Hong Kong, one of the world's seven major shipping magnates, known as the 'modern Zheng He'. In Hong Kong, his shipping business was only slightly less significant than Bao Yugang, the world's top shipping tycoon.

"Mr. Zheng..."

...

Dignitaries such as Shaw Yifu, Dong Haoyun, Zheng Yutong, Li Zhaoji, Zhao Congyan, Lin Baixin, and Guo Desheng all personally attended, clearly taking this event very seriously.

It was understandable, given that Xia Yu's Jiuding Media Company had become the leader in the print media industry, and now there was also Jiuding Securities Company.

Even though Xia Yu was young, he represented significant potential. Given his impressive achievements so far, it was not surprising that he might surpass them in the future.

Therefore, they were keen to meet Xia Yu and also wanted to invest in his fund to both make money and strengthen their relationship with him.

Unconsciously, Xia Yu had grown to a level where they had to cultivate good relations with him.

This was largely due to Xia Yu's control over public opinion. Even though Xia Yu's assets and connections could not match theirs, his influence was substantial. For example, although he did not run a real estate company or sell houses, offending him could make their properties unsellable through public opinion. Similarly, in finance, his formidable abilities made it risky to offend him.

So, figures like Xia Yu, who had no direct conflicts of interest but could cause damage, were people they needed to be friendly with, or at least avoid offending.

As more prominent figures continued to arrive, Xia Yu's mood improved, and his smile grew more radiant.

At this moment, Xia Yu saw a prominent figure walking steadily with his entourage and quickly excused himself from a conversation to approach them.

"Sir Bao, Mr. Wu, welcome! Thank you for coming!" Xia Yu greeted warmly, extending his hand to shake with the two.

The guests were none other than Bao Yugang, the wealthiest Chinese in Hong Kong, and his son-in-law Wu Guangzheng.

"Ha ha, Mr. Xia, congratulations! I've heard so much about your impressive achievements. Seeing it for myself, it's truly remarkable!" Bao Yugang shook hands with Xia Yu firmly, giving off an impression of warmth and straightforwardness.

"Mr. Xia, hello!" Wu Guangzheng greeted Xia Yu and then stepped back behind Bao Yugang with a smile.

"Mr. Xia, let's go in. You continue with your duties, and we will chat later!" Bao Yugang said, noticing others arriving.

After Bao Yugang and Wu Guangzheng had entered, the next arrival made Xia Yu's expression turn serious—it was the gambling king of Macau, Ho Hongshen. A young man accompanying him resembled him; perhaps he was his son?

Seeing Ho Hongshen approaching, Xia Yu quickly went over with a smile.

"Welcome, Gambling King, thank you for coming!"

"Mr. Xia, hello!" Ho Hongshen greeted Xia Yu with a smile and a handshake.

"Hello!" After releasing the handshake, Xia Yu also shook hands with the young man next to Ho Hongshen.

"Mr. Xia, let me introduce you. This is my son, Ho Yowkwong." Ho Hongshen, though modestly referring to his son as 'my child', could not hide his pride in his voice.

"Yowkwong, this is Xia Yu, the helm of Jiuding Media and Jiuding Securities. Although he is younger than you, his capabilities and achievements surpass yours. You should learn from him whenever you get the chance," Ho Hongshen said kindly to his son.

Ho Yowkwong did not take offense at his father's humble description but instead nodded respectfully, saying, "I will, Father!"

"Mr. Xia, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your name is famous; I hope to learn from you in the future!" Ho Yowkwong said with a gentle smile, extending his hand.

Xia Yu shook his hand, replying humbly, "You're overpraising me. It's mutual learning and exchange."

Xia Yu recalled that Ho Hongshen had a big son who was highly valued and was set to be his successor, but unfortunately died in a car accident. Ho Hongshen had to groom his daughter, Ho Chiu-kiu, as his successor, but fortunately, he lived long enough to see his youngest son, Ho Yowkwong, mature.

Xia Yu's first impression of Ho Yowkwong was quite positive. He exuded a refined and graceful demeanor, which was hard to imagine for the son of the gambling king.

"Gambling King, Mr. Ho, please come in!"

Xia Yu then led them inside.

Afterward, no more prominent figures arrived. Noting that the time was right, Xia Yu prepared himself and headed towards the stage.

As Xia Yu stepped onto the stage, the venue fell silent, and all eyes were on him.

"Dear guests, good evening! I am Xia Yu, the President of Jiuding Securities Company. I am deeply honored by your presence!"

"Firstly, on behalf of Jiuding Securities Company, I extend our sincerest thanks and warmest welcome to all of you. Welcome!"

After saying this, Xia Yu bowed deeply to the audience, and a round of warm applause erupted.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

"…"

"Next, I would like to introduce the main leaders of our company."

As Xia Yu spoke, Wang Qi and Jin Jiajun, who had been waiting nearby, immediately went on stage and stood beside Xia Yu.

"This is Wang Qi, our company's General Manager, who assists me with various matters!"

After Xia Yu's introduction, Wang Qi smiled and gave a slight bow.

"This is Jin Jiajun, the head of the Huijin No. 1 Fund!"

"And this is Ai Le Wen, the head of the Huizhong No. 1 Fund!"

"They will assist me in managing these two funds. For any specific matters, you can approach them directly."

…

"Alright, if you wish to subscribe to the fund, you can register with them."

"Now, I declare the event officially open. Enjoy the evening! Thank you!"

After taking some time to complete the introductions and reiterate the rules, Xia Yu officially announced the start of the event.

Then, Xia Yu stepped down from the stage, went to the food area, and picked up a drink as he headed in a particular direction.

As Jin Jiajun and Ai Le Wen got off the stage, they were immediately surrounded by people, who took them to the prepared desks for fund subscription registration.

Meanwhile, the higher-profile figures did not rush to register but instead engaged in lively conversations with others.