Lei Yingdong, standing behind him, appeared calm, but his movements were somewhat restrained.
The money he earns in a year, braving the winds and waves, might not even be as much as the Xu Enbo Xu Family, earns in a month. Or, if Xu Pingsheng thinks that it is Lei Yingdong who is causing trouble, he could say a word and Lei Yingdong would not be able to buy any supplies in Hong Kong, let alone a single hair, and he might not even be able to fill the fuel tanks of his ships.
"Ah Sin, how about it? You should consider joining the Hong Kong Jockey Club this year and getting a couple of racehorses to play with. Don't overwork yourself." Forty-six-year-old Xu Enbo smiled, not neglecting Lei Yingdong, and after speaking with Chu Xiaoxin, he looked at Lei Yingdong beside Chu Xiaoxin:
"You're Lei Guantai? A-Tai? My father is getting old, but he still likes to joke around with young people. Don't take the soda incident to heart. Even if you don't mind, he was actually planning to chat with you for a bit."
"Mr. Xu, I must thank Uncle Sheng for taking the time out of his busy schedule to see me. This time..." Lei Yingdong said with a wry smile.
Xu Enbo reached out and patted Lei Yingdong's arm. "Alright, I already know about your situation. Go in and see my father. The Shanghai people have really gone too far this time."
Lei Yingdong and Chu Xiaoxin followed Xu Enbo into a training ground of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
In the arena, an elderly man with snow-white hair, dressed in a dark red Tang suit, leaned on a cane and stroked the head of a robust chestnut horse in front of him. The horse trainer, leading the chestnut horse, was speaking to the old man.
"Uncle Sheng, this 'Must-Win Mountain' horse has a deep chest and a long neck; there's definitely no problem with it."
The old man was Xu Pingsheng, the Shipping King of Hong Kong. Hearing footsteps in the distance, Xu Pingsheng removed his hand from the horse's head.
"Put some effort into it; this thoroughbred is a rare find."
"Understood, Uncle Sheng." The horse trainer led the horse away, Xu Pingsheng turned around to look at Xu Enbo, Chu Xiaoxin, and Lei Yingdong who were walking towards him.
"Uncle Sheng, another new horse?" Chu Xiaoxin waved to Xu Pingsheng from afar and greeted him.
Xu Pingsheng smiled and said, "Yes, it's time for Old Ma to retire. From now on, Hong Kong will be looking to you new generation leaders."
"You're still going strong for your age, don't tease me. Uncle Jian and my Dad went for tea again today, unlike you Uncle Sheng, who's so energetic," Chu Xiaoxin said with a grin.
Xu Pingsheng and Du Zhaojian were old friends for many years. Through Du Zhaojian, he also had contact with Chu Yaozong. Moreover, Hong Kong is a small place, and Chu Xiaoxin had met Xu Pingsheng before, so he was not unfamiliar with this shipping magnate.
"Your Dad and Ah Jian are both tea addicts; they'll definitely come if there's good tea. I'm different; I'll definitely come if there's a great horse race." Xu Pingsheng paused with his cane, his gaze shifting from Chu Xiaoxin to Lei Yingdong.
Chu Xiaoxin spoke up at just the right moment, "Uncle Sheng, this is Lei Yingdong, who drank soda and donated ten thousand yuan to charity on your behalf."
Lei Yingdong took a deep breath to calm himself and said calmly, "Uncle Sheng."
"Alright, enough with the formalities, young man. I already know what happened. The Shanghai people went a bit too far this time. With freight rates rising, everyone naturally wants to earn more, right? Besides, this is Hong Kong, not Shanghai Bund the day. Sinking cargo ships like that was really going too far."
Xu Pingsheng looked Lei Yingdong up and down, then said, "Someone mentioned you to me. I heard that your ship was lost, and you almost didn't make it back, but you didn't suffer any trouble in Macau and insisted on returning to Hong Kong?"
Xu Pingsheng adopted a lazy demeanor again, but even so, the domineering nature in his words was still unmistakable.
Lei Yingdong was a quick-witted person, and upon hearing Xu Pingsheng's words, he naturally understood what Xu Pingsheng wanted to ask.
However, according to Lei Yingdong's understanding, Xu Enbo, the figurehead of the Xu Family, was a staunch pro-British. He had often helped the Britain when managing the Xu Family's fleet. So, what exactly was the meaning behind Xu Pingsheng's question today?
Lei Yingdong's mind raced, but he didn't dare to be careless and quickly recounted his ordeal.
He spent almost all his savings to buy a ship and set sail, only to be tricked and lose the ship.
Lei Yingdong made no attempt to conceal anything or embellish the whole affair, because he was still observing Xu Enbo's attitude and intentions in meeting him.
Even though Lei Yingdong clearly needed the Xu Family's help, Lei Yingdong still dared not make any unnecessary moves before figuring out Xu Pingsheng's true intentions.
Despite his current appearance as an old man, Xu Pingsheng's ability to build such a large Xu Family business is proof enough of his ruthless methods. Before understanding Xu Enbo's true intentions, how could Lei Yingdong dare to reveal too much?
However, to Lei Yingdong's surprise, it seemed that someone had already mentioned this matter to Xu Pingsheng, and at this moment, Xu Pingsheng's face already showed some anger:
"Young man, you did the right thing! You should go back to Hong Kong to handle this matter!"
Chapter 449 I'll Stand Up for You
Xu Pingsheng showed no interest in asking Lei Yingdong about the whole incident, but instead began to speak on his own, his tone clearly showing his dissatisfaction with those who sank Lei Yingdong's cargo ship:
"Hmph, back then, when the Japan devils occupied Hong Kong, they sank one of my ships, seized another, and forbade me from doing shipping business. Now someone is using the same methods to do the same thing. How are they any different from those Japan!"
He leaned on his cane, slightly annoyed, and spoke. Xu Enbo, Chu Xiaoxin, and Lei Yingdong all remained silent, listening to the old man continue:
"In life, one shouldn't be too greedy, especially in the shipping business. You can't completely block other people's paths. Yu Shiting must understand this principle. Now that he's made enough money, he doesn't know how to discipline others?"
Xu Pingsheng was clearly just talking to himself, but Lei Yingdong was startled.
How did this matter get involved with Yu Shiting again?
It's unlikely that a shipping tycoon like Yu Shiting, who came from Shanghai to Hong Kong to resume his old business, would let someone like him deal with a small fry. Besides, although Yu Shiting owned a lot of ships, he, like Xu Pingsheng, rented them all out and didn't transport cargo himself; he was already satisfied with just earning the rental income.