Page 25

Xue Chen slowly opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling's elaborate patterns, then glanced at the electronic clock beside the bed.

"Ugh..." The moment he sat up, he could not help sucking in a sharp breath. His head throbbed fiercely. "Looks like I can't drink too much in the future," he muttered. Then he threw back the covers, walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let cold water pour over his head until his mind gradually cleared.

Knock, knock, knock! The sudden knocking startled him. He immediately asked warily, "Who is it?"

"Mr. Xue, your breakfast is ready. May we bring it up now?" A young girl's gentle voice came from outside.

"I don't remember ordering room service." Xue Chen dried himself off, casually threw on a set of clothes, and walked to the hotel room door without opening it.

"Um..." The voice outside paused. Then the girl replied, biting her lip lightly as she spoke in a low voice, "Sorry, Mr. Xue. I forgot to mention that Mr. Fu specially ordered this meal for you."

"Mr. Fu? Fu Hengzhou?" Xue Chen opened the door in confusion and saw several girls standing outside. All of them wore white uniforms, and the badges on their chests identified them as hotel attendants.

"Mr. Hong Cheng, Mr. Fu's assistant, specifically instructed the manager to prepare it." When the leading girl saw Xue Chen opening the door, her eyes brightened, and a shy smile appeared on her cheeks.

It had to be said that the girl in front of him was quite pretty, especially her moist, sparkling eyes. But Xue Chen was in no mood to appreciate her beauty.

"Put the breakfast down." With that, he turned and went back into the room.

The girls obediently placed the food they were carrying on the dining table in the living room. Then the leading girl set the suitcase in her hand on the coffee table. "Mr. Xue, Mr. Fu also asked me to bring you this suitcase. If you need anything, press the button by the door, and we'll come over to assist you at any time." After saying that, she led the others out of the room.

Xue Chen had changed clothes by then. After glancing at the suitcase, he went to the dining area. The table was already covered with a lavish breakfast, its fragrance filling the room. There were more than a dozen Hong Kong Island specialties. Xue Chen wondered what exactly Fu Hengzhou was trying to do. Was he targeting him?

Xue Chen did not hesitate. He picked up his knife and fork and began eating.

Ring, ring, ring. The suitcase on the coffee table suddenly began to ring.

Xue Chen had no choice but to put down his utensils. He walked over and opened the suitcase, finding a phone much smaller than an ordinary mobile phone, similar to a PHS handset. He pressed the answer button.

"Hello! President Xue, did you enjoy today's breakfast?" Fu Hengzhou asked teasingly from the other end of the line.

Xue Chen said nothing. He merely listened with a frown, waiting for the other man to speak. Only after hearing Fu Hengzhou's true intentions would he know how to respond. Otherwise, he might end up at a disadvantage.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha." After laughing for a while, Fu Hengzhou said, "What? You don't like it? If you don't, I can have A-Cheng change it for you."

"Mr. Fu, what exactly are you trying to do?" Xue Chen stood up, walked back to the dining table, and continued eating breakfast.

"What do you mean by that, President Xue?" Fu Hengzhou asked back in a serious tone. "I simply think you're a trustworthy talent and would like to cooperate with you once. What do you think?"

"Heh." Hearing that, Xue Chen laughed. "Mr. Fu, there's nothing wrong with my brain." He was not so easily fooled.

Fu Hengzhou played with the photographs at hand, taken by a private detective, showing Xue Chen laughing and chatting with Qin Zhou and the others. "I heard you've recently wanted to invest in real estate. I can introduce you to a plot of land. The price will definitely be much higher than before, but land will always be more worthwhile than property. And with time, you may change your mind later."

Hearing Fu Hengzhou's proposal, Xue Chen even glanced at the weather outside. "Mr. Fu, are you joking with me?"

If investing in real estate were truly as simple as buying a plot in a good location, would he need someone else to tell him so?

Although some areas would develop extremely well later on, most of that would not happen until twenty years later. His funds might look substantial now, but after setting up the factory and investing in Huston's upcoming research projects, he was not actually that well-off.

So he was waiting another year or two, until Hong Kong Island's stock market reached its peak, before making a killing.

"I'm not joking. I'm serious. Recently, thirteen plots of land in Yau Tsim Mong have gone up for auction. Taking all of them is impossible, but getting half of them would still be quite good."

"Mr. Fu, do you have so much money that it's burning a hole in your pocket? Or are you planning to use those plots for something illegal and want me to be your scapegoat, standing in front to shield you?" Xue Chen did not believe in pies falling from the sky. Even if one did fall, it could not possibly land on his head. Being reborn once had already used up an incredible amount of luck. If it happened again... perhaps Heaven would be trying to kill him.

"Hahahaha." Fu Hengzhou laughed upon hearing Xue Chen's words. "Do you think I'm that stupid? Would you consider what I mentioned last night?"

"I'm not interested in working for someone else." Xue Chen rejected him bluntly.

Fu Hengzhou was silent for a while before saying, "If you think working for someone else isn't worthwhile, coming over as the lady boss would be fine too..."

Xue Chen: "..." He suddenly felt as if something was wrong with his ears. Then he laughed. "Mr. Fu, you really know how to joke." He wondered whether the man had been kicked in the head by a donkey or simply forgotten to take his medicine this morning. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself not to argue with a lunatic.

Fu Hengzhou seemed to sense Xue Chen's attitude, so his tone became somewhat more restrained. "I'll tell you the truth. I admire your boldness. You entered the market with so little money, yet in just a month and a half, you made so much and still got out unscathed. With such courage, you'll definitely become a business tycoon in the future. So I want to invest in you early and make you owe me a huge favor."