Chapter 137 Gathering in Zhanhai City

As night fell, the arrival of one big boss from the computer industry after another at the entrance of the Imperial Hotel left the media reporters stationed outside immensely thrilled. They all felt that their entire day spent waiting at the hotel was well worth it; whatever was happening inside the Imperial Hotel tonight would undoubtedly shock the entire computer technology circle. Unfortunately, they lacked the clearance to attend the banquet inside and were unaware of the topics that would be discussed.

Jiro Aso and his granddaughter, Haruko Aso, had arrived at the banquet hall early. Inside, they spotted quite a few competitors from the industry, but none posed any threat to Jiro Aso. Therefore, he was able to maintain relatively good relations with them—at the very least, sharing a polite drink and a chat.

When Bill from Microsoft also appeared in the banquet hall, Jiro Aso could no longer remain as composed as before. Microsoft was, after all, the undisputed leader in the computer technology world and had once been Jiro Aso's biggest rival.

"I didn't expect Mr. Bill to come to the banquet as well. Truly a rare sight!" Jiro Aso walked over to Bill with his granddaughter, speaking to him in a mocking tone. It seemed like an attempt to provoke the other man regarding his relationship with Future Tech, while also hinting that Microsoft's hegemony was no longer what it used to be.

"Heh, if it isn't Patriarch Aso. I heard your family recently made a massive windfall—congratulations! But if you can come here, why shouldn't I?" Bill naturally recognized Jiro Aso. Having operated in the same industry and even been direct competitors in the past, how could he not know him? Facing Jiro Aso's provocation, Bill brushed it off lightly, acting as if he didn't take the taunt to heart at all.

Refusing to let the matter drop, Jiro Aso pressed further to needle him: "My company lacks strength, so it's quite normal for me to be here. But Mr. Bill, you are the leader of our industry; to think you would actually show up at this banquet—this, this truly is a miracle!"

This time, Jiro Aso finally struck a raw nerve. Bill could no longer maintain his restraint, casting a gloomy and resentful glare at the man who was belittling him.

Seeing the other party finally reveal an expression of displeasure, Jiro Aso contentedly raised his glass and strolled toward other guests in the hall.

Bill watched the direction of Jiro Aso's departure, suppressing the rising anger within his chest. If not for being in full public view after being humiliated to such an extent, someone as proud as Bill would have long since rushed over to give Jiro Aso a beating. However, having just been mocked, Bill transferred his hatred onto Lin Feng as well. It was precisely because of the emergence of Lin Feng's Future Tech that Microsoft had been driven into its current awkward predicament.

Once all the guests had arrived, Lin Feng finally appeared arm-in-arm with Xia Ruoxi. Casually taking two glasses of wine from a banquet server, Lin Feng handed one to Xia Ruoxi beside him, and then the two parted ways to greet the guests.

What puzzled Lin Feng, however, was that ever since he entered the banquet hall, he had felt a gaze fixed entirely upon him. Yet, whenever he tried to trace and locate the source of this gaze, he came up empty.

Lin Feng even wondered inwardly if he had simply imagined it. But almost immediately, a domestic computer tycoon walked over to greet him, forcing him to cast those strange thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Chairman Lin, truly a hero emerges from the youth! Seeing you makes us old folks realize we really are getting old!" the domestic tycoon said, holding up his wine glass with a sigh of sentiment as he approached Lin Feng.

Lin Feng recognized the man's identity. His surname was Xu, and he was an older, well-known domestic entrepreneur who had made his fortune starting out in computers.

Facing the older man's praise, Lin Feng dared not accept it lightly and replied with modesty: "Chairman Xu, I dare not accept such high praise. Juniors like us achieve success only under the guidance of your seasoned experience. Come to think of it, entrepreneurs of your generation are all my teachers!"

"Ha-ha, you young rascal really know how to talk, always picking the sweet words to make this old man happy! What, are you afraid I've come to cause trouble for you today?" Chairman Xu joked with a laugh, thoroughly enjoying Lin Feng's courteous demeanor.

"How could that be? In fact, I would hope Chairman Xu has come to cause trouble for me, so that I could ask for more of your guidance on life and business experience!" Most people hearing such a remark would assume it was a provocation, but Lin Feng spoke with absolute sincerity, convincing Chairman Xu that he was genuinely asking for advice.

Yet, despite Lin Feng's words, Chairman Xu wouldn't dare claim he could actually mentor him. Leaving aside Lin Feng's personal strength, his monumental achievements in the business world were already beyond anything Xu could match. Having reached a certain level, Xu had heard plenty of rumors.

"Chairman Lin, you are far too modest. I should be learning from you young people instead; your minds are much sharper than ours, and the rapid development of your company is the best example! It's tough being a domestic computer brand these days. In the past, we couldn't compete with foreign brands and could only watch helplessly as foreign companies took money out of our country. Fortunately, your company carved out a path and brought glory to our domestic computer industry; otherwise, we wouldn't even know how to face domestic consumers! Coming here today, I simply wanted to take the opportunity to meet a young hero like you," Chairman Xu reminisced as he chatted with Lin Feng.

Drawn into those memories by the older chairman, Lin Feng finally understood, upon snapping back to reality, just how difficult it had been for the older generation of private enterprises.

"Chairman Xu, rest assured. I, Lin Feng, am after all a part of Chinese enterprises. Even if my products are sold in overseas markets, their prices will be considerably higher than those offered domestically. Furthermore, I can promise you that the high-definition displays and hard drives we develop will be made available to your esteemed company on a priority basis!" Lin Feng assured Chairman Xu, seemingly intending to lend a helping hand to private enterprises within the same industry.

"Chairman Lin, are you serious? You're not joking—you're truly willing to give us priority access to computer components?" Chairman Xu, who had just spoken, was momentarily stunned. When the realization of Lin Feng's words finally hit him, he asked excitedly.

Facing the man's incredulous gaze, Lin Feng waved at Xia Ruoxi standing nearby. Once she came over, Lin Feng pointed at Chairman Xu and introduced him: "This is Chairman Xu. All future orders for his company must be supplied on a priority basis. Did you commit that to memory?" Without pondering whether she had memorized it or not, Xia Ruoxi simply nodded; since it was Lin Feng's arrangement, she would carry it out unconditionally.

After Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi finished receiving Chairman Xu, other company presidents waiting in line quickly stepped forward. In any case, the components Lin Feng developed had to be sold anyway; since domestic entrepreneurs needed them, Lin Feng was naturally happy to supply them.

When it was finally Bill's turn, he noticed the strange looks cast at him by the surrounding crowd. Feeling deeply resentful, he wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but he ultimately restrained himself. Smoothing down the wrinkles on his suit, he stepped forward to greet and speak with Lin Feng.

"Lin Feng, our Microsoft company wishes to cooperate with you in many areas, but the banquet is rather noisy tonight. Let's see if we can have a private chat a bit later," Bill said bluntly upon meeting Lin Feng.

"You are most welcome to conduct inspections in Huaxia, President Bill. If this is merely your personal request, I accept." Lin Feng had no idea what medicine Bill was selling in his gourd, but he agreed to the request nonetheless.

After hosting Bill, very few unfamiliar guests remained in the banquet hall. Among them was a guest completely unknown to Lin Feng, though the person standing right beside her was very familiar indeed.

"Wait, isn't this the girl he met in Island Nation?" Lin Feng walked up beside a guest and thought in astonishment upon spotting the young girl next to him.

Things turned out exactly as Lin Feng expected. Haruko Aso never imagined she would run into Lin Feng at a banquet in Huaxia. Seeing a friend with such a special connection in a foreign land delighted her, and she was the one who had been staring at him all along—Lin Feng's initial intuition had been entirely correct. Disregarding the surrounding gazes, Haruko Aso threw herself straight into Lin Feng's arms and cried out, "My boyfriend, it's you! I never expected to see you again here."

Lin Feng looked awkwardly at Haruko Aso, who had hurled herself into his embrace! Xia Ruoxi was right beside him at that moment. Lin Feng felt as though time had frozen; he had no idea how to explain this or what to do next!

Xia Ruoxi looked with displeasure at Haruko Aso, who was hugging Lin Feng and snuggling in his arms. Feeling a surge of jealousy, she said to Lin Feng, "Who on earth is this? She's so pretty, even as a woman I can't help feeling envious."

Lin Feng could detect the irritation in Xia Ruoxi's voice. Yet, as far as he was concerned, this entire incident was a misunderstanding. He felt terribly wronged—who had he offended to be shot while just standing around?—yet he dared not voice these grievances.

Instantly, Lin Feng extricated his arm from Haruko Aso's embrace. Once free, he speechlessly gave Haruko Aso a light tap on the head and complained, "You're still as mischievous as ever. How on earth did I become your boyfriend when even I didn't know it?"

Having addressed Haruko Aso, Lin Feng hurriedly turned to Xia Ruoxi, who was watching him and Haruko Aso chat with a smiling face, and explained, "This is Haruko Aso, a friend I accidentally made when I went to Island Nation."

Hearing Lin Feng's explanation, Xia Ruoxi felt quite satisfied inside. In truth, the moment she saw a girl even younger and more stunning than herself embrace Lin Feng and declare him her boyfriend, Xia Ruoxi had felt deeply aggrieved beneath her smiling exterior.

However, that aggrieved feeling vanished almost as quickly as it arose because Xia Ruoxi trusted Lin Feng, believing he was not that kind of person. Now, hearing Lin Feng explain himself with such urgency put her entirely at ease.

Still, Xia Ruoxi felt that a little lesson was in order. She stepped between Lin Feng and Haruko Aso, wrapped her free arm around Lin Feng's waist, and, while no one was paying attention, gave the flesh at his waist a vicious pinch to vent her dissatisfaction over him flirting outside. Meanwhile, holding her wine glass in her other hand, she leaned gracefully against his side and feigned absolute innocence.