Chapter 707: The Hong Kong Chinese Business Association Is Established!

While Li Yi was busy in the city, things were quite different back at home!

That morning, shortly after Li Yi and Huang Lixing had left Cloudtop No. 1, Chen Chuhong arrived with little Huang Min, surrounded by her bodyguards.

After leaving the child in the care of Li Yi’s older sister and mother-in-law, Chen Chuhong took Jiang Xue out, saying she was going to buy her some clothes.

By the time they returned, it was already 2:00 PM!

In addition to bringing back plenty of beautiful clothes and jewelry, they also brought back three or four makeup artists and stylists.

Immediately afterward, these stylists and makeup artists began working on Jiang Xue and Chen Chuhong right at the Li residence!

In the dressing room, Jiang Xue stared at her drastically transformed reflection in the mirror, completely dumbfounded.

Is this really me?

In the mirror, she saw herself with fair skin, flawless makeup, dressed in an expensive gown, and adorned with precious jewelry—she looked just like a noble and beautiful swan!

Dressed up so elaborately for the first time, Jiang Xue was stunned by her own appearance.

Chen Chuhong, standing beside her, was equally astonished. She had always known Jiang Xue was beautiful; with such natural features, even a simple touch of makeup would look stunning.

But she never could have imagined that Jiang Xue would look this stunning after applying makeup—she was every bit as beautiful as any movie star, looking just like a princess from one of those ancient local families.

Chen Chuhong exclaimed with genuine admiration, “Little Xue, you’re so beautiful!”

Jiang Xue’s cheeks flushed slightly as she looked at Chen Chuhong with her beautiful, wide eyes and asked, “Am I really that pretty? I hope I’m not embarrassing him.”

Chen Chuhong smiled and said, “Of course not. I guarantee it—Little Xue, you’re bound to outshine everyone else today!”

She had always felt that Jiang Xue’s greatest shortcoming was her poise. Perhaps it was due to her upbringing, but while Jiang Xue was certainly beautiful, she lacked that certain air of refinement.

But now, dressed in an evening gown, adorned with fine jewelry, and fully made up, she exuded a touch of nobility, filling in that final gap.

Now, she was absolutely on par with those aristocratic young ladies. Judging by this result, she could certainly report back to Brother Li Yi that the job was done!

That’s right—the reason Chen Chuhong had taken Jiang Xue out to shop for clothes and jewelry, then hired someone to come over to do her makeup and styling, was all at Li Yi’s request. The goal, of course, was tonight’s cocktail party.

Upon hearing Chen Chuhong’s words, Jiang Xue finally let out a sigh of relief, and the tension on her face eased considerably.

Originally, Jiang Xue hadn’t wanted to go shopping for clothes that morning. After all, they’d already spent a considerable amount over the past few days—clothing and jewelry had cost nearly 500,000 to 600,000 Hong Kong dollars—and the frugal Jiang Xue didn’t want to waste any more money.

Indeed, in her view, buying luxury items like clothes and jewelry was nothing but a waste of money.

She wasn’t the only one who felt this way; her older sister Li Mei and her mother Ye Lingyun shared the same view. Having grown up under the red flag, they still couldn’t adjust to the extravagant and hedonistic lifestyle here.

However, Chen Chuhong had informed her that a grand business cocktail party would be held tonight at the Emperor Hotel, Hong Kong Island’s most prestigious venue. The event was primarily to celebrate the establishment of the Hong Kong Island branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Nearly all of Hong Kong Island’s wealthy Chinese businessmen would be attending with their wives and adult children; it could be said that this reception was the most prestigious gathering in Hong Kong’s Chinese social circles.

As the central figure of the event, Li Yi was bound to attend, and as his publicly acknowledged wife, she would certainly have to accompany him as his date.

More importantly, the socialites and high-society ladies in Hong Kong’s circles have always had a culture of competing to outdo one another in elegance. If she were to attend without makeup, she might not only be looked down upon but could also bring shame upon her husband.

After hearing what Chen Chuhong had to say, Jiang Xue finally agreed to go with her to shop for a gown and jewelry.

She herself could go without makeup or jewelry, or simply tie her hair back with a leather band, but she couldn’t bring shame upon her husband.

By the time she finished applying her makeup, it was already past six in the afternoon!

Seeing that it was nearly time, Chen Chuhong—who was also dressed to the nines—led Jiang Xue out of Cloud Peak No. 1. Under the protection of their bodyguards, they headed straight for the Emperor Hotel!

……..

Hong Kong Island. Emperor Hotel!

In the luxurious conference room on the top floor, 33 top Chinese business tycoons, including Li Yi, had gathered to discuss the establishment of the Hong Kong Island branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Such an important organization could not possibly be established with just a meal and some drinks—that would be a makeshift group, a band of outlaws swearing brotherhood.

After all, even the Liangshan Alliance had a hierarchy, let alone an organization like a chamber of commerce. Beyond defining the members’ objectives and obligations, the most crucial step was electing the chamber’s leadership.

And that was precisely what they were doing at that very moment!

Seated at the head of the table, Li Futiao spoke eloquently: “Our Hong Kong Island Branch of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is now officially established. The most important task at hand is to elect the president, vice presidents, secretary-general, and board members. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding this?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone spoke up: “What’s there to choose? I think we should just nominate Mr. Li Yi to serve as our president!”

“Exactly! I think Mr. Li is the only one capable of taking on the role of president right now!”

“I agree with everyone. We’ve been bullied by those Westerners for so many years, and it was Mr. Li who led us to defeat them, allowing us to stand tall and speak to them with confidence. There’s no one better suited for this role than Mr. Li!”

“Exactly, no one else but Mr. Li…”

Hearing everyone speaking up in his support, Li Yi quickly stood up and said, “Thank you all for your recognition and support. However, please let me share my thoughts. I don’t feel qualified to serve as president, and I have two specific reasons for this!”

“First of all, what we’re establishing today is, after all, the Hong Kong branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce. The president must be someone who can represent us, the Chinese business community in Hong Kong, and must have the interests of our fellow businesspeople here at heart. Given my current status, I clearly don’t meet those criteria!”

“Secondly, I cannot stay here year-round. If I were to become president and the Chamber faced an urgent matter, I wouldn’t be able to handle it promptly—which is simply unacceptable! Therefore, my suggestion is that the president must be a local resident of Hong Kong Island!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s explanation, the room fell silent.

Apart from a few who had already known the outcome, the rest all wore expressions of disappointment.

The main reason they had suddenly decided to establish this Chinese Chamber of Commerce was to ride on Li Yi’s coattails.

While this was certainly due to Li Yi’s strong capabilities and the fact that his Starry Sky Company had helped them make a lot of money, the most important factor was his unique status.

Li Yi’s status as a “special envoy” had already been acknowledged by everyone present; after all, anyone capable of getting the opposing side to mobilize their naval fleet to help deal with those foreigners must undoubtedly be a high-ranking official on their side—there was no doubt about that.

Now, the struggle between China and Britain over Hong Kong has reached a fever pitch, and Britain is clearly at a disadvantage. Befriending Li Yi at this juncture is tantamount to extending an olive branch to the Chinese side.

Should the political landscape shift in the future, it would effectively provide them with an additional layer of protection.

But to their surprise, Li Yi actually refused the position of Chamber of Commerce president, and he did so with such sound reasoning that they couldn’t refute him.

Li Yi, of course, knew exactly what these people were thinking. He immediately added, “Although I won’t be the president of this chamber of commerce, I am a member of our Hong Kong branch. As we say on the mainland, from now on, we’re brothers who share the same pot of rice.”

“Whenever there are investment projects or money-making opportunities in the future, I will definitely give priority to members of our chamber. And if any of you ever need help with anything, feel free to reach out to me privately!”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

After a round of enthusiastic applause, He Dongying, the head of the He family, immediately asked, “Mr. Li, it’s clear that everyone here trusts you deeply. Since you won’t be taking on the role of president, who among those present do you think is qualified to serve as president?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “I don’t think it matters who is qualified to be president; what matters is whether everyone else feels the same way. I’ve reviewed our chamber’s bylaws, and I propose the following structure: one president, four vice presidents, one secretary-general and one deputy secretary-general, and 11 council members.”

“Therefore, I suggest we first elect these 18 members, and then select the president and vice presidents from among them. What do you all think?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Futiao spoke up first: “I agree with Mr. Li’s suggestion!”

“I agree too!” He Dongying added.

“Seconded…”

……….