Chapter 791: Return to Hong Kong!

March 20th, the 25th day of the second lunar month—an auspicious day for travel!

Early in the morning, Jiang Xue got up and began bustling about in the kitchen.

By the time Li Yi woke up, she had already prepared breakfast.

In addition to stewed lamb and simmered chicken soup, there were also steaming hot dumplings.

She had “prepped” the ingredients for the lamb and chicken soup the day before. After waking up at 5:00 a.m., Jiang Xue had placed the two pots on the stove and the fire pit, respectively.

By the time she woke up again at seven o’clock, the lamb and chicken soup were ready.

The dumplings had also been made the night before; the entire Li family had spent several hours wrapping them, all to prepare this morning’s meal for Li Yi, Zhang Ziqiang, and the others.

They say, “Dumplings before departure, noodles upon return”—with a loved one about to set off on a long journey, this meal had to be just right.

Perhaps sensing that Li Yi was leaving today, Yun Rui and Yun Jin clung to him the moment they woke up, refusing to be held by anyone but him.

To avoid disrupting Li Yi’s plans, Jiang Xue had no choice but to call the old family home and ask her mother to cover for her at work.

At 9:30, just as Li Yi was spending time with his wife and children inside, Zhou Rui arrived at the Li residence.

Knowing it was time to go, Li Yi bid a reluctant farewell to his wife and children and left home in high spirits.

That’s right—the moment he stepped out the door, although Li Yi felt a touch of reluctance, his heart was filled mostly with joy.

Three whole days—who knows how he managed to get through them!

They say there are only oxen that die from exhaustion, but no fields that get plowed to ruin.

When a woman goes wild, even the strongest man can’t handle her.

Now Li Yi knew this all too well—in short, he was genuinely a bit scared.

Watching Li Yi, clutching his waist and holding a cup of water infused with goji berries, flee as if escaping, a hint of triumphant mischief flashed in Jiang Xue’s eyes.

Although her mother had told her not to be a stumbling block for her husband, her own man was simply too outstanding—how could Jiang Xue not worry?

Besides, Sister Ah Hong had told her that Hong Kong was a place of neon lights and nightlife, and the one thing it had in abundance was beautiful women.

Even if her husband remained chaste and avoided flirting, those alluring women would inevitably throw themselves at him, and one slip-up could lead to his downfall.

So she had to make him understand that a man’s energy was, after all, limited—one field was enough for him to till; he shouldn’t be greedy!

Of course, Jiang Xue wasn’t doing this just to warn Li Yi; she was also making a concerted effort to try and conceive a second child.

Although Li Yi claimed that even if the government enforced family planning policies, he’d find a way for her to safely have a second—or even a third—child.

But Jiang Xue knew that defying national policy would certainly come at a cost.

Anyway, her body had recovered, and now with her older sister, Juanzi, Zhang Feng, Yang Miao, and others around to help her, she’d be able to manage another pregnancy.

With that thought, she instinctively placed her hand on her belly.

She hoped she’d be more fortunate this time and would definitely get pregnant.

At the same time, Jiang Xue made up her mind: if she didn’t get pregnant this time, she would make sure her husband, once he returned home, enjoyed a life of revelry and debauchery—a life where a king never attends court.

Outside the front gate, Li Yi, who was just about to get into the car, suddenly shuddered for no apparent reason.

Immediately afterward, his nose began to itch, and he sneezed several times into the air…

……..

Guangzhou Airport!

The atmosphere in Yangcheng today felt somewhat unusual. Early in the morning, large numbers of police officers had already taken to the streets to patrol, and traffic police were directing traffic at every intersection.

Traffic was even restricted on the highway leading from the port to the airport.

At 3:00 p.m., as an Ilyushin Il-76 passenger plane slowly touched down at the airport, staff who had been waiting there sprang into action.

Soon, a dozen or so government reception vehicles, led by a police car, sped into the airport.

Once Li Yi, Li Futiao, He Dongying, and the others disembarked from the plane, they boarded the vehicles without even leaving the terminal.

Once everyone was on board, the motorcade, with the police car leading the way, headed straight for Lotus Pier!

In fact, all of this had been arranged by Zhou Rui. Upon learning that Li Yi was heading to Hong Kong Island on official business again, higher-ups had ordered Zhou Rui and his team to provide full cooperation to Li Yi.

From the flight from Beijing to Guangzhou to the route from Guangzhou back to Hong Kong Island, Zhou Rui personally mapped out the entire itinerary and made arrangements along the way.

Although it was a bit of a hassle, the results were excellent.

Not only had they fulfilled the mission assigned by their superiors, but they had also allowed these Hong Kong businessmen to experience the local government’s hospitality and sincerity—killing two birds with one stone.

Only after watching Li Yi and his party board the ferry to Hong Kong Island did Zhou Rui finally let out a sigh of relief.

At the same time, his gaze toward Li Yi was filled with anticipation.

In less than a year, this young man had single-handedly brought back over a billion US dollars in foreign exchange for the country. What kind of miracle would he create this year?

As for Li Yi and his group, after a forty-minute voyage, the ferry finally arrived at Victoria Harbour just before 5:00 p.m.!

Since it was already March and not typhoon season, the ride was smooth, and Li Yi, unusually, didn’t get seasick.

Once the ferry docked, the group disembarked under the protection of their bodyguards.

However, the moment they stepped out of the terminal, they were startled by the massive crowd waiting outside.

Goodness gracious, the area outside the terminal was swarming with reporters from all the major media outlets, as well as bodyguards and motorcades from various prominent families.

The fact that Li Futao and his group were heading to the mainland for investment negotiations was no secret on Hong Kong Island.

For one thing, they had already organized a fact-finding mission there back in January.

Moreover, upon their return, nearly everyone had publicly stated that the investment environment there was quite favorable and that they intended to invest and build factories there.

So, this trip had been foreshadowed for some time.

On the other hand, on the mainland, there had been extensive publicity regarding Li Futao and his group’s investment plans across the strait. No matter how slow the media on Hong Kong Island was to react, it was impossible for them to be completely unaware of the rumors.

And this afternoon, someone noticed that the motorcades of the Li, Ho, Lo, and Pao families were all heading to the pier at the same time, and it didn’t take long for people to guess that Li Futao and his group were returning.

Given that Li Futao and his group had returned after staying on the mainland for only four days, many were buzzing with speculation. Some claimed that the reports in the mainland media were false and that no agreement had actually been signed between the two sides.

Others claimed that these Chinese businessmen had merely played along with the other side in a charade: the fact-finding mission was real, the negotiations were real, and the reports were real—but the investment was the only thing that wasn’t.

To put it bluntly, Li Futiao and his group were simply stooges for the government across the strait!

Others argued that the mainland’s state-run media still held significant authority, unlike the TV stations and newspapers here, which would broadcast any story—true or false—as long as they were paid.

So, they believe these Chinese businessmen are indeed planning to invest there.

With rumors flying in all directions, it was impossible to tell what was true and what was false; people could only wait for the parties involved to come forward and clarify the situation.

Consequently, upon hearing that Li Futiao and his group were returning to Hong Kong, a large number of reporters flocked to the pier, hoping for a chance to interview these prominent Chinese business tycoons.

However, at this point, neither Li Futao, nor He Dongying, nor “Ship King” Bao, nor anyone else had any intention of giving interviews—nor were they in the mood for it.

While in Beijing, Li Yi had made it clear to them that his return was intended to take a stand against the British-funded conglomerates, but he had revealed nothing about his specific plans or how he intended to do so.

So, the moment they returned to Hong Kong Island, everyone was eager to know what Li Yi’s next move would be.

Li Yi, however, made no secret of his intentions. The moment the ship docked, he immediately instructed Li Futao to summon all full members of the Chinese Business Group to gather at Cloud Top No. 1 that evening—he wanted to have a chat with everyone.

Upon receiving the news, the Chinese businessmen on board were in no hurry to return.

After disembarking, the group got straight into their own cars and set off in a grand procession toward Li Yi’s Cloud Peak No. 1!