Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 449, Section 30: The Mysterious Recipe!
The first-generation Range Rover was a revolutionary automotive product in Hong Kong. After all, the streets of Hong Kong now mostly feature Fiat cars from before and after World War II, or unassuming Toyotas and Nissans.

The lightweight all-aluminum V8 engine, unique appearance, and powerful performance all exude an aura of dominance on the road.

The only drawback was that the first-generation Range Rover was a two-door version, and although the rear seats were spacious, getting in and out was very problematic.

Ninth Sister, who had finally managed to get into the back seat, was also very annoyed. She straightened her skirt and then asked Baihe to drive.

As an off-road vehicle, Bai He was very comfortable in the driver's seat. He put on his sunglasses, glanced at the rearview mirror, and saw that the parking number was for Si Jiu Zai, who was standing on the road directing traffic.

With no cars around him, he turned and drove onto the main road toward the arts center.

After seeing that Miss Jiu had walked away, the parking attendant spat on the ground. He had humbled himself like a servant, and that wretched woman, Miss Jiu, had only given him a single red snapper. It was truly outrageous.

However, he also had another part-time job, which was to report Jiu Guniang's travel information to Spinach East. This bastard was now keeping a close eye on Jiu Guniang, this slut. Every time he reported her whereabouts, whether it was useful or not, he could get three Red Fiber Fish.

Oh, right! And that ghost woman who left half an hour ago, she used to go to Ninth Sister's house often, and the two of them acted very intimately, they must be lesbians, a pair of lovebirds, they even memorized the license plate.

He absolutely had to meet with Spinach East this time; such important information was definitely worth two Golden Bulls.

The lower-level members of the gang lived hand to mouth, sometimes not even having enough money to eat at a street food stall. But the gang leaders, the big bosses, and the uncles all made a fortune.

If you have valuable information, of course you should sell it, so you don't end up sleeping under bridges or living in paper huts when you're old!
The car arrived at the entrance of the East Asian Art Center in silence.

Today is the auction day at the East Asia Art Center, and there are more than a dozen luxury cars lined up at the entrance, all waiting to enter the parking lot.

A staff member dressed in a formal suit was holding a notebook and checking the invitations in the hands of each guest as they entered. Two burly Western bodyguards stood beside him, protecting him.

Baihe quickly opened the armrest box and took out an invitation to the East Asian Art Center. It was personally delivered by Huogou, the leader of Spinach East. It seems that the East Asian Art Center operates on an appointment system, and you can't get in without an invitation.

It took the staff of the East Asian Art Center five minutes to walk up to Jiu Guniang's Range Rover. They bowed politely first, and then said, "Sir, please show me your invitation."

Baihe handed out the invitation, released the clutch, and prepared to drive into the East Asian Art Center's grounds.

"Sir, your parking space is D1/27. Here is your parking ticket. Once you arrive at the parking lot, someone will be there to guide you. Have a pleasant day!"

The staff member marked the corresponding number in the register with a pen and returned the invitation to Bai He. However, seeing that Bai He was dressed in jeans, the staff member waited until the Range Rover left before speaking into the walkie-talkie: "Call the concierge."

"The bodyguard for client number 13 is not dressed appropriately. Please send a suit jacket to parking lot D2."

After explaining the situation, the staff continued to inspect the next invitation and led the bidding customers to their designated parking spaces.

Bai He was unaware that his dashing and trendy attire had attracted the attention of the art center's staff. Following the signs, he arrived at the parking lot and parked in a designated spot.

A staff member from the East Asian Art Center's concierge department was holding a tray with a clean suit jacket on it. He glanced at Bai He and knew that this was the person he was waiting for.

"Sir, you would look better if you wore this coat, since all the guests today are dressed very appropriately."

A concierge staff member stepped forward and offered appropriate advice.

He ignored the staff member's words. He first moved the passenger seat forward and helped his boss out of the car, then took the suit jacket from the tray in the concierge's hands and put it on.

Getting the cleaned banknotes is the most important thing; for the sake of money, everything else can be compromised.

Ninth Sister put on sunglasses and followed the service staff leading the way to meet Handsome Sheng.

The staff at the East Asia Art Center led Jiu Guniang and Bai He to VIP Box No. 3, gently knocked on the door, and said, "Chi Sheng, your guests have arrived."

After finishing their work, the staff member tactfully left.

Seeing the staff leave, Jiu Guniang put the red snapper tip she hadn't given into her handbag, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Chi Mengli was pouring grape juice into a wine glass. It was genuine grape juice, not some alcoholic beverage like "Christmas Blood." The grape juice from the East Asian Art Center was the best grape juice he had ever tasted, completely free of the tannins from crushed grape skins.

When he saw Ninth Sister walk in, he immediately stood up, put the wine glass in his hand on the coffee table, and greeted her: "Long time no see, lucky fellow."

"If you had been in Hong Kong during New Year's Day, you would definitely have been able to participate in the previous big show. I feel sorry for you!"

Chi Mengli's words are absolutely sincere; he can swear to the lamp that they are true. If Ninth Sister were to appear at Ruan Wen's auction, he would definitely smash that old hag's head to pieces.

Then that very night, they stormed back to Hong Kong and, without anyone knowing, sent Deng Qi to his death.

Ninth Sister generously stepped forward and gave Chi Mengli a big hug. Then, looking at the others in the VIP room, she said, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Of course!" The Ninth Sister had a pungent perfume smell on her, and Chi Mengli wanted to escape the suffocating stench as soon as possible. He straightened up and first introduced Xi Ren, who was sitting next to him: "This is my assistant, the great antique appraisal expert, Miss Xi Ren."

Xi Ren?!
In vain, I am gentle and gentle, and the empty clouds are like osmanthus and orchid.

How enviable are the actors who have such good fortune, while the young master is destined to be without it.

Ninth Sister attended a proper university, and in order to graduate easily, she majored in classical Chinese literature.

Chinese business leaders in California and Hawaii donated large sums of money to American universities, which is why the Americans were willing to offer courses in ancient Chinese literature at top universities.

Ninth Sister is one of the beneficiaries of these Chinese education foundations. She didn't spend a penny on tuition, but instead earned a degree certificate recognized in Hong Kong and a Porsche sports car.

Although she was just coasting through school, she had still read Cao Xueqin's world-renowned masterpieces, and even read the annotations by Zhang Ailing, Cao Xueqin's number one fan.

Even Jiu Guniang had the privilege of meeting this top master, who had already become a sensation in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, at the research center of the University of California, Berkeley.

This name, coupled with this judgment, is not a good name for a woman.

"Hello, Miss Xiren."

Since it was their first meeting and their relationship was superficial, Miss Jiu didn't say much, only offering a warm greeting.

"This handsome and debonair young man is Stephen, the director of our East Asian Arts Center!"

Stephen, who was sitting on the sofa, also stood up, walked over to Ninth Sister, shook hands with her, and greeted her: "Hello, beautiful lady."

"Ah Sheng just likes to joke, don't take it seriously. I'm just an old man, with yellow earth burying me to my neck!"

"Hello, Mr. Stephen, I majored in Chinese literature in college and have a collection of books, including several Song Dynasty editions and the rest are fine editions produced by the Jiangnan Bookstore during the Ming and Qing Dynasties."

“I am a complete novice when it comes to protecting these ancient books. I feel a connection with you, Mr. Stephen. Why don’t we donate all of these ancient books to the East Asian Art Center and entrust them to professionals? These precious ancient books can then be properly handled.”

Ninth Sister smiled and spoke to Stephen, wanting to build a relationship with him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Jiu, the East Asian Art Center does not accept donations from non-members. Membership at the East Asian Art Center is based on inheritance. If your father is not a member, it will be difficult for him to become one."

"As you know, the antique business is very murky. The East Asian Art Center wouldn't dare touch anything with an unknown provenance!"

Stephen refused Ninth Sister's donation without hesitation, adopting an attitude of absolute non-cooperation.

After listening to Stephen, who had a head of grayish-brown curly hair, Jiu Guniang realized that this was the art center controlled by the water room, which only accepted the water room's business.

It's even quite possible that this Stephen is the mastermind behind the water room.

"Haha! Better safe than sorry. Mr. Stephen seems to be a very cautious person."

Once she fully realized what was happening, Ninth Sister chuckled and changed the subject with a smile.

"Ah Sheng, Miss Xi Ren, Miss Jiu, the auction will begin in ten minutes. In five minutes, staff will invite you to the stands. Please excuse us!"

The auction was about to begin, and Stephen, as the host, naturally had many things to do. After saying goodbye, he prepared to leave.

Chi Mengli, who had just raised her wine glass, quickly put it down, stopped Stephen, and asked, "Uncle Fen, don't rush off."

"Your grape juice is excellent, a hundred times better than what you get elsewhere. Do you have a secret recipe? My sushi shop happens to sell fruit juice. Give me the recipe, and I'll give you a 10% profit margin on the cost of this grape juice."

When Stephen heard that Handsome Sheng had stopped him because of this, he was both amused and exasperated. He picked up the half-empty bottle of grape juice and said with a wry smile, "What secret recipe? If you like it, I'll give it to you."

"My post-meal blood sugar is now 10, and it's all because of this secret grape juice recipe!"

"Listen to the secret recipe! One bottle of grape juice, five spoonfuls of honey, and two sugar cubes—guaranteed to be sweet but not cloying, with just the right flavor!"

"The most crucial step is to add ice cubes to the grape juice to dilute it, making it more and more addictive!"

"Excuse me!"

After Stephen finished speaking, he took his leave and left the VIP box.

(End of this chapter)