Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 171 First Encounter (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and subscriptions!)
"Ah Long, of course I'm free to have dinner with you."

Which friend has such a great deal of influence?

Chen Bingwen asked with a smile.

"It's Brigitte Lin."

Cheng Long lowered his voice, his tone filled with concern, "She hasn't been in a good mood lately, so she came to Hong Kong Island to clear her head."

I figured it would be more lively with more people, so I invited you all out for a meal and introduced you to each other while I was at it.

Chen Bingwen's heart stirred.

At this time, Brigitte Lin was in the eye of the storm due to her rumored affair with Chin Han, and her move from Taiwan to Hong Kong was indeed a good opportunity for them to get to know each other.

He readily agreed: "Sure, when and where?"

"How about 7 pm at Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai? It's quieter there."

"No problem, see you at seven."

Chen Bingwen put down the phone, looked at his watch, and made arrangements for the follow-up work.

At 7 p.m., Chen Bingwen arrived at Fulimen Restaurant on time.

Guided by the waiter, he entered a relatively quiet private room.

In the private room, besides Cheng Long, there were two ladies sitting there.

One of them was the radiant Brigitte Lin, whose brows carried a hint of weariness.

The other woman was a bit older, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, wearing glasses, and had a quiet demeanor.

"Mr. Chen, you're here!" Cheng Long stood up warmly to greet him, and then introduced, "Qingxia, Manling, this is the Mr. Chen Bingwen, the chairman of Chen's Foods, whom I've mentioned to you before."

Mr. Chen, this is Ms. Brigitte Lin.

The woman next to her is Wang Manling, a reporter for the Sing Tao Daily and a close friend of Brigitte Lin.

"Miss Wang, hello, I've heard so much about you." Chen Bingwen smiled and shook hands with Wang Manling.

He had heard of this female reporter; she was known for her sharp writing and influence in Hong Kong's media circles.

"Mr. Chen, you're too kind. I've heard so much about you. Chen's drinks are known throughout Hong Kong now. I never expected the owner to be so young and accomplished."

Wang Manling responded gracefully, her gaze towards Chen Bingwen filled with curiosity.

After greeting Wang Manling, Chen Bingwen turned to Brigitte Lin and extended his hand: "Ms. Lin, hello, it's good to meet you."

My name is Chen Bingwen.

His attitude was natural and appropriate, just like a normal business partner meeting for the first time.

Brigitte Lin stood up, smiled slightly, and shook hands gently with Chen Bingwen: "Mr. Chen, hello. Ah Long often mentions you, saying that you are so young, yet your business is so successful."

Her voice was soft, with a slight Taiwanese accent.

At this time, Brigitte Lin was in her early twenties, in the prime of her life. Under the lights, her skin was radiant and glowing, and her features were as exquisite as a carefully sculpted work of art.

What is most striking is the unique heroic spirit between her brows, which combines the gentleness of a woman with the handsomeness of a man.

Even with a tired look on her face, she still couldn't hide her natural beauty and unique charm.

Especially the unintentional blend of vulnerability and strength in her expression, which involuntarily evokes an irresistible urge to pull her into one's arms and carefully protect her from disturbance.

Chen Bingwen couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "It truly lives up to its reputation."

Her appearance and temperament possess both feminine gentleness and masculine heroism. These two qualities are perfectly integrated in her, not contradictory at all, but rather creating a unique charm.

No wonder she is the dream girl of countless people.

The four sat down, and Cheng Long livened up the atmosphere by chatting about some interesting things that had happened in Hong Kong recently.

Once the food and drinks were served, and after a few drinks, the atmosphere at the table gradually relaxed.

The conversation initially revolved around interesting anecdotes from the film shoot, with Jackie Chan telling several jokes from the set, which made everyone laugh.

Naturally, the topic turned to Chen Bingwen.

Wang Manling then asked, "Mr. Chen, the newspapers have been reporting on your acquisition of Watsons lately. That's quite a big deal."

Many people are curious: how did you, at such a young age, build such a large business in such a short time?

Brigitte Lin also showed interest.

She had met many successful businessmen and film company owners, but Chen Bingwen was the first to start from scratch and acquire a long-established British company at such a young age.

Chen Bingwen smiled and said calmly, "You flatter me. There's really no secret to it; it's just about seizing the right opportunity and then focusing on making a good product."

For example, the initial bottled sugar water was because it was inconvenient for people to drink a bowl of authentic sugar water, so we wanted to find a way to make it more convenient.

The later "Pulse" was also inspired by seeing that many people needed to refresh themselves after a long day at work, so I tried to create it.

As for acquiring Watsons, we believe this long-established store has many valuable resources. If we can combine them with Chen Kee's strengths, it should revitalize the business and benefit everyone.

He didn't talk about any grand business strategies, but explained things from the most basic perspective of products and needs, which made him seem sincere.

As Brigitte Lin listened, her admiration deepened.

Having lived in the dazzling and chaotic entertainment industry, where she was accustomed to extravagance and short-sightedness, Chen Bingwen's focus on the product itself and his down-to-earth approach to work gave her a rare sense of security and reliability.

"Mr. Chen is too modest," Brigitte Lin said sincerely. "To build such a large business, one must have put in unimaginable effort and wisdom."

I truly admire someone as decisive and capable as you.

"Ms. Brigitte Lin, you flatter me." Chen Bingwen raised his glass in acknowledgment. "You actors also have it very tough. To bring a character to life, you need to invest a great deal of emotion and energy. Creating a good movie is also a remarkable achievement."

These words struck a chord with Brigitte Lin, who responded with a toast and a much more genuine smile. During the meal, Chen Bingwen didn't discuss specific business operations in detail, nor did he touch upon Brigitte Lin's sensitive gossip. Instead, he subtly shared some interesting anecdotes from expanding into overseas markets, such as the Japanese people's peculiar opinions on the taste of "Pulse" and the different sweetness requirements in the Singaporean market.

His narration was vivid and interesting, and also had a broad international perspective, which made all three people in the audience listen with great interest.

As a journalist, Wang Manling keenly realized that Chen Bingwen was not only a business genius, but also a very insightful interview subject.

She had already begun to plan in her mind that she might be able to write a high-quality report specifically for Chen Bingwen and Chen Ji.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The conversation among the four people gradually deepened.

Finally, we got to the topic of Brigitte Lin's recent troubles.

Although everyone deliberately avoided the names "Qin and Han," the atmosphere was still somewhat subtle.

Wang Manling, as a friend, tried to comfort her: "Qingxia, don't think too much about some things."

Don't take those newspapers' nonsense to heart.

Let time prove everything.

Brigitte Lin sighed softly, poking at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks: "I understand the道理 (principles/reasons), but sometimes I feel that being a person is really difficult, especially being a woman."

It seems like nothing I do is right.

Cheng Long scratched his head. He wasn't very good at handling these kinds of emotional topics, so he could only say, "Hey, cheer up. Come to Hong Kong Island and have fun, relax."

Chen Bingwen listened quietly, then put down his chopsticks and said in a calm voice, "Miss Qingxia, I may be younger than all of you, so it might not be appropriate for me to say a few words."

However, I did hear a theory that seems to make some sense.

All three of them turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Brigitte Lin asked, looking up at him.

Chen Bingwen smiled and said, "Some people say that most of the troubles in this world can be solved with just two sentences."

"Which two lines?" Wang Manling also became interested.

The first sentence is: "None of your business."

Chen Bingwen said in a very serious tone.

Cheng Long was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Brigitte Lin and Wang Manling couldn't help but laugh.

"And the second sentence?" Brigitte Lin pressed, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

The second sentence is: "None of my business."

After Chen Bingwen finished speaking, he laughed first.

This slightly vulgar yet insightful joke instantly lightened the atmosphere in the private room.

Cheng Long slapped his thigh and laughed, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Mr. Chen, where did you hear that from?"

“I forgot, maybe it’s just common sense,” Chen Bingwen said, turning to Brigitte Lin. “It means, what do other people’s opinions have to do with us?”
And many of the things we worry about and get upset about for others, when we turn around and think about it, might be 'none of my business'?
Just be yourself and have a clear conscience.

Sometimes, it's true that we need this kind of mindset to filter out external opinions.

Brigitte Lin nodded thoughtfully: "Mr. Chen's words are straightforward, but they do make sense."

But when you're caught up in it, it's hard not to feel a sense of detachment.

Chen Bingwen nodded, indicating his understanding: "Indeed, those involved are often blinded by their own perspective."

However, Ms. Lin's ability to maintain her professionalism and persevere in her work under such pressure is truly admirable.

Looking at Chen Bingwen's young yet unusually composed face, Brigitte Lin felt some of the gloom in her heart dissipate.

This young man, several years younger than her, possessed a wisdom and composure beyond his years.

She couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Chen is so young, yet he sees things so clearly and manages such a large company so well. It's truly remarkable."

Talking to you has made me feel much more relaxed.

Cheng Long chimed in from the side: "Right? I knew Chen Sheng wasn't an ordinary person!"

Brigitte Lin, I have complete confidence in your endorsement collaboration with him!

Chen Bingwen waved his hand and said modestly, "Ah Long, please stop praising me."

Speaking of endorsements, we must thank Ms. Lin for taking time out of her busy schedule, especially during this period, to consider collaborating with Chenji.

Our initial idea is to have Ms. Lin represent our entire brand image, not just a single product, but also our 'Pulse' energy drink, bottled sugary drinks, and our upcoming new product categories.

He paused, looked at Brigitte Lin, and said sincerely, "We feel that Ms. Lin's unique temperament, which is both gentle and heroic, perfectly matches the image of 'vitality, health, and elegance' that the Chenji brand wants to convey."

I wonder what Ms. Lin's thoughts are on this?

When it came to specific work, Brigitte Lin appeared much more professional: "Mr. Chen, you flatter me."

I've seen Chenji's advertisements and tried your products; they are indeed very good.

Especially "Pulse," a bottle of it is very refreshing when I'm tired from filming.

It is an honor to collaborate with such a dynamic and innovative brand.

Regarding the scope of endorsements, I think it's fine. Specific details can be discussed between my agent and your company.

(End of this chapter)