Rebirth 05: From Coal Mine Owner to Mobile Phone Tycoon

Lu Yuan then held the wine glass in front of him and examined it carefully.

Champagne bubbles are fine, long, and rise in a straight line without ever deviating or dissipating.

This is precisely the hallmark of a fine champagne.

"The welcome drinks are this good! This host is so generous!"

As Lu Yuan and Lin Shaoyang walked inside, Lu Yuan looked around the manor.

Indeed, someone who owns a 4000-square-meter French-style manor wouldn't be short of money for a little wine.

Looking up, the main building is a 45-meter-long neoclassical stone palace.

Standing atop a three-tiered, off-white natural limestone base, the central section protrudes slightly forward, with six eight-meter-high Corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment adorned with reliefs of grapes and ears of wheat.

Symmetrical corridors extend twelve meters forward from both the east and west wings.

The stately Mansard roof, covered with fish-scale patterned dark blue-grey natural slate tiles, overlooks the entire geometrically shaped French garden.

Along the way, whether we knew each other or not, we would raise our glasses as a greeting when we met.

But just as Lin Shaoyang said, everyone's attire wasn't that formal; it was more like a gathering of old friends.

Several people who recognized Lin Shaoyang came up to chat with him; they were all friends from the financial or banking investment circles.

Lin Shaoyang then introduced Lu Yuan to everyone.

Lu Yuan naturally clinked glasses with the others, his every movement was proper, showing no signs of the timidity of a newcomer.

Others were also very interested in this young man who claimed to be a coal mine owner from mainland China.

Especially when he heard that he was going to make a big move in the stock market with Lin Shaoyang.

The eyes of the group of people visibly brightened.

Mainland coal bosses are basically considered nouveau riche, the epitome of being foolish and rich.

However, this stylish man in front of me doesn't seem to have any connection with the coal mine owners. Could he be their son or heir?

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense. A rich second-generation heir is more likely to be a major client.

"I've always felt that Boss Lu looks familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

"Haha, you should use that pickup line on the girls over there."

Hahahaha

Lu Yuan joked with everyone while laughing, but the person who asked the question had a serious expression.

"I'm very good at remembering people's faces, to say the least. I definitely remember everyone I've ever met."

"Oh? But this is my first time in Hong Kong, and judging from your accent, you must be a native Hong Konger."

"No, no, I'm sure I've seen it before."

Lu Yuan didn't think much of it, but he didn't have much of an impression of him, not even in his two lifetimes, so they probably hadn't interacted much before.

"We might bump into each other at a bar or while having dim sum someday, but it doesn't matter."

"We didn't recognize each other before, but now that we've met, we're friends."

"Wait, wait, you're Zhou Mei's..."

"Friends! Good friends, just like everyone else, we are all good friends!"

Lu Yuan was inwardly cursing. How did a gossip enthusiast manage to sneak into this group? He recognized him from just that one photo this morning, a side profile no less?

That's a real talent.

Everyone was taken aback at first, then smiled knowingly, indicating that they understood. They all knew about dating celebrities; it was common for them here.

Lu Yuan thought to himself, "What the hell do you guys know? You don't understand anything!"

He noticed the gossipy glances that kept drifting over to him, especially since this guy spoke very loudly.

Even other small groups in the vicinity heard it.

Lu Yuan felt a little uncomfortable. Although he was thick-skinned and didn't care much about other people's opinions, he still felt a bit strange being gossiped about in front of others.

So I apologized to everyone and prepared to make an excuse to pee and leave.

But as he turned around, he accidentally bumped into a middle-aged woman who was passing by.

Lu Yuan didn't expect there to be someone behind him. Logically speaking, the surrounding space was quite large, and no one should be so close to him.

Unfortunately, the middle-aged woman was on her way to greet a smaller group on the other side of Lu Yuan's group.

It's naturally closer to go from Lu Yuan's side.

With a middle-aged man beside her, there wasn't enough space for them to walk side by side.

The middle-aged woman was also surprised that Lu Yuan would suddenly turn around.

Caught off guard, the red wine in her hand was spilled, the stain resembling a hideous flower, quickly spreading across her white silk dress.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't notice you behind me, this..."

Lu Yuan apologized very politely, although he couldn't be entirely blamed for the incident.

The middle-aged woman, who had been smiling broadly, walked towards her friend.

When he looked down and then looked up again, the smile on his face had completely transformed from panic to freezing into ice.

"My...clothes."

Lu Yuan hurriedly pulled out a tissue to hand it over, but then felt it was futile.

"I'm so sorry! Please make sure I cover the cleaning or dry cleaning costs. Or..."

"Take responsibility? Do you even know what kind of material this is? Do you know who designed this? This is custom-made! It's not something you can 'take responsibility' for with a few stinking bucks!"

The woman's voice suddenly became shrill, not only drowning out the chatter of some people around her, but even the music coming from nearby.

Lu Yuan's expression darkened. He couldn't blame himself entirely for this. The lady who had appeared silently behind him bore more responsibility, while he had only acted out of politeness and courtesy.

But that doesn't mean I can let myself be humiliated.

Lu Yuan suppressed his emotions and tried to remain polite.

"I understand how you feel; this is indeed an irreparable mistake. But I'm willing to offer appropriate compensation..."

"Understand? What could a clumsy, ill-mannered young man like you possibly understand?! Where are your eyes? Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated, or have you been bewitched by some little vixen that you can't even see where you're going?!"

The woman took half a step forward, her voice trembling with anger.

The surrounding conversations gradually subsided, and attention began to focus on Lu Yuan and the woman.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm.

"Madam, I apologize again for being a lady. But please refrain from personal attacks; this was purely an accident."

The woman gave a cold smile and her gaze swept over his clothes with a sarcastic look. They looked fashionable, but none of them were brand names; it could only be said that his outfit was somewhat novel.

"An accident? I think it's the inevitable result of your lack of manners! Look at you, you shouldn't be in a place like this. You probably snuck in to freeload and maybe cause some 'accident' on the side, right?"

"Look everyone! A perfectly good dinner party ruined by one rotten apple! I brought this dress back from Italy, and it's the first time I've worn it, and this bad luck strikes! Are you doing this on purpose? Are you psychologically twisted? Can't stand seeing others do well?"