I'm conquering Hong Kong entertainment with two billion US dollars.

Chapter 81 Xiang Yeqiang's Proactive Flattery

When Lin Dong brought Li Jiaxin to Fulinmen, Xiang Yeqiang and his wife were already waiting in the private room.

Xiang Yeqiang's hair was neatly combed today, and he looked much more energetic than at the last premiere. His mother sat beside him, her smile appropriate.

The two men stood up almost simultaneously when they saw Lin Dong push the door open and come in.

"Lin Sheng!" Xiang Yeqiang came forward and grasped Lin Dong's hands with both of his. "Come, come, sit here."

Mrs. Xiang smiled and nodded at Li Jiaxin, her gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Li Jiaxin looked radiant today, radiating a confidence from the bottom of her heart; she was absolutely beautiful.

"Lin Sheng, look at this." Xiang Yeqiang pointed to an inconspicuous cardboard box on the floor next to the table.

The cardboard box wasn't big, but it was sealed very tightly. There was a yellowed label on it with the words "Guizhou Maotai Distillery" printed on it, and the production date column said 1978.

"Last time you were drinking with Director Han, I noticed you liked Moutai. After we got back, I had someone look for it, and they happened to find a batch of seven or eight-year-old Feitian Moutai, which has now been stored for exactly twenty years."

Xiang Yeqiang bent down and opened the box. Inside, six bottles of wine were neatly stacked. The labels on the bottles were slightly yellowed, and the seals were intact.

"I brought a few bottles today for Mr. Lin to taste and evaluate."

Lin Dong bent down, picked up a bottle from the box, and looked at the label on the bottle under the light of the private room.

It was indeed a flying apsara from seven or eight years ago, and it has been preserved for exactly twenty years now.

It's indeed a very good product. As for Xiang Yeqiang saying "it just so happened to be found," Lin Dong knew perfectly well—there was no such thing as "just so happened." "Mr. Xiang is very kind." Lin Dong put the bottle back in the box, a smile on his face, "Let's take a seat."

The dishes were served one by one.

Xiang Yeqiang personally opened a bottle of Dafeitian and poured Lin Dong a full glass. The wine had a slight amber hue and thick legs.

Lin Dong picked up the cup, smelled it, and took a sip—it was smooth on the palate, with a rich soy sauce aroma, neither harsh nor spicy, and a level of mellowness compared to the Moutai he had with Han Sanping last time.

"Good wine." He put down his glass.

Xiang Yeqiang smiled with relief and continued, "I'm glad Lin Sheng likes it. There are a few more boxes at home; I'll have someone deliver them to you later."

During the meal, they chatted about movies for a while—Xiang Yeqiang brought up the box office of "Prince Charming," saying that seven million in the first week was quite good, and then asked about the progress of "Love Dream Ship."

Li Jiaxin answered a few words at the right time, her words were few but perfectly measured.

Mrs. Xiang also helped to smooth things over, and the group chatted and laughed, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

As they talked, the topic shifted to the flood situation in southern China.

Xiang Yeqiang put down his chopsticks, a sincere expression of emotion appearing on his face. "Lin Sheng, to be honest, I only found out about your donation of 50 million yuan worth of supplies from the People's Daily."

"It's not flattery; most people wouldn't do that. I've been doing business in Hong Kong for decades and have seen many wealthy people, but someone like you who can just throw out fifty million without batting an eye is a first."

Mrs. Xiang nodded in agreement. "Heaven is watching Lin Sheng's heart."

Lin Dong put down his chopsticks. Since the topic had come up, that was perfect. "Xiang Sheng, speaking of which—the reason I invited you here today is to ask you for a favor."

"Go on," Xiang Yeqiang said, leaning forward slightly, his expression shifting from wistful to focused.

"Domestic manufacturers are facing a critical shortage." Lin Dong's tone was calm. "Woven bags, tarpaulins, and tarpaulins—all the relevant manufacturers across the country have shifted their production lines to flood control, but they still can't keep up with the demand on the front lines. I'm thinking of purchasing another batch from South Korea."

This time, the cost is HK$200 million. It includes strong woven bags, thickened tarpaulins, galvanized wire mesh, rescue equipment such as inflatable boats and rubber dinghies, plus some emergency lighting and waterproof walkie-talkies for communication.

Xiang Yeqiang's expression froze slightly. Xiang Tai's action of picking up food also stopped.

Two hundred million.

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table.

Xiang Yeqiang's mind was clearly racing. He exchanged a glance with his mother, then looked at Lin Dong, his voice a few decibels lower than before, his tone tentative.

"Mr. Lin, are you planning to buy another 200 million worth of supplies to sell in the mainland?"

He himself made his own point. "That's true. Now is indeed a good time. I've been keeping an eye on the situation there. Once the goods reach the front lines, a 30% markup won't make them think you're profiting from the national crisis; they'll actually thank you for solving a real problem. It's definitely a good business."

Li Jiaxin, holding a wine glass beside her, had a bright look in her eyes.

She turned her head to look at Lin Dong, a smile already playing on her lips. "Dong, shall I throw some in too?"

Lin Dong glanced around at everyone present, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put it down with a soft tapping sound as the bottom of the glass hit the table.

"It's not for sale," he said. "It's a donation."

The private room fell silent again.

Xiang Ye stared at Lin Dong's face for a long while, as if to make sure he wasn't joking. Then he nodded with a wry smile, picked up his glass of Moutai, and took a swig.

When he put down the cup, his eyes held admiration, confusion, and something deep and indescribable.

"You deserve to make that money." He emphasized those words, then said, "I understand. Tomorrow I'll have someone contact the channels in South Korea. Winsun has a distribution office in Seoul, and they can directly connect with the heads of several major companies."

Lin Sheng, wait for my news.

He paused, glancing at Mrs. Xiang. Mrs. Xiang's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then she nodded slightly.

Xiang Ye gritted his teeth. "Fine. Since Mr. Lin is like this, then I'll also donate five million worth of supplies in the name of China Star Company."

After saying that, he quickly added, his tone tinged with embarrassment, "Mr. Lin, please don't take offense. The film industry has been sluggish these past two years, and our cash reserves are limited. We really can't come up with much money. Five million is just a token of our appreciation."

Lin Dong smiled, raised his glass to him, and said, "Xiang Sheng, I understand. No matter how small the sentiment, it doesn't matter."

Li Jiaxin put down her wine glass and rolled her eyes.

Her gaze lingered on Xiang Yeqiang's face for a moment, then swept over Xiang Tai's face, before turning to look at Lin Dong.

"Ah Dong, then I'll donate some money too. Let's make it seventeen million."

She spoke of that number in a nonchalant tone, as if it were something insignificant. Taking seventeen million versus taking...

One hundred and seventy yuan is about right.

Xiang Yeqiang's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and a barely perceptible bitter smile flashed across his face.

He was heartbroken—not because he was distressed about the five million, but because he suddenly realized why Li Jiaxin was able to donate so much.

This woman must have made a fortune with Lin Dong. How big must that "big" be to make her hand out 17 million without batting an eye?

Xiang Yeqiang didn't press the matter further, because he was also being pressured. He turned his head and exchanged another glance with Xiang Tai.

Mrs. Xiang understood what he meant, and this time she nodded more deeply than before.

"Mr. Lin," Xiang Yeqiang put down his wine glass, his voice even deeper than before, "Since Miss Li has also expressed her opinion, then I won't hesitate either. China Star Company will donate five million, and I will personally donate another fifteen million."

Lin Dong picked up his wine glass and raised it towards him. The movement was neither hurried nor slow, but the height of the glass was higher than usual. "A noble act of kindness."

The two cups clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Xiang Yeqiang tilted his head back and downed the glass. When he put it down, most of the bitterness on his face had disappeared, replaced by a sense of relief.

Money can be earned back. But this glass of wine was raised by Lin Dong himself.

Lin Dong put down his wine glass and glanced at the television hanging on the wall of the private room.

Xiang Yeqiang followed his gaze. "Lin Sheng, what do you want to see?"

Lin Dong said, "Turn on the TV and tune to CCTV4. It's seven o'clock, the news is on."

The waiter came up, turned on the TV, and tuned it to CCTV4.

As the screen lit up, the opening theme music of the evening news program had just finished playing, and the anchor sat upright in front of the camera, beginning to report the day's news.

The first item was about the flood situation along the Yangtze River; the second was about the mobilization of relief supplies from various regions. The third item—the anchor's voice was steady and clear: "Mr. Wen, the flood control commander-in-chief, stated that Mr. Lin Dong is a model of patriotism in Hong Kong, possessing a strong sense of national responsibility and a broad perspective—"