novelraw Chapter 573: Famous in Hong Kong
Chapter 573: Famous in Hong Kong
October 27, 2023, Friday, cloudy, 22°C~28°C
7 a.m., the sky just brightened.
Lin Muxue slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to see the other side of the bed was already empty.
Obviously, the ambitious and scheming Yuyan had started another disciplined business trip day.
She sat up, stretched, grabbed the sports camera on the bedside table, and switched to the front-facing lens.
A well-maintained, angular face appeared on the screen, fair skin, and soft lip color.
“Good morning~” Lin Muxue smiled brightly and greeted the camera, “Luna is currently on a business trip in Hong Kong. Today, I’ll take you through a first-person perspective of my busy day.”
She switched to the rear lens, revealing the details of the room one by one.
The electric curtains slowly rose, letting the morning light of Victoria Harbour pour in. The sea glittered, the silhouette of tall buildings on the opposite shore was hazy, and clouds drifted slowly on the horizon.
Next, lazy jazz by Norah Jones played from the speakers. Lin Muxue stepped on the hotel’s soft carpet and walked into the bathroom.
The camera swept over the towel, slippers, toothbrush cup, and pillows at the foot of the bed—all embroidered with the delicate gold thread spelling “Luna.”
Those in the know would naturally comment in her video’s comment section that this was a top-tier treatment only available to super VIPs at this hotel, subtly flaunting her status.
“Many sisters asked me about this hotel. The attentive service is really impeccable~ The toiletries are also my usual LaMer brand. I recommend that friends with combination to oily skin apply this essence thickly at night;
the effect is excellent...”
After washing up, she put on an LV pure white silk morning robe, draped an ivory Chanel knit cardigan over it.
She applied makeup while filming and walked out the door, heading to the executive lounge on the 45th floor to enjoy a top-notch buffet breakfast.
There were few people in the lounge. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Hong Kong Island skyline was clear and picturesque. The space was tranquil and elegant.
Returning to her suite, she filmed several clips choosing accessories and changing outfits.
Carrying her bag, she left the hotel, switched her phone to filming mode, and headed to the Central Financial Centre Phase Two.
The mirrored wall reflected her tall, slender figure. Her high heels clicked on the marble floor with quick, confident steps.
The elevator ascended all the way to the 38th floor.
She smiled and greeted colleagues of different ethnicities in the corridor.
Passing through a quiet hallway, she pushed open the door to the executive assistant’s office located at the innermost side.
The windows were bright and clean;
the furnishings understated yet expensive.
She skillfully placed the camera on one side, adjusted the angle, and aimed at the exquisite desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
The camera finally fixed on her slowly turning around and walking toward the window.
Her suit was tailored and slim, the lines smooth, elegant, and confident.
Outside, the Central business district skyline unfolded in layers under the morning light, skyscrapers standing in neat rows.
After filming the video, Lin Muxue quickly walked to the camera, opened the playback, and checked the recording quality.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Then she sat back at the desk, turned on her computer, and started editing the video—
[173/53KG|A Day in the Life of a Female Finance Executive on a Business Trip Headquarters Vlog]
This was her first time publicly revealing her company information in a video.
After all, this was Hong Kong’s financial center, the most expensive hub, and Rongliu Capital was not some insignificant player.
Showing a bit of her identity in this office building wouldn’t be out of place;
on the contrary, it enhanced her aura.
Watching the video on the screen, Lin Muxue’s smile grew brighter.
It was as if she already foresaw the flood of likes and comments pouring in on social media.
This business trip to Hong Kong was nominally to familiarize herself with headquarters operations but mainly to attend an LVMH group event and expand her network.
Tang Song hadn’t assigned her any substantial work, which she happily enjoyed.
Wholeheartedly savoring travel, privileges, and respect.
Around ten a.m., after finishing the video editing, she stretched lazily and casually walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the bustling Central street view outside for a while.
Then she opened the office door, ready to step out and get familiar with the surroundings.
Just as she stepped out, she inadvertently noticed that the door to the next room, Shen Yuyan’s office, was slightly ajar. Muffled voices and light laughter could be heard inside.
Lin Muxue’s steps paused, her brows slightly furrowed.
She walked up to the door and knocked softly twice before pushing it open.
The room was softly lit with a warm atmosphere.
Besides Shen Yuyan, there was Finance Director Alice, Brand and Public Relations Director Vivian, Operations Director Harlan, and Senior Investment Manager Arthur.
Shen Yuyan stood in the middle, listening attentively while occasionally adding insights.
Lin Muxue stood at the doorway, her smile stiffened.
A strong unease rose in her chest, prickling like countless needles.
Her mind seemed to light up with glaring red words: Warning! Warning! Warning!
Everyone inside noticed the movement at the door and turned their heads.
“Morning, Luna.”
“Good morning.”
Greetings echoed.
Shen Yuyan smiled gently and politely said, “Morning~ Luna, just in time. Want to chat together?”
She was still wearing the gray suit that Lin Muxue had once mocked, but her temperament was especially confident and calm.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity.
“Sure.” Lin Muxue forced a smile and entered the room, her steps as elegant as ever.
The discussion immediately became lively again.
“The initial Term Sheet draft is out. The PE side in America has tough earn-out clauses, but from another perspective, it’s negotiable...”
“We can design a progressive earn-out mechanism to lock the core team’s interests while setting a controllable IRR threshold.”
“I see their previous round of VC background is strong, so there should be room for negotiation.”
Shen Yuyan smiled faintly, her expression calm and focused, both rational and relaxed.
She nodded occasionally, summarized key points, supplemented details, and spoke clearly and confidently.
Lin Muxue stood by, trying hard to keep a composed smile but felt uneasy.
She understood the words but only superficially.
One reason was she knew little about the current projects in the company;
another was that many professional terms she only vaguely remembered from past study materials, making her vulnerable to exposure whenever she spoke.
In contrast, Shen Yuyan—
She was an entrepreneur who had fought on the front lines, experienced financing and due diligence.
Even complex earn-out clauses, she could quickly dissect the core logic.
Financing rhythm, valuation anchors, IRR, buyback mechanisms, controlling shares...
She spoke effortlessly, and others naturally understood.
It was like a fish in water.
Lin Muxue suddenly felt dazed.
It was only the third day in Hong Kong, and Shen Yuyan had already firmly established herself among the headquarters’ senior executives.
No need to pretend or flatter, just relying on her content and ability to blend in, control the rhythm, and earn respect.
Meanwhile, Lin Muxue, the so-called executive assistant holding the VP title, seemed more like decoration or a mascot.
No wonder Shen Yuyan stayed up late reading materials and woke before dawn.
An unprecedented sense of crisis quietly engulfed every thought.
If this trend continued, Shen Yuyan would soon truly claim the word “assistant.”
Maybe... she would gradually steal her position.
Although Tang Song promised to cultivate her into his “closest personal assistant,” that was before Shen Yuyan appeared.
This green tea looked quite good and was also Tang Song’s university campus queen, sharing the bond of female friends.
If Shen Yuyan’s outstanding performance made Tang Song change his mind, then...
Thinking this, Lin Muxue’s spine chilled, and a cold shiver ran from her feet to her scalp.
You scheming witch!
No wonder the workplace is fighting against toxic competition—you’re trying to take down me, Empress Muxue!
She absolutely could not sit still and wait to be defeated!
But in terms of ability, she truly wasn’t as good as Shen Yuyan.
In this aspect, she was naturally at a disadvantage and had to change her approach.
Lin Muxue’s thoughts raced and gradually calmed.
Facing Shen Yuyan, her greatest advantage was her relationship with Tang Song and the connections with other women around him.
At the root, Tang Song was the foundation.
She had to firmly guard this point, provide more emotional value and life connections outside work, something Shen Yuyan could never match.
But that was not enough.
She had to catch up academically.
Originally, the Imperial College MBA was just a background for showing off status and filming vlogs in Hong Kong.
But now, she couldn’t be so lazy.
This MBA had to be real.
She had to make “Empress Muxue” worthy of her image.
Besides, one more crucial point—rebuild the sense of status.
She was not a tag-along female companion, not a vase by the desk.
She was the executive assistant, a VP-level manager, and Shen Yuyan’s real superior in position.
Therefore, she had to suppress this scheming green tea’s ambition with the posture of a superior!
She took a deep breath, her eyes instantly clear and sharp.
Taking advantage of a brief topic change, she casually interrupted, “Shirley, I’m quite interested in this investment project. Later, I want to talk to Mr. Tang alone. Please organize a complete set of materials and send it to my email before off-duty. Remember, be detailed.”
Shen Yuyan blinked softly but quickly responded with a smile and nod, “Okay, no problem.”
Lin Muxue’s expression remained natural. She smiled and nodded at the executives present, then gracefully turned and left.
Back in her office, she immediately put away the camera, turned off the viewfinder, and the desktop returned to cold professionalism.
After sitting down, she opened the Imperial College online learning system and entered the corporate finance module.
Putting on headphones, she began listening carefully.
The strong desire to win and sense of crisis raised her spirits, and her memory improved.
This was a state she hadn’t had for a long time.
She suddenly recalled how she was when she first joined Gathering Capital.
Back then, she grabbed every moment to memorize words, attended English enhancement classes, and familiarized herself with project deals.
She was not a gifted player but truly fought hard.
When did she start to slack off?
[Exclusive Credit Black Card]
From the moment she got this card, with a $150,000 monthly limit and unparalleled VIP privileges,
Her inbox overflowed with invitations from luxury sales associates and private banking managers.
All the things she once wanted but hesitated to buy now appeared on her person and at home.
In reality, she had already floated into the clouds.
Because of her upbringing, she was most sensitive about money and found “security” and “satisfaction” in it.
This card gradually twisted some of her thoughts.
Tang Song also noticed this in [Whispers of Humanity], which is why he suppressed her growth speed.
If she had been financially free from the start like Zhao Ya, she might have been devoured by desire and become a pleasure-seeking “socialite.”
Shen Yuyan’s appearance, her resume, ambition, and strong action forced her to sober up.
...
4 p.m.
Special Assistant’s Office.
Outside the window, the skyline glowed faintly golden.
Shen Yuyan sat at the window-side desk, her fingers flying swiftly over the keyboard.
After organizing files one by one and sending them to Lin Muxue’s corporate email, she exhaled deeply.
No matter what, here at headquarters, she couldn’t show any sign of discord with Lin Muxue.
If the core executives noticed, it would not only affect her professional image but also possibly displease Tang Song.
She paused briefly and reopened the saved company organizational chart.
Staring at the list, her gaze deepened.
After two days at headquarters, she had noticed some “abnormal details.”
For example, the attendance rate of the executive team was unusual.
Theoretically, with her and Lin Muxue both representing Tang Song as “assistants” at Hong Kong headquarters, it should have been a chance for the core executives to appear together, at least symbolically with a welcome arrangement.
But reality was far from that.
Vice President Simon in charge of fundraising, William Zheng heading mergers and cross-border investments, General Counsel Liu Jiachen, HR Director Yao Meicun...
These seven executives marked as “key figures” on the chart had all not appeared.
Not on leave, not rotating, but seemingly “collectively out of contact” without a trace.
She once casually asked Vivian and others in the pantry but got vague answers: “Not sure, maybe doing some internal rearrangement,” “Involved in confidential projects, might not be able to disclose.”
The vaguer it was, the more unusual it indicated.
By her judgment, these people were likely temporarily assigned to some extremely important and sensitive capital operation or strategic project.
The project might affect the securities market trend and Rongliu Capital’s future development, hence the “closed-mouth” policy inside.
Thinking of this, Shen Yuyan’s mind raced.
This was an opportunity.
Though unsure of the details, she was certain this was a highly valuable “information gap.”
It was the key to breaking out from Lin Muxue’s shadow!
Tang Song was about to arrive in Hong Kong.
Perhaps then, she could tactfully probe by claiming to “assist headquarters affairs.”
At that moment—
“Buzz buzz buzz—”
Her phone vibrated and lit up.
Shen Yuyan looked down. Someone @mentioned her in the [Class 1 Grade 2] high school classmates group chat.
Opening the chat, messages popped up:
[Cheng Ziwei: “@Shen Yuyan @Bai Menglin @Ji Yingying, just heard you’re all in Hong Kong now? Wow, the three strongest girls in our class 2 are about to reunite.”]
[“Yingying and Yuyan also came to Hong Kong? Are they both on business trips?”]
[“Too bad I’m busy with work, otherwise I’d definitely come over. I’m in Shenzhen City, so close.”]
Shen Yuyan raised her brow and clicked open Ji Yingying’s Moments.
Sure enough, a post from two hours ago appeared.
[Ji Yingying: Landed in Hong Kong. On a business trip and still able to meet two old high school friends, feeling excited.]
Below was an old high school photo—a youthful, beautiful shot of her, Bai Menglin, and Shen Yuyan together.
Clearly, this ambitious high school rival was building a stage for her triumphant return.
In fact, her relationship with Ji Yingying had never been good.
Unlike her, Ji Yingying’s family was extremely wealthy, with parents in industry and assets over tens of millions.
Lavish spending, love of brand names, proud and arrogant—a typical “rich girl.”
In school, Ji Yingying craved attention and often picked fights with her.
After graduating high school, they hardly contacted each other.
This time coming to Hong Kong was obviously aimed at her.
Just then, another notification popped up in the group.
[Bai Menglin: “@Yuyan Not really a business trip. She recently switched jobs and now works as an executive assistant at a private equity fund headquartered in Hong Kong. Pretty impressive! Right at IFC in Central. We should meet often.”]
The group instantly erupted.
Shen Yuyan’s eyes flickered, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Soon Ji Yingying replied immediately.
[Ji Yingying: “@Yuyan You’re hiding well;
this is great news! I’ll treat us to dinner tonight. The three of us should have a good reunion to celebrate you!”]
[Shen Yuyan: “If it’s a celebration for me, then I should be the one to treat.”]
[Ji Yingying: “I handle investor relations at the company and meet many clients. I have some resources in this area, so let me arrange it. How about the ‘Huaxia Club’ in Central, Hong Kong? You and Menglin are right nearby.”]
As soon as she finished, the group stirred again.
Many didn’t recognize the name and began searching.
Screenshots flooded the chat within minutes.
From classmates’ screenshots and explanations, Shen Yuyan roughly understood the restaurant’s background.
It was one of Hong Kong’s most iconic high-end private clubs, located on the 13th to 15th floors of the old Huaxia Bank building in Central.
Strictly invitation-only, with a membership fee that once reached 150,000 Hong Kong dollars. Members were mainly financial elites, wealthy figures, and celebrities.
A typical gathering place for capital and elite circles.
After some consideration, Shen Yuyan replied, “Sounds good. Thanks, Yingying. Generous of you.”
—
A new message popped up.
[Lin Muxue: “Shirley, I’ve read your email. Some parts aren’t very clear. Come to my office.”]
Shen Yuyan glanced at the message, lips curling slightly. She stood, picked up her laptop, and walked out.
At the door of the neighboring office, she lightly knocked.
“Luna.” Her tone was gentle.
“Shirley.” Lin Muxue sat behind the desk, posture elegant, gesturing to a seat beside her. “Come in. I have a few points I want to ask you about.”
“Okay.”
They sat side by side. Lin Muxue indeed asked question by question, from structural explanations to data logic, all in detail, her tone unusually sincere.
Shen Yuyan raised her brow slightly, explaining while observing Lin Muxue’s expression, yet ripples stirred in her heart.
Previously, Lin Muxue was “fangs and claws” on the surface but at least straightforward and easy to deal with. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel⁂fire.net
Now she suddenly changed, making her hard to guess her intentions.
Unsure what bad thoughts she was hiding.
Dusk gradually fell.
Near off-duty time.
Lin Muxue closed the documents and turned to smile, “Thanks for your hard work, Shirley. Dinner’s on me tonight at Dragon View Pavilion. You’ll definitely like it.”
Shen Yuyan shook her head, “Sorry, Luna, another high school classmate just arrived in Hong Kong. We arranged a dinner at Huaxia Club tonight.”
“Oh?” Lin Muxue raised an eyebrow, her smile unchanged. “Alright, then maybe another day.”
“Mm.” Shen Yuyan glanced at her watch. “I need to pack and get ready to leave. I’m off now. Bye-bye.”
“Bye.” Lin Muxue watched her back, her thoughts slowly drifting.
Huaxia Club?
She had heard of it long ago and actually wanted to join the fun.
Just then—
“Ringing—”
Her phone rang.
[Mo Xiangwan]
Lin Muxue immediately answered, “Hello, Sister Xiangwan.”
“Good evening, Muxue. Finished work?”
“Yes, just tidied up.”
“It’s like this.” Mo Xiangwan’s voice was as gentle and steady as always. “For tomorrow’s LVMH private banquet, I arranged for two people to accompany you and help you meet more contacts.”
“Okay, Sister Xiangwan, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. They will add you on WeChat later.”
“Got it~ Thanks.”
“Alright, rest early. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Shortly after hanging up, a WeChat friend request popped up.
Seeing the nickname and avatar, Lin Muxue’s heart skipped a beat.
[Bei Yuwei/requests to add you as a friend.]