Chapter 129: A Gathering of Big Bosses

Ma Tianming had intended to reply to Lin Feng, but a sudden commotion from the media behind them caught his attention—apparently, someone else had arrived. Unable to resist, he turned around and, upon seeing the newcomers, smiled at Lin Feng and said, “I was just about to say, here come the main guests themselves!”

The arrivals were none other than Ling Weihua and his daughter Ling Shixuan from the Ling family. The father and daughter approached where Lin Feng, Xia Ruoxi, and Ma Tianming were standing.

Lin Feng pointed at Ling Shixuan, who was nearby, and asked Ma Tianming in exasperation, “You’re not seriously telling me this is the other business beauty of Zanhai City, are you?”

“Exactly, it’s President Ling. Don’t you know her, Lin Feng?” Ma Tianming, aware that Lin Feng knew Ling Shixuan—who had once lived in the Lin household—asked with curiosity.

Now certain that the second business beauty was indeed Ling Shixuan, Lin Feng rolled his eyes in silent disbelief before sighing and saying to Ma Tianming, “Uncle Ma, who decides the criteria for these beauties? How did someone like her make the cut?”

Ma Tianming hadn’t expected Lin Feng to say something so cutting. Not daring to follow up, he awkwardly smiled and turned to greet Ling Weihua.

Ling Shixuan hadn’t understood what Lin Feng was talking about at first, but after listening for a while, especially to his last remark clearly aimed at her, she finally caught on.

“What’s wrong with me? Why wouldn’t I qualify?” Ling Shixuan snapped, clearly displeased by Lin Feng’s disparaging words, and confronted him.

Lin Feng ignored her, but Xia Ruoxi, standing beside him, felt embarrassed and quickly spoke up in Lin Feng’s defense: “President Ling, please don’t mind him. You know Lin Feng well enough—he can be quite ruthless with his words.”

Ling Shixuan, of course, knew Lin Feng’s character. Hearing Xia Ruoxi defend him, she couldn’t help but step beside Xia Ruoxi and extend her hand in a friendly greeting. “I know Lin Feng’s personality very well. I was the first to live in the Lin family. President Xia, long time no see!”

Though her tone was polite, her words carried a sharp edge. But since this was a public event, Xia Ruoxi maintained her composure and shook Ling Shixuan’s hand, retorting, “President Ling, I sincerely apologize. Lin Feng only drove you out of the Lin household because of me. I’m truly sorry.”

“You!” The remark struck a raw nerve, leaving Ling Shixuan speechless as she stared fiercely at Xia Ruoxi.

Xia Ruoxi met her gaze unflinchingly. For a moment, the atmosphere between the two women grew tense, almost charged with hostility. Even Lin Feng, usually oblivious to such things, sensed the unusual mood, let alone the sensitive reporters nearby. Both women were well-known figures, each commanding media attention alone; now together, while they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, it was obvious to all that they were not on friendly terms.

The media flashed their lights and snapped photos mercilessly, as if their cameras had no limits, capturing every moment of Xia Ruoxi and Ling Shixuan—Lin Feng, with an innocent expression, was unwittingly caught in the frame as well.

The media’s sudden frenzy alerted Ma Tianming and Ling Weihua, who were chatting nearby. They looked toward Lin Feng’s group, sensing the unusual tension between Ling Shixuan and Xia Ruoxi. Ma Tianming was puzzled, but Ling Weihua seemed to have some inkling. Smiling wryly, he stepped forward to greet Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi, aiming to ease the awkwardness.

“Uncle Ling, you’re here too!” Lin Feng was relieved to see Ling Weihua, greeting him enthusiastically.

Xia Ruoxi released Ling Shixuan’s hand and, after Lin Feng greeted Ling Weihua, she politely approached and exchanged formal pleasantries with him.

“I’m here too, you know!” Ling Shixuan, feeling ignored by Lin Feng, snapped at him.

“I never said I didn’t see you. I know you’re here,” Lin Feng retorted gruffly.

Ling Shixuan was about to argue further but was stopped when Ling Weihua gently pulled her back. Reluctantly, she followed Ling Weihua and Ma Tianming into the hotel venue.

With the Ling family’s arrival, the guest list was officially underway. More and more luxury cars and prominent figures appeared outside the hotel. At first, the media reacted with surprise; after a while, they grew accustomed to the stream of guests and no longer showed overt astonishment. Yet, despite their nonchalance, their cameras betrayed their excitement as they snapped eagerly.

As each guest arrived, Lin Feng, chairman of FutureTech Corporation, stepped forward to warmly welcome them. Naturally, Xia Ruoxi stood by his side, acting as his assistant—informing him of each guest’s name and identity to avoid any embarrassing mistakes.

By nearly two o’clock, the last guest on the list had arrived. Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi turned to enter the hotel venue when the sound of a car engine suddenly came from behind them. Clearly, someone else had arrived.

Perplexed, Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi turned around. The Imperial Hotel had been fully booked by FutureTech these past days, and the security outside surely knew all the invited guests had arrived. How had these new arrivals gotten in without invitations?

When they saw who was stepping out of the car, Lin Feng’s mind reeled. This arrival was no ordinary guest. No wonder the security guards hadn’t dared to stop them—anyone with this stature in all of Huaxia would be untouchable.

“Grandpa Zhu, Second Uncle, what brings you here!” Despite the turmoil in his mind, Lin Feng hurried forward to greet them.

Premier Zhu immediately took on an authoritative demeanor, glaring at Lin Feng. “You brat didn’t even give me an invitation to your conference. I had no choice but to come uninvited. If the guards at the hotel entrance didn’t respect this old man, I wouldn’t have gotten in at all. Your turf is too hard to enter!”

Lin Feng was stunned by Premier Zhu’s words, internally baffled. What kind of situation was this? Would national leaders really waste their time on such a small conference? Although he thought this, he forced a guilty expression and quickly apologized, “Yes, I was thoughtless. Grandpa Zhu, I deserve your scolding. Please forgive me.”

“Hmph!” Premier Zhu was clearly not buying it; his resentment lingered.

Xia Ruoxi quickly stepped forward to defend Lin Feng. “Premier Zhu, I’m truly sorry. I handled the invitation list, and this entire mistake is my fault. Please forgive me,” she said nervously.

In truth, neither Lin Feng nor Xia Ruoxi knew that Premier Zhu’s entire act was a ruse. Ling Chuanyan, who came with him, was aware but could not expose Premier Zhu or warn Lin Feng. Unless Ling Chuanyan wanted to throw in the towel, he would remain silent.

Seeing that Lin Feng was subdued, Premier Zhu offered a way out. “Since your conference is about to start, I’ll let this slide for now. After it ends, we’ll settle things properly.”

“Yes, yes! Grandpa Zhu, Second Uncle, let’s go in together!” Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief and led Xia Ruoxi ahead to escort them inside.

Inside the hotel, the media were puzzled. They had seen all the guests arrive and had followed the last one into the venue. As hosts, Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi should have entered earlier, managing the event. But nearly ten minutes had passed, and they were nowhere in sight. Unaware of the situation, the reporters whispered among themselves.

Suddenly, Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi appeared at the hotel entrance, leading the distinguished guests inside. The media quieted down, eyes widening as they caught sight of the guests following Lin Feng. Slowly, all reporters and attendees turned to look.

Foreign guests were unfazed, but domestic dignitaries were nearly stunned. They never expected Lin Feng’s conference to draw such a powerful figure, nor did they imagine his influence could reach the highest echelons.

After seating Premier Zhu and Second Uncle beside the Zanhai City leaders, Lin Feng gave Xia Ruoxi a subtle signal to begin. This entire conference would be led by Xia Ruoxi, a testament to Lin Feng’s cultivation of her and her growing stature in business.

Although the foreign agency rights for FutureTech’s products had been prearranged by national leaders, the media were unaware. As Xia Ruoxi announced the representatives assigned to each region, the reporters snapped photos with renewed fervor, already plotting their headlines.

When the last region was announced, and the event neared its end, Xia Ruoxi followed Lin Feng’s instructions and declared to the media, “Our FutureTech Yanjing branch has officially been established. This branch will handle all matters related to FutureTech’s overseas agency rights. Additionally, I’m pleased to announce that all new processing factories for FutureTech’s computer products will be located in Yanjing City. We also thank the mayor of Yanjing for traveling this far to attend the conference.”

As Xia Ruoxi finished, the venue’s lighting operator spotlighted Ling Chuanyan, and the media’s flashbulbs exploded. Lin Feng was certain that Second Uncle had just become a star.

The conference concluded, but soon a banquet would follow, providing a formal occasion for attendees to mingle and discuss cooperation. Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi would accompany Premier Zhu to the banquet hall to entertain the guests.

“Ruoxi, thank you for mentioning the processing factory at the conference. I appreciate what you’ve done,” Ling Chuanyan sincerely expressed as they walked toward the banquet.

“Oh no, Uncle, please don’t be so polite. This was all Lin Feng’s arrangement. You should thank him instead,” Xia Ruoxi declined, waving her hand.

“Exactly, Chuanyan, no need for such formalities. We’re family, after all. What he did was just helping you out,” Premier Zhu chimed in.

Ling Chuanyan nodded in agreement and dropped the formalities.