Rebirth of the Godly Prodigal

Hong Dali washed up and got dressed. When he left his room and got to the dining room, everyone else was already there waiting for him. Li Nianwei smilingly said, “Young Master, you’re here. Come eat, quickly.”

Hong Dali sat down and picked up a pair of chopsticks. “Ok, there’s no need to wait for me next time. I’ll just eat whenever I wake up.”

Tang Muxin put some food for Hong Dali. “That’ll have to wait till next time. It’s a big day today, eat more. There’s no telling how long the meeting will drag on. Don’t get hungry while you’re in there.” After serving Hong Dali food, she continued her reminders. “Dali, speak less after you get inside. I can see that your brothers and sisters don’t like you very much. Keep a low profile in case they make things difficult for you.”

Li Nianwei nodded in agreement. “Yes, Young Master. You have always been doted upon. It’s no wonder that people get jealous. People become unreasonable when they are jealous, so you have to be extra careful.”

Hong Dali laughed nonchalantly and said, “Don’t worry, I will nap once I get inside. I will definitely not fight them. Let them say whatever they want, I’ll pretend I can’t hear anything. That should be okay, right?”

Upon seeing that Hong Dali agreed with her, Tang Muxin happily said, “Yes, that’s good then. Dali listens best to people’s advice. You deserve to be praised!”

“That’s of course!”

Li Nianwei and the rest were confined and couldn’t leave the place. Hong Dali and Tang Muxin were not under the same restriction, but they had nowhere else to be. Hence, after breakfast, they stayed and played poker cards and Fight the Landlord with everyone else. The group laughed and enjoyed themselves till half-past one in the afternoon. Tang Muxin took a look at the time, kept all the cards, and called out, “Dali, it’s almost time. You must be careful.”

Hong Dali sniffled. “No problem. I shall just sleep until the meeting ends. When I get back tonight, let’s continue playing!”

Everyone roared their approval. “Okay!”

Hong Dali, who had decided to sleep through the meeting, walked out of the door.

As he left the group, Hong Dali thought about his situation. His family background certainly made many green with envy. It was inevitable that people would say some mean things. This time, he would have to try not to cause any trouble and get through whatever tests they had for the candidates. Then, hopefully, when Big Grandfather Hong Tu was in a good mood, he might be able to ask him to release his people.

He thought of the time when he was at West Fourth Loop with his nine lackeys following behind him, walking the Tibetan Mastiff. Oh, how grand it was.

Now, he was all alone. Comparing both situations, Hong Dali felt uneasy all over.

It wasn’t long before a familiar building came into view—the immense meeting room where the family meeting was to be held.

He was still a distance from the main doors when the security pulled the doors open and called out to Hong Dali. “Young Master Hong Dali has arrived. Please enter.”

It seemed that the ruckus he caused yesterday had at least one advantage. People could easily recognize him.

Hong Dali nodded and strode into the meeting room.

The Hong Family meeting was a big deal. No one in the family would dare to take it lightly, and everyone arrived early to await the beginning of the meeting—there were even some who arrived at daybreak. Hong Dali was probably the first and only one who came in so late.

As he entered the meeting room, hushed voices were heard commenting all around—

“Dali is here. It’s so late, and he only just got here. He’s too much, he’s not taking the meeting seriously.”

“It seems as though he doesn’t have much confidence in himself. Even if he showed up early, he has nothing to get ready for, so he might as well come just in time.”

“What a waste of pedigree. If it were me, even if I couldn’t be the first, I’d at least be in the top three.”

“Pfft, If I were born in his family, I’d definitely get first.”

Hong Dali took a casual glance around. The meeting room was filled with at least three hundred people in attendance. The table was already overflowing. These people were mostly younger members of the family who were below thirty, but there were also quite a number of older members who looked like they were here to accompany their children.

It wasn’t hard to understand why. This Hong Family meeting would decide the sum of funds they would get for the coming year.

Outstanding youths in the family would be able to secure a large sum of funds. In business, the more funds you have to invest, the higher your return. A hundred thousand yuan investment might earn you thirty or forty thousand in a year. A million yuan investment would yield five to six hundred thousand in a year. Further up, when hundreds of millions were involved, that could mean an annual income of millions or even tens of millions. Who would not be anxious? Who could take it lightly?

There were actually quite a lot of familiar faces in the room. The first one Hong Dali saw was the tall pretty sister Mu Yuxi, whom he met at Fengyuan Lake while walking the dogs. Mu Yuxi’s face was just as beautiful and aloof as it was then, with a certain amount of charm. She was looking at him indifferently. Mu Yuxi was a business prodigy, rare in this generation of the family, and thus, she sat nearest to the front podium.

Another familiar face. This one looked young, barely eighteen. He could have been handsome, but his eyes were cold and his smile disdainful. It was Hong Anbao, who was with Mu Yuxi that day. His status was below that of Mu Yuxi, and he sat within a group of youths. Every now and then, he would point at Hong Dali and laugh about something. It was obvious he wasn’t saying anything nice.

Hong Anbao, who went against him every chance he got, sat near Mu Yuxi. He glared fiercely at Hong Dali, with his teeth clenched and fire burning in his eyes. Unfortunately, he didn’t have Hong Dali’s guts and didn’t dare to make a scene.

Pftt, this fellow can really hold a grudge. Come hit me if you dare.

Hong Dali grinned and quietly flashed his third finger. That gave Hong Anbao such a shock that he snapped his head down. This was the grand hall. If the two of them started fighting, both were bound to get disqualified.

Hong Dali gave a huff of disdain. That bit of guts would need quite a bit of work. Hehe.

There were several other people at the front row. By their aura and self-confident demeanor, they were probably the more highly gifted entrepreneurs of the younger generation. It was likely that they would place amongst the top during this family meeting.

It was no wonder the Hong family was able to grow into an empire. Without taking into account the members of the older generation, just based on the fact that the members of the younger generation had all started businesses early, together with their unfair advantage in life, it was obvious what the result would be.

The situation was such that, while it impressed Hong Dali, it also amused him.

They were all competitors here. Rivalry must be rampant. Even if they were not fighting each other to death, it was likely that one of them was on good terms with another. On the outside, everyone looked like they were friendly with one another, but secretly, there must be a lot of backstabbing going on.

Why was he thinking about that? What did that have to do with him?

Hong Dali laughed and randomly picked a seat toward the back. Once seated, he took out his phone and started reading a novel. He was well prepared. He had specially brought along a long-sleeved shirt. It would be just nice for a nap when he got sleepy after reading his novel.

He didn’t get to read long before he heard a commotion. Then, the voice of the MC boomed. “It’s time. The three Elders have arrived.”

Upon hearing that announcement, everyone present stood up riotously. Hong Dali looked over and saw the three Elders—Hong Tu, Hong Wei, and Hong Ying—making a grand entrance leading an entourage of over twenty people.

Everyone present broke into thunderous applause.

“Is everyone here?” Old Elder Hong Tu raised his hand and made a pressing motion. “Everyone, sit.”

Everyone sat down.

Once Hong Tu and the others had also taken their seats, the MC announced loudly. “The meeting to select the most outstanding descendant will now begin.”

Accompanied by the sounds of firecrackers outside, the family meeting for the descendants of the Hong Family began.

It was the current Old Elder Hong Tu’s turn to make a speech. His speech went on for about ten minutes, encouraging the family’s descendants to try their best to carve a niche for themselves. The family would not sting on funds for the descendants who were willing to work hard. Hong Dali slouched at the back, quietly reading his novel, and heard only bits and pieces of it.

When Old Elder Hong Tu finished speaking, it was Second Elder Hong Wei’s turn. This old man was more succinct, his speech only lasted a minute. This won him the approval of the family’s descendants present.

After that, Third Elder Hong Ying announced the commencement of the selection for the most outstanding descendant of the family. That signaled the start of the actual event.

How else could it be said that this family meeting was not only a fierce competition but also an official event? Even Hong Dali had put his novel away. Although he was not interested in the placings, he was nevertheless a member of the Hong Family and should at least know how the event would proceed…

Then, he saw a… smart looking lady secretary standing on the side. She had a microphone clipped to her ear and announced, “Our first contender, Hong Tianyun.”

“Hong Tianyun, 23, placed thirty-sixth in 2013, received two million in investment funds. Current projects: one mid-high class hotel, one gym, one bath house. Investment status: Hotel, 700,000 invested. Annual return: 420,000. Gym, 300,000 invested Annual return: 170,000. Bathhouse, 660,000 invested Annual return: 390,000. All remaining funds are being used as float. Final result: Annual return of 49%, equivalent to an increase of 12% of the total value. Please welcome Hong Tianyun as he presents his business proposal.”

Hong Dali was silently speechless as he listened. He shouldn’t underestimate his family members. Even someone in the thirty-sixth place could attain a net annual profit of 49%. It was no small feat.

When Hong Tianyun stood up, Hong Dali felt a surge of joy—Wasn’t this the unlucky brother who got smashed by the orange thrown by Hong Yufei?

Hong Tianyun stood up and solemnly took out a report. He bowed to everyone seated around before stating: “In this coming year, I would like to develop a private club.”