"How did you meet A'Zhen?"
The question came from a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was reasonably good-looking, with a bit of Little Shu's flair for dressing well, the kind young women often favored.
But he clearly had a strong affection for Li Zhen, so seeing her with Lu Chen, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, his eyes and words dripping with undisguised provocation.
Li Zhen frowned, her voice sharp with displeasure. "Chen Jiaming, what business is this of yours?"
More than anything, she was anxious, fearing her friend might offend Lu Chen. She couldn't afford to lose her current job.
Previously, Li Zhen had a decent impression of Chen Jiaming. Though she hadn't accepted his advances, she had tolerated his persistent pursuit. Now, she realized she needed to reconsider.
Given the nature of her work, requiring her to be constantly by her boss's side, life would become unbearable with a jealous, petty-minded boyfriend.
Li Zhen had seen real-life examples of this firsthand and had no desire to repeat history.
"It's okay," Lu Chen said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively at Chen Jiaming. "I just arrived in Hong Kong a couple of days ago. A'Zhen works with me, and since I'm not familiar with the city, she brought me to Lan Kwai Fong to get a feel for the place."
He glanced around, nodding in approval. "It's quite nice here."
"So you're A'Zhen's new colleague!" Xueni exclaimed, suddenly understanding. She asked curiously, "Where are you from? Do you have a girlfriend right now?"
Li Zhen wanted to bury her face in her hands at her best friend's gossipy nature, she was dying of embarrassment.
Lu Chen, however, remained unfazed. He patiently replied, "I'm from Capital City. I already have a girlfriend, and I love her very much."
He winked at Xueni, but everyone knew the remark was meant for Chen Jiaming's ears.
Chen Jiaming wore a sheepish expression.
Xueni, clearly undeterred, blurted out without hesitation, "So, your girlfriend didn't come with you, right? How about I be your Hong Kong girlfriend? If you impress me enough, marrying you as a second wife in the future isn't out of the question!"
"Ha ha!"
Her friends erupted in laughter, egging her on with cheers: "Way to go, Xueni!"
Lu Chen was speechless, while Li Zhen wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Lu Chen hadn't expected such a bold and direct approach from this attractive girl, proposing to be his girlfriend the moment they met. He suddenly recalled that Hong Kong's marriage system differed from the Mainland's; the Three Special Zones all allowed polygamy.
Rumor had it that many wealthy Mainland tycoons sought ways to relocate to Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Macau. While the improved living conditions and opportunities were a draw, the polygamy system was a major factor for many.
The influx of wealthy immigrants had fueled market prosperity, attracting massive investments. Consequently, despite years of relentless advocacy from feminist organizations in the Three Special Zones demanding revisions to the unfair marriage laws, their efforts continued to face formidable resistance.
Fortunately for Lu Chen, Chen Fei'er was all he needed.
"That's probably out of the question," Lu Chen said with a teasing smile. "My girlfriend is formidable, and she's far wealthier than I am. She'd never sign a consent form."
"So, unfortunately, that's that," he added with a shrug.
While the Three Special Zones permitted polygamy, marrying a second or third wife required the explicit consent of the original spouse, documented through a signed consent form.
Xueni fell silent, shooting Lu Chen a disdainful glare, I never imagined you'd be the type of handsome guy who would consider this.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Chen Jiaming, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief and found himself warming up to Lu Chen. He knew Li Zhen would never fall for someone like him.
Seeing the tension, another of Li Zhen's friends quickly interjected, asking, "Lu Chen, your Cantonese is so fluent, are you from Guangdong?"
Lu Chen smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm from Zhedong. I learned Cantonese from my university classmates."
The other person exclaimed, "That's amazing! You speak it perfectly! If I didn't know, I'd think you were a local Hong Konger, not someone from the Mainland."
Though meant as a compliment, the remark inadvertently revealed a subtle sense of regional superiority.
Lu Chen simply smiled and let it pass.
Having only been in Hong Kong for a short time, he could already sense the stark differences in social atmosphere compared to the Mainland. Openness and conservatism coexisted, and the fusion of diverse cultures had created a unique cultural blend and a distinct Hong Kong identity.
Leaving aside the ingrained regional superiority, these young Hong Kongers were surprisingly easy to get along with. Perhaps it was because Lu Chen spoke fluent Cantonese, coupled with his tall and handsome appearance, that Li Zhen's friends quickly accepted him into their circle.
Even Xueni, who had been feeling a bit down, perked up and started chatting and laughing with Li Zhen again.
Lu Chen lit a beer and sipped it slowly, listening more than talking. His refined demeanor and insightful remarks made a good impression on Li Zhen's friends, despite the lingering suspicion that he might be a "gold digger."
Before they knew it, it was half past ten.
At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped onto the stage and announced into the microphone, "Good evening, everyone! As regulars of La Dolce Vita 97 know, tonight we're hosting our LDV Karaoke King competition again! The winner will not only have their entire table's bill waived but will also receive two bottles of premium red wine!"
"Sign-ups are open now! The competition starts immediately!"
His words were met with thunderous applause, whistles, and cheers, instantly raising the bar's energy to a fever pitch.
Li Zhen, realizing Lu Chen didn't understand, explained the rules:
La Dolce Vita 97 hosts a weekly singing competition. Any customer can showcase their vocal talents on stage, and the audience votes for the best performance.
Each table could send only one representative to compete. If their representative won, the entire table's order would be comped. Though the prize wasn't particularly generous, the competition was all about fun and excitement.
Many customers had come specifically for the competition, and those confident of winning often ordered lavishly in advance, hoping to score big if they triumphed.
In reality, it was just a clever marketing ploy by the bar to draw in crowds.
Lu Chen asked curiously, "How do the audience vote?"
Li Zhen picked up a rose from the vase on the table and said, "These roses are the ballots. After each performance, you give one to the waiter to deliver to your chosen contestant. Whoever gets the most roses wins!"
So that's how it works.
Lu Chen remarked, "That's quite interesting."
The bar owner had certainly gone all out with this event. No wonder the place was packed to the brim.
Li Zhen leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Boss, you're sure to win if you compete!"
(End of Chapter)
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