“I’m sure Mr. Lao will get it again this year.”
Lily heard a man to her left comment. The VIP seats had a cabaret style seating arrangement. This was similar to a banquet style but instead of occupying the whole table, there was an open end. The people at the table are seated in an arc facing forward and a total of six people sit in one table.
The seating arrangement was also based on their industry. For instance, people from the restaurant industry had their own table while the people from the financial industry have their own area.
“Mr. Lao and the LF Bank already won their third award last year. There is no way someone will beat them this year.” Another one answered. Still, Lily ignored the conversation.
Mr. Lao owns another bank famous in Hong Kong and mainland China. They have been around for decades now and are considered one of the oldest banks on this side of the world. It is only normal for people to assume he will still win the awards. However, she knew that would not be the case this year.
She was confident her husband would get it this year. She held her head high with a smile plastered on her face. This was a beautiful night. Why ruin it just because of some people’s insignificant opinion.
“And the Business Person of the Year Award goes to Mr. Lao Shing of LF Bank and Mr. Zhou Jingren from Zhou Capital!” The loud announcement was immediately followed by boisterous cheers and applause. Lily beamed.
She turned towards her husband and immediately gave him a hug. “Congratulations!” she whispered.
“Thank you.” He responded before kissing her. He then rose from his seat and together with the older Mr. Lao and walked towards the stage to get their plaques. The main reason why there are two business persons of the year was because one is recognized in Hong Kong while the other is recognized in Mainland China as well.
To Lily, this was a weird law considering Hong Kong was technically under China. However, this information was not enough to dampen her current mood. When the two men reached the stage, the announcer cleared his throat as he eyed the crowd.
“Now… only one of them will get the plaque from Mainland China.” He smiled. “And that is…” He made a deliberate pause before he opened an envelope. “That is… Mr. Zhou Jingren from Zhou Capital!”
The loud applause echoed inside the hall. Having a newcomer win this award was quite rare as mostly, the people who won this were the ones who had won the awards before. Of course, this was only because many of these men were not aware that Zhou Jingren had been nominated before.
While Lily could sense that the other people on their table were not as happy as her, she did not care. After all, Zhou Jingren’s win was her win as well. Who cares about what they had to say about it? Unable to stop herself, Lily rose from her seat. She was brimming with happiness.
What she did not expect was for the others to follow her. Some people who recognized Zhou Jingren did the same thing. Not long after, everyone rose from their seats to give the man a standing ovation. Slowly, the clapping died down as Zhou Jingren walked towards the microphone for his speech.
“To my lovely wife.” He started as he turned towards Lily. He smiled and held his plaque. His eyes turned gentle, his smile warm as he looked at her. “This is all because of you. Thank you.” He said. As expected, his words received another great applause from everyone.
He left the stage, his head held high as he walked towards his wife. On his way towards her, many acquaintances came forward to shake his arms, while some gave him a warm hug. Some of these people were business partners while some were his executives who also had their own businesses. After a few minutes of mingling, he went back to sit next to Lily. He then leaned forward to give her a light kiss her on the lips.
“My lipstick,” she said in a small voice while smiling. She then handed him a napkin so he could wipe the red lipstick that he got from kissing her. She had already warned him beforehand to avoid kissing her as her burgundy lipstick would surely stain his lips.
“I can’t stop myself.” He answered as he dabbed the napkin on his lips. “Thank you.” Beaming, he leaned in for another light kiss. This time, Lily only shook her head inwardly.
After the best business person award was given, they started announcing the winners for other categories such as Start-up Awards, Enterprise award, Lifetime achievement award and many others.
“Isn’t this nice?” Lily whispered. Seeing people go to the stage beaming as they accepted their awards seemed heartwarming to Lily. She knew that surviving in the business industry was hard. At the end of the day, everyone in this hall were all hardworking people who earned their right to be nominated.
Seeing people being recognized for their efforts made her happy.
“It is.” He answered. He understood her words. As someone who started out from the Mafia. Zhou Jingren had to fight to survive in this world of foxes who love to wear sheep’s clothing.
“Are you confident that your company will win the financial services awards?” She asked.
“With you by my side, I’m already a winner.”
“Stop it. I am being serious.”
“With you by my side, I am confident I will win.” He beamed and kissed her forehead. With her standing next to him, he was already a winner. Him winning all these recognitions was not even comparable to spending his life with her. A gentle smile flashed across his face. “Thank you.” He whispered.
Lily smiled in response. “Thank you is a word.” She answered mischievously while rolling her eyes. “Not enough to satisfy me and my big appetite.”
…
Proofreader: Dragon777
