When Hui Ka Yan mixed with political figures during the Chinese Communist Party's centenary in 2021, the smiling businessman hid any indication of the mounting strain on China Evergrande Group, the world's most-indebted developer.
Sporting a full head of black hair, an open-necked shirt and a navy-blue suit, he looked relaxed on a podium above the Tiananmen Square festivities — an invitation widely regarded as official backing for the billionaire.
