What were you doing when you were 29? Perhaps holed up at home playing computer games?

That’s the current age of Zhang Junjie, who was just appointed as an independent director of Haidilao International Holding Ltd. (6862.HK). But Zhang hardly spends his time these days playing computer games. Despite never attending college or working at a major multinational, Zhang has earned a place in the boardroom of one of China’s top restaurant operators, which is worth over HK$70 billion ($9 billion) and is also a component of the benchmark Hang Seng Index. Based on his last name, you might think he’s the son of Zhang Yong, Haidilao’s founder and a major shareholder of the company.

But you would be wrong. In fact, this pair of Zhangs has no family relationship other than a surname that’s quite common in China. Zhang Junjie came from modest origins, without a super-rich family or especially impressive network of connections to bankroll his business. Still, Zhang Junjie is the brains behind Chagee, which he created from scratch and has gone on to become the hottest flavor of the day in China’s hotly contested bubble tea market.