Lei De led his men away in a huff. Before leaving, he glanced at Wen Liang and then looked away. It was obvious that he didn't care too much about this young man who looked unremarkable. In fact, it was not his fault that he was blind. Apart from a few people, not many people knew about the relationship between Wen Liang and Ning Xi. Lei Fang, one of the insiders, obviously didn't have a good relationship with this cousin, so he wouldn't be so idle as to gossip about it.
Zuo Jing also went downstairs with Chang Cheng and Zhuo Min. With this incident, he couldn't stay in Dongming City for long. The busy corridor finally quieted down. Wen Liang stared at Ning Xi, his dark eyes showing deep pity. He said softly, "I've been too busy these days and paid less attention to this place. I didn't expect Reid to be so presumptuous..."
Although with Ning Xi's means, she shouldn't have let Lei De become so powerful in such a short time, and have the guts to embarrass her in person, but many things, once they involve Ning Lei, can no longer be deduced by ordinary logic and reason. As the saying goes: everything is possible!
Ning Xi smiled slyly and said, "Don't worry, I'm not as stupid as you think! Reid has been jumping around and winning over some people, but they are insignificant characters and can't affect the overall situation. I founded Hengsha, and if I can't even handle Reid, I might as well give up the idea of mingling in the business world and go home with you to be a good wife who takes care of her husband and children..."
Wen Liang looked at her expression carefully and felt that she didn't seem to be lying to comfort herself, so he put aside his worries and said with a smile: "If that's the case, I have to thank Reid. Instead of being a strong woman, you might as well stay at home to cook, wash clothes and take care of the children for me."
"You wish!" Ning Xi blinked her starry eyes, her beautiful face revealing a charming look that would tempt even the Buddha. She said, "Besides, I'm clumsy. If it comes to washing clothes and cooking, how can I compare to those sisters around you?"
"Ahem... Secretary Zuo might be getting impatient. I should leave too. I'll take some time to come to Qingzhou in three days after I finish my work in Lingyang."
"What? Do you want to do something bad?"
Wen Liang said righteously: "You have a mean heart... I think you don't look very well recently. Come to Qingzhou and I will give you a comprehensive physical examination."
Ning Xi's eyes were almost dripping with tears, but as someone who had eaten American bread, she would never suffer a loss. She said, "We don't know who will examine whom by then... Ha!"
Wen Liang really loved her, and was afraid that if he didn't leave, she would not be able to resist and do something bad to him, so he hardened his heart and turned away.
On the other side, Lei De and the others changed hotels. As soon as they entered the private room, the person called Chief Liu from the Propaganda Department whispered, "Why does the person I just met look a bit like Zuo Jing from Jiangdong Province?"
Xiao Zhang from the reception office was surprised and said, "No way, if Zuo Jing came to Dongming, Lao Yi would have to come out to take him over, right?"
Director Zhao of the Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce took over the conversation and said, "Xiao Zhang, you are young after all. Even if it is really Zuo Jing, it is normal for him to come to Dongming to handle some private matters and not want to alarm our Secretary Li. But I don't think it's possible. Zuo Jing has a great reputation in Jiangdong Province. He wouldn't be so sneaky... Mr. Lei, what do you think?"
Reid, who had been silent the whole time, raised his head and said, "Well, what?"
Lei De had been absent-minded since the small conflict just now. The reason why Section Chief Liu, Director Zhao and others talked about Zuo Jing was actually to eliminate the awkward atmosphere, fearing that Lei De would feel embarrassed. After all, being scared away by someone's words was not a good thing, even if the other party was Ning Xi from the Ning family, because ordinary people could be so cowardly, but he couldn't, because behind him stood the Lei family who was no less powerful!
Deputy Director Wang of the Mining Administration Bureau laughed and said, "They are discussing whether that person is Zuo Jing. Does Mr. Lei recognize him?"
Lei De smiled and said, "You guessed it right, that person is Zuo Jing from Jiangdong Lingyang!"
Everyone was stunned. Even Section Chief Liu, who had first guessed, did not expect that his words would come true. He asked everyone's common question, "Why did Zuo Jing come to Dongming?"
Reid did not answer this question, but as the spokesperson of the Lei system, Hengsha’s upcoming big move could not be hidden from him, or in other words, his opinion must be sought for such a major project investment.
Investing in Lingyang Port was indeed a good idea from a business perspective, and it could even be said that it fully demonstrated Ning Xi's courage and foresight as a leader. However, from a political perspective, it was a huge risk.
Because the crude oil terminal is not just a simple local construction project, but involves the eastward expansion plan of an extremely powerful interest group. If Ning Xi rashly extends her tentacles into this area, once there is an emergency, she will easily get stuck in the quagmire and make a mess.
(I still need to explain one thing here. Starting from Chapter 436, the crude oil terminal, the original outline of this part of the plot was to introduce the SY Gang system and several important characters in depth, which was also to gradually present Zhuang Shaoxuan's background and power structure. But it happened to coincide with the crackdown and the fall of the SY Gang. This part of the content should not be written anymore. It's such a coincidence, because the outline was set a long time ago. So I said before that the outline of this section must be revised. There will be no more allusions and things linked to reality. Please treat it as a purely fictional character in an imaginary background. Thank you for your support, and thank you for not delving into it)
The most important thing is, once Ning Xi completes the 2 billion project, how can he have a say in Hengsha Mining in the future? Lei Yunhai sent him to replace Lei Fang, not just to be a yes-man and a decorative prop.
Harmony but not uniformity, fighting but not destruction, these were the eight words that Lei Yunhai gave him before he left. However, it is easier said than done. It is hard to say whether it will "destroy" or not, but at least we have to fight first, right
When they were leaving, they missed the flight, so Chang Cheng drove the business car that had picked them up and rushed back to Lingyang overnight. When they passed the development zone, they had another meal at the Huanghuai Hotel. Zuo Jing was a little hungry, and he praised the ordinary home-cooked dishes, which made the proprietress You Jie very happy.
When it came time to pay the bill, Sister You arrogantly waived the bill, which surprised two old customers, Wen Liang and Chang Cheng. Although they usually waived a small amount when dining here, it was rare to get a full waiver like this. While Zuo Jing was in the bathroom, Sister You secretly told Wen Liang that this was the first time he had brought an outsider to eat here. I knew he was someone of high status. You had been smiling at him just now, so you must have asked him to do something, right? So I had to give you a little help, to let him know that you were a powerful person who could make a living anywhere in the world, and he couldn't look down on you.
Only then did Wen Liang understand why he had a free meal today. Although he felt a little embarrassed and this way of carrying the sedan chair was a little too crude, he was grateful for the proprietress' kindness!
"Sister You, how is your business?"
"It's OK," Sister You frowned when she mentioned her business, "but it's not as good as before. In the past, there were hundreds of cars running on the road just at the Shahe mine. Now Shahe has been taken over by a company. They are very powerful and only need to transport the ore to the city and then send trains to all parts of the country. They don't even pass through our place. In my opinion, this restaurant will not be able to survive for a few days..."
In the early and mid-1990s, there were countless stores like Youjie that relied on development zones and highways to survive. During the peak period, there were dozens of restaurants and hotels on both sides of a main road of several kilometers. But because of this excessive reliance on highways, once a change occurred, such as Shahe, they would be cruelly eliminated immediately, without exception!
"Here's how, you take a pen and paper..."
After Sister You brought paper and pen, Wen Liang casually wrote down a mobile phone number and said, "It just so happens that I know some friends in Shahe. You can think about it these few days. If you plan to close the store, just call this number. You can go there to contract the company cafeteria. The profit of a single product may not be as high as it is now, but the advantage is that the customer base is stable and the income is guaranteed. How do you think?"
Sister You is a person who makes a living on the road after all, so she is certainly more thoughtful than an ordinary farm woman.
After hesitating for a moment, he took the note from Wen Liang and said, "Brother, I, I..."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "Talk to your husband before making a decision. This is just a backup plan. If the business here is good, there is no need to go through so much trouble. Also, this is not a trivial matter after all. You can't just believe me when I say it. You can go to Shahe to inquire about it first. If you think it is reliable, then you can go there to contract it."
"No, it's not that I don't believe you. I'm not an ungrateful person. If you don't want to help me, there's no need to bother."
Sister You immediately became anxious, fearing that Wen Liang would misunderstand her, and said, "Brother, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. My husband died two years ago, and I relied on my family to help me open this restaurant and barely support my son and myself. If it really closes, I won't be able to explain to my family, and I'm also afraid that I won't be able to gain a foothold in the place you introduced. It's easy for me to say that I won't starve to death as long as I have food to eat, but my child is still young..."
This is also the case with every family. No wonder the first time I came here to eat, I encountered that bald guy who dared to flirt with the boss lady in broad daylight. It turned out that the widow and her orphan were supporting the whole mess. In fact, to survive in Dongming, a cannibalistic road, the boss lady herself said that she was a powerful person.
"It's right to be cautious when you're alone with a child. It's okay, I'll give them a heads up. Your restaurant will continue to operate. If you really can't hold on any longer, they will find you a piece of land based on the actual situation. If the canteen hasn't been contracted out yet, they'll give it back to you. If it's already been contracted out, they can give you a piece of land."
Sister You's eyes suddenly turned red, and she was about to kneel down to Wen Liang, but Zuo Jing happened to come back and saw them. Looking at the scene in front of him strangely, Wen Liang said awkwardly: "Chang Cheng and Sister You get along well, and he wants to adopt her son as his godson. According to the local customs in this village, this is how you should thank her..."
Chang Cheng, who was watching the fun, slowly opened his mouth, thinking, "I don't even have a wife, and I'm going to have a son?" But under the gentle gaze, he didn't dare to say no, and could only accept this relative with tears in his eyes.
Zhuo Min, you must understand me! (To be continued)