It was already evening when Xu Yao and the others returned. The night was falling and the moon was shining brightly. Even the most valiant warriors would find their legs as soft as noodles that have just been soaked in water after such an intense shopping exercise. But women can always create miracles out of the impossible. When they all appeared in front of Wen Liang, not only were they not tired at all, but they pulled him to act as clothes racks.
"Yeah, it's good, it fits me well!"
Xu Yao circled around Wen Liang, occasionally pulling at the corners and wrinkles of the new clothes. Wen Liang asked curiously, "Is this the dress you said cost more than 500 Hong Kong dollars?"
"Yeah, what do you think? You have good taste, right? It just happened to be a special sale, with a 70% discount. It's a good deal to get drunk now."
Xu Yao was very proud, patted Wen Liang on the shoulder, and said: "They say clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. With this kind of dress, you look quite handsome."
Wen Liang then realized that she was going to buy clothes for him. He raised his hand and flicked her forehead, saying with a smile, "You're wasting money!"
Xu Yao covered her head and pouted, saying, "Good intentions are not rewarded, good intentions are not rewarded..."
After laughing for a while, the clock pointed to half past eight. As they had a flight the next morning, the three girls went to their rooms to rest. Then Ning Xi called to arrange the next deployment. During the chat, Wen Liang mentioned Xiang Ziqian, whom they had just met downstairs. Ning Xi frowned and thought for a while, then said, "I seem to have heard of this name. Wait a minute, I'll make a few phone calls to ask."
Ten minutes later, Ning Xi called again and said, "It's Xiang Likai's youngest son from Hongming Group. He just came back from abroad not long ago. It is said that he is planning to set up a real estate company and wants to develop in China after 1997."
Although the domestic real estate industry is currently in a downturn and is full of cries of grief, the golden age of real estate will arrive in less than two years. It will last for a long time and will not show any signs of declining until Wen Liang is reborn. It can be said that entering the domestic market now and gaining a foothold in one or two years is the best time for foreign capital to seek maximum profits. Xiang Ziqian is not a mediocre person as he has such insight.
However, the real estate industry is full of insider information. On the one hand, the government is too deeply involved and one can easily get caught up in it if one is not careful. On the other hand, one needs to deal with all kinds of people at all levels, and it is too complicated. If an outsider from Mingzhu wants to make a name for himself in the mainland, it will be extremely difficult without a powerful background.
"This time when Huajin entered Hong Kong, Hongming Group helped a lot. If Xiang Ziqian enters the mainland, the person from Huajin will definitely lend a hand out of favor." Ning Xi had a keen eye and analyzed calmly, "The Xiang family has a good plan. Let Xiang Ziqian go to the mainland to explore the way first. If it works, everyone will be happy. With this bridgehead, they will know how to do anything else they want to do, such as increasing investment. If it doesn't work, it will only be the small company of the younger generation that will fail, and it won't hurt the reputation of the Xiang family."
After 1997, Mingzhu and the mainland completed their substantive unification, but people's hearts would not merge so quickly. The difference in political systems made some old conservative families that were influential in Mingzhu City anxious and worried, so it was understandable that they sent out pawns to test the waters.
Wen Liang thought for a moment and said, "The one from Joaquin, is it Chen..."
"There's nothing to be shy about," Ning Xi chuckled, and said, "Although Chen Longqi is ruthless and impartial, his son is capable and can make a name for himself in a place like Huajin. He won't order his son to be kicked out...
Wen Liang had known for a long time that Chen Longqi's son Chen Jie held a high position in Huajin. Zhu Zixuan mentioned before that the reason why Zhu Jiusi arranged for her to join Huajin was because he could take care of Chen Jie in private. Zhu Jiusi was the vice prime minister and his career had come to an end, but Chen Longqi was different. He was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee at the upcoming 15th Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee. He will officially take up his new post as the head of the State Council in March next year. It was only natural that his daughter would have this good relationship with him. Zhu Zixuan always called Chen Jie "brother", so she must have been loved by him. In addition, she was very interested in the investment banking career, so it was absolutely right for her to take this path!
Chen Jie and Xiang Likai had some friendship, but it was not that deep. His network was mostly in the business world, not so much in the political world. Chen Longqi was very strict in managing his family, so it was not entirely clear how much help he provided to Xiang Ziqian, not to mention helping him get land at a low price and establish official connections. However, the title of the son of a government leader was not fake, and it was enough to scare most people when necessary.
"Xiang Ziqian has been madly pursuing Zixuan recently, and it seems that he has also received the tacit approval of the Xiang family's elders. You angered him today, so be careful that he may cause trouble for you when he arrives in the mainland..."
Ning Xi didn't seem to be worried at all when she spoke of this. Instead, she looked like she was enjoying the show. Wen Liang wanted to go upstairs and pin her down on the bed, and use some kind of thing that could be big or small to cruelly teach her a lesson!
"The mainland is so big, how could it be so easy to meet him? Besides, Xiang Ziqian is most likely to choose those cities where Lingnan and Mingzhu meet. If you want to see others causing trouble for me, you will probably have to wait for several years."
Of course, Ning Xi also took this into consideration, so she deliberately joked with Wen Liang. The two flirted for a while on the phone. When they hung up, Ning Xi paused and reminded him, "After returning to Qingzhou, be careful about everything and let Chang Cheng stay by your side at all times..."
She was still worried that she could not deceive Zhuang Maoxun and drag Wen Liang into this war that did not belong to him.
But at this moment, no one of them could imagine which direction the situation would develop!
The next morning, Wen Liang and others took an early flight back to Guanshan International Airport. Fan Bo had arranged a car and a driver to wait outside the airport. Standing next to the car door was Miao Qingyan, who was wearing a black dress.
Introducing her to Xu Yao and the others, the two of them went to the side to talk, Wen Liang smiled and said: "Why are you here? Fan Bo is so brave that he dared to appoint our Minister Miao to be the receptionist..."
However, Miao Qingyan did not laugh out loud as usual, and then insult Fan Bo in a gentle tone. She just stood there quietly. The wind blowing from the west gently blew her hair, making this usually carefree girl more gentle, timeless and fresh.
Wen Liang sensed something was wrong, so he shut his mouth, looked at Miao Qingyan with questioning eyes, and said, "Meow meow, what's wrong?"
Miao Qingyan seemed a little afraid to look at Wen Liang's glasses. She turned her head away under his gaze and whispered, "You are usually so busy. It was only when I heard from Mr. Fan that I knew you were back from Mingzhu, so I rushed over to see you... There is something I think it would be better to tell you in person..."
"Well, tell me, what's the matter?"
"I..." Miao Qingyan hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to resign!"
Wen Liang was not surprised, or it could be said that few things could move him nowadays. He looked around and saw a coffee shop on one side of the airport lobby. He asked Xu Yao and the others to go there first and wait, saying, "No matter what, sit down and have a cup of coffee first. Let's go."
The two of them sat by the window. Wen Liang personally added two spoonfuls of sugar to her drink and said with a smile, "Try it. I know you don't like bitter drinks. If it doesn't work, add a little more."
Miao Qingyan nodded, but did not go to drink coffee. She turned her head to look at the scenery outside the window. In the distance, there were green mountains and clumps of green trees. It was midsummer, but she felt a little bit of coolness, perhaps because of the air conditioning in the room.
Their eyes met in silence for a long time!
"I'm sorry, I promised you that I would work hard in the R&D department, but now I want to resign... If you are angry, just scold me..."
Wen Liang sighed, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Meow meow, can you tell me the reason?"
Miao Qingyan shook her head and said, "There is no reason. I just feel that if you stay in one place for too long, repeating the rhythm of going to work, going home, working, and sleeping, you will gradually become numb and dull... You know my personality, I'm afraid this kind of nine-to-five life is not suitable for me... Really, that's it, nothing else..."
Wen Liang was silent for a while, then said, "So, after you quit your job, what are you going to do?"
"I discussed with my supervisor and decided to go back to continue my studies, and then take his doctoral exam after graduating from my master's degree... This year's work has made me feel strongly that my knowledge reserves are far from enough. Compared with other colleagues in the R&D department, I not only lack work experience, but also lack knowledge. I often feel overwhelmed when doing things..."
Wen Liang knew that these were all excuses. Although he was not in Bencao Ruolan and his appearances were no more frequent than that of the stray dog that often wandered to the door looking for food, he was well aware of the company's dynamics through various channels. Miao Qingyan's work in the R&D department was not fruitful, but at least she was conscientious and responsible. She built such a large department from scratch. The effort and energy she spent was beyond the imagination of those who had not experienced it. But after the hard work, the sense of accomplishment and pride was incomparable to anything else. To exaggerate a little, the R&D department was equivalent to the children that Miao Qingyan had raised. If she could give up her own children and choose to resign, I'm afraid she had made up her mind and it would be difficult to reverse it.
Wen Liang folded his hands and placed them on the coffee table. He leaned forward slightly, looked directly into Miao Qingyan's eyes, and said, "Meow meow, you know I don't want you to resign. If possible, I can do anything to keep you... But, if you really want to leave, I can't force you to stay in Bencao. After all, this is just a stopover in your life. It's normal for people to leave and stay, not to mention that you are going back to study. I... I can only wish you the best, and I beg you to promise me that if you succeed in your studies in the future and want to work again, please consider Bencao Ruolan first, okay?"
Miao Qingyan's eyes were filled with tears, and she nodded vigorously, unable to speak for a moment. Wen Liang reached out and patted the back of her hand gently. Miao Qingyan reached back and held Wen Liang's hand tightly for the first time.
We hold hands, but we are about to part! (To be continued)