Chapter 89: Arrival in Shanghai

As soon as they met, they hugged tightly. The two had been roommates in college. Although Li Yang came from a big city and had a very good family background, and Zhu Daodong was from the countryside, they were very good friends. At the beginning, Li Yang was often amazed at how he could get along so well with Zhu Daodong, as their views and philosophies of life were completely different.

Li Yang was flamboyant. He got into a fight with a chef and poured a bowl of soup on the chef's face. Not only did he have to pay for medical expenses, but he also received a disciplinary action. He competed with another male student for a female classmate. The other student won the girl's heart through his attentiveness and care, buying her medicine and serving her diligently whenever she was unwell. Li Yang, on the other hand, went all out. On the eve of New Year's Day, he hung many lanterns in a prominent spot on campus, each inscribed with "I love you, [her name]." Although the department made Li Yang write a self-criticism, this move confused the indecisive girl. After one semester, Li Yang fell in love with another girl, Wei Na, the beauty of the art department.

Li Yang's way of dealing with people and situations naturally drew a lot of attention. Zhu Daodong never got involved in such matters. Born in the countryside, his parents taught him to be honest and avoid trouble from a young age. Therefore, he always took a defensive and observant stance.

In college, Zhu Daodong actually envied Li Yang's boldness and free spirit, but he also knew that while others would tolerate Li Yang's behavior, if he, Zhu Daodong, acted differently, he would be in trouble. This was determined by his family background. In college, his image was that of a rustic, simple, and unassuming person. Only because he was well-behaved and had good grades did his classmates treat him politely. At that time, his only pride was his academic performance.

When it came to matters of the heart, Zhu Daodong rarely talked to Li Yang about them. It wasn't until they were about to graduate that he confided in Li Yang about his relationship with Tang Xiaoli. At the time, Li Yang labeled Zhu Daodong as old-fashioned and mocked him, saying, "Love is always subject to change. Without nailing it down, it won't be solid."

Zhu Daodong was very confused. "How can you nail it down if it's not a piece of wood?"

Li Yang laughed heartily. "You really are a country bumpkin."

Only then did Zhu Daodong understand what Li Yang meant, and his face turned red. But he thought Li Yang's words made a lot of sense. In simpler terms, it meant making a fait accompli, getting on the train without a ticket, a universal principle. Only by nailing down Tang Xiaoli could their relationship be solidified, marking it as his.

Unfortunately, he never managed to "nail it down," and Tang Xiaoli had already become someone else's wife.

"Did you marry Tang Xiaoli?" Li Yang asked, lightly punching Zhu Daodong on the shoulder after letting him go. In college, Zhu Daodong had been very devoted to Tang Xiaoli. After graduation, they both returned to her hometown. Li Yang had asked about this in his letters, but Zhu Daodong had avoided the topic in his replies.

"No, what about you?" Zhu Daodong asked.

"How could I get married so early? Come on, let's go back to the hotel and rest. We can talk about everything tomorrow." Li Yang, who had borrowed a car, drove Zhu Daodong and the other three directly to a hotel he had already arranged.

"Let me introduce everyone. This is Li Yang, my college classmate, who now works at the Shanghai branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China." Zhu Daodong said. Li Yang was initially assigned to a newspaper, but after half a year, he lost interest. His family then used connections to transfer him to the bank.

"Li Yang, this is Director Dong from the county's animal husbandry bureau, and the accountant and cashier from the feed factory, Hou Feng and Hu Zhengqing." Zhu Daodong introduced the three people on his side.

The hotel Li Yang arranged for them was a designated reception unit of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, with a quiet and elegant environment, convenient transportation, and reasonable prices, which satisfied Zhu Daodong and his group.

"Here are the three feed processing equipment manufacturers I found for you. Take a look. I'll go back to the bank and report, and I'll treat you to dinner tonight." After sending Zhu Daodong to his room, Li Yang handed him the information on the feed processing equipment manufacturers.

"We should be the ones to treat you. You've helped us contact the manufacturers and arranged our accommodation. This is a business trip, and we can't let you bear the cost." Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"What kind of relationship do we have? It's just a meal. I'm the host here, so I should treat you. When I visit your place, you can treat me then." Li Yang said with a grin. After not seeing Zhu Daodong for over two years, he felt that Zhu Daodong had changed a lot.

In college, Zhu Daodong was shy, introverted, serious, and self-conscious. But today, he was relaxed, confident, and seemed like a completely different person.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead. Go to work, and we'll chat more tonight." Zhu Daodong smiled and personally saw Li Yang off to the hotel entrance, watching him drive away before returning upstairs. However, he did not go to his own room but knocked on Dong Jinhai's door.

"Director Dong, hello. Am I disturbing your rest?" Zhu Daodong asked with a smile, holding the information on the three equipment manufacturers that Li Yang had given him.

"No problem, Deputy Township Head Zhu, what's up?" Dong Jinhai said with a smile. He was the deputy director of the animal husbandry and aquatic products management department of Yuhua County, a graduate of the provincial agricultural university, and thirty years old. He was a technical backbone of the animal husbandry bureau.

"Here is the information on the three feed processing equipment manufacturers that Li Yang helped us contact. I'd like you to take a look first." Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Alright, are we going to choose from these three?" Dong Jinhai asked casually. He was older than Zhu Daodong, but his position was lower. Although he was a deputy director, he was only at the section level, a rank that only existed in county and township governments, not in provincial or municipal agencies.

"Not necessarily. Although we are short on time, we should still visit more manufacturers to select the best one." Zhu Daodong shook his head slightly. Although he trusted Li Yang to handle this well, he believed in separating public and private matters and should still visit other equipment manufacturers.

"Alright, I understand." Dong Jinhai was surprised by Zhu Daodong's thoroughness and changed his initial slight underestimation of him.

After work, Li Yang came to the hotel, which not only provided accommodation but also had a restaurant open to the public. Li Yang invited Zhu Daodong and his group to dinner there. Knowing that Zhu Daodong's alcohol tolerance was average—he would stagger after two bottles of beer in college—Li Yang ordered only one bottle of Wuliangye and four bottles of beer.

However, when pouring the drinks, the feed factory's accountant, Hu Feng, took the bottle and quickly filled the glasses of Li Yang, Zhu Daodong, and Dong Jinhai. For the two financial staff, he only poured a glass of beer. This time, they had to rush, so Zhu Daodong had instructed them to carry more cash, which was why he brought the accountant and cashier. They had over ten thousand yuan in cash and dared not drink too much.

"Zhu Daodong, are you drinking white liquor?" Li Yang asked in surprise.

"Working at the grassroots level for the past two years has improved my alcohol tolerance a bit." Zhu Daodong smiled. He wasn't being modest; his tolerance had indeed improved, and not just a little.

"Great, I was feeling a bit restrained. Waiter, bring two more bottles of Wuliangye." Li Yang laughed heartily. He could drink over a liter of white liquor and was curious to see how much Zhu Daodong's tolerance had improved.