Chapter 59

Listening to the chat with Zhu Guoxu, Lei Huanxi learned a lot. ⊙

He hadn't seen Annie and Zhu Jinyan all along, probably because Zhu Guoxu had deliberately arranged for them to go out.

With a bit more money in his pocket, he didn't have to be as frugal as before. He checked into a chain hotel, and looked at the two lively dragon fish.

Just as he settled in, Annie's call "tracked him down": "Brother Huanxi, how did the talk with my dad go?"

"Pretty good, really good." Lei Huanxi was genuinely grateful: "I learned so much."

Annie misunderstood Lei Huanxi's meaning, thinking he had already agreed to work at Juncheng Group: "Great, let's go out for dinner tonight, have some hotpot."

Suddenly, Zhu Jinyan's voice came over the phone: "Brother Huanxi, help!"

"What's wrong?"

"My sister said I need more exercise and dragged me out to shop. Brother Huanxi, come over and switch places with me."

Lei Huanxi didn't hesitate for a second and immediately hung up.

Joking, go shopping with Miss Annie?

Brother, you're on your own...

The phone in the room rang, and Lei Huanxi answered. A sweet voice came from the other end: "Sir, do you need special service?"

Lei Huanxi was taken aback, then realized what "special service" meant: "Can anything be done?"

"Of course, anything can be done."

"Can we do it in a car?"

"Of course, sir, where is your car?"

"I'm on the No. 2 bus, come over."

Lei Huanxi quickly hung up and unplugged the phone.

He was bored enough.

He had a comfortable nap and woke up at 4:30.

He called Annie and asked for the location of the hotpot restaurant, which wasn't far from where he was staying.

When he came to the hotel lobby and faced a woman, they both blurted out at the same time: "It's you?"

What a coincidence, this person was Yan Jie, whom he had helped retrieve her bag before—Qi Liyan.

"Yan Jie, you're staying here too."

Yan Jie smiled: "This hotel is mine."

Ah, this chain hotel is owned by Yan Jie?

"Huanxi, come with me." Yan Jie led Lei Huanxi to the front desk, got a card, signed her name on it, and handed it to him: "From now on, you are a diamond VIP customer here, and it's free whenever you come."

Free? Lei Huanxi never expected such a good thing to happen to him.

The owner of a restaurant isn't afraid of big eaters, and the owner of a hotel isn't afraid of many guests. Lei Huanxi didn't refuse this time, said "thank you," and took the VIP card.

Yan Jie invited him to her office for a cup of tea and a sit. Lei Huanxi saw that it was still early for dinner, so he didn't decline.

When he entered Yan Jie's office, a man was looking at something on the computer. Yan Jie waved to him: "Old He, come over, this is Lei Huanxi... Huanxi, this is my husband, He Jianjun."

He Jianjun, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looked refined. He stood up and extended his hand warmly: "Lei Huanxi, oh, finally meeting you, thank you so much. The bag my wife was robbed of, the cash wasn't the main issue, but there was a USB drive with important business data... Here's my business card."

He took out a business card and gave it to Lei Huanxi.

It was very simple, only printing "Hezhong Investment Company" and "He Jianjun," along with a phone number.

He Jianjun looked apologetic: "My wife really doesn't know how to handle things. If that USB drive had fallen into our competitors' hands, we would have suffered a huge loss. Such a big favor, and she didn't even invite you for a meal. She got a scolding from me when she came back. Huanxi, let me treat you today."

He spoke humbly and warmly, making Lei Huanxi feel a bit embarrassed: "Mr. He..."

"Not Mr. He, don't call me Mr. He. I'm a few years older than you, if you don't mind, call me Brother Jun."

"Brother Jun, thank you for your kindness, but I have a friend I promised to meet for dinner at a nearby hotpot restaurant."

"Is that so." He Jianjun looked a bit disappointed: "Then tomorrow, I must treat you properly. Do you prefer Chinese or Western food?"

"Chinese food."

"Good, good, Chinese food is good. You have a friend waiting, so go ahead. I'll come to your room at 5 tomorrow."

Too warm, too humble, wasn't he just helping his wife retrieve a bag?

Even more warmth followed. He Jianjun and Yan Jie even escorted Lei Huanxi to the hotpot restaurant, making him feel extremely embarrassed, almost wanting to invite them to dinner too.

When he arrived at the private room Annie mentioned, Annie, Zhu Jinyan, and Mo Fat were already there.

As soon as she saw Lei Huanxi, Annie shouted: "Brother Huanxi, are you trying to starve us to death?"

"Met a friend and chatted a bit more." Lei Huanxi sat down with a smile. Seeing the dishes already served, he was shocked.

The table and the three-tiered side cabinet were filled with all kinds of dishes, layer upon layer. There were already 12 plates of beef and mutton.

"Brother Huanxi, there are two hard things in life, one is shopping with my sister..."

Seeing Zhu Jinyan's listless appearance, Lei Huanxi didn't need to guess that Annie had tortured him.

Zhu Jinyan said listlessly: "The second hard thing is eating with Fat. Do you think the dishes are all served? Not yet. There's no more space... You should have seen the server's face when we said there were only four of us. It was like they saw four barrels of rice..."

Lei Huanxi laughed so hard he almost cried. Eating with Fat was truly "amazing."

"Man is iron, food is steel, not eating a meal makes you hungry." Mo Fat didn't care, throwing two plates of mutton into the broth of the small hotpot in front of him.

When the mutton was about seven-tenths cooked, Fat couldn't wait anymore. He didn't hesitate, filled a plate for himself, and started eating voraciously.

"Hurry up, or we won't even get the scraps." Annie, who knew Fat well, picked up a piece of mutton for Lei Huanxi in the small hotpot, looking proud: "Brother Huanxi, I did this; isn't it beautiful? That water treatment project has a great future. When the project is completed, you can join Juncheng Group. I've already thought it all through for you..."

"My dad talked to me about it, but I didn't agree."

"Ah? You didn't agree?" Annie and Zhu Jinyan exclaimed together.

Annie immediately became furious: "Lei Huanxi, I've been nagging my dad for days about this. Are you really planning to stay in Xiantao Village for the rest of your life?"

Lei Huanxi didn't answer. He saw Mo Fat, who was busy, give him a thumbs up and mumble: "Brother Huanxi, well done. I knew you would refuse as soon as I heard Annie say it."

"Fat, what do you mean?" Annie shouted: "Juncheng Group isn't good? How many people want to get in but can't?"

"Juncheng Group is good, really good." Mo Fat had already finished a plate of mutton. Despite his size, he was incredibly fast at picking up food, quickly filling another plate: "One way is to get into Juncheng Group through connections, the other is to start from scratch on your own. Which one do you think your dad values more?"

Annie was speechless.

"Your dad isn't an ordinary person." Fat continued, eating mouthfuls: "Even if Brother Huanxi really gets in, do you think he'll be given important tasks? Your dad will only think, 'Lei Huanxi got in through my daughter, he has no real skills.' But if Brother Huanxi succeeds on his own, your dad will think, 'Oh, my daughter recommended such a good talent to me, why didn't I seize the opportunity?'"

Lei Huanxi was impressed by Mo Fat.

What he said was exactly what Zhu Guoxu had meant.

"You have a point." The defeated Annie muttered, but still felt a bit unwilling: "But just relying on the ten acres of fish ponds Brother Huanxi leases, when will he succeed?"

"It's not without progress." Lei Huanxi explained the situation.

When he mentioned the two beautiful stones and Zhu Guoxu's attitude, Mo Fat, who was eating voraciously, stopped, his eyes shining: "Brother Huanxi, you're amazing, you've made it."

"What do you mean, made it?" Annie and Zhu Jinyan were confused.

"Are you guys stupid? This is the beginning of a complete industry chain." Mo Fat was excited: "Brother Huanxi has always wanted to develop Xiantao Village, and the hope lies in these two stones..."

"Why?" Annie and Zhu Jinyan still didn't understand.

Lei Huanxi sighed inwardly. Compared to Mo Fat, Annie and Zhu Jinyan were on a different level.

Annie was a girl, but Zhu Jinyan was supposed to inherit Juncheng Group. His current performance was nothing like Zhu Guoxu's shrewdness.

Mo Fat explained in detail, just as Zhu Guoxu had considered.

Annie finally understood, almost jumping with excitement: "Brother Huanxi, does this mean you're going to get rich?"

"Too early, too early." Mo Fat added: "I think your dad is looking for an opportunity. Even if the opportunity is found, how will Xiantao Village be developed? How will the funds be allocated? What share will Brother Huanxi have? What role will he play? You can't just rely on two stones to be on equal footing with Uncle Zhu."

"Fear not, I'm here." Annie was confident.

Mo Fat shook his head with a bitter smile: "Your dad spoils you, but that's in life. When it comes to business, with your dad's shrewd mind, what you say won't matter."

Annie immediately became dejected.

"Women are biased, women are biased." Mo Fat sighed repeatedly, as if he were Annie's elder: "Brother Huanxi, we need to find another way to increase your status in Uncle Zhu's eyes."