Chapter 65

Lei Huanxi became more curious about He Jianjun than ever before. ∮

He handed the two famous dragon fish, which had made a big splash this time, to Mr. Mo to take care of for a couple of days, and then returned to the hotel to rest.

Just as it was almost time for dinner, Aunt Yan knocked on the door, asking if Lei Huanxi had rested well and if he was ready to have dinner together.

They still rode in He Jianjun's ordinary car, which couldn't be more ordinary.

Lei Huanxi was puzzled; he remembered that Aunt Yan had been in a BMW that day. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Jun, why don't you change to a better car?"

"A car is just a means of transportation," He Jianjun smiled. "As long as it can protect you from the wind and rain, it's fine. To be honest, I can afford to buy a Mercedes or a BMW, but I don't think it's necessary."

He was indeed a very low-key person.

The car stopped in front of a two-story building on the edge of a residential area.

From the outside, the building looked ordinary, and it was hard to tell that it was a restaurant.

"This is a private club. There are only two private rooms, and it can only serve two tables of guests," He Jianjun introduced as they got out of the car. "The food is quite good, but it's very expensive. The advantage is that it's quiet, and no one will disturb us."

As soon as they entered, the owner of the club was already waiting at the door. Seeing He Jianjun come in, he immediately greeted him, "Brother Jun, it's been a long time since you've been here. As soon as Aunt Yan called to say you were coming, I immediately canceled the other table's reservation."

"Old Luo, you're lying with your eyes open," He Jianjun said with a smile. "Who dares to come here now? You probably don't get a table of guests in a week, right?"

The owner, called "Old Luo," laughed and led He Jianjun and the others into the private room.

The room was luxuriously decorated, even more so than the private rooms in the five-star hotels Lei Huanxi had been to before.

He Jianjun didn't order any dishes; Old Luo would take care of it naturally.

Aunt Yan ordered two bottles of white wine, opened them herself, and filled the decanter. "Each of you gets one bottle, and you're not allowed to drink more."

One bottle of white wine each? And not allowed to drink more?

In the past, Lei Huanxi would have been drunk after just three ounces. Fortunately, his alcohol tolerance had mysteriously increased.

"Xiao Lei, let's have the first cup. My wife and I are raising a glass to thank you for helping us get back that bag," He Jianjun and Aunt Yan raised their glasses together.

"Brother Jun, Aunt Yan, you're too polite. It's a small matter and doesn't need to be mentioned," Lei Huanxi also raised his glass. "If we really need to thank each other, I should thank you for helping me today."

He Jianjun drank the wine in his glass. "To you, it might be a small matter, but to others, it could be a big deal. Don't underestimate good deeds, and don't overestimate bad deeds. The wisdom of our ancestors is spot on."

He didn't mention the incident where he helped Lei Huanxi out of trouble earlier. Instead, he talked about various topics, quoting classics and discussing everything from ancient Chinese history to Napoleon's conquest of Europe.

If Lei Huanxi hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe that such a knowledgeable person would throw a cup of hot water at someone. He Jianjun now seemed more like a refined scholar.

Aunt Yan looked at her husband with admiration.

"Brother Jun, are you a specialist in this field?" Lei Huanxi couldn't help but ask.

"Not really, just a hobby," He Jianjun said seriously. "People should read more and read good books. Some people always say they are too busy to read. But can't you spare 30 minutes a day? If you read for 30 minutes every day, you can read for 180 hours a year. So, most people who say they don't have time are just making excuses."

Lei Huanxi nodded thoughtfully.

"Brother Jun, may I ask what you do for a living?" Lei Huanxi couldn't resist asking.

On the business card he gave him, it only said "Hezhong Investment Company."

"Generally speaking, I do investments," He Jianjun said casually. "I can't compare to the big funds, but I do some small investments. For example, my wife's hotel is also my investment. Additionally, I do some mortgage loans. Ah, all legal and with proper licenses."

Lei Huanxi had a general understanding.

Each of them had a bottle of wine in front of them, and before they knew it, they had each drunk half. Taking advantage of the alcohol, Lei Huanxi asked, "Brother Jun, I still want to thank you for your help today. It seems Wei Guangshun is very afraid of you?"

"Right, not only is he afraid of me, but his boss, Jiang Shengli, the head of Xihai Group, is also afraid of me," He Jianjun didn't hide it. "Back in the day, Jiang Shengli and I started from scratch together..."

In He Jianjun's description, he and Jiang Shengli had worked hard together to establish a small company called "Xihai Trading Company" at the time.

Later, He Jianjun left, and Xihai became Jiang Shengli's company, which grew bigger and bigger, eventually becoming the well-known Xihai Group.

He Jianjun spoke lightly, but Lei Huanxi felt there was more to the story.

"Old He, Huanxi is not an outsider, why hide it?" Aunt Yan, who had also had some wine, said. "It wasn't that Old He left on his own. That year, Xihai Company had some issues, and Old He took all the responsibility. He was supposed to serve five years in prison, but he was released after three years for good behavior... When he came back, Xihai Company had nothing to do with him anymore..."

"Haha, didn't Jiang Shengli give me 100,000 yuan as compensation?" He Jianjun didn't seem to care. "If it weren't for that 100,000 yuan, I wouldn't have been able to start over..."

All of this was something Lei Huanxi had never imagined.

Xihai Group wasn't originally Jiang Shengli's alone; it was a joint venture with He Jianjun. Even more surprising was that He Jianjun, such a refined person, had been in prison.

"100,000 yuan as compensation?" Aunt Yan looked at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment. "When you went in, the foundation of Xihai was already laid, and Jiang Shengli just took the ready-made benefits. Did he ever visit you in prison? Did he ever apologize when you were released? Who should have gone to prison, you or him?"

"Everything has its pros and cons," He Jianjun said calmly. "In the past, I didn't read books and thought they were useless. But during those three years in prison, I started reading and couldn't stop. Reading is good; it broadened my horizons and gave me more knowledge."

Aunt Yan glared at him. "I think you've been reading too much."

"My dear, reading doesn't make you foolish," He Jianjun said calmly. "I read in a book that Confucius said, 'Repay grievances with virtue... Of course, Confucius didn't say it exactly like that...'

Lei Huanxi had read this before, and when He Jianjun said it, he was deeply moved.

Everyone knows the phrase "repay grievances with virtue," but the full original text is:

"Repay grievances with righteousness, and repay virtue with virtue."

This comes from the "Analects of Confucius, Chapter Xianwen." A student asked Confucius, "If someone hits me, should I use virtue and education to enlighten him?" Confucius replied, "If you repay grievances with virtue, then 'what do you repay virtue with?' When others treat you with virtue, you should repay them with virtue. But when someone hits you, you should 'repay grievances with righteousness.'"

Confucius himself opposed "repaying grievances with virtue," but this was often taken out of context.

He Jianjun had definitely read this, and his unspoken words hinted at something.

Under He Jianjun's nonchalant exterior, there must be his true thoughts.

"Xiao Lei, what is your favorite poem?" He Jianjun suddenly asked.

But before Lei Huanxi could answer, He Jianjun said, "My favorite poem is 'The Qin Pass, guarded by a hundred and two, will eventually belong to Chu; the three thousand soldiers of Yue can swallow Wu.'"

Lei Huanxi had no more doubts.

He Jianjun had never forgotten that Xihai Company was taken from him, and he had been harboring resentment for years.

"Three thousand soldiers of Yue can swallow Wu" refers to the story of King Goujian of Yue, who endured hardship and eventually conquered the powerful Wu.

He was enduring and waiting for a chance to defeat Jiang Shengli. But that opportunity hadn't come yet, and he had to continue to hide his true intentions.

But Lei Huanxi still didn't understand. Maybe Jiang Shengli didn't want to see He Jianjun, but why was Wei Guangshun, who had the backing of Xihai Group, so afraid of this seemingly refined person?

Even with Xihai Group as his backing, Wei Guangshun didn't dare to say a word when a cup of water