Chapter 60
Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian agreed with Gao Yinxi's idea.
Sentiment can be idealistic, but concrete execution cannot.
The road to entrepreneurship is more difficult than imagined, especially since Gao Yinxi is still pregnant.
The three women invested their own money to rent the Rose Manor for fifteen years. A supplementary agreement stipulated that after fifteen years, the manor owner would have priority to rent the manor to the company they had established.
The main issue was that while the rent for Rose Manor was indeed very cheap, the renovation and alterations were not. What followed was a long process of renovation and preparation.
Xu Zhuwen did not quit her stable job, but devoted all her time outside of work to her new career.
She found herself enjoying the feeling of striving for herself more than ever before, and she thoroughly enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came from doing something seriously.
One afternoon, Xu Zhuwen was supervising the renovation project of the wine cellar when he received a call from an unknown number.
After hesitating for a moment, she answered the phone.
"Ms. Xu, this is Li Yingjie." The woman's voice on the other end of the phone sounded slightly tired. "Could we meet? There are some things... I think you should know."
Xu Zhuwen remained silent for a while, then finally agreed.
This time, the meeting place was a lively tea restaurant, quite different from the quiet coffee shop we met last time.
Li Yingjie looked a bit heavier, and her once-delicate face now appeared somewhat haggard.
“First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened last time.” Li Yingjie got straight to the point. “You’re right, Qian Song and I did have some… improper financial dealings.”
Xu Zhuwen listened quietly without responding.
“Before Qian Song disappeared, he concealed a lot of pure-bullet debts,” Li Yingjie continued. “He not only lied to you, but also to me.”
Xu Zhuwen was slightly surprised, "I thought you were his 'benefactor'."
Li Yingjie smiled bitterly, "Initially, I just admired his talent and invested a sum of money. Later, I was persuaded by him to participate in those 'abnormal fund flows.' Now that I think about it, I was completely deceived by him." She took a deep breath, "The tax bureau and the police are already watching me, and I may face charges."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Xu Zhuwen asked.
“Because you should know the truth, and because I need your help.” Li Yingjie looked directly into Xu Zhuwen’s eyes. “Do you have the promise letter and chat records from when Qian Song borrowed money from you? Those can prove that he committed premeditated fraud, rather than a simple business failure.”
Xu Zhuwen thought for a moment and asked in return, "Why should I help you?"
“We are both women, and I believe you know how difficult it is for women to make a name for themselves in this world. I divorced my ex-husband in my early thirties with my daughter, and I had nothing at the time. My later business was built through my hard work day and night. I don’t want to suffer any losses because of Qian Song’s matter.” Li Yingjie looked at Xu Zhuwen pleadingly. “If you have backups of all the records, can you provide them to the police? This is not only to help me, but also to make those who should be held accountable.”
"Who should be held responsible?" Xu Zhuwen asked. "Is it only Qian Song?"
Xu Zhuwen's eyes were so clear that Li Yingjie dared not look directly at her. "Miss Xu, who else could it be but Qian Song?"
“President Li, I’m glad you overestimated my character and thought I would help you, but you’re wrong.” Xu Zhuwen was silent for a while, then said calmly, “Since you know that it’s not easy for women to make a living, you should help women even more, instead of scheming against me with Qian Song.”
Li Yingjie's expression changed. "You...you knew all along?"
"Why do you think I wouldn't know?" Xu Zhuwen sneered. "Just because you think you've lived more than ten years longer than us?"
"So, you won't help me, right?" Li Yingjie's expression turned visibly ashen. "It's just a small favor."
"If it were you, would you be so saintly as to help someone who hurt you in the past?" Xu Zhuwen's stance was firm. "Is it just a small favor? Or are you trying to morally blackmail me? If you want to use moral blackmail on me, why didn't you show me any kindness in the past?"
I would never repay evil with kindness. But I might consider repaying kindness with kindness.
Li Yingjie gripped the coffee cup in front of her tightly, her lips trembling as she said, "Do you know? Qian Song once mocked your relationship with your friend, saying you were 'three silly women' who would never amount to anything."
“Ha~” Xu Zhuwen stopped, turned to face her, and smiled slightly. “Then he should know now that the bond between women is far stronger than he thought, and women’s abilities are also higher than he thought. He is nothing but a piece of trash except for the moment he was born, which brought his parents a moment of glory and pride.”
...
The gym's metal equipment gleamed coldly under the lights, and the air was filled with a mixture of sweat, disinfectant, and a faint scent of perfume.
After finishing her last set of dumbbell lateral raises, Li Chi'an felt a burning sensation in her shoulder muscles and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Be safe!"
She turned her head and saw a tall, elegant woman walking towards her in a newly changed tracksuit, carrying a cloth bag in her hand.
Aunt Chen is in her fifties, but she maintains an enviable figure and has the vitality of a young person in her eyes and brows.
"Does Teacher Chen not have any classes today?" Li Chi'an asked with a smile, wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel. "You're here early today."
Aunt Chen is now a retired teacher who has been rehired to teach at an arts high school. She used to be the best middle school teacher in the city.
"I only have one class today." Aunt Chen blinked and handed the cloth bag to Li Chi'an. "I brought you some good things."
She opened the bag, which was full of golden-red apricots, plump and round, exuding a sweet and ripe aroma.
"These are grown by my mother back in my hometown of XJ. They're pesticide-free and completely natural," Aunt Chen said with pride. "They're very sweet. Try some."
Li Chi'an was flattered and said, "This is too kind of you..."
"Don't mention it! My mom sent a whole box, I can't possibly finish it all." Aunt Chen insisted on stuffing it into her hands. "You've been training so hard, it's good for you to get some natural vitamins. You can also bring some for your son to try."
Li Chi'an gratefully accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Teacher Chen. I won't stand on ceremony."
"Don't be so polite with me." Aunt Chen patted her shoulder. "I'm going to practice my core for a while. You can eat slowly."
Aunt Chen knew that Li Chi'an was a writer. After recognizing her at the gym, she took the initiative to befriend her. This was mainly because she herself was a Chinese language teacher, loved literature and art, and had even self-published two collections of poetry.
From her, Li Chi'an discovered that as a woman ages, the importance of her facial features decreases year by year.
Teacher Chen's features are not the most beautiful, but they are the most graceful. In a crowd, she is always the first person you notice. She has a calm and gentle light about her, as if she is well nourished.
It's a very happy thing to be able to make friends with her.
Holding the bag of apricots, Li Chi'an suddenly remembered that Yu Shi had said he would also be coming to the gym today.
Just in time, I finished my workout plan for the day, so I took out my phone and sent a message: "Coach, how was your workout? I have something nice to treat you to~"
Less than a minute later, a reply came: "Just finished practicing, where are you?"
"Freedom Power Zone".
Soon, Yu Shi walked over wearing a black sports T-shirt, his sweaty hair plastered to his forehead, and the veins in his arms slightly bulging, still maintaining the pump feeling after training.
"What good stuff?" he asked, his eyes falling on the bag she was carrying.
Li Chi'an handed over the bag. "Teacher Chen gave it to me. She said it's grown in her hometown of XJ and it's super sweet."
Yu Shi reached into the bag, scooped out a fruit, tasted it, and said, "The flesh is soft and juicy."
"You didn't even wait to wash it before eating," Li Chi'an scolded playfully.
"What's there to be afraid of? Didn't we say that it was grown by the old lady herself? That means it's all-natural and organic."
“She gave me a lot, I’ll share half with you,” Li Chi’an said, heading to find a bag to divide the money.
The two talked as they walked toward the changing room.
Yu Shi stopped her, saying, "No rush, I want to eat beef hot pot, let's go together."
"Okay, let's finish eating and then divide it up."
After the two finished showering and changing, they decided to go to the newly opened Chaoshan beef hot pot restaurant in the mall.
Stepping out of the gym, the summer evening breeze caressed my face, taking away the day's fatigue.
"What did you practice?" Yu Shi asked, while stretching his shoulders.
"Back and shoulders. I did pull-ups, rows, lateral raises..." Li Chi'an counted, "And you?"
"Chest and triceps. I've finally broken 100 kg in bench press." Yu Shi said with a hint of pride.
Li Chi'an exclaimed sincerely, "Amazing! I'll be satisfied when I can lift my own weight."
“You still need to train for a few more years,” Yu Shi said with a smile. “Even with an excellent coach like me, the time gap cannot be erased.”
Li Chi'an rolled his eyes at him, "Narcissist."
The mall was brightly lit, and long queues had already formed outside the restaurants.
While waiting for their number to be taken, Li Chi'an noticed that Yu Shi seemed somewhat distracted.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Yu Shi frowned. "It's a company matter. A partner on a new project is particularly difficult to deal with; they keep changing the terms."
Li Chi'an nodded in understanding.
Yu Shi has a wide range of interests and runs several companies, not to mention the Yu Group, which has a huge business. In fact, the two of them don't have much time to get together because they are both very busy.
This hot pot restaurant is very popular.
When something happened, Li Chi'an didn't disturb him, letting him quietly attend to his own business.
After sitting quietly for a while, the waiter standing at the door called their number.
Yu Shi put away his phone and said, "Never mind, let's eat properly first."
"If we're in a hurry, we can eat faster," Li Chi'an suggested.
"I've been craving beef hot pot for days, and it wasn't easy to get you to come along, so of course we have to enjoy it properly." Yu Shi took Li Chi'an's hand and walked with a smile toward the seats that the waiter had prepared.
...
Steam rose in wisps, swirling like a thin veil under the warm yellow light.
The rich aroma of beef hot pot filled the air, mixed with the salty and savory flavor of satay sauce and the freshness of chopped celery.
"The neck meat is here!" The waiter brought out a plate of beautifully marbled slices of meat and gently placed it on the table.
His eyes lit up and he immediately picked up his chopsticks.
Li Chi'an shook his head with a smile, "Look how impatient you are, the water hasn't even boiled yet."
"I'm hungry!" Yu Shi explained, stirring the bottom of the pot with a long spoon. In the clear beef bone broth, a few pieces of white radish floated on the surface.
Didn't you eat a proper lunch?
"I was so busy today, I just ate a sandwich in the office for lunch."
"You should have said so earlier, we could have eaten first."
Yu Shi looked up at Li Chi'an, whose facial features were becoming increasingly defined, and muttered, "I wonder who said they ate too much at lunch and needed to work out more at the gym."
Li Chi'an was touched by Young Master Yu's thoughtfulness.
When a series of bubbles finally rise from the bottom of the pot, pick up a slice of beef as thin as a cicada's wing, dip it three times in and out of the boiling soup, and the slice of meat instantly changes from bright red to light pink.
After that, he skillfully scooped it up, dipped it in satay sauce, and naturally put the first piece of meat into Li Chi'an's bowl.
"Try it, they say it's freshly arrived from Yunnan and Guizhou." Yu Shi looked at her expectantly.
Li Chi'an blew on the meat, then handed it to Yu Shi, who immediately widened his eyes and exclaimed, "So tender! Delicious!"
He squinted his eyes contentedly, unaware that there was some sauce on the corner of his mouth.
Li Chi'an chuckled and gently wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
This natural and intimate gesture made Yu Shi's ears burn slightly.
They ate quietly for a while, taking turns dipping different cuts of beef in the hot pot: brisket, chuck, and flank fat.
For each type of meat, a little tip would be shared: "The brisket fat needs to be cooked longer until it curls up; that's when it tastes best—crispy but not greasy."
Li Chi'an looked at him, resting his chin on his hand, "How do you know so much about beef hot pot?"
“My family used to run a hot pot restaurant. It was when I was in middle school, and I even worked there during summer vacation.” As Yu Shi spoke, he precisely scooped up a perfectly cooked piece of tripe. “Look, this is the perfect doneness, crisp and delicious.”
A light rain began to fall outside the window, and raindrops slid down the glass, leaving watermarks.
The steam from the hot pot fogged up the glass, contrasting with the coolness outside.
Li Chi'an suddenly felt that the warmth in this small space was unreal.
Yu Shi enjoys life, has a wide range of interests, and has a thriving career, but he is not obsessed with money. He can be both frugal and sophisticated when it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, making him a completely different person from Chen Li.
Chen Li doesn't love life; he only loves fame and fortune.
Living with him may seem glamorous at first glance, but it's actually dull and boring.
Times change, and he may seem restless at home, but living with him can be incredibly comfortable and joyful.
Towards the end of the meal, the two slowed down and added some vegetables and tofu to the hot pot.
Li Chian likes to soak fried tofu skin in soup, and take it out as soon as it softens slightly. The tofu skin, which has absorbed the soup, has both the aroma of beans and the freshness of meat.
At that time, he focused on the beef tendon balls, gently stirring them with a strainer to ensure they were heated evenly in the boiling soup.
“My dad will be back from Japan for Chinese New Year,” Yu Shi suddenly said, her tone casual yet tinged with nervousness. “Would you like to meet my parents then?”
The lettuce slices that Li Chi'an was holding fell back into the bowl, splashing a few drops of soup.
She looked up at Yu Shi, who seemed focused on simmering meatballs, but his shoulders were tense.
"I'm free when I'm available," she replied softly, looking down to hide the shock in her eyes. "We'll make a specific appointment when the time comes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
