That evening, the group didn't drink much.
Like Wang Shouren, Wang Kaifang was the kind of guy who didn't really like drinking.
Wang Shouren didn't even bring a bottle of liquor with him. The two of them just drank some beer, not much, one bottle each, drinking as much as they could. After finishing, the two grown men left the house one after the other.
We arrived at the riverbank.
Wang Kaifang spoke first: "Hey you, you've been all smiles all these years, what's wrong? What's bothering you that you can't bring yourself to talk about it?"
Wang Kaifang knew that Wang Shouren would most likely not suddenly come over unless he had something to do.
As for economic matters, Wang Kaifang did not believe he could help Wang Shouren, and many people were already secretly calling Wang Shouren "the richest man in China".
"Xu Jiaguo, do you remember him?" Wang Shouren asked, leaning on the railing and watching the river rush by.
"Old Xu? What happened to him?"
"This time, he might not make it through."
What does "can't get through it" mean?
"He plans to sell my motorcycle factory."
"No?" Wang Kaifang paused, his voice rising several octaves. "Sold off?" Then he seemed to realize something. "Foreign investment?"
"Huh?" Wang Shouren laughed: "You lad, you're wise beyond your years."
"What kind of 'wise fool' is this? In our country, who can afford your motorcycle factory? Besides foreign capital, what else is there? But what exactly is Lao Xu thinking? Isn't your factory a golden goose that can place orders? Even I, an outsider, can see that clearly. How could he not know this?!"
“He knows it all too well,” Wang Shouren chuckled.
The motorcycle factory was a joint public-private enterprise; it was the private one.
If Xu Jiaguo can manage to oust Wang Shouren and bring in foreign investment, and the factory remains unchanged, selling even better than before, while still generating substantial annual revenue for the government, then no one will blame Xu Jiaguo. From a purely profit-driven perspective, whether the partner is Wang Shouren or foreign capital, there is no difference between the two.
If Xu Jiaguo takes advantage of this opportunity to kick Wang Shouren out and regain control of the motorcycle factory, he can succeed.
On the contrary, he also performed a great service.
But is it really that simple?
“So…” Wang Kaifang didn’t finish his sentence. He knew that perhaps this was what truly frustrated Wang Shouren.
His former good friend directly targeted him.
“He’s gotten too cocky.” Wang Shouren sighed as he felt the cold wind. “I gave him three chances, but he’s had it too easy all these years.”
It was all going smoothly.
While Wang Shouren lacked a powerful background, he relied on his foresight and the knowledge provided by the system to meticulously follow the footsteps of future generations, discerning what was suitable and unsuitable, making necessary adjustments. His efforts and achievements were evident. Xu Jiaguo, on the other hand, had always been reaping the benefits by following in Wang Shouren's footsteps.
From the very beginning, Wang Shouren created the five-star management system, and Xu Jiaguo benefited by consistently helping to implement it, accumulating enough merit for himself. Later, when Wang Shouren left, he gave Xu Jiaguo the position of chief secretary, which truly brought him into the core leadership. Li Weiguo also had high hopes for Xu Jiaguo. It can be said that, apart from a period of temporary dismissal during those ten years, Xu Jiaguo's career progressed smoothly.
Now, he was going to take action against Wang Shouren.
Wang Shouren was neither surprised nor surprised by this situation.
He took the betrayal by his friends in stride and considered it to be within his expectations.
However, he still came to find the fat man.
"That guy," Wang Kaifang sighed, then changed the subject: "By the way, Lin Zonghui, do you remember him?"
"Oh? He contacted you?" Wang Shouren raised an eyebrow.
Lin Zonghui was also in their dormitory back then, and he was the youngest one in their dormitory.
When they were in school, he was 17, Fatty was 17, Xu Jiaguo was 16, and Lin Zonghui was only 14. Back then, they took good care of this kid from the south. But after graduation, they heard he was assigned to the south, and then they lost contact with him.
"Yes, he just sent me a letter a while ago, inviting me to visit the South. But I don't have time for that. He also asked me about you and told me that he hadn't been unwilling to contact us all these years, but had gone abroad and had just returned."
“I see…” Wang Shouren nodded.
In the South, during difficult times, some people couldn't survive and would indeed flee towards Hong Kong. Some powerful people would be sent abroad, some to Thailand, and some to Hong Kong; each had their own reasons.
Even now, there are still many places in Thailand where Teochew is spoken, and most people go out during that time period.
However, Wang Shouren was not very interested in these things.
"If your wife wants, I can stay here for a couple of days and then come back with me when I go back."
"Um, I'll come too..." Wang Kaifang said somewhat shyly.
"Sure, I'll treat you to a good meal, whenever you're free." Wang Shouren nodded.
"Is your franchise fee really that expensive?" Wang Kaifang was still a little embarrassed.
Actually, the biggest disagreement between the couple was over the high franchise fee.
"It's not too expensive. I'll take you to the store later. Then you'll understand why we charge so much. Many of our items are unique to us. Don't worry, if you don't have enough money, just borrow some from me. To be honest, money means nothing to me anymore."
Wang Kaifang: ...
I have a strange toothache.
"Good heavens, when will I, Fatty Wang, be able to utter a line like that? I could die without regrets."
Neither of them continued discussing Xu Jiaguo; what's past is past, let it be.
Wang Kaifang was actually a very sentimental person, and he often sent letters to Wang Shouren and Xu Jiaguo.
However, Xu Jiaguo never replied after 80 years. Sometimes, some things are predictable. They just didn't say it aloud, hoping to see him change his mind one day. Unfortunately, some people, once they've gone down a path, have no intention of turning back; they don't want to turn back, and they can't turn back.
The two of them chatted by the river for quite a while, until it was late at night and there were hardly any people around, before they walked home one after the other.
After returning to Wang Kaifang's home, Wang Shouren fell asleep immediately and slept until dawn.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
