Chapter 60
The shrine looked close, but it actually took forty-five minutes to walk there.
Fortunately, the scenery along the way was picturesque, there was not a breath of wind, and the cool air was refreshing. Xiao Chenyue was unusually quiet, unlike her usual noisy self. Li Ye was able to immerse himself in this world and felt a long-lost peace in his heart.
"Reino, do you think Japanese people really believe that the gods in shrines will protect them?"
The two stood inside the small shrine, unable to understand what kind of festival was being held there, but it was spotless, with a few fresh flowers placed nearby, indicating that it was regularly cleaned.
"You get what you believe in; sincerity brings results." That's probably the idea.
"Then I'll wish for you to be with me. Do you think the gods will grant my wish?"
Well, Li Ye was answering Xiao Chenyue's question quite seriously, but she suddenly made a move, and he didn't know how to respond.
"Mr. Xiao, this... I don't think the gods are used like this. Relationships are between two people, and they probably can't make a wish on just one person. How about you wish for career success or a promotion?"
“He’s very successful in his career and has already been promoted quite a bit.” Xiao Chenyue rolled her eyes at her. She knew that Li Ye wouldn’t agree to her easily, and she didn’t expect to get any formal answer from her.
However, she would not give up. Thinking back to how Li Ye initially refused even to eat a meal, but now he was able to accompany her through the deep mountains and snowy forests of this foreign land, she realized that nothing is impossible for a willing heart.
At dinner time, the two finally returned to the hotel. After settling in, they went to eat. Feng Jing was already waiting for them at the entrance. As soon as they arrived, he led them into a private room in the restaurant. Xu Wanyi was already inside.
The room was bathed in a light that was neither too bright nor too dim, casting a soft glow on the dark walnut wood furniture and wooden floors, giving it a timeless and authentic feel. A traditional Japanese dinner was served, with a table laden with small plates.
Li Ye and Xiao Chenyue sat on one side, while Xu Wanyi sat on the other. She was wearing a kimono, her hair loosely tied on her head, exuding a gentle and elegant temperament that complemented the surroundings perfectly.
Xiao Chenyue was also very self-assured, not at all like a guest. As soon as she sat down, she poured a glass for Xu Wanyi and Li Ye, then filled her own glass and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Chairman Xu, and thank you for accompanying me around this afternoon, Attorney Li. Without further ado, I'll drink to that."
Xu Wanyi raised her hand and drank it all in one gulp. Li Ye looked at her and thought, "Are these two women really this fierce? Is sake not baijiu? Sake is a high-proof baijiu, okay? I don't want to clean up your messes." Thinking of this, Li Ye simply picked up his glass and drank it all in one go. Who's afraid of who?
The three chatted about various things, mostly with Xiao Chenyue doing the talking, and a little bit of the time Xiao Chenyue and Xu Wanyi were chatting. Li Ye remained silent, his face somewhat gloomy.
However, she felt that Xu Wanyi would occasionally glance at her, and there was something in her eyes that she couldn't understand. A hint of blame, a hint of doubt, a hint of restraint, a hint of inner turmoil…
After a hearty meal and plenty of drinks, everyone was a little tipsy.
After the two exchanged countless rounds of evasive questions, Xu Wanyi finally spoke up: "President Xiao, what do you think of the details we discussed last time?"
It turns out that back in Haixi, Xu Wanyi had already negotiated with Xiao Chenyue multiple times, discussing the details of the procurement. She had gone much further than her confident brother. This trip was to finalize the contract and secure the Chengye Group in one fell swoop.
Xiao Chenyue understood perfectly well that she had considered the deal; the general direction was sound, and Xu Wanyi was far more reliable than her unlucky, overindulgent brother. However, she also had her own ulterior motives.
"Hmm, Chairman Xu, I heard that the land east of our company is in your hands?"
Xu Wan thought for a long time about which piece of land "the land east of their company" meant. Suddenly she remembered that Leguang Real Estate did have a piece of land in the east of Haixi, but it was an industrial land and they didn't plan to develop it at the moment, so she hadn't paid much attention to it.
"Yes, there is such a piece. What does Mr. Xiao mean?"
“I’ve investigated. The land is quite large, and there are two property certificates. Sell us the smaller one.” Xiao Chenyue spoke quickly and directly, without beating around the bush.
"Mr. Xiao, are you also planning to expand production capacity?"
"Of course, who doesn't want to develop?"
Xu Wanyi's eyes darted around. Acquiring industrial land in Haixi these days was already quite difficult, let alone such a large piece. Holding onto it as investment property would contribute significantly to the group's annual financial statements. What she was considering wasn't just the numbers on the financial statements, but the tangible benefits. Building a few workshops in Haixi City would not only save huge amounts of costs, but also streamline the entire supply chain of Leguang New Energy Industry.
Therefore, Xu Wanyi's face showed embarrassment.
“Mr. Xiao, you know how important this land is. It’s not something I can decide on my own. It needs to be discussed with everyone at the group level.”
"Oh? Including your brother, what's his name again, Xu Xianming?"
Xu Wanyi raised an eyebrow. Although this older brother had been useless for the past few years, he was still quite capable when he got serious, not to mention Dai Feng.
The room remained silent for a long time before Li Ye, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Actually, that piece of land is not far from Chengye Group. Your two companies are upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry. If you can build the factory next door, it will be very beneficial for both of you."
Xu Wanyi thought to herself, "What? It really is someone brought by President Xiao. They've only been for a short walk and they're already leaning towards him." So she waited for her to continue.
"Oh, Lawyer Li, who's always going against me, actually agrees with my idea today?" Xiao Chenyue didn't expect Li Ye to say such a thing, and feeling that she hadn't finished speaking, she replied half-jokingly.
Sure enough, Li Ye continued, "If Chairman Xu builds the factory and then leases part of it to President Xiao on a long-term basis, the result will be the same."
"Ha, lawyers are lawyers, always full of tricks and schemes." Xiao Chenyue uttered these words softly, her opinion unreadable.
"Hey Li Ye, someone as charming and cunning as you, have you managed to hook up with a lot of girls?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ye's heart tightened. "Big sister, how can you just blurt out anything like that?!" Her face turned red from her ears to her neck.
"No, Mr. Xiao, what are you talking about? Aren't you two discussing serious matters? Let's not talk about my business." She neither denied nor admitted it, and directly changed the subject.
"Chairman Xu, see? I wasn't wrong. Someone like our Attorney Li must have a lot of girls throwing themselves at him."
Xiao Chenyue didn't treat Xu Wanyi as an outsider at all. She took Li Ye's sexual orientation for granted and talked to him like a best friend having a late-night chat.
Xu Wanyi didn't really understand why Xiao Chenyue's conversation suddenly turned to Li Ye.
“I have professional dealings with Attorney Li, but as for her personal life…” Xu Wanyi glanced at Li Ye at this point, “I don’t know much about it.”
What she said wasn't wrong. She only knew one relationship, which was with Li Ye. Ten years have passed, and although she has been single all this time, who knows how many girlfriends and boyfriends this man has had?
"Well, in that case, Attorney Li, could you leave for a moment? I need to talk to Chairman Xu alone for a little while, just a short while." Xiao Chenyue pressed her advantage, offering such an excessive reason.
Li Ye looked confused. Were they really going to kick her out like that? Did these two really want to talk about her romantic history? She thought for a long time and realized that she didn't have any romantic history for them to talk about. Xu Wanyi also knew about An Yue's little troubles.
Both women were acting like bosses, so Li Ye had no choice but to get up and leave.
"Okay, I'm going out for some fresh air."
Because she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, she had to straighten her legs first and then use her hands for support to stand up. Unfortunately, she was wearing a white cotton shirt, and the first two buttons were undone. As she leaned forward, one of her delicate and clear collarbones was exposed to Xu Wanyi's eyes. Xu Wanyi couldn't help but take a few more glances before quickly looking away, feeling a surge of irritation.
Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Chenyue reached out and hugged Li Ye, saying, "Lawyer Li, your legs are so long. If you stay here for so long, be careful your legs will go numb."
Xu Wanyi's hand gripping the chopsticks suddenly tightened, but her expression remained unchanged. She didn't speak, but Li Ye was quite calm and said, "Thank you for your concern, President Xiao. I'm fine, I'm fine."
As she spoke, she stood up without making a sound, left Xiao Chenyue's half-embracing arm, and walked out. Before leaving, she habitually glanced at Xu Wanyi.
Miss Xu remained calm, as if she had seen this kind of thing many times before.
Li Ye closed the door and walked out. The corridor was dimly lit, and low, mournful Japanese music drifted from somewhere.
She didn't care much about what the two were going to discuss, because those things were none of her concern.
The music reminded her of her years in Japan, with lines like "In the deep of night, the cold rain falls and fireflies flit across the high pavilion," and Xu Wanyi's words, "My mother said that good-looking people are all bad." Her heart churned, and her emotions accumulated like rain clouds.
Ten years have passed, and Xu Wanyi has matured a great deal. Today, Miss Xu is capable of navigating the business world with ease, yet she still cannot escape her mother's overt or covert control in matters of the heart. She has truly made no progress at all.
Should he be ruthless and go through it all again? Li Ye felt he couldn't do such a thing now. He probably owed her something in his past life, and now he owed her again. He needed to repay her a great deal before he could ever be free. He had brought this upon himself.
Nevertheless, it didn't mean she wasn't angry. Xu Wanyi could do whatever she wanted, but her obedient attitude towards her mother gradually fueled Li Ye's anger.
It started snowing heavily outside, so Li Ye simply walked out of the gate of the classical building and stood in the deserted courtyard, letting the wind and snow blow and fall on him, washing away his chaotic thoughts.
Inside the room.
After Li Ye left, Xiao Chenyue smiled mysteriously and asked, "Chairman Xu, has Attorney Li been primarily working for your group this year?"
Xu Wanyi became wary. Could it be that Xiao Chenyue was bothered by this?
"Yes, probably. I'm not very familiar with her business. If Mr. Xiao feels it's inappropriate, I can ask Attorney Li to no longer be directly involved in this project."
"No, no need, there's nothing wrong with it. You're Attorney Li's biggest client now. If I cut off her career, she'd definitely turn against me. I was just thinking that she's been coming to our company and going to the office much less this year, and I wondered if something had happened."
Xu Wanyi thought to herself, "But she's not in our company either! Who knows where she went!"
If the two knew that the place where Attorney Li spent the most time this year was her large balcony facing Wu Suhe, I wonder what they would think.
Just then, Li Ye walked out of the gate and stood in the courtyard. Both of them saw her straight and slender back. For a moment, the conversation inside the house stopped, and they both stared outside in a daze.
"Mr. Xu, what do you think of Attorney Li?"
"Very good, professional, serious, responsible, and efficient."
Xiao Chenyue made no attempt to hide her desire for Li Ye, but Xu Wanyi didn't want to bring it up.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what she's like in her daily life, or what you think of her as a girlfriend?"
Xu Wanyi was startled, but she quickly realized that Xiao Chenyue couldn't possibly know about her past with Li Ye. She was asking her what Li Ye was like as "Xiao Chenyue's girlfriend".
To be honest, this made her feel very uncomfortable, the kind of extreme discomfort that comes from someone wanting to take something away from her.
At this moment, Li Ye suddenly turned around and stared at the roof ridge without moving, as if something on the roof had caught her attention.
Her eyes were exceptionally clear, her short, wispy hair partially obscuring her forehead, and her face, with its distinct features, exuded a serene and ethereal quality. A sudden surge of sweetness welled up in Xu Wanyi's heart, quickly turning into an indescribable bittersweet feeling.
“Chairman Xu, I came to Li Ye with a purpose. So, my final condition is that you create the conditions for me to pursue Li Ye.”
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