Lifelong rival
"It's a blessing for the country to have someone like you." Ji Ruqiong said this with a tone full of teasing and praise, but when she looked at Zhuang Eryi, her gaze carried a hint of regret and melancholy.
Many, many years later, when Shandong had become a place of unrecognizable changes for them, Ji Ruqiong and Zhuang Eryi met again after many years. Ji Ruqiong asked her the question she hadn't asked that day: "Will you have any regrets?"
At that time, Zhuang Eryi replied to her: "I am not the kind of woman who would be trapped in love, and he would not live for love."
"This is the choice we made at the right time, and it is also the destiny we cannot change."
That's why, when we sit together at this table today, Zhuang Eryi's gaze towards Zhang Chenglin is so open and honest, her gentle eyes concealing all the unspoken regrets.
There was nothing much to do in the afternoon, so Ji Ruqiong pestered Ji Yuxing to go out for a stroll with her. In fact, Ji Yuxing knew exactly what she was thinking, and not only Ji Yuxing, but Zhang Chenglin did too.
So when they left Zhang Chenglin's house, Zhang Chenglin gave Ji Yuxing a slightly indifferent look.
Ji Yuxing understood immediately and mouthed back, "Don't worry."
——
"Brother, could you tell me about..." As soon as the two of them walked out of the corner of the road in front of Zhang Chenglin's house, Ji Ruqiong couldn't wait to ask, "What happened between Zhuang Eryi and Brother Lin in Cambridge?"
Ji Yuxing hesitated, then said, "...I knew it."
"Can I refuse?" Ji Yuxing gave a deathly smile and asked calmly, "I'm afraid if I tell you, neither of us will see the sun rise tomorrow."
"What?" Ji Ruqiong became even more interested and pressed on, "Were they so passionate about each other in Cambridge?"
Ji Yuxing: "...Don't make wild guesses about how the story will unfold."
“Zhang Chenglin lived in Shanghai for many years before,” Ji Yuxing sighed silently as he looked at Ji Ruqiong’s eager eyes, and apologized to his good brother in his heart: “Zhuang Eryi also did. It was probably not long after I left Shanghai that Zhuang Eryi went to Shanghai. So they were friends when they were in Shandong, and during their time in Shanghai, he was practically their only friend.”
"Later, when he went to Cambridge to study, Zhang Deyue was very busy. Zhuang Yanbin handled all of Zhang Chenglin's study abroad matters. So, it was just a matter of convenience for Zhuang Yanbin to let Zhuang Eryi go with him."
"Time flies, and it's easiest to develop feelings for someone who's by your side when you're just starting to fall in love." Ji Yuxing and Ji Ruqiong walked together, and Ji Yuxing picked up a foxtail grass and held it in his hand. He continued, "When Zhuang Eryi was twelve or thirteen, she was in Shanghai. Being a stranger in a strange land, she became dependent on Zhang Chenglin, who had lived there for many years. Later, the two of them went to Cambridge together. When they first arrived, Zhang Chenglin was the only person Zhuang Eryi knew. So it's quite normal for Zhuang Eryi to have a crush on him when she was a little girl."
"Then... do our parents know?" Ji Ruqiong suddenly asked a question that Ji Yuxing considered very advanced for this relationship, seemingly lost in thought.
“I know,” Ji Yuxing nodded, “but neither set of parents had that intention. Zhuang Yanbin’s wolfish ambitions are obvious. Zhang Deyue, being such a shrewd person, would definitely be able to see it. So, although Zhang Deyue wanted Zhang Chenglin to take over his business, he never thought of having Zhang Chenglin marry someone from the Kuomintang.”
"As for Zhuang Yanbin, he wants to seize power and wants more than Zhang Deyue has, so he will definitely not bet on Zhang Chenglin. He needs someone who can provide him with absolute financial support, so Jiang Qingju is the best choice than Zhang Chenglin."
"How foolish!" After hearing Ji Yuxing's words, Ji Ruqiong suddenly sighed and rubbed her forehead, leaving Ji Yuxing completely bewildered: "What's wrong?"
“Clearly, Brother Lin is the perfect combination of power and economics,” Ji Ruqiong said helplessly.
Ji Yuxing didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.
“From that perspective at the time, Zhang Deyue’s power would definitely belong to Brother Lin in the future.” Ji Ruqiong reached out and snatched the foxtail grass from Ji Yuxing’s hand, saying, “And compared to Jiang Qingju, under the same conditions, it is obvious that Brother Lin is more likely to get Jiang Yuanxing’s property.”
A question mark slowly appeared above Ji Yuxing's head: "Why?"
Ji Ruqiong's words really puzzled him. Between a biological son and a nephew, anyone would lean more towards Jiang Qingju than Jiang Yuanxing.
"Because grandparents love their grandchildren more!"
Ji Ruqiong looked at Ji Yuxing with complicated emotions, as if he were a fool.
Ji Yuxing: "..."
Who taught you to analyze problems like this?
Ji Yuxing wandered around outside for a while but eventually returned to Zhang Chenglin's house.
Zhang Chenglin's first words to him were: "Have you exposed all my secrets again?"
Ji Yuxing hesitated, then chuckled softly without answering.
Zhang Chenglin looked at him with his usual cold and stern expression, "Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua are Zhang Chenglin's lifelong enemies."
*
A week later, Zhang Chenglin was at Huayuelou. This was the first time he had seen Fengyue perform on stage since he arrived.
As the song reached its most exciting part on stage, Xin Jie rushed in from the audience.
When Xin Jie leaned down to speak into Zhang Chenglin's ear, Feng Yue, who was singing on stage, was distracted without realizing it, and her voice trembled slightly.
However, no one paid attention to this little incident, because after Xin Jie and Zhang Chenglin exchanged a few words, Zhang Chenglin suddenly got up and followed Xin Jie out of Huayue Tower.
On the way to the oil shop in the east of the city, Zhang Chenglin asked Xin Jie, "Has Ji Yuxing gone yet?"
“No,” Xin Jie shook his head: “The messenger only said that Mr. Sheng called you over.”
Zhang Chenglin frowned and rubbed his temples.
His brows and eyes betrayed a lingering sense of unease.
As soon as Zhang Chenglin entered the oil shop in the east of the city, Sheng Dongsheng dismissed everyone present, including Xin Jie and his own men.
"Isn't Zou Yechun handling the Ansteel matter?" Zhang Chenglin asked bluntly, his expression grim.
“Yes,” Sheng Dongsheng nodded, his face also full of solemnity, “but Ansteel involves too many people. Cheng Yuanying had long anticipated this predicament and had made arrangements with people above and below him. Zou Yechun even wrote several telegrams to the organization, saying that he really couldn’t solve it.”
“The organization held a meeting last night and, after careful consideration, decided to put you in charge of this matter,” Sheng Dongsheng said, taking a sip of tea. “You will be fully responsible for the aftermath. If you need anything, just tell me directly, and I will do my best to help you.”
Zhang Chenglin frowned and didn't answer, seemingly lost in thought.
“Chenglin, Anshan Steel Plant, as the largest steel supplier in the country, carries the past, present and future of the nation.” Sheng Dongsheng sighed, his tone full of helplessness. Like Tan Yuanbo, he had long regarded Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing as his own family. Naturally, he did not want them to take this risk, but since the organization had made the arrangement, he could only obey.
"Even if we don't act from the perspective of so-called interests or the organization's position, the country cannot do without Ansteel, and the people cannot do without Ansteel."
"When conflicts arise, Ansteel is the country's last trump card."
Sheng Dongsheng glanced at Zhang Chenglin's expression after each sentence to make sure it was normal before continuing.
But Zhang Chenglin's mind was no longer on his words.
As Sheng Dongsheng said, Anshan Steel Plant is the largest steel supplier in the country, bearing the nation's past, present, and future. However, Cheng Yuanying, the person in charge of Anshan Steel, was corrupt and embezzled most of the company's revenue, leaving workers unable to pay their wages or even eat, leading to an uprising and internal strife.
The Northeast is a source of many essential resources, so the implications of workers' uprisings, strikes, and internal strife are self-evident.
Especially now, when external threats are about to erupt.
Zhang Chenglin had heard about this incident as soon as it happened, but since all the officials at various levels in Northeast China were stationed there, he thought that this matter would never fall on him.
If all else fails, there's still Ji Yuxing from Northeast China.
It's not that Zhang Chenglin was a coward in the face of trouble. First of all, this matter was inherently very thorny. Secondly, Cheng Yuanying, the person in charge of Ansteel, was a member of the Kuomintang.
Moreover, he was a capable assistant personally sent by Zhang Deyue to Ansteel a few years ago, and one of the few people valued by Zhang Deyue besides Zhuang Yanbin and Jiang Rusu.
Therefore, this matter is easy to hand over to anyone, and anyone can handle it.
If it's left to Zhang Chenglin, no matter how he handles it, he'll end up pleasing neither side.
"I'll have Ji Yuxing come over later. He knows the Northeast better than you do. It's always better to have him go with you. Having a helper is better than fighting alone."
"Hmm," Zhang Chenglin replied indifferently.
"Also, you need to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Today is already December 10th," Sheng Dongsheng glanced at the calendar and said, "The Puyu Chamber of Commerce's leadership transition meeting will be held on the 15th, and you are on the invitation list. This matter cannot be postponed."
“I…” Zhang Chenglin was about to say something when Sheng Dongsheng interrupted him again: “The matter of Ansteel is really unresolved. Let Ji Yuxing stay in the Northeast for two days to cover for you. You can come back and attend the Puyu Chamber of Commerce before we talk about it again.”
"Um."
——
At 10:30 p.m. that night, Ji Yuxing hurriedly pushed open the gate of Zhang Chenglin's house, and ran as fast as he could when he crossed the yard and entered the house, as if he had someone's gun pointed at his back.
"No, no, no," Ji Yuxing shouted as soon as he entered the room and closed the door, "What do you mean?! The organization wants you to handle the Ansteel matter?!"
"Are you crazy?" Ji Yuxing was even more confused than Zhang Chenglin. When he heard Sheng Dongsheng make this arrangement, he almost exploded on the spot: "What is Ansteel?! Ansteel is the one that the high-level leaders of the organization and the Kuomintang leaders fought for for a long time without a result! Your father sent his capable assistant Cheng Yuanying to be in charge. You can imagine how important it is."
"Has the higher-ups gone mad? They've created such a mess and expect you to be the scapegoat?"
"Regardless of what your father's actions are, I don't believe that after all this time, the higher-ups still can't see what kind of person you are!"
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