0085 94 Three Questions
A delicate fragrance wafted through the air, and the ticking of the clock echoed.
Zhou Xiye woke up, but she didn't open her eyes. The surrounding smells and the feel of her hands were completely different from what she was used to. After regaining consciousness, she recalled the details she could remember when she was last awake: the person who covered her mouth, the watch on her right hand, and the strong smell of ether that she couldn't remember the person's scent.
He should be wearing a suit...
I didn't feel like I was being restrained by ropes.
That's all Zhou Xiye could think of. From this detail, she couldn't figure out who wanted to kidnap her. As for the motive, Ye Lifeng was a possibility; if he didn't want to agree to her conditions, he would find a way to get rid of her.
If it were him, Zhou Xiye would feel heartbroken. But she couldn't have decided how things had turned out. She waited a long time, trying to figure out what was going on around her. She squinted and looked around, and vaguely saw furniture, decorations, and a television, but no one was there.
She opened her eyes and, after confirming that she was in a luxurious bedroom, Zhou Xiye sat up.
She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn to see Ye Lifeng, and there were no marks on her body; she hadn't been violated. Her bag was gone, not to mention her phone, but there was a landline. Zhou Xiye looked at the landline, thought for a moment, and reached for the receiver.
At the same time, the landline rang, startling Zhou Xiye. She only paused in mid-air with her hand and mouth slightly open, without showing any surprise.
As I answered the phone, a male voice came through, "Awake? Come down for dinner."
The call was then disconnected, and before Zhou Xiye could reply, she heard no human voice. But it didn't matter; she didn't care who was on the other end. She dialed 110, but couldn't get through. Zhou Xiye put down the phone, and the moment she did, the landline rang again. She answered, "Calling the police is useless; this number only connects to internal staff… I know everything you do. Come down and eat."
Zhou Xiye paused, put down the phone, sat on the bed, looked at himself on TV, and silently searched for the location of the camera.
Two minutes later, after confirming the location of the camera, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went outside.
Outside was a long, circular corridor with doors on all four sides. Wooden handrails, red carpets, and a bright domed ceiling gave it a distinctly Soviet-era architectural feel. Zhou Xiye looked up; all that came into view was the same structure, seven stories in total.
The rows of doors coming together create a sense of oppression.
She looked around; there was no one there, and many doors were closed. She turned her head and looked down, her elbows resting on the armrest. She saw a person sitting at a long dining table, with plenty of food on it.
The man looked up at Zhou Xiye, raised his hand and waved to her, smiling.
Zhou Xiye couldn't see a way downstairs, so she assumed it was an elevator hidden behind a door. She turned around, withdrew her hand, and walked forward. The carpet was soft, and she made no sound as she walked. As she walked, she carefully observed the surrounding doors, trying to figure out which one was the elevator.
The elevator door was easily visible—a large wooden door, twice the size of the other doors, with the elevator buttons beside it. Zhou Xiye pressed the button for the first floor, the elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside.
She soon arrived at the first floor, where the marble floor reflected her own image.
Footsteps echoed throughout the space, "tap-tap-tap-tap-tap."
Zhou Xiye walked to the long table, where the person had already stood up, pulled out the seat opposite him, and invited Zhou Xiye to sit down.
"You may not know me, my name is Bao Ren, and I am..."
"He's the owner of Green Pine Capital, the owner of the largest hedge fund in China, known as the 'Godfather of Investment.' Because of you, BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) and a series of new economy upstarts were single-handedly supported by you. The Washington Post even said, 'If you don't know Bao Ren, then your business isn't big enough.' Seven months ago, you disappeared from public view. Everyone was speculating that either you ran away or you were murdered."
Bao Ren smiled, his bald head inadvertently reflecting the light, making him look somewhat comical. Zhou Xiye suppressed a laugh, looking at this legendary figure before her. The disappearance of the king of new economic capital had caused Hong Kong stocks and market value to plummet overnight. She hadn't expected to see Bao Ren here.
Clearly, he is doing well.
"Do you have any questions?" Bao Ren put away his smile, displaying his usual calm and composure. "You only have three chances."
Zhou Xiye nodded, glanced down at the food on the table, and realized he was indeed a little hungry. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.
"Without a political background, is it impossible to do business in China?" This was Zhou Xiye's first question.
Bao Ren took a knife and fork, cut the beef, and took a bite.
What are your views on market economy and planned economy?
Zhou Xiye thought for a moment, and finally said simply, "I have no right to choose."
Bao Ren glanced at Zhou Xiye and took a sip of red wine.
Zhou Xiye laughed, "I've seen your file. As a rainmaker and alchemist, all your major cases are related to the red bloodline. It can be said that 90% of the apps on Chinese people's phones are related to you, and they are the beneficiaries."
Bao Ren remained noncommittal, put down his knife and fork, and said, "Hands and blood complement each other," pushing aside the beef, "Next question."
Zhou Xiye looked at the plain noodles placed in front of him, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite.
"If the River School hadn't declined, what would your financial strategy for China be like?"
Bao Ren paused in his eating, lifted his eyelids to look at Zhou Xiye, and after two or three seconds, he put down his chopsticks, straightened up, leaned back in his chair, and hid in the chair, his fingers interlaced and supporting his chin.
His sharp eyes locked onto her through his glasses. "I thought you were going to ask me questions about yourself."
Zhou Xiye smiled and shook his head, "You are a legend, and I don't want to lose this opportunity."
Bao Ren nodded and adjusted his glasses. “You should know that I worked at Morgan Stanley, where my job mainly involved mergers and acquisitions. After returning to China, I found that the domestic financial system was too basic. From the Medici family’s establishment of banks and securities, Europe and America have been hundreds of years ahead of us in developing finance. “The Wealth of Nations” is also an invaluable economic work. If China wants to develop and operate well on a solid foundation, what we need to do is to consolidate the foundation and develop in all aspects.”
"Too pretentious and empty, I could say that too."
Bao Ren chuckled. "I've compiled a network of contacts and business principles. I'll give it to you in a bit. All the answers you want to know are in there." He paused, "One last question."
Zhou Xiye put down his chopsticks. "If I go out, is there anything I can do for you?"
Bao Ren was taken aback, lowered his head, and concealed his emotions. It was clear that he had never expected Zhou Xiye to ask such a question, and it was a difficult one to answer.
Zhou Xiye didn't wait for him. She picked up her chopsticks and ate her favorite dishes and rice. Almost as soon as she put down her chopsticks, Bao Rencai said, "Help me send a bouquet of flowers to my wife and tell her I love her."
Zhou Xiye picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth. Hearing Bao Ren's words, she didn't seem surprised. "Okay."
The end of their conversation signaled the end of the meal.
Inside the elevator, Bao Ren pressed the button for the seventh floor, but Zhou Xiye didn't. As the elevator doors slowly closed, Zhou Xiye suddenly said, "Boss Bao, have you ever heard of the story of the 'carpet economy'?"
Bao Ren was shorter than her, and small in stature, but his eyes were full of wisdom.
"What story?"
Zhou Xiye cleared his throat. "During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, every small state wanted to develop its economy, and each feudal lord had many retainers. You know the State of Chu, right? In order to develop its economy, one of its retainers gave an idea. He said that if the country wanted to become rich, then everyone in the country had to get involved and become rich through labor. So, they mobilized officials to set up stalls on the ground at night to set an example, and the people would follow suit."
Bao Ren stared at her without moving.
"However, this matter has no end in sight. It not only affects the appearance of the city, but also increases the difficulty of maintaining social stability, especially at night. But actually, these are not the problems. The problem is that this retainer is too clever, which makes the feudal lords resentful. So, he kicked the retainer out on the grounds that the retainer's lifestyle was problematic."
Before leaving, the retainer, brimming with righteous indignation, angrily pointed to the heavens and cursed, "Heaven is watching what people do!" After he left, the feudal lords used his method again, specifically choosing a pilot location to sell snacks. It became a sensation in the state of Chu, and the street vendor economy took on a new form. Local travel and accommodation costs remained unchanged; however, with increased foot traffic, the area gained fame, and the economy flourished.
"Neither the retainer nor the feudal lord in this story is wrong. From the retainer's perspective, he was doing it for the feudal lord's good. From the feudal lord's perspective, his achievements overshadowed his own."
Bao Ren smiled. The elevator reached the seventh floor. Before Bao Ren stepped out, he suddenly asked, "How can you be so sure you can leave here?"
Zhou Xiye shrugged and pressed the second button. "I'm different from you. I still have value. I'm the retainer who wasn't kicked out."
Bao Ren smiled sincerely at her, and Zhou Xiye nodded, "Thank you."
The wooden elevator doors closed in front of her.
A few days later, after a hearty breakfast, Zhou Xiye was greeted by the person who wanted to see her.
“Hello, Miss Zhou, I am Zhao Jinyang, the secretary of Minister Ling…” The man smiled and said, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come with me.”
Zhou Xiye didn't stand up immediately. He slowly wiped his mouth, still a little surprised.
What was Ling Qingyun's motive?
Because of the rejected proposal? Or because of his son?
Zhou Xiye quickly reviewed their interactions. Apart from organizing that event, she really didn't know how she had offended him.
Even though she had offended someone, she never showed anyone the evidence and materials she had.
Taking it one step at a time, she smiled at Zhao Jinyang and asked, "How can you prove you're his secretary?"
Zhao Jinyang paused, not seeing fear, unease, or surprise on the young woman's face, but rather a hint of taking the initiative. Hearing this, he helplessly took out his identification, which Zhou Xiye examined and then held onto tightly.
“Documents can also be forged. I will return them to you when I see Minister Ling.”
Zhao Jinyang nodded. He stopped at the wooden door on the first floor, fiddled with something, and the door opened. The two walked out, and outside was a greenhouse. After walking for a while, they entered another building. Before opening the door, Zhao Jinyang hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Miss Zhou, please address Minister Ling as Committee Member Ling from now on."
Zhou Xiye turned to look at Zhao Jinyang and politely explained, "You may not know this, but Minister Ling has been promoted and entered the cabinet. He has also been appointed as the Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee."
Seeing that Zhou Xiye remained motionless, Zhao Jinyang said again, "Minister Ye has been promoted to Premier Ye."
Everything was different now, beyond her control, and it surprised her.
Zhou Xiye walked through that door and met Ling Qingyun in the side hall.
He was eating a steamed bun when he saw Zhou Xiye. He waved his hand and said, "Sit down." There was still a steamed bun in his mouth, but the nasolabial folds on his cheeks were still deep.
"These are authentic Taoli steamed buns, they're delicious, want to try some?"
Zhou Xiye took the steamed bun from Ling Qingyun's hand and took a big bite.
It tastes sweet.
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