Chapter 62 Chapter 62
The car drove smoothly on the wide ring road, from west to east, through the huge city that was awakening.
The morning rush hour traffic was as bad as ever, and any predictions about the time were invalid. Opening the map, every road was filled with long lines of cars with brake lights and red taillights.
Ren Li had taken a taxi on her way to work. It was a rainy day, and she sat in the back seat, watching the meter tick by, feeling a mixture of anxiety and regret. When she got out and saw the price of 75 yuan, she was practically breathtaking.
Since then, she has been taking the subway obediently. However, today, for the first time, she was tolerant of Beijing's morning rush hour and even hoped that time could pass more slowly.
She sat in the passenger seat of Wen Shuo's car, secretly looking at the people around her all the way.
For some reason, Wen Shuo always gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
Maybe she had once vaguely liked him in her senior year of high school, but now, she had finally confirmed her feelings and at least had the courage to admit it. She liked him.
However, those unspoken loves are still just secret loves.
She knew clearly that love alone was far from enough between her and Wen Shuo.
She was in China, while Wen Shuo was in the United States. After years of hard study, she finally received an offer from her dream company. With a bright vision for the future, she was full of confidence and eager to start her own life.
And Wen Shuo also has his own world.
He had his own company and his own life. Four years had passed between them. She had no idea what had happened to him during those years. Perhaps he had found a stable partner, or perhaps he had moved on, leaving her stuck in the past.
Therefore, even if she likes him, she will never take the initiative to speak and influence his choice.
She kept thinking this way, trying to convince herself with these theories. Time slipped away unnoticed, and soon the car stopped downstairs of Ren Li's company.
Wen Shuo unbuckled his seat belt, got out of the car, walked around to the passenger seat, and took the initiative to help her open the door.
Ren Li got out of the car, met Wen Shuo's gaze, and asked, "Do you have anything else to do today?"
Wen Shuo: "I have a few meetings and I need to meet some people."
"Oh, okay." Ren Li put away her thoughts and spoke in a very polite tone: "Thank you for today. I wanted to treat you to a meal, but since you were busy, I gave up. How about next time, when you come to Beijing next time, I'll treat you to a meal."
To Wen Shuo, her words were proof that she wanted to escape again.
"No need for next time," he said. "I have time this weekend."
"Weekend?" Ren Li didn't expect Wen Shuo to say that. In that instant, she had no time to think and just nodded.
She originally thought that after today, they would not be able to see each other for a long time, or perhaps they would never have the chance to meet again.
Wen Shuo was afraid that she would regret it, so he said, "We agreed that I will show up at the bottom of your school dormitory on time at 8 o'clock on Saturday."
"Eight o'clock?" Ren Li was feeling quite touched, but when she heard eight o'clock, she blurted out, "So early?"
Wen Shuo: "What's the problem?"
"Of course. I usually sleep in until ten o'clock on weekends. It's so hard to rest." She saw Wen Shuo's incredible look and was afraid that he would cancel the weekend meeting, so she compromised immediately, "Okay, eight o'clock is eight o'clock, no problem."
"Okay, see you at school at 8 o'clock on Saturday."
"Then I'll be leaving. I'll be late for work." Ren Li tilted her head towards Wen Shuo, turned around and walked forward two steps, but couldn't help but stop and look back.
Wen Shuo was still standing there, silently watching Ren Li walking up the stairs, just like when he sent her home many years ago.
She was suddenly a little stunned, but still smiled at him across the crowd, then turned and joined the flow of people going to work.
Goodbye, see you this weekend.
It was not until he saw Ren Li’s background completely disappear that Wen Shuo withdrew his gaze and turned to get in the car.
-
"Mr. Wen, today's schedule has been sent to your phone. Two clients will visit in the afternoon, and there will be a company meeting in the evening. Also, the office location in Beijing has been determined and the location has been sent. I'll be waiting for you downstairs when you arrive."
"Okay, I understand." It was a little after nine in the morning and the traffic situation in Beijing had eased somewhat. Wen Shuo was driving while listening to his assistant's report.
"One more thing. The board of directors has already responded to the China branch's matter. The specific meeting date has been set. I've sorted out some specific details and will send them to your phone later. Please review them..."
The voice of the assistant's work report was continuously heard from the car audio. Wen Shuo listened carefully to each item, occasionally giving some feedback and responses.
He didn't lie to Ren Li, he was indeed very busy today.
The company is in the rising period of its business. It is no exaggeration to say that countless companies in the same industry are closely watching his company's every move. The focus of the whole world has fallen on them. There are countless things to do in the company. Therefore, he returned to China this time not only to see Ren Li, but also to deal with some things.
One of them is the decision to establish a branch in Asia.
He'd thought a lot since his last trip back to the US. Over the years, he'd watched Jiang Lan endure so much alone without Wen Shi by his side. If he'd stayed in the US, he and Ren Li would have no chance.
However, deciding to expand the company's business scope in such a short period of time was a bold and radical move. Now that the company was already listed, it wasn't just his responsibility. He needed to consider the company's future development direction and withstand pressure from all sides of the board to move forward.
But what difference does it make whether I consider it or not? It was the same when I started the company, when I chose to go public, and now it is the same when I choose to return to China.
No one can influence his thoughts. He always likes to make decisions alone and never considers leaving a way out for himself.
"Mr. Wen, I'm sorry to bother you. You have a private call coming in. The person on the other end claims to be your friend. Are you available to answer it now?"
Wen Shuo turned the steering wheel and stopped the car on the side of the road: "Okay."
The assistant answered the phone.
After a while, a man's voice appeared in the car stereo:
"Why is it that a woman is always answering the phone? Wen Shuo, you better not be hiding something from me..."
Wen Shuo: ...
He originally thought that the call was from Ren Li, but after hearing Lu Rendong's voice, his enthusiasm instantly disappeared.
"What are you whispering about me behind my back again? Do you have something to talk to me about? If not, hang up now."
"I have something to say." Lu Rendong said, "Besides, can't I just chat with you and reminisce about the past? Do you know how expensive international roaming is..."
Wen Shuoxin said that the Internet voice call you made was not an international long-distance call: "That's perfect, it can help you save some roaming charges."
Lu Rendong became alert for a moment, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm in the country now."
Now it was Lu Rendong's turn to be silent. After a full five seconds, his voice came out: "Oh, you are in China. How come you are back so soon?"
In fact, he didn't need to guess why Wen Shuo came back this time.
Wen Shuo said, "What do you want to treat me to this time? Unfortunately, my recent schedule is all booked, so I don't have time. Maybe next time."
The other party was silent for a while, then asked: "So, have you met Ren Li yet?"
It seems that in the conversation between Lu Rendong and Wen Shuo, Ren Li is always unavoidable.
However, this time, Wen Shuo did not have difficulty letting go of the past like the last time they met, but just said "hmm" softly.
The person on the other end of the phone exhaled with difficulty: "Then should I congratulate you in advance?"
Wen Shuo: "It's better to prepare the contribution money early."
Outside the car window, sunlight was shining through the green leaves of the trees on the roadside, and the asphalt road was steaming with heat waves. The intermittent chirping of cicadas was coming from afar, coming from that midsummer many years ago.
Four years ago, he had believed that Ren Li loved him. But it was precisely because of this blind confidence that everything happened today.
In fact, Ren Li’s mind is not complicated. She always treats everyone with "kindness and friendliness". That is her kindness and her precious original intention.
However, it was precisely for this reason that many people mistook her kindness for love. Wen Shuo was no exception. To this day, he still doubted whether Ren Li's past affection for him was genuine or just polite.
However, on the day the strategy meeting ended, as he was about to board a plane to leave Beijing, he suddenly understood.
He didn't want to care about anything anymore, and finally didn't want to hide his feelings anymore.
Screw the mutual affection, he is hopeless and just wants to possess Ren Li completely.
In order to avoid losing again, it doesn’t matter what price I pay.
He was now rich, handsome, and in great shape, and he didn't even care about his ridiculous self-esteem anymore. He only wanted to use all means to keep Ren Li by his side forever and legally.
It doesn’t matter even if she doesn’t like him until after marriage. At least by then, she will be Mrs. Wen and belong to him alone forever.
These thoughts kept lingering in his mind, driving him almost crazy.
He no longer wanted to confirm Ren Li's feelings. Everything that happened yesterday was just the beginning.
Hearing his confidence, Lu Rendong on the other end of the phone also began to get furious: "Wen Shuo, how could you be like this? You went back to the United States before, how could you come back again? Didn't we agree to compete fairly? How could you act so quickly!"
Wen Shuo was too lazy to talk nonsense with him: "I have something else to do today. If I finish my work early in the evening, I will go drink with you."
"Don't worry, I don't want to see you for the time being. I lost, I admit it, I'm not someone who can't stand losing, at least I lost to you, it's not shameful."
The last time they met at the China World Trade Center, Lu Rendong was still determined to win over Ren Li, but after just a few days of not seeing each other, he changed so quickly.
Wen Shuo didn't know what had stimulated him recently, but he had already decided to give up before the competition even started.
"Actually, I called this time just to make things clear with you." Lu Rendong's tone was a little calmer. "I'm planning to quit. I've finally come to understand that it's useless to flatter myself. So I'm going to be a little more magnanimous and help you all."
"I went to see Ren Li at school a few days ago," Lu Rendong said. "Although I don't want to admit it, Ren Li told me in person that the person she has always liked is you."
"What did you say just now?" Wen Shuo said, "You went to see her? When did it happen?"
"The weekend after we last met, I went to her school and confessed my feelings to her. I know that confessing love is never a one-sided battle, but a natural process. I also know that if I cross the line, we won't even be able to be friends anymore. But I didn't want to never get the answer I wanted, so I made an impulsive decision and found out what she was thinking."
Lu Rendong's voice suddenly rose: "To be honest with you, Wen Shuo, I have actually been dissatisfied with you for a long time. In the past, you were better than me and always outshined me in everything. I thought we were just brothers, so I didn't care.
But how could Ren Li continue to like you like this? You left without a word at first, and now you suddenly come back to rekindle your old love. How can you do whatever you want and still get everything you want?
Lu Rendong kept talking like a parrot, which made Wen Shuo feel very upset.
He didn't know whether Lu Rendong's words were true or not, but his whole heart was trembling slightly. The knuckles of his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, and he almost turned the car around and went to Ren Li's company to ask her face to face.
But he didn't do that, because his mind told him that he still had an important client to meet today.
"Did she tell you what you just said in person?" Wen Shuo gradually regained his senses and couldn't help but confirm.
"She's right there. Why don't you just ask for the answer you want?" Lu Rendong said, "I really like Ren Li. If you have any conscience, you must make her happy. Got it?"
Wen Shuo suppressed the urge to fight him and said, "This is a matter between us, so you don't have to worry about it. Don't worry, this time, I will never let her leave me again."
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