Chapter 13 Li Li was startled, and looked up to see…
Li Li was startled, but when she looked up and saw that familiar face with its lowered eyes, she smiled with delight.
She hugged Tan Yi's waist, then raised her hand to rub his face, only to find that his face was as cold as ice, and she didn't know how long he had been waiting outside.
She said happily, "What brings you here!"
Tan Yi took the suitcase from her, ruffled her hair, and pulled her inside, saying, "You're here on business, aren't you? Why else would I be here? Did I miss you?"
Li Li thought he was joking when he said he was there on official business, but when she entered the house she found that Tan Yi really was invited to Huisheng for research as the head of a Hong Kong-funded enterprise.
He took out Dai Zhe's business card and said that he and a few friends had jointly registered a company. They were just doing it casually since they were studying business, and they could enjoy some tax benefits if they did business in mainland China in the future.
Li Li didn't want to hear his business talk, so she kept saying "Stop, stop," and reached out to pinch his mouth and pull it outwards, making it flat like a platypus. She found it cute and leaned in to kiss him.
That evening, the two took a taxi to the city center for dinner. Tan Yi brought Li Li's laptop and looked at her work documents.
After Tan Su took the computer that day, Li Li hadn't turned it on yet. Tan Yi immediately noticed traces of Tan Su's previous revisions on it.
It wasn't just about correcting typos and grammatical errors; it also involved deleting a lot of useless nonsense.
It also added many items to be confirmed, key points to observe, and notes on abnormal issues and directions that require further in-depth investigation.
They sat in the hot pot restaurant, where the restaurant served complimentary snacks and fruit.
Li Li watched Tan Yi intently studying Tan Su's notes and felt bored, so she fed him something.
Tan Yi opened his mouth subconsciously, and by the time he realized what was happening, the plate was almost empty.
He ate snacks until he was half full, and then he and Li Li finished a large meal together and he was so full he could hardly move.
Li Li touched his abs with a slightly lewd look, clicking her tongue in admiration, and said, "You've got a pretty good workout."
Tan Yi was both amused and exasperated: "If you keep feeding me like this for two more days, I'll be out of energy."
Late at night, Tan Yi lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind still racing as he thought about Huisheng's affairs the next day.
He preferred to endure the emptiness and boredom of the long night rather than the groggy wakefulness brought on by melatonin.
The little kitten beside her was carefree, sleeping soundly like a little pig. Her hair had only grown a little bit. Tan Yi kissed her forehead, and Li Li mumbled something and hid under the covers.
My phone vibrated beside my pillow.
Tan Yi picked it up and opened it. The person looking for him was a recent Hong Kong immigrant named Qiao Zhijie.
This person is shallow and dull-witted, lacking in cunning, but he has a very capable father and sister. His father secured the Asia-Pacific dealership rights for several luxury car brands, and the family also has considerable connections in Hong Kong Customs.
Qiao Zhijie sent a message late at night, saying that a guest from the mainland was visiting and asked him to help entertain him.
Tan asked: [What is your background?]
Qiao Zhijie was unwilling to say, only saying that they were distinguished guests and that he would definitely treat them well.
He then specifically instructed: "[Find a few women.]"
Tan Yiwu replied without hesitation: [Find Dai Zhe.]
Tan Yi visited as Dai Zhe, and Li Li, being Yan Qi's employee, naturally couldn't accompany him.
She deliberately got up early and left her room separately from Tan Yi to avoid suspicion.
Mr. Ming came to pick him up in the hotel lobby. Seeing that Tan Yi was young and handsome, he repeatedly praised him for his talent and promising future.
He personally took charge, showing Tan Yi the company layout and various functional areas.
At first, they couldn't help but underestimate this young man who was completely clueless about the ways of the world. But after Tan Yi asked them several tricky questions, they dared not be so dismissive anymore.
During the conversation, Mr. Ming also deliberately showed off: "Haha, don't be afraid to tell me, the contract representatives from S City have long-term on-site personnel here."
Tan Yi didn't give any particular response. He asked, "Your company's beta-blockers, which were promoted a few years ago, have been very effective in treating heart failure and coronary heart disease. Can you provide some information from the clinical trials at that time?"
Mr. Ming patted his chest and said, "Our data is all registered on the information platform and made public. If it is inconvenient for you to find it, I will have my assistant send you a complete copy."
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Tan Yi interrupted him, staring at him. “I’m talking about something more private.”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Ming's expression changed slightly, but he quickly chuckled and said, "As for the rest, there's really no good way to deal with it. It involves some ethical and moral issues..."
Tan Yi asked bluntly, "What price did you discuss with Yan Qi?"
Mr. Ming understood the offer to buy, and at this moment, he showed the cunning of a businessman. He and Yan Qi had not yet reached an agreement, and at this moment, he was determined to make his goods scarce and valuable, and was unwilling to make a price.
Tan Yi understood what he meant and said that they would talk about it another day.
Tan Yi spent the weekend with Li Li in N City, and returned to Hong Kong two days later. Dai Zhe picked him up and drove him directly to the yacht club.
He asked Dai Zhe in the car, "Who is that person?"
Dai Zhe said he didn't know, and Qiao Zhijie kept it a secret and wouldn't let anyone else see it.
Tan Yi didn't ask any more questions. More than an hour later, he boarded the yacht. The wind from the bay ruffled his hair, and he could hear Qiao Zhijie talking to someone on the deck from afar.
"...You haven't seen the roads in the mountainous border region of Vietnam. They're so dilapidated, worse than rural roads in China. Those luxury cars are very precious, and their low chassis makes them easy to scratch. Every car that comes in is covered in dust and looks like a second-hand car."
Qiao Zhijie said, "Besides, we're not doing the kind of smuggling business the Vietnamese do. We're exporting directly through customs auctions, with all the necessary paperwork and no risk."
Tan Yi frowned, not expecting him to say such things without any attempt to hide it from others. Suddenly, he heard another voice calmly comment, "He's quite intelligent."
"Normally, the profit before interest and taxes (EBIT) of a standard 20-foot container is only $600. With your operating model, the profit per truck would be more than a hundred times higher?"
Qiao Zhijie flattered, "Brother, you know your stuff."
Tan Yi's expression changed, and he immediately said, "Set sail."
Dai Zhe hesitated for a moment: "But the others haven't come up yet."
Tan Yi pushed him aside and strode forward, saying, "Go and call someone to set sail."
His brain raced in those few seconds as he stepped onto the deck, only to be met with Li Zhoudu's ambiguous smile.
When Qiao Zhijie saw him, his eyes lit up. He called Tan Yi over, patted him on the shoulder, and introduced him in a very generous manner: "Come, meet my guest, Mr. Li of Wan Jing."
"Mr. Li's family is involved in international shipping, with nearly a hundred container ships covering more than 80 major ports worldwide, transporting containers annually..."
He had only spoken halfway when the boat set sail.
Li Zhoudu held his wine glass, watching the waves suddenly break through the bow of the ship, then looked back at the receding berth and asked, "Are we leaving already? Didn't you say someone would come to treat me well?"
Qiao Zhijie then noticed something was amiss and sighed.
“He’s a Peruvian chef,” Tan Yi said in a low voice. “He’s very good at cooking fish and beef, and he’s already in the kitchen.”
He paused, then called out, "Brother Zhoudu."
Li Zhoudu looked at him and nodded: "Then thank you for your hospitality, Tan Yi."
Qiao Zhijie then realized that they actually knew each other. His dissatisfaction with Tan Yi's poor hospitality vanished in an instant, and he laughed loudly: "They're all our own people. There's money to be made, and business can be done even better!"
Tan Yi stopped him from continuing, saying, "Let's not talk about this for now."
Li Zhoudu smiled and said, "Why don't you mention it? I'm also very interested in making big money."
Qiao Zhijie licked his lips, about to speak, but Tan Yi pressed him down with his palm and asked Li Zhoudu, "How is everything at home?"
Li Zhoudu nodded slightly: "Thank you."
Qiao Zhijie had already sensed something was amiss from Tan Yi's attitude. He wasn't so foolish as to eagerly fawn over Li Zhoudu over his big business deal.
We had Peruvian food for lunch, including two dishes of sashimi and grilled beef heart, which were especially well done.
But probably no one is in the mood to taste it right now.
After drinking a few glasses of wine with Qiao Zhijie, he made an excuse to go out and make a phone call.
Tan Yi gave him a look, and Dai Zhe followed him out.
Li Zhoudu cut his steak and said, "I had heard about your situation when I was in the mainland. I'm not here today to embarrass you. I'm just here to check on you on someone's behalf."
He chuckled, "Little cat must have used all his persuasive skills to say a lot of good things about you these past few days."
My aunt is kind-hearted. She thought you were only in your early twenties, far from home and all alone, so she sent me to check on you and help you out if you needed anything.
Tan Yi: "Thank you for your kindness, elders in my family."
Li Zhoudu suddenly asked him, "Does the little kitten know what you're doing?"
“I didn’t do anything,” Tan Yi said calmly. “I’m not familiar with Qiao Zhijie. He said a friend of his was coming from the mainland and asked me to help entertain him.”
Li Zhoudu said "Oh": "How many times have you helped entertain guests like this?"
Tan Yi fell silent.
“You’re smart, but too young. You’re arrogant and ignorant,” Li Zhoudu’s tone suddenly turned cold. “Do you think you can absolve yourself of all responsibility by simply saying you didn’t know? Be careful not to play with fire and get burned.”
Tan Yi offered no excuses, and his attitude was even very respectful: "I will definitely be more careful in the future. Thank you for your guidance."
Li Zhoudu threw down his knife and fork, which clattered onto the plate, and grabbed Tan Yi by the collar:
“I have no teachings or pity for you. Tan Yi, whether you get rich or go to jail, it has nothing to do with me, but you shouldn’t affect my sister.”
"You don't need to hide anything from me about what happened on this ship. Women? Medicine? What else?"
Tan Yi raised his bloodshot eyes, the veins on his forehead throbbing: "I didn't touch it!"
He said, "I swear to God. I love Li Li, and I haven't touched anything!"
"Do you think standing by and doing nothing means you're innocent? If you love her, you should stay far away from her now!"
Li Zhoudu pressed on relentlessly, saying, "You two have been incompatible for a long time. I don't want to argue with Xiao Mao for your sake. It's not worth hurting our relationship for you."
“Li Li is a fool; she wholeheartedly believes you are the lonely and brave Hamlet. But are you? Or have you already transformed into the treacherous and cunning Claudius, hmm?”①
A note from the author:
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① The prince and his uncle in "The Prince's Revenge" [hugs]
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