Chapter 11
In the summer, Raleigh gets dark very late, and the sun doesn't set until almost eight o'clock. Caicai helped Li Wangnan to the bathroom to take a shower. Halfway through, Caicai ran out and said that Li Wangnan had a bad fever, and the skin on his thighs and arms had pustules and was bleeding.
Although Li Wangnan was as thin as a stick, the two women still took great pains to get him to the hospital. Li Wangnan's brain was burning, but he kept telling Shen Huan not to tell my dad.
It was already Wednesday night, and Shen Huan said that your father would find out sooner or later if you couldn't make it to the internship.
Li Wangnan said that if my father knew that I wanted to join the army, he would skin me alive.
Chen Huan said it was okay, you just attended a summer camp.
This completely infuriated Li Wangnan. He couldn't accept Chen Huan's use of the term "summer camp" to describe the hell he'd been through. He scolded him, saying, "You know nothing! You're just a parasite on my dad's body. And you're so fickle and want to be a parasite. Don't give him syphilis one day." Chen Huan said that if he did get syphilis, it definitely wasn't me who gave it to him.
Chang Yueqing had already arrived at the ward and heard everything.
While looking for a caregiver for Li Wangnan, Shen Huan received a call from Li Ting, asking where she had been and why her credit card showed all the purchases were made in North Carolina. Knowing she couldn't hide this, Shen Huan told Li Ting. Li Ting was so angry that she hung up the phone without a word.
Ten minutes later, he called back and said that he really regretted handing this kid over to Meng Zixuan. He said that Li Wangnan didn't understand his real ability and only learned some gimmicks.
Li Ting met Meng Zixian six years ago, when Meng Zixian had just retired and switched to finance.
Meng Zixian maintained a quiet and low profile, yet secretly enjoyed the trust of prominent figures in politics and business. His voice was low and firm, and his handshake was steady and firm. He excelled in negotiation, once convincing armed forces in a conflict zone to release hostages and surrender in just 30 minutes. This incident was documented by UN observers, and the day after he shed his military uniform, he was treated to a drink by a Goldman Sachs partner.
When Li Ting met him, Meng Zixian was a small VP in charge of four or five people at Goldman Sachs. He had remarkable project performance, but he was running into obstacles everywhere in his circle.
He was socially reserved, unwilling to confide in anyone no matter how much alcohol he was offered. He was extremely demanding of his subordinates, frequently issuing ultimatums like "You've got 90 seconds." He kept the air conditioning in his room below 16 degrees Celsius and began answering emails at 4:30 a.m. every morning, no matter how late he'd worked the previous night. He had no tolerance for mistakes, and he considered any lack of excellence a deliberate betrayal.
By then, Li Ting had clearly seen Meng Zixian as a lone wolf, trapped in a flock of sheep, unable to find his place. Meng Zixian had access to connections and resources beyond Li Ting's reach, but he needed a guide. Li Ting persuaded Meng Zixian to join Xuantao, initially connecting him with investors. Within six months, he had handed over core businesses like asset management and tourism culture to him.
Li Ting's reliance on Meng Zixian was not just because of business.
During those years, Li Wangnan attended junior high school in the United States, hanging out with a hippie crowd. All he talked about were "herbal healing" and "astrology," his hair past his shoulders, and he'd occasionally recite a misremembered line from Bob Dylan. Li Ting and Chang Yueqing initially suspected their son wasn't adapting to the unfamiliar environment, so they sought out several therapists and transferred him to different schools twice. But Li Wangnan's hair and beard only grew longer.
The summer Li Wangnan graduated, Li Tingfei attended the ceremony and later planned to take his son hiking in the national park. But Li Wangnan resisted, saying he couldn't wear shoes because the rubber soles would hinder his connection to the earth, and that traveling would disrupt his meditation. He and his friends had a dedicated meditation room, equipped with aromatherapy and herbs, and he once spent three days and three nights there, skipping classes.
Meng Zixian happened to be meeting an investor in San Francisco, so Li Ting brought his son to meet him, hoping that his military career would give him a boost of masculinity. Meng Zixian didn't mention those things, but after the meal, Li Wangnan couldn't wait to give Meng Zixian the crystal bracelet he had kept close to his body for many years. Meng Zixian said that it was better to leave a girl's things to her. Li Wangnan threw the bracelet away as soon as he left the restaurant.
Later, Li Wangnan got a crew cut and returned to wearing T-shirts and shorts. And Meng Zixian seemed to have replaced Li Wangnan as the son Li Ting had always wanted. Meng Zixian and Lou Hetai built Ronghe from an office into a company with assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars, while Li Ting defied all odds and silenced the chattering shareholders and directors.
At that time, Shen Huan and Li Ting's relationship was not public, and he rarely took her to various occasions. She heard all this from Li Ting or others.
Li Ting finished his grumbling on the phone and told Chen Huan to stay for two more days before leaving. Chen Huan understood what he meant. Since Chang Yueqing was here, he didn't want her to join in the fun, lest there be trouble between the two women. Chen Huan hung up the phone and turned around to see Chang Yueqing standing by the vending machine a few steps away.
Chang Yueqing came over and said that I didn't teach him those words. Chen Huan turned and looked at her. Chang Yueqing said, "I know what you are thinking. Where would a child hear such vicious words? It must be taught by his parents, but I didn't say that."
Shen Huan nodded. Li Wangnan was surrounded by many people, some seeking power, some seeking profit, and he was not very smart, so Shen Huan did not take his words seriously.
Caicai left early the next morning, breaking up and throwing two Chanel bags at the ward door. Chen Huan stayed in Fayette for another day to help Chang Yueqing find a caregiver, then boarded a flight back to Hancheng. Li Wangnan stayed in the ward for three nights. Although he could still make it in time for his internship, he couldn't handle the intense workload of investment banking and flew back to the Bay Area to recuperate.
After returning to Hancheng, Chen Huan went to the grassland base on the outskirts of the city to plan the opening ceremony of Yixiang next week. Li Ting came to show up at noon.
The sun was blazing, so Chen Huan had someone bring a fisherman's hat for Li Ting. Li Ting reached out to take it off, frowning and saying it looked tacky. Chen Huan took it and put it on his head again, tying the strap under his chin. He didn't take it off again.
She took Li Ting around the art center. Li Ting followed her, deliberately keeping a few steps away, occasionally commenting or answering the phone. Shen Huan was very happy that he could come. No matter how busy his subordinates were in the next two days, they would not give her a bad look.
Li Ting stayed for twenty minutes before leaving. Shen Huan saw him off to the center's entrance. The car pulled up, and the driver got out to open the back door. Li Ting said he was meeting Meng Zixuan that evening and wouldn't be going home for dinner.
Chen Huan didn't know the nature of this meeting, but judging by Li Ting's expression, things weren't going smoothly. She heard that Lou Hetai and Xi Yuhui had gone to see Meng Zixian, but Meng Zixian hadn't shown up at the company, and she hadn't heard any good news about Ronghui's debt extension.
Chen Huan looked at Li Ting and asked softly, "If Meng Zixuan really wanted to help us, shouldn't he go to the East Coast of the United States? I thought that was what we agreed upon when we rescued him."
Li Ting sneered twice and asked her, how could this person be the same person inside and outside?
Chen Huan said nothing more, but she couldn't understand why they were so passive about this matter. Xuan Tao and the Hancheng prosecutors had clearly coordinated the terms of early release, which was a favor to Meng Zixian. She had the impression that Meng Zixian was a man of loyalty. Even if the asking price was high, there had to be a price. He wouldn't have taken the wrong path a few years ago and now bear a grudge, watching Ronghui fall into a pit with cold eyes.
Or maybe Li Ting couldn't afford the compensation Meng Zixuan wanted. She didn't know what he wanted. Or maybe the business in Washington, D.C. was more attractive.
There were a few young people at the gallery entrance, displaying balloons and pulling tables. They all greeted Mr. Li as they passed by. Li Ting didn't seem to want to discuss this matter publicly any further. He got into the car.
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