Chapter 53 (Two chapters combined)
◎A madman, a madman. ◎
This rising star in the legal profession was Yu Jinyang's classmate in university. His name was Tan Jiu, and he had witnessed Yu Jinyang being swarmed by girls on campus. A handsome guy who could popping, it was no surprise he had no shortage of admirers. Even now, many girls in Tan Jiu's social circle are still openly or secretly inquiring about Yu Jinyang. Some people, knowing he was here to help his father with his lawsuit, volunteered to come and assist him.
However, in his memory, Yu Jinyang was excessively ascetic. When asked if he had any unknown past, he said no, he just wanted to make a name for himself first. Tan Jiu wanted to punch him at that moment. He clearly already had a house in Shanghai after university, yet he said such inhuman things.
Yu Jinyang parked the car in the hotel's underground garage, got out to help Tan Jiu with his luggage, and almost threw out his back in the process: "That's heavy. Old Tan, what did you bring?"
Tan Jiu got out of the passenger seat cursing and said mercilessly, "Is it heavy? Are you weak?"
Yu Jinyang chuckled but ignored him. After closing the trunk, he waited until he had booked a room for him and went up to the top floor of the hotel. To his surprise, he found the suite where Li Yingqiao's friend Qingyi had stayed for half a month open. Sure enough, a person with a black face mask on peeked out from the door and greeted him with a smile: "Hi, Yu Jinyang, new friend."
Yu Jinyang wasn't very familiar with her, so after a two-second pause, he politely said, "Hello."
After removing her face mask, Zhao Pingnan immediately called Li Yingqiao to complain. She giggled but dared not laugh too loudly because the two of them were right next door: "I said hi, and he said hello. So serious. I bet he hesitated for those two seconds thinking about my name, and he probably still hasn't remembered it."
"What's your name? You haven't called once since you went back. I've almost forgotten your name, let alone his." Li Yingqiao said earnestly on the other end of the phone, looking at the latest passenger flow report.
“Li Yingqiao!” Zhao Pingnan exploded. “What exactly is your relationship with him? I ran away from Qingyi and came back to the scenic area to be your ape-man.”
Li Yingqiao smiled and said, "I'm not going to tease you anymore. I have a social engagement. I'll come find you later when I'm done."
Li Yingqiao hung up the phone, picked up her bag, and prepared to call Pan Xiaoliang for the agreed-upon dinner. After thinking for a moment, she sent a WeChat message to someone: "hi."
The reply came quickly: "?"
Li Yingqiao pressed the voice message button, smiled, and jokingly said into the phone's microphone, "Why didn't you say hello to me?"
321 replied with an "annoying" emoji.
Li Yingqiao chuckled and replied with a "kiss" emoji to appease him.
Yu Jinyang had just entered when he put down Tan Jiu's luggage and went to the French windows of the suite, his thin shadow falling on the fluffy carpet. Tan Jiu asked him who that person was. Yu Jinyang hadn't remembered the person's name when they first met, but now he did.
There was a rather impractical bathtub by the window. He sat half-sitting on the edge, his eyes downcast, looking down at Li Yingqiao's reply on his phone, saying, "Just a friend of a friend, Zhao Nanping."
Tan Jiu said, "It's obviously taken from the 'Evening Bell at Nanping'."
Yu Jinyang hummed in agreement, affirming his statement with absolute certainty: "That's the idea."
But her eyes were fixed on the "kissing" emoji on her phone, and a strange tightness in her chest felt inexplicably tight.
Some things really shouldn't be started lightly. He thought his self-control was strong enough that even if things spiraled out of his control, he could at least keep them from deviating from their essence, and he could at least protect his own little corner of the world. However, he found himself starting to want more, and Li Yingqiao was occupying more and more of his mind.
The crucial issue is that his little corner of the world is still there. Even just for now, this tree, separated from her for so many years, has finally been replanted beside her, and its roots buried deep underground are already itching to tighten their grip on her. The old saying is still true: better to cherish the memory than to meet again. At least in the past few years, he didn't have so many unrealistic thoughts and desires. On the contrary, the more he saw her, the more he wanted to see her, and the more he wanted to see her forever.
The first night Yu Jinyang returned from her house, he was initially able to calmly analyze the situation. If she remained unwilling to confront their ancestral relationship, what would he do if she were to sever ties with him one day? Given her ambition and determination, she was destined not to stay with any man. His thinking at the time was very simple: he would try to win her over, and if he failed, he would respect her decision. However, only now did he realize how terrifying and despicable men can be.
His father had once told him that this land couldn't produce any good men, and that he himself wasn't any better. He said that instead of thinking about what kind of person he wanted to be, he should first think about what kind of man he wanted to be, because people are part of society, and most ordinary people are just grains of sand in the grand scheme of things, unable to play any role in the development of society.
But a man's character can be devastating to a family. Because of the inherent Chinese belief that even if a man doesn't become a pillar of society, he still needs to start a family. So from a young age, he thought more about his practicality to his future family.
However, the older Yu Jinyang got, the more he understood what his father meant by those words. Even at this point, he had already realized the baseness of men—perhaps he could accept Li Yingqiao's withdrawal at first, but now, he was completely out of control and wouldn't even allow her to withdraw anymore.
***
Wu Juan shut down her computer and glanced worriedly at Li Yingqiao's office door, saying, "Did you tell her about the travel agency's social event tonight? Nana said she's not feeling well today and doesn't want to go. Boss Qiao didn't say whether she should go or not either. She keeps sending me WeChat messages asking about it, and I don't know how to reply."
Nana works in the finance department next door. Hearing about a business dinner with a travel agency today, she was anxious all day, constantly sending Wu Juan messages on WeChat, asking how their department head had arranged it. Wu Juan said she didn't know; previously, Qiao Zong would go to business dinners at the Culture and Tourism Bureau by himself, maybe with Pan Xiaoliang at most, and told her not to worry.
But Nana was worried that the travel agency would always specifically ask her to go for the money.
Pan Xiaoliang shut down his computer and said, "Tell her to give up. How could the travel agency's gathering be complete without her? If she doesn't go, Lao Qian will definitely call her out. Last time she didn't go, they still called her over halfway through the trip. Besides, with Li Yingqiao's dog-like temper, do you think she can negotiate with anyone? Do you believe she could punch that old lecher twice on the spot?"
That's true, but Wu Juan couldn't help but feel sorry for Nana. She volunteered, "Why don't I go in Nana's place? I think Nana really doesn't want to go."
Pan Xiaoliang glanced at her: "How much can you drink? If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job—"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yingqiao's office door swung open. Pan Xiaoliang was immediately greeted by a fragrant scent. A woman carrying a bag walked out, looking exceptionally dashing today, almost handsome, yet exuding a relaxed air of a legal beauty—especially her perfectly tailored, oversized peak-lapel blazer, with a large tote bag casually draped over her elbow. As she walked out, she deftly snapped her hair up with a hair clip, tilting her head to the side. Without pausing for a moment, she glanced at Pan Xiaoliang with a brisk pace and said, "Pan Xiaoliang, come on, what are you standing there for?"
Pan Xiaoliang and Wu Juan exchanged a glance. After that, they figured Li Yingqiao had no idea that Nana had been the one attending all the travel agency's social events in the past. So, they decided to let Nana slip through the net this time. Pan Xiaoliang immediately grabbed his things and dashed out like a shot, shouting, "Hurry up, let's go!"
As soon as Pan Xiaoliang got into the car, he saw Sun Taihe, who had been waiting for a long time, and politely greeted him: "You're here too, you borderline guy."
Sun Taihe had been livestreaming until 4 a.m. last night and had just woken up. Still groggy, he was currently leaning back in the back seat, hat up, catching up on sleep, completely ignoring him. Li Yingqiao, however, warned Pan Xiaoliang as he got in the car, "You better be polite; he's just doing a normal livestream."
"Then why were you invited for tea by the cultural and tourism authorities last time?" Pan Xiaoliang said.
Li Yingqiao was too lazy to talk to him, so she turned around and asked Sun Taihe, "Are you sure you can handle this? Why don't you mention that you were broadcasting until four in the morning last night? Staying up all night and drinking is bad for your health, isn't it? Why don't you go home first today?"
Upon hearing this, Pan Xiaoliang turned around from the passenger seat in surprise and said, "Four o'clock? That's too late. Is live streaming profitable? If so, I'll give it a try."
Sun Taihe, still wearing his hat, said lazily, "Let's drive. You two can't handle these people from Weixing Travel Agency."
After Li Yingqiao started the car, Pan Xiaoliang turned around and asked him, "What did you do before? You seem to know these people very well."
“I’ve done all sorts of things. I’ve been a tour guide for travel agencies. I’ve also sold e-cigarettes. I’ve dabbled in everything,” he said lazily, with a hint of mockery towards Pan Xiaoliang. “Anyway, I didn’t graduate from your Tanzhong High School, so it’s not shameful for me to be doing poorly, right?”
Pan Xiaoliang: "Then how did you become friends with that bath towel? He looks like he came from a regular military background, and he's not on your side."
Sun Taihe said, "Because we're both single and virgins, we have too many things in common. How about that reason? Is it sufficient?"
Pan Xiaoliang muttered, "...Who isn't?"
Li Yingqiao, however, kept her hands on the steering wheel, glanced at the rearview mirror without changing her expression, and said, "...You two talk about something human, or I'm going to call the police."
…………
"Let's see who dares to call the police! Even if Li Boqing were sitting here today, he'd have to speak to me politely. You're just a greenhorn, yet you have such a big attitude! I only said a few words to you, and you call the police! Do you think the police are so idle?!" In the private room, a middle-aged man with a fierce face slammed his hand on the table, thinking he was very intimidating. He looked at the group of people at the table and shouted angrily. For the first time, the veins on Pan Xiaoliang's forehead were throbbing so noticeably. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Li Yingqiao standing next to him.
The people at the table exchanged uneasy glances, keeping their eyes downcast and not daring to utter a word. Old Qian's temper was always like this; he was the type who would respond better to gentle persuasion than force. Their feud wasn't about this meal. Two months earlier, Qian Dongchang had met Li Yingqiao at a dinner party and been thoroughly humiliated. He hadn't been able to hold back then and wanted to settle the score, but Li Boqing had held back, saying, "Let's see if she can make a name for herself in Fengtan's cultural tourism industry first. If not, dealing with a young girl like her would be easy, wouldn't it? Besides, if she wants to run the Little Painting City, can she do without your travel agency's connections? Sooner or later, she'll inevitably fall into your hands."
Li Yingqiao remained silent throughout.
Seeing her like this, Sun Taihe thought she was frightened. Even though he disliked this old bald monk, he had no choice but to smooth things over, saying, "It's not right for you to say that, Mr. Qian. If you don't open this route, other travel agencies in Fengtan will have to open it for us. Mr. Qiao just gave us the biggest profit concession, and we drank the wine. Their sincerity is right there. Why are you bringing up Secretary Li to pressure us again?"
Qian Dongchang sneered, spilling most of the wine and covering the table with red liquid. He took a rag from the person next to him and wiped it up as he said, "Then let's have a serious talk. If you're really sincere, you should give me a 50% discount on the scenic spot tickets. Sun Taihe, don't think I don't know. Other travel agencies in Fengtan have already tipped me off, and they got theirs at 50%. Your boss, Mr. Qiao, is giving me a 20% discount, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about sincerity?"
Sun Taihe muttered "Damn it" under his breath, then glanced at Li Yingqiao. "You're so unfair, you should have said so earlier. How am I supposed to make this up for you now?"
Pan Xiaoliang then had a say, and he quickly said, "Mr. Qian, it's not like that. Of course, there are other restrictions on the purchase of tickets at the scenic spot. You can't just talk about the discount. If you're willing to give us free advertising every year, like other travel agencies, such as land and vehicle advertising, as well as free traffic and new media promotion slots, then of course we can also give you a 50% discount. I've already discussed this with your operations team, and they said it's not possible. We really have a limited budget this year."
"Bang!" Qian Dongchang practically slammed his hand on the table, causing Pan Xiaoliang to shudder involuntarily. What was he doing?! Was he crazy?!
"Limited budget?" Qian Dongchang said, "Do you really think I'm a sucker? Li Lianfeng told me that your budget this year is more than double what was approved last year!"
Pan Xiaoliang could only subconsciously look at Li Yingqiao.
The latter then slowly said, "The overall budget is too high, but I've adjusted the budget allocation for distribution through local travel agencies. I have other routes that need approval, and we also have other marketing strategy plans. I can't tell you about those, so the current conditions for your route are the lowest I can offer for approval. Of course, you can always choose not to cooperate."
Upon hearing this, Pan Xiaoliang suddenly understood why she hadn't called him Nana. Since leaving his teaching position, Qian Dongchang had entered the cultural and tourism industry, receiving numerous privileges from Secretary Li and gradually gaining influence. However, he was notoriously difficult to talk to and loved the drinking culture. Winning him over was actually quite easy: have a few girls he genuinely liked keep him company, drink and have fun, and say a few flattering things that older men love to hear. Once he was happy, the rest of the problems would be easily solved.
As soon as they entered, Qian Dongchang couldn't help but glance behind them and immediately asked, "Where's Nana? Why didn't she come?"
Li Yingqiao simply asked, "Why did she come?"
Seeing that she didn't quite understand, Qian Dongchang pointed at her with his finger and said, "You still need to learn more from your boss, Mr. Wang. Usually, Nana will come to these kinds of gatherings no matter how busy she is."
Unexpectedly, Li Yingqiao didn't buy it and said, "Nana isn't coming today, and she won't come in the future either."
Upon hearing this, Qian Dongchang's face instantly turned ashen. Afterwards, no matter how much Sun Taihe toasted him, he remained indifferent. It wasn't until Li Yingqiao threatened to call the police if he continued making such nonsensical jokes that he finally flew into a rage and overturned the table.
Qian Dongchang asked her what she meant, what she meant by him not cooperating.
Li Yingqiao said that's the literal meaning.
Qian Dongchang flew into a rage again, this time showing no mercy whatsoever. He angrily cursed, "You really think your Little Painting City is some kind of hot commodity? You think you're something special just because you've become famous with a few internet celebrities? If it weren't for Nana's sake, do you think any travel agency in Fengtan would be willing to open a special tour for your crappy scenic spot? I paved the way for you! Now that you're famous, you're trying to rip me off, aren't you? Li Yingqiao, you really don't know your place. You don't want to cooperate with me? Fine, I'll see which travel agency in Fengtan dares to run a tour for you."
Sun Taihe panicked completely, having never seen anything like this before. He frantically sent messages under the table.
Pan Xiaoliang, on the other hand, was inexplicably calm and composed. Li Yingqiao was just that kind of woman. Working with her could be like going from heaven to hell in a second, but she was also a woman who would never mess things up. She was definitely thinking of a strategy to deal with things. Just wait and see, Qian Dongchang would definitely be kneeling down to them obediently in a moment.
So he comforted Sun Taihe, saying, "Don't worry, trust me, there will definitely be a reversal. I'm just using a praising-then-suppressing tactic."
Sun Taihe looked at him with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Li Yingqiao clapped his hands and stood up slowly.
Pan Xiaoliang's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a glance with Sun Taihe—look, here they come!
Li Yingqiao said, "To prevent you from forgetting your roots, Mr. Qian, I'll give you another bowl of fish. I hope you'll remember this humiliation and never think of coming back to cooperate with us again."
Pan Xiaoliang was completely dumbfounded, utterly unable to believe what he had come here for tonight. "Sister, why did you tie such a knot?"
…………
"Madman, madman!" Sun Taihe called Yu Jinyang while running downstairs, his breath ragged as he spoke into the phone, "Madman, Li Yingqiao is a madman!"
Yu Jinyang was having dinner with Tan Jiu when he asked Sun Taihe to send him his location. Sun Taihe simply shared his location with him. However, when he arrived by car, Li Yingqiao was standing by the roadside with her bag, her hair disheveled, but a hair clip was fastened to her suit collar. She looked completely relaxed, unaware of the trouble she had caused, and just cheerfully said hi to him.
Yu Jinyang asked her to get in the car, and she said hi, "Say hello quickly." It was obvious she had been drinking quite a bit. After finally coaxing her into the car, Li Yingqiao suddenly woke up and struggled to get out. He blocked the car door and wouldn't let her open it. She hung her head on the open window sill through the car door and said, "Yu Jinyang, no, be careful I might throw up in your car later."
He stood outside the car, looking down at her through the window, and said, "It's okay, you wash my car tomorrow. Do you want to see me tomorrow?"
She rested her head on the windowsill and shook it desperately: "I don't want to."
"You don't want to wash your car, or you don't want to see me?"
For the first time ever, he saw Li Yingqiao leaning against the car window, looking at him with a mournful face, saying, "I don't want to go to work! Heavens!"
Yu Jinyang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Just as she was about to speak, she reached out from the car window to say goodbye to Sun Taihe.
"Taihe! Thank you so much for today!" She even let out a hiccup. "Bye-bye!"
"Taihe, my foot!" He shoved her head in the phone before asking Sun Taihe, "What happened? Who were you drinking with tonight?"
Sun Taihe was still in shock. "Luckily I ran fast, or I would have been tied up and beaten. She's crazy, she just dumped such a big basin of fish on someone's forehead."
[Author's Note]
See you Friday and Saturday.
(Kneel down first, we're about to take off.)
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