Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

"There's no mistake," I said to Jack, standing in front of Jack's house. "Even if Handy saved my life two weeks ago, you still won't let him go? How far will he go before you are polite? Invent a cure for cancer? Stop an asteroid from destroying the earth?" Pretend to be helpless. "I didn't say I wouldn't be polite to him. I can still do that." "Wow, how generous." That evening Handy and I will be at the Oil Rig Reef Dinner, co-hosted by several major oil companies. After the upper part of the abandoned oil drilling platform is removed, it sinks into the seabed to become an artificial reef. This is the oil rig reef project.Because the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico is muddy, the platform will create living space for fish.

Despite the constant protests from the naturalists, the fish seem to like the abandoned platforms.The oil companies are also very fond of this plan, because it can save a lot of recycling costs.So they're donating to the Houston Aquarium to host an event that showcases the benefits oil rig reefs bring to the Gulf of Mexico. My family will be at the opening dinner.I made it clear in advance that I would have dinner with Handy, and hoped that my family would show the courtesy that a human being should have.Obviously this requirement is too difficult.I called Joey, and he said grumpily that he expected Handy to take advantage of me.Jack is also very stubborn, not to mention his father to improve his attitude, his perception is as unchangeable as his blood type.

That leaves Gage alone...but I'm sure he can't lie to Handy, even for my sake.He made his position clear after the elevator incident. "I just wanted to say," Jack went on. "Any man is willing to act bravely, and Handi will not win the goodwill of the Cui family because of this. As I said before, if you notify me or Gage, either of us can rescue you safely from the elevator." "Oh, I see." He narrowed his eyes. "What's the meaning?" "Because you don't have a chance to show your manliness and show off, so you are so angry. You can't stand others being a hero. You are the cave leader, and other people's maces are not allowed to be bigger than yours."

"Really, Haifen, don't use this girl's trick. This matter has nothing to do with the size of the stick." He looked around the corridor. "Come in, please?" "No, I don't have much time to get ready. I'm going upstairs and home, just dropping by to ask you to treat me well—" I couldn't say it for a moment. "Your what?" Jack demanded. I shook my head confusedly.God knows what I should call Handy. "Boyfriend" feels a lot like a high school couple. And it didn't fit, because Handy was anything but small.Lover...err, old school and disgusting.Someone I value?bosom friend?No, neither.

"Man," I warned, frowning. "I'm not kidding, Jack. If you treat him badly tonight, I promise I'll flay you." "I don't understand what you want from me. If you want my approval, don't even think about it. I don't know that bastard well enough, and what I know is very contradictory." A fire ignited in my heart, and he actually thought that his opinion could influence my feelings. "I don't need your approval," I said sternly. "Just basic courtesy. I just ask you not to be so obnoxious for two hours. Can you do that?"

"Shit," Jack muttered every word. "You are so domineering, I almost sympathize with that guy." The banquet hall on the third floor of the aquarium has floor-to-ceiling windows with a panoramic view of the city of Boston.About 600 guests attended the meeting, entered the venue from the hall decorated with large columnar tanks, first visited the shark ecology, and then visited several exhibition halls, the themes were shipwrecks, underwater temples, swamps, and rainforests. I was a little apprehensive about being there with Handy, but within five minutes of arriving, all worries melted away.His attitude was relaxed and funny, he talked and laughed freely, and showed me around.Handy introduced me to some friends and several partners and their wives, and I sensed that he was not an outsider.Although he hadn't cracked the hardcore circles my family belonged to, he belonged to another group, the bosses of the little bosses who were nimbly looking for new business opportunities.

Some people even knew Handy and I, and some of them laughed and said that Handy was a good match, but they had to be able to control him.I found that, despite his loose appearance, Handy was as good at navigating the industry as anyone I knew.He seemed to know everyone's name, and he was good at listening to people as if they were the most important person at the party. At the same time, Handy is also an attentive male companion, offering drinks for me, gently helping my waist at any time, and making me laugh in a low voice.We were chatting with a group of people, and a link in the gold chain strap of my dinner bag on my shoulder was crooked, and he adjusted it for me.

I always wondered how Handy would treat me in front of other people, would ask me to be his vase like Nick did.Unexpectedly, Handy didn't mind me expressing my thoughts.For example, when we talked about developing oil shale, one of Handy's partners, a geophysicist named Roy Niu, gleefully talked about exploiting oil shale as an alternative way to simply get oil .But I have read that this method is harmful to the environment and pollutes as much as surface mining.Not only that, but the refining process also emits a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which in my opinion is a heinous crime, and the rate of global warming is fast enough.

Roy accepted my criticism with a strong face. "Handy, didn't I warn you? Don't associate with a woman who can read." Handy seemed amused by my outspokenness. "That way the arguments are kept to a minimum," he replied. "But since I know she will definitely win, there's no need to quarrel in the first place." "Sorry, I didn't agree with Roy," I apologized to Handy in a low voice afterwards. "Hope I didn't offend you." "I admire women who speak their minds," Handy replied. "What's more, you are right. The technology is immature and not worth refining. In fact, this practice is not only harmful to the environment, but also costs too much."

I glanced at him suspiciously. "If the technology is mature and the cost is reduced, but it is still harmful to the environment, will you adopt it?" "No—" He was interrupted by loud laughter before he had a chance to explain.A heavy hand rests on my shoulder and I turn around. "Uncle Dijie," I shouted happily. "It has been a long time. How are you?" Bao Dijie is not my real uncle, but I have known him since I was born.He is a good buddy of my father, and I have always suspected that he has a crush on my mother.He liked women a little too much and was married five times.Dijie is a wonderful figure in the oil industry.

When Dijie was young, he worked for an oil drilling equipment company in East Texas. He didn't know how to raise money to buy several pieces of oil-producing land and mining rights, and then used the money he earned to buy one piece of land after another.He has a big business, and wherever he goes, the land property rights personnel of large development companies are always flattering and fawning, and they are eager to sign priceless leases. Everywhere Dijie wore his signature white cowboy hat, five inches wide at the brim and six inches high.It may be ridiculous to wear such a big hat on the head of ordinary people, but Dijie is as tall as a mountain.He was taller than Handy and at least one-and-a-half times his weight, with a gold Rolex diamond on a thick wrist and Texas-shaped gold nugget rings on fingers the size of hot dogs. Whenever Dijie sees a woman, he always kisses mouth to mouth, regardless of age. I can't escape his embarrassing problem since I was a child.He kissed me with puckered lips, smelling of leather, sweet cologne, and Cuban cigars. "How could my beloved little girl be with this bastard?" His voice was extremely loud. "Good night, sir," Handy smiled and held out his hand. "Do you know Mr. Kang?" I asked Dijie. “We talked about a land deal in Gregg County,” Dijie admitted. "The conditions cannot be negotiated." He winked at me. "Doing business with me requires deep pockets." "Dijie wants more than pockets," Handy said angrily. "He wants the whole pair of pants." The old man chuckled softly.He threw his thick arms around me and gave Handy a meaningful look. "Don't treat the girl badly," he said. "She was raised by the most amazing lady in all of Texas." "Yes, sir, I know." After Dijie left with his gouty feet, I turned to Handy and asked, "Why can't we negotiate a deal?" Handy shrugged slightly, smiling helplessly. "It's all because of the bonus." Seeing my blank expression, he further explained. “When the landowner signs the lease, they usually ask for a dividend. If the land is in good condition and there are oil wells nearby, it can sometimes be very generous. But if these conditions are not there, the dividend is usually very small.” "Dijie asked for a high bonus?" I guessed. "Numbers that no one in their right mind would agree to. I can accept the risks in the plan, but he's crazy." "It's a pity he won't reason." Handy shrugged and smiled. "I can wait, sooner or later. God knows, I'm almost out of food on my plate." He looked at me politely and thoughtfully. "Want to go home?" "No, why—" I stopped, the gleam in his blue eyes saying what he wanted to do back home. I pretended to be serious and said: "But I haven't finished the exhibition yet." "Baby, you don't need to read all the exhibits. I can tell you everything you want to know about the platform reef." I laughed even wider. "You seem to be an expert?" I'm getting used to his excellent memory for knowledge and details, so I'm not surprised at all. I play with the buttons on his shirt. "Do platforms really help fish populations reproduce?" "The biologists at the Institute of Marine Science say it does help. The reef attracts some fish, but it's unlikely that many of them would come from random swims from all over the ocean to congregate near the platform, so those fish must be breeding there Yes." He stopped and asked hopefully, "Have you heard enough?" I shook my head and looked at the front of his throat, where the delicate and dark skin made my index finger move.I love his voice, and the rich honey accent. "Will the platform still belong to the oil company after the upper deck is removed?" I asked. "No, because it goes to the state government, it becomes the property of the government. Then the oil company donates half of the savings to the artificial reef project." "How long does it take for fish to patronize...things left on the bottom of the ocean?" "The official name is Reef Rack." Handy stroked the wide sleeve of my gown. "Six months after the reef shelf was tipped over, all kinds of plants and molluscs started to cling to it, and a lot of hard coral clustered near the top because there was more light there, and then the fish came." He leaned over , lips lightly tap my eyebrows. "Want to learn about food chains?" I breathe his breath. "Oh, good." He stroked my elbow tenderly. "The little fish was swimming, and then the big hungry fish came..." "Haifen!" A clear and cheerful voice sounded, and a pair of small arms wrapped around my waist.It was Lipper's younger sister, Carina, with light blonde hair tied into two neat braids. I hug her and kiss the top of her head. "Carina, you look so stylish," I admired her miniskirt and platform shoes. She blushed happily. "When are you coming to my house again to sleep over?" "Don't know, honey. Maybe—" "Are you coming with Handy?" she interrupted eagerly when she saw my male companion.She went over and hugged him, chattering away. "Haffin, you know what? Handy was the one who drove my mom to the hospital the night I was born. It was a storm and it was flooding, and he drove us there in an old blue truck." I smiled and glanced at Handy. "He's very good at saving lives." He looked away as two more people approached: Gage and Lipper. "Handy," she took his hand and squeezed it affectionately. He smiles happily. "Hi Lipper. How is the baby?" "Very good. Mai Xiu is at home with grandpa, and Qiao Qi likes to take him with him very much." Her green eyes flashed with humor. "He's the cheapest babysitter." "Lipper," Carina tugged at her hand, "Do you want to see the piranhas? There's a big tank over there." "Okay," she said with a smile. "Excuse me everyone, we will be right back." After Lipper walked away, Gage looked at Handy for a while.There was pressure in the air, and finally my older brother reached out to shake Handy's hand. "Thank you," Gage said. "I owe you a favor for saving my sister from the elevator. Is there anything I can repay—" "No," Handy said at once.Gage's sincerity seemed to catch him off guard.It was the first time I saw him so embarrassed. "You don't owe me anything. I... sabotaged your biofuel business last time..." "What you did two weeks ago is the best way to make up for it," Gage said. "I value Haifen's safety and happiness above everything else. As long as you treat her well, I won't cause trouble." "I see." I don't like being talked about by others, as if I wasn't there. "Hey, Gage," I asked, "did you see Jack? He's supposed to be here tonight." "Here he is. He met his ex-girlfriend at the bar, and it seems to be reminiscing about old times." I roll my eyes. "Jack's ex-girlfriend can go to El Paso from here." That's when I heard the phone ring and Handy reached into his suit pocket.He glanced at the number and quickly rolled his eyes twice. "Sorry," he said to Gage and me. "I must take this call. You two don't mind—" "Go ahead," I said at once. "Thank you." Handy lifted the phone cover and walked through the crowd to the door leading to the balcony. "You look very good," my brother looked at me appreciatively. "It seems very happy." It's been a long time since anyone said that to me. "I'm really happy," I admit a little shyly. "Gage, I'm sorry, I'm with someone Lipper has dated before, if you find it difficult..." "I don't find it difficult," Gage said mildly.What he said next took me by surprise. "People can't always pick who they want. When I first met Lipper, I thought she was one of Dad's many playthings—I'm sorry I was so nasty." He smiled wryly. "But in real time, every time I saw her, I had a special feeling." He put his hands in his pockets and frowned slightly. "Halfen, I have made up my mind to spare Conhandy for saving you from the Buffalo Tower. But if he hurts you..." "If he hurts me, I give you permission to beat him up and make the shit out of him," I said, making him laugh.I moved closer so that no one could hear me. "However, if this relationship doesn't work out...I can take it, Gage. I'm stronger now than I was a few months ago. He helped me solve some of the problems that Nick caused. So, no matter what he does in the future Do, anyway I am forever indebted to him." Handy came back, and I could see at once that something was terribly wrong.His face was expressionless, but pale under the dark skin, he had a kind of trance tension, which is what happens when a man thinks about many things at the same time. "Halfen," his voice was different, flat and rough as sandpaper. "It was my mother who called just now. There is something at home that needs to be dealt with, so we can't delay it." "Oh, Handy..." I wanted to pull him over to give him support and comfort. "Is she all right?" "Well, she's fine." "We're leaving right away—" "No," Handy said hastily.Realizing the tone was too strong, he forced himself to relax. "You don't need to worry about this, baby. I need to solve it alone." Patch cut in and said, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Handy nodded. "Please help me take care of Haifen and send her home safely." He looked at me with eyes that couldn't see through. "Sorry. I really don't want to leave like this." "Are you going to call me later?" I asked. "Of course. I—" He pauses, as if speechless, and looks at Gage again. "Halfen's in my care," Gage said immediately. "Don't worry." "Okay, thank you." Handy left, striding forward with his head down, as if ready to shovel all obstacles ahead. "Could it be that one of his younger brothers was sick or had an accident?" I anxiously guessed. Patch shook his head. "I can't tell. But..." "But what?" "If that was the case, he should have spoken out." I'm full of worries for Handy. "He should have taken me with him," I grumbled. "I hate being shut out. I'm not going to be happy at a party knowing he's working on a mysterious problem. I should go along." I heard my brother sigh. "Come on, let's find Lipper and Carina. I'd rather watch a tank full of piranhas than guess what's wrong with Conhandy here."