Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

Standing in front of the door of "Shuangmei 1919" again, through the frosted glass inlaid in the black wooden lattice door frame, it seems that there is a blurry figure moving behind the door, and then carefully distinguish it, it turns out that it is only the reflection of my own shadow The brilliance flows. The familiar small wooden sign—closed—is still hanging on the brass doorknob. Dai Xi took a deep breath, and the winter and summer changed in a trance. It seemed that this door had been waiting for her for half a year, and it kept silent for more than a hundred days and nights——closed.

"Miss Dai, please come in." The door opened, and the woman changed into a short-sleeved navy blue plain cheongsam without any pattern on her body.When smiling sideways, the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes are visible. The aroma of the coffee remains the same, but the dust in the sun is scattered without a trace, because the milky white sunshade curtains hang down in unison, blocking the scorching sun in the late summer behind the window, and turning the beating street scene in the gap between the plane trees into a lonely song. Song. How cool, how quiet, how honest... Like "Yi Garden", this place seems to be able to carve the broken shadows of time into a shell. No matter what day or night, the outside world is cold or hot. When you hide in, there is only the eternal past—living in the memory , Living in the self, is this obstinate indulgence active or forced, is it brave or cowardly, or is it just a helpless struggle in a sinking illness?

……Where is he? Dai Xi stood in the middle of the empty shop, looking around in a daze.Qiu Wenyue left her behind and went to the back of the store.There was light behind the originally dark bar, and someone was talking. "Oh, it tastes delicious!" "Well, let it eat for a while." "Be careful, be careful..." "Don't move, I'll come." Dai Xi followed the sound, passed the corridor next to the kitchen, and the back door towards "Yi Garden" was open.Qiu Wenyue was standing by the door, Li Weilian was slowly leaning forward, both of them seemed to be holding their breath.Dai Xi tiptoed behind them, Li Weilian's movements suddenly froze, and a small pale yellow figure suddenly rushed out from in front of him.

"Ah, it ran away!" Qiu Wenyue stamped her feet and cried. When Dai Xi poked his head out to look around, the escaped puppy had already galloped across the road, plunged into the bushes beside the wall of "Yi Garden", and disappeared with a shake of its yellow tail. "Forget it, let it go." Li Weilian turned around and nodded towards Dai Xi as if seeing an old acquaintance: "You're here." "Wen Yue said that there has been a stray puppy walking around for the past two days. I was afraid that it would be harmed, so I wanted to arrest it. Unfortunately, it is too vigilant... probably because it has been abused and lost its trust in people. .”

Going back to the seat by the window and sitting down, Li Weilian looked at Dai Xi: "You're tanned." Dai Xi blushed immediately: "The ultraviolet rays on the plateau are too strong. It's been almost a month since I came back, and it still hasn't turned white." Since I got acquainted with him, it seems that it has become a routine to see each other for more than a month.When Li Weilian sat across from him again, Dai Xi thought of Xue Baoling's words - he didn't look particularly tired or depressed, but when I saw him, my heart broke. Yes, his haggardness is not on his face, but buried in his heart.No matter how shrewd and powerful he looks, in fact, in Dai Xi's eyes, Li Weilian is always a patient.Ever since she broke free from his embrace on that unforgettable night in Hong Kong, Li Weilian has adopted a rather calm attitude towards Dai Xi, and even today, this attitude has not changed even though there have been too many twists and turns between them Pass.

However, Dai Xi's feelings for Li Weilian were not without subtle changes.In fact, the more you understand, the deeper you explore, and the closer you get in touch, the less sure you are of yourself.He was always observing her meticulously, but she was getting more and more confused in his focused eyes. "Have you seen the photo of Aden I sent you?" She finally thought of what to say. "Very beautiful, I like it very much. Thank you, Daisy." Dai Xi was at a loss for words again, thanks to Qiu Wenyue serving the coffee, when the alluring mellow aroma rushed to her cheeks, Dai Xi almost shouted at her excitedly - "Sister Fairy"!

"Miss Dai, don't be a coincidence, otherwise, please try Allah's new dishes." Greetings with Dai Xi in Shanghai dialect——Qiu Wenyue probably regarded this as her way of hospitality, at least with "Twin Sisters", she can confidently believe that she and Li Weilian are the common masters. "New dishes?" Dai Xi was a little curious. Li Wei even gave Qiu Wenyue a subtle wink, and waited for her to walk away obediently before saying, "Dai Xi, what's the difference in the shop?" Dai Xi looked left and right for a while: "Well, it seems that the row of tables in the middle is arranged differently from last time."

"How is it different?" "Two tables are missing... Oh, it's on the side next to the door!" "anything else?" "What else?... The color of the upper tablecloth seems to have changed too. I remember it was bright pink gold, but now there are more light gray pigments." The lower snow-white tablecloth is covered with light gray satin. This combination is indeed very plain, but it is also quite elegant. "The plain color is used because someone in the family has just passed away. Of course, it is also to change the style." "Oh, so why did the table change directions?"

"you guess." Dai Xi raised her chin and stared at Li Weilian with a sad face.When will he give up this tortured entertainment? Li Weilian seemed to have heard her heart, he smiled, and did not continue to embarrass Dai Xi: "The sun in the summer afternoon is relatively strong. It turns out that the orientation of the two tables is just illuminated by the light from the west side, which will make the guests feel uncomfortable. In addition, There is an antique wall lamp above the head where it is placed now, and the female guests like this soft light very much, which can make them more confident."

After a pause, he said again: "There is another advantage of this arrangement, the center of the store can appear more spacious." "Oh!" "All the menus have also been adjusted." Li Weilian added without further ado, "Several types of set meals and desserts have been added, and the prices have been raised a little." Dai Xi finally realized what was going on: "You came up with these things, right?" "Yes," he said with a kind of lazy complacency, "This store has been open for more than ten years. I have never cared about it except paying money. I really don't have time. I took the time to study it these days and found that the business Restaurants are still a big science. These small adjustments now can bring at least a 25% profit increase.”

"That's it... really good." Yes, that's great, if interesting trifles can help him relax and adjust his mood... Dai Xi frowned, is the situation really so optimistic and innocent?Will Li Weilian really devote his attention to trivial things like designing menus? For a long time, Dai Xi regarded "Yi Garden" as a magnificent and majestic maze, and "Twin Sisters" was the tunnel leading to the core of this maze. With Li Weilian's personality, how could he be willing to accept all this, and sit here and discuss the color of the tablecloth nonchalantly? She opened the satchel, took out the contents, and carefully placed them on the table. "The articles of association and seal of the company were sent from Hong Kong more than a week ago, please take a look." This is what they are going to do when they meet today.Li Weilian looked at each one carefully, and finally raised his head: "Dai Xi, I have a question, why did you name the company like this?" "……name?" "The English name is carpe diem, and the Chinese name is literally translated as Kai Di. Don't you think it's weird?" Dai Xi was a little anxious: "I sent you all the completed application forms, but you didn't say anything at that time?" "I didn't say the name is bad, I'm just curious about the reason why you named it like this." Li Weilian leaned back in the chair, he spoke calmly, but the light in his eyes was eager and persistent, as if trying to penetrate Dai Xi's heart. She could only avoid his gaze as much as possible: "carpe diem, I like its original Latin meaning." "Cherish the years, enjoy yourself in time... the meaning is really good, but the name of a trading company is quite weird. A trading company is the most profit-seeking organization, and money is the only goal, but you have to make it focus on time and the meaning of life .” His smile didn't seem to be ridiculing, but rather condoning her recklessness and simplicity. "Daisy, running a trading company called 'Treasure Time' makes me feel like opening a bank but calling it Little White Rabbit." "Little White Rabbit Bank?!" Dai Xi made him dumbfounded, "In the world of fairy tales..." "Yeah, all I keep are carrots." This is his most bewitching charm, insight and humor intertwined, both lofty and friendly and delicate, making people forget themselves involuntarily. "It's good to have a vague name for the company, it's easy to confuse others." Li Weilian finally gave a positive opinion, "Dai Xi, I injected a sum of money into your carpe diem company, you can use the online banking to check it now Bar." "Is there wifi here?" Li Weilian folded his arms on his chest: "The wifi was just activated the day before yesterday." "Ok." There is no need to express admiration for his thoughtful planning, Dai Xi simply took out the laptop, turned it on, surfed the Internet, entered the query page, and entered the password... "Well, I saw that a sum of money has entered the account. One, ten, hundred, thousand..." Dai Xi gasped as she counted zero, and stared straight at the person opposite, "Yes... a Fifteen million dollars?!" "Of course not carrots." He actually smiled faintly. From the initial half a million, to fifty thousand, to now... fifteen million dollars. Dai Xi's heart shrank in fear, and the uneasy atmosphere that had made her uncomfortable from the beginning of the meeting suddenly became clear. She clenched her fists and stared ahead, waiting for his explanation. Li Weilian breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't be so nervous. Dai Xi, all businesses need funds, and I just raised a sum of money." "How did it melt?" "Are you interested in this too?" "yes." "Well, I should tell you, after all, the company is registered in your name." He pondered for a while, but then turned to another topic: "Daisy, maybe you don't know—'Yi Garden' belongs to me." It was indeed the first time for Dai Xi to hear this, but she wasn't surprised at all. If "Yi Garden" didn't belong to Li Weilian, then who else deserved to own her? "Yi Yuan" has a soul, wealth alone can't possess her, one has to give her heartfelt love. "Ten years ago, I spent 20 million yuan to buy 'Yiyuan'. Of course, most of it was a loan. It was not until more than a month ago that I finally paid off the entire loan, including the transfer from your account. The 450,000 US dollars. Now, 'Yiyuan' is completely owned by me, and her market value is close to 200 million yuan." Once the amount of money is too large, it will make people lose their sense of it.Li Weilian's words were like a breeze blowing past Dai Xi's ears, far less real than the aroma of coffee in front of him. "...I just used 'Yi Yuan' to raise funds." Did you drink too much coffee?Dai Xi's heartbeat was uncomfortably fast. She had never been interested in financing or business, but today was different. Today they were talking about the "Yi Garden" that he regarded as the most precious thing! She mobilized her superficial financial knowledge: "Did you...mortgage 'Yiyuan' to the bank?" "No, at most one-fifth of the value of the collateral can be borrowed through the bank, which is about 40 million yuan."...And what he has raised now is 15 million US dollars, almost 100 million yuan , which is approximately equal to half of the value of the mortgaged subject matter. "I mortgaged 'Yiyuan' to a mortgage loan company in Macau, which is actually a usury with a gangster background. Only they can lend such a large amount of funds at once, and only they have the courage to take over a subject like 'Yiyuan'. Of course, for this I have to bear extremely high interest on a monthly basis." "usury……" Dai Xi murmured and repeated, this word was chewed dryly in her mouth, it was really hard for her to swallow. "The main business of such companies is to provide huge amounts of funds for gamblers' crazy gambling, so their ability to resist risks is far better than that of banks. They have mature and complete operating procedures and mechanisms, and they are absolutely not worried that the money they borrow will be collected." not coming back." "...what are they going to do?" "Well, are you asking if the borrower doesn't pay back the loan when it's due?...First of all, the collateral is confiscated, and there are also various violent coercion methods, such as threats, beatings, kidnapping, and even murder." The explanation was clear enough that Dai Xi didn't want to listen any more.She raised her head, Li Weilian's face was gradually blurred in her vision, and his originally handsome and masculine outline became gentle. "What do you want to achieve by taking such a big risk to borrow money?" He didn't answer her question immediately, but turned his gaze out of the window. The sun is slanting westward, and the white cotton and linen sunshade curtains reveal a warm light yellow. It is so quiet in the "Twin Sisters" after four o'clock in the afternoon. Ten years ago, the boy's footsteps running up the stairs, hearing the passing of time, hearing a love word that was still hesitant to speak, finally became lost... "To explain to myself." "I don't understand……" "Or to put it this way, in order to get rid of the past. Dai Xi, is there a very important theory in psychology that all people's mental illnesses come from the early years of life. And I have been entangled with my early years and the past for too long , it’s time to say goodbye.” He is right, there is indeed such a point of view in psychology.However, Dai Xi dared not tell him that another point of view of psychology is that the past is a part of life, the past breeds the present, and the future feeds back the past. We can only explain, understand and finally learn to accept the past with today's wisdom , No one can cut off the past with a knife! "Daisy," perhaps because her complexion was too ugly, Li Weilian said to her again in a very gentle tone, "don't worry, everything is according to the plan, you have to believe that it is right to do a business that can make money without losing money." Li Weilian is not difficult. If I am not 100% sure, I can definitely earn back all my principal and interest within three months. I will never bet on "Yi Yuan". Years, I paid my entire youth and all my career achievements, and even took advantage of my family to get it. For me today, 'Yiyuan' is my whole, my life. In fact, if you only need a If I want to realize my plan with a huge sum of money or revive my strengths, I can completely sell 'Yi Yuan', so that I can get huge wealth immediately without paying high interest, and the profits I will earn will all be I got what I got, but how could I be willing to give up 'Yi Yuan'... I am afraid that once I let her go, I will never be able to buy her back in this life. So Dai Xi, believe me, what you heard today is just a process , and the result has long been doomed." Perhaps only Li Weilian can talk about a gamble of hundreds of millions of RMB so calmly.Dai Xi heard the unique tone of the familiar consultant X again—a pathological expression of absolute confidence. Obviously he was risking his life, but he said it as if he had changed the price on the menu. Fear swelled to the maximum like a balloon, and finally burst at this moment.At this moment, there was only pity in Dai Xi's heart. She had never felt his helpless sadness and his fanatical determination to split the past so deeply. Of course Dai Xi believed in him, Li Weilian's plan would definitely succeed, and the consultant x was originally the most shrewd businessman in the world.Even so, to Dai Xi, he was still a...patient who needed her help. "Got it," Daisy asked, "so what am I supposed to do?" "It's very simple. What we want to operate is a simple import and export trade. First, Carpe Diem will use the 15 million US dollars to purchase certain chemical products in batches from around the world, and then sell them to China's largest petrochemical company. Enterprise, the entire buying and selling process must be completed before the end of October this year. I have basically negotiated the purchase contract, and I will implement all the specific links. All you have to do is to sign and stamp on the documents I prepared Zhang, transfer money according to my instructions, that's all... Do you understand?" Dai Xi nodded. "I can explain the details of this transaction to you, but... you are not very interested, Dai Xi?" "I'll just sign it." Li Weilian shook his head and smiled: "You look like you are going to sign a contract of sale. Dai Xi, it's really not that scary. One thing you have to remember is that I am the one who borrows money, and I am the one who deals with usury companies. Even in the future What went wrong, this loan has nothing to do with you, nor with the carpe diem company. These are two completely separate things, understand? The reason why the company was established in your name is to achieve this effect." The most satisfied person this afternoon was Qiu Wenyue, because Dai Xi tasted her new dishes. Li Weilian spent nearly three hours patiently teaching Dai Xi the basics of international trade.It wasn't until Qiu Wenyue came to ask them to have dinner that Dai Xi finished signing several contracts that she had just read. At dusk, when the sunshade curtains are pulled up, yellow and white street lights slant in from the window, painting the newly vacated triangular area in the center of the store so cold, like a heart that has not settled down.And it was surrounded by silent darkness. In this way, the days are short and the nights are long, and autumn comes unconsciously. The new dishes are grilled silver cod with orange juice, fried beef with foie gras and spinach soup with creamy crab powder. Each of these three dishes is served in a white ceramic dish.There is also a large plate of tamago sushi with yellow wasabi sauce in the middle to share.Everything is exquisitely crafted and delicious, but exudes a touching homely atmosphere.