Chapter 9 Chapter nine

"Click!" Zhang Naichi watched as the cue ball he hit passed the edge of the black ball, hit the inside of the table, rolled a few times, and just stopped at the top right pocket.He blew a crisp whistle, walked to the scoreboard hanging on the wall, and flipped the small copper piece casually: "It's your turn." Li Weilian sat facing the window, seemingly not hearing Zhang Naichi's words.Looking out from the windows of the American Club on the 30th floor, you can have a sweeping view of the beautiful scenery of Puxi and Pudong, and the winding Huangpu River turns at your feet with a huge turning point that gathers dragon spirit.It is the day when the new year is approaching, and the lights on the row upon row of high-rise buildings are dazzling, and a huge screen is unfolded outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the billiard hall. A human drama of joys and sorrows.

Zhang Naichi looked at the scoreboard. The big score was 2:2. The two drew. In this deciding game, Li Weilian led by more than 10 points. There were still a few colored balls on the table, so he should still have a chance to turn defeat into victory.He walked behind Li Weilian and called again: "William, it's your turn, what are you looking at?" Li Weilian didn't answer, Zhang Naichi followed his gaze and looked out the window. Vehicles were passing by on the Waibaidu Bridge not far away, like another river of lights across the Huangpu River, standing at the corner of the century-old iron bridge On the Russian consulate, the oval roof was illuminated by lights from all directions, and a red, white and blue Russian flag was slowly lowering.

"...This scene reminds me of 1997." Li Weilian whispered. "Oh, lower the flag." Zhang Naichi has no interest in touching the scene, he just wants to decide the outcome with the opponent as soon as possible. "Time flies, before we know it, it has been eleven years since we left Hong Kong and returned to Shanghai." Zhang Naichi casually said: "Yeah... When we first came back, we often went to the American Club to play billiards together, but now it seems that we can't come once for a long time." Li Weilian raised his head and glanced at Zhang Naichi: "That's right, we haven't had a good chat in the past two years."

"Hehe, you didn't even communicate with me about such a major matter as the reorganization. What else is there to talk about?" Zhang Naichi shrugged, "I know my abilities are limited, so I don't dare to have extravagant hopes." Li Weilian stood up and walked towards the table.The large floor-to-ceiling windows with the night sky as the bottom are like a blue mirror, and the ball table is shining with a dark green shimmer in the center.Li Weilian and Zhang Naichi stood side by side on the side of the table. The figures of the two were almost indistinguishable from each other. They were also well-proportioned and tall, and they really looked like a pair of brothers.

When separated, there is still a clear distinction; when approached, one is absorbed into the figure of the other, blending into one. Li Weilian is only slightly taller than Zhang Naichi, and his shoulders are slightly wider, but it is this slight difference, so subtle that it can hardly be easily observed with the naked eye, but it creates a completely different aura.People can't help but be amazed that the texture of people can be so similar and yet so different. "Why do you have to hit a black ball?" Li Weilian shook his head while rubbing talcum powder on the head of the club. touch, the white ball jumps forward and pushes the red ball close to the left into the net pocket.

"Didn't you just come back from Beijing today? How can I communicate with you in advance?" He continued to say disapprovingly, while visually checking the distance and angle. Now there is a green ball and a blue ball within the attack range. Of course, it is also possible. Try the black ball, but it's a little more difficult. "But you didn't tell me when you returned to Shanghai in advance? Otherwise, I wouldn't go to Beijing." Li Weilian still chose the most convenient green ball, and after hitting the pocket, he smiled at Zhang Naichi: "Okay, don't complain, just speak up if you have any ideas."

"It's not that I have any ideas, but how you want to arrange me!" Zhang Naichi said sullenly, "I'm not in the reorganized core team, William, am I completely out of the game?" "Out? Richard, I thought you didn't care about the temple of West Bank Chemicals and wanted to stand on your own." Li Weilian knocked down another red ball with ease. "Me? Set up my own family?!" Zhang Naichi was a little nervous, "William, don't listen to those gossips, I'm still self-aware. Even if I talk about it occasionally, it doesn't count. I know I can't do without you!"

Li Weilian laughed: "Don't, don't, don't talk like this, it will be misunderstood...By the way, are you doing well in Beijing? The relationship with Zhongsheng Petrochemical Zheng Wuding is very important, how is your development going? " "This... is not bad. The matter of low-density polyethylene particles made Zheng Wuding show his face, and now he is the most recognized by the upper management of the group company among all the vice presidents of the import and export company. We appreciate it." "Where is Gao Min? How is she doing now?" Zhang Naichi curled his lips: "Stand aside. Although the position of executive general manager has not been removed yet, the superiors have already started to investigate her. I guess it is only a matter of time before she is shuanggui."

"You have to be careful, don't let her involve us." "No, she doesn't have any evidence in hand, not to mention that our process of getting the contract has always been in accordance with the regulations." Li Weilian nodded, he knocked down another blue ball, and now he started to think about the position of the cue ball when he hit a red ball, if he can get the black ball this time, Zhang Naichi will lose. "Richard, who reported it to the Pudong New Area Customs, did you investigate further?" Zhang Naichi was very surprised: "Huh? Do you really believe there is someone else?"

"Of course!" Li Weilian looked at Zhang Naichi suddenly, "I told you a long time ago, as long as there is a third party, it means that there are other eyes staring at us, and we must find out this threat! What? You Are you taking my words lightly?!" "No, I..." Zhang Naichi was speechless. Li Weilian heaved a sigh of relief, struck hard, and the red ball fell into the net. He continued: "Apart from you and You Chuan himself, who else can find that You Chuan's goods are inferior? I think the only one The only possibility is to find out the trend of inferior products produced in South America during that period through the records of the international trade of polyethylene particles. It's good. You can look it up again according to this idea, this matter is very important, you must do it seriously!"

Zhang Naichi muttered, "Okay, that's all I do..." Li Wei glanced at Zhang Naichi with lingering anger, and bent down aiming at the black ball.At the moment of putting the putt, he suddenly frowned, a trace of imperceptible pain flashed across his face, his arm trembled slightly, the black ball deviated from the track, hit the bottom of the table and bounced out, rolling to the center of the table before stopping . "Huh?" Zhang Naichi was stunned seeing this situation. He thought he had no chance to turn things around, but he didn't want Li Weilian to have a very rare mistake. Li Weilian silently put down his club, walked slowly to the French window, and sat down on the sofa beside him. Zhang Naichi stood in front of the stage again. After the black ball was missed, it gave him a good attacking position.Zhang Naichi became excited. There were three red balls and three colored balls on the table, and the combined score just overtook him.Zhang Naichi concentrated on hitting a red ball, the position of the cue ball was perfect, he took a deep breath, and knocked the black ball into the pocket neatly. Now he has a chance to clear the table with one stroke.Zhang Naichi could feel Li Weilian's gaze, he ordered himself to ignore it, but concentrated on the table, one after another, Zhang Naichi brilliantly accepted all the remaining points. 76:68, he won. "Very good, you won." Li Weilian's calm voice woke Zhang Naichi up from his excitement.Zhang Naichi quickly suppressed the frenzy in his heart, turned his head and smiled innocently at Li Weilian: "Hehe, you let me." "No, you play better than me." Zhang Naichi had completely calmed down at this time, he walked to the bar and took a sip of whiskey: "William, you don't seem to be doing well today, are you too tired recently? Pay attention to the balance between work and rest." He took another glass of wine and left. Went to Li Weilian's side, handed it to his hand attentively, and asked with a smile: "Hey, how is that Dai Xi? Isn't it cute?" "Daixi?" Li Weilian shook the wine glass in his hand, and the ice cubes made a crackling sound, "It's really good, but Maggie doesn't seem to like her very much." "Hahaha!" Zhang Naichi laughed, "How could Maggie like such a pure and beautiful little beauty!" "Richard," Li Weilian interrupted him, "you don't have to worry about the arrangement of the reorganization. The reason why I didn't let you participate in the core team is that I hope that you will not be distracted by trivial matters, but that the first-level organizational structure will be finalized in April. Some outstanding performances before, especially on trade." "Trade?" Zhang Naichi asked, staring at Li Weilian. "Yes, the two of us have been working together, and it's also the part we are best at." Li Weilian looked back at Zhang Naichi calmly, "You know, trade is what I value most, and I will never hand it over to outsiders. Zhong Sheng Sinopec is our primary trading partner, and Zhongsheng Petrochemical's relationship is maintained by you, just because you are the person I can trust the most... You have made it clear enough, are you relieved now?" Zhang Naichi was stunned: "Ah, yes... I understand, William, thank you! You can just rest assured!" Li Weilian raised his glass to him. "Oh, I have to go. Baoling's father is doing Panax notoginseng today, so I have to accompany her." Zhang Naichi hurriedly wanted to leave. "Okay, I'll stay a little longer. Goodbye." "goodbye!" The billiard hall suddenly became silent, Li Weilian cast his eyes out of the window, and landed on a certain point of the huge dark blue sky, as if he was looking at something, but he seemed to see nothing.Until a slender figure in a crimson dress quietly came to his sofa and squatted down gracefully. Li Weilian reached out and touched her badge—"VIP manager Tang Dan Dennis": "Sorrow and boredom Dan, how do you know I need you?" Tang Dan's white face flushed red immediately: "You are the worst. You don't come here once in a long time. I thought you forgot about me, but you just tease people when you come here." Her nose bridge is straight and her eyes are light brown Yes, it has the special aesthetic feeling of a mixed race. "Where did I tease you? Isn't that your nickname?" "I'm ashamed to say it! It's the bad nickname you gave me, it's necrotic." "Oh, so you don't like it..." Li Wei lowered his eyes in dissatisfaction, and Tang Dan hurriedly stroked his arm: "Okay, I like it, okay? Who messed with you today? I'm in such a bad mood." "You know I'm in a bad mood?" "Of course I know." Tang Dan raised his head and looked at him, "You don't look very good, you just had a buffet with that guy, and you didn't eat much..." Li Weilian slightly raised his eyebrows: "Are you spying on me?" "It's not surveillance... It's been so long since you came here, so I'll have to take a look when I come here." She said it so sincerely, Li Weilian stroked her curly brown hair: "You have to have a suitable companion when you eat. I have an appetite. What you said made me a little hungry, do you have time? Come with me to have something to eat." "Of course I have time. What do you want to eat? Italian food on the top floor, or the newly opened French restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel opposite?" "No those. Go to the Shanghai restaurant downstairs, I want to eat wontons." "Okay." Tang Dan couldn't help laughing, his eyes became more gentle, "What about after eating?" "That depends on how much time you have." "My time is all yours..." Her voice was almost inaudible. Li Weilian was silent again, Tang Dan waited, and then asked softly: "Shall we go now?" "Wait a minute, how are the visas for the mother and daughter?" He said suddenly. Tang Dan's face was full of slyness: "If you don't come, you still have to ask me to take care of things. Is that girl your illegitimate daughter?" "Hmph, do you think so?" Tang Dan shook his head: "No, although she looks pretty, she looks more like her mother... Has something happened to her father? Can her mother go to America?" "The government didn't restrict her freedom of movement. Besides, that girl is still a junior high school student, how can she go abroad alone?" Li Weilian sighed softly, "Let them go together, so you don't have to worry about it. I know you must There is a way." "Got it." Tang Dan dragged his voice and said coquettishly, "I've already said hello to the vice-consul in charge of the visa, and I'll talk to the consul's wife in two days. What about you..." Li Weilian finally showed a smile: "Then you are not just the worry-free pill, but the Nine-Turn Panacea." "william..." Because of the holiday, I went to work consecutively for two weeks before the Spring Festival.Meng Feiyang had just joined this Japanese company called "Takai Co., Ltd.", and took a seat among the three heads of trade section. As a newcomer, he had to get acquainted with the environment, understand the business, and organize the team. He was really busy. It just so happened that Dai Xi was also busy during this time, both of them left early and returned late, so they couldn't even speak a few words every day.When he was busy, some thoughts would suddenly jump into Meng Feiyang's mind - Dai Xi had only just started working, but to him, she seemed to have changed a lot.At this time, Meng Feiyang would try his best to get rid of such thoughts. Dai Xi gave up her studies and returned to China because of him. Therefore, he hoped that Dai Xi could find a job smoothly, and that she could find a satisfactory job and not worry about it. Troubled by not being able to go to school, Meng Feiyang wishes Dai Xi to be happy from the bottom of his heart. Now Dai Xi is working very hard in West Bund Chemical, whether it is the current salary or future development, it is better than their expectations. Meng Feiyang feels that he should be happy for her and support her wholeheartedly and unconditionally.It's just that when Meng Feiyang wakes up in the middle of the night occasionally, looking at Dai Xi's sleeping face beside her, seeing her dark eyelashes trembling slightly with the rhythm of her breathing, and her delicate face turning ruddy, he can't help feeling a little heartache, as if Once again, I experienced the feeling Dai Xi felt when she was about to go to the United States three years ago. It was a kind of hopeless and helpless sadness. I watched my most beloved baby leave me, but I couldn't say "no" Character.Meng Feiyang kept reminding himself, don't think about it, Dai Xi is by his side, and will stay by his side forever.Only now does Meng Feiyang realize how precious the time they both lost their jobs in the past month or so is. If he can do it all over again, he must extend this time as much as possible, so he is looking forward to the arrival of the long Spring Festival holiday , looking forward to revisiting the warmth of doing nothing but intimacy. His good wishes were shattered.When Dai Xi proposed that he would fly to Hong Kong for training on the third night of the Lunar New Year, Meng Feiyang struggled to restrain his strong sense of loss. He quickly adjusted his expression and calmly comforted the restless Dai Xi—how rare The opportunity ah, of course you should go.I'm fine, anyway, you can still make up the vacation, and then we will rest together again.During the four-day long vacation, I happened to do minor repairs on the house, connected the warm water pipe to the kitchen, and replaced the shower room with a new heater... "Feiyang, what are your plans for the holiday?" Ke Yaping stood in front of Meng Feiyang's table with a smile, holding a red velvet calf in her hand. Meng Feiyang came back to his senses, and replied casually: "I don't have any plans, go to bed, or just read the information." Today is New Year's Eve, and the holiday will start tomorrow. He just saved the information in the computer into a USB flash drive and plans to bring it back At home, there are still some documents that do not have electronic files, and now they are all spread out on the table and are about to sort them out. Ke Yaping looked at his messy table: "Where is this calf? It's a mess." "Huh? Mavericks?" "Yeah, a New Year's gift for you, I wish you all the best!" Ke Yaping's complexion is very good recently, and she often wears a smile on her face, which makes Meng Feiyang feel very comfortable. "It's great to be bullish! Thank you so much!" Meng Feiyang expressed his gratitude sincerely, then scratched his head again, "This... I have to wait until I sort out the table, there is too much information." Ke Yaping stretched out her hand: "Let me help you sort it out. Why are you working so hard, and you still need to read the materials during the Spring Festival?" "Hehe, you're just here, it's always good to learn more." The two tidied up in a hurry, and finally cleared half of the countertop. Ke Yaping put the little red bull back upright, and asked with a smile, "Do you dare not play with your girlfriend during the Spring Festival? She will definitely be angry. " "...I can't accompany her. She is training in Hong Kong from the fourth to the seventh day of junior high." Meng Feiyang wanted to speak as casually as possible, but he couldn't hide his bitter tone. Ke Yaping glanced at Meng Feiyang: "Really? You have to work overtime during the Spring Festival holiday? Isn't your girlfriend in West Bund Chemical? I heard that big American companies are very humane? Why are they more exploitative than Japanese companies?" "No, this is a good opportunity specially arranged by their boss for Dai Xi." Meng Feiyang just wanted to end this topic as soon as possible. "Oh," Ke Yaping nodded, "That's no wonder. I also heard that West Bund Chemical is a very good company, but the requirements are very high and it is difficult to get in. Your girlfriend is really capable, and she got in right away. Immediately there will be training in Hong Kong, which will definitely make the boss look differently." Meng Feiyang hurriedly said: "...Yaping, how do you plan to spend the Spring Festival? Travel or stay at home?" "I don't have the money to travel, so I have to stay at home and take care of my father. I just hope that my brother and sister-in-law don't make too much noise..." She lowered her head. Meng Feiyang let out a sigh of relief: "No matter how you live, I still want to wish you a happy new year!" "Yes, I wish you and us all a Happy New Year!" Ke Yaping blushed and smiled, and Meng Feiyang also laughed with her. Hong Kong is very warm, of course compared to the severe cold of Shanghai. At 7:30 in the evening, Dai Xi's plane landed at Hong Kong International Airport on time.She immediately stuffed the down jacket into the box, and set out to take the airport express.West Bund Chemical’s travel arrangements are all handled by a third-party international travel agency, which is quite professional. Dai Xi received an email introducing the details of the entire journey a few days before departure. The shuttle bus arrived at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui just after nine o'clock.