After a while, the younger man took out a piece of bread from his bag and gave half to the old man. They squatted outside the upscale club, watching the endless stream of car lights, and munched on the dry bread in their hands.
Yan Shenyu felt that this scene was somewhat familiar, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't remember anything. After all, he had read the original work a long time ago, and he had long forgotten some of the supporting characters.
Five minutes later, Yan Shenyu stripped down to just a vest, untied her hair tie, and sat down next to the two burly men with disheveled hair: "What, trying to take over my territory at the door?"
"What territory?" the old man asked, his voice thick with a local accent.
“Dad, this man might be a beggar,” the younger man’s Mandarin had improved considerably, at least enough to be understood. “We’ve taken his spot.”
With a blade of grass he'd somehow gotten his hands on dangling from his mouth, Yan Shenyu looked every bit the dashing street thug who'd been around for over a decade: "Everyone in Beijing knows this hotel entrance is my territory. What are you doing here?"
"We're not here to beg for food, we're here to collect debts..." The old man was cut off by the young man before he could finish speaking.
"Excuse me, we'll leave right away." The younger man was very alert and immediately pulled the older man to his feet.
The old man cooperated and immediately stuffed the remaining half of the dry naan into his mouth, but because he swallowed too quickly, the hard naan entered his trachea, and he immediately burst into a violent cough.
"Dad!" the young son shouted, then began to frantically pound on the old man's back. However, this only made the old man feel worse and had no effect whatsoever.
In her anxiety, Yan Shenyu handed her a bottle of water: "Do you want some water?"
The other person glanced at him and asked somewhat warily, "How much? I'll buy it for you."
“It’s free,” Yan Shenyu said calmly as he unscrewed the bottle cap. “Just tell me what you’re doing here.”
A note from the author:
①Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev classified civilizations into three types—I, II, and III—based on their energy utilization rates. Type I civilizations refer to those capable of utilizing all available resources on their home planet; Earth is currently entering the Type I civilization stage.
Chapter 7 Shaxian Snacks.
At 9 p.m., Xie Siyan finished his conversation and left the private room.
After nearly two hours of communication and negotiation, he finally decided to invest 500 million yuan in Qiankun Technology's angel round through the channel of Yanyu Capital. The condition was that an exclusivity agreement be signed to ensure a clean equity structure, but he himself would not interfere with the rocket's research and development and application.
Xie Siyan saw the potential of Qiankun Technology, while Liao Tian needed absolute control over research and development and management. The two hit it off immediately.
As Xie Siyan was leaving, he glanced at the empty chairs in the rest area and frowned slightly.
Waiting outside was Secretary Li, who had just been transferred to the president's office and wasn't quite able to interpret Xie Siyan's body language. Seeing the president frown at him, she assumed it was because the investment wasn't going well and was so scared that she didn't dare to breathe.
Secretary Lin reminded him, "Where is Mr. Yan?"
Secretary Li then realized what was happening and quickly said, "Mr. Yan said he was bored waiting here and wanted to go outside for a walk. I'll ask him to come back right away."
Secretary Li dialed Yan Shenyu's number, and about half a minute later, he looked up with a somewhat embarrassed expression: "Mr. Yan said he has already made a reservation and would like the president to come directly over."
Secretary Lin glanced at Xie Siyan, and seeing that he did not refuse, asked again, "Location?"
"I'll ask right away!" Ten seconds later, Secretary Li stiffened and looked up, stammering, "The rustling...rustling at the door..."
Secretary Lin: "A lone seagull in the vast天地?"
This is a private restaurant right next to the fishing platform, hidden deep in the alley, but the food and service are both good. Xie Siyan has been there to discuss business several times.
Secretary Li: "Shaxian Snacks!"
Secretary Lin: "..."
After about three or four minutes of silence, Secretary Li, who hadn't hung up the phone, couldn't stand Yan Shenyu's urging any longer and cautiously asked, "Is the president still going?"
Xie Siyan remained standing there silently, his expression unreadable.
Secretary Lin had already read the expression on his face and nodded: "Go."
Secretary Li quickly agreed, then felt that this world was truly magical.
Xie Siyan is a man worth over 100 billion yuan, controlling the economic lifeline of Beijing! How dare someone invite him to a Shaxian snack shop?! What's even more outrageous is that he actually went!
Shaxian Snacks is right across from the west gate of Diaoyutai. You don't even need to drive; it's just a traffic light away.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the narrow shops of Shaxian Snacks are squeezed into the old street. To its left is a grocery store, with some wilted fruit displayed in plastic baskets at the entrance, and flies buzzing around the nearly spoiled fruit; to its right is an adult product store, with stray cats squatting at the door, looking at the whips, cat ears, and bells behind the glass window...
Secretary Li: "..."
Kitty, what are you looking at?! That's something dirty adults play with! It's not a toy for an innocent and cute little kitten like you!
Xie Siyan walked into the store without glancing at the stray cat. He was wearing the same high-end suit he wore on his blind date, and he looked noble and powerful, as if he wasn't there to eat, but to acquire Shaxian snacks.
As for Yan Shenyu, who was sitting inside, his attitude was much more casual.
When I met him in the morning, he was still wearing his wedding suit. When I saw him in the evening, he was only wearing a white shirt. By nightfall, he had even taken off his shirt and was only wearing an old man's shirt, exposing his chest and back. His hair was messy and tucked behind his ears. If he weren't handsome, he would look exactly like a migrant worker who had just finished carrying bricks.
"You're here?" Yan Shenyu sat on the plastic table by the door. Seeing Xie Siyan enter, she handed him a menu and said casually, "I'm a bit broke lately, so please make do with what you'd like to eat, Mr. Xie. It's on me."
He never eats this kind of thing.
Xie Siyan shook his head and went straight to the point: "What is it?"
Yan Shenyu didn't seem to intend to actually invite him, and instead looked at the two people beside him: "Do you know these two?"
Xie Siyan glanced down at them. The two men had striking, deep-set features, dark skin, and a distinctly exotic air. When their eyes met his, they instinctively looked away, but quickly looked up at him with apprehension.
Xie Siyan withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "I don't know him."
“But they said they knew you,” Yan Shenyu smiled, looking quite interested, “and they even said they wanted to get money from you.”
Secretary Li frowned: "Here to scam money?"
“We’re not scammers,” the old man next to him shouted. “I…I’ve met Mr. Xie before!”
Xie Siyan glanced at them, his sharp gaze leaving them speechless.
After waiting for nearly ten seconds without the other party speaking, Xie Siyan lost patience and got up to leave.
Seeing that he was about to leave, the two men became even more anxious.
However, their Mandarin was not good to begin with, and the more anxious they became, the less they could speak. They could only take a step forward to try to grab Xie Siyan, but before they could touch him, they were blocked by the two secretaries. Meanwhile, Xie Siyan had already lifted the greasy plastic curtain and walked out.
"Mr. Xie," a lazy voice came from behind him just as he was about to walk out the door, "Don't you want your phone anymore?"
Xie Siyan paused in his steps.
Yan Shenyu held up his phone and swiped it in front of him; facial recognition unlocked the phone automatically.
After seeing the phone's homepage, Xie Siyan's face darkened.
This is indeed his phone, so how did it end up with him?
“Since Mr. Xie doesn’t want it,” Yan Shenyu said casually, leaning against the plastic dining table, his right index and middle fingers holding his phone, “then I’ll just have to take it back and study it myself. If I accidentally sell your company’s trade secrets, don’t blame me…”
With a loud crash, before he could finish speaking, his phone slipped from his fingers and slammed onto the table.
Xie Siyan: "..."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Ten seconds later, Yan Shenyu awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth and threatened weakly, "See? If you don't cooperate, this is what will happen to your phone."
The two secretaries: "..."
You simply didn't hold on tight enough and fell!
"What do you want me to do?" Xie Siyan took a step forward and looked down at him.
Yan Shenyu glanced at the two herdsmen beside him: "Listen to their questions first."
Xie Siyan remained silent for a moment, then sat down on the stool opposite Yan Shenyu. Encouraged by Yan Shenyu's gaze, the two finally sorted out their thoughts and recounted what had happened.
About six months ago, Xie Siyan looked at a piece of land in northern Xinjiang, planning to build a large ski resort. Northern Xinjiang has excellent skiing conditions, with skiing possible from October to May of the following year, and the natural scenery is also superb. Once the basic infrastructure is in place, it will be comparable to ski resorts in Europe.
However, one herder family in the scenic area refused to move, becoming a holdout. Later, due to some policy reasons, the resort project was temporarily suspended.
Although the project has been shelved, the herders who were supposed to relocate have already received their money as per their contracts, while the holdouts have gotten nothing...
"Then why did you decide to come find him again?" Yan Shenyu asked. "Did you change your mind? Do you want that money again?"
The old man clenched his hands, his ears turning red, and nodded.
“We can pay the fees,” Xie Siyan said, “but the project will be restarted, and you will still have to relocate.”
"I know, I know..." the old man stammered, his cheeks already flushed red.
He's lived an honest life and never done anything so shameful.
Xie Siyan said no more and instructed his secretary to contact them and make the payment as soon as possible.
Upon hearing this, both of them were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to Xie Siyan. After bowing to Xie Siyan, they bowed to Yan Shenyu, who had helped them make the connection, and apologized for mistaking him for a liar before.
Yan Shenyu waved his hand. He didn't care whether it was a lie or not; he was more concerned about something else: "Why didn't you want to move in the first place?"
Upon hearing this question, the smiles vanished from their faces. After a long silence, the younger man slowly said, "My sister had excellent grades and went abroad to study. If we move, we're afraid she won't be able to find us..."
"Didn't leave a phone number?"
"We didn't have a telephone when she left."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
It always felt like something that would happen in the 1970s or 80s.
But then I thought about it again. The Northwest is vast and sparsely populated. A village might cover hundreds of kilometers. If we really moved, it would be a real problem to find people.
Yan Shenyu then asked, "Then why were you willing to move?"
“She’s my wife,” the old man, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. “She has cancer and needs money for treatment.”
Yan Shenyu fell silent.
Secretary Li's somewhat disdainful look disappeared, and her eyes glistened with tears.
“The compensation will be doubled,” Xie Siyan, who had been silent until now, said, “and it will go directly into my private account.”
Yan Shenyu looked up in surprise. His previous two encounters had led him to believe that this man was a cold-blooded capitalist, but he turned out to be quite humane.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Mr. Xie, would you mind investing a little more in your ski resort?"
Xie Siyan raised an eyebrow.
“Well,” Yan Shenyu smiled, “I have a small suggestion for the construction of the ski area.”
The two secretaries immediately felt a chill, sensing that this person was about to say something shocking and try to trick their CEO again.
Xie Siyan replied calmly, "Go ahead."