Their relationship progressed rapidly as a result!
Of course, Wu Xinyu, a reborn female supporting character who was also reborn, also got involved in this confrontation!
As Shao Qile pondered these things, he closed his eyes and thought about how to take advantage of the chaos and maximize his profits!
Author's Note:
20. Cater to their preferences
Chapter Nineteen: Catering to Their Preferences
Every novel with a well-structured plot inevitably contains some melodramatic and absurd scenes. For example, whenever the protagonist gets into trouble, a benefactor is sure to come to his aid. As for how the benefactor gets this help, it's nothing more than the benefactor appreciating talent, or the protagonist doing something that pleases the benefactor, or the protagonist displaying extraordinary power to save the benefactor.
In the original world of "Peach Blossoms in Full Bloom," Shao Qibin, a newcomer to the city, hastily accepted the task of renovating the old town amidst the machinations of local forces. He nearly fell into their trap, causing his political career to be cut short. Without the intervention and assistance of the reborn Li Jianmei, this would have been Shao Qibin's first major setback.
The renovation of the old city involves three key issues. In the original novel, Li Jianmei started with Bi Lao, whom the government was most concerned about, as a breakthrough point to find a turning point.
Despite his current wealth and numerous descendants, Mr. Bi's family history traces back to his childhood as an orphan with unknown parents. He spent his childhood struggling in the streets and alleys of the old city, barely reaching fifteen before being tricked into smuggling himself across the ocean to seek his fortune. Upon arriving in the US, Mr. Bi endured considerable hardship. While working as a waiter in a restaurant, he became embroiled in a conflict between two factions, fracturing his ribs and nearly losing his life. Fortunately, a kind doctor surnamed Hua, living in Chinatown, saved him. Seeing his young age, isolation, and quick wit, the doctor taught him skills that enabled him to establish himself in a foreign land.
Old Bi often lamented that he was too young and impetuous in his youth, always wanting to make a name for himself and achieve great things. He ignored Dr. Hua's advice and secretly left Chinatown. Little did he know that this departure would last for decades. When Old Bi finally achieved success and returned to Chinatown to repay Dr. Hua for the life-saving favor he had received, he was told by the people of Chinatown that Dr. Hua had returned to China many years ago. Like duckweed adrift in a foreign land, he longed to return to his roots.
In this vast and bustling land of China, amidst the sea of people, finding a single person is no easy task. Because of his desire to find the doctor surnamed Hua, Mr. Bi, who had always declined television and print media interviews, has now frequently appeared on various financial television channels and magazines in his later years, always mentioning this doctor. However, the doctor remains unaccounted for to this day.
In the original novel, Li Jianmei used the influence of the Li family to find the distant nephew of this doctor surnamed Hua. Through this distant nephew, she contacted Old Bi and persuaded Old Bi to make a concession in the old city area, which turned the matter from bad to good and became a springboard for Shao Qibin to advance further.
Since there was a shortcut available, Shao Qile naturally wouldn't let it go to waste. Moreover, this time, fate had been exceptionally kind, sending Hua Li, the grandson of that doctor surnamed Hua, to her side, making him her senior. Although called a senior, he was in the same year as Shao Qile; however, because Shao Qile had skipped a grade, she was younger, and this senior, Hua Li, happened to share the same tutor with her—a classic case of being in a privileged position.
During their undergraduate years, Shao Qile often worked on experiments with Hua Li under their current advisor, and the two became acquainted over time. In addition, Shao Qile had accidentally saved Hua Li's life once, and Hua Li was particularly fond of this classmate who was a few years younger than her.
Shao Qile is a straightforward person when dealing with people she knows well; she dislikes beating around the bush. After confirming that Hua Li was indeed a descendant of the doctor surnamed Hua whom Boss Bi had been searching for so diligently, she went straight to his door.
Hua Li had been busy with an experiment last night and then organizing the data, so he didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. He hadn't slept long when he was woken up by the doorbell. He checked the time and it was already past ten in the morning. Considering the time, he had only dozed off for four or five hours. He opened the door with a yawn and saw Shao Qile carrying soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns. He reluctantly stepped aside and let the little devil in.
"Senior brother, I need your help with something!"
Shao Qile majored in architecture as an undergraduate. During his postgraduate studies, due to his interests, he leaned towards retro architecture, and was particularly interested in ancient buildings that relied on ingenious wooden joints yet remained rock-solid despite various natural disasters. Coincidentally, some of the buildings in the old city area that Shao Qibin was in charge of this time were from the Republican era, and some were even old houses left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are quite valuable for research.
Shao Qile had already arranged with his mentor to conduct a survey in the old city of T, to do a special study on Republican-era architecture, and naturally he wanted to bring his senior, Hua Li, along.
Shao Qile is always a man of action. He just got Hua Li's permission to help him meet with Professor Bi and, while he was there, to conduct an in-depth data survey on the relevant topic.
Hua Li originally thought they would only stay in T City for a maximum of half a month, but she didn't expect that Shao Qile had already made up his mind and discussed it with his older brother, Shao Qibin. It's worth noting that Shao Qile's mentor, He Jianguo, is a master architect, especially skilled in retro architecture. Naturally, the renovation of the old city area wouldn't be possible without the involvement of professionals.
As Shao Qile and Hua Li boarded the plane to T City, He Jianguo also officially received an invitation from the T City government. Thinking about the whereabouts of his two beloved disciples and seeing the names on the list of T City's leadership, He Jianguo couldn't help but chuckle. Had he been betrayed by his own disciples?
He Jianguo himself was currently finishing up a project, so he wasn't in a hurry to reply. However, after Shao Qile and Hua Li arrived in T City, they didn't rush to see Shao Qibin. Instead, they went to the old city first and collected detailed data on some buildings. This data, along with photos, was continuously sent to He Jianguo's email, which made He Jianguo think about it.
Without a suitable plan, such a large-scale renovation could very likely damage this well-preserved cluster of Republican-era buildings. With this in mind, He Jianguo finally accepted the invitation from the T Municipal Government.
At the same time, Shao Qile took Hua Li to find his busy older brother.
Shao Qibin was currently at a critical juncture, facing a huge headache. The proposal for the redevelopment of the old city had just been issued to the lower levels when the government received numerous complaint letters. Only then did Shao Qibin realize that he had fallen into a trap. After some investigation, he managed to figure out some of the tricks of the trade.
At this moment, upon seeing Shao Qile, who had come from Beijing to see him, Shao Qibin subconsciously frowned. Although over the years, in Shao Qibin's political career, Shao Qile had often offered unexpected yet remarkably effective solutions at crucial moments, Shao Qibin had simply dismissed it as a child's quick thinking and adaptable perspective from an outsider's point of view. Even though he had previously accepted Shao Qile's suggestion and sent an invitation to the renowned architect He Jianguo, and knew that Shao Qile was He Jianguo's student, the old city redevelopment plan hadn't been finalized yet, and He Jianguo hadn't arrived. Shao Qile, however, had already packed his bag and rushed over, making Shao Qibin think it was just childish playfulness.
Shao Qile didn't take Shao Qibin's fleeting unusual emotion to heart. After all these years, she had enough to grasp the essence of his chauvinistic male chauvinism. However, compared to some arrogant men who wouldn't listen to any of a woman's suggestions and treated her as a complete appendage, Shao Qibin was at least able to rationally analyze the occasional suggestions his sister made.
"Brother, this is my senior, Hua Li. He and I are both Professor He's students. We're here to collect some information about residential areas in the old city. Professor He has something to do and might not be able to come for a while. By the way, brother, you didn't know this, did you? My senior has some connections with Professor Bi!"
Upon hearing that Shao Qile had something important to do, Shao Qibin's slightly furrowed brows relaxed. And after hearing that Hua Li was related to Elder Bi, the meaningful look he had given Hua Li flickered slightly, and his smile and gaze became much more sincere!
"Old Bi?"
Because of the redevelopment of the old city, Shao Qibin had also investigated Bi Lao's affairs. Connecting this to Hua Li's surname, something flashed through his mind. He had assumed his younger sister had some kind of ambiguous relationship with Hua Li, which was why she had brought Hua Li out to play. But if his guess was correct, and considering Bi Lao's search for the doctor with the surname Hua back then, Shao Qibin's gaze towards Hua Li inevitably became more inquisitive.
“Yes, brother, wasn’t Old Bi always looking for the doctor surnamed Hua who saved him in Chinatown? That doctor surnamed Hua is Hua Li’s grandfather.”
"Mayor Shao, hello! I've heard so much about you! I've always heard Lele mention her brother. Now that I've met you, Mayor Shao, you are indeed young and promising. No wonder Lele admires you so much."
"When you're with Lele, just call me Brother Shao. Lele is young and spoiled by her family, so she's bound to be a bit willful. I hope you'll be understanding."
The two men shook hands, thus becoming acquainted.
What happened after that was perfectly logical!
Unlike the original novel where Li Jianmei directly approached Old Master Bi with the distant nephew of the doctor surnamed Hua, and then brazenly handed over this favor to Shao Qibin, Shao Qile, who had come to understand Shao Qibin's inherent pride, stubbornness, and deep-rooted male chauvinism over the years, knew that this was the better way to please Shao Qibin!
As you can see, the favorability and trust levels are skyrocketing in the system notifications!
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully catered to the target's preferences. The target's favorability has increased. Currently, the intimacy value is 55/100 and the trust value is 55/100. You are rewarded with 10 attribute points and a lightweight, comfortable, breathable, and highly protective vest!"
Author's Note:
21 Rebirth is not omnipotent
Chapter Twenty: Rebirth is Not a Panacea
Given Shao Qile's usual tendency to observe from the sidelines, having already acted as a go-between for Hua Li and Shao Qibin, he naturally withdrew, leaving the rest to Shao Qibin to handle.
However, this time, because of her classmate relationship with Hua Li, and because of Hua Li's petty insistence, Shao Qile was added to the entourage that went to visit Master Bi.
Now that Mr. Bi is getting old, he spends most of his time living abroad, but he returns to T City for a short stay every September and October. Shao Qibin had already found out Mr. Bi's schedule and had contacted him. As someone who has made outstanding contributions to the economic development of T City and continues to contribute, Mr. Bi and the group behind him are highly valued by the T City government.
Shao Qibin is never one to fight a battle he can't win. Before coming here, apart from playing the emotional card with Hua Li, he was already very familiar with other things such as the redevelopment plan of the old city, the designer he hired to redevelop the old city, and the future plans of T City.
What's remarkable is that Shao Qibin started off with a businesslike attitude, first introducing Shao Qile and Hua Li's identities, only saying that the two were He Jianguo's students, who came to the old city to collect initial data on behalf of their teacher. Then it was all just a formulaic procedure. If Shao Qile hadn't known about Hua Li's emotional appeal from the beginning, she would have just thought that Shao Qibin was a first-rate person who got things done.
"Mr. Bi, this is T City's five-year plan. I know your feelings for the old town, but I'm sure you also understand that a city's development is comprehensive; you can't talk about overall progress without considering the old town. The world is changing, and people are changing too. I believe you, Mr. Bi, will be happy about the development of the old town and the improved lives of its residents. The Republican-era architecture in the old town is a major feature, and we are confident that we can develop it into a tourist destination showcasing Republican-era architecture. Combined with the lakes and mountains to the east of the old town, a green agritourism project would also be excellent." Shao Qibin spoke confidently. They say a serious man is the most charming!