Wei Xiaoqing said calmly, "You look like you've suffered a great loss and are very unwilling. But do you know that I can have a line of people come to me with just a wave of my hand?"
This is no lie; Zhou Xuan absolutely believes that beautiful women are always the most popular people, no matter where they are.
Zhou Xuan shook his head slightly and sighed, but remained silent because he kept thinking about Fu Ying. The thought that Fu Ying had actually gone to the airport to chase after him after waking up made Zhou Xuan feel a dull ache in his heart.
Seeing that Zhou Xuan ignored her, Wei Xiaoqing frowned, snorted, and then lowered her voice to ask, "Tell me honestly, what kind of brothers are you and my uncle?"
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "We're just friends I met while buying and selling antiques. I gambled with your uncle once, but we've only met twice in total."
That's absolutely true. Zhou Xuan knew absolutely nothing about Brother Hong, only that he was a powerful and wealthy man, not an ordinary businessman. After Brother Hong returned to Beijing for treatment, Zhou Xuan had been very concerned about his fate, but he had no way to contact him or find out anything. However, he really couldn't get in touch with the hexagonal diamond. It wasn't that he didn't want the money, but that he had the ability to earn it himself. And Brother Hong wasn't intentionally trying to swallow his gem; it was a natural disaster, and he didn't want it to happen!
"You've only met him twice?" Wei Xiaoqing was somewhat surprised!
She knew very well what kind of person her uncle was. Even high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants wouldn't necessarily look up to him. But it was indeed a bit strange that he treated Zhou Xuan, whom he had only met twice, so differently!
Wei Xiaoqing's room was small and not spacious, but it was very nicely decorated, clean and feminine, with many small cartoon-style ornaments.
After entering the living room, Wei Xiaoqing, leaning on her crutches, went into the bedroom and said at the door, "Uncle, please sit for a while. There are drinks in the refrigerator. I'm all sweaty, so I'll change my clothes." Then she closed the bedroom door.
Wei Haihong smiled, glanced at a small two-door refrigerator placed against the wall by the kitchen door, walked over, opened it, took out two cans of Coke, and gave one can to Zhou Xuan.
Wei Haihong opened a can of cola, took a big gulp, then sat down on the small sofa, stared at Zhou Xuan, and asked, "Brother, what brings you to America? And how did you end up with Xiaoqing?"
"Well... that's a long story!" Zhou Xuan said, frowning slightly. "I came to America because a friend asked me to help with something. It's been exactly a month now, and the matter is settled. I had my flight this morning, and I had just arrived at the airport. I was almost at the check-in counter when, by sheer coincidence, Xiaoqing, Hong Ge's niece, happened to be sitting next to me. She asked me to help her because of her leg injury. We both speak Chinese, so how could I refuse? And then, well, I ended up running into Hong Ge instead. Isn't that a coincidence?"
"Oh!" Wei Haihong couldn't help but chuckle. "So that's how it is. I thought you and Xiaoqing knew each other. Hehe, what a coincidence! It seems we brothers are truly destined for each other!"
Wei Haihong sighed, then said, "After that incident, my people sent me back to Beijing. After I recovered, I came to the south to look for you. I tried to find you through various connections, but I couldn't. Later, I went to your hometown, found your family, and met your parents and siblings. They didn't know where you were either. Fortunately, I didn't say anything else. I just said that I wanted to find you, but we got separated and we didn't have each other's contact information. I didn't want your parents to worry. I never dreamed that you had gone to America!"
After sighing for a while, Wei Haihong stared at Zhou Xuan again and asked in a low voice, "Brother, let me ask you this privately now. After I was shot on the high seas, you were with me the whole time. I had a check-up at the hospital, and the bullet wound in my chest was only one centimeter away from my heart. With the delay at sea, this kind of injury could be considered hopeless. But do you know what happened after they sent me back to Beijing?"
Zhou Xuan knew, of course, but at that time he really didn't know if he could save him, and he didn't know the exact power of the ice energy. At that time, the ice energy was not strong, and he couldn't withstand it when he exerted his full strength and fainted.
"The only injuries I have are external wounds; there's not a single internal injury. That bullet went right through my chest and back. How did you do that to me?"
When Wei Haihong asked this question, his expression was very serious, and he stared at Zhou Xuan without blinking.
(I highly recommend "The Way of the Commoner Official," a classic work on officialdom by Nan Hua, to my friend who is also quite lonely. It's a must-read for anyone interested in urban officialdom!)
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Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Sprout Chapter Forty-Five: Bad News
Finally, Wei Haihong asked the question!
This is precisely the thing Zhou Xuan least wants to face!
“Brother Hong, actually…” Zhou Xuan answered tactfully, “I’ve practiced internal martial arts with an old Taoist priest from the mountain behind my house since I was little, and I’ve also learned traditional Chinese medicine. The old priest gave me some homemade pills, which are very effective when combined with internal energy.”
Hong was naturally skeptical of Zhou Xuan's answer, but he did indeed save Zhou Xuan's life. If it weren't for Hong healing most of his injuries, Zhou Xuan would have died from just the time spent in international waters, let alone receiving medical treatment.
Zhou Xuan scratched his head again, smiled and said, "Brother Hong, I was really worried about you later, but I didn't have your phone number or anything, and I didn't know where you lived. I was completely helpless!"
Wei Haihong sighed, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, I, Wei Haihong, have very few true friends, and even fewer who are brothers. You are my own brother. You saved my life, so there's nothing more to say. Come back to Beijing with me tomorrow, and I'll take care of everything for you!"
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "Brother Hong, thank you for your kindness, but I still want to go back to the countryside. I'm tired of working in the city for several years. Besides, I made a fortune gambling on stones with a friend. It's worth ten or twenty million. Combined with what I earned before, it's enough for my whole family to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. There's no need to live such a tiring life in the big city!"
"What did you say? You don't trust your older brother?" Wei Haihong glared at him and snorted, "Brother, I know you're worried about your family. Don't worry about that. As soon as we get back, I'll arrange for all their household registrations to be transferred to Beijing. You don't need to worry about anything!"
"This..." Zhou Xuan was somewhat helpless. Apart from his younger brother and sister-in-law, his parents probably wouldn't adapt to city life. But Brother Hong wouldn't let him argue. He thought he would talk to him slowly later. He still wanted to live in his hometown. With such a large sum of money, he would prefer to live a more comfortable rural life in his hometown.
“Brother, sigh, I’m not trying to criticize you, but you can’t be too honest. Although that’s what I admire most about you, this kind of personality can easily lead to losses. We’ve met for so long, haven’t you thought about how your gemstone is doing?” Wei Haihong sighed as he looked at Zhou Xuan. “I got the gemstone certificate for that hexagonal diamond in Beijing, and then auctioned it in Hong Kong. It was worth a total of 217 million RMB. I don’t think you have any good investment ideas for this money. Putting it in the bank to earn interest isn’t very cost-effective. I bought you 200 million RMB worth of shares in a state-owned commercial bank. It’s a state-owned enterprise backed by the government, high-quality and safe, quite a good deal. I’ll also keep 17 million for you to keep for spending money.”
Zhou Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Sold for so much money? I hadn't thought about this since Brother Hong's accident, this is a bit unexpected!"
Wei Haihong shook his head speechlessly. Zhou Xuan continued, "Brother Hong, it's best that you're alright. It's good that the gemstones were sold. I said before that we'd split them in half..."
Wei Haihong waved his hand to interrupt him: "Don't even mention that. Would Brother Hong ever ask for your money?"
At this moment, the inner door opened, and Wei Xiaoqing came out wearing a loose red tracksuit and leaning on her crutches. Wei Haihong immediately shut up.
Zhou Xuan had to admit that Wei Xiaoqing, like Fu Ying, was a pretty girl who looked good in any clothes, while an unattractive girl wouldn't look good in any clothes, no matter how beautiful or expensive they were.
Wei Xiaoqing wore shorts, but because her right leg was injured and in a cast, it was inconvenient for her to wear long pants.
After sitting down on the sofa, Wei Xiaoqing pouted and said, "Uncle, look at me like this, won't Grandpa worry if I go back? Can I wait until my leg is better before I go back?"
Wei Haihong's face immediately darkened, and he snorted, "Hmph, still so willful? This time, if it weren't for me shielding you, your father would have come directly!"
Wei Xiaoqing bit her lip and didn't say anything, keeping her head down and just fiddling with her fingernails, but her face had a very stubborn expression.
"Don't argue with me, you know?" Wei Haihong said with a stern face. "Grandpa just misses you. You're so willful and disobedient. You've been gone for a year. If I hadn't heard that you broke your leg, I wouldn't even have had a chance to see you. Tell me, aren't you willful?"
Wei Xiaoqing lowered her head and said softly, "Uncle, please let me go back in another month, okay? My studies!"
"Don't even mention your lousy studies. Why did you leave a perfectly good school and come to this obscure art academy? What's the use of learning Western painting?"
Seeing that Wei Xiaoqing looked like she was about to argue again, Wei Haihong quickly added, "Alright, alright, I won't argue with you about your art. I came to pick you up because of your grandfather."
Wei Xiaoqing paused for a moment, then looked up at Wei Haihong with her bright face and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong with Grandpa?"
Wei Haihong's face grew even more somber. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's late-stage stomach cancer. Perhaps when you go back, you'll be seeing your grandfather for the last time!"
Wei Xiaoqing was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears. She stood up unsteadily and said, "Uncle, I want to go back, I want to go back to Beijing, I'm leaving today!"
Wei Haihong stood up and helped Wei Xiaoqing sit down with some affection, saying gently, "Xiaoqing, I checked earlier. There are only two flights from New York to Beijing, one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning one has already passed, and the evening one is at six o'clock. There's still time. You can call and book your ticket first, and then leave later."
Zhou Xuan was somewhat annoyed: "Brother Hong... if you were leaving, why did you tear up my plane ticket again!"