stonecrandall Chapter 225 Beijing
Chapter 225 Beijing
"Ah Yan! Let me tell you, Jiaming and I have almost finished our immigration procedures! I've made up my mind, and lately I've been working from dawn till dusk every day, learning how to do business from my dad. I'm really motivated!" The aroma of steaming tea filled the table, and Li Wenbin straightened his back, his face full of "Ah Yan, praise me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zheng Jiaming, who was leisurely sipping his tea, couldn't help but spit out the tea he had just taken a sip of, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly.
"Ugh~~~" Li Wenbin immediately scrunched up his face in disgust, pulled out a handkerchief, and exaggeratedly wiped away imaginary drool. "Jiaming! What's wrong with you? You're always so unhygienic! It was the same last time you went skiing!"
Zheng Jiaming, finally catching his breath, rolled his eyes at him irritably, slowly wiping his mouth, and mercilessly exposed him: "Li Wenbin, stop pretending. Don't think I don't know you've been really into He Zhiqin lately, going to the Peninsula Hotel every few days, having afternoon tea several times already. And yet, you still have time to go to the company with Uncle Li? Your soul must be far from business, right?"
Lin Yan, who had been quietly sipping his tea, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He put down his white porcelain teacup and looked at Li Wenbin with a playful gaze, saying meaningfully, "Oh? Wenbin, so you're in a relationship?"
Caught between the two, Li Wenbin's face flushed red instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He hurriedly protested, "Zheng Jiaming, stop slandering me! Slander! Pure slander! I was looking for Zhiqing... that was important business! It was work!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, trying to bolster his persuasiveness: "I'm asking her for advice! Finding out what styles of clothes, brands of bags, and colors of lipstick girls like these days! I'm doing this to conduct market research for our future trip to France to work with luxury brands! Going deep behind enemy lines, you know? That's called a business sense!"
"Hmm—?" Lin Yan drawled, his smile deepening. He leaned back slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, feigning deep thought. "It can be like this? Sounds... pretty plausible!"
He paused, then looked at Zheng Jiaming: "Jiaming, look... Wenbin is even willing to 'sacrifice his looks' for our cause. Why don't we encourage him to 'sacrifice' even more? Make several girlfriends from different circles with different tastes; wouldn't the 'intelligence' he gathers be more comprehensive and representative?"
"Ah Yan! How could you team up with him to screw me over!" Li Wenbin screamed, slumping back in his chair, clutching his head, looking utterly pathetic and utterly hopeless. "I can't clear my name even if I jump into Victoria Harbour! If Zhiqing finds out, I might as well jump into the sea!"
Seeing his exaggerated reaction, Lin Yan and Zheng Jiaming finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. The noisy chatter of the dim sum restaurant and the steaming heat enveloped the laughter of the three young men, filling it with a vibrant and genuine warmth. Jokes aside, they both knew that beneath this banter lay an unspoken trust and tacit understanding between them.
"I came back in a hurry this time. I have to go back to my hometown this afternoon, so I just wanted to have a brief meeting with you. You guys go to France first next year, and I'll come visit you during the summer vacation."
As soon as Lin Yan said this, the previously chaotic atmosphere immediately quieted down.
Li Wenbin's smile froze instantly, his eyes widened, and his voice was filled with disbelief and disappointment: "Huh? No way, Ayan! We've only been here for less than an hour, we haven't even finished our tea and snacks, and you're leaving already?! What's the rush during the New Year holiday?"
Zheng Jiaming put down his teacup, his brows furrowed slightly, and looked at Lin Yan with concern: "Yes, Yan, you finally managed to come back, why are you in such a hurry?"
Seeing the undisguised disappointment on his two friends' faces, Lin Yan felt a surge of warmth and reluctance. He smiled and said, "I really did come back in a hurry this time. My train is in Guangzhou this afternoon, and I have to rush back to my hometown."
His gaze swept over Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming, and he emphasized, "To put it bluntly, the main reason I made this detour to Hong Kong was to meet you two and have this morning tea. Otherwise, I could have just gone straight back to Guangzhou from New York; why would I have bothered to stay here for an entire night?"
These words, spoken casually, left both Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming stunned.
I made a special trip halfway around the world to stop in Hong Kong just to meet them, for this brief reunion.
Li Wenbin opened his mouth, but all the complaints and words of pleading he wanted to say suddenly got stuck in his throat, turning into a warm current that left him feeling both touched and conflicted. He scratched his still somewhat messy hair, and after a long pause, muttered, "...You rascal, really...you could at least have stayed another half a day..."
Zheng Jiaming gave Lin Yan a deep look. He understood things more deeply than Li Wenbin, realizing the importance Lin Yan placed on their friendship behind his actions. He picked up the teapot and refilled Lin Yan's empty teacup, his voice returning to its usual gentle tone: "Alright, Wenbin, Yan must have something important to do. It's enough that he stayed this night for us."
He raised his teacup and looked at Lin Yan: "Since time is short, let's have tea instead of wine. I wish us all the best in France next year."
Lin Yan smiled and raised his glass, looking at Li Wenbin: "Don't worry, once you've established yourself in France, I'll come visit you this summer. Don't let me find your brand still a mess by then."
Li Wenbin then perked up again, quickly picked up his glass, and confidently assured, "Don't worry! With Jiaming and me here, we guarantee you'll see a 'luxury brand' that will shock Paris... oh no, I mean our four-person brand!"
The three teacups gently clinked together, making a crisp sound.
After saying goodbye to Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming at Lu Yu Tea House, Lin Yan had nothing left to do in Hong Kong.
He had Lin Gang drive to a secluded corner where no one would notice him. With a thought, he hid Lin Gang and the car, silently activating an invisibility talisman. His figure and aura vanished from the spot instantly, as if he had never existed.
The stars streaked across the sky, hurtling towards the north.
After traversing the undulating mountains of Lingnan and crossing the Yangtze River, the view suddenly opens up, revealing the vast North China Plain with its orderly fields, scattered villages, and rivers meandering like silver ribbons.
In just two hours, the familiar outline of Beijing was already visible below. He lowered his altitude, scanned the area with his divine sense, and accurately located a four-courtyard house on Dongxinglong Street.
His figure fell silently like a leaf into the spotless courtyard with its clean blue bricks. He removed his invisibility talisman, revealing himself.
Almost the instant he appeared, the door to the main room creaked open, and a sharp-eyed young man strode out—it was Lin San, who was in charge of mainland affairs.
Lin San immediately spotted the young man standing with his hands behind his back in the courtyard. His face instantly lit up with undisguised surprise and respect. He quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master, you're back!"
He stepped aside to let Lin Yan into the warm room, explaining in a slightly faster voice, "The brothers are all out preparing goods and coordinating routes right now. In the last few days before the New Year, the demand on the black market is skyrocketing. They're so busy they're practically running around like crazy, wishing they could split themselves into eight pieces."
Although it sounded like a complaint, his tone was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. This busyness precisely proved the necessity and effectiveness of their plan.