Back to the teenage years

Chapter 587: Eternal disaster
Li Jilin had mixed feelings about the banquet.

Zhang Yunqi was someone he had repeatedly invited, while Lu Yuanzhou was most likely someone his wife, Xie Jing, had privately invited.

How could he not understand his wife's thoughts?
He had met Lu Yuanzhou a few times before, all arranged by his wife's younger brother, Xie Yun. Objectively speaking, this young man was outstanding in every way, a true prodigy. He knew that his wife had already harbored feelings for Lu Yuanzhou after learning he liked their daughter, Yufei, during their first meeting. However, he truly had no reason to object.

He had heard about the argument between Zhang Yunqi and Lu Yuanzhou in Jiangchuan from his brother-in-law Xie Yun. It seemed that Zhang Yunqi was too domineering, and Lu Yuanzhou was seriously injured that time. However, he knew Zhang Yunqi's character well, and the right and wrong in this matter could not be clarified in a few words. It was just that because of his daughter Yufei, his position was a bit awkward, and he was not in a good position to interfere in the matter.

In short, there were many conflicts between the two.

Seeing both of them present tonight, he knew this dinner wouldn't be pleasant. However, to be fair, although he wasn't involved in Aihua Electronics' business and the system wasn't under his responsibility, he was still the Senior Vice President of United Times Group and General Manager of Liansheng Group. Lu Yuanzhou's criticism of Aihua Electronics made him unhappy. But since he had arranged this gathering, and they were all guests, he couldn't really say anything. Several attempts to change the subject were thwarted, and sure enough, it provoked the hot-tempered Wang Guibing to erupt.

Li Jilin was sitting across from Wang Guibing when he saw Wang Guibing suddenly pick up a bowl to smash Lu Yuanzhou. He instinctively stood up, but it was too late to stop him. Fortunately, Zhang Yunqi, who was sitting next to Wang Guibing, reacted quickly and grabbed Wang Guibing amidst the screams of the guests. The movement was not big, but the force stopped the furious Wang Guibing from moving.

Wang Guibing was still quite intimidated by Zhang Yunqi. He put down the bowl in his hand and sat back down in the chair, but his eyes remained fixed on Lu Yuanzhou, who was smiling, with a hint of ruthlessness in them.

For a moment, the scene fell into silence and awkwardness.

Zhang Yunqi glanced at the various expressions on everyone's faces, finally settling on Lu Yuanzhou's face: "Today is President Li's housewarming banquet, and we are all here to congratulate him and celebrate. It would be great if everyone could be happy, but it seems difficult to enjoy this meal properly now."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Mr. Li and I have been colleagues for many years, but most of the distinguished guests here are meeting for the first time. Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhang Yunqi, and I am the boss of Aihua Electronics that you mentioned."

A commotion broke out in the restaurant.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who had been gossiping about Aihua Electronics were already quite embarrassed. In fact, they didn't know Zhang Yunqi or Lu Yuanzhou, let alone their backgrounds. There were many guests present, and no one had introduced them individually. They were just being kind; they noticed Xie Jing seemed quite fond of Lu Yuanzhou, and that he looked very compatible with Li Yufei, so they started chiming in, their conversation so rapid that others couldn't get a word in edgewise. Of course, it's also possible that someone like Xie Yun, who knew Zhang Yunqi's background, didn't want to get involved, leading to this whole misunderstanding.

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, Zhang Yunqi continued, "We just talked about VCDs, and you've all heard some rumors about Aiwa Electronics. I can't say they're wrong; it's a matter of cognitive bias. Everyone has a different perspective and dimension. I'm willing to fully respect and understand every consumer's viewpoint. Our country is currently vigorously promoting a market-oriented economy, and competition is a good thing. As for Aiwa's product quality and market reputation, these cannot be determined by a few carefully planned competitions or hearsay rumors. This applies not only to Aiwa Electronics but also to Shinco Electronics and Samsung. The machines in consumers' hands and the sales figures on the shelves are the best proof. Let's wait another six months and see who is good and who is bad, who is strong and who is weak, and who understands what consumers want. The market will provide the answer."

His tone was devoid of anger, yet every word was clear, logical, and well-founded. He not only deflated Lu Yuanzhou's barbed remarks but also made everyone realize that this young man was indeed remarkable; at such a young age, he was able to become the owner of an electronics company, which showed he had some insight.

"Regarding the spokesperson issue," Zhang Yunqi glanced at Li Yufei, who stood quietly beside him, then looked at Xie Jing and Li Jilin, the couple: "Yufei's cooperation with Aihua has always been very pleasant, and she is a partner that Aihua highly values. I have always believed that business cooperation is based on integrity and mutual success, not on spur-of-the-moment decisions. Of course, no matter what the circumstances, Aihua will always respect the choices made by every partner and their family!"

Those who knew a little about the situation understood the implication in his words. These words demonstrated both the importance he placed on Li Yufei and left the choice to the Li family.

With a graceful demeanor, yet sharp and assertive!
Li Jilin immediately stood up and said, "Of course, what else is there to say? Yufei should handle her own affairs..."

Before Li Jilin could finish speaking, Xie Jing, who was sitting next to him, reached out and pulled him back. He had no choice but to swallow the words that were already on the tip of his tongue. Xie Jing smiled and then said to Zhang Yunqi, "What President Zhang said makes a lot of sense. We'll discuss it with Yufei later."

Zhang Yunqi nodded.

Li Yufei, standing beside her, remained calm and did not say anything directly.

She is an exceptionally intelligent and opinionated girl.

The smile on Lu Yuanzhou's face had vanished without a trace.

He put down his chopsticks, looked at Zhang Yunqi, and his eyes no longer held the contempt he had shown when facing Wang Guibing, but instead showed a hint of caution: "Mr. Zhang's words are reasonable and insightful. Yes, the market will provide the answer. Although I am just a small distributor for Xinke Electronics, I admire Mr. Zhang's style. But the business world is like a battlefield, and I am happy to compete with Aihua in the real market."

Zhang Yunqi said, "You are not worthy."

Lu Yuanzhou's smile faltered slightly: "You..."

Zhang Yunqi's gaze swept over Lu Yuanzhou's slightly stiff face, and he said, "Mr. Lu, looking at you reminds me of a story recorded in the *Strategies of the Warring States*. However, all of you here are well-informed guests, and I'm sure you've all heard of it. Even if I want to show off a little: Legend has it that King Huai of Chu acquired a pair of luminous jade discs, which he cherished dearly. An advisor advised him that such treasures should be presented to the Zhou emperor to avoid disaster. King Huai ignored this advice and instead allied with Qin, hoping to use Qin's power to achieve hegemony. What was the result?" Zhang Yunqi's gaze lingered briefly on Xie Jing and Xie Yun, the siblings, before returning to Lu Yuanzhou: "Qin requested passage to attack Han, and the King of Chu readily agreed. Little did he know that Qin's request for passage was a pretense; their true aim was to destroy Chu. By the time the King of Chu realized his mistake, the capital had fallen, the imperial seal had been seized, and even the pair of luminous jade discs had become Qin's spoils of war."

Xie Jing probably thought Zhang Yunqi was targeting her, her face turned somber, and she gripped her chopsticks tightly. But Zhang Yunqi had only told a story, and for a moment she seemed unable to say anything.

Lu Yuanzhou tapped his fingertips lightly on the table twice: "President Zhang is very talented, which is admirable. However, in business matters, why make a fuss about these old stories?"

Zhang Yunqi picked up the cup of tea in front of him, which had long since gone cold, and took a sip: "Unfortunately, more than a hundred years have passed, and Hegel's words are still relevant today. The greatest lesson history teaches us is that humanity never learns from history."

Zhang Yunqi put down his teacup and looked at Lu Yuanzhou, saying, "Regardless of the reasons behind this twist of fate, Mr. Lu Yuanzhou, who is sitting across from me now, hates me to the core. Of course, you can think I'm just imagining things, or you can think I'm arrogant! That's your opinion, feel free to do so. But considering our personal relationship and the subsequent developments, I have to say something to those involved in this matter today: some paths, once taken, lead to utter ruin. Don't blame me, Zhang Yunqi, for turning my back on you when the time comes!"

These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples throughout the restaurant.

Zhang Yunqi said no more, turned to Li Jilin and said, "President Li, thank you for the hospitality and congratulations on moving. I'm very sorry that tonight's dinner made everyone unhappy. I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Li Jilin was deep in thought, but he understood the situation. He stood up to see him off, saying, "Take care, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Yunqi gestured to Wang Guibing and Xiao Wu, and the group walked towards the door.

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the living room.

The sound of rain outside the window became clearer.

Li Yufei's gaze followed Zhang Yunqi's departing figure. Her clear eyes were less calm and more filled with an indescribable thoughtfulness.

Lu Yuanzhou glanced at Li Yufei's expression, feeling a tightness in his chest. He picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. The liquid slid down his throat, burning like a knife.

Deep night.

As Zhang Yunqi stepped out of the Li family villa, the cool air brought by the drizzle refreshed him.

Xiao Wu has already driven the car over.

Wang Guibing opened the car door and asked in a low voice, "Boss, shall we go see that trader now?"

Zhang Yunqi got into the car, looked out the window at the brightly lit detached villa still visible through the rain, and nodded.

Wang Guibing lit a cigarette for Zhang Yun: "I've already informed Hu Zhibiao that Lu Yuanzhou and Fuhai Trading won't be able to run rampant for long. It's time to close the net on Xiangtai too."

The Mercedes slowly drove away from Moon Lake Villa and disappeared into the vast darkness. The rain outside had intensified, pounding against the car window with a loud crackling sound.

Zhang Yunqi's phone suddenly vibrated silently in his pocket. He took it out, glanced at it, and saw only a brief sentence: "Lu Yuanzhou has effectively taken control of the daily operations of Jinzhao Industry."

Zhang Yunqi deleted the text message and put his phone back in his pocket.

He looked up and saw the blurry lights of the villa reflected in the car window, along with Li Yufei's slender figure standing by the window, and Lu Yuanzhou's profile, which appeared distorted in the interplay of light and shadow.

The rainy nights during the Qingming Festival seem to last a very long time.

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