Rebirth Starting as a Stock Market Enthusiast

Beep...beep...

When Shen Fei called, Zhao Dong was contacting the directors of Anyuan Garment one by one and did not receive Shen Fei's call.

As early as the beginning of the year, he sensed something was amiss. Those old guys in the company were secretly plotting to oust him, the chairman and general manager, at the extraordinary shareholders' meeting in the middle of the year.

Anyuan Clothing was his wife's life's work, and he certainly wouldn't want to give it away unless absolutely necessary.

However, in the early stages of the company, Anyuan Garments encountered a major crisis, which it could only resolve through financing. Now, its shareholding is only 30%, leaving it with insufficient control...

The three shareholders he contacted today were all old friends he considered to be close to. After hearing his request, they spoke very nicely, but their answers were all ambiguous.

Zhao Dong sat at his desk, smoking one cigarette after another.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he recalled his wife's words: In business, the most unreliable thing is the phrase "knowing what you're doing."

Just then, Shen Fei called again. Zhao Dong took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Mr. Shen, what is it?"

"Mr. Zhao, I just came back from a Hope Primary School in the mountains. I talked with Principal Chen about donating school uniforms."

"Yeah, of course, it's corporate social responsibility," Zhao Dong replied absentmindedly. He had no time to think about such things right now.

"Principal Chen told me that Ms. Li Shufang spearheaded the establishment of a small charitable foundation ten years ago, and has been donating school uniforms to impoverished students ever since..."

"What?"

Zhao Dong was getting restless. When did his wife set up a charitable foundation?

Married for thirty years, he knew his wife well. He was certain she hadn't intentionally kept it from him; there must have been other reasons that led her to make this decision.

"Mr. Shen, I understand," Zhao Dong said calmly. "I have a meeting to attend, so I'll hang up now."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Dong lit another cigarette and found a contact number he had almost forgotten.

After a long silence, I finally dialed the number.

He really didn't want to make that call.

The caller was his wife's classmate from university, who had been living with her since graduation. Zhao Dong knew the man liked his wife...

"Feed?"

On the other end of the phone came a calm yet unfamiliar male voice.

Zhao Dong gripped his phone tightly and said in a deep voice, "It's me, Zhao Dong."

There was a two-second silence on the other end before they slowly spoke.

"haven't seen you for a long time!"

These three simple words, like a rusty key, pried open a long-sealed door in the depths of Zhao Dong's memory.

The person on the other end of the phone was Zhang Chen, who was his wife Li Shufang's classmate in college.

"Yes, it's been a long time."

"Let's meet somewhere. I'd like to talk to you about Shufang." Zhao Dong's voice was filled with deep weariness.

"Let's go to the usual place, her favorite teahouse."

......

At 2 p.m., Zhao Dong arrived at Yunqi Tea House.

This old teahouse was Li Shufang's favorite place during her lifetime.

The rustic wooden tables and chairs, the yellowed wallpaper, and the faint scent of jasmine in the air are just like they were many years ago.

Zhao Dong pushed open the carved wooden door and immediately saw Zhang Chen sitting in the corner.

His hair was gray, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, making him look completely different from the spirited young man I remembered.

"Sit down, Lao Zhao," Zhang Chen gestured, his voice a little hoarse.

Zhao Dong sat down, and the waiter brought him two cups of Biluochun tea.

He didn't rush to speak, but simply picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

The rising steam from the tea blurred his face.

Zhao Dong put down his teacup, looked at Zhang Chen in front of him, and said dryly, "Shufang Foundation... what's going on?"

"It's Shufang's will," he said, emphasizing each word. "She made it up with me right after she found out she was pregnant."

Pregnant......

Zhao Dong's mind went blank, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.

The floodgates of memory burst open, and long-forgotten images instantly overwhelmed him.

"Shufang, listen to me, abort the baby! The doctor said your heart can't handle it!"

"Dongzi, I know... but I just want to leave you an heir, in case... in case I'm gone someday, you'll still have a child to keep you company..."

The woman's voice was gentle yet stubborn, just like her... As his parents nagged day after day, Zhao Dong seemed to slowly forget about the problem. As his wife's belly grew bigger, he also looked forward to the birth of their child... Until the night Zhao Jun was born, the day his wife passed away, Zhao Dong was finally overwhelmed by regret...

"She knew all along she couldn't keep herself." Zhang Chen's voice was icy, filled with suppressed hatred. "She was gambling with her life, risking it for the future of your Zhao family... If... if she hadn't chosen you... she..."

He suddenly raised his voice, his suppressed anger finally erupting: "Zhao Dong! If it weren't for giving birth to that son for you, she wouldn't have died at all! Don't you understand?!"

The teacup trembled in Zhang Chen's hand, and scalding tea splashed out, but he was completely unaware.

Zhao Dong fell silent, his throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a single word.

Regret, guilt, and endless sorrow overwhelmed him like a tide.

Zhang Chen's chest heaved violently, his eyes red-rimmed. He stared intently at Zhao Dong, as if trying to etch the man into his very bones. After a long while, as if using all his strength, he pulled a brass key from his pocket and threw it on the table.

The sound of "ding" was crisp yet jarring.

"This is what Shufang left for you." Zhang Chen's voice was hoarse, all the excitement from before gone, replaced only by a cold weariness. "I thought you'd never contact me again... Now... it's returned to its rightful owner..."

After saying that, he stood up, didn't look at Zhao Dong again, and turned to leave.

The carved wooden door was pushed open and then slowly closed, separating the two worlds.

The teahouse still smelled of that familiar jasmine, but Zhao Dong felt suffocated. He sat there, motionless, like a stone statue, his gaze vacantly fixed on the small key on the table.

After what seemed like an eternity, he trembled as he reached out and clenched the key in his palm.

The cold metal hurt his palms.

Zhao Dong didn't know how he left the teahouse.

He held the cold brass key and walked down the main street of Anyuan County in the afternoon. The surrounding area was bustling with people and traffic, but he could neither hear nor see anything.

The only thing echoing in my mind was Zhang Chen's words: "If she hadn't given birth to that son for you, she wouldn't have died! Don't you understand?!"

Do you understand?

How could he not understand?

For more than twenty years, every midnight dream he has been overwhelmed by endless regret.

He regretted not having persisted a little longer, and why he had been blinded by his parents' nagging and his own expectations for his child.

Zhao Dong walked to the bank entrance in a daze, and only when he saw the familiar stone lions did he suddenly stop in his tracks...