Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

Gui Liu gave An Xiaohai a wink, seemingly signaling him to turn into the alleyway by the roadside. An Xiaohai shook his head without saying a word and continued walking forward with Yang Yuanbing, giving Gui Liu no time to react.

"Xiao Hai, I've made up my mind."

"Have you decided to expand overseas?"

Yang Yuanbing didn't answer, but just nodded slightly, and the two remained silent for a long time.

"You don't need to worry about the company's business. Now that Qiaoyu has gained momentum, many businesses will come to us on their own without me having to put in much effort. The only remaining issue is the distribution of profits."

In this regard, Song Xiaoyu is very capable and can handle important tasks. Furthermore, Qiaoguang is doing increasingly well, so I can't play much of a role anymore.

"Section Chief Yang, don't say that. If it weren't for your full support back then, Qiaoyu wouldn't be where it is today, and it wouldn't even have had the chance to open up the market."

Let's not talk about this anymore. Lai will be back in a couple of days, and I'll have him reorganize the company's finances to ensure your interests are protected.

"Thanks!" Yang Yuanbing smiled slightly. "I really didn't expect that in just one or two years, everything would suddenly feel so different..."

However, I must remind you that human nature is unpredictable, especially when faced with huge profits, everything becomes increasingly difficult to foresee.

Sometimes, betrayal between friends is the most unexpected and the most hurtful.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I can help Qiaoyu up, so I'm not afraid of them betraying me."

Yang Yuanbing was slightly taken aback. He looked at An Xiaohai with great surprise, then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Yes, I should have thought of that earlier. As shrewd as you are, how could you not have countermeasures?"

Ha! I was overthinking it!

Xiaohai, do you know, lately I've been feeling very disconnected. I just can't connect the you of today with the you of the past.

What was I like back then?

"Extremely tense, sensitive, and slightly flustered, yet very determined, like a little rabbit that has mustered up its courage to fight a wolf, both fearful and bold."

This is my first impression of you.

"This is the first time I've heard of this," An Xiaohai couldn't help but laugh, while feeling a mix of emotions. "Section Chief Yang seems to have something on his mind. Could you tell me about it?"

"It's nothing serious, just the usual backstabbing and scheming at work. I've gotten over it now, let it go!"

"Well, that's good. I think it shouldn't be long before the company goes public, maybe two or three years at the earliest, or three to five years at the latest. Once the company goes public successfully, we can retire for the rest of our lives and never have to worry about anything again."

"Yes, it's a one-time solution, so it doesn't matter anymore! I never thought that I would have this day thanks to you."

"Section Chief Yang, have you decided which country you want to go to?"

"I've thought it through, I already have a goal."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Don't bother yourself with this small thing. I happen to have a friend who specializes in this; he can handle everything for me. Thanks! Really!"

"Don't be so polite with me," An Xiaohai smiled again. Yang Yuanbing was ultimately extremely cautious; even at this point, he still didn't dare to completely trust himself.

But this can't be blamed on Yang Yuanbing. If he hadn't been so cautious, he might have been taken advantage of long ago. It's hard for outsiders to imagine the hardships a farmer's son has endured to achieve what he has now, without any connections.

The source of Yang Yuanbing's sorrow is likely that he is mourning this difficult period of struggle.

I have to leave eventually!

The two walked in silence for quite a while until the signboard of Xiangfu Family appeared not far ahead.

"Alright, that's enough for now. You go to Mr. Fang's dinner party. I'm leaving now!" Yang Yuanbing took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

"Xiao Hai, there's something I have to remind you: Liu Xuemei, she is indeed an honest woman, but her husband is not simple. If she invites you to her house, you'd better not go. Avoid her if you can..."

As for the others... well, you probably won't have any contact with them in the future.

"Okay, thanks, I'll be careful."

"Withdraw!"

Yang Yuanbing waved to An Xiaohai with his back turned and left, just like every other parting before.

The setting sun shone from Yang Yuanbing's right side, casting a golden glow on his right side and giving his silhouette a hazy quality.

This hazy figure, half golden and half dark, walking through the bustling city, resembled a realistic oil painting. So much so that many years later, this figure would still occasionally appear in An Xiaohai's mind.

Watching Yang Yuanbing walk away, An Xiaohai took a deep breath and walked towards Xiangfu Renjia. He had just crossed the road when Gui Liu blocked his way.

"Brother Hai."

"Brother Gui, long time no see! Take this!" An Xiaohai shoved a rolled-up piece of paper into Gui Liu's hand, then patted him on the shoulder: "Be careful, there are a lot more security cameras on the streets now, be careful not to get caught on camera, take care!"

Taking advantage of Gui Liu's momentary daze, An Xiaohai quickly walked towards the Xiang family's house, slipping away from him. By the time Gui Liu came to his senses and tried to call him back, An Xiaohai had already disappeared through the gate of the Xiang family's house.

Gui Liu unfolded the scroll in his hand and looked down. It turned out to be a check for 20.

Gui Liu's expression changed several times. After standing there stunned for a while, he finally put away the check and hurriedly ran in another direction.

Xiangfu Renjia sounds like a Hunan cuisine restaurant, but An Xiaohai only realized how high-class it was after walking in.

There is no dine-in service, only private rooms; the interior uses a lot of space and is decorated with various exquisite decorations; there are small bridges and flowing water, carved beams and painted rafters, as if you have entered a fairyland on earth, which looks like an ordinary person can't afford to eat here!

An Xiaohai posted the room number, and a tall, beautiful waitress escorted him to the door of the private room. After An Xiaohai entered the room, she thoughtfully and gently closed the door behind him.

Although Mr. Fang was extremely enthusiastic, An Xiaohai could still see his unease and anxiety. Clearly, he was not familiar with this place.

Generally, when meeting important clients, one will try to arrange it in a place one is familiar with.

It's clear that Mr. Fang's choice of this location was not his original intention. Considering that Gui Liu had been following him all the way outside, the answer is obvious.

An Xiaohai chatted with President Fang for a short while, and then the dishes were served in a continuous stream, the timing was just right.

The dishes were just as An Xiaohai had expected; each dish was presented exquisitely. As for the taste, well, that was a matter of personal opinion.

Mr. Fang wasn't actually very familiar with An Xiaohai, and the environment was a bit unfamiliar. In addition, An Xiaohai's demeanor was quite different from usual this time, so after saying a few polite words, he didn't know how to respond and just kept toasting An Xiaohai.

An Xiaohai didn't want to drink and refused directly. Seeing that President Fang looked distraught, An Xiaohai didn't want to waste any more time with him, so he started talking to him about the details of the villa's construction.

This topic finally cheered Mr. Fang up again.

An Xiaohai was surprised to find that General Manager Fang was actually very good at his job and had a lot of experience. An Xiaohai became interested and chatted with him for more than an hour, and really learned a lot about villa construction.

After the conversation, An Xiaohai immediately decided to entrust the construction and decoration of the villa to General Manager Fang, and asked him to produce the design plan and quotation as soon as possible. Only then did General Manager Fang completely relax, and you could see his little tongue when he smiled.

After chatting for a while, An Xiaohai took his leave. As expected, President Fang did not try to persuade him to stay, and instead used the excuse that he had other guests to meet to escort An Xiaohai to the door of the private room.

Seeing Mr. Fang close the door to the private room with an apologetic and slightly fearful expression, An Xiaohai couldn't help but laugh.

It must have been really tough on him!

An Xiaohai looked around. This private room was near the end of the corridor. After walking past another private room, he could see a floor-to-ceiling window with a small garden outside.

Although the sun had long since set, the small garden was still illuminated by the lights, making it seem as if it were still daytime.

An Xiaohai did not head towards the exit, but instead walked to the door of the last private room and stood there with a smile, as if he were facing not a door, but an old friend he had not seen for many years.

After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened gently. Gui Liu took off his baseball cap, stood sideways by the door, and bent down slightly.

"Brother Hai, please!"