Chapter 134: Beijing Hotel

Ning Weidong was half-skeptical about An Ning's proposal, but logically, An Ning shouldn't be spouting nonsense about this kind of thing.

Because it wouldn't take much cost to verify it.

Ning Weidong thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll do as you say and meet them."

An Ning's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "Good."

Ning Weidong, however, said, "Don't be in such a rush; that thing you mentioned just now..."

An Ning said, "Don't worry, let's get An Zhiyuan out of the way first. You don't think I'd have the guts to lie to you, do you~"

Ning Weidong narrowed his eyes slightly and didn't respond for a long time.

The room fell into a silence, and the atmosphere became oppressive.

Ning Weidong was already certain that the so-called family fortune An Ning claimed her parents left her was likely problematic.

An Ning, meanwhile, felt her heart pounding, waiting for Ning Weidong's follow-up.

It wasn't that she wanted to shirk responsibility; there were truly hidden circumstances. Back then, to protect her, her parents had sent her to the countryside.

They had originally intended to hold out and then explain the details to An Ning clearly.

However, they underestimated the severity of the situation at the time, and they underestimated how long it would last.

The two of them actually died one after the other. When they were dying, An Ning wasn't by their side, and there was simply no time to arrange their affairs.

So An Ning only knew this money existed and had grasped some clues, but she had no way to obtain it directly.

After a long silence, Ning Weidong suddenly laughed out loud: "Fine~ I'll trust you once."

Hearing this, An Ning couldn't help but secretly heave a sigh of relief, immediately hugging Ning Weidong and giving him a "smack" of a kiss.

Since she had already taken the initiative to throw herself into his arms, there was no need to pretend to be reserved now.

Ning Weidong chuckled, and without standing on ceremony, he reached directly inside her lapel this time.

As skin touched skin, An Ning's body trembled.

But she had prepared herself mentally; in any case, she was no innocent maiden.

Ning Weidong, however, only played for a while and didn't make any further moves.

It wasn't that he was some gentleman who could remain unmoved; it was mainly that the Dazayuan had this drawback: everyone knew exactly who came to whose house and when they left.

Especially with someone as striking as An Ning, if they really made any commotion in the room, it wouldn't sound good if it got out.

It wouldn't matter if An Ning just brushed herself off and left, but Ning Weidong still had to live here.

After a while, he sent An Ning away.

An Ning had come by bicycle, and Ning Weidong walked her all the way outside the gate of the Dazayuan, watching her get on her bike and leave the alley before turning back.

But just as he turned around, he saw Lu Daye poking his head out, smiling and saying, "Weidong, was that girl just now your partner~"

Ning Weidong had known that if An Ning came over, people in the courtyard would definitely ask when they saw her.

He smiled and said, "Lu Daye, don't talk nonsense. She's just a friend of mine, there's some work-related business."

Lu Daye nodded and laughed it off.

After Ning Weidong entered the side courtyard, he was pushed by Lu Dama behind him.

Lu Daye let out an "Ouch" and said, "What are you doing?"

Lu Dama rolled her eyes and said, "What did I say just now? That woman looked older than Ning Weidong. Now that Ning Weidong is a leader of some sort at the factory, he could find any kind of girl, why must he find one who's older?"

Lu Daye closed the door behind him: "What do you know, you old woman~ So what if she's older? There's an old saying: 'A woman three years older is like holding a gold brick.' Besides, the way that woman was dressed, you could tell at a glance she wasn't an ordinary person; she must be the child of a Cadre. What's wrong with being a bit older?"

Lu Dama pursed her lips, unconvinced but not refuting him further: "You have a point. No wonder he wouldn't agree when we introduced the Bai girl to him back then. Who would have thought he'd make it big in just a few days?"

On the other side, Ning Weidong returned home and was still pondering An Ning's performance.

In reality, he didn't pay much attention to the so-called wealth An Ning claimed her parents had left behind.

Ning Weidong cared more about An Ning herself; she had substance, ambition, and some methods and capabilities, making her just right to act as a white glove.

The only fly in the ointment was An Ning's family background.

Although An Ning's branch was currently weak, leaving her with absolutely no say within the An Family.

But the character 'An' is written the same way; once An Ning leveraged her position to rise again, she would inevitably gain the An Family's help, which ran counter to the role Ning Weidong had set for her.

Therefore, Ning Weidong had to prepare in advance to make An Ning cut ties with the Overseas An Family to a certain extent.

This couldn't be accomplished overnight, nor could it be decided on a whim; their interests had to clash for them to be at odds.

This destined that An Zhiyuan would not be able to obtain any assistance from An Ning during this trip to Beijing.

Regarding this matter, Ning Weidong and An Ning were in agreement at the beginning.

An Ning also didn't want An Zhiyuan to succeed smoothly; she wanted to increase her own value by increasing the difficulty.

But in the end, An Ning still wanted the matter to succeed, which was not consistent with Ning Weidong's thoughts.

Just before An Ning left, Ning Weidong had already agreed with her that she could meet with An Zhiyuan tomorrow night.

Originally, An Ning had hoped to schedule it for this Sunday.

But Ning Weidong had already arranged with Zhao Ruyi to meet the Li siblings on Sunday, so he definitely couldn't spare the time for An Zhiyuan.

An Ning was very helpless; she had wanted to push for it, but Ning Weidong had brought up the Li Family, which immediately stunned her.

Having been in Beijing for these years, An Ning still had some common sense.

She had originally thought the Wang Family and Zhao Family were high enough, but she hadn't expected Ning Weidong to be able to reach even higher.

This was also something Ning Weidong had intentionally let her know, to make her overthink.

Sometimes, with some things, you don't fear not understanding, and you don't fear understanding completely; what you fear is only half-understanding—understanding but not quite understanding—which is the easiest way to let one's imagination run wild.

The next day at work.

Ning Weidong had just arrived at the Office when Li Peihang sauntered over to his office.

As soon as he entered the room, he was all smiles and blurted out, "Brother, thanks a lot!"

Ning Weidong knew it was because the items Wang Zipeng had delivered last night had satisfied Li Peihang, so he smiled and said, "Stop feeding me this useless talk. If you really want to thank me, have your wife cook something good one of these days and bring out those two bottles of Moutai you've got hidden away."

Li Peihang laughed, "I was just afraid that if you drank too much, it would delay your studies!"

Ning Weidong was teasing him too, and said slyly, "How was it? Yesterday, that thing from Wang Zipeng..."

Before he could finish, Li Peihang said, "Good stuff! It really is good stuff!"

Ning Weidong said, "As long as it meets your approval. I was worried yesterday that the guy was just trying to pass off junk, and that I'd be left in a tight spot because of it."

Li Peihang said, "By the way, regarding that nephew of Wang Zipeng's, is there still room to slot someone into the Fourth Workshop?"

Ning Weidong had already guessed that Li Peihang would likely try to find a way through the Fourth Workshop, but he feigned ignorance: "That place is all collective-owned, aren't they supposed to be State-owned?"

Li Peihang said, "You eat a meal one bite at a time, and handle matters one by one; you can't get fat in one mouthful. Here is what I'm thinking: put him with you first. When the secret mission at the Fourth Workshop is finished, won't there be a summary and commendation meeting? At that time, the Security Division will set up three model workers; let this kid take one, and the remaining two are for you. That little brother of yours, what was his name again?"

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Ning Wei."

Li Peihang slapped his forehead: "Right, look at my memory. The young man has good ability and is proactive in his work; such a comrade should be prioritized for promotion. The remaining one is also for you; you can decide how to handle it. People working under you need to have something to look forward to."

Ning Weidong nodded: "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Peihang pretended to glare: "What did you say to me just now? Now it's your turn, aren't you doing the same thing?"

Ning Weidong laughed: "Fine, it's my fault."

Li Peihang was in a great mood and walked out saying, "I won't delay your studies anymore, I'm off." He was even humming the lyrics from *Xiao He Chasing Han Xin Under the Moon*: "Arriving at Xianyang first to be King, arriving at Xianyang later to support the imperial order..."

Ning Weidong turned back, picked up the phone, and dialed Wang Zipeng: "Hello, Old Wang, come over here for a moment."

Ning Weidong knew that Li Peihang had come over specifically early this morning just to have him pass the word back to Wang Zipeng.

Although Wang Zipeng had gone there in person yesterday, Li Peihang would not have promised the matter on the spot, as Ning Weidong was still in the middle of it.

Whether this matter succeeded or not ultimately rested on Ning Weidong; otherwise, if Li Peihang had agreed directly, even if Ning Weidong didn't say anything, he would still feel uncomfortable about it.

Li Peihang was an old hand at the bureaucracy and couldn't handle things that way.

If he had done it that way, it would mean he didn't hold Ning Weidong in any regard at all.

A moment later, Wang Zipeng ran over.

Ning Weidong didn't play any games and said directly, "Have the child come to work tomorrow. Take him directly to the Fourth Workshop to find Ning Wei; I've already given all the instructions."

Wang Zipeng's eyes lit up. Based on the reaction he got from Li Peihang and his wife last night when they received that pair of Qianlong Doucai Flower Vases, he had guessed that this matter was almost a certainty.

He hurriedly asked, "That..."

Ning Weidong understood what he meant: "Old Wang, don't be anxious, take things one step at a time. First, let your nephew stay in the Security Office of the Fourth Workshop for a while. Once we get a model worker rating at the end of the year, we can then operate." Wang Zipeng hurriedly said, "I understand, I understand."

Ning Weidong patted him on the shoulder: "Go back and talk to your eldest cousin. Tell the child to be tactful when he goes over, to grease the wheels up and down, and to keep his mouth sweet."

Wang Zipeng said, "I understand. 'He who eats another's food is soft-mouthed, he who takes another's gifts is soft-handed.' We will handle things properly up and down; even if they feel jealous, they won't be able to say anything."

Ning Weidong smiled. With a sensible person like Wang Zipeng, he wasn't afraid of things getting messed up later.

After sending Wang Zipeng away, Ning Weidong went back to burying his head in his books.

On the other side, about an hour later, in Wang Guoqiang's office upstairs.

"Hello~" Wang Guoqiang picked up the phone in front of him with an expressionless face: "... Is it going that smoothly? I see... Very well, proceed according to our plan..."

Wang Guoqiang hung up the phone, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

At the same time, near noon, Zhao Ruyi snuck into Ning Weidong's office again.

She had been coming over frequently lately, and people were long used to it.

"Still reading? What are we eating for lunch today?" Zhao Ruyi lazily plopped down onto the sofa.

Ning Weidong said speechlessly, "All you think about all day is what to eat. If you grow into a little fat pig later, I won't want you."

Zhao Ruyi retorted, "If you dare not want me, I'll sit on you and crush you to death."

Ning Weidong curled his lips: "Stop bragging. One sit? Even if you sat a hundred times, you couldn't crush me to death."

Zhao Ruyi was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, her face turning red: "You dirty pervert!"

Ning Weidong chuckled, then changed the subject: "By the way, there's a dinner party tonight, want to go?"

Zhao Ruyi raised an eyebrow: "What dinner party?"

Ning Weidong explained the situation with An Zhiyuan.

Zhao Ruyi frowned and said, "You mean, they want to find our family to engage in Smuggling?"

Ning Weidong said, "That's my guess. As for whether it's true, we'll know once we meet tonight."

Although Zhao Ruyi wasn't the main one being groomed by her family, her basic instincts were not weak.

She thought for a moment and said, "Better not go. Let's wait until the situation is clear. By the way, you're telling me this—are you asking me to go back and pass the word to my dad?"

Ning Weidong nodded: "Go home and mention it, see what our dad thinks."

Zhao Ruyi rolled her eyes: "The nerve of you, what 'our dad,' that's my dad!"

Ning Weidong said, "Your dad is my dad, it's only a matter of time."

Zhao Ruyi curled her lips, but felt sweet inside, and added, "What's your intention?"

Ning Weidong understood what she meant.

The same matter, when spoken with different rhetoric, would produce different effects.

Zhao Ruyi was asking for Ning Weidong's attitude—whether he wanted to make the matter happen or not.

Ning Weidong said, "No need, just mention it. I should be visiting my father-in-law soon anyway, we can discuss it in detail then. It's not urgent."

After work that evening, because he had an appointment, Ning Weidong didn't go to see Zhao Ruyi off.

Leaving the factory, he traveled all the way to Chang'an Avenue, to the Beijing Hotel next to Tiananmen.

This was currently the most luxurious hotel in Beijing.

An Zhiyuan was hosting a banquet tonight to receive Ning Weidong.

Ning Weidong arrived before dark, and An Zhiyuan had prepared every courtesy, as he could be seen from afar standing with An Ning at the hotel entrance.

Ning Weidong walked over from the parking area, and the two immediately stepped down from the stairs to welcome him.

An Ning introduced, "Weidong, this is my cousin An Zhiyuan."

An Zhiyuan was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan Suit, his hair combed meticulously, and a fountain pen tucked into his chest pocket; if he didn't open his mouth to speak, he looked just like an intellectual common in this era.

An Ning was also very restrained today, wearing a light gray women's Lenin Suit.

"Comrade Ning, I am An Zhiyuan, I have long admired your great name." An Zhiyuan extended both hands to shake Ning Weidong's, his accent somewhat heavy but not hindering communication.

Ning Weidong smiled and shook his hand, saying, "Mr. An is too polite. I heard from An Ning that Mr. An is based Overseas but your heart is toward the motherland, which is admirable."

After some mutual commercial flattery, the two walked into the hotel side by side.

An Zhiyuan had some standing, and he had arranged this meal to be quite high-class.

In the luxuriously decorated, spacious private room, there were only three people, yet a whole table of dishes was laid out.

Ning Weidong shook his head and said, "Mr. An is too extravagant."

An Zhiyuan opened a bottle of Moutai and said with a smile, "Comrade Ning, I consider this a disguised form of supporting the motherland's construction. People like us earn money Overseas and come to the country to consume; the more we consume, the more we contribute. Wouldn't you say that is the logic?"

While speaking, he filled a glass of wine for Ning Weidong, poured one for himself, raised his glass, and said, "Comrade Ning, I toast you."

Ning Weidong smiled noncommittally; An Zhiyuan's rhetoric sounded reasonable, but it could not withstand scrutiny.

So-called consumption was actually using useless currency to exchange for useful living resources.

Just like the Great Ming of the past, which obtained massive amounts of silver through maritime Smuggling trade.

But these silvers, other than being stored in a Cellar, had no use at all.

Instead, it caused various materials within the country to flow out and prices to rise, resulting in the impoverishment of the people's livelihood.

Ning Weidong knew clearly that in the next few years, the country would also experience a major cycle of inflation, with all kinds of things rising in price.

It would continue until the late eighties, when it became necessary to carry out price reforms.

In Ning Weidong's memory, there was once a crosstalk piece that depicted the situation at that time.

Upon hearing that non-staple food prices were going to rise, people would rush to hoard goods: vinegar in a bathtub; soy sauce in two water vats; soybean oil in fifteen barrels; MSG in two drawers; bean paste in a quilt...

"You are too polite, Mr. An, cheers!" Ning Weidong raised his glass in response.

What surprised Ning Weidong even more was that there was actually Braised Bear Paw on the table! Before he transmigrated, he wouldn't have been able to eat this unless he went abroad.

At this time, however, it was a proper, grand dish.

Ning Weidong did not stand on ceremony and used his chopsticks to feast heartily.

An Zhiyuan was not in a hurry to talk business, only speaking of some situations Overseas, specifically choosing pleasant things to say.

With An Ning acting as the go-between, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Not until the wine had been poured three times and the dishes tasted five times did An Zhiyuan finally get to the point, composed: "Comrade Ning, I believe my seventh younger sister has already told you..."

Ning Weidong put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth unhurriedly with a napkin, and nodded, "Mr. An, An Ning did indeed tell me some of your thoughts. If I have not misunderstood, you want to use my connections to reach my fiancée's family, so as to conduct some... maritime trade activities."

An Zhiyuan pursed his lips, unable to gauge Ning Weidong's attitude.

At this moment, Ning Weidong wore a smile that was not quite a smile, making it impossible to tell if he was supportive or opposed.

He gave a dry laugh and said, "That is indeed the meaning. Our An Family has developed in Hong Kong and Nanyang over these years, and now that we hear the domestic policies have shifted, as descendants of the Yellow Emperor, we hope to contribute."

Ning Weidong smiled amusedly and did not take the bait.

Instead, he reached out to pick up the remaining wine in the bottle and filled the glass cup in front of An Zhiyuan.

Clear wine bubbles churned in the transparent glass.

After filling it, Ning Weidong gestured for him to drink.

An Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood and frowned slightly; Ning Weidong was trying to suppress him.

Deep down, he looked down on Ning Weidong; in his view, Ning Weidong was just a bumpkin, so why should he be on equal footing with him, the young master of the An Family?

It was just that the situation was pressing; now that he was here asking for help, he had to lower himself.

Fortunately, the An Family was not a top-tier figure in Hong Kong, and An Zhiyuan was used to it, but the fact that the target was Ning Weidong made him psychologically resistant.

An Zhiyuan quickly adjusted his mindset, laughed out loud, raised his glass, and finished it in one gulp without hesitation.

Ning Weidong's smile became more sincere: "Mr. An, you are An Ning's cousin, so you are not an outsider."

Hearing this, An Ning felt a surge of joy.

The reason she had thrown herself at Ning Weidong yesterday was that she wanted Ning Weidong to endorse her.

She wanted the An Family in Hong Kong to feel that she still possessed powerful, undeniable connections and energy in Beijing.

Only in this way could she have the qualifications to bargain with the Hong Kong An Family.

(End of chapter)