Chapter 178: Triumph and Liberation

Seeing Zhao Ruyi's car, Wang Kaixuan immediately led that man down from the steps, smiling all over his face and helping Zhao Ruyi open the car door in a very sycophantic manner, calling out "Sister Zhao" while also greeting Ning Weidong, who had stepped out from the passenger seat.

Ning Weidong shook hands with Wang Kaixuan with a smile, then looked at the young man behind him.

Wang Kaixuan immediately introduced him: "Let me introduce someone to you two. This is Ren Jiefang; his father and my father are old comrades-in-arms, and we are brothers since childhood."

Ren Jiefang smiled and reached out his hand, looking up slightly at Ning Weidong due to the height difference: "Brother Ning, Sister Zhao, Pangzi mentioned you two quite a bit on the way back this time. Seeing you today, it is a pleasure."

Ning Weidong shook his hand with a smile, repeatedly saying he was too polite.

Just now, Wang Kaixuan said that this Ren Jiefang's father and his own father were old comrades-in-arms.

"Old comrade-in-arms" is not a term used lightly; just like Old Man Zheng, who works the night watch, he also served in the army with Zhao's father, but he cannot be called an old comrade-in-arms, only barely a former subordinate.

Since they are called comrades-in-arms, their ranks and weight must be similar; you are a company commander and I am an instructor, or at the very least a platoon leader, only then can you be called old comrades-in-arms.

Furthermore, having Ren Jiefang come back with Wang Kaixuan this time, besides their past relationship, his status also had to be sufficient.

The four of them exchanged brief pleasantries and then entered the shop.

The private room had been booked by Wang Kaixuan in advance, the charcoal fire in the copper pot was already burning hot, and the pot was steaming, ready to eat as soon as they entered.

Once inside, they didn't rush to talk business; Wang Kaixuan immediately called the waiter to bring the meat.

He then chuckled and said: "Eating hot pot in this hot weather, you must have ice-cold beer." As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Ruyi: "Sister Zhao, will you have beer or soda?"

Although Zhao Ruyi had a high tolerance for alcohol, she didn't drink with just anyone, so she declined: "I have to drive later, so I'll just have soda~"

Wang Kaixuan was startled for a moment; he had long known of Zhao Ruyi's fierce reputation, being more heroic than the average man.

The reason he asked just now was purely out of politeness, after all, Zhao Ruyi is a woman.

He couldn't help but look at Ning Weidong, thinking to himself that one thing truly subdues another.

However, this dinner was not intended for drinking anyway.

If he really wanted to drink until he was drunk, he and Ren Jiefang would have been enough at home.

Just then, the mutton was brought out.

Wang Kaixuan was very good at livening up the atmosphere, smiling and saying: "Well, Jiefang hasn't had hot pot before, let me explain it to him..."

As he spoke, he picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks: "See that? Hot pot in Beijing requires the 'seven up, eight down' technique; you pick up a slice of meat, put it into the boiling water... and finally dip it in sesame paste..."

Ning Weidong watched from the side, while Ren Jiefang listened quite seriously.

When Wang Kaixuan was almost finished, he interjected: "Little Ren, don't listen to Pangzi's nonsense. Hot pot is just hot pot; there aren't that many rules. In the past, those were just poor people's affectations. What 'seven up, eight down'? It was just poverty; there wasn't enough meat, and eating meat should be satisfying."

As he spoke, he directly took a plate of mutton and dumped it into the pot.

Wang Kaixuan scratched his head and laughed: "That's right~ I was wondering why it felt wrong~ Eating meat should be done in big mouthfuls to be satisfying."

Ning Weidong said: "Alright, stop putting on airs." He looked at Ren Jiefang: "Little Ren, you are Pangzi's childhood friend, so don't be a stranger..."

Guests are guests; since Ren Jiefang came, it was a statement of intent.

Ning Weidong didn't need to put on airs either; soon, the wine and meat were consumed, and the atmosphere picked up.

However, the group didn't discuss any serious matters until after three rounds of drinks, when Wang Kaixuan coughed, straightened his expression slightly, and raised his glass: "Well, Sister Zhao, Brother Ning, I toast you two. If it weren't for you, I, Wang Pangzi, let alone drinking and eating meat here, would probably still be worrying about my next meal~"

After finishing, he tilted his head back and downed a large glass of beer in one gulp.

Zhao Ruyi followed with a sip of soda, while Ning Weidong finished his drink and reached out to pat his shoulder: "Pangzi, the days ahead will only get better. These few days, take Little Ren to have a good time in Beijing, and by the way, consider a certain matter."

Wang Kaixuan straightened up slightly, his drunkenness fading a little.

Ning Weidong continued: "You know the situation of our company; we are currently in need of people. Ruyi and I discussed it and would like you to come and help..."

Wang Kaixuan was stunned, blinking his eyes, and exchanged a look with Ren Jiefang: "Brother Ning, Sister Zhao, this..."

Zhao Ruyi followed up: "You don't need to answer in a hurry; go back and think it over carefully. If you are willing to come over, we will make you a Deputy Manager. Besides a fixed salary, you will get commissions on deals similar to this one."

Wang Kaixuan couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva; he hadn't expected such a good thing.

Previously, when he came with Yang Hongjun, he hadn't really held much hope in finding Zhao Ruyi; it was a case of "hitting the tree three times to see if any dates fall."

He hadn't expected that this step would actually be the right one, and he had made a lot of money on his first trip back to Min Province.

But Wang Kaixuan never felt secure; could this kind of business last? What if there was this time but no next time? What would he do in the future? This was why he had tried every possible way to drag Ren Jiefang from Min Province, just to add some weight to his standing with Zhao Ruyi and Ning Weidong.

He hadn't expected Zhao Ruyi to take the initiative to let him join the company.

It wasn't that he valued the position of Deputy Manager of a fledgling Big Collective unit so much, but rather that once he became this Deputy Manager, from now on, he would be a true insider with Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi.

This trip back to Min Province had made Wang Kaixuan see many things clearly.

Given his current situation, the people in Min Province no longer treated him as one of their own. The key to facilitating those few deals this time, besides the lingering goodwill left by his father, was more importantly the fact that he had resources in Beijing. But he knew his own situation; his connections in Beijing were not solid at all.

He was friends with Yang Hongjun, but not very close friends, and he had only met Ning Weidong and his wife once.

The reason they gave him this opportunity was because they saw his connections in Min Province.

Since returning from Min Province, even though Wang Kaixuan appeared happy and carefree, treating people to meals and drinking every day, he was actually having fun.

In reality, he felt increasingly insecure, feeling more and more like he was walking a tightrope, unable to rely on either side.

In this situation, if done well, he could play both sides, but if done poorly, he would be like the Pigsy looking in the mirror—neither side would accept him.

Wang Kaixuan had been thinking these past few days about how to change this unfavorable situation.

Currently, it seemed the best way was to further bind his relationship with Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi.

Although emotionally, Min Province seemed more suitable, Wang Kaixuan hadn't forgotten that he had just returned from the Northeast, and contacting the "uncles" there hadn't yielded the same treatment as this time.

Wang Kaixuan's mind was very clear; the key to him receiving this treatment was that he controlled the connection channels in Beijing.

It was just that he couldn't really claim any deep friendship with Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi; if he hadn't known Yang Hongjun, he wouldn't even have known where to start.

Who would have thought that just as he was worrying, Ning Weidong and his wife would take the initiative to offer an olive branch.

Wang Kaixuan couldn't help but be overjoyed. Once he became a Deputy Manager of Dongyi Company, he would be completely on the same boat as Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi; he would be an insider, not an outsider.

Ren Jiefang, sitting to the side, also showed a look of surprise.

When he came back with Wang Kaixuan this time, he had seen Wang Kaixuan's situation in Beijing as soon as they arrived; his relationship with the Wang Family and the Zhao Family was not as close as he had imagined.

He could barely act as a middleman or a mouthpiece to communicate between the two sides.

But once Wang Kaixuan became a Deputy Manager of Dongyi Company, the situation would change.

Ren Jiefang's brain spun at high speed, evaluating the potential impact of this matter.

Wang Kaixuan slapped his thigh: "Brother Ning, what is there for me to consider? You and Sister Zhao are looking up to me; if I were to still act coy, it would be ungrateful." As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Ruyi, raised his beer glass, and said: "Sister, from today on, I, Wang Pangzi, am a soldier under your command. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west; if you tell me to chase a dog, I will never catch a chicken."

Without waiting for Zhao Ruyi to respond, he downed the large glass of beer in one gulp.

Zhao Ruyi laughed crisply: "Listening to you, it sounds like you didn't cause little trouble for the villagers' chickens back in the Northeast."

Wang Kaixuan wiped his mouth and chuckled: "Sister Zhao, you've really got that wrong. When I was sent down to the countryside in Ganggang Yingzi, it was right on the edge of the Daxinganling. The roe deer and wild pheasants in the woods were everywhere, especially after autumn when it was warm inside the house... How does that saying go? It really was 'clubbing roe deer with a stick and scooping fish with a ladle, wild pheasants flying right into the cooking pot'—why would I ever need to bother the villagers' chickens?"

Once this matter was settled, Wang Kaixuan's status changed, and the atmosphere at the dining table became even more harmonious.

It wasn't until nearly eight o'clock that the four of them dispersed.

Wang Kaixuan and Ren Jiefang were both seven or eight parts drunk, and their speech had become a bit slurred.

Ning Weidong, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. He sat in the car with Zhao Ruyi and, through the rolled-down window, waved at the two men outside: "Pangzi, Xiao Ren, go back and rest. Beer isn't satisfying enough; in a few days, I'll host, and the three of us brothers will have some hard liquor."

Wang Kaixuan laughed heartily: "That would be great. You'd better get two bottles of good stuff; it's been years since I've had any aged, high-quality liquor."

Ning Weidong looked at Ren Jiefang again: "Xiao Ren, it's a deal. You must come when the time comes."

Ren Jiefang, with a thick tongue, hurriedly said, "Definitely."

At this moment, Zhao Ruyi started the car and waved one last time. Watching the car drive away, Wang Kaixuan and Ren Jiefang both let out a sigh of relief at the same time.

Just now, the two of them had each drunk seven or eight bottles, and they were both nearly at their limit.

Wang Kaixuan pulled himself together, fished a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Ren Jiefang, and asked: "What do you think?"

Ren Jiefang lit his own: "This Ning Weidong... is not simple."

Ren Jiefang did not mention Zhao Ruyi; firstly, because Zhao Ruyi is a woman, and secondly, it wasn't hard to see from their brief contact that Ning Weidong held the initiative between Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi.

Wang Kaixuan nodded: "Of course he's not simple. You should have asked around about Zhao Ruyi's reputation."

Ren Jiefang gave a dry laugh; how could he not know?

Before coming on this trip, their family had made preparations in advance regarding the situation of Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi.

Ren Jiefang took a drag of his cigarette and said: "By the way, that Deputy Manager position, what do you think?"

Wang Kaixuan smacked his lips and said: "Since they think highly of us, we'll just work for the couple from now on~"

Ren Jiefang raised his eyebrows: "Are you willing? Back then..."

Wang Kaixuan pursed his lips and interrupted: "That was then, this is now. That Wang Pangzi from back then... died long ago."

(End of chapter)