Chapter 210: Walking on Two Legs

Compared to Wang Kaixuan's excitement, although Hu Bayi was surprised, he was not nearly as stirred.

Although Wang Kaixuan had a family background, he had never stayed within an organization after all, and having come to Ning Weidong shortly after returning to the city, he did not quite understand certain situations.

Hu Bayi, however, knew that his own situation was not that simple; he belonged to the category of those who had been dismissed for making mistakes, and even with Ning Weidong's support, it would not be that easy to become a Cadre again.

Moreover, although Ning Weidong's place was nominally a Section Level unit, it did not mean that the Deputy Manager here was a deputy section-level official.

However, Hu Bayi was not someone who lacked social awareness, so naturally, there was no need to point it out at this moment.

And since Ning Weidong had brought it up here, even if it was not possible now, if they thought of a way later, it might not be impossible to find an opportunity.

As for Ning Weidong, saying this was not about painting a big picture, but truly trying to win Hu Bayi over.

Compared to Wang Kaixuan, Hu Bayi was a cut above in both personal connections and individual ability.

Furthermore, the two of them belonged to the "one plus one is greater than two" category; working under him together was much better than risking their lives "going down into the tombs to grave rob."

The three chatted for a while, and Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan took their leave at an appropriate time.

The two returned to Wang Kaixuan's Office.

As soon as he entered the room, Wang Kaixuan picked up the white enamel tea mug on the table, took a large gulp of tea with a "glug-glug" sound, grinned, and said, "Old Hu, how was it? I told you that heroes recognize heroes, right~ Ning Weidong will definitely treat you with special regard once he sees you."

Hu Bayi let out a long breath, smiled, and said, "I didn't expect it either, but..."

Wang Kaixuan asked, "But what?"

Hu Bayi shook his head and said, "It's hard to say, I just felt like he seemed very familiar with me."

Wang Kaixuan blinked his eyes: "Is that so?" He immediately waved his hand: "Regardless of how it is, from now on our brothers are together again. Tonight we'll go to Quanjude, and I'll treat you to the famous Beijing roast duck."

Hu Bayi frowned and said, "Eating out again?"

Wang Kaixuan chuckled, "Don't try to save money for me."

Hu Bayi smiled, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had previously imagined what it would be like after meeting Wang Kaixuan, but he never expected it to be like this.

Last night, he had stayed at the house Wang Kaixuan had newly purchased, which had cost over five thousand yuan—a detached courtyard house.

The courtyard was found by Ning Wei a while ago; it was not a traditional Siheyuan, having buildings only on the east, west, and north sides, totaling eleven rooms, with a courtyard in the middle measuring about ten meters square.

This courtyard was not an old-style Siheyuan but a brick-and-tile house built during the Republic of China era; although it lacked the charm of an old Siheyuan, it was more spacious and comfortable to live in, and what was even rarer was that it had a toilet.

If it weren't for the fact that it was too close to the company and the price of nearly six thousand was a bit over budget, Ning Wei would have recommended this courtyard to Ning Weidong.

In the end, Wang Kaixuan bought this courtyard, and Hu Bayi also had a place to stay temporarily when he came over.

Hu Bayi was happy for his good brother; with this house, Wang Kaixuan could be considered to have put down roots in Beijing.

Looking at himself, he was still like wild grass or duckweed.

Fortunately, after meeting Ning Weidong today, he had a temporary place to land. As for what Ning Weidong said about securing a deputy section-level position, Hu Bayi did not take it seriously; instead, he pondered that if he could earn more money like Wang Kaixuan, he could also help those comrades who had sacrificed their lives.

On the other side, Ning Weidong sat in Zhao Ruyi's former Office.

Everything was as it had been; he had not made any changes, as Zhao Ruyi's previous arrangement was already very good.

Ning Weidong was in a good mood; he hadn't expected that on his first day at the company, a great general like Hu Bayi would arrive.

With Hu Bayi, things in Min Province would definitely go more smoothly, and at the same time, another person came to his mind.

Now that he had arrived, Dongyi Company certainly could not remain as it was before, with only a few small cats and kittens.

Ning Wei and the others were there to do specific tasks, and they were all quite young, lacking ability and experience, which was why he wanted to pull Lu Zhou over.

Besides Lu Zhou's own ability, there was also his background as a former soldier; if there were other suitable people, they could also be brought over.

Then there were Hu Bayi's comrades. Although Hu Bayi's roots were in Min Province, he had served in the military in the Northwest and was later transferred to the Southern Frontier to fight in the war.

Hu Bayi's comrades, on the contrary, had no connection to Min Province.

At this moment, the other person Ning Weidong thought of was Duan Ming.

Last time he met Duan Ming by chance at the bathhouse, he learned that Duan Ming had been sent to the countryside in the Northwest and had met Zhong Yuemin and the others.

Zhong Yuemin and his group came from the Beijing courtyards; although they were not as prominent as Li Yuanchao, they were still not to be underestimated.

Zhong Yuemin was originally the core of the group, but his personality was too restless, unconventional, and impulsive; they could be friends, but working together might not necessarily be good.

On the contrary, Yuan Jun and Zhou Xiaobai were more reliable, and their family backgrounds were not weak either.

Come to think of it, Yuan Jun's situation was very similar to Hu Bayi's, and the ranks of their fathers were not too different.

It was just that Yuan Jun's luck and personality were both better than Hu Bayi's, and most importantly, Yuan Jun's family background was cleaner.

Hu Bayi was more affected by his grandfather's involvement.

Precisely because of this, Yuan Jun was able to join the army directly without going to the countryside, while Hu Bayi had to go to the countryside for a year before he had the chance to join the army.

Later on, Yuan Jun's path was also smoother than Hu Bayi's.

As for Zhou Xiaobai, it went without saying regarding the daughter of that Division Commander.

However, having said that, Yuan Jun and Zhou Xiaobai were both in the military and could not come to Ning Weidong's place; to get in touch with them, he would have to find another way.

Ning Weidong pondered for a moment, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed "002".

This was an internal line, calling to Ning Wei's room.

The call connected, and he told Ning Wei to come over.

"Third Brother, you called me~" Ning Wei had an irrepressible excitement between his brows.

Ning Weidong said: "Xiao Wei, go and help me call someone over..."

Then he gave him Duan Ming's address.

Ning Wei acknowledged and immediately turned to go out.

In less than an hour, Ning Wei rode his bike back from outside, followed by someone—it was none other than Duan Ming.

Upon arriving here, Duan Ming looked around, feeling secretly shocked in his heart.

Just now, when Ning Wei went to find him, he had already used Ning Weidong's name, but last time he met Ning Weidong by chance, he only knew Ning Weidong was in the Security Division of the Red Star Factory. What did it mean for Ning Wei to bring him here? He was filled with doubt and also full of caution.

Not until he reached the north room and saw Ning Weidong did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"Manager—" Ning Wei called out.

Ning Weidong raised his head from behind the desk, then smiled as he stood up and said, "Old Duan—I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Duan Ming, however, was full of questions: "Weidong, you gave me quite a scare. This... what is going on here?"

Ning Weidong pulled him along and said, "Sit down and let's talk." He then said to Ning Wei, "Xiao Wei, hurry and brew a pot of tea."

Duan Ming could tell that, given the position Ning Weidong occupied and the attitude Ning Wei held toward him, Ning Weidong's status in this courtyard was definitely not low.

He asked, "Weidong, didn't you say last time you were at the Red Star Factory Security Division? How did you end up here? Just now when I walked in, I saw some company sign hanging outside." Ning Weidong laughed heartily and said, "Sigh—I was indeed at the Red Star Factory when we met last time, but I was just transferred here the day before yesterday to be a manager."

Duan Ming couldn't help but widen his eyes. Although he didn't know what kind of entity Dongyi Company was, the fact that it could occupy such a large courtyard all by itself spoke volumes.

And what did it mean for Ning Weidong to be the manager here! Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but race, and he immediately realized that Ning Weidong must have a reason for calling him over.

At this moment, Ning Wei finished brewing the tea, poured it for the two of them, and then stepped out.

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Have some tea first, let's chat slowly, brother."

Duan Ming was very shrewd; he had a rough judgment of the current situation in his heart and instead suppressed his urgent emotions.

After taking a shallow sip of tea, Ning Weidong didn't waste time beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "Old Duan, you said last time that you didn't have a job after returning to the city..."

Duan Ming felt a jolt in his heart and couldn't help but lick his lips: "The current job situation... it's hard to describe. Among those who returned in the same batch as me, some have already gone to the foot of Zhengyang Gate to sell big-bowl tea." As he spoke, he looked at Ning Weidong with burning eyes.

He knew very well that Ning Weidong bringing this up now was certainly not without purpose.

Ning Weidong laughed heartily and said, "How about coming to work for me?"

Duan Ming thought to himself, "As expected," but he wasn't swept off his feet by the sudden good fortune.

He knew that Ning Weidong calling him over this time was definitely not because of their past friendship.

Strictly speaking, he and Ning Weidong were only nodding acquaintances.

Although they had drunk together and fought together, there were too many people, and the friendship wasn't worth much.

Why is it said, "Learn from the three sworn brothers of the Peach Garden, don't learn from the incense sticks of Wagang."

There might be many factors, but the number of people is a very important reason.

Whatever the matter, as long as there are too many people, it's easy for things to go wrong, and one wouldn't pour too much emotion into any single person.

Therefore, Duan Ming concluded that Ning Weidong finding him and offering him a job must involve some kind of exchange.

Duan Ming said, "I would certainly be happy to! It's just... I don't know if my ability is enough."

Ning Weidong said, "Last time you said you knew Zhong Yuemin..."

Duan Ming's expression flickered slightly; he suddenly realized the truth in his heart—so that was what it was all about after all this time.

Yet he felt a bit uneasy. He understood Zhong Yuemin's character; if Ning Weidong wanted to reach Zhong Yuemin through him, he was afraid he didn't have that much influence.

But at this moment, he certainly couldn't say such things; he was afraid that if he said it, the opportunity would be missed.

He had been eating for free at home for these past few months and had long since had enough of his mother and sister-in-law's sarcastic and biting remarks.

Duan Ming gritted his teeth and decided that no matter what, he would take the benefit first.

Unexpectedly, the next moment Ning Weidong changed the subject: "There was a Zheng Tong with Zhong Yuemin back then, are you familiar with him?"

Duan Ming blinked his eyes, slapped his thigh, and said, "Familiar—very familiar. After Zhong Yuemin left to join the army, I and Zheng Tong were among the few youths from Beijing left..."

Ning Weidong said, "Are you still in contact now?"

Duan Ming felt awkward for a moment, then nodded: "We are in contact. He returned a year earlier than me, and last year he got into the History Department of our Beijing University."

Ning Weidong saw it all and knew that this "in contact" was likely exaggerated, but he didn't expose it and smiled, saying, "A top student from Beijing University, eh—find an opportunity to invite him out; I'd like to get to know him."

Ning Weidong had called Duan Ming over, deciding to start with Zheng Tong to contact Yuan Jun and Zhou Xiaobai.

In Ning Weidong's view, the most valuable person in the small group that came out of their courtyard was not the so-called "protagonist" Zhong Yuemin, but rather Yuan Jun.

Zhou Xiaobai was a girl, had an older brother, and was a military doctor herself; this was the standard configuration for many military families—boys join the army, girls study medicine.

No matter how many resources the Zhou family had, they wouldn't fall to her; in the end, she would mostly likely marry a peer of equal family status—calling it a political marriage would be no problem.

Yuan Jun, on the other hand, was more like Zhao Lichun, Li Yuanchao's older brother Li Kangzhan, or Wang Yuzhen's older brother Wang Chen—the next generation that the family was pouring all its efforts into cultivating.

Zheng Tong, who had played with them since childhood, came from an intellectual family, and his father was a technocrat.

Although he hung out with Zhong Yuemin and Yuan Jun, he was not the same type of person by nature.

Zheng Tong had no foundation; once his father ran into trouble, he became like a rootless weed and could only rely on himself.

This was also the reason why Ning Weidong decided to start with Zheng Tong.

Once successful, it would mean that Ning Weidong had a network of resources in the Beijing courtyards independent of the Zhao Family.

It wasn't that Ning Weidong didn't trust the Zhao Family, but Ning Weidong knew that walking on two legs was more stable.

Duan Ming breathed a secret sigh of relief; inviting Zheng Tong out wasn't a difficult task.

Ning Weidong patted him on the shoulder: "Old Duan, you are a capable person; work hard in the future."

Duan Ming immediately changed his tone: "Manager, don't worry, I will certainly not let down your trust."

Ning Weidong nodded and told him to go find Ning Wei to handle the paperwork.

Duan Ming was someone who knew his place and didn't lower his status just because he was an old classmate of Ning Weidong.

Watching Duan Ming leave, Ning Weidong stretched; spring lethargy and autumn fatigue were no lie, especially in the afternoon around two or three o'clock when it was easier to feel sleepy.

Ning Weidong rubbed his face, calculating in his heart to find a time in the next two days to meet with Li Yuanchao.

As his most important partner at the moment, Ning Weidong definitely had to notify Li Kangmei and Li Yuanchao, the sister and brother, about taking over Zhao Ruyi's affairs.

Furthermore, in the next step, if the channel to the Soviet Union was opened, it would be impossible to keep all the profits for himself.

Only by making the cake bigger and allowing more people to share in the benefits could this cake be more stable.

Besides the Wang Family and the Zhao Family, Li Yuanchao would certainly be among them, along with Hu Bayi, Wang Kaixuan, plus Yuan Jun and Zhou Xiaobai...

Even if possible, Ning Weidong wouldn't mind pulling Li Weibing and Wang Guoqiang in.

Although these two leaders of the Red Star Factory had very limited power, they each had their own roots and factions behind them; as long as the interests were large enough, it wasn't impossible for them to sit at the same table to eat.

……

The day ended, and the others got off work and left.

Before five-thirty, Zhao Ruyi's jeep pulled up outside the door.

Zhao Ruyi walked in from outside wearing a trench coat and long trousers; inside her open trench coat, she wore a white shirt, and her hair was styled in a bun, which was quite different from her previous attire.

They had spoken on the phone in the afternoon, and Zhao Ruyi came straight over after work to eat together.

After entering the second gate, Zhao Ruyi slipped into the north room in a flash.

The weather was not as hot in the mornings and evenings, so there was no need to eat at the stone table outside anymore.

Ning Weidong was not in the inner Office; he was sitting on the sofa in the reception area waiting for her.

Seeing Zhao Ruyi, he immediately smiled and said, "How does it feel, your first day of work?"

Today, Ning Weidong went to the Ministry, and it was also Zhao Ruyi's first day officially working at the bank.

Zhao Ruyi pursed her lips and said, "How could it feel? It was boring to death!"

(End of chapter)