Chapter 90: Ya Li's Inquiry

In the KTV room, Niu Ju sang a song "Farewell My Concubine", which could be described as a donkey's bray.

With Niu Ju's voice, the whole hotel would surely hear it.

After Niu Ju finished singing, I quickly applauded.

Ya Li brought Niu Ju a glass of beer.

Niu Ju drank it all in one go.

Then they had Ya Li sing; she chose the song "Happy Home" and sang it gently and melodiously.

Over these years Ya Li has matured a lot; when singing she deliberately held Niu Ju's hand and sang together.

Niu Ju happily followed along, howling.

After they finished singing, I applauded again.

They asked me to pick a song, but I refused, explaining that my leg was injured and I couldn't sing.

Niu Ju then laughed and said, "Jianqiang, singing 'Sailor' now would be most fitting for you."

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head,

"Niu Ju, are you deliberately making fun of me? I already knew I'd be sitting in a wheelchair."

"Don't be like that—studying military strategy instead of reading a recipe in the kitchen, what do you want to do, Jianqiang? We can't follow the pace of a skit." Niu Ju laughed wildly.

I could only join in the laughter.

Niu Ju and Ya Li drank through two more songs, six bottles of beer, before they were finally satisfied.

By then Niu Ju was staggering as he walked, still holding Ya Li's hand and not letting go.

I quickly had Niu Ju's driver come in, helped Niu Ju into the car, and saw him off.

Then I arranged for Ya Li to go upstairs to rest.

In the elevator going upstairs, Ya Li said, "Brother Yansheng, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't want to get involved in your affairs at all. This Niu Ju is really disgusting."

I could only say to Ya Li, "Ya Li, thank you, really thank you. Without you mediating, Li Ming and Xiao Long would surely be in trouble. Alas, there's nothing to be done; here in Zaocheng, they're the big boss, and everything has to go their way."

Ya Li said, "I never expected that after so long of development, these people's character hasn't changed; it's still the same. They like to throw their weight around."

"It can't change, alright, Ya Li—when you talked with Niu Ju, did he give you a hard time?" I asked Ya Li.

Ya Li shook her head,

"No, after all I'm a representative sent by the Southern Group Company. If I were an ordinary woman, I'd surely not be able to get away tonight. Alright, Brother Yansheng, you're tired too—get some rest early."

"Alright, Ya Li, thank you for your efforts today. As long as the company gets out of its current predicament, I will surely thank you handsomely." I said.

"No need for thanks, Brother Yansheng. I want to ask you one thing: what exactly is Sun Dajun's relationship to you? If you were father and son, I feel that in your eyes he's not even as good as Li Ming's son Xiao Long." Ya Li said.

Hearing Ya Li's words,

I really wanted to tell Ya Li that Sun Dajun is merely my adopted son; there's no blood relation between us. He's not my biological son.

But the words rose to my lips and I didn't speak them,

I just asked Ya Li, "What did you and Sun Dajun talk about?"

"Nothing, he only said you don't care about him, that you don't see him in your eyes." Ya Li said.

"This child has misunderstood me; I'm not uncaring toward him—I'm training him, hoping he can endure the hammering of the market and adapt to this social environment.

I never expected him to be so rebellious. Forget it, I won't bring it up; I only hope that once he becomes General Manager, he'll truly mature." I said.

"Oh, it seems Sun Dajun has some misunderstanding of you; I'll find time to explain it to him, to clear up the misunderstanding between you two as father and son. This Sun Dajun isn't bad, and he has many ideas about enterprise management; I hope you can support him so he can lead the Da Heng Group out of the mire." Ya Li said.

I said, "I will definitely support him. Ya Li, do you really have high hopes for Sun Dajun?"

Ya Li nodded,

Just then the elevator doors opened; Ya Li's floor had arrived.

But Ya Li pressed the button again, and the elevator doors closed.

I quickly said, "Ya Li, your floor is here—why aren't you getting out?"

Ya Li laughed, "I'm seeing you back to your room; your leg is inconvenient, and Shi Yong isn't with you. This Shi Yong really can drink—when I first knew him, he could already drink alcohol; I never expected that after over twenty years this habit would still be unchanged."

I smiled,

"Ya Li, I can walk on my own; I don't need you to see me. Fortunately Shi Yong can drink, otherwise today's scene would have Niu Ju's tail sticking up to the sky. Even if you discussed any terms with him, he wouldn't agree. I know him too well."

"How is Shi Yong? Does he need to be sent to the hospital? Niu Ju also admires Shi Yong a lot; he said the two of them couldn't beat Shi Yong, and in fact Shi Yong knocked them both down. This Shi Yong is just like the historical Fan Kuai of old."

After hearing Ya Li's praise of Shi Yong,

I laughed heartily and said, "If Shi Yong heard you praising him like this, he'd be overjoyed. He's become a hero of the ancient Hongmen Banquet. People all have strengths; you just need to find a place to put them to use."

Ya Li said, "Brother Yansheng, Sun Dajun also has strengths; you just haven't noticed them. In fact, making good use of Sun Dajun will bring you unexpected results."

Upon hearing Ya Li's words, I suddenly understood something.

I said, "I will definitely make good use of Sun Dajun—rest assured, Ya Li."

At that moment the elevator doors opened again; I hurriedly lowered myself with my cane and stepped out, leaving Ya Li inside the elevator.

I didn't want her to see me back to my room.

I quickly shook hands with Ya Li to say goodbye, letting her go back to her room to rest early.

Today we're both utterly exhausted.

I returned to my room; Shi Yong's snoring rose and fell.

Only when I heard Shi Yong's snore did I feel at ease.

Today this matter is finally settled; the stone in my heart has landed on the ground.

I lay down on the bed still fully clothed.

Looking back, even a small matter could possibly cause unnecessary trouble.

Originally, Xiao Long hitting Dajun was just a minor thing; the two could have settled it through discussion.

But Niu Ju got involved, and it became a big deal.

Only after they threatened me to hand over power to Dajun was it considered finished.

They seem to want more, and my future road will be harder.

By the way, I also need to reply to Li Ming, asking him to bring Xiao Long back as soon as possible.

Have Xiao Long apologize to Dajun to reduce the hatred to a minimum.

This way, in the future everyone living in Zaocheng won't feel embarrassed.

Tomorrow's meeting will announce Dajun as General Manager; I wonder what Xiao Hua will think, and this matter hasn't been communicated to Xiao Hua.

What's going on between Xiao Hua and Niu Ju? Do they have a conflict? Why is Niu Ju focusing on cultivating Sun Dajun while abandoning Xiao Hua?

There must be something going on in between; I also can't figure it out.

First send Li Ming a message explaining the situation, then we'll talk.

After finishing these tasks, it's already late at night.

I want to take a shower, but it's inconvenient for me alone,

Forget it, I won't shower.

I got up and sat in the hotel room, looking at the night scenery of Zaocheng Xin Cheng.

A brand-new city rises from the ground,

On this originally barren land, countless skyscrapers are built.

This includes my contribution; our Da Heng Group can be said to have exerted great effort in the construction of Zaocheng Xin Cheng.

I don't know how people will judge us after these skyscrapers are built.

But what I hear and see is that most people curse us as heartless developers.

Do I really lack conscience? Am I really that hateful?

I can't figure it out.

With a sigh, I lay down on the bed.

"If I have no conscience, then so be it; conscientious people all died early." After saying that, I pulled the covers over my head and went to sleep.