Chapter 381: The Charisma of the Big Brother

"Classmate, do you need any other drinks?"

"No, thank you!"

"Classmate, would you like a blanket?"

"I'm not cold, thank you!"

"Classmate, our plane will land shortly and may experience some turbulence—please fasten your seatbelt, and if you feel unwell, just call me."

"Alright, alright, thank you!"

Li Ye had turned down the pretty flight attendant's kindness seven times in a row, and finally endured until the plane was about to land at Yangcheng Airport.

Shuo's "Flight Attendant" was published in early 1984; in his previous life, when he read that book, he envied the protagonist immensely, thinking it would be a blessing from eight lifetimes to have a flight attendant as a girlfriend.

But when he reached the end, Li Ye and his friends truly wanted to drag the male protagonist out of the book and beat him senseless—had he not been so self-indulgent, that ethereal girl might not have died.

Yet when Li Ye boarded his first plane in this life, he found the flight attendants of the early 1980s lacked the lively charm described by Shuo.

Though their service was attentive, they still carried the solemnity and reserve typical of service staff of that era.

But it had only been less than two years—already, the times seemed to have changed.

The girls on the plane were noticeably more fashionable, more beautiful, and also more cheerful and decisive; for instance, the pretty girl he met today had dared to openly flirt with Li Ye, a handsome guy.

Of course, the early 1980s reforms by China's Civil Aviation Administration may have been a catalyst for this change: in 1984, the administration was restructured, splitting its operational departments, giving rise to the four major airlines.

Formerly paid only a meager allowance of a few yuan, flight attendants had now become one of the most fashionable professions of the 80s and 90s.

With money came greater confidence.

"Welcome back to our airline. We wish you a pleasant journey."

As they prepared to disembark, the young girl retrieved Li Ye's luggage from the overhead bin and casually slipped him a note.

"Slipping a note," in his previous life, had been romanticized by many—but Li Ye saw no trace of malice in the girl's eyes, only nervousness, apprehension, and longing for a dreamlike romance.

He had seen this look before: back in his previous life, when QQ had just emerged, one of his junior classmates would often stare at her computer with exactly this expression.

Why was Shuo's story so wildly popular then? Because everyone then yearned for "love," not decades later, when everyone yearned for cars, houses, and cash.

Can you drive a Ferrari with one hand? If you can, it's practically equivalent to love.

QQ friends? That's just a collection book for "good person cards."

Li Ye nodded to the girl and stepped off the plane, then walked toward a trash bin holding the note.

He was a married man with principles, so he was destined to be the one who received affection without returning it.

But as Li Ye neared the trash bin, a man in a suit approached him and whispered with a smile: "Buddy, if you don't need that note, give it to me—don't waste it."

Li Ye glanced coldly at him and said: "There's something on your face. Go look in the mirror."

The man in the suit touched his face, puzzled: "Something? What's on my face?"

Li Ye slipped the note into his wallet and said lightly: "A toad."

This man had been sitting behind Li Ye; when the girl came to attend to Li Ye, he had demanded the same attention—and naturally received a cold stare in return.

Whether now or forty years from now, looks remain a bonus in love; otherwise, why would girls list looks after conditions like a 300, 00-yuan annual salary, a house with no mortgage, and full salary handed over?

But this man in the suit clearly had no self-awareness.

"Fuck, a paper tiger—looking for trouble, are you?"

By the time the man realized what had happened, Li Ye was already far away; he angrily quickened his pace to catch up and confront Li Ye.

But at the exit, the man hesitated.

Because two women—one older, one younger—were waiting at the exit to meet Li Ye, and the middle-aged woman's glance, even as casual as it was, pierced him with such intensity that he grew fearful.

"What kind of person is that? So low-class!"

Fu Guiru watched the man walk away, then turned to Li Ye and asked: "What was that guy about? Did he have a conflict with you?"

Li Ye shook his head: "We were on the same flight—we don't even know each other. Mom, stop being so paranoid. This isn't the era of hunting spies—don't assume everyone's a bad guy."

Fu Guiru glanced at Li Ye and said: "My eyes may not catch spies, but they've avoided danger more than once—haven't they?"

As Li Ye walked out of the airport with Fu Guiru and Fu Yiruo, he smirked: "Yes, yes, Mom, you're the greatest—you even saw danger in Grandpa. Why are you so afraid of him?"

Fu Guiru shook her head, led Li Ye into her car, then sighed: "I'm not afraid of your grandfather—I'm just guilty."

Li Ye had come to Guangdong because Fu Guiru had urgently summoned him: Qingshui River Food Company had finally requested a visit and inspection from Pengcheng Red Bull.

Could Fu Guiru refuse?

But as Li Zhongfa's arrival in Pengcheng drew nearer, Fu Guiru grew increasingly uneasy, so she urgently called her son to act as her shield, to avoid awkwardness when meeting Li Zhongfa.

That's why Li Ye had been able to buy a plane ticket under the guise of a joint venture company—otherwise, only county- or regiment-level cadres with official letters from their units were allowed to fly!

Since Pengcheng had no airport in 1984, Fu Guiru had driven from Pengcheng to Yangcheng Airport to pick up Li Ye, so the three of them now had to drive from Yangcheng to Pengcheng.

"Brother, when you leave, take me to Beijing with you! I'm practically suffocating here in Pengcheng."

"I was supposed to return to Beijing a few days ago, but Mom said it wasn't safe for me to travel alone—really."

"Has Sister-in-law missed me? I've missed her so much—we promised to go to Xiangshan this autumn to photograph the red leaves."

On the road, Fu Yiruo chattered happily with Li Ye, causing Fu Guiru in the front seat to repeatedly glance back through the rearview mirror, her lips never ceasing to smile.

Though Fu Guiru was anxious about soon meeting Li Zhongfa, she now no longer regretted returning from Malaysia to develop in mainland China.

Not to mention Pengcheng Red Bull's explosive success—just the sibling bond between Fu Yiruo and Li Ye made her "risk" worthwhile.

Moreover, over the past few months, no one had investigated her past identity; everyone treated her warmly and welcomingly, a world apart from how she'd been treated in mainland China decades ago.

Two hours later, Fu Guiru arrived in Pengcheng.

Her residence was close to the Pengcheng Red Bull factory; through the window, she could see several tower cranes being assembled and erected.

Li Ye asked: "Is that our construction site?"

Fu Guiru replied: "Yes, this is our Phase II expansion. We didn't expect to start so soon, but Pengcheng Red Bull's market demand is enormous."

"Luckily you had foresight back then—otherwise, land nearby would've been hard to buy. Recently, the plot west of our factory was bought by a Japanese company, and the price rose thirty percent compared to six months ago."

Li Ye smiled: "Thirty percent is too little—in a few years, it'll be three hundred percent, no doubt."

When Pengcheng Red Bull chose its site and built its factory, Li Ye had unilaterally secured enough land for future expansion; at the time, Fu Guiru thought it unnecessary.

But Hao Jian and Pei Wencong followed Li Ye's every word—how could she, as his mother, oppose him?

How long had it been? The land sat idle and had already appreciated thirty percent—it felt faster than running a business.

"Three hundred percent? Then I'll have to pay attention."

Fu Guiru pondered, but didn't take it too seriously—she couldn't imagine that if Hao Jian and Pei Wencong were here now, they might trigger a buying frenzy in Pengcheng's land market.

After dinner, Fu Guiru sent Fu Yiruo to wash the dishes, then whispered a few words to Li Ye.

"Xiao Ye, I called you here not only because of your grandfather, but also because I think we should increase capital and expand equity."

"Hmm?"

Li Ye smiled: "Mom, weren't you fiercely opposed to increasing capital and expanding equity? What changed your mind?"

"How can you even ask that?"

Fu Guiru's anger flared at Li Ye's words: "I didn't know Pei Wencong was connected to you—if I had, I'd never have let you be taken advantage of."

"Now you can see Pengcheng Red Bull's prospects—next year, our output and profits will grow several times, even tenfold. Fu Corporation can't keep enjoying these profits for free."

Li Ye listened patiently, then asked seriously: "Mom, if Pei Wencong had told you back then that he was connected to me, would you have believed him? Would you have helped me seize controlling equity in Fu Corporation?"

Fu Guiru paused, silently thinking, then slowly shook her head.

At that time, Fu Corporation was Fu Guiru's only bargaining chip; within such a short span, she couldn't possibly untangle all the complexities on Li Ye's side—and thus could never have allowed Pei Wencong to acquire fifty-one percent of Fu Corporation's equity.

Li Ye made Fu Guiru the decisive figure in Fu Corporation, dispelling her doubts, and gradually brought her to where she is today.

Even then, she only decided to side with her son rather than with Fu Corporation in Malaysia after recognizing the vast market potential of the mainland.

This was a difficult shift for her—Fu Corporation in Malaysia carried complex, hard-to-explain ties to her past.

Had it not been for her own son, Fu Guiru might have spent her life dragging along the Fu family to earn money, repaying the debt of her second uncle's past kindness.

"I agree, Mom. I'll call Pei Wencong tomorrow—you discuss the capital increase and equity expansion with him. Tell him how much you need. If the Fu family can provide the funds, I won't make things hard for them."

"Alright, I'll contact Malaysia as soon as possible and see what they plan."

Fu Guiru agreed to Li Ye's suggestion, but she knew the Fu family in Malaysia likely couldn't raise much money—equity dilution was inevitable.

She could already picture the Fu family's reaction—but what of it? She had carried them for over a decade; now she couldn't keep using her son's money to support them.

Seeing Fu Guiru's somber expression, Li Ye added: "Mom, I know some things are hard for you to do—but they must be done. If you need to make enemies, leave it to Pei Wencong—he'll follow your wishes."

Fu Guiru looked at confident Li Ye and felt something was off: "What do you mean? Pei Wencong will listen to me?"

Li Ye smiled: "He probably will—he's developed over the years because of me. We have a good relationship."

"Just a good relationship? Or is there some kind of constraint?"

Having spent years in business, Fu Guiru immediately grasped the key point—Hong Kong people were pragmatic; how could someone just "have a good relationship" and obey another's orders?

"Not really a constraint," Li Ye said calmly. "My relationship with Pei Wencong is based on shared interests. I think this kind of bond lasts longer than any constraint."

At the start of his entrepreneurship, Li Ye had ruled his subordinates with brute force, declaring in the courtyard of the Second Grain Store: "I must have the final say."

But his relationships with Hao Jian, Jin Peng, and even Pei Wencong were still based on friendship plus interest.

More importantly, it was interest—the continuous "shock" and "supreme prophet" advantage.

In a future with sound legal systems, Li Ye wouldn't need to worry so much—he could hire professional legal teams to structure corporate constraints. But in this era of wild development—

Even in the future, with all its regulations and laws, have they truly restrained those who betray their own?

No matter how you say it, as long as Li Ye can keep this group growing at high speed, his team will remain united, ready to strike wherever he points.

This is the legendary charisma of a big brother (leader).

If Li Ye couldn't lead everyone to wealth—

What are you kidding? A time-traveler who doesn't know where the wealth is in this world—what's the point of time-traveling?

(End of Chapter)