Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 507 You and I are both mortals

Cheng Yi didn't expect that Chen Zhi didn't bring an umbrella, but he only had one umbrella. He couldn't very well go over and hold the umbrella for Chen Zhi, could he?
Two men sharing an umbrella—that looks rather disgusting.

But it seemed a bit impolite of him to hold up an umbrella and let Chen Zhi get wet in the rain.

Giving the umbrella to Chen Zhi would seem a bit pretentious.

After a brief moment of consideration, he put the umbrella away.

The light drizzle was barely bearable.

The drizzle fell on me, so lightly that I could hardly feel it.

The elderly security guards maintained a safe distance, ensuring Cheng Yi's safety at all times.

Chen Zhi seemed somewhat dazed. Cheng Yi spoke a few words to him, and he could only nod and say "uh-huh," seemingly having no intention of engaging in further conversation.

His shirt was already mostly soaked, but he didn't seem to notice.

Seeing that he was in a daze, Cheng Yi figured Chen Zhi probably wasn't in the mood to care about his manners, so he opened the umbrella again.

Although the drizzle was very light, it truly nourished things silently.

After walking for only a few minutes, he could feel the rain on his shoulders.

Cheng Yi took Chen Zhi to a hot pot restaurant called Lao Jin Hot Pot on the commercial street of the industrial park.

He often comes here to eat hot pot and is familiar with the owner.

"Mr. Cheng, you haven't had lunch yet?" The owner of Lao Jin Hot Pot greeted Cheng Yi with a smile.

"A brother has arrived, here for afternoon tea." Cheng Yi chuckled. "Let's have a hot pot with two broths, the usual set meal, 40 skewers of roasted lamb, and two more jugs of your homemade fruit wine."

"Alright!" the boss immediately said with a smile. "Come in and have a seat."

"Let's just sit outside," Cheng Yi said with a smile. "Sitting under your shed, feeling the light drizzle, would be quite enjoyable."

"Okay." The boss grinned and immediately began to prepare the hot pot ingredients. After finishing with the ingredients, he turned on the speaker at the entrance of the shop.

A soothing melody, "The Sound of Waves Remains the Same," echoed through the quiet commercial street.

It's 3 p.m. now, and most people are at work.

"Sit down." Cheng Yi took a small stool and sat down at the small square table under the awning.

Chen Zhi also took a stool and sat down. The rain outside the sunshade seemed to be getting heavier, and an occasional gust of wind blew by, bringing a slight chill.

Perhaps because the soaked shirt was uncomfortable against his body, Chen Zhi took it off and threw it on the stool next to him, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes while shirtless.

"What are your plans for the future?" Cheng Yi asked.

Chen Zhi laughed nonchalantly and said, "What other plans do I have? I'll just go back to Singapore and coast along. Actually, I knew when I came back that I would definitely be the one to take the blame in the end."

He lit a cigarette and tossed the cigarette case and lighter to Cheng Yi.

The cigarette is just an ordinary cloud cigarette.

The lighter is quite nice; it's a limited edition Cartier lighter.

Chen Zhi exhaled a puff of smoke, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his lips, and said, "I'm not afraid to admit it, but before I came back, I really was thinking of saving Lianjiang Group. I thought I could do it."

Cheng Yi also lit a cigarette, took out a lighter, lit it, and skillfully put the lighter into his pocket, saying, "One person cannot build a country, nor can one person save a company. Many things in this world are tied together by interests, and you alone cannot change them."

Cheng Yi knew Chen Zhi's sore spot.

Chen Zhi fought desperately against Zhao He, but the shareholders behind him were wavering. He was patching up the wall in front, while the shareholders were tearing it down behind.

Even a god couldn't save someone in this situation.

Before long, the hot pot and fruit wine were served.

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "The fruit wine in this shop is absolutely amazing. It's delicious and doesn't give you a headache. Come on, have a taste."

As Cheng Yi introduced the hot pot, he added slices of mutton. Before he could finish, Chen Zhi poured himself a glass and downed it in one gulp.

Chen Zhi picked up a skewer of mutton that wasn't fully cooked, put it in his mouth, and started chewing it with loud smacking noises, as if he were chewing Zhao He's meat.

Seeing Chen Zhi drinking alone, Cheng Yi felt somewhat superfluous.

Chen Zhi drank three cups in a row before realizing that there was still a living person sitting in front of him. He poured Cheng Yi a cup of wine, raised his glass and said, "Cheng Yi, I'd like to toast you. I'll remember this favor."

"No need to be polite." Cheng Yi chuckled. "You're a major patron of the Primordial Era now, shouldn't I try to curry favor with you?"

Chen Zhi chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for playing games anymore. Our family's businesses are all moving to Singapore. My dad and brother have already gone to apply for immigration."

He gazed in the direction of Lianjiang and sighed, "I'm afraid I really won't be able to go back to China in the future."

Chen Zhi's tone was full of bitterness, which Cheng Yi could understand. When Chen Zhi was alone in Singapore, he was very discreet when doing business, for fear of getting involved in some murder case and not being able to return to China.

But things are different now. Their entire family is moving there. With so many people going together, and all of them being ruthless figures in the entertainment industry, it's practically impossible for things not to go wrong.

Once you get involved in this kind of illegal business overseas, you'll never be able to return to your home country.

Cheng Yi finished his drink and said, "Actually, you've already done your best. This isn't something you can handle alone. If you look closely at the major domestic brands, almost all of them that have been targeted by foreign capital have suffered."

"It'll be your turn in a year. Have you thought about how to deal with it?" Chen Zhi glanced at Cheng Yi, then silently drank another glass of wine.

Cheng Yi smiled and said, "Let's deal with whatever comes our way, like soldiers coming and water coming out of the ground."

What Chen Zhi has done in the past few months is a microcosm of what he will do a year from now.

Chen Zhi single-handedly withstood months of attacks from a consortium backed by Microsoft using almost insane methods, which is quite an achievement.

Thinking about facing Microsoft alone a year from now, Cheng Yi couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

I'm afraid that when that day comes, these so-called Momo-affiliated companies in China will all choose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, just like the shareholders of Lianjiang Group.

If the Universal Vision project proceeds smoothly, he might still be able to negotiate with Microsoft for a while. However, if the Universal Vision project fails, he really needs to think about his backup plan.

In this PC era, Microsoft is an omnipotent god.

We need to expedite the mobile phone development progress of the semiconductor and technology companies under Enze Capital.

To compete with Microsoft, the only way is to overtake them in the field of smartphone operating systems.

"I thought Chen Zhi would have to give President Cheng a few big bets."

"If I were Chen Zhi, I would kick President Cheng first, and then give Kuku a good beating."

"Don't you understand? This is called mutual appreciation, a romance unique to men." Seeing two former enemies sitting outdoors chatting like old friends, the security guards across the street were amazed.

"Let's talk about your situation. You went back to Singapore. Are you still in the gambling business?" Cheng Yi asked.

While eating skewers, Chen Zhi replied, "My dad is probably in charge of the gambling business himself. I guess he'll be in charge of a few casinos."

Cheng Yi nodded and asked a very sensitive question: "How much money did you get this time?" Chen Zhi glanced at Cheng Yi and answered truthfully: "4.2 million."

"So little?" Cheng Yi said. "I thought you could get eight or nine hundred million."

Chen Zhi said, “The shareholding structure of our Lianjiang Group is very messy. Although my family originally held 53% of the shares, many of them were held on behalf of others. After the dispute, many shareholders transferred their shares to Zhao He. So, when it comes to my family, the shareholding is only 23%. I only got my brother’s 7% share because I was the one who took the blame.”

Cheng Yi was silent.

Cheng Yi remained silent, and so did Chen Zhi.

They didn't have much in common to begin with, and after toasting each other a few times, all that was left was the sound of them chewing meat.

In the light drizzle, Chen Zhi, shirtless, and Cheng Yi, dressed in a suit, formed a striking contrast.

After a few drinks, Cheng Yi was already tipsy.

"Boss, give me two more jugs of this fruit wine!" Chen Zhi, already tipsy, shouted.

"okay."

The boss immediately brought out the drinks. Chen Zhi poured Cheng Yi a glass first, then filled his own glass, and said with some pain, "Cheng Yi, I'm really not reconciled."

"What's there to be unwilling about?" Cheng Yi was now a little drunk, and his previous gentle and refined manner was gone. He smiled and said, "If I were you, I would win."

Chen Zhi's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "You mean you're stronger than me?"

"No." Cheng Yi shook his head and chuckled, "I'm more ruthless than you."

"You lost because your methods were too gentle." Cheng Yi picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Cheng Yi looked up at Chen Zhi and said, "The reason you failed is because of your sense of morality. What's the point of you trying so hard to protect those shareholders? Do they understand you? In all things, it all comes down to self-interest. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. You're too morally upright internally, and too rigid externally."

Chen Zhi frowned slightly and said, "What do you mean?"

Cheng Yi said, "To the outside world, Zhao He must mysteriously disappear. Although a second Zhao He will appear immediately after he disappears, he must disappear. His disappearance will give you at least a month of buffer time. His disappearance will be very valuable, and the second 'Zhao He' will be hesitant to act because of Zhao He's disappearance, thus extending the survival period of your Lianjiang Group."

Chen Zhi's eyes narrowed suddenly.

Cheng Yi added, "Internally, you must also take drastic measures. If I were you, those nominee shareholders would never dare to secretly sell their shares to Zhao He. If Zhao He wants to take me down, he can only set up a company and use price wars to completely crush me in multiple industries."

Chen Zhi stared intently at Cheng Yi and asked, "Like Cao Qiwei?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't slander me!" Cheng Yi said, greatly displeased.

Chen Zhi asked instinctively, "Back when I was fighting you in Jingzhou, did you also consider making me disappear?"

“That’s impossible.” Cheng Yi shook his head and said, “I didn’t have that kind of confidence and strength back then.”

Oh……

Chen Zhi understood. It wasn't that this guy hadn't thought about it, but rather that he lacked the ability at the time.

He finished his drink, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Indeed, he was too lenient in handling this matter.

Seeing Chen Zhi's low spirits, Cheng Yi downed his fourth glass of wine and got into a drunken stupor. He picked up his chopsticks and said in a drunken slur, "Chen Zhi, let me sing you one of my favorite songs. I rarely sing for people, so you're in for a treat today."

"You can sing?" Chen Zhi scoffed.

"What you're saying is ridiculous. I'm not bragging, but even if I didn't go into business, I could rival Jay Chou in the music industry. Jay Chou idolizes me a lot," Cheng Yi said shamelessly.

"Alcohol really is a catalyst for men to brag," Chen Zhi, who was clearly drunk, mocked.

"Hey, sometimes the truth is really hard to accept." Cheng Yi tapped the table with his chopsticks and sang in a drunken voice:
We are all ordinary people, born into this world.

I am busy all day and have no time to rest.

Since I am not an immortal, I am bound to have distracting thoughts.

Morality is set aside, while profit is placed in the center.

……

Cheng Yi's singing isn't particularly good, but the profound sense of vicissitude he's accumulated over the decades adds a unique flavor to his voice.

As he listened, Chen Zhi could no longer hold back his suppressed emotions. The first time he resisted Momo Group, he was exiled to Southeast Asia; the second time he resisted Microsoft, his home was taken over.

This long-standing repression and grievance caused him to raise his head and burst into tears.

"Tch! You made me cry, didn't you? And you said I was bragging? Under my singing, you're nothing but a little brother." Cheng Yi stood up unsteadily, his temper flaring up, and he picked up his fifth glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Several security personnel saw Cheng Yi finish his drink and stagger a few steps away. They thought he had finished singing and wanted to do an impromptu dance. But they saw him first draw a circle under the sun and then lie down in the rain.

"Oh no, Mr. Cheng has collapsed."

"Holy crap, that was a hard fall!"

"Quick, quick, quick, the credit is here."

When Cheng Yi opened his eyes, it was already late at night. He sat up and found himself in a ward at the Momo Technology Industrial Park Staff Hospital.

Inside the ward, Lin Qingyin and Li Weiwei stood guard on either side of him. At the ward door, Chen Zhi, who had changed into a new set of clothes, leaned against the door frame and waited.

"President Cheng is awake."

"Cheng Yi, are you alright?" Lin Qingyin and Li Weiwei were both overjoyed to see Cheng Yi wake up.

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "I just blacked out, you don't need to be so nervous."

Chen Zhi turned around, glanced at Cheng Yi, and said, "If I had known you could drink like this, I wouldn't have bothered drinking with you."

"You've got a problem with this, haven't you?" Cheng Yi said irritably. "I was originally going to give you a tremendous stroke of luck, but judging from your attitude, I can't give you any of that luck."

Chen Zhi was taken aback.

He came here to express his gratitude and also to look for business opportunities.

He still doesn't really want to get involved in the gambling and betting industry.

Cheng Yi looked at Lin Qingyin and Li Weiwei and smiled, "Alright, I'm fine now. You two should go back and rest. I'll talk to President Chen again."

"I'll wait for you outside," Lin Qingyin replied, and she and Li Weiwei quickly left the ward.

Cheng Yi got off the hospital bed, shook his aching head, and said, "Chen Zhi, we are developing an overseas version of Primordial War Chronicles. Are you interested in becoming the overseas general agent?"

Cheng Yi really thought highly of Chen Zhi's abilities. If this guy could overcome his soft-heartedness, he would definitely be a great general.

Moreover, Chen Zhi is both wealthy and well-connected overseas, making him almost the perfect partner.

(End of this chapter)