Road to Revival

Lü Qi received a phone call on her way to the East Lake staff restaurant.

The call was from Han Ruilin's wife, Shui Jiao. As soon as the call connected, Shui Jiao burst into tears. Lü Qi asked, "What's wrong? I'm in a meeting outside."

"Sister-in-law, I can't stay with him... He's a scoundrel! I need to find Boss Tao... I know you went out with Boss Tao..."

"What on earth happened?" This is unbelievable, how did she know I was with Tao Tang?

"He's lost all the money in the house... Waaah... He must have given it to that slut."

Damn it! I thought that incident from the day before yesterday was over.

Shui Jiao was related to Fan Yongcheng by marriage; she was his distant cousin. Because of this, Lü Qi had always maintained a close relationship with the Han family. She thought Han Ruilin had truly resolved Sunday's matter, but it seemed the trouble wasn't over. "Jiao Jiao, I'm in a meeting outside. Don't cause trouble, don't let people laugh at us. We'll talk when I get back." Seeing Zhang Xingwu come out, Lü Qi hung up the phone. After thinking for a moment, she sent Lao Fan a text message, asking him to persuade Shui Jiao.

On Sunday evening, Lü Qi and Fan Yongcheng stayed at Han Ruilin's house until late, trying to persuade Shui Jiao. In Lü Qi's opinion, Shui Jiao was far superior to the infamous Mu Guihua, both in character and appearance. However, Lü Qi was deeply puzzled as to why Han Ruilin was involved with Mu Guihua. Han Ruilin insisted that it was a misunderstanding; he went to Mu Guihua's house to help her fix a short-circuited wire, nothing more, because Cao Wendong was a classmate. But Shui Jiao didn't believe him, nor did Fan Yongcheng and Lü Qi. Han Ruilin was clumsy and needed help from friends for many things at home; why would he go to Mu Guihua's house to act like a Good Samaritan? It was ridiculous. But Lü Qi also had doubts. It was afternoon, and people were coming and going in the courtyard; they wouldn't do such a thing, would they? The one who caught them in the act was Mu Guihua's younger brother, Han Ruilin said, his face flushed, "You can ask Mu Jianhua."

That's feasible. If Mu Jianhua gives testimony favorable to Han Ruilin, that would be more powerful than anything else. Shui Jiao indeed said, "Of course I'll ask. If you lie to me, we're not done."

As Lü Qi was trying to persuade Shui Jiao, her cheeks burned. She remembered the text message she had sent to Tao Tang and realized that she was no good either.

Monday is usually the busiest day of the week, and Lü Qi didn't have time to inquire about Han Ruilin's family affairs, but she hadn't heard any new news. Last night, Fan Yongcheng still brought up the matter. Old Fan said that it was probably a misunderstanding. Han Ruilin must be blind to have gone after Mu Guihua. He would believe that Han Ruilin would go after you, but he didn't believe that Han Ruilin would go after that woman.

"Me, fall for him?" Lü Qi said angrily.

"I was just giving an example," Fan Yongcheng said with a grin. "My wife is the best, of course. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also absolutely loyal to me."

Am I loyal? Lü Qi questioned herself as she followed Zhang Xingwu into the restaurant on the first floor of the east annex.

Lü Qi hadn't expected this to be a buffet restaurant. The restaurant was huge, easily a thousand square meters, with soft music playing. In the center was a massive dining table, surrounded by a seating area with colorful plastic tables and chairs fixed to the floor, a dazzling sight.

Donghu cleared out an area to accommodate Hongxing's guests. Zuo Yun had already collected the food trays for Lü Qi and was waiting for the latecomer.

"There's quite a variety of dishes. The quality of the food looks pretty good..." Zuo Yun handed the plate to Lü Qi.

Lu Qi took the tray and subconsciously looked for the person, only to find him talking to Zhang Xingwu.

"I'm definitely going to have to put up with this now..." Zuo Yun muttered.

"Look at your pathetic self." Lü Qi picked up a piece of fried ribbonfish from her plate. There were at least twenty dishes, quite high-class, with three kinds of fish alone. "Actually, buffets are pretty good, I like them."

"I can't compare to you. Everyone knows that President Tao is your classmate, who would dare to make things difficult for you?" Zuo Yun said, preoccupied.

Lü Qi had originally intended to tell Zuo Yun what she had said in Tao Tang's office yesterday morning, but she held back. "Let's eat, don't think about those pointless things." She couldn't help but pick up another chicken leg, deciding not to choose meat again, and turned towards the vegetable section. After getting her food, she looked around for a seat and saw Tao Tang occupying a four-seater table all by himself, looking rather lonely. She couldn't immediately find her only female companion, Zuo Yun, but then saw Tao Tang wave at her, so she went over.

"Oh, you only eat this little bit? Are you used to banquets and can't eat ordinary food anymore?" Lu Qi noticed that Tao Tang's plate was almost entirely vegetarian, with only a steamed bun as the main dish.

"If this is food for ordinary people, the central leaders will be much more at ease. I can even eat the food in the Red Star Canteen, so how could I not be used to this? But you, aren't you afraid of gaining weight?" Tao Tang glanced at Lü Qi's plate full of food.

"Anyway, one more meal won't make a difference." Lü Qi smiled, sat down opposite Tao Tang, and whispered, "President Li doesn't seem too happy." In this situation, Li Luo should probably be sitting with Tao Tang. Strangely, not only was the host absent, but Zhang Xingwu was also not with Tao Tang.

"Actually, weight mainly depends on genetics. Your blood lipids aren't high, are they?" Tao Tang didn't answer the question but asked about Lü Qi's health.

"I'm in good health. All my indicators are normal—that's the conclusion of my medical checkup report last year."

"That's good. What are your hobbies?"

"housework."

"Haha. Yes, housework. Housework is the best way to train a person." Tao Tang laughed. "Whether you come over or not, you're still my classmate. So come sit down. If you don't come over, I'm all alone."

"They might be a little afraid of you..."

Tao Tang still didn't pick up on Lü Qi's topic. "I just asked, and this level of buffet only costs 20 yuan. Donghu must be subsidizing it. They're still laughing at private companies."

"I'm afraid I can't afford 20 yuan. If a single worker eats two meals like that every day, it would cost 1200 yuan a month, which is half of his salary. But at Hongxing's canteen, 800 yuan is about enough."

This is a criticism of Hongxing's low salary. Tao Tang asked, "How much is your monthly salary?"

"3500, under normal circumstances."

"But did you count the number of people dining at Donghu? I just asked, and employees from Donghu Industry, including Donghu Real Estate and Donghu Mining, are all dining here. They only have this one restaurant. No need to count, it's less than 300 people. How many people are in our organization?"

Lü Qi, however, could not answer.

"They only see others' strengths but not their own weaknesses. Their bodies are in the market, but their minds are still in the planning. This is the problem with state-owned enterprises, especially large ones..." Tao Tang stood up when he saw Wei Shegang and Tang Yiwei coming over.

"I'm sorry, something happened earlier... I neglected Chairman Tao." Wei Shegang apologized, his eyes glancing around the restaurant before finding the young man—Dai Xuedong—eating in a corner. He knew Tang Yikun's purpose in keeping Dai Xuedong there, but he wouldn't tell anyone.

"Haha, the point of a buffet is to have some peace and quiet," Tao Tang laughed. "It's quite nice, really good."

"Ha, Brother Tao, I can't go a day without a drink. I'll have a drink with you." Tang Yiwei raised the oil paper package in his hand. "Li Family Roast Chicken, one of the few old brands in Pingquan. The taste is really good." He put the oil paper package on the table, took out a pair of thin plastic gloves that were obviously given by the restaurant, and tore the roast chicken apart.

Two waiters came over and placed two plates on the table. Wei Shegang had a bowl of rice, and Tang Yiwei had a bowl of noodles with braised sauce.

"Don't go," Tao Tang called out to Lü Qi. "Yiwei, my little brother, is also from Hongxing. She's my classmate and your brother's classmate. She was there when your brother hosted a dinner at the Donghu Club a few days ago." Tao Tang stopped Lü Qi from leaving. "Lü Qi is the deputy director of the Development and Planning Department of Hongxing."

"Hello, Sister Lü, now we're practically family. Let's have a drink. This wine is rare; it's a privately collected vintage of Fenjiu, aged thirty years."

"Don't move," Tao Tang stopped Tang Yiwei. "Listen to me, don't drink. We'll have plenty of opportunities. Company rules state that drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited at lunchtime."

"Rules are set for those below, and Donghu also has regulations. But I don't care about those. Liquor is the essence of grain, and the more you drink, the younger you get."

"Listen to me. Don't open it. I want to check out your territory this afternoon." Tao Tang grabbed the glass bottle.

"What? Afraid that the people below will say you're leading the way in breaking the rules? Nonsense! Are you the boss or are they the boss? Are they all going to rebel if they compare themselves to you? Don't worry, Brother Tao. Some things weren't handled well in the past, but things will be different from now on. We've talked it over, and we'll definitely support you. Don't worry." Tang Yiwei reached out and snatched the wine bottle back.

"Alright, third brother, let's just listen to Chairman Tao." Wei Shegang smiled. "Third brother can't live without drinking, and my brother-in-law often criticizes him. Since Director Lü isn't an outsider, I'll say this: we've discussed it, and we'll definitely support you in the mining and machinery sectors. As for the price, we can negotiate. The only issue is quality. We hope Chairman Tao will personally oversee it, especially for some safety components. Under these circumstances, we can't afford to be too strict."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Wei, I will take care of it. There will be a significant improvement." Tao Tang raised a glass filled with plain water. "Let's use water instead of wine to mark the beginning of a new phase in our cooperation."

"Wishing Chairman Tao all the best," Wei Shegang immediately raised his glass in response.

"Oh, you two have a rather simple diet," Tao Tang said, pointing to Wei Tang's food.

"Haha, the third brother rarely eats here. He usually has roast chicken noodles for lunch, it's his usual routine. Of course, he also has half a jin of liquor. As for me, to be honest, I don't eat here very often either, I always have business engagements. I also had something to do today, but I had to turn it down because you came... It's not that I can't afford it, it's just that I don't have an appetite. Haha."

"Aren't you curious about the billionaire's recipes?" Tao Tang glanced at the somewhat flustered Lü Qi. "My old classmate just said I was being too simplistic, but it turns out you two are even simpler. The greatest truths are the simplest, an irrefutable principle."

"Chairman Tao, I won't be able to keep you company this afternoon, please forgive me..." Wei Shegang said apologetically.

"Go about your business. The principles have already been set."

"This is my phone number," Wei Shegang said, pulling out a business card. "Chairman Tao can give me instructions at any time."

"You're too kind, Director Zhang?"

Zhang Xingwu, who had been observing, hurried over and presented Tao Tang's two business cards with both hands. He was glad that the business cards had been printed, because the format and style were all the same and did not need to be reviewed by Tao Tang.

"Brother Yiwei, I heard that your machinery company was recently established through integration. Could you tell me about it? I have a feeling that there's a lot I can do with Donghu Machinery, which you're leading."

"Yes, yes, about two years ago, my brother decided to consolidate everything under Donghu except for mining and real estate, so he established Donghu Machinery. There are dozens of factories, mostly located in other places, spanning several industries from textiles, machinery, and pharmaceuticals to logistics and hotels. It's not easy to manage. I think this won't work. No one has ever succeeded in diversified operations. Who can grow several industries at the same time? I've heard people tell me about Welch's story. I'm sure I can't compare to him. There's only one GE in the world. But we're still unsure about the direction of the restructuring and are still exploring. As for the profits, we're barely breaking even. It's solved the employment problem for the government, but it hasn't benefited Donghu much. Brother Tao, my brother admires you the most. You can give me some advice. I know you must have a good solution."

These words drastically changed Lü Qi's impression of Tang Yiwei. She didn't know Tang Yiwei personally, but she had heard of him. Before Tang Yikun became successful, Tang Yiwei was a well-known figure among the children of Red Star, and had been criminally detained for intentional assault. Just now, Lü Qi's impression of Tang Yiwei was that of a scoundrel, but now it was different. He was actually studying Welch's case study on running GE. No wonder Tang Yikun would entrust such a large task to him.

"I can't compare to you guys, much less your brother. You're heroes who fought your way up in the market, I'm not. But what you said makes sense, we need a focus. Actually, Hongxing is facing the same problem, and the adjustment is probably even more difficult... I think the cooperation between Hongxing and Donghu Machinery can be carried out at a deeper level, but I really don't have any specific ideas. By the way, what about your second son? I remember what he looks like, he's different from you in personality."

"My second brother is dead... bone cancer. He's been gone for five years." Tang Yiwei said sadly.

"What a pity... I'm sorry."

"It's all fate. He had surgery in Switzerland, but it still couldn't save him. Anyway, come to my place this afternoon and give me some advice. Give me a brilliant idea, and I'll thank Brother Tao with a big red envelope." Tang Yiwei resumed his playful grin.