HTI: Chapter 151

In terms of alcohol consumption, Xie Yang could drink one thousand cups without getting drunk. It was because his ability could purify the alcohol in his body. Therefore, Xie Yang’s answer to He Jun’s inquiry was, “Wine is equivalent to boiled water for me.”

On Saturday, Xie Yang accompanied Qiu Xing for lunch at the hospital before preparing to go out. He was afraid Qiu Xing would worry so he lied and told Qiu Xing he had some work to do at Yang Xing today. He might come back very late.

Qiu Xing was obviously very dissatisfied with Xie Yang being arranged to work on the weekend but he didn’t say much. He just requested for Xie Yang to eat dinner on time.

“You as well.” Xie Yang kissed Qiu Xing.

Xie Yang left the ward and brought the door toward him to close it. Just as the door was about to close, Xie Yang noticed through the crack in the door that the calm and mature Qiu Xing was glancing in the direction of the door. He was frowning, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes… a bit pitiful.

The door was completely closed by inertia, hiding Qiu Xing’s expression. Xie Yang paused before opening the door again.

Qiu Xing was taken aback as he was watching the door. Then he controlled his expression and eagerly picked up the tablet, pretending to be playing with it just now. “Why are you back again? Did you forget to bring something?”

“No, I forgot to do something.”

“What?”

Xie Yang walked over to Qiu Xing, reached out to pull Qiu Xing’s arms and hugged him. He leaned his chin on Qiu Xing’s shoulder and replied, “I forgot to hug you.”

Xie Yang clearly noticed that Qiu Xing’s body was stiff for a moment. Then this person relaxed and he was hugged tightly. The back of his head was touched and Qiu Xing’s fake voice of disgust rang in his ears. “How old are you? Still acting like a baby.”

“However, I have to work on weekends and can’t take a good rest with you. I’m very unhappy.” Xie Yang deliberately complained. “I will have to tell Liu Sha that she isn’t allowed to arrange work for me on weekends. After you were hospitalized, I have to go to work on weekdays. I was originally supposed to spend time with you on weekends but now I lost one day.”

“You can’t be willful as the boss.” Qiu Xing first said before adding, “However, working on weekends isn’t reasonable. I will help you talk to Liu Sha.”

Xie Yang released Qiu Xing and kissed him with a smile. “Thank you, fiance.”

Qiu Xing finally had a smile on his face as he rubbed Xie Yang’s hair. “Tomorrow… I will have Master Liao cook your favorite snack.”

***

The meeting of the North Business Association was held in the conference hall of a starred hotel. Since it was a social meeting, the process was relatively relaxed and simple. In the afternoon, there was a meeting. Once the meeting ended, there was a communication meeting. Due to the timing, this communication meeting was usually held while drinking.

Xie Yang arrived at the conference hall and found some media standing in the back row with equipment. He glanced at He Jun next to him. “This type of meeting will have media coverage?”

“Yes but generally not many people will pay attention.”

Xie Yang nodded to show his understanding and followed the guidance of the staff to be seated in the front row of the conference hall. He Jun took the secretary’s seat at the back.

After sitting down, Xie Yang observed and found that several other relatively large business families in B City were invited. For example, there was the Fang family, the Feng family and the Tao family.

However, none of the chairmen came for the other families. They were all deputies acting on the chairman’s behalf. Apart from the Feng family representative who hadn’t come, only Rongding personally had the chairman attending. No, maybe in the eyes of other people, he was the same as the deputies.

Within a few minutes, Feng Dian entered the conference hall following the guidance of the staff.

Xie Yang gently tapped on the table. Very good. The Feng family didn’t send their leader to attend the meeting. He became the only chairman of the big families at this meeting. Was Qiu Jingwei’s faction using this method to tell him that his status was nothing more than this?

Perhaps he was aware of Xie Yang’s gaze. Feng Dian suddenly turned his head and looked over. Xie Yang examined Feng Dian. Compared to the last time they met, Feng Dian was gloomier and thinner. It seemed that life wasn’t going well for him. Feng Dian frowned and glared coldly at Xie Yang. He passed by Xie Yang’s position to sit in Fenghua’s spot.

The meeting soon began. It was as He Jun said. The leaders of the North Business Association announced some new policy trends and revealed a number of government projects were about to start.

It was a good thing to divide the meat. The drowsy bosses at the meeting were immediately full of energy.

He Jun suddenly approached Xie Yang and spoke in a low voice, “The boss has been paying attention to the number two energy project which is finally about to open. The boss once said that if this project is obtained, Rongding’s entire northwest region’s resources operation will be smoother and require less effort.”

In other words, it was best to win the project. Xie Yang understood and nodded.

It was already dinner time when the meeting ended. The person in charge of the North Business Association told everyone to go to the third floor restaurant to eat. The bosses responded one after another. Some of the more savvy ones had already gone to the people in charge to inquire about certain projects.

Xie Yang didn’t move forward. Rongding’s status and resources meant he would inevitably be seated next to the people responsible for the projects during the dinner. He didn’t need to take the initiative now.

The people from other families and Feng Dian also didn’t go over. They instead walked toward the restaurant while chatting with each other. Among them, the Tao family’s deputy took the initiative to walk to Xie Yang’s side to avoid the misunderstanding of Xie Yang being alone.

As they waited for the elevator, the deputy of the Tao family lowered his voice and warned, “Remember not to get drunk in a while.”

Xie Yang’s mind moved and he asked, “Why?”

“I’m afraid some people will play dirty. If you are drunk then you will fall into traps easily.” The deputy stopped there.

Xie Yang glanced at Feng Dian standing in front of the elevator and nodded at the deputy.

It didn’t take long for the elevator to arrive and Xie Yang followed the group inside. Just as the elevator door was about to close, Feng Dian suddenly appeared at the entrance of this elevator and walked in before it closed.

Xie Yang raised his eyebrow.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Feng Dian opened his mouth. “I heard that Chairman Qiu has invited over a dozen brain experts to China. It is such a big movement. Is his health bad?”

The other bosses in the elevator pricked up their ears while the deputy of the Tao family frowned.

Xie Yang had expected this a long time ago and replied, “It isn’t bad. He is almost healed. You don’t have to miss Ah Xing too much. Ah Xing will appear at the start of next year again at the latest.”

The bosses all showed surprised expressions. Start of next year? The tone was so certain. Was Qiu Xing really better? The deputy of the Tao family was also surprised and couldn’t help asking, “Does this mean Chairman Qiu will be recovered after the new year?”

“Yes, this is just a conservative estimate of the time. If it goes well then it could be earlier.”

Feng Dian sneered. “So optimistic?”

“It is actually a pessimistic estimate of the situation.”

Feng Dian laughed mockingly with an expression of ‘I think you are making this up’. Then the elevator arrived and he was the first to get out of it.

After arriving at the restaurant, Xie Yang was indeed escorted to the table where the leaders of the business association were sitting. All the deputies sent by the other families also took their seats. Since Xie Yang was a new face, the people of the business association took the initiative to speak to Xie Yang out of politeness. Xie Yang took advantage of this and started discussing with them.

This discussion startled the leaders of the business association and the family representatives at the same table.

Xie Yang was very sophisticated in social interactions in a manner that was inconsistent with his age. He was also well informed about Rongding’s business and market trends. Everything he said was on point. He was like an orthodox heir specifically trained by a family. He had a calm attitude, unique and precise vision and a sharp spirit that was unique to young people. He was very dazzling.

The Fang family’s deputy couldn’t help joining the topic to test Xie Yang’s depths.

Xie Yang never rejected such challengers. He talked deeply if he understood and asked for advice if he didn’t understand. He didn’t express his views and listened attentively when he didn’t understand. He was so thorough and deep that not the slightest mistake could be found. He felt like a spring breeze.

The people from other families couldn’t help taking the initiative to talk to him.

The atmosphere became warmer. The food hadn’t come out yet Xie Yang was already familiar with most of the people at the table. People who were prejudiced against Xie Yang secretly changed their opinions. For a time, Xie Yang became the center of conversation at the table. Meanwhile, Feng Dian was left out and didn’t have many opportunities to speak.

Feng Dian frowned and stared at Xie Yang with dark eyes.

Soon, the wine arrived at the table. Someone from the business association took the initiative to pour wine for Xie Yang. Xie Yang humbly accepted the cup and drank it. “I pay my respects to everyone. I would like to thank you for your care before Qiu Xing recovers.”

The wine was drunk beautifully and the words were well spoken. The atmosphere at the table immediately rose. Several people in the business association who liked to persuade with wine were full of praise for Xie Yang. They took the initiative to grab the bottle and pour more wine for Xie Yang, clinking glasses with him.

Xie Yang didn’t refuse. Half a cup entered his stomach but his expression didn’t change.

He Jun was sitting at the secretary’s table in the corner. He saw Xie Yang drinking from a distance and his eyes widened with surprise. The other bosses following the situation at this table were also shocked. This was white wine! It wasn’t beer. How could he drink a cup and a half like that?

Of course, Xie Yang could do this because the ability in his body was activated since he started drinking. After drinking another glass, he noticed that Feng Dian was looking over. He turned his head to meet Feng Dian’s gaze and smiled. Then he raised his glass to Feng Dian.

The communication ‘meeting’ lasted for more than two hours. At the end, all the people who persuaded him to drink had collapsed while Xie Yang, the person who was persuaded, was still sober. He also ‘drank’ with the person in charge of the energy project and got it with a few words. From start to finish, he didn’t give anyone a chance to dig a trap.

Xie Yang was leaving the dining room when he noticed the already drunk Feng Dian staring at him persistently. His mouth curved up and he strode away.

On the way back to the hospital, Xie Yang thought of Qiu Xing and asked Wu Shui to stop when passing by a flower store to buy a bunch of roses.

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Proofreader: Paranoid Kitten