Chapter 44: First Meeting with Li Zhengyi
One day, Murong Feng was in the conference room arranged by Huaxia Group for the research team, reviewing documents, when he received a call from Tang Qing. Seeing her number on his phone, his heart skipped a beat; it was their first contact since returning from Hong Kong. He glanced at Li Suyan, who was writing her thesis on a laptop at the other end of the conference table, then stood up and walked to the hallway to answer the call.
"Hello, Janney!" Murong Feng greeted warmly.
"Murong, I heard from Ruo Ruo that you're in Nanjing now? I happen to be on a business trip here. Do you have time to meet for tea?" Tang Qing's soft and elegant voice, with a hint of charm, was as calm as ever.
Faced with Tang Qing's invitation, Murong Feng felt an irresistible urge: "Of course, I have time. Where are you now? I'll come to you."
"I just checked into the Zijin Villa. I heard you like playing golf? There's a nice golf course nearby. How about we play a round?" Tang Qing seemed delighted by Murong Feng's response, her tone carrying a note of cheerfulness.
Murong Feng agreed to meet Tang Qing for golf in the afternoon. Returning to the conference room, he informed Li Suyan, "Li Suyan, I have a friend to meet this afternoon. Do you mind if I step out for a bit?"
Li Suyan frowned slightly, thinking it over, then said, "I had planned to finish reviewing these documents today and discuss their implementation with the President's Office. If you have plans, we can reschedule for tomorrow. However... Murong Feng, this research project is very important. I hope you can take it more seriously!"
Feeling a rare sense of chagrin, Murong Feng respected his always stern group leader and nodded, "Alright, thank you."
After completing the morning's routine document review and discussion, Murong Feng drove out of the park, heading to Zijin Villa located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area.
Li Suyan went to the cafeteria for lunch alone. Just as she was sitting down with her tray, Li Zhenjun sauntered over and sat down with a curious expression, "Hey sis, why are you eating alone? Where's that interesting colleague of yours, Murong Feng?"
Li Suyan gave him a cold glance, her voice as icy as ever, "He went out to meet a friend. By the way, brother, I saw him driving your car the other day. What's the story there?" Li Zhenjun laughed heartily, taking out a one-million-yuan check from his pocket and waving it, "Sis, your colleague is something else. I was going to mess with him, but he left me a million and took my Passat without a word. You have to admit, he's got style!"
Li Suyan frowned, "What do you mean you messed with him? Did you just extort a million from him?" Li Zhenjun waved his hand, feeling dejected, "Sis, what extortion? Let me tell you, that car of mine is worth way over 1,000,000 yuan! I was going to talk to him when I found you, but he's gone. By the way, Dad wants you to attend a banquet tonight."
Li Suyan's face turned frosty, "What banquet? I'm not interested in socializing. Besides, nobody knows I'm back. If I attend, everyone will find out." Li Zhenjun shook his head and smiled wryly, "The banquet tonight is hosted by Uncle Song for A-Pei's return. Are you going or not?" Li Suyan's usually icy face showed a hint of joy, "A-Pei? She's back? Didn't she go to France to study music? Why is she back so soon, after only three years?"
Li Zhenjun continued to smile wryly, "She's back to prepare for her wedding. Guess who the groom is?" Li Suyan was shocked, "Wedding?! To whom?" "Big brother." Li Suyan immediately understood. "Why is A-Pei marrying big brother? Doesn't she have a French boyfriend?"
Li Zhenjun shrugged, "Not sure of the details. Anyway, big brother likes her, and... Uncle Song and Dad are discussing a cooperation project. I guess that might be one reason why they're getting married so quickly." Li Suyan's face turned even paler. She suddenly stood up, "No, I have to talk to A-Pei. Marriage isn't a trivial matter, especially not for such reasons!" Li Zhenjun smiled, "You can talk to her at the banquet tonight. Now, I've done my part by informing you, so I can report back to Dad. Oh, the location is Villa No. 6 at Zijin Villa. If possible, bring Murong Feng. I still want to have a good chat with him."
Ignoring him, Li Suyan picked up her phone and dialed, but after a while, she frustratedly put it down, "Why is she unreachable? Did she change her number?" She called the Song residence, but no one answered. After some hesitation, Li Suyan decided to attend the banquet tonight to talk to her friend A-Pei.
Murong Feng arrived at Zijin Villa and called Tang Qing from the lobby. He then sat on a sofa near the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the beautiful lake view outside. The villa complex, built by the lake and surrounded by mountains, offered a serene and picturesque scenery of the majestic Zhongshan and the sparkling artificial lake. Reflecting on the ancient capital's historical significance, he appreciated the peaceful beauty of the present.
"Murong!" Tang Qing's familiar voice called out, and Murong Feng turned around.
Dressed in a standard white golf outfit, Tang Qing had her long hair tied up in a high ponytail, giving off a lively and youthful vibe. Her fair skin, straight and elegant nose, and red lips added to her striking appearance, exuding a unique blend of sophistication and vitality.
Murong Feng, accustomed to her extraordinary beauty, still felt a slight flutter in his heart. He marveled at Tang Qing's stunning looks, acknowledging that it was normal for him to react this way since he was just a regular man. Both dressed for golf, they drove directly to the Zhongshan International Golf Club.
As she got into the car, Tang Qing noticed the engine's sound and asked curiously, "Murong, where did you get this car? It's modified." Close to her, Murong Feng laughed and explained the situation. Tang Qing smiled helplessly, "I didn't expect you to act like this. In the future, don't act on impulse. The money is a small matter; the key is not to make unnecessary enemies." Murong Feng nodded, accepting her advice.
Tang Qing thought for a moment and said, "Based on what you've described about his appearance and status, it should be Li Zhenjun, the second son of Li Zhengyi from Huaxia Group. You'll likely meet him again in the future, so it's best to find an opportunity to resolve this misunderstanding." Murong Feng smiled and nodded in agreement.
Although Murong Feng and Tang Qing hadn't seen each other for nearly two months, they felt no awkwardness, their conversation flowing naturally and comfortably, highlighting their mutual understanding and familiarity.
When Tang Qing brought up Murong Feng's research trip to Nanjing, she suddenly laughed, "Ruo Ruo was frowning when she heard you were coming to Nanjing. She was worried that you'd be too busy here to manage TOM Company's affairs and even asked if there was a problem between us. I had to spend half a day reassuring her."
Murong Feng, surprised by this revelation, didn't know how to respond. He merely smiled without saying anything. Tang Qing looked at him and, in a calm voice, said, "Murong, our interactions have always been pleasant. I consider you a very good friend, almost like a younger brother, and I don't want our relationship to be affected by a small misunderstanding. Let's continue as we were before. What do you think?"
Murong Feng, hearing her words, smiled and nodded, "Of course, Janney. I've always considered you one of my best friends and don't want anything to change that." Tang Qing's smile blossomed, radiant and stunning like spring flowers.
With their misunderstandings cleared, they played a relaxed and enjoyable round of golf. When talking about Ye Zi, Murong Feng mentioned visiting her in Wuxi a few days ago. Tang Qing playfully said, "Ye Zi is so lucky to have a boyfriend who loves her so much!" Murong Feng could only smile silently.
Li Zhenjun, driving around Xuanwu Lake with a woman he met at a bar the previous night, received a call from a friend, "Zhenjun, are you at Zhongshan playing golf? Which hole are you on? Let's play together!" Li Zhenjun cursed, "Are you blind? I'm driving around Xuanwu Lake!" "Hey, isn't the Passat with license plate SU A01789 your car? What are you up to, avoiding your friends!" Li Zhenjun suddenly understood, "Oh, I gave that car to a buddy. You must have seen him. Alright, who's there? I'll come over to play." "Alright, everyone is here. Come quickly."
After getting rid of the woman, Li Zhenjun drove his new Audi towards Zhongshan, thinking that Murong Feng knew how to enjoy life. Instead of staying in the company to review documents, he was out playing golf.
Arriving at the Zhongshan Golf Club, Li Zhenjun was about to enter with his golf bag when he froze, seeing two elderly men walking and chatting ahead. He muttered to himself, "Could it be that the old man came here to play golf with Song Kangnian?" Instinctively, he hunched down and tried to sneak away.
"Zhenjun!" One of the elderly men called out loudly, then turned to the other dignified elder and laughed, "What a coincidence, here's your second son." Li Zhenjun, now grimacing, walked up respectfully to the man who called him, "Hello, Uncle Song!" Then, turning to the stern elder, he said respectfully, "Dad, you came to play golf too?"
The stern elder was Li Zhengyi. He snorted angrily, "Zhenjun, why aren't you at work? What are you doing here playing golf?" Usually afraid of his father, Li Zhenjun quickly tried to think of an excuse but ended up saying, "Well, my sister is doing research at the company, and her partner, Murong Feng, likes playing golf. So I invited him to play today."
Li Zhengyi paused, recognizing the name Murong Feng, as he had asked a friend in Beijing to investigate him, because he and his daughter were doing the research together. He knew Murong Feng's background well—a top student from Northern University's Chinese department, a favored disciple of Professor Chen, a member of many high-end clubs, and connected with many elites in Beijing and Hong Kong. Li Zhengyi was curious about him. He nodded slightly, "Then go ahead."
Relieved, Li Zhenjun quickly tried to leave but was stopped by Li Zhengyi, "Invite Murong Feng to tonight's banquet." Li Zhenjun, puzzled about his father's interest in Murong Feng, agreed and left, muttering, "How am I supposed to find him now!" He called over a caddie and drove a golf cart, searching hole by hole.
Unbeknownst to him, Tang Qing and Murong Feng had already finished playing nine holes and were walking back to the clubhouse, missing him entirely.
As they walked through the clubhouse corridor, they encountered Li Zhengyi and Song Kangnian. Tang Qing's eyes lit up, "The man on the left is Li Zhengyi from Huaxia Group. What a coincidence." She smiled radiantly and greeted them, "Hello, Mr. Li, Mr. Song. What a coincidence!"
Tang Qing's wide network was evident; even a top business figure like Li Zhengyi recognized her. Li Zhengyi smiled kindly, "Isn't this Miss Tang? When did you come to Nanjing? The local youngsters are getting lazy, not even showing you around."
Tang Qing smiled, "You're too kind, Mr. Li." She then introduced Murong Feng, "This is my friend, Murong Feng. Coincidentally, he's currently doing research at your company." Li Zhengyi, having seen Murong Feng's photo, observed him, looking him up and down and felt impressed by his demeanor. He smiled, "Hello, Mr. Murong. Thank you for taking care of my daughter. If you need anything, just ask."
Murong Feng, puzzled, wondered if he meant Li Suyan. Quickly composing himself, he replied politely. Tang Qing chatted briefly with Song Kangnian, introducing Murong Feng to him as well. Song Kangnian then invited them to the evening banquet at Zijin Villa, which Tang Qing gladly accepted, as it was conveniently close.
After some pleasantries, they parted ways. Watching them leave, Li Zhengyi shook his head slightly. Song Kangnian laughed, "Looks like your second son lied again. Murong Feng wasn't playing with him."
Li Zhengyi smiled wryly, "It's not that. I was just thinking, he's a good young man, but unfortunately, not suitable for my daughter."
Song Kangnian laughed, "Zhengyi, let the young ones decide their own fate."
Murong Feng and Tang Qing returned to Zijin Villa, deciding against going back to Huaxia Group's apartment to change. With the evening banquet in mind, Murong Feng bought a complete suit from a Dommakaran store in the villa's lobby.
Originally planning to book a room to change clothes, Murong Feng found the villa fully booked due to the evening's banquet. Tang Qing suggested, "Since it's just changing clothes, why not use my suite? It's spacious enough."
Murong Feng, having no other option, agreed.
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