Chapter 296: I, Su He, Am More Than Enough On My Own
Su He asked with a beaming smile, “Why not? We are as close as sisters, and Uncle Luo watched me grow up. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration for me to call him Godfather. What’s wrong with me having a heart-to-heart talk with him?”
Luo Xiaoling was so furious she nearly slammed the receiver down!
She had never seen anyone so utterly shameless!
“I said no, and that’s that! Give me a straight answer: are you going to help me think of a way or not? If not, I’m hanging up!”
Su He clicked her tongue. “Cousin Xiaoling, let’s get one thing straight here—you’re the one begging me!
“Is this any way to ask for a favor?
“Forget it. I’m a big person with a big heart, so I won’t bicker with you.
“First, tell me exactly what happened with Qi Yuansheng’s dad and Shen Ruyi.”
Luo Xiaoling: …It’s already come to this, and you’re still playing dumb with me?
She gnashed her teeth and recounted everything about Qi Dazhi and Shen Ruyi.
Su He clicked her tongue repeatedly. “And here I was wondering which muddleheaded fool orchestrated the merger. So it was Qi Yuansheng’s dad!
“As for Shen Ruyi stepping on eight different boats, I’m not surprised in the slightest. You can tell just by looking at her attitude toward Qi Yuansheng!
“She never viewed Qi Yuansheng as a real partner to begin with. She’s just riding a donkey while looking for a horse; the moment a better option comes along, she’ll kick Qi Yuansheng to the curb immediately…”
Luo Xiaoling said impatiently, “Alright, cut to the chase and get to the point!”
Su He didn’t mind her tone at all and said with a smile, “Regarding Uncle Luo’s matter, you can’t rush it to achieve quick success. You have to boil the frog in warm water, taking it one step at a time.
“Parents generally don’t take what their kids say seriously, especially when you’re openly contradicting him.
“The next time you call him, agree with him first, and then voice your own perspective in a more tactful manner.”
Luo Xiaoling looked bewildered. “What do you mean?”
“When you call your dad again, admit you were wrong first. Say you were too extreme in your speech before, lacked life experience, and had overly simplistic ideas. Then, show some warm concern for his well-being.
“Finally, casually bring up the matter of Shen Ruyi stepping on eight boats and turning into a spider spirit…”
Luo Xiaoling interjected, “My dad will definitely say Shen Ruyi was framed!”
“Then don’t argue with your dad either. Go along with what he says, and then raise a doubt—who could have done this? Since they dared to offend the Shen family, they must have a massive background. Maybe it was some powerful family from the capital…”
Luo Xiaoling: “…”
Who did it? Don’t you know perfectly well in your own heart?
And what ‘powerful family from the capital’?
You sure dare to flatter yourself!
However, this line of reasoning should be highly effective on her father.
After all, the only reason her father walked so close to the Shen family was to enjoy the shade under a giant tree.
If the giant tree itself was already teetering and unstable, it was naturally best to hide as far away from it as possible.
“Su He, aren’t you afraid that Shen Ruyi will tell her family everything and Aunt Song will come to deal with you?”
Su He let out a sudden chuckle. “Has she done that any less in the past? The only difference now is whether the Shen family chooses to get involved. It might actually be better if they do, saving me from being overly cautious and bound by constraints when I handle things.
“If they get involved, then we can properly hash out what happened back then down to the last detail. I will always believe that justice resides in the hearts of the people.”
Luo Xiaoling couldn’t help but ask, “Su He, you have neither power nor backing. What makes you think you can fight against the Shen family?”
“A mere Shen family? I, Su He, am more than enough on my own!”
Luo Xiaoling: “…”
There’s no way to continue this conversation!
This Su He is arrogant beyond all bounds!
However, when she remembered that Su He, from all the way back in An County, had the ability to leave Shen Ruyi utterly overwhelmed and frantic, she felt that Su He’s arrogance wasn’t entirely without reason.
“Oh, right, Cousin Xiaoling, my hands have been a bit tight lately. If it’s convenient for you, why don’t you wire me some money…”
With a loud clack, Luo Xiaoling hung up the phone.
You’re short on money?
What you earn in a single month is enough to match my dad’s salary for half a year!
Luo Xiaoling took a deep breath and dialed her home number.
Unfortunately, the phone rang but no one answered.
Only then did she realize in hindsight that her dad was bound to be at work at this hour.
At this moment, Luo Dongchuan was staring at an official document, looking completely dumbfounded.
This was the exhibitor list for the Autumn Guangzhou Fair distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Aside from the enterprises they had reported, there was an additional entry: An County.
Normally, participants exhibited under the name of their enterprises. If an enterprise’s scale was too small, it could be affiliated under the provincial foreign trade company. It was unprecedented to see an entry under the name of a county.
Crucially, when they had submitted their report, An County hadn’t even been in the picture!
When they submitted the report back then, the three-hundred-thousand-yuan order of the An County Textile Factory hadn’t even occurred yet.
In reality, even if it had, it wouldn’t necessarily have been the An County Textile Factory’s turn. After all, jade carvings and heavy industrial products were the main mainstays of Beiliao Province’s export earnings.
The tiny fraction of orders from the An County Textile Factory wasn’t even enough to look at.
So here lay the question: why did An County appear on the list?
Furthermore, why was it An County and not the An County Textile Factory?
Xiao Wenzhong, the director of the provincial foreign trade department sitting opposite him, said with a smile, “Dongchuan, this An County has some trick up its sleeve. Before, regarding the machinery factory merger, I thought it was merely an accident, but looking at it now, it’s visibly not that simple.
“I didn’t expect Old Lu to usually keep such a low profile while his connections are actually this stiff, bypassing everything to find the Ministry of Foreign Trade directly.”
The “Old Lu” Xiao Wenzhong mentioned was the top leader of An County, Lu Qifeng.
Only now did Luo Dongchuan snap out of his daze. “He graduated from Capital University back then, so it’s normal for him to possess connections in the capital.
“It’s just that, aside from a basic foundation in foreign trade for hair accessories, An County doesn’t have any presentable export products to show!
“Besides, the location of their booth is far too marginalized. I estimate virtually no foreign guests will head over there.”
Xiao Wenzhong said with a smile, “Disregard all that, just take them along. A mosquito’s leg is still meat!
“Dongchuan, although I am leading the team for this Autumn Guangzhou Fair, you will be responsible for the early stage and the specific tasks. The burden on your shoulders is by no means light!
“Ever since Deputy Director Wang retired, quite a few people have targeted that deputy director seat. I am still quite partial to you; you must perform exceptionally well this time…”
Luo Dongchuan felt immensely excited in his heart, hurriedly saying, “Director, rest assured, I will definitely work hard and not fail your expectations!”
When Luo Dongchuan came out of Xiao Wenzhong’s office, he began handling the distribution of the documents. While he was busy, the office telephone rang.
The person calling was Shen Ruyi’s father, Shen Jiawang.
“Dongchuan, I managed to get a bighead carp, weighing over ten catties. Bring Zhang Lin over to my place for dinner tonight!”
Luo Dongchuan hurriedly and eagerly agreed.
Regarding his daughter’s warning, he hadn’t taken it to heart at all.
Although Shen Jiawang didn’t hold much real power in Beiliao Province, that branch of the Shen family in the capital was extraordinary. It was merely a matter of time before Shen Jiawang received a promotion.
For someone like him who lacked a substantial background, if he wanted to climb up, he naturally had to find a giant tree to rely on. The towering tree of the Shen family was more than perfect.
When Luo Dongchuan returned home from work, he prepared to change his clothes and head over with his wife, Zhang Lin.
The moment he arrived home, Luo Xiaoling called.
“Dad, after I hung up the phone yesterday, I thought it over carefully. Everything you said was right. I’ve just had a bit of an unpleasant disagreement with Ruyi lately, so I made a mountain out of a molehill.”
