Chapter 798 Cousins
Wang Juan stayed here for one night and left reluctantly the next morning.
When leaving, Wang Juan looked back into the depths of the courtyard, bit her lower lip lightly, and then got into the car.
Two days later, Wang Juan returned to Yanjing to meet Zhao Minglei, and also brought Zhao Minglei a photo of the child. Seeing the photo, Zhao Minglei was filled with emotion, and at the same time, he felt indescribable guilt towards Wang Juan.
Unlike Zhang Liming, Zhao Minglei kept the photo and secretly hid it in a drawer in his office and locked it, taking it out to look at it whenever he wanted.
Zhao Minglei is already married, and his family must not know about the child, otherwise there will be big problems.
This time, Wang Juan not only brought photos, but also brought him a passbook. Zhao Minglei was very happy when he saw the numbers on it. In just over a year, Zhao Minglei earned more money following Wang Juan than he did in Dashilan before. This business is really profitable!
With the money, Zhao Minglei is doing well in the unit now. Since he is good at dealing with people and has family connections, he gets along very well with his superiors. If nothing unexpected happens, his job will be moved soon. Although his level will not change for the time being, his position will be more important. This is a good thing for Zhao Minglei.
He found an opportunity and spent a long time with Wang Juan, but unfortunately Wang Juan did not agree to spend the night with him. Wang Juan told him that she was not in good health because of childbirth, and the doctor asked her to rest, so she could not do that with Zhao Minglei... This made Zhao Minglei a little disappointed and felt more guilty towards Wang Juan.
After leaving the hotel, Zhao Minglei was about to go home, but he saw a person just after taking two steps forward.
"Xiao Qiao!"
"Brother Minglei, why are you here?" Xiao Qiao turned around when she heard the voice and was slightly stunned when she saw it was Zhao Minglei.
"Haha, when did you come back? You didn't even tell me you were coming back? What's the matter? Now that you've become a big boss in Hong Kong, you don't visit me anymore?" Zhao Minglei said half-jokingly and half-complainingly.
"How is that possible? I just came back today and didn't even have time to go home. I was planning to visit you in a few days, but I didn't expect to meet you here." Xiao Qiao explained with a smile, then turned around and explained to the man who had just spoken. The man said, "I understand, Mr. Qiao. I'll go first." After that, the man nodded to Zhao Minglei and turned to leave.
“What just happened…?”
"Oh, a colleague from the company." Xiao Qiao said casually, and then asked Zhao Minglei with a smile: "Brother Minglei, why are you here today?"
"Just happened to be passing by, what about you?"
"Oh, I didn't stay at home this time. It's more convenient for me and a few colleagues to stay in the hotel." Xiao Qiao pointed towards the hotel and said, "Brother Minglei, are you okay? If nothing else, let's go in and have a cup of tea or coffee for a while?"
"Okay!" Zhao Minglei readily agreed, and then followed Xiao Qiao back to the hotel. The two found a place to sit in a small bar on one side of the hotel lobby.
Xiao Qiao asked Zhao Minglei what he wanted to drink, and then ordered a cup of green tea and a cup of coffee.
Soon tea and coffee came up, and Xiao Qiao picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip.
Zhao Minglei hadn't seen Xiao Qiao for a long time. It must have been more than two years. After Luo Yang closed the business in Dashilar, Xiao Qiao went to Hong Kong not long after. There, she and Luo Yang opened a company. Zhao Minglei was not sure what it did, but it seemed to be doing well.
I haven't seen Xiao Qiao for so many years, I almost didn't recognize her just now.
Xiao Qiao has changed a lot. Originally, in Zhao Minglei's impression, his cousin was just an ordinary person with a rather simple personality.
But now, he is wearing a well-tailored suit, his hair is neatly combed, he wears a gold watch on his wrist, he is a little fatter than before, and his temperament has changed a lot.
In addition, being in this foreign-related hotel, Xiao Qiao now looks exactly like a foreign businessman from Hong Kong. If you are not familiar with him, you can't tell him apart at all.
In addition, Xiao Qiao's every move and gesture is different from before. He now gives people a shrewd and capable feeling. He is no longer the simple and even a little silly young man.
"Why don't you drink coffee? I remember that people in Hong Kong are used to drinking coffee, right?" Zhao Minglei picked up the coffee and took a sip and asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing, I just can't get used to coffee." Xiao Qiao smiled and took out an exquisite cigarette case from his pocket. He opened the case, took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhao Minglei, then he put one in his mouth and lit it with a very beautiful lighter.
Looking at Xiao Qiao's every move, Zhao Minglei suddenly felt a strong surge of jealousy in his heart for some reason.
As Xiao Qiao's cousin, Zhao Minglei has always been superior to Xiao Qiao since childhood, especially after he was admitted to university. In his eyes, his cousin has no future. He follows Luo Yang to do black market business or sell clothes. Although he can make some money, what's the use? He has no social status and is just a low-level person.
But after not seeing him for more than two years, Zhao Minglei was surprised by the changes in Xiao Qiao. Both his temperament and style looked like a successful businessman. Moreover, Xiao Qiao was no longer secretly doing black market work on the streets of Yanjing, nor was he a little brother who followed Luo Yang to set up a stall in Dashilan. Such a gap made Zhao Minglei very unhappy.
Xiao Qiao has actually developed local living habits in Hong Kong over the years, and drinking coffee is much more convenient than drinking tea. Because of the conditions, Xiao Qiao drinks good ground coffee whether at work or at home. Now in the mainland, even foreign-related hotels only provide instant coffee like Nestle. Xiao Qiao, who is used to drinking good coffee, naturally looks down on instant coffee.
So when Xiao Qiao ordered drinks just now, he deliberately didn't ask for coffee, but only for a cup of tea. On the contrary, he felt funny when he saw Zhao Minglei drinking instant coffee with gusto.
Xiao Qiao asked Zhao Minglei how he was doing now? I heard that he was working in the Commerce Bureau? He was a section chief? He was a leader?
Zhao Minglei smiled and said modestly, "It doesn't matter whether you are a leader or not, you are all serving the masses, it's not worth mentioning. Besides, he is just a small section chief, what does he count as in Yanjing? There are not many other things in Yanjing, just many officials, the department and bureau level can barely be considered leaders, the section level is as numerous as cattle hair, and it is not worth mentioning at all. However, he is doing so well in the Commercial Bureau, the leaders of the bureau still value him very much, and talked to him some time ago, and his position will be moved again in the future, and he will work in a more important position.
Although the words were understated, they revealed a strong sense of pride. In Zhao Minglei's opinion, even if Xiao Qiao became a boss in Hong Kong, it was nothing more than that. He could not compare with himself at all. He was a leading cadre with unlimited future. Besides, if we really talk about money, he has a lot of money. The business he cooperated with Wang Juan and others can bring him a lot of income every month. What are you so proud of? You have become a Hong Konger after a few years? Still pretending in front of me? Don't you want to stick a green onion in a pig's nose?
The two sat and chatted for a while, talking about nothing more than ordinary things. Zhao Minglei also tentatively asked Xiao Qiao why he came back this time, but Xiao Qiao just said some clichés lightly, but did not tell Zhao Minglei the real purpose of his return.
After several attempts, Xiao Qiao refused to listen and spoke very cautiously. He was completely different from the silly cousin in Zhao Minglei's memory. Even Zhao Minglei had to admit that Xiao Qiao was different from before. He didn't recognize him anymore.
More than half an hour later, Xiao Qiao found an excuse that he had something to do and would visit his home after a few days. Zhao Minglei smiled and agreed immediately. He also specifically said that all the relatives should get together at that time. They haven't seen each other for a long time, and relatives should visit each other, otherwise they will become unfamiliar.
Stand up, shake hands, and say goodbye.
Xiao Qiao sent Zhao Minglei out of the hall. Watching Zhao Minglei go away, he frowned slightly, then turned and walked towards the hotel.
After a while, Xiao Qiao arrived at the suite where she lived. After entering the room, she walked to the sofa and sat down. Then she picked up the phone and called the front desk for a long-distance call, and then dialed the number she wanted to call.
"Brother Yang, it's me, Xiao Qiao."
"Have you arrived in Yanjing ?" Luo Yang's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Arrived, just settled in."
"Well, take a good rest. Has the meeting at the center been arranged?"
"It has been arranged. I will go directly to the center for an interview tomorrow morning." Xiao Qiao replied.
Luo Yang urged, "You should pay attention to the center . We have finally established this relationship. In the past two years, the center has produced many excellent TV series, especially "Journey to the West" and "Dream of Red Mansions" which were recently tested and received great response and caused a sensation. This time I asked you to go there mainly to contact them and see if there is any possibility of cooperation in this regard. In addition, you should also pay attention to Yanjing Film Studio. If there is a suitable project, we can cooperate."
"Don't worry, I understand this." Xiao Qiao said, "I have already informed Da Bing, and he has made arrangements. We will invite the other party's leader to have a simple meal tonight, and then go over to talk tomorrow morning."
"Well, that's a good arrangement. Xiao Qiao, I'll leave this matter to you. I really can't leave here, otherwise I would come here in person."
"Brother Yang, what you said is not our own business. By the way, are my sister-in-law and the child okay?"
Luo Yang smiled on the phone and said, "She's fine. She'll be out of confinement in a few days. Your niece is getting prettier and prettier. You'll know when you come back and see her. By the way, Xiaoyun plans to move back to Shanghai after she's out of confinement. When you're done with your business, go directly to Shanghai. We'll meet there first."
"Okay!" Xiao Qiao agreed immediately, and then after a moment of hesitation, he told Luo Yang about his previous encounter with Zhao Minglei.
Hearing this, Luo Yang was silent for a while on the other end of the phone, and then said: "If you didn't mention this guy, I would have almost forgotten about him. What's going on? How is this guy doing?"
Xiao Qiao briefly described on the phone how he met Zhao Minglei, and then talked about Zhao Minglei's reaction and the indirect ways he tried to test his return this time. After listening to it, Luo Yang laughed on the other end of the phone and said, "You kid have finally been through some experience and matured, and you have done a good job. Zhao Minglei is not a good guy. He has not been settled for the Dazhalan incident yet. It's right to be on guard and deal with him when you have a chance in the future. Now the key is the matter at hand, and you must not be careless."
