When at work, he was still immersed in his work. Zhuang Xu came to Licheng and carried out important matters one after another. He, along with the CEO of the partner pharmaceutical company, held a press conference for SyncPulse and personally gave the presentation.
This was one of the most important moments in Zhuang Xu’s career. Thanks to the partner pharmaceutical company, the venue was packed with media, and during the Q&A session, the camera flashes never stopped.
Zhuang Xu meticulously explained the various data of SyncPulse during the clinical trial phase and played videos of patients and their families who were willing to appear on camera for publicity. After nearly two years of effort, they had sacrificed some of Vigen Biotech’s interests, pushing the application standards and pricing for the implant surgery to the lowest possible limit. They also worked with their partners to persuade several insurance companies to reach an agreement to include SyncPulse in their partial payment coverage.
This was his father’s last wish, and also the ideal Zhuang Xu was prepared to practice throughout his life. If there had been no complications, this would have been the original appearance of his life, monotonous and boring in the eyes of ordinary people, but full of meaning for himself.
The next day, Zhuang Xu and Vigen Biotech were on the front pages of major newspapers. A few media outlets exaggeratedly called him and his father superheroes representing the interests of the common people in the new medical world.
Zhuang Xu himself did not read them. One reason was that, like his father, he was unwilling to be influenced by too much praise from the outside world and lose his original intention; the other was that his personal mood had been poor these past few days.
During breakfast, he received a congratulatory message and a news screenshot from Zhou Silan. Only then did he read the specific content, but he just glanced at it and put it down.
After breakfast, Zhuang Xu had another meeting with the partner, preparing to return.
The caregiver said that his mother had been vomiting a lot these past two days. He had a video call with his mother and saw her haggard appearance. He was also very worried in his heart and just wanted to return to the rainy and mold-filled, and therefore unpopular, Binhai as soon as possible.
No matter how bad Binhai was in the mouths of others, it was already Zhuang Xu’s home. His career, employees, and mother were all there, so Binhai was his permanent base, and he would not leave. These past two days, Zhuang Xu had been busy with work, and he was even more certain of this.
Returning to his apartment room in Licheng, after packing his luggage, the screen of the private phone he had placed on the side lit up. It was finally a message from the person he had deliberately ignored, the dispute and emotions he had deliberately ignored.
He looked at the three words “Li Shanqing” on the screen and felt his heart beat slowly and heavily, strange and uncontrollable, with both positive and negative emotions.
Most of the time, Zhou Kaiqi would joke that Zhuang Xu was as sober as a robot, but Zhuang Xu himself knew that there were certain times when he was not clear about what he was doing. The only thing that was clear and difficult to deny was that when facing Li Shanqing, he was extremely unclear.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to start this joke of a relationship, knowing full well that he should not have agreed, yet not refusing, playing a game of house where only one party was serious at an age when he should be in a normal relationship in his twenties.
After a little while, Zhuang Xu still opened it. It turned out that Li Shanqing had sent a message: “I drove Little Zhuang away, and now I miss Little Zhuang a little.” with an emoji of a single tear, looking very pitiful.
Then Zhuang Xu received another voice message. Li Shanqing said: “Zhuang Xu, Zhuang Xu, Zhuang Xu, where are you now?”
Li Shanqing liked to show weakness like this, without apologizing. When he was truly in the wrong, or when there was no actual interest at stake, he would not admit his mistake.
For example, hiring Harold as a consultant. Li Shanqing was shrewd in his actions and had good intuition. Even if it was recommended by an investor, it was impossible that he did not do a background check, and it was also impossible that he did not know about the two highly controversial addictive drug projects the other party had participated in.
The only possibility was that Li Shanqing had indeed made a moral compromise, which was why he flew into a rage out of shame when Zhuang Xu raised the issue.
And Zhuang Xu had also long discovered that when Li Shanqing chatted with him, he never mentioned his own project. Zhuang Xu usually maintained a mindset of avoidance. Even if he knew some parts of Li Shanqing’s project, he basically did not ask or care, until he saw Harold’s name on the birthday card.
—Arguing with Li Shanqing on his birthday in front of Mary was Zhuang Xu’s fault. Saying he wanted to acquire the project was an even more impulsive insult. Because he had long held suppressed dissatisfaction with Li Shanqing’s project.
But the speed and ferocity with which Li Shanqing turned on him also made Zhuang Xu sober for a moment, realizing that Li Shanqing was different from him: Li Shanqing was still not serious. To him, feelings and career were clearly demarcated.
In the past, Li Shanqing had never considered Binhai University. His talk of attending Binhai University was not serious. Now, Li Shanqing’s talk of being in a relationship with Zhuang Xu was a similar principle.
On the way to take Li Shanqing to the airport, when he wanted to kiss Li Shanqing but was pushed away, Zhuang Xu had his doubts; when Li Shanqing booked two rooms at the hotel, Zhuang Xu also thought about it; but it was not until Li Shanqing completely refused to accept his apology, and went upstairs on his own with a cold face without a care for the consequences, that Zhuang Xu vaguely confirmed in his heart that Li Shanqing’s endearing appearance, habitual coquettishness, and ambiguous words and actions made it easy for people to overlook one thing: he was not truly invested emotionally.
The so-called relationship with Zhuang Xu was perhaps more like Li Shanqing’s imitation of others out of curiosity, or a novel pastime.
After Li Shanqing wished him a safe flight, they had not sent any messages for two days. Zhuang Xu thought their informal relationship had come to a ridiculous end, and that they would not be in contact for a while. Now that Li Shanqing had suddenly lowered his attitude to seek reconciliation, he did not know what to reply. Li Shanqing then sent in quick succession: “I don’t want us to not talk anymore, I will deal with Harold, let’s make up. Okay? Okay? Okay, okay?”
A person with backbone would not accept such an empty plea for reconciliation so quickly. Zhuang Xu certainly considered himself to have backbone, but after a while, his hand disobeyed him and he replied: “I’m preparing to return to Binhai.” and found that sometimes he did not have it either.
As soon as the message was sent, Li Shanqing called.
Zhuang Xu hesitated for two seconds before answering. Li Shanqing’s slightly hoarse voice then sounded in his ear: “Zhuang Xu, the forty-eight hours you ignored me felt like forty-eight years. I’m sixty-eight years old now.”
Zhuang Xu knew he was turning the tables on him, but he still could not be cold to him anymore. He said in a low voice: “Was it me who ignored you?”
He also noticed the loss of his self-control.
His life at work these past few days had been orderly and focused, back on track. But hearing Li Shanqing’s voice, he was distracted again, entering a fragrant swamp he should not have entered, the embrace of a hot-and-cold, weak demon.
“Zhuang Xu,” Li Shanqing called his name pitifully, paused, and then said, “You know I have a quick temper and respond to soft approaches, not hard ones.”
“I had no idea before, but now I know.” Zhuang Xu said.
Li Shanqing said “Aiya,” and softened his tone even more: “Then do you also know that the law in this state stipulates that couples can’t argue for more than forty-eight hours, otherwise they will be arrested and put in jail, and I really don’t want you to go to jail.”
Zhuang Xu ignored his nonsense. Li Shanqing then said: “I’m a magician now. I’ll count down three, two, one, and you will forget about my birthday and our fight. Okay, I’m starting.”
He said it with such conviction that he really did count down “three, two, one” on the other end of the line, as if it were a joke, erasing Zhuang Xu’s memory by himself.
What Li Shanqing said did not dispel Zhuang Xu’s doubts about his attitude towards their relationship, but it successfully made Zhuang Xu become the person who temporarily decided not to face reality, burying his head in the sand.
After hanging up the phone, Li Shanqing’s phone screen returned to the page it was on before the call, the video of the SyncPulse press conference that he had already watched once.
Whether it was before or after the call, Li Shanqing had never wanted to be as successful and healthy as Zhuang Xu, to stand by Zhuang Xu’s side as an equal, to receive the same thousands of praises, to obtain everything in the world that he had not yet obtained or experienced.
The handsome and confident Zhuang Xu, and the Zhuang Xu who was kicked out of his house, made him miss him, made him conflicted, made him anxious, and angry.
This Zhuang Xu, cold and indifferent, unpredictable, kissing him, criticizing him, wanting to be both a boyfriend and a teacher, had made him miserable.
Why on earth could Zhuang Xu not just go along with him in everything, why did he have to question him and oppose him? They were already in a relationship, but he did not know how to give in to him, making him so angry that he spoke without thinking, hurting each other, and then making him miss him so much that he could not sleep. He had to curse Zhuang Xu in his heart several times every hour.
Other people had both love and career, but Li Shanqing, so smart, had his emotions become a tangled mess of wool just when his career was supposed to take off.
Anyway, it was all Zhuang Xu’s fault, but not being in contact made Li Shanqing even more miserable. After watching Zhuang Xu’s video, he felt he missed him too much, so his anger subsided. Until he thought Zhuang Xu would not contact him again, he still could not help but be the one to bow his head first, even though Li Shanqing felt he was not wrong at all.
Fortunately, Zhuang Xu did not make things difficult for him that day. When Li Shanqing counted three, two, one, Zhuang Xu also laughed.
After making up with Zhuang Xu, Li Shanqing thought they would meet soon, and that with his intelligence, he could quickly eliminate the influence of Harold and the other experts brought into the project team by Lu Zhengming, and take full control of NoaLume back into his own hands. He did not expect that a long and protracted bitter battle was just beginning.
And failure and hardship can completely reshape a person’s character. Li Shanqing believed that if he were to write an autobiography, his truly mature life should begin at the age of twenty.
On New Year’s Eve, Li Shanqing went out to socialize with Lu Zhengming. Harold was also present.
After dinner, they played cards. Li Shanqing went to a table to be the dealer, playing blackjack. Harold sat down. It was not clear if it was bad luck or a bad mentality, but after playing a few hands, he did not win once.
Harold was the kind of person who could not stand to lose, and he had also had a few drinks. As he kept losing, the player next to him teased him, and his face turned ugly. He raised the stakes, but still lost.
After losing the tenth hand, Harold slammed down his cards, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly to Li Shanqing: “Noah, is there a problem with your dealing?”
“There’s no need to talk like that. It seems like I’m not the only one who’s winning,” Li Shanqing was already annoyed with him, after all, he had caused him to argue with Zhuang Xu. Of course, he also found him ridiculous and was too lazy to argue, so he raised his hand and looked at him innocently, “Then I won’t play anymore, I don’t want to affect your good luck.” He exchanged a helpless look with the player opposite him, shrugged, and left the table.
As usual, there was nothing Li Shanqing could eat at the banquet. He took a glass of water and went to chat with a friend. This friend was an entrepreneur in a tech project, who had been in the audience during one of Li Shanqing’s speeches. The software he was making was about to be launched and was receiving a lot of attention in the industry.
Li Shanqing had known him for a long time. During their chat, the friend hesitated to speak several times, then suddenly pulled Li Shanqing aside, lowered his voice, and asked: “Noah, the CEO of Cleveland has a good relationship with Lu Zhengming, and Harold has also been a consultant for them, you know that, right?”
“I know, I’ve met him twice.” Li Shanqing was slightly startled, as if he had already guessed what his friend was about to say.
Sure enough, the friend paused and told him: “I heard something a few days ago, very few people know about it. A couple of years ago, Cleveland tried to do what you’re doing, but one, they had technical difficulties, and two, there were also major ethical questions raised within the company. The CEO was afraid that the public opinion would spread and affect the company’s stock price, so he shut down the project.”
“If they continue the project now through NoaLume,” the friend’s pace slowed down, and he looked at Li Shanqing with some worry, “I’m afraid you’ll be the only one who has to bear the risks and attacks in the future.”
After the failure of his first speech at the incubator, Li Shanqing had already carefully considered this matter and had his own actions and backup plans.
He did not like to be questioned by people—especially Zhuang Xu—also because Li Shanqing was confident that he had thought things through more thoroughly than anyone else and did not need others to point fingers. However, his friend was indeed concerned about him. He thought for a moment and first explained: “We are already designing identifiable ethical restrictions within NoaLume’s drug capsule. The current business core is no longer the recreational emotional control from the speech.”
“I know your abilities,” the friend said, “but you have to be careful. You’re young and haven’t encountered many things. You really have to be vigilant.”
Li Shanqing nodded, patted his friend’s wrist gratefully, and suddenly heard his friend say: “And a while ago, you went to Licheng with Lu Zhengming to find Zhuang Xu from Vigen Biotech. The rumors about that are not very good either.”
Li Shanqing had not expected this matter to involve Zhuang Xu. He immediately tensed up, and the water in the glass in his hand almost spilled out. He asked: “What? What are the rumors?”
“Some people say your mother was the lawyer in his inheritance case,” seeing his sudden tension, the friend patted his shoulder and told him, “So the rumor is that you went to find Zhuang Xu because you wanted Vigen Biotech to endorse you. After all, Zhuang Xu’s reputation in the industry is very high now. If he could support the ethical justification of NoaLume, your project’s development would be much smoother then.”
“NoaLume has no ethical issues,” Li Shanqing corrected subconsciously, “and it’s impossible for me to ask Vigen Biotech to take my side.” Realizing that his voice had become a little loud in his agitation, he immediately lowered it and said to his friend in a jokingly aggrieved manner: “You know, how could I be that kind of person?”
His friend patted his shoulder comfortingly: “Of course I know.”
“But did you two have a fight then? I’ve heard all sorts of versions. Are you two close or not?” the friend asked again, and then suddenly, as someone with more experience, advised Li Shanqing: “Noah, if you have a good relationship with him, you can communicate more when appropriate, let people take a few more photos, to create an atmosphere that Vigen Biotech is on your side. This will definitely not be bad for your future career.”
What his friend said was of course the truth, and Li Shanqing understood it completely.
In fact, before he left, Li Shanqing had even taken a photo of himself in a suit for Zhuang Xu, and said proudly “CEO Li is going out.” Zhuang Xu had also replied to him, saying “It suits CEO Li very well.” They were now the good couple Li Shanqing had envisioned, and Li Shanqing’s relationship checklist was also continuing to grow.
But for what could be considered the first time, Li Shanqing did not speak as he pleased. For the first time, he chose to be a sensible, not willful, adult. He thought for a few seconds, smiled at his friend, and said: “I’d rather not. The inheritance case is ancient history. I’m not that close to him. If I get too close and try to get a photo, I’m afraid his bodyguards will throw me out.”
