Before dinner at Yishang Resort, Chen Ergou called Cao Jingjian to tell him that he might not be returning today. On the other end of the phone, he was only reminded to be careful as it would get chilly in Tangshan tonight. Without hiding from Shen Hai and his group, Wu Liang appreciated this Northeastern-accented man who wouldn't reveal his cards for a long time, both now and in the future. Although Wu Liang's family background wasn't among the best among coal bosses, with his identity and experience, it wouldn't be difficult to entice several high-quality women with good looks and inner qualities. Moreover, he was different from those coal bosses who remotely controlled mines in other provinces; he always stayed on the front line, advancing and retreating with workers, and being separated from family for one or two months at a time was normal. However, Wu Liang had never been involved in any scandals or rumors, his lifestyle was strict, and he didn't quite fit in with the circles of many coal bosses. Therefore, Chen Ergou's "wife-led household" left a very good impression on Wu Liang. Wu Liang had a business principle: not to do business with men who had messy relationships with women. Although this might mean missing out on many opportunities, after the Shanxi 10th document was released, Wu Liang's career continued to rise steadily and rapidly. The twists and turns of life are indeed hard to predict.

  Shen Hai and Wang Quan were both curious about what kind of magical medicine the Crown Prince Qinghe had given to Wu Liang, as Wu Liang seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, without any burden, but with an abundance of fighting spirit. Shen Hai also privately pulled Wu Liang aside to ask if Chen Fusheng had promised him anything, but Wu Liang just smiled and changed the subject, saying: "Even if we lose this big battle again, it's not like I'll be left with nothing; I can always make a comeback from scratch, I can afford to lose."

  The food and accommodation conditions at the hotel were indeed as mediocre as Shen Hai had said, but the women he had specially called over for the night were of exceptionally high quality, all five of them could be considered middle-tier beauties in Nanjing. This expense was definitely going to be more extravagant than the room rate. Chen Er Gou and Wu Liang didn't have a taste for this sort of thing, Wang Jiefang also refused with a straight face, so in the end only Shen Hai and Wang Quan were left to take care of the bill. These two old hands at the pleasure quarters briefly deliberated and decided it was better to share resources, as one person enjoying themselves wasn't as good as two people enjoying themselves together. The two middle-aged men didn't care if their bodies could withstand the abuse or not, they walked hand in hand with the women towards a luxurious suite. Originally, those special service industry elite women found Wang Jiefang's three men to be far more interesting than Shen Hai and Wang Quan, who were both getting on in years, but they couldn't force the clients to accept their services. They could only muster up professional smiles and reluctantly accompany the two uncles, with a sense of regret. Fortunately, it was slightly easier for the five sisters to attend to two men rather than one-on-one, anyway this sort of thing wasn't new to them, after the first time it became second nature.

  There were only three men, and even if they wanted to play mahjong, they would be one short. So Wu Liang simply had Yi Shang brew a pot of Bi Luo Chun tea, and he had a long conversation with Chen Er Gou, but this time they didn't talk about coal mines, only about life, economics, and politics. Indeed, Wu Liang said that he was a man who understood policies and trends, not boasting, this man who scored high on the entrance exam to enter Xi'an Jiaotong University and then got his Ph.D. in economics from Fudan University in Shanghai was not a bookworm, erudite but not pedantic, occasionally talking about professional fields, he could also explain profound and abstruse economic principles in a straightforward way, this skill made Chen Er Gou, who had only superficially touched on economics, sigh in admiration, many questions were humbly asked for his guidance, early on Wu Liang had defined him as a Northern rich kid, his low profile in Wu Liang's eyes became more and more a manifestation of his family education and upbringing.

  Being a coal boss is a big deal, I didn't like to get involved in so many side doors and left paths before, but you can't just stand out from the crowd, everyone is not clean, one person can't be clear while the world is muddy, it doesn't work, it's a dead end. So this time with the big reform, Shanxi coal bosses are secretly resentful, slapping the table and scolding their mothers, but when they see government officials, they still can't stand up straight, they agreed beforehand to unite against a common enemy at the meeting, but as soon as the leaders appear, no one dares to breathe. Wu Liang finally sighed with infinite emotion, "Including me, not many people can withstand the government's repeated investigations, if they really investigate to the bottom, the money for reorganization and evaluation is not enough to cover the fines, so we can't unite because we don't have the guts."

  Chen Ergou patted Wu Liang on the shoulder as he sent him out of the room, saying: "Doing business is nothing more than doing it right or doing it strange. Now that we've almost reached the limit of 'strange', let's change our approach from now on."

  Wu Liang returned to his suite with a thoughtful expression, carrying expectations and hopes. He took out his phone and called his wife to reassure her of his safety. As he listened to the warm and familiar voice on the other end, which he had grown accustomed to over 20 years, Wu Liang's emotions surged as he spoke softly: "Wife, I haven't given up. Don't worry, I won't abandon you or our child, no matter what happens."

  The woman who understood him best in this world let out a sigh of relief and sobbed.

  Wu Liang didn't speak, but he also didn't hang up the phone. He stood by the window, holding that Nokia mobile phone which had been used for at least five or six years, quietly listening to his wife's crying voice.

  This colorful world, men with money are not necessarily big rogues, and men without money are not necessarily without a romantic heart. Some lucky women can meet the right man, life may be bumpy, but happy.

  "This time Shanxi coal mine rectification will definitely have a small number of survivors, and it is very likely that a batch of super-rich people with wealth growing geometrically will emerge from among them. Wu Liang seems to be not bad at first glance, belonging to the kind of practical idealist in my wife's words. If he shows me coal mine data that proves he is worth investing in, I will definitely help him without hesitation. At the very least, it would also be a good deed. Unexpectedly, I am also about to have children soon, and while fighting for power is inevitable, I also want to do one or two things to accumulate good karma and seek peace of mind. What do you think, Liberation?" Chen Er Gou sat on the sofa and extinguished a cigarette.

  Apart from seducing good family women, Wang Jiefang was not eloquent in other aspects and only nodded slightly.

  "Are you familiar with the mountains of Shanxi?" Chen Ergou asked suddenly.

  "Henan, Hebei and Shanxi are still okay, I know a lot of guys on the road, not friends, but as long as you give them money, they're willing to risk their lives. My reputation on the road was built up over the years, it's a golden signboard." As soon as he mentions Wang Hu Sheng, his brother-in-law Wang Jie Fang always gets excited, this man who has been beaten and scolded by me for so many years still can't change his blind worship of Wang Hu Sheng.

  "That's good. After you go back, tell your brother not to cut off this line of communication. In the future, if I need money, he should give me money; if I need women, he should provide women."

  Chen Ergou leaned comfortably on the sofa, let out a sigh of relief, and at least had another way to go. He said that Wu Liang wanted to be "right", but in fact, Chen Ergou didn't have a solid foundation or a strong backing, so he couldn't do great things without resorting to some underhanded tactics. Even if Cao Jingyu was willing to wait for him to struggle for eight or ten years, Chen Ergou's own butt wouldn't be able to sit still.

  "No problem." Wang Jiefang smiled with a hearty and pleasant smile, he just liked to follow his brother Wang Hu's lead in doing this kind of despicable and unscrupulous thing.

  Chen Ergou got up and walked to the window, suddenly pulling open the curtains and gazing out into the distance. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice beget mice that dig holes in the ground. I won't let my children become laborers for the rich. Liberation, take a look at these wealthy people - after all, they're just one brain and two hands, not much stronger than us."

  Chen Ergou's mobile phone rang, Wang Jiefang helped him pass the phone over, and when he opened it, it was actually that girl Wang Sijia from Kuiyuan. The content was ordinary, just simply asking when he would go to Kuiyuan again. Chen Ergou originally didn't want to reply, putting the phone in his pocket and walking onto the balcony. In the end, he still took it out and slowly replied with a message: "I'll go when I have time."

  The girl replied quickly, obviously unlike Chen Erdou who was clearly not good at typing. She sent a smiling face without extra words.

  Chen Ergou glanced at his watch and sent a message: Aren't you done working at WeChat so late?

  Wang Si Jia: I'm off work, at home surfing the internet. Just downloaded "Hui Tai Lang and Xi Yang Yang", already can't help myself, hesitating whether to pull an all-nighter.

  Chen Ergou: We have a generation gap.

  Wang Si Jia: Are you much older than me?

  Chen Ergou: I don't know.

  Wang Si Jia: You're not 30 years old yet, are you?

  Chen Ergou: Almost three years old.

  Wang Si Jia: What do you do, is it really selling arms? (a smiling face)

  Chen Ergou hesitated for a moment: Speculation.

  Wang Sijia replied honestly: I don't quite understand.

  Chen Ergou: Go to bed early, staying up late is bad for your body. Money can be overdrawn, but health cannot be overdrawn, especially for women.

  Wang Si Jia: Uh. (No need to reply.)

  Chen Ergou deleted all chat records and put his phone back in his pocket, starting to think about the direction of himself and the team he led, every step and every link.

  Now women are really not even a condiment for him, he believes more than anyone that when men have power and status, all kinds of women will come one after another like fish in the river, Chen Ergou doesn't want to fall into a gentle grave now, even if it's Cao Jing.

  ——————————————

  The next day, Chen Erdou invited Chen Yuanshu, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, to meet up. The location was chosen by her, a small and unknown teahouse in Xuanwu District. The reason for the meeting was that Chen Erdou had something to hand over to her.

  Wang Hu brought back a core document from that woman in Shanghai, which was shocking and astonishing. In simple terms, it boiled down to two words: money laundering. Pudong International Investment Co., Ltd., from its creation to maturity under Xia He's leadership until his death, had never been an outstanding company with exceptional performance, and could even be described as mediocre. The Shengqian private fund under its name was touted as China's second investment growth fund in the Central European market, with average performance, but the intricate web of connections left Chen Ergou, an outsider, stunned. It was a sophisticated money laundering machine that broadened Chen Ergou's horizons and made him exclaim that just one item from this series of operations was worth tens of millions. Cao Jingjian, although knowledgeable, couldn't compare to Chen Yuanshu, who specialized in the field, so he suggested letting Chen Yuanshu untangle the complex web of funds. However, Chen Ergou had been hesitant about bringing his "sister" into the mix and had delayed it until finally making up his mind yesterday to bring her on board.

  Chen Yuanshu still wore a professional attire, although Chen Ergou couldn't tell if it was handmade or a top-notch brand. She remained radiant and captivating, showcasing the mature and alluring qualities of a woman to the fullest. When the Maserati with the trident logo stopped outside the teahouse with a roar, it had already drawn many curious glances. A beautiful woman who could drive a sports car was enough to make even the most ordinary diamond king retreat in defeat. After sitting down and taking over the documents, she sipped her tea while reading, and Chen Ergou immediately refilled her cup as soon as she finished one. In about an hour and a half, Chen Yuanshu had read through all the documents without missing a single word, her expression calm and unreadable. She was indeed the top female professional in Jiangsu's business circle, not giving others any chance to guess her true thoughts from her demeanor.

  "Chen Yuanshu hinted to Chen Ergou that he didn't need to continue pouring tea, and put down the materials in a low voice: "Sheng Qian is a special PE fund, China's first Sino-German private equity fund certified by the German Financial Market Management Bureau. It's an investment method that serves as a bridge, not commonly seen. If you think about it a bit more, considering the development environment of VC and LP in the Chinese market, you'll know that its timing is not right. Adding to Xia He's reputation outside, I guessed that it was money laundering, and now it seems that I underestimated Xia He and his team's integration ability. You can take their process as a textbook case study, and if you research thoroughly, you'll have a good grasp of China's private equity funds. In addition, I want to remind you of two things: first, don't touch the big fish involved in Pudong International Investment, or else it will be out of control, and your awkwardness lies in not being able to get Sheng Qian's resources under your control. Otherwise, it would be like shouting at them that I killed Xia He and took his life-saving token, and all the handles are in my hands. Second, it's good news that the operation team centered around Cai Dapu has strong fighting power. If you can quietly poach them over, it would be equivalent to having a private equity fund that can always beat the market under any circumstances. Of course, the premise is that Cai Dapu, who holds a heavy weight in this material, is willing to buy your account, but I believe that with his brain and connections, the probability of choosing you is a bit low."

  Chen Ergou took a sip of tea and smiled wryly: "It's not necessarily good news."

  Chen Yuanshu pursed her lips and smiled, with a hint of schadenfreude, charmingly stunning, propping up her cheeks to gaze at Chen Ergou, softly saying: "So it's just a hot potato like this, I've been eyeing it for a long time, now I'm completely disappointed."

  "Eldest Sister, you're being quite unreasonable," said Chen Ergou with a sorrowful face.

  Chen Yuanshu said with a smile: "In the business world, those who are righteous often end up bankrupt and jumping off buildings or going back home to sell sweet potatoes. Only those who are not righteous can sit here drinking tea with you and earn hundreds of dollars in just one minute."

  Chen Erdou snapped his fingers and calculated, "Even if it's 50 yuan per minute, one hour is 3,000 yuan. Based on an eight-hour workday, the daily salary would be at least 24,000 yuan. In a year, that's around 10 million yuan."

  "Speak without weighing the pros and cons." Chen Yuanshu scolded with a smile, making a gesture to hit him, but just as she stretched out her hand, she found that the guy was staring at her hand with shining eyes, just like Gargantua seeing gold.

  Chen Yuanshu quickly withdrew her hand, crossing it behind the teacup. From a young age, Chen Yuanshu had grown tired of hearing praise for her slender and flawless hands, so she was left with no choice but to accept the sincere admiration for her beautiful hands.

  Chen Yuanshu's hands and Zhou Jingzhen's buttocks are the ultimate pleasure that Nanjing men dream of playing with.

  "Sister, let me take a look at your palm?" Chen Ergou said with a gulp of saliva, pretending to be serious.

  Chen Yuanshu hesitated and looked at Chen Ergou's face, trying to find some clues.

  Chen Ergou ultimately relied on his profound acting skills, honed from over 20 years of repeatedly deceiving the villagers of Zhangjiacun, to successfully deceive Chen Yuanshu's scrutiny. His innocent eyes could effortlessly charm the women of Nanjing; this scoundrel was becoming increasingly adept in the arena of male-female competition.

  Chen Yuanshu extended her right hand, slender and delicate, like a white jade Guanyin's fingers. Chen Ergou carefully grasped it in his palm, afraid that his rough, calloused hands would accidentally crush this work of art. He couldn't tell if he was mistaken, but when their hands touched, Chen Yuanshu seemed to tremble slightly. Chen Ergou secretly glanced sideways, but she still maintained her calm and composed demeanor, giving nothing away. In terms of composure and magnanimity, Chen Ergou naturally had to yield to her.

  Chen Ergou held that hand which was too easy to make men have evil thoughts and examined it carefully, concentrating his mind.

  Chen Yuanshu supported her cheeks with her hands, quietly waiting for his insight. She was half-believing and half-doubting about palm-reading and similar things, depending on her mood.

  Chen Er Gou touched it, rubbed it, and occasionally leaned in close, almost sniffing it, but didn't say a word. Chen Yuan Xiu was very puzzled, and after half a cup of tea's time had passed, she finally couldn't help but ask: "Did you find anything?"

  Chen Ergou hesitated for half a minute, then slowly spat out two words that were extremely reasonable and confident: "None." (If you want to know what happens next, please log in. More chapters are available. Support the author and support the official version!)