Chapter 114: Burning the Cold Stove

Li Dong's father is not named Li Gang, so naturally, Hu Sicheng wouldn't know him.

Of course, Hu Sicheng's purpose wasn't to find out who Li Dong's father was.

Li Dong gave a brief introduction to his entrepreneurial journey, which left Hu Sicheng looking at this just-turned-twenty-year-old student in a new light.

Starting from scratch, single-handedly, in just one year, he had created wealth worth tens of millions!

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, Hu Sicheng might have thought he was listening to a fictional story.

There were many inspiring stories of self-made people in the 1980s and 1990s, but since the turn of the 21st century, there have been few comparable to Li Dong. In the entire Pingchuan, one could hardly find a handful like him.

Li Dong's intention in sharing this wasn't to boast but to make Hu Sicheng take him more seriously.

In these times, to build relationships, you either appeal to emotions or status.

Li Dong naturally had no emotional connection with Hu Sicheng. Even with the connections of Fang Qingfei and Wang Jia, they were still miles apart. Since there were no feelings to speak of, he needed to demonstrate his value.

A self-made millionaire, a twenty-year-old wealthy entrepreneur, and the CEO of a chain of stores with over ten locations—this status was enough to make Hu Sicheng pay attention.

Only then could they have a meaningful conversation.

Otherwise, if a student wanted to have a conversation with a deputy district head, no matter how insignificant the deputy district head was, it was not something Li Dong could aspire to.

After some small talk, they moved on to the main topic.

Since it was their first meeting, Li Dong only touched on some topics lightly without delving deeply.

Hu Sicheng, having been a deputy district head for a few years, was no fool.

From the way Li Dong spoke, the underlying message was clear—he was seeking support!

Although Li Dong didn't explicitly say it, Hu Sicheng could hear it.

This caught him a bit off guard. To be honest, in the district, he was just a figurehead now, a marginalized deputy district head who wasn't even as influential as some department heads with actual power.

The fact that Li Dong wanted to rely on him at this time would be baffling to outsiders.

Hu Sicheng was pondering the deeper meaning behind Li Dong's words, or rather, he was wondering if Li Dong had heard some inside information.

After thinking for a moment, Hu Sicheng cautiously probed, "Xiao Li, you probably don't know this, but my time here is almost up. I might return to the university later this year."

Li Dong, indifferent, replied, "It'd be great if you went back. That way, I could get some extra help and not worry about failing any classes."

Hu Sicheng was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "You rascal, are you saying I'd return just to make sure you don't fail?"

Both of them laughed heartily, avoiding the previous topic.

They were both smart enough to understand what was unspoken.

As for the notion of deep teacher-student relationships, that was nonsense. Not only had Hu Sicheng never taught Li Dong, but even if he had, they wouldn't have had much of a connection at this point.

The first conversation was simply to make their positions clear.

Li Dong didn't say much more and, after a few pleasantries, left with Sun Tao.

---

After leaving Hu Sicheng's house, Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long quickly followed behind.

Zhou Haidong looked around warily and whispered, "Boss Li, everything seems normal outside."

Li Dong couldn't help but laugh. Were these guys getting too into their roles?

Zhu Hongtao might be a thug, but he wasn't a killer. Li Dong had hired them to prevent a group assault, not to protect against an assassination. Was there really a need to be so nervous?

Moreover, this was Jiangda, a key national university. Zhu Hongtao would have to be suicidal to cause trouble here.

Ignoring them, Li Dong turned to Sun Tao and said, "Later, send some shopping vouchers to Deputy District Head Hu."

Sun Tao nodded, understanding that Li Dong was trying to warm up to a cold stove.

As for why they wouldn't give cash, both Li Dong and Sun Tao were smart enough to avoid doing something like that now.

Giving cash on the first meeting would not only make them look desperate, but it might also scare Hu Sicheng away, even if he was inclined to help.

However, Sun Tao still had some doubts, so he whispered, "Is Deputy District Head Hu getting promoted?"

Hu Sicheng was just a temporary deputy district head with a low rank. Even if there were changes in the district, it wouldn't necessarily benefit him.

Li Dong shook his head, not offering an explanation, and it wasn't easy to explain.

It was certain that Hu Sicheng was going to be promoted, and it seemed likely to happen soon.

His temporary position was about to end. If he wasn't promoted, he'd return to the university. Since he wasn't going back to the university, it meant that a promotion was likely on the horizon.

Either way, building a connection with Hu Sicheng now wouldn't hurt.

After a bit more conversation, seeing that it was getting late, Li Dong sent Sun Tao home.

Just as Sun Tao left, Li Dong ran into someone familiar.

"Li Dong, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Fang Qingfei, Li Dong was surprised. Speaking of the devil!

He had just used Fang Qingfei to establish a connection with Hu Sicheng, and now she appeared out of nowhere. Did she have some sort of supernatural hearing?

Without answering Fang Qingfei's question, Li Dong responded, "Shouldn't I be asking you? Isn't your dorm on the south side? What are you doing here?"

Fang Qingfei rolled her eyes and replied irritably, "None of your business. I can go wherever I want!"

After seeing Li Dong's expression darken as he prepared to leave, she quickly blocked his way again and said, "Wait, I still need to ask you something."

"Speak!"

Fang Qingfei, used to sparring with Li Dong, wasn't bothered by his cold demeanor.

She was about to ask when she noticed the two stern-looking men behind Li Dong and curiously inquired, "Your friends?"

"Bodyguards!" Li Dong responded casually.

To his surprise, Fang Qingfei actually believed him, staring curiously at Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long.

After a moment, she muttered, "So this is what bodyguards look like. Not very mysterious, are they?"

Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long's faces twitched. What, were bodyguards supposed to look bizarre?

Li Dong heard her too but couldn't be bothered to respond. This girl was nothing but a silly young woman; definitely not someone to be taken seriously as a teacher.

Seeing Fang Qingfei blocking his way without saying anything, Li Dong impatiently asked, "Didn't you say you had something to ask?"

"Why so grumpy!"

Fang Qingfei snorted. Seeing that Li Dong was about to leave, she hurriedly said, "Wait, I haven't asked yet."

Li Dong stopped and looked at her helplessly, "Can you hurry up? I have things to do."

"What do you have to do? You skip classes all the time, and I haven't even called you out on that."

Fang Qingfei grumbled.

Seeing that Li Dong was getting annoyed again, she finally got to the point, "I just wanted to ask if you have a car."

Li Dong was baffled. What did having a car have to do with her?

Or did she know he didn't have one and came here just to mock him?

Seeing that Li Dong wasn't responding, Fang Qingfei grew anxious and asked, "Well, do you?"

Li Dong, frowning, replied irritably, "No!"

Fang Qingfei looked disappointed and complained, "For someone who's a big boss, how come you don't have a car?"

Li Dong was speechless, too tired to argue with her, and turned to leave.

Knowing that Li Dong didn't have a car, Fang Qingfei didn't stop him.

She only shouted after him, "Li Dong, you've got connections. If you can borrow one, help me get a good car!"

"Rent one yourself!"

Li Dong couldn't care less what Fang Qingfei wanted, gave her a dismissive response, and quickly walked away.

After Li Dong left, Fang Qingfei muttered, "If I could afford to rent one, I wouldn't have to look at that jerk's face!"