Chapter 157: A Phone Call from Beijing

As soon as Qin Hai and Yang Yun left, Qi Fangfang and the others felt a lot more relaxed.

With the free time, they couldn't sit still and started examining Pingchuan's travel map.

Li Dong didn't pay them much attention and continued whispering with Qin Yuhan about whether they should stay at his place that night.

Just as they were discussing whether to spend the night at his place, Qi Fangfang walked over with the map and asked, "Li Dong, do you have time tomorrow? If you're free, could you drive us to visit Xiyan Ancient Town for the day?"

Li Dong glanced at Qin Yuhan, who also looked a bit eager, and thought for a moment before nodding, "Sure, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

He had been very busy lately, dealing with matters in Fucheng and Tongshan, and there were still many things to handle in Pingchuan.

But since Qin Yuhan wanted to go, Li Dong decided to make time to accompany her.

Just as they were discussing tomorrow's itinerary, Li Dong's phone rang.

Looking at the number, it was a landline from Beijing.

Li Dong signaled to the others and went out to the balcony to answer the call.

...

As soon as Li Dong left, Qi Fangfang signaled everyone to be quiet.

Qin Yuhan was about to ask something when Qi Fangfang whispered, "Silly, if he's taking a call away from you, it must be something strange."

"That can't be. It's probably work-related," Qin Yuhan weakly defended.

Qi Fangfang shot her a look and whispered, "Just be quiet. You'll know if something's up by listening."

Although Qin Yuhan said she didn't mind, she lowered her voice significantly.

"Right... I'm not looking to cash out..."

"What's the initial pricing?"

"The investment banks recommend... $17-19, but personally I think it's too low. Of course, Mr. Li has his own considerations..."

"I suggest pricing around $30... this is just my personal opinion..."

"I probably won't be able to make it to the U.S., but thank you for the invitation, Mr. Li."

...

After hanging up the phone, Li Dong subconsciously lit a cigarette.

It was already mid-July; today was July 10th, and Baidu's IPO process was nearing its final stages.

Baidu had notified him that on July 13th, they would submit the prospectus to Nasdaq.

If Li Dong wanted to cash out, this was the final stage. Once the prospectus was submitted, the 500,000 shares he held would enter a lock-up period.

The lock-up period was six months, not the one year Li Dong had initially thought.

Moreover, Li Yanhong had invited Li Dong to join him in August to witness Baidu's historic listing on Nasdaq.

Li Dong declined the invitation. He was only interested in making money and didn't have the time to witness the moment of glory.

Thinking about Baidu's upcoming IPO and the imminent surge in the value of his shares, Li Dong felt a surge of excitement.

500,000 shares in Baidu, after six months of listing, would be worth well over $50 million.

Converted to RMB, that's over 400 million. With that amount, Li Dong could do many things he currently couldn't.

Li Dong pondered whether to cash out entirely or keep some shares as a precaution.

He was brought back to reality by a burning sensation on his finger.

Looking back, he saw that the girls had somehow gathered on the balcony and were staring at him with curious eyes.

Li Dong threw the cigarette butt into the trash can and looked at them, puzzled, "What's up? Why are you all staring at me?"

Zhang Mengmeng asked curiously, "Li Dong, are you going to the U.S.?"

"You're doing pretty well in business, even expanding overseas?" Qi Fangfang looked amazed.

Li Dong realized they had probably overheard part of his conversation but might have misunderstood. He thought for a moment and explained, "It's a business partner who invited me to visit the U.S., but I declined."

"Why not go abroad? It's a waste!" Qi Fangfang was disappointed.

Li Dong was speechless. Whether he went abroad or not seemed irrelevant to her.

Not responding to her, Li Dong was about to talk to Qin Yuhan when the phone rang again.

This time, the girls stayed put and didn't move.

Li Dong could only smile wryly and answered the call.

It was Zhou Haidong, who said he had sent the scouts Li Dong requested and asked if Li Dong had time to meet them.

Zhou Haidong was indeed efficient. He had arranged for the scouts to arrive by the afternoon, just after Li Dong had spoken to him in the morning.

After considering it, Li Dong decided to meet with them.

On one hand, he wanted to assess their capabilities, and on the other, he needed to give them some instructions as their employer.

Just as Li Dong hung up on Zhou Haidong, his phone rang again.

The girls rolled their eyes in unison, clearly losing interest in the calls.

They dragged Qin Yuhan back to the living room, and as they sat on the sofa, Qi Fangfang whispered, "Yuhan, what exactly does Li Dong do? It seems like his business is quite substantial."

"Yeah, Yuhan, tell us about it. He drives a car worth millions and has all these international connections and scouts. It's like he's a spy or something," Zhang Mengmeng couldn't help but whine.

Qin Yuhan shot her a look and said, "You're the spy!"

Then she asked, "Li Dong's car is really that valuable?"

This time, Qi Fangfang and the others rolled their eyes. It seemed Qin Yuhan still didn't know much.

Qi Fangfang joked, "Yuhan, you're quite relaxed as a girlfriend. Be careful; nowadays, there are all sorts of women. If Li Dong is so generous and uses luxury cars, I might have been tempted if we weren't friends."

Looking at Li Dong, who was still on the phone, Qin Yuhan looked thoughtful.

...

When Li Dong returned to the living room, the girls had stopped discussing.

Since Zhou Haidong was still waiting, Li Dong said to Qin Yuhan, "I need to take care of some business at the company. I'll come back in the evening to pick you up for dinner."

Before Qin Yuhan could respond, Zhang Mengmeng eagerly asked, "Will we be joining you?"

"Always thinking about food!" Qi Fangfang pinched her and gave Qin Yuhan a meaningful look.

Qin Yuhan hesitated but, seeing Qi Fangfang's stern look and her own concern, eventually said, "Is it important? If possible, could you take us to see your company?"

She said this with anticipation.

Qin Yuhan had never visited Li Dong's Wanfang company and had only been to Wanfang Supermarket a few times.

Moreover, Li Dong rarely talked about his business when they were together. Qin Yuhan hadn't felt much concern before, but now, after Qi Fangfang's prodding, she felt uneasy.

Li Dong looked at them with a hint of suspicion and noticed they were avoiding his gaze.

Realizing who was behind this, he muttered to himself about how nosy they were and then nodded, "Alright, but if I have to attend to something and you get bored, don't blame me."

He was unafraid of being caught; he wasn't doing anything scandalous, and being overly secretive might lead to misunderstandings.