Chapter 249: You Itchy?

In Dongping in early 2006, there weren't many entertainment options available.

With only Zhou Haidong, a rather dull companion, Li Dong was too lazy to go out.

The two didn't go anywhere; they just spent the whole afternoon in a tea house.

By the time they left the tea house, Li Dong felt so full from the tea that he had no appetite for a meal.

Around six o'clock, Li Dong arrived at Dongping Grand Hotel ahead of schedule.

He had arranged with Wang Jie to treat him for dinner that evening, but when Li Dong arrived, Wang Jie was already busy arranging a private room in the lobby.

Li Dong was surprised when he heard that Wang Jie wanted to book a private room. "Is there anyone else besides us?"

"I told you at noon, my girlfriend," Wang Jie replied.

Li Dong nodded and asked, "You two have only been together for a few days, and you're already introducing her to people?"

"Stop, you make it sound so awkward," Wang Jie joked. "Besides, didn't I tell you there was a surprise?"

Li Dong glanced at him, puzzled, and asked, "She's back?"

Wang Jie chuckled awkwardly and said, "She returned a few days ago. I thought we should get together since there aren't many classmates left in Dongping."

Li Dong remained silent; he had already guessed this earlier.

A surprise? What kind of surprise could Dongping have in store for him?

The reason for his visit to Dongping this time was unclear—whether it was for Wang Jie or for someone else.

Since their brief encounter in the capital, he hadn't seen Yuan Xue for over half a year. Li Dong was uncertain about his own feelings—conflicted yet somewhat hopeful.

The two of them didn't talk much after that. After booking the private room, they went inside.

After chatting for about ten minutes, the door to the private room opened.

Li Dong instinctively looked up. A young girl, around twenty-one or twenty-two, entered. She looked quite delicate and had a nice figure, but she wasn't strikingly beautiful.

Li Dong quickly guessed the newcomer's identity, and she was much better than he had expected.

From Wang Jie's previous description, Li Dong thought Wang Jie had found an unattractive girlfriend, but she was quite decent.

Although not as pretty as Chen Yue, she wasn't far off, with the only difference being her demeanor.

Chen Yue was bright and open, while the young girl seemed a bit reserved and was hesitant to move when she saw Li Dong, a stranger.

Li Dong noticed and stood up, smiling, "You must be my sister-in-law. Come on in; I'm not going to eat you."

The young girl blushed, and Wang Jie also stood up to greet her, pulling her inside while complaining, "What sister-in-law? Don't you know who's older?"

"Who's older? Of course, I am!"

"Nonsense. Your birthday is in July, mine is in April. Who's older?"

"July vs. April. Ask sister-in-law which number is bigger," Li Dong laughed.

Wang Jie conceded, shaking his head with a smile, "Alright, alright, you win. This is my girlfriend, Wu Mei."

He then introduced Wu Mei, "This is my buddy Li Dong, a nouveau riche. He's treating us tonight, so let's eat to our heart's content and make him spend some money."

Wu Mei couldn't help but laugh, her face turning slightly red. "Li Dong, hello."

Li Dong also smiled and said, "Don't listen to Wang Jie's nonsense. He told me he found an ugly girlfriend, which made me take him seriously. But once I met you, I knew what he was really up to. Afraid I might steal your girl, huh?"

Wang Jie was immediately flustered and retorted, "Don't slander me. When did I say that?"

"Cut it out. I knew you wouldn't admit it."

"I didn't say it. Why would I admit it?"

"Fine, fine, if you didn't say it, then I must have heard wrong. Big man, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Li Dong!"

Wang Jie, embarrassed and angry, said, "Do you believe I'll make you go broke tonight?"

"Feel free to eat as much as you want. Just make sure you don't burst from overeating," Li Dong grinned.

During their bickering, Wu Mei relaxed a bit, smiling as she listened to them. Clearly, she found it quite entertaining.

Seeing that Wu Mei was starting to loosen up, Li Dong winked at Wang Jie, who responded with a smile.

The earlier banter had achieved its purpose, and with Wu Mei feeling more at ease, they no longer needed to continue. Wang Jie invited Wu Mei to sit down and suddenly said, "Dongzi, you'll have to look out for Mei Zi from now on. I'm a man, so I'm embarrassed to ask you directly, but since you've called her your sister-in-law, I acknowledge it. Remember to help her out when you can."

Li Dong raised his eyebrows, and Wu Mei looked at Wang Jie with some surprise, clearly not understanding his intent.

Wang Jie continued with a smile, "Mei Zi is an accounting assistant at Faraway Supermarket and is still in her internship."

Wu Mei still didn't understand, but Li Dong laughed and said, "So you've been waiting for me, huh?"

He nodded and said, "I'll keep this in mind."

Wang Jie said no more and didn't explain further to Wu Mei.

Li Dong's comment, "I'll keep this in mind," could save Wu Mei ten years of hard work, which was akin to a windfall for her.

As Wang Jie said, he felt uncomfortable asking Li Dong directly for help, but since he had a girlfriend, he had to grab the opportunity.

For Li Dong, an accounting assistant at a county-level store was a trivial matter—just a matter of words.

Wang Jie was only hoping for a formal position or something slightly better, like becoming the head accountant at the Dongping store. It wouldn't affect Li Dong much.

Wu Mei was confused, but although she was shy, she wasn't stupid.

She understood Wang Jie's character from their interactions over time. He was reliable, spoke little, but his words were never empty.

Since Wang Jie said so, it meant that Li Dong could help her.

Wu Mei didn't think much about it but felt that Li Dong might be able to help her secure a permanent position. The current Dongping store was no longer as easy to get into as before.

When Faraway Supermarket first opened in Dongping, entry was relatively easy if there were no major issues.

But now, after over a year of development, Faraway had firmly established itself in Dongping, with benefits superior to those of other companies. Many people tried every means to get in.

Wu Mei, a graduate of a five-year program, managed to secure an internship at Faraway through connections. Otherwise, with Faraway's current status, she wouldn't have been able to get in, unless she applied for a sales position.

As Wu Mei was a Faraway employee, Li Dong instinctively leaned towards discussing Faraway during their conversation.

When Wu Mei casually mentioned, "Our store manager recently got a Buick Regal," Li Dong frowned slightly and then smiled, "Your store manager must have just taken the position recently."

"Yes, he started in mid-September this year."

Mid-September was only about three months ago.

Although Dongping was classified as a secondary store, its performance was far from meeting the standards compared to other secondary stores.

Faraway's compensation was indeed high. Although Dongping's performance lagged behind other secondary stores, the store manager's salary was substantial.

With bonuses and benefits, earning around ten thousand a month was not difficult.

Three months' salary would amount to around thirty thousand.

And a Buick Regal, especially the 2005 model, would cost at least a hundred thousand to two hundred thousand. Li Dong thought for a moment and said, "Your store manager's family must be quite wealthy."

"Well, it's okay. But the store manager has two children in school, so expenses are high. Mainly, it's because Faraway's benefits are good."

Li Dong smiled and didn't pursue the topic further, but he decided to investigate it properly later.

Since Fang Hao went to Tongshan, Li Dong was unfamiliar with the current store manager in Dongping and didn't know his character.

If it were just his own money, it would be one thing. But if...

Li Dong hoped deeply that his concerns were unfounded. A secondary store manager, especially at Dongping, had a unique and significant role.

If even his local store's integrity was compromised, Li Dong would seriously doubt his aptitude as a CEO.

After recently having dealt with a batch of issues, Li Dong hoped there wouldn't be another set soon.

Wu Mei didn't think much of it, but Wang Jie advised, "Overthinking won't help. Things might not be as bad as you think."

Li Dong nodded and said softly, "I hope so."

As they were talking, the private room door opened again.

Li Dong looked up. Who else could it be but Yuan Xue?

After more than half a year, Yuan Xue seemed colder than before, still dressed in her all-white attire—an ivory hat, knee-length white down coat, and white knee-high boots—giving the impression that she had just returned from the snow.

Li Dong was about to stand up, but his body suddenly stiffened. The surprise in his eyes faded, and he slowly sat back down.

Wang Jie also frowned slightly and greeted Yuan Xue, "Class monitor, please sit."

Then he

 looked at the person behind Yuan Xue with a cold expression, "Feng Jinsong, I didn't invite you, did I?"

Feng Jinsong, dressed in a black trench coat with long bangs, looked particularly stylish. Hearing Wang Jie's words, he smiled brightly, "I came uninvited, so I apologize. But I happened to run into you. Since we graduated from the same high school, Wang Jie, you wouldn't really kick me out, would you?"

Wang Jie's expression changed, and he snorted, "If you knew you weren't invited, why did you come?"

Feng Jinsong continued to smile, "Watermelon head, are you being so rude? How about I treat tonight?"

Hearing "watermelon head," Wang Jie's face darkened.

Li Dong, who had been silent since Feng Jinsong's arrival, suddenly sneered, "Feng Jinsong, calling you watermelon head is something you can handle? Feeling itchy, are we?"

Feng Jinsong's smile gradually faded. Looking at Li Dong with narrowed eyes, he said, "Li Dong, I'm talking to Wang Jie. Do you think you have the right to interrupt?"

Li Dong remained seated, calmly saying, "I haven't forgotten what happened on the day of the college entrance exam. You ran away quickly then, and now you're flaunting your arrogance. Do you think I can't deal with you now?"

A flash of viciousness crossed Feng Jinsong's eyes!

Li Dong's words clearly reminded him of a painful past that he wanted to forget!

Because of a minor thug, he had to hide for an entire summer, which was embarrassing to be known!

Now he was not the same as before. Back then, he was young and ignorant, thinking Li Dong's fists were formidable and fearing him.

But after going to university and gaining broader perspectives, Feng Jinsong finally understood that the world wasn't about fists.

What if Li Dong could fight? Without money and power, he couldn't compare!

In this world, strength didn't come from fists but from money and power.

Li Dong was nothing compared to him, Feng Jinsong, the richest son in Dongping!