Chapter 268: The Year-End Approaches

Green Bamboo Garden.

This time visiting the Qin family, Qin Hai and Yang Yun were not at home.

As the year-end approached, Li Dong could still find some time to rest, but Yang Yun and Qin Hai had no time to spare.

Qin Yuhan welcomed Li Dong into the house and told him to sit down. When she turned around, Li Dong had already removed his shoes and was rolling around on the sofa.

Seeing this, Qin Yuhan couldn't help but laugh and said, "If people from your company saw you like this, they probably wouldn't believe it."

Li Dong shrugged it off and said, "What's wrong with this? It's called childlike innocence. Don't you understand the charm?"

"Charm, my foot!"

Qin Yuhan laughed and scolded him lightly, put the suitcase into her room, then went to the living room, turned on the TV, and sat next to Li Dong. She asked, "Did you have your company's annual meeting yesterday?"

Li Dong mumbled an answer and pulled Qin Yuhan into his arms, sniffing her.

Qin Yuhan's face turned red, and she pushed him away, saying, "Stop messing around!"

"Just sniffing the scent. It's the same as before. It looks like you haven't showered since I left last time."

Qin Yuhan gave him a light tap on the head and ignored his wandering hands. She said with a slight breath, "I heard from my mom that you sang at the annual meeting yesterday?"

"Yeah, did you like my voice?" Li Dong asked with a grin.

Qin Yuhan huffed and said, "How would I know? You never sang for me. My mom sent a picture via MMS, but it was too blurry to see clearly."

Li Dong realized that in those days, there was no WeChat or similar applications.

Sending small videos was out of the question; MMS was the limit.

Li Dong was momentarily distracted, thinking that WeChat was quite useful. Should he get involved in it? 

But after some consideration, Li Dong decided to put the idea on hold for now. WeChat might be useful, but it wasn't something he could develop quickly. Besides, he had a lot on his plate, and the e-commerce platform was not yet up and running. Getting involved with WeChat now might not be worth the effort.

Of course, if his e-commerce venture was up and running and talent was in place, he could consider getting involved with WeChat if it wasn't available by then.

For now, WeChat was still far off, so he didn't need to rush.

Thinking of WeChat led him to think about Tencent.

This year, he planned to sell Baidu stock. The short-term rise in Baidu's stock price had begun to slow down.

Conversely, Tencent's stock price had been soaring since 2006, and it was currently quite low.

Li Dong thought he should get some Tencent stock soon; it was growing faster than his current investments.

Moreover, Tencent was listed in Hong Kong, making it easy to buy stocks. With Tencent's stock price on the rise recently, many people were willing to sell, so it would be a good time to buy some.

While Li Dong was lost in thought, Qin Yuhan said with some dissatisfaction, "What kind of attitude is that? I'm talking to you, and you're lost in your thoughts!"

Li Dong snapped back to reality and quickly explained, "I was just thinking about stocks. Got distracted."

Hearing Li Dong talk about stocks, Qin Yuhan asked curiously, "Is Baidu's stock price rising again?"

"No, I'm planning to sell once the lock-up period ends. I was just thinking of buying some Tencent stock."

The rise in Tencent's stock price was not a secret, but few expected it to rise so much in the coming years.

Seeing Li Dong mention Tencent, Qin Yuhan showed interest and said, "It seems Tencent's stock price has increased several times since its listing, though not as quickly as Baidu's. Do you think it still has room to grow?"

Qin Yuhan had immense trust in Li Dong's judgment.

Whether it was starting a supermarket or buying stocks, Qin Yuhan had seen Li Dong make accurate decisions every time.

In less than two years, Li Dong had transformed from a penniless student into a leader among the younger generation, all thanks to his keen insight.

Li Dong nodded and was about to offer an explanation when Qin Yuhan cheerfully asked, "Li Dong, do you think I should buy some stock too?"

Li Dong was caught off guard and replied somewhat speechlessly, "Sure, buy if you like."

Shifting away from stocks, Li Dong asked, "How's your store doing?"

Talking about her dessert shop, Qin Yuhan sighed, "It's still running at a loss. I closed the store before leaving and will deal with it next year. If it doesn't work out…"

Before she could finish, Qin Yuhan suddenly huffed.

She swatted Li Dong's hand away from her chest and said angrily, "It's broad daylight. Have some decency!"

Li Dong chuckled and teased, "What can I do? Since you insisted on staying at your parents' place, how about we go back to my place tonight?"

"No way!"

"Wife, you're too heartless. I'm going back to Dongping in a couple of days. Once we're back in Pingchuan, you'll probably have to go back to school. You should think about a lively man like me."

Qin Yuhan rolled her eyes and blushed slightly, "Not today. I'll go tomorrow."

Li Dong burst into laughter, which caused Qin Yuhan to start playfully fussing.

After some fun, they checked the time and went out to find a local restaurant for lunch.

In the afternoon, Li Dong accompanied Qin Yuhan around Pingchuan for a bit.

---

In the next two days, Li Dong was busy with various matters.

When free, he spent time with Qin Yuhan, shopping and visiting fairs. When occupied, he stayed at the company to handle paperwork.

Faraway was set to close for the New Year's break on the 27th of the lunar month. Apart from a few staff members remaining, everyone else would leave, and work would officially resume on the 8th of the new year.

In the final days of the year, everything that needed to be handled had to be done to avoid carrying it over to the next year.

The stores also had their own arrangements, with a small number of employees working overtime to keep the stores open. The overtime pay was three times the usual rate, which Li Dong was confident about.

These days, although large cities had regulations for double salary at the end of the year, in Pingchuan, only a few state-owned enterprises managed it. Private companies rarely offered double salary, let alone triple.

Faraway offering triple salary was a significant draw, and many employees were eager to stay and work overtime. At least 60% of them wanted to stay and work.

Faraway's wages were already competitive. Working overtime for ten days at triple pay could equal two months' worth of earnings in other similar industries.

However, these arrangements were handled by others, and Li Dong didn't need to worry about it.

---

On the 27th of the lunar month, Faraway closed its books, and Li Dong prepared to return to Dongping for the New Year.

At the Wan Yuan residential complex, under building 8.

Li Dong hugged Qin Yuhan and asked, "Are you really not coming back with me?"

Qin Yuhan ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head, "No, maybe next time."

"A wife should meet her in-laws. Besides, you've met my parents before. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Qin Yuhan gave him a look, "It's not just about being embarrassed. I'm still a student. It would be inconvenient to spend the New Year with your family. If I were graduated, I would definitely go to your family for the New Year."

Unfortunately, it was still too early. Going now might not be appropriate.

Qin Yuhan herself didn't mind too much, but she had mentioned it once to Yang Yun and Qin Hai, and they had strongly opposed it.

The Qin family was already lower in status compared to the Li family, and now their daughter was eager to visit them. It was not acceptable.

Seeing her parents' opposition, Qin Yuhan decided not to go. Besides, she wasn't fully prepared yet.

If Li Dong's parents asked about marriage, it would be awkward.

Li Dong saw how determined she was and could only kiss her goodbye, saying, "Then I'll go back on my own. Be safe in Pingchuan. Remember to call me every day. If anything happens, call me or, in an emergency, call Old Zhou or Liu Qi. They're both in Pingchuan…"

"Alright, I know. You're such a worrywart," Qin Yuhan said with a smile.

Li Dong had repeated these instructions many times, and she nearly had them memorized.

Moreover, her parents were in Pingchuan, and they were high-ranking in Faraway, so they could handle any emergencies.

But this was Li Dong's concern for her, and Qin Yuhan wasn't going to argue.

The two lingered downstairs for almost half an hour, and finally, Qin Yuhan said helplessly, "Alright, go now. If you don't leave soon, it'll be dark."

"You're rushing me?" Li Dong complained.

Qin Yuhan laughed and kissed his cheek, adjusted his collar, and said, "There, that should be good. The weather's not great; it might snow. Be careful on the road

."

Li Dong nodded, turned, and got into the car.

Inside the car were Cao Feng, Cao Yu, and Lin Meng.

This year, Cao Feng and Cao Yu decided not to go back to their hometown since it took several days for a round trip and was a bit far.

Additionally, Cao Feng's previous issue hadn't been resolved yet, and returning home might lead to more trouble.

Since they weren't going home, Li Dong couldn't let them spend the New Year alone in Pingchuan. Cao Fang had also asked him to bring them along, so Li Dong invited the Cao siblings to Dongping.

As for Lin Meng, she wasn't from Pingchuan either.

Lin Meng's hometown was far from Pingchuan. Originally, she planned to stay in Pingchuan with Cao Feng for the New Year. However, when Li Dong invited the Cao siblings to Dongping, Cao Feng naturally couldn't leave Lin Meng alone in Pingchuan.

The couple was currently very happy, and Lin Meng had moved in with Cao Feng, starting their cohabitation.

Li Dong, not wanting to break them up, invited Lin Meng to Dongping as well.

At first, Lin Meng was a bit hesitant, but after Cao Feng and Cao Yu encouraged her, she decided to join them in Dongping.

Li Dong got into the car, waved goodbye to Qin Yuhan, and drove off.

This time, Li Dong didn't let Zhou Haidong drive him. It was the end of the year, and Zhou Haidong should spend time with his family, so Li Dong decided to drive himself back to Dongping.

Once the car left the residential complex, Lin Meng said softly, "Cousin Dong, your girlfriend is so beautiful."

Li Dong smiled and said, "She's alright, not as pretty as your sister-in-law."

Lin Meng quickly played coy and said, "Cousin Dong, you're joking. I wish I were half as pretty as your girlfriend."

Li Dong laughed but didn't take it seriously.

Lin Meng was an insurance salesperson. If she had a thin skin, she wouldn't have survived in the industry. Her shyness was just a pretense.

Her compliment was merely a polite gesture to build rapport.