Luo Binhan first met Nan Mingguang almost twenty years ago. Before his parents divorced, or before his father became successful, he had a vague idea of what role Nan Mingguang played. He really didn't like this comparison, but if he had to do it, he must find an example from his side. Everyone would say that Nan Mingguang and his father were as close as he and Zhou Yu.
That does not mean that Nan Mingguang and Zhou Yu are the same type of people. In fact, on the contrary, Nan Mingguang is sophisticated and cunning by nature. His vicious eyes can make people feel frightened, but if he is willing, he can also make people feel refreshed in the blink of an eye. Sometimes Luo Binhan thinks that it is a waste to use such people in business and personnel work. If Nan Mingguang commits murder and arson, what a challenge he will be to all those who engage in criminal investigation and write crime records. But then again, Nan Mingguang is not crazy at all, and people who are really smart don't have to get themselves into lawsuits. There is enough room within legal standards for them to play. In their part of the world, people who commit murder are often not as smart as they are portrayed in art.
Nan Mingguang smiled and said, "You haven't replied to your family for so long. Your dad thought you were being harmed."
It was amazing how they were both thinking about crime at the same moment. Luo Binhan shrugged: "If that's the case, you will receive the news soon. Who would kidnap me but not send a blackmail letter?"
"That," Nan Mingguang said slowly, "maybe not."
Luo Binhan pretended not to understand. When he saw Nan Mingguang taking out a cigarette from his pocket, he diligently lit it for him. Nan Mingguang also handed one to him.
"What do you want to drink?" He suggested to Nan Mingguang, "Just treat it as a feast for the eyes?"
"Have you not had enough fun during the day?" Nan Mingguang said. He squinted his eyes in the smoke and his voice became very easy-going.
Luo Binhan picked up his cup and stood up. He poured all the remaining Coke into the sink, and then chose a mild red wine. Of course, he would pay later, but now that wasn't a problem.
He took away two wine glasses and a cork opener, as naturally as if they were in his own kitchen, so that the redhead in the corner stared at him in disbelief. Robin Hanshi quickly returned to his original position and poured a glass of welcome wine for this uninvited guest tonight.
Nan Mingguang looked around the store. There was no expression on his face, but Luo Binhan knew that he was evaluating the owner of this store. In the end, he said in a tone that looked at a junior who was fooling around: "Did a friend drive it?"
Luo Binhan toasted him, thinking that he was just found today. Someone might have been watching him during the day, and he was definitely being followed after he came out of Zhou Yu's house. He didn't notice anyone following him at all, and he couldn't blame anyone, because no matter how troublesome it was, there was rarely anything Nan Mingguang couldn't do. Of course, what he did was completely legal, he just knew how to find the right people to solve the problem.
"What's the problem?" he asked curiously, "I thought no one would keep an eye on my place. After all, it's been more than two years."
"Two years is nothing." Nan Mingguang said, "It's just one more camera."
"Where? In my room?"
"The resident across from you has been pretending."
He stopped talking and deliberately left a lot of room for Luo Binhan's imagination. Luo Binhan really couldn't help but think about it. He had previously considered that there was someone waiting for him in the community, but he didn't take it seriously. After all, he lived in a good, valuable area, and buying an apartment on a specific floor just to keep an eye on his now-empty former home would be an overreaction. Perhaps Nan Mingguang did not do this. He should not have extremely pragmatic motives like other stakeholders and need to keep track of the movements of his partner's son at all times. But he could take more personal action, such as visiting a few easily impressed residents and telling them a story about his missing son. Proper remuneration and moral obligations to neighbors, and all that is required is to keep an eye on whether the vacant room will be lit up on a certain day - and even this is not necessary. All it takes is a good Samaritan agreeing to install a low-resolution camera under the balcony.
This sounds weird, but if Nan Mingguang does it, he will definitely be able to do it. The personnel brains in the entire group, his father's most reliable and wise partner. If they were thirty years younger, people would joke that Nan Mingguang was his father's "wingman." Their external opinions are always the same, but two completely different faces use the same mouth. If Luo Binhan saw Nan Mingguang's name signed on a document, he would know that this was what his father meant.
"In addition," Nan Mingguang said, "you have an extra phone card in your name. Did you apply for it yourself?"
Luo Binhan immediately understood what was going on.
"I originally wanted to make it easier for my friend." He said, pretending to be regretful, "but... I thought no one would check this."
"Of course your dad misses you very much. Before you left, he planned to let you participate in the affairs of the head office. You should know our business plan for the new district in the past two years..."
"I have read the plan." Luo Binhan said, "I forgot to mention it before I left. I think they set their goals too high. The Divisional Business Department must have used the data of Huyang District to make a reference template, and they also I don’t want to think about why the second department laid off people last year. There are also policy risks. If they continue to copy last year’s stuff exactly, we should find someone from the legal department to enlighten them.”
"The general direction is fine," Nan Mingguang said slowly, "everything else is just details."
"That's not bad. We can't give people away for nothing anyway. I glanced at the economic news of the past two years yesterday. I guess they are doing a good job now?"
"Finally on the road."
Luo Binhan looked very interested and tried to extend the topic to business matters. But Nan Mingguang had already raised his glass to him, and Luo Binhan could only raise his glass in greeting.
"We won't talk about business tonight." Nan Mingguang touched his wine glass lightly, "I'm here for family matters."
Luo Binhan filled the wine glass for him with special concentration.
"Your dad and I have known each other for a long time." The actor who plays the role of loving father said, "I have watched you grow up little by little, and you look more and more like your dad. Every time I see you sitting in the office, I feel like It reminds me of the time when your dad first came to me to start a business."
"You and the old man are the ones who founded the business." Luo Binhan raised his glass, "I can't compare. How is Sister Yun doing?"
Nan Mingguang showed a little smile.
"Yunqiong is currently studying for a master's degree in the United States. Last month, she even asked me about you. Your father and I are the best friends, and you should be closer to me in this generation."
"I should be more grateful to her." Luo Binhan said, "I really troubled her a lot before the college entrance examination. I heard that she even helped Jiaotian practice speaking."
"Jiaotian did pretty well in the exam this time."
"He is much more accomplished than me. I guess he is at least twenty points better than me in every subject."
Luo Binhan let out a hearty and slightly self-deprecating laugh, which was exactly how an eldest brother should behave on this occasion. He was ready to greet the next relative or friend, but Nan Mingguang put his finger on the rim of the wine glass and looked at him intently.
"I don't particularly value academic qualifications," he said slowly. "People are most ugly when they are young, but some foundations are innate. Jiaotian does work hard, but he is not like your father."
"He is still too young." Luo Binhan said easily. "In his heart, he is thinking about doing some noble things and sacrificing himself to contribute to the society. Isn't this like it? We just have to wait a few more years. When he discovers his ideal He will be willing to come back when the choices will leave him exhausted and with nothing left.”
"He doesn't have that foundation," Nan Mingguang said. Luo Binhan was surprised by his outspokenness. But Nan Mingguang still looked like he was talking about ordinary things.
"He's very smart at reading," he continued, sounding so candid, "but his personality is more like his mother's, focusing only on what's in front of him. It's good to let him do one specialized thing. Otherwise, He is not suitable for our kind of business."
"Our business is nothing special," Luo Binhan said while twirling his wine glass. "Traditional industries, mature markets, sufficient personnel, and stable income - where there are risks, we have to deal with policies. It is not a new territory where you fight to the death. He has many If you learn a little, you will be better than me."
"Really?" Nan Mingguang asked softly.
Luo Binhan couldn't figure out what he meant, so he could only smile innocently at him.
"I still remember what happened during that time," Nan Mingguang said. "Your parents don't want you to know about their disputes, but it's too difficult to hide things between husband and wife from their children. Your father has always been very demanding of himself. Yan wants to do better than others in everything. In the past, he didn't get a good education due to his family environment, so he wanted you to make up for his shortcomings in this area. He didn't understand your thoughts at the time. He is getting older and forgets that he was young too."
"I……"
"Originally, he should have come to talk to you today by himself." Nan Mingguang said calmly, "I asked him to leave it to me. There are some things that my family members are not comfortable saying."
Luo Binhan suddenly became interested in the labels on the wine bottles. He carefully read the description of the origin and said with interest: "This wine comes from the south of France."
"You are taking revenge on him." Nan Mingguang stated indifferently, "You don't want to satisfy him, and in the end you still delay yourself. Jiaotian's grades are better than yours, not because he is smarter than you, but because you are unwilling to put in more effort. ”
"To be honest, being willing to work hard is also a skill." Luo Binhan said, "But if there is no result after hard work, then it is better to say that you have not put in the effort, right? It is still a good step. Saying whether you are willing or not is meaningless. , Jiaotian and I are both adults now, it’s enough to see the results.”
"What is the result?" Nan Mingguang asked, "How old do you think you are? Or are you the first person in the world to encounter such a thing? You are too young... Maybe this is not what you want to hear, but In my eyes, you are not much older than Jiaotian. It is natural for young people to be upset. Do you really think your dad never resented his parents? Do you think he left Lihai in the first place? At the time of the market, you didn’t have any thoughts in your mind of making a clean break with the past?”
"But he's back." Luo Binhan said.
"People will always return to their own place." Nan Mingguang said, "When they are young, people can fly far away because of their temperament. It is not until they hit a real dead end that they will realize that the troubles in the past are actually not worth it. Mention. From my point of view, it's actually a good thing that you went for a walk outside. It's just that you have to watch more, and then you will realize that the things you can't let go of are all small things. The things between you and your dad are not important. The time you wasted in the past because of your resentment is not important. What really matters is the kind of life you want to live. So, you are back now."
Luo Binhan was still studying the label on the red wine bottle.
"I figured it out when I came back." Nan Mingguang added, "When you have settled the things at hand, come to the company headquarters. I will introduce you to a few new executives, and then we will talk about business. thing."
"I will go." Luo Binhan said.
Nan Mingguang patted him on the shoulder again, as if to express his approval for his composure at the moment, and then stood up and walked towards the store door. Before leaving, he stopped again, turned to Luo Binhan and said, "Your new friends are interesting."
"Who doesn't have a few acquaintances from different religions?" Luo Binhan raised his glass to him, "Didn't the old man do it when he was young?"
"He knew what to do when."
"It's a big deal," Luo Binhan said. "They're just a few friends from outside. They don't understand the rules here, and they have no idea about my wealth. They just left after playing for a few days, so there's nothing wrong with me."
Nan Mingguang disappeared out of the door with a kind of quiet satisfaction. He didn't know that when he turned back, Luo Binhan was laughing at his back without any joy. Silence finally fell in the room surrounded by fake roses and fake bullets. Luo Binhan idly consumed the bottle of red wine he had taken, wondering how many calls he would receive tomorrow. He didn't think Nan Mingguang would make the news public as soon as he went out. Tonight was still his own. But there wasn't much time left tonight, and he had no good arrangements to use it. It was a night of accomplishing nothing, just like a death row prisoner who knew he would be hanged when dawn came, but could only waste the last few hours of his life in suffering and despair.
He should really do something. Luo Binhan said to himself. Let this evening have some meaning. If he stood up now and went to find Yaleriga at home and told her that he had made up his mind to leave with them and let the Yaobei Group go to hell, what would she say? Or, buy a plane ticket to Regenberg and stay in the woods, which the locals call "Jay's House." He heard that Malcolm had gone deep into the woods and camped near the foothills for nearly two months, during which time he had not seen a single living person. When Yu Xiaorong was a child, she was lost in the woods for a whole night and almost broke her leg.
It is impossible to describe how chaotic the night of searching for her was. The town mobilized everyone who could help, as well as all search and rescue dogs. Adults have disappeared in the woods in the past, with no bodies ever found. They had to prepare for the worst, but fortunately Yu Xiaorong returned safely after all. The ghost jay, who was said to peck out the eyes of passers-by, let her go, and the hungry beasts did not feast on her.
Recalling the past made Luo Binhan feel drunk. In Yu Xiaorong's growth adventure, he finally found peace and tranquility. Suddenly, the story Chen Wei told the night before also jumped into his head. Is there any connection between the two? He thought about it drowsily. A blue mist floated before his eyes.
If someone hadn't suddenly sat across from him, his spirit would have almost penetrated the fog and gone to another distant and dark place. He stared blankly at the angry red-haired man behind the mist, almost forgetting that this man was still in the store.
"Is something wrong?" he asked frustrated.
"In case you don't know," the redhead said, "as long as you light a cigarette, it will burn itself out whether you smoke it or not."
Luo Binhan began to think about what this person wanted to hint to him. Of course, everyone knows that there is no turning back when you shoot a bow, but you wouldn't say this to a stranger without reason...
"When are you willing to put out that damn cigarette?" the red-haired man said angrily, "You and the man just now weren't smoking at all. What? You guys burned two cigarettes in a public place just to make a fuss. atmosphere?"
"Oh..." Luo Binhan said. He put out the cigarette butt pretending to be calm.
