Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 198 The Country Bumpkin from the Mainland_1

Chapter 198: Chapter 198 The Country Bumpkin from the Mainland_1

Lingnan has always been a land of wealth since ancient times, with highly developed commerce and overseas trade as early as the Tang dynasty, attracting hot money and talent from all over the world after opening up.

The level of prosperity is naturally incomparable to Longyin in the inland.

The only discomfort may be the climate, with sultry summers and chilly winters, and humidity throughout the year. The most common saying among the locals is "It’s damp."

Unfortunately, when Xiao Ming arrived, he was greeted by the oppressive heat of the late summer, and stepping out of the airport was like walking into a sauna, nearly causing him to turn around and head home.

The person who came to pick him up was a driver from Qingyuan Group’s Lingnan branch.

Duan Hongqing wouldn’t be arriving for another two days, and his second son, Duan Zhengwei, apparently still harbored resentment from his stock market losses and didn’t think it necessary to greet Xiao Ming in person.

Xiao Ming didn’t mind.

In his previous life, without the foresight of a golden finger, he had Duan Zhengwei at his mercy, and in this life, there was even less reason to pay him any attention.

If he obediently followed the rules and signed the contract, there would be no trouble; but if he dared to play tricks, Xiao Ming wouldn’t mind disciplining the son on behalf of Sir Duan.

However, once he got in the car, "wouldn’t mind" became a necessity.

Externally, the sedan looked decent enough, though not new, it was far from shabby. Yet, who knew the inside would be as hot as a steamer. The driver kept apologizing profusely, saying the air conditioning compressor had suddenly broken.

If this wasn’t done on purpose, Xiao Ming was ready to snap his own head off and kick it like a ball!

With a dark expression, he instructed the driver to go on. He rolled down the windows, relying on the strong wind from the highway to cool off. Still, the trouble was far from over.

They hadn’t traveled more than ten kilometers when the car suddenly began to shake and then came to a slow stop, followed by plumes of white smoke from under the hood.

After examining the car, the driver came back with a pained expression and said it couldn’t be fixed on the spot, and they needed to call a tow truck.

Xiao Ming looked around; they were still on the highway, where hailing a cab was impossible, and the sky was blazing with a fierce sun without a tree for shade.

Duan Zhengwei intended to leave him stranded and embarrassed like a dog who had lost its home!

Clearly, the young second son of the Duan Family was even more unrestrained than he would be a decade later.

Sorry, Sir Duan, but this time I’m going to swallow up those promising tech companies myself. Your son doesn’t deserve to be the sword in my hands!

Having made up his mind, Xiao Ming didn’t trouble the apologetic driver any further. He climbed over the highway barrier and headed toward the farmland below.

The driver was panicked, shouting a few times to no avail. Not daring to leave the car behind to chase after him, he hurriedly called his superiors.

Soon, Duan Zhengwei’s secretary walked into the private room and reported the situation in a low voice to him.

Duan Zhengwei was having a meal with a guest and frowned involuntarily upon hearing the news, then heard the elder next to him say, "Zhengwei, if there’s something you need to tend to, just go ahead. Your father and I are close friends, and our families have no need for such formalities."

Duan Zhengwei instantly decided to disregard the matter, waving his hand at the secretary and said with a chuckle, "Thank you, Mr. Zhuang, for your understanding. However, it’s not a big deal.

A so-called promising young man, though I don’t know what he’s capable of, he’s eloquent enough to be highly esteemed by Zhou Jicang and my father.

Today he arrived in Lingnan, and out of respect for the two elders, I sent a driver to welcome him as a gesture of hospitality.

Unfortunately, the car had a minor issue, and the air conditioning broke. The company has already sent another car to pick him up, but he got upset and left on his own.

In hindsight, this is my fault, and I’ll inevitably be scolded by my father afterwards."

The elder shook his head upon hearing this, "On such a hot day, it’s indeed very uncomfortable when the air conditioning breaks, but opening the windows for ventilation is enough.

If he can’t even tolerate such a minor inconvenience, it shows that even if he’s truly talented, he must have a narrow mind and is not worth befriending deeply!"

"Wise words from Mr. Zhuang! Here, let me toast to you once more."

Two hours later, hitching rides on trucks and hailing cabs, Xiao Ming finally arrived at the hotel.

The Duan Family had already booked a room for him, and with the room card in hand, he entered. He had just taken a shower to freshen up when a knock came at the door.

He opened it to find a good-looking woman in office lady (OL) attire standing outside. She slightly lowered her head upon seeing him and said, "Hello, Mr. Xiao! I am Li Yaman, the secretary of the general manager of the Qingyuan Group’s Lingnan branch office.

"Hearing of your arrival, our manager immediately sent me over to express our sincerest apologies for the inadequate reception our company has provided."

Wiping his hair with a towel, Xiao Ming asked indifferently, "Where is Duan Zhengwei? Don’t tell me he doesn’t dare to meet me?"

Li Yaman’s face grew cold at once, "Mr. Xiao, please mind your language. Although you are a valued guest, you should still be aware of some basic manners when visiting."

Xiao Ming stopped what he was doing and looked up, a glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Li Yaman felt as if she was momentarily targeted by a fierce predator and involuntarily took a half step back.

"You ... What are you going to do?"

Xiao Ming shook his head, "Go back and tell Duan Zhengwei that the only reason I will stay in the room arranged by the Duan Family is to make one thing clear.

"From now on, as long as he still has more power than a security guard in Qingyuan Group, then the Duan Family will never be within the range of partners I, Xiao Ming, consider working with.

You can go now.

Oh right, you can also cancel the room."

Having said that, he closed the door.

Li Yaman stood stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant, and couldn’t help feeling both shocked and amused.

Who do you think you are? Acting as though the Duan Family is begging to cooperate with you. Do you even know how much Qingyuan Group is worth and how high it ranks domestically?

Truly, a country bumpkin from the mainland, insane!

At this moment, Duan Zhengwei was in the hotel’s cigar bar drinking red wine. After hearing Li Yaman’s report, he became furious and immediately took out his cell phone to call his father.

"Dad! What kind of person is that Xiao guy? You’ve praised him to the skies, but do you know that he doesn’t give a damn about our Duan Family?

"He was supposed to be on the noon flight, and I haven’t even seen him yet. I kindly sent the secretary to invite him, only to get threatened instead, he is utterly arrogant.

"Dad, I’m telling you upfront, if you’re set on cooperating with him, then just remove me! Let whoever wants to be the manager take over, I ... I won’t stand for that humiliation!"

"Fine!"

"And really, why do you ..."

Suddenly Duan Zhengwei paused, "You ... what did you say ’fine’ to?"

"Since you can’t stand the pressure, then come back," Duan Hongqing’s voice betrayed neither joy nor anger, utterly calm. "Rest assured, your old man won’t take back your shares; you can just live peacefully off your dividends from now on.

"As for the Lingnan branch, I will have your elder brother Zhengde take over."

Duan Zhengwei was completely dumbfounded. He stammered in disbelief for a long time before daring to respond, "Dad, are you really dismissing your own son for a stranger?

"Do you even know what happened today? That Xiao ..."

"Your old man doesn’t need to know!"

Duan Hongqing suddenly bellowed, startling Duan Zhengwei so much that his body shuddered.