salt by salt

After lunch, I asked Lu Changbai if he wanted to go back to the hotel to rest, or take him to his own residence.Unexpectedly, he said he was going to my place, and I was stunned for a moment, thinking of Andre's condition, I was already ready to say no.

Before I could speak, Lu Changbai said, "Taking care of patients is not an easy job. It's rare for you to be so persistent."

He found out all about me, and I was terrified, still wanting to dispel Lu Changbai's thoughts: "Andre may be a bit repulsive to strangers..."

"I'm just going to see your living situation. What's the point if I don't talk to him?" He smiled. "Speaking of which, I haven't met your younger brother yet. This time I just happened to see it with my own eyes."

Seeing that there was no turning point, I could only tell the driver to go home, feeling tight in my chest one after another.There is no other reason. I don't like the faint interest in Lu Changbai's words, as if he regards the sick Andre as a special species in the zoo, and I see him just to make a surprise.

But I also know that now I am not qualified to negotiate with Lu Changbai, let alone confront him because of my own emotions.It is said that blood is thicker than water, but in the eyes of people like Lu Changbai with blood on their hands, blood and water are probably the same.

I planned too much, but the only bargaining chip I held was that I was his own son. I could only continue to make false claims with him and play the role of a good son.

I hope that in his eyes, I am really a submissive, overly gentle, stupid child.

We sat side by side in the back seat, Lu Changbai looked out the window with a leisurely posture, and suddenly turned his head and waved to me: "Why are you sitting so far away from me? Yanyan, come closer."

He smiled softly and spoke affectionately.I lowered my eyes, moved towards him, and turned my head to look out the window.

When I got home, I opened the door, and as soon as I put down the coat in my hand, Lu Changbai went straight to Andre who was sitting at the table, and stood behind his seat with his hands behind his back, quietly watching his graffiti.

He watched from the side, and Andre was so absorbed in his painting that he showed no resistance.I was at ease, just at lunch I found that Lu Changbai didn't like tea, so I went into the kitchen to make coffee.

Wang came over to help and said to me: "Mr. Xu, the gentleman outside is your father, right?"

I nodded, wondering how he could tell at a glance.

In fact, Lu Changbai and I only have eight or nine points of similarity in eyebrows and eyes, and there is not much consistency in other places.My mother's appearance is more beautiful, my lips and contours are softer than his, and my shoulders are narrower than his, making me look a little thinner.

Xiao Wang said: "This kind of thing can't be explained, the blood relationship between father and son, something that comes out of the bones. Not only the appearance, but also everything in the whole body."

I asked again: "Am I similar to Andre?"

This time Xiao Wang was stumped.He knows that Andre and I are half-brothers, but Andre is different from me. The femininity and delicacy that he inherited from his mother is sublimated by his father's western silhouette. It will not damage the beauty that is different from ordinary people in the bottom.

Seeing that Xiao Wang hadn't spoken for a long time, I smiled slightly to cover up the inexplicable disappointment in my heart: "He is of mixed race, it's normal that he looks different from me."

After the coffee was brewed, I took it out and found that Andre had finished drawing. Lu Changbai took away the drawing paper in front of him, and he didn't resist, fiddling with crayons aimlessly.

Lu Changbai laughed a few times: "What is this painting? Animals? Or flowers?"

I walked over and took a look, and it was still a colorful pattern with no shape, the picture was messed up and had no aesthetic feeling.But after hearing what Lu Changbai said, he couldn't help but argue for Andre after all: "He has made rapid progress, and he will be able to draw more obvious shapes after a while."

"You are protecting him." Lu Changbai said and put the drawing paper back on the table, "Yanyan, don't be nervous, I won't do anything to him."

My breathing stopped uncontrollably for a moment: "I didn't..."

"Okay, it's so boring to lie, your small thoughts are not enough for me." He smiled casually, "Just say what you want to say, Yanyan, you are my son, and my family business will not be in the future. Leave it all to you? If you want money and a company, you can reach out to me directly, so why don't you give it to me? Why do you have to make small moves behind your back."

Lu Changbai has been immersed in the gray area for many years, and he is extremely good at creating a high-pressure environment in the negotiation process, and then observes the opponent's performance, not letting go of any clues.

Momentum is really a mysterious thing, obviously his tone is calm and firm, he only glanced at me lightly, but I seemed to be completely seen through, aware of the dangerous aura hidden under the gentle appearance.

Does he know it all?If you can't hide it, lying in front of him will definitely be exposed.Messy thoughts quickly swept through my brain, and my reason was about to collapse.

Just a little bit.The panic in my heart was almost exposed in front of him.

I frowned blankly, raised my eyes to meet Lu Changbai's gaze, although the gaze was so sharp that it almost suffocated: "What do you mean?"

He squinted his eyes and looked at me twice, as if thinking about it.After a while, he reached out and touched the top of my head, and said softly: "Good boy. It's okay, Dad is joking with you, it doesn't matter if you don't understand."

I pursed my lips, and my voice was steady, without a trace of tremor, only a little disgusted: "I don't like this kind of joke."

Lu Changbai reached out and patted my shoulder, and said with a smile, "I won't tease you anymore."

He usually has an interest in collecting antiques. I have worked in the auction and exhibition industry for a while. When we are in the same room, we can't find common topics, and we can even talk about it quite well.

Lu Changbai didn't stay for long, he looked at some calligraphy and paintings in my collection, chatted for a while and asked his assistant to pick him up.

Watching him get into the car, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.In all fairness, Lu Changbai is not difficult to get along with, and he is also very kind to me, but I know that he is very powerful, so I dare not really get along with him without defense.

As soon as the commercial vehicle left my sight, the phone in my pocket vibrated.I picked up the phone, and a male voice rang in my ear: "How is it?"

"You guessed it right, he really lied to me with words." I sighed, "It's quite scary, if I hadn't prepared in advance, I would have recruited him as soon as he asked."

"How is Yang Chen's progress?"

I paused: "I've encountered a little trouble, and it will take two months."

"Urge him to move quickly, Lu Changbai is very difficult to deal with, and if the battle line is dragged on for too long, accidents will easily happen." The man said, "Has Mingde been transferred to Yucheng?"

"Not yet, people in Songcheng are watching closely." I thought for a while, "Lin Ya is ready, but will it be too obvious to sue at this time?"

The other party smiled: "No, I have considerations in my mind. It's good to create a little trouble to divert their attention. Song Cheng's recent money laundering is too big, and someone above has noticed it. Don't delay this good opportunity."

"Well. I heard that my sister-in-law is pregnant? Congratulations."

"I gave birth to a fat boy who weighs eight pounds and four ounces, and is heavy to hold. When she is confinement, we will go back to the capital to hold a banquet. Then I invite you and Yucheng to come over." There was just the right amount of joy in his voice , not as stable as before, "The day after tomorrow will be [-] years old, Xiao Yan, you should have a good New Year first."

I forgot to wear a scarf when I went downstairs, and the cold wind blew into my neck.Unexpectedly, time flies so fast, and the new year is coming again.

I said, "You too, Brother Yuan."

To me, Lin Ya, Lu Jingfan, Xu Yucheng and others are dominoes that are laid down one by one. You only need to knock down the first one, and they will be linked together to reach the planned end point.So for Zhao Yuan, I was the servant who diligently put down the cards for him according to the plan, he didn't even need to do it himself, he just needed to sit on the high seat and enjoy it.

But whether standing or sitting, we want the same end product.

Zhao Yuan is the eldest grandson of Political Commissar Zhao. He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. His family has a strong military and political background.There are also grades in the circle, he belongs to the top group, and countless people rush to flatter him.

Maybe there is such a thing as fate between people, this hard-to-serve prince is the only one who has the same temperament as Xu Yucheng.In addition to the collection company that Xu Yucheng handed over to me, they also invested in many things together, but Zhao Yuan will come forward to help wherever joint joints need to be opened up.

Later, Xu Yucheng often took me by his side, and we met many times, and Zhao Yuan and I gradually became acquainted.

At the beginning, I doubted Zhao Yuan's feelings for Xu Yucheng, but later I found that he didn't have any dirty intentions, he just admired Xu Yucheng's talent in business - besides, as Zhao Yuan, if he really has an idea, he can realize it .

Xu Yucheng has brains, vision, and is willing to work hard. I have never doubted his ability.But Xu's inheritance rights have become a demon, an obsession, and he was tightly restrained in the predicament of the Xu family until all the glory was exhausted.

Zhao Yuan urged Xu Yucheng to act quickly more than once, Xu Yucheng felt that he was not prepared enough, the two had a dispute because of this, Zhuang Lin reconciled, and I sat on the sidelines and lost my mind.

In the end, Zhuanglin pulled Xu Yucheng out, leaving me and Zhao Yuan in the box.

He smoked cigarettes one by one, put the butts out in the ashtray, and suddenly asked me: "Xiaoyan, don't you think your brother's actions are too whimsical? He actually wants to seize power with dignity!"

I said, "Brother Yucheng has his own considerations, and you are not wrong, Brother Yuan. You are just different."

"Why is it different?"

I thought of the several methods he proposed to Xu Yucheng, all of which were sinister and ruthless, leaving no room for it: "Brother Yuan, brother Yucheng's fight for the Xu family is indeed for the sake of exporting gas, but the main purpose is to make money. Money can be earned in any way." , there is no need to make it so...unclean."

Zhao Yuan glanced at me: "Do you think my methods are dirty?"

I smiled: "I think you are suitable for politics, not business."

"Xiao Yan, you are very interesting." He exhaled a puff of smoke, thoughtfully, "Maybe it will be more enjoyable to cooperate with you."

I quickly waved my hand: "I don't understand these things at all, how can I compare with Brother Yucheng."

Zhao Yuan stopped talking, after a while Xu Yucheng opened the door and came back, and the two reconciled.

Later, Xu Yucheng and I drifted away, busy dealing with Yang Chen, Song Cheng, and Andre; later, the Xu family brothers fought against each other, and my mother and Andre cooperated to seize power. My own life was messed up. Can't tell the gods to care about others.

I almost forgot Zhao Yuan, but he obviously didn't forget me.

When I returned to the capital, the wound on my chest that had been pierced hadn’t healed, and I spent the whole day recuperating in the Songcheng house doing nothing.Thoughts of vengeance lingered in my mind, intensified, making me angry again and again at my own incompetence.

Until one evening, I received a call, and the person on the other end asked, "Xiao Yan, how are you doing recently?"

He didn't speak fast, and his tone of voice was very different from before.The interval was too long, and I didn't recognize him for a while, but not many people called me "Xiaoyan", so I quickly reacted: "Brother Yuan?"

"It's me." He always gave me a strange sense of familiarity when he spoke, "I want to find you to cooperate with me on something. If you are interested, you can come to my side for an interview."

He didn't say what it was on the phone. I suffered too much, so I instinctively rejected this kind of half-tested and half-tested olive branch, and excused that I didn't feel well recently.Zhao Yuan didn't force it. Before ending the conversation, I suddenly remembered where this sense of familiarity came from. Holding the phone, I said, "Wait...Brother Yuan, I...actually recovered almost. When are you free?"

He smiled: "At nine o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, I'll send someone to pick you up."

The phone hung up, and I didn't get back to my senses for a long time.

Every time I made an inappropriate choice at a critical moment, but I thought, this time maybe I won't make another mistake.

After all... Zhao Yuan and his father who often appeared on TV had almost the same tone of voice.