novelraw Chapter 35 Old Li is pretty formidable!
Chapter 35 Old Li is pretty formidable!
Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong Island
The 27th floor penthouse duplex of the 9th phase of the Guanhai Terrace residential complex.
This is described as a 1,200-square-foot luxury apartment, but in mainland China, it's actually only 118 square meters.
But because it's a duplex, the space is still quite spacious.
In Hong Kong, where land is incredibly valuable, this is already a rare find.
Li Shuo stretched and gazed at the sea view of Quarry Bay Park downstairs for a while before turning around and looking around from the floor-to-ceiling window.
According to his father, Li Mingyao, the house was bought for nearly HK$83 million in 200 when they were temporarily living on Hong Kong Island in preparation for his birth.
In his previous life, after learning from a young age that his mother had died in childbirth, Li Shuo subconsciously developed a deep obsession with this place.
As I grew a little older, I always wanted to come here to see things and find some traces of my mother's past, but my father always had an excuse to refuse.
Later, after being released from the Singapore Juvenile Detention Center, I came here to recuperate with my injuries... and finally I was able to come to this house.
He searched everywhere but couldn't find a single trace related to his mother.
He had a heated argument with his father about this at the time.
But no matter what questions are asked?
The father finally replied in a hoarse voice, "They were all burned, and the ashes...were scattered at sea."
Now that he's been reborn, Li Shuo thinks more and more about how incredibly stupid and obsessed he was back then!
So persistent for a shadow that has never appeared.
If you truly care about your son, there's nothing you can do if he really "passes away," so just remember him with fond memories.
But if someone is alive but never shows up, then why bother caring about them?
The most important thing is that his healthy and robust father, Li Mingyao, is doing well, standing in the kitchen making him noodles with soybean paste.
Thump, thump, thump.
The crisp, clean sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen.
Li Mingyao, a tall man standing at 1.9 meters, was wearing a plaid cotton apron and was focused on slicing cucumber, radish, and egg crepe strips in the kitchen, his knife skills were even and fine.
The rich aroma of the fried sauce wafted out from the pot with a sizzling sound.
Li Shuo watched his father's back. In fact, if it weren't for his son's "bad luck" causing Old Li to try to make amends and smooth things over, his mindset and judgment would have been ruined.
Based on the experiences described by my grandparents and aunts, my dad was really quite amazing...
Born in 55, Li Mingyao was strikingly handsome and incredibly mischievous from a young age.
Back then, my aunt told me that he was the king of the kids in the compound, quick-witted but never using his intelligence for "proper" purposes.
In the early 1980s, while his peers were scrambling for stable jobs, he followed his childhood friends and plunged into the most looked-down-upon "vegetable basket" business in Beijing, earning him the nickname "Li the Vegetable Head."
Who would have thought that with his reckless boldness and vision, he would actually build a decent business?
When he finally made his first "big pot of gold," he was beaming with pride and his whole body trembled with arrogance.
In early 83, he suddenly went south to Hong Kong Island at great expense. When he returned, he had Li Shuo wrapped in swaddling clothes in his arms.
After that, he devoted himself to raising his son with the help of his family.
He toned down his arrogance, but his drive remained undiminished, and he pursued wealth almost obsessively.
His family felt that he had suffered a tremendous shock, but they didn't want to ask him for details.
Back then, Beijing experienced a "vegetable shortage during the off-season" for several consecutive years!
Later, the market was officially opened up, and dishes from other regions were welcomed.
Li Mingyao used his background and previous experience to establish a trading company, organizing the import of vegetables from several major provinces to Beijing.
During the support window, we quickly established exclusive agreements with production areas and invested in and expanded wholesale markets in Beijing and several surrounding provinces.
By the early 90s, the company had already controlled a significant proportion of the distribution channels, and its father's company was an important behind-the-scenes bulk trading firm in the city's "vegetable basket."
Then came the "disintegration of the Russian bear"!
For most people, this was just a news headline. Li Mingyao first led a group south to tour the market, and then went north alone to a cold country that was in turmoil at the time.
During that period, his family lived in fear, feeling that the more money he had, the "crazier" he became.
But when he returned, weary from his journey, he brought back contracts that could shake the industry and distribution channels from the Russians.
Now, Li Shuo realizes that the stories of "speculators" getting rich overnight that circulated on the streets in those days were just the tip of the iceberg.
His father, Li Mingyao, is one of the silent, moving giant whales hidden beneath the iceberg of the deep sea.
That opportunity allowed his already substantial wealth to leap to levels unimaginable to ordinary people.
He then used the profits to strengthen his product category, warehousing, and transportation network in China.
You know... this is the "1.0 version" of a large-scale supply chain logistics system that Old Li developed back in the 90s!
It's a pity... Dad went from not caring about it at all, to stopping, to gradually shrinking back, and then almost "disappearing" from the moment Li Shuo had his accident in Singapore.
In 1998, he had a large amount of cash flow, but because of his only son's messy behavior, he ended up in a juvenile prison in Singapore, which caused the father to miss many good opportunities...
"Hey~ What are you thinking about? The noodles are ready!"
His father's deep voice pulled Li Shuo from his memories. Li Mingyao carried two bowls of noodles with soybean paste to the table, topped with brightly colored vegetables and emitting a rich aroma of sauce. He casually took off his apron.
"Hurry up and try it...you haven't had this in a while, have you?"
Li Shuo sat down, picked up his chopsticks, slurped a big mouthful into his mouth, and gave his father a thumbs up as he chewed!
"I had to go to Beijing to take care of some things. I took a very late flight back last night. I saw you were asleep, so I didn't wake you up."
Li Mingyao sat down, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and casually remarked, "Anyway, you don't need to worry anymore. This time, everything's cleared up. Your father used to have some conflicts with a chamber of commerce in the peninsula while he was in Russia, but this time he found a middleman there to resolve it."
Li Shuo knew that he had actually gone to the peninsula in person and rushed back. He glanced at his father's travel-worn face and saw several lingering scratches under his stubble.
He paused, not saying anything, but just thinking to himself: Okay... if you say it's okay, then it's okay.
"Ha! You still don't believe me? Anyway, from now on, you should focus on your studies and your creative work in China!"
As he spoke, Li Mingyao subconsciously touched the stubble on his chin... "Hiss~!"
"That's perfect!"
Li Shuo seized the opportunity to speak: "There's something I want to discuss with you. I have an experimental independent film idea, with a small budget. I made some money selling song licenses this time, and I'd like to film it in the United States."
"Going abroad again?" Li Mingyao frowned slightly. "What about your school here?"
"I want to transfer to Hong Kong Island International School, which is a day school for taking the Joint Entrance Examination anyway. Also, my second aunt recommended a school, and their company has shares in it... If my grades and interview performance are good, they will be more lenient about taking leave."
"Then I'll cancel some of my plans and go to America with you." Li Mingyao put down his chopsticks and looked at his son.
"Please don't!" Li Shuo quickly waved his hand. "Dad, you go ahead with your work. You know that Hong Kong diva Cheng Sau-man who wrote a few songs for me, right? She arranged for me to meet with some senior figures in the film industry later. There are also filmmakers from Hong Kong in America, everything will be arranged... it's like a trip."
Li Mingyao looked at his son, wanting to say something more.
"It'll only be for two weeks, don't worry," Li Shuo said casually but firmly.
"You go about your business and just wait for me to come back."
Seeing his son's resolute attitude, Li Mingyao shook his head and smiled.
"Okay. Just tell me if you need anything. Dad has friends in America, I'll put in a word with them, so you can easily find someone nearby if you need anything, and also..."
"Okay, okay! I'll just take a shower and change my clothes and then head out; it's almost time for our appointment."
Li Shuo finished his noodles in a few bites and pushed the bowl away.
"What's the rush? We just finished eating." Before Li Mingyao could finish speaking, his son had already dashed into the bathroom.
At the taxi stand where Li Shuo was standing, young office ladies, whether queuing or passing by, would frequently glance at him.
Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, and it was his turn soon.
"To the Sai Wan Cargo Terminal, please."
The taxi driver was a middle-aged man. He glanced at the handsome young man with a particularly good temperament in the rearview mirror, but didn't ask any questions. He skillfully turned on the meter, turned the turn, and merged into the dense traffic of Hong Kong Island in the afternoon.
Li Shuo leaned against the car door, watching the buildings rushing past the window, thinking about the director he was going to meet later.
I thought Zheng Xiuwen would arrange a meeting with Johnnie To, but I never expected it to be him!
They even arranged to meet on a ship…