vstars Chapter 333 Li Zhen Enters Beijing
Chapter 333 Li Zhen Enters Beijing
Li Zhen carefully escorted the mother and son back to their beloved hometown. The moment the two elderly people saw their long-awaited grandson, they instantly forgot all about Li Zhen's troubles. Faced with this heartwarming yet slightly helpless scene, Li Zhen and Zhao Yingluo exchanged a smile, a smile tinged with bitterness and relief. Ultimately, they could only shake their heads helplessly, as if tacitly accepting this brief interlude in their lives, temporarily dominated by familial affection.
On his way home, Li Zhen slowly dialed Fang Zhen's number. A rapid, rhythmic busy tone filled his ears: "Beep beep beep... beep beep beep..." Finally, a familiar voice came from the other end, tinged with surprise and teasing: "Hey, boss, you finally showed up! You didn't even know..."
Upon his return, Li Zhen paid special attention to the mysteries of time's passage. More than four months had passed since his accidental journey to the Northern Song Dynasty. According to this world's timekeeping, time seemed to flow leisurely; yet, he had spent three long years in that distant dynasty. This time travel was like a path shrouded in mist, both mysterious and perplexing. Li Zhen pondered to himself, what secrets lay hidden within this temporal dislocation?
Li Zhen: "Alright, alright, I know things aren't going well for you here, but I'm back now."
After checking his phone's location, Li Zhen continued, "I'll be at the company in about half an hour. Let's talk when we meet."
After Li Zhen finished speaking, the other end of the phone went silent, leaving only the echoing busy tone. Without hesitation, he stepped on the gas, and the car sped along the empty, straight highway like an arrow, leaving behind a trail of whispering wind.
The moment Li Zhen stepped into the office, he noticed Fang Zhen and Cao Hua had been waiting for him for some time. Cao Hua looked helpless, his teasing tone tinged with sincerity: "Mr. Li, you really are a wanderer, your whereabouts are unpredictable. For four months, I haven't even seen a shadow of you. To find you, I even used my friends in the underworld, but they returned my money without a word and even said they wouldn't take any work related to you in the future."
Hearing Cao Hua's words, Li Zhen could only smile. He knew that this was definitely the work of that person in the capital, and it could be considered a way of protecting himself.
Li Zhenchao nodded slightly to Fang Zhen, his voice carrying an undeniable composure: "There is 120 pounds of gold lying in the trunk of my car right now. You can arrange for someone to quietly retrieve it later, sell it, and deposit the proceeds directly into the company account as a special fund for the future purchase of various materials."
Upon hearing this, Cao Hua involuntarily raised his voice, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes: "How much? You mean, more than a hundred catties of gold?"
Li Zhen smiled slightly, his tone still calm: "Indeed, over a hundred pounds of pure gold, quite substantial."
Cao Hua's admiration for Li Zhen was now like a flowing river, endless and boundless. In his eyes, gold, such a precious metal, was always priced by the gram and was extremely valuable. Yet Li Zhen seemed to handle it with ease, producing over a hundred pounds of heavy gold in a single stroke. How could this scene not shock him?
Little did they know, within the mysterious space controlled by Li Zhen lay a treasure trove of gold weighing nearly a ton. It lay there quietly, alongside countless dazzling gold and silver jewels and lustrous jade stones, forming a breathtaking world of wealth. If these treasures were converted into money at current market prices, it would be an astronomical figure that would shake the soul and leave everyone speechless.
However, Li Zhen had no intention of easily revealing this wealth to others, nor did he ever think of converting it into cash through Cao Hua. Returning this time, he harbored great ambitions, intending to go to the capital and use these precious treasures to weave a grander scheme and plan.
After Li Zhen carefully handed the gold he had brought to Fang Zhen, Fang Zhen warmly led him to a row of warehouses. As the heavy warehouse doors slowly opened, a dozen warehouses came into view, filled with mountains of grain and various supplies, almost overflowing the solid walls.
Fang Zhen looked worried and explained, "These reserves have been full since last month. I'm afraid that if this goes on for too long, some of the supplies will inevitably be damaged or spoiled, which is why I'm so anxious to call you here."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhen felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He affectionately embraced Fang Zhen and Cao Hua, who was standing beside him, and smiled warmly and sincerely: "You two must have worked hard and made great contributions over the past few months. Today at noon, I will host a meal for you two. You can choose the place yourself. I will make sure you have a good nourishing meal, which will be a small consolation for your hard work."
The next morning, before the first rays of sunlight had fully pierced the sky, Li Zhen was already comfortably seated on the high-speed train speeding towards Beijing. Although Z City and Beijing were only a few hours' drive apart, entering the capital was far from simple. Leaving aside the cumbersome process of obtaining a Beijing entry permit, the city's notoriously difficult odd-even license plate restriction policy alone was enough to deter many aspiring drivers. After all, Beijing's traffic congestion was notorious and daunting.
This high-speed rail journey, lasting only an hour and forty minutes, felt like a gentle leap through time. The night before, Li Zhen, Cao Hua, and Fang Zhen had enjoyed drinks and conversation, and before they knew it, the plates and glasses were scattered, and time had slipped away unnoticed. Slightly tipsy, Li Zhen seemed to have just drifted off to sleep when he was gently awakened by the smiling, enthusiastic train attendant, who informed him that they had safely arrived at their final destination. The brevity of the journey and the length of the dream intertwined at that moment, creating a warm yet slightly dreamlike scene.
After leaving the high-speed rail station, Li Zhen hailed a taxi, as if it were a bridge for his first encounter with the capital city. A considerable distance lies between the high-speed rail station and the inner city of Beijing, and even with smooth traffic, his taxi journey quietly slipped by for nearly an hour.
For Li Zhen, Beijing was a completely new world, and his destination was the renowned National Flag Square. Although he had long missed the solemn flag-raising ceremony, the square was still bustling with people, tourists coming and going, their smiling faces captured in front of cameras alongside the national flag. Li Zhen strolled through it, his steps light and aimless, as if every inch of the land held a story, waiting for him to listen and feel.
He spent the entire morning immersed in the historical landscape of the Forbidden City. Every brick and tile of those red walls and yellow tiles told a story of past glory and vicissitudes. Bathed in sunlight, he wandered among the palaces, time slipping away unnoticed. By noon, ravenously hungry, he was led to another unmissable attraction in Beijing—a series of renowned Peking duck restaurants, where perhaps a different flavor and charm of the capital could be found.