Chapter 41 Gui Fan

Chapter 41 Homeward Bound

Lu Guifan arrived at the corner store across the street with only six-fifty in his pocket. He remembered Jiang Ruotang liked soda, so he grabbed a can of cola.

When he went to buy a bag of chips, he realized he didn’t have enough money.

He rummaged through his coat pocket again and found a single coin.

Suddenly recalling that this coin had been given to him by Jiang Ruotang, Lu Guifan put it back in his pocket.

In the end, he only bought a pack of spicy gluten strips.

Returning home, Lu Guifan sat in his room staring at the can of cola, suddenly feeling foolish.

Nearly half an hour later, his phone rang, and Jiang Ruotang’s voice came through from the other end.

“Class monitor, come down and help us… we can’t move this… Whoa! Xiao Gao, this thing's alive!”

Lu Guifan froze for a second before hurrying downstairs, only to find Xiao Gao’s trunk filled with all sorts of things.

“What’s all this…?” Lu Guifan asked.

Jiang Ruotang looked at Xiao Gao, who explained, “Ah, these are bamboo shoots Director Jiang dug up while fishing in the mountains, these are foraged greens he picked, and these are the fish he caught…”

“What’s in this sack?” Jiang Ruotang asked again.

Xiao Gao planted his hands on his hips, exasperated. “Lotus roots dug from the pond… Sister Juan has already fried enough lotus root patties to last a week, and I’m already breaking out from all the fried food…”

Jiang Ruotang gave Lu Guifan a light push. “Your family will have to take these… When my dad goes fishing, he only cares about catching them, not whether his friends and family can actually eat it all.”

Xiao Gao sighed. “Even Old Master Qin said he won’t take any more fish. These are grass carp—too many bones, easy for the elderly to choke on.”

“…Thank you,” Lu Guifan said.

Xiao Gao shook his head. “No, I should be thanking you. It’d be a shame to throw these away, but we can’t finish them at home, and I couldn’t find anyone else to take them… Since your family is willing to accept them, I can finally clear out my trunk.”

Lu Guifan quickly called his parents down, and together they hauled everything upstairs.

“Wow… so much…”

Lu’s father and mother exchanged glances, both pleased and a little at a loss.

Pleased, of course, because these things could slightly ease their financial burden, but at a loss because they weren’t sure how to repay Jiang Ruotang’s kindness.

Xiao Gao noticed and walked over to Lu’s father, whispering, “Don’t overthink it. I grew up in Gao Village by the Cheng River. When I was a kid, I used to fish with people from your Lu Village—we might’ve even swum together!”

Hearing they were from back home, Lu’s father felt an instant connection.

“Ruotang’s family really can’t finish all this. They always share with friends,” Xiao Gao added.

Only then did the couple nod, feeling deeply grateful to both Jiang Ruotang and Xiao Gao.

Xiao Gao turned to Jiang Ruotang. “You stay here. Call me when you’re ready to go home. I’m gonna go wash the car first.”

“Mm, got it!” Jiang Ruotang gave Xiao Gao an OK sign.

After carrying everything into the kitchen, the couple began discussing how to prepare the ingredients.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruotang was slowly making his way up the stairs, while Lu Guifan walked a few steps ahead before turning back to look at him. “Sorry, I wish we had an elevator.”

“Huh?” Jiang Ruotang looked up at him, confused. “What’s there to apologize for? Aside from P.E. class, this is the only time I get to exercise—working against gravity!”

“I could also carry you up on my shoulder,” Lu Guifan said.

Jiang Ruotang planted his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “Don’t tell me… you’re serious?”

“I am.”

“No way!” Jiang Ruotang patted his stomach. “Zhao Zhangfeng once carried me downstairs, and I almost threw up on him!”

Lu Guifan’s lips quirked slightly before he turned and climbed a few more steps.

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head slightly, watching his back, thought to himself: Actually, I’d like it if you carried me.

Finally inside the apartment, they heard Lu Guifan’s parents discussing in the kitchen.

“The foraged greens and bamboo shoots can be made into spring rolls, the fish can be dried into preserved fish or turned into fish balls, and the lotus roots can be made into lotus root sandwiches or lotus root patties…”

“There’s so much here, enough to last our family over half a month…”

“Ruotang, since you brought all this food, why don’t you stay for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, let Uncle and Auntie show you what we can do!”

“Awesome!” Jiang Ruotang grinned, his eyes curving into crescents.

Lu Guifan led Jiang Ruotang into his room to study together.

“Today… did something good happen?” Lu Guifan asked.

Jiang Ruotang glanced sideways at him. “You noticed?”

“Mm.” Lu Guifan nodded.

“Well, I’ve been taking on a big challenge, and today I reached a breakthrough—taking down a lieutenant who was charging ahead for the big boss.”

His eyes shone with quiet pride and joy.

Lu Guifan caught his enthusiasm, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

He knew Jiang Ruotang wasn’t talking about a video game, but whether in games or real-life battles, he was happy as long as Jiang Ruotang won.

After solving a few problems, Jiang Ruotang got stuck. Lu Guifan tried explaining in several different ways, but Jiang Ruotang just couldn’t grasp it.

The earlier excitement had drained from him, and he was starting to doubt his own intelligence.

“Take a break first, clear your mind. I’ll think of another way to explain it.”

“Oh, okay.” Jiang Ruotang picked up his pen and began doodling absently on scrap paper.

Lu Guifan propped his chin on his hand, working out precisely where Jiang Ruotang was stuck.

After a while, Lu Guifan turned to say something but found Jiang Ruotang had fallen asleep on the scratch paper, his face pillowed on his arm, the pen still dangling in his other hand.

Lu Guifan leaned forward bit by bit until he was also lying on the table, eye-level with Jiang Ruotang. From this angle, he could see Jiang Ruotang’s closed eyes and peaceful expression.

He raised his hand, his fingers gently sweeping aside Jiang Ruotang’s bangs, framing his boyish features. Before he realized it, his fingers were already resting against Jiang Ruotang’s cheek—warm and yielding, proof positive that the person before him wasn’t a dream but flesh and blood.

Time passed unnoticed. Jiang Ruotang’s phone vibrated in his pocket. His lashes trembled, and he scrubbed at his face as consciousness returned.

"Mmm... How come you didn't wake me up when I fell asleep...?"

"I was gonna when you woke up on your own."

As Jiang Ruotang reached for his phone, Lu Guifan noticed the sketch on the draft paper was actually of him.

Though just a few simple strokes, they captured Lu Guifan's profile, his bangs, and those classic black-framed glasses—gentle and lovely.

The message on Jiang Ruotang's phone was from Sister Juan, asking if he was coming back for dinner. He replied that he was having dinner at a friend's house.

When he looked up again, he saw Lu Guifan holding the draft paper up to the light, leaning back in his chair with a focused expression, as if studying it closely.

Jiang Ruotang felt like a kid caught doodling in class and was about to explain himself when Lu Guifan suddenly asked, "Can you... draw yourself?"

"Huh?" Jiang Ruotang didn’t understand why he was asking.

"Famous painters like Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso—they all have self-portraits, don’t they?"

"Ah... drawing myself... feels a bit narcissistic."

"Does it?"

For some reason, Jiang Ruotang thought Lu Guifan’s "Does it?" sounded a little lonely.

"Let’s focus on the problem first," Jiang Ruotang gave him an elbow nudge.

Before they knew it, it was dinnertime. At Lu’s mother’s call of "Time to eat!", Jiang Ruotang’s stomach let out a loud growl—so perfectly timed that Lu Guifan couldn’t help but laugh.

Lu Guifan picked up the cola from the corner of the table and tapped it lightly against Jiang Ruotang’s forehead. "Here, drink this. Want some spicy jerkies too?"

"Huh? Cola? Spicy jerkies?" Jiang Ruotang took them and examined them before handing the spicy jerkies back. "Is this just for tutoring sessions? Then save the spicy jerkies for me—that way I’ll have a reason to come back next time."

Lu Guifan’s lips parted slightly. *You don’t need any reason to come.*

Jiang Ruotang took the cola out of the room and his eyes widened at the spread on the table. "It smells amazing!"

The fish head and tofu soup had simmered to a milky white, with tender fish balls floating inside.

There were also crispy spring rolls filled with wild vegetables and bamboo shoots.

The stir-fried lotus root cubes made his mouth water.

And most astonishingly, Lu’s parents had even made stir-fried fish noodles!

"Uncle, Auntie, do you have cups? Let’s share the cola."

"It’s just one can, Xiao Jiang—you drink it. We don’t mind!"

"Cola’s called 'happy soda'—how can I be the only one happy? And definitely not the only one getting fat! Real happiness is sharing it with everyone!"

Lu’s mother laughed and fetched cups. Jiang Ruotang cracked open the can and poured a little for everyone.

"Class President, cheers!" Jiang Ruotang tapped his plastic cup against Lu Guifan’s thermos.

"Cheers."

Lu Guifan heard the bubbles fizzing in the cola, popping one after another just before reaching the air.

This was the first time in his life he’d ever shared a can of cola with someone.

"Xiao Jiang, you’re at home now—no need to call him 'Class President.' It sounds too formal," Lu’s father said.

"Then what should I call him?" Jiang Ruotang deliberately turned to Lu Guifan.

"Gui Fan. Just call him Gui Fan," Lu’s mother said with a smile.

Lu Guifan’s grip on his cup tightened. From freshman to sophomore year, he’d heard Jiang Ruotang say his full name impatiently or indifferently. Now he called him "Class President," or "Master" when teasing him. But "Gui Fan" carried an inexplicable, unspoken intimacy.

"Eh? Really? Can I?"

Jiang Ruotang leaned in again.

Lu Guifan knew—this guy was trying to mess with him again.

"Guess not, huh. The Class President isn’t nodding."

Jiang Ruotang pulled back and focused on skewering a fish ball, licking his lips.

Lu Guifan lowered his eyes and took a sip of cola.

"You can call him 'Little Boat,'" Lu’s father suddenly suggested.

Lu Guifan, unusually quick to protest, replied quickly, "Dad... that’s a childhood nickname. No one’s called me that since elementary school!"

But Jiang Ruotang was intrigued. "Why? Why’s your nickname 'Little Boat'?"

"Because he grew up with his grandpa. Grandpa used to take him fishing on Cheng River, carrying him on his back. Every time he saw the caught fish or birds on the water, he’d kick his legs with excitement. But the moment they got ashore, he’d start crying. Grandpa said he loved riding the fishing boat, so he nicknamed him 'Little Boat.'"

"Oh, I see." Jiang Ruotang shot a look at Lu Guifan, finally understanding why he treasured the glasses his grandpa had given him.

Just as Lu Guifan reached for a spring roll, Jiang Ruotang suddenly leaned in and teased, "Little Boat, Little Boat, Little Boat!"

Lu Guifan had expected this. He raised his other hand to cover Jiang Ruotang’s chattering mouth—but then he heard a soft, quick "Gui Fan."

Light as a skipping stone.

It felt like his heart had been snatched up and carried into the sky.

His chopsticks trembled, nearly dropping the spring roll, but he just barely saved it.

"You can call me Ruo Tang too," Jiang Ruotang said, like he was telling on him to Lu’s parents. "Uncle, Auntie, whenever the Class President calls me by my full name during tutoring, I feel like I’m about to get in trouble."

Lu Guifan bit into the spring roll with a satisfying crunch, thinking to himself: *You liar. I’m always careful when I say your name.*

Because I never want to see you sad or upset.

Strangely, this meal temporarily eased Lu’s parents’ anxiety about unemployment. They kept laughing and chatting with Jiang Ruotang the whole time.

Lu’s father told stories about fishing on Cheng River as a child, while Lu’s mother bragged about being "the white dart of the Cheng River." Jiang Ruotang listened, clearly envious, already planning to go there to sketch someday.

After dinner, Lu Guifan helped his parents clear the table and wash dishes. Jiang Ruotang tried to follow and assist, but Lu Guifan bopped him on the forehead. "Go back to the room and get back to your homework. I’ll go over them when I’m finished here. Finish your homework early so Xiao Gao won't have to come too late to pick you up."

"Alright..."

Xiao Gao came to pick up Jiang Ruotang at ten that night. After seeing him off, Lu Guifan returned to his room and started sorting through the draft papers Jiang Ruotang had left behind.

Underneath them all, his breath caught. In the corner of one sheet was a tiny self-portrait of Jiang Ruotang—bonking himself on the head with a pen in frustration over a problem. It was... really cute, strangely touching.

This was clearly Jiang Ruotang’s response to Lu Guifan’s question about self-portraits.

On the very next day at noon, Jiang Ruotang received a phone call. Zhao Yunshu personally came to pick him up by car, saying she wanted to take Jiang Ruotang to meet someone—Zheng Huasheng.

Hearing this, Jiang Ruotang felt both excited and nervous. It seemed this was the "agent" Zhao Yunshu had found for him.

They met at a teahouse.

At first glance, Jiang Ruotang thought Zheng Huasheng was a university professor. He wore thin black-framed glasses, appeared to be in his fifties, and had a refined, scholarly demeanor that instantly made him likable.

After Zhao Yunshu’s introduction, Jiang Ruotang learned that Zheng Huasheng had once worked as a financial specialist at a listed company. At the age of thirty-two, he encountered robbers attempting to steal his boss’s laptop and security token. In the struggle, he was injured in the leg.

Jiang Ruotang’s gaze drifted downward, and sure enough, he spotted a cane resting beside Zheng Huasheng’s seat.

Of course, the laptop and USB key were saved, and Zheng Huasheng earned the deep trust of the company’s owner, eventually rising to the position of finance director.

Two years ago, the owner retired. As the saying goes, "New management brings new staff." The new leadership wanted to install their own people, and though Zheng Huasheng was still in his prime, he chose to step down gracefully.

In other words, this Mr. Zheng seemed to perfectly match Jiang Ruotang’s needs—both in experience and character.

Moreover, he was tight-lipped. Despite the new leadership not valuing him, he never spoke ill of them after leaving.

Zheng Huasheng smiled faintly. "I’ve heard from Zhao Yunshu about you—that despite your youth, you’re clever and full of ideas. Even so, I have to say, helping a kid manage assets worth 10 or 20 million doesn't particularly appeal to me."

Zhao Yunshu, realizing they were about to discuss specifics, started to excuse herself, but Jiang Ruotang gently caught her wrist.

"I’m not asking Mr. Zheng to help me launder money. Of course, you can stay and listen."

Zhao Yunshu froze for a moment. As she sat back down, a hint of approval for Jiang Ruotang flashed in Zheng Huasheng’s eyes before he quickly hid it.

To him, this kid was more transparent than he’d expected.

"The assets I need you to manage amount to 80 million. This is the savings accumulated by my grandfather and his ancestors, so it’s extremely important to me. I don’t want to squander it recklessly—I'd prefer to see it grow. Though I’m young, I hope Mr. Zheng can trust some of my judgments, even if they sound arbitrary."

"Oh? Young people’s ideas may seem imaginative, but sometimes they can find new approaches. Would you mind sharing your thoughts with me?"

Zheng Huasheng asked with a smile.

This wasn’t just Zheng Huasheng testing Jiang Ruotang—Jiang Ruotang also wanted to see if they shared any common ground.

Jiang Ruotang pulled out a map of Sheng City from his pocket, unfolded it, and spread it between himself and Zheng Huasheng. His finger landed on the very top corner—the hardly visible Chengjiang tidal flats.

Zheng Huasheng’s gaze grew more serious as he studied Jiang Ruotang’s eyes. "You want this?"

"Is that not allowed?" Jiang Ruotang countered.

"It’s not that it’s not allowed, but the situation isn’t clear enough yet. There’s risk involved." Zheng Huasheng immediately grasped what Jiang Ruotang was thinking.

"But I’d bet that if you had even a fifth of my assets, Mr. Zheng, you’d want to take a bite here too. And this so-called ‘high risk’ is mostly apparent—it’s almost certain."

For a moment, Zhao Yunshu couldn’t decipher the unspoken understanding between the two.

But Jiang Ruotang and Zheng Huasheng both knew they were referring to the new district development plan for Chengjiang’s tidal flats.

Zheng Huasheng hadn’t expected Jiang Ruotang to understand him so well. *This kid is interesting*, he thought.

"You’ll need to give me something to make me believe in your judgment," Zheng Huasheng said. "Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, I won’t fix the mess from some impulsive young man’s decisions."

"Then… what does Mr. Zheng need from me?"

Given Zheng Huasheng’s professional history, he’d never demanded company shares or similar benefits at his previous company. So with Jiang Ruotang—a "kid"—he certainly wouldn’t ask for company shares.

Jiang Ruotang met Zheng Huasheng’s gaze unflinchingly, seeing in his eyes the weight of experience and a weariness Jiang Ruotang recognized.

—What Zheng Huasheng wanted was a partner who shares his vision, someone with foresight who wouldn’t get bogged down in office politics.

Zheng Huasheng took a slow sip of tea before speaking. "Have you heard that Huachen Motors’ acquisition is nearing completion?"

"Yes," Jiang Ruotang nodded.

Zheng Huasheng continued, "Right now, the leading contender with the highest bid is Long Ming Group. Though Long Ming started in real estate, they’ve long wanted to enter the household car industry. Do you think Long Ming can outbid Feng Teng Motors—currently in second place—and successfully acquire Huachen Motors?"

Jiang Ruotang was momentarily stunned. *So this is Zheng Huasheng’s test for me?*

*This is too lucky.*

In his past life, Long Ming’s acquisition of Huachen had been industry-defining news. Though Jiang Ruotang wasn’t following the deal closely, the outcome was so unexpected that the adults around him couldn’t stop talking about it—making it impossible for him to forget.

Even Lin Chengdong had lost a significant investment by betting on Long Ming’s victory.

As for the inside story and secrets behind it all, the person who had truly broken it down for Jiang Ruotang was… Lu Guifan.

Ten years later, when Jiang Ruotang was hospitalized, Lu Guifan had been busy following his supervisor’s lead in developing batteries for an electric vehicle, working nonstop. Jiang Ruotang hadn’t seen him in person for an entire month.

And Jiang Ruotang had a habit—whatever Lu Guifan was working on, he’d study it too, just so they could chat a little before bed.

That was how, out of sheer boredom, he’d come across the history of Huachen Motors.

"Lu Guifan, why did a well-established private enterprise like Huachen collapse back then? Online sources say it had a strong market share in developing countries overseas and mature production lines. By all logic, Huachen’s owner should’ve been making easy money!"

"Family-owned businesses like this are most vulnerable to infighting during leadership transitions. Siblings sabotaging each other—just like how people in my hometown, Chengtan, fought fiercely over demolition compensation. Once the funding dries up, the outcome becomes uncontrollable."

Lu Guifan’s voice had been calm, unhurried, and with quiet amusement—an irreplaceable comfort to Jiang Ruotang.

"Oh—so when Huachen Motors fell from grace, it instantly became a highly desirable acquisition, with countless major corporations competing to acquire it. I read online that Long Ming Group made the highest bid back then, so why did Huachen Motors end up as a subsidiary under Feng Teng Motors instead?"

Lu Guifan had laughed softly, and Jiang Ruotang could still remember the warm tone of his voice through the phone.

"Foolish one, have you ever heard of ‘besieging Wei to rescue Zhao’?"

"Oh? You mean Huachen Motors is Wei—then who’s Zhao?"

Lu Guifan replied, "Yixin Electronics Technology."