Before the dinner was over, Xin Qi and Min Hui left the hall with their children.

After all, Su Quan had a major operation not long ago, and Su Quan's body was still weak. He only drank a bowl of porridge and a few spare ribs at the dining table, and then cried out that he wanted to fall asleep. The child was leaving, and it was inconvenient for the adults to stay for a long time. Xin Qi picked up Su Quan, walked out of the hall and said to Min Hui, "Go to my apartment, I have spare rooms."

Min Hui knew that he wanted to stay with his son for a while and check the time. It was not before nine o'clock, so he nodded, "Okay. But we need to get up early tomorrow. We have a ten o'clock train."

He was slightly startled: "Didn't you say seven o'clock in the evening?"

"Sister Cao Mu wants to go back early, there is a lot of work to do before bidding."

For example: the management team has not collected enough funds, the MBO procedure is very complicated, and everyone did not expect the remaining investment to be implemented so quickly, so many specific matters need Cao Mu to go back and communicate with the AAR team in charge of the transaction. , such as law, accounting, finance, taxation, valuation, etc., cannot proceed without expert advice.

"Then I will take you to the station tomorrow." Xin Qi said.

After returning to the apartment on Financial Street, the two bathed Su Quan together. The child played in the bathtub for a while, and fell asleep soon after going to bed.

"Do you have a balcony?" Min Hui suddenly asked.

"Yes, but don't jump down."

"I just want to have a cigarette."

The balcony was huge and the wind was howling. Min Hui's lighter ran out of gas, so Xin Qi had to go back to the house to get a box of matches.

"Smoking is bad for your health."

"I don't smoke much."

After the turmoil, smoking became her vice against decadence. Before her mother died, in order to avoid her emotional breakdown, she smoked fiercely, one pack a day. She thought she could never quit. Su Tian's disappearance suddenly woke her up. Since then, she has only smoked one or two times by accident. But there is always a pack of cigarettes in the bag. There are too many male colleagues in the company, and there are many smokers. Sometimes, in order to mingle with them, I will smoke one or two cigarettes myself, which is considered a kind of entertainment.

The wind was so strong that she struck three matches without lighting.

"MayI?"

He struck the match in the opposite direction to hers, and after lighting it, he held it in a circle with the palm of his hand and handed it to her mouth. She took a breath and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air, which was immediately blown away by the wind.

He looked at her with more confusion in his eyes.

"It's foggy." She pointed to the hazy headlights under her feet.

"It's very much like New York, especially at night. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I feel confused and think I live on Wall Street." He leaned against the metal fence and looked down, "Beijing's streets are just like New York, square. The climate Pretty much the same."

"I've been in Beijing for seven years," Min Hui said.

"Almost forgot," Xin Qi laughed. "You graduated from Huaqing University. Why didn't you stay in Beijing? Don't like it?"

"I'm from the South." She turned to look at him, and the night mist seemed to fill her eyes. "I can't stand the dryness in the north."

"Which cities have you been to since then?"

"My first job was in Bencheng. At that time, I had the opportunity to stay in Beijing, but my mother was ill. Among the several offers, Guanchao paid the highest salary, and it was a medical-related project. I just felt that Interested, I went to watch the tide."

"Then - how did you meet Cheng Qirang? He was already the CTO at that time, and his position was several levels higher than you?" Xin Qi asked.

Min Hui was silent.

"I've seen various reports about your case - all of them say that the public is right, and the mother-in-law says that the mother is right. It is difficult for outsiders to judge. After all, there were only two people present at the time of the incident. During that time, you were indeed very impressed by Cheng Qirang. The re-use of the company is also rapid, and you have meetings and business trips together, so there are some guesses..."

"—That's reasonable, isn't it? He's so handsome, so talented, an executive, and Zheng Lan's son-in-law—why do you have to like me? It must be me—a poor girl from the mountains— -If you want to climb a high branch to seduce him, if you want to order something from him, if you can't get it, you will bite back, right?"

"That's not true." Xin Qi was stunned, "I just want to know what happened between you and Cheng Qirang? What kind of relationship did you have with him?"

His voice was calm, and he felt there was a good reason to ask such a question.

Her heart began to sink.

"I do not want to say."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to repeat those details over and over, just to satisfy your curiosity or supplement your knowledge. For me, every time I talk about it, it's another pain."

"..."

"About what happened to me, the media reports are simplified, the idle people are just looking for something to talk about, and the opponent uses it to make waves... And now I just want to forget it quickly and continue to live!" She took a deep breath of cigarette, "When all this happened, After that, trying to find the meaning of life and the joy of life - you know how hard it is?"

"I know, of course I know..." he murmured, "don't forget that I grew up in an orphanage."

"Then why do you still ask me?" She lit her cigarette and sneered, "Worried about being jumped by a fairy?"

"I just don't understand, since you and Cheng Qirang once went to court, and normal people have this kind of relationship and avoid it, why would he buy your company? And you, in my opinion, are smart and powerful, why would you Follow his way?"

She was dumbfounded for a while, watching the night mist slowly float up, floating between her and Xin Qi, turning into a thick gauze.

"Did you ever like each other, or was he a...ControlFreak?"

"Your subtext is: Cheng Qirang likes me. In order to get close to me and get me, he will spend a lot of money to buy Bai'an? Xin Qi, why don't you write romance novels?"

"Of course I know you're very successful in research. Well, it's not for you, it's for your project, your results, your DS1.0."

"GS1.0."

"Sorry."

"In the field of AI medical care, Guanchao started early and has worked hard for a long time. Cheng Qirang is still very knowledgeable. In recent years, Guanchao's biggest competitor is Dongli Group. He is worried that Bai'an will fall into Dongli's hands. Let your opponent take the lead in this field.”

"So, Cheng Qirang robbing Bai'an has nothing to do with feelings?"

"It's just a business."

"Understood." He glanced at her silently, abruptly took off the cigarette from her mouth, and smoked it himself.

"Hey, you can't smoke, you have a heart attack!" Min Hui shouted and reached out to grab it, but was blocked by his arm.

"It doesn't matter if you smoke one, I won't live long anyway." He smiled, probably never smoking, and coughed twice because of the cigarette. Min Hui grabbed the cigarette butt from his mouth and threw it on the ground, stepping on it hard.

"Xin Qi, if time could turn back, there would be no Su Tian between you and me..." Min Hui put her hands in her pockets, looked up at his eyes, her eyes were firm and fiery: "Will you fall in love with me?"

He refused to answer.

"If Su Tian and I stood in front of you at the same time, she never saved me, and I never owed her, who would you choose?"

"I choose Su Tian." He didn't even hesitate for a second.

"Why?" Her heart was aching for a while, "Aside from the past you shared, don't you think that I'm actually more suitable to be your girlfriend in every way?"

He was very close to her, but when he heard this, he took a step back.

"Excuse me, where did you get the confidence that you think you are better than Su Tian? Without Su Tian, ​​I might still be blind by now, or I might have been lying in the grave. Would you fall in love with someone who has a heart condition? Are you blind? It was Su Tian who accompanied me through the most difficult days in my life! It was she who made me feel like family! It was she who helped me find opportunities to change my life! It was she..." His voice began to choked , "Do you think there is only family relationship between us? No, we are in love with each other. Because of loneliness and hardship, and because we are helpless, we fall in love earlier and stupider, that's all! But that's love, it's true! I promised her that I would come back to marry her and give her a home—I knew this would happen, I shouldn’t have left in the first place, with me by her side, she wouldn’t make such a stupid decision. She wouldn’t sacrifice her life easily, Go save a brainless woman, and this woman still has the courage to say that she is more suitable than her to be my wife!" He yelled at her, "You are not suitable at all, Min Hui! You are just born. My child, I have no choice but to be good to you, because you are my son's mother. To spoil him I have to like you, to protect him I have to protect you. But there is nothing between us! Nothing! !Nothingatall!"

So all this is just pretending to make my son happy. Min Hui's heart went cold again, her face suddenly turned pale, and the blood on her face rushed to the top of her head. She thought for a while, finally smiled silently, and said softly, "You're right, I should say goodbye. Please send the child to my room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Good night."

She picked up her handbag, put on her coat, and walked away with a gust of wind.

He didn't keep her, let alone send her.

Min Hui returned to Bencheng with her son, and Bai'an's acquisition was in full swing. Among the applicants in the first round of bidding, five companies came to Bai'an to do due diligence and made initial quotations to Yuanlai. Three of them are the most powerful, namely: Guanchao International, Dongli Group, and Deep Blue Technology. On Bai'an's side, He Haixiang specially vacated a conference room as a reference room to store the company's important documents, including trade secrets, transaction secrets, sensitive share information, etc., as well as specific information and lists required by buyers. Cao Mu and Min Hui are responsible for receiving visits from various buyer teams, organizing meet-and-greets, presentations and answering their written questions. Round after round, from morning to night, busy all the time. In addition, Min Hui is also responsible for the daily work of the R&D team. Although it is not as brain-intensive as writing code, it is physically exhausting to the point of collapse.

At the same time, on the management team's side, on the last day of the deadline, He Haixiang said to everyone with a blushing face: "I finally got one million yuan, half of which was borrowed and half of which was loaned, so I can only get so much. The remaining 1.4 million, I hope everyone can help me collect it, my wife has been worn out by me, and I will definitely pay back the 1.4 million soon. "

1.4 million, spread to four people, each of them will pay 350,000. Everyone said that they couldn't get the money. He Haixiang said, "Otherwise, I will pay so much and give me less shares then?"

"It's not fair, Mr. He." Cao Mu said, "Today is the last day. If you really can't get the money, you might as well quit."

Everyone here wants to say this, but no one can open their mouths.

"But I'm really optimistic about our team! Bai'an was built by me. It has grown to this day, and it has also proved my strength. Looking at the contribution I may make to Bai'an in the future, I hope you can be cautious. Consider my suggestion carefully!" He Haixiang fought for it with red face, even a little begging in his tone.

"President He, you don't have to be too sorry," Xu Guangjian said. "In this bid, Guanchao and Dongli compete fiercely. Their strength is far greater than ours, and the odds of winning are higher. Even if our team survives to the end , and it is difficult to escape the fate of sparring."

These words were actually full of comfort, but He Haixiang's face still collapsed: "Okay, I'll quit."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, as the current general manager of Bai'an, I have to warn you: you are all executives of the company. During the acquisition, the company will maintain normal operations. Each of you has a lot of work in your hands. MBO is a private matter, please Don't take up work time."

"Of course," everyone said.

Seeing He Haixiang leave angrily, Min Hui asked, "He's gone, who will take his place?"

"Ma Xin." Cao Mu said, "I started to communicate with him after AIMax. He has an uncle who is in the coal mining business and can lend him money. For a coal boss, 2.4 million is a small amount."

Ma Xin is the personnel director of Bai'an. He usually has a good relationship with He Haixiang and is very close. He is a direct descendant of He Haixiang. But he is more ambitious, so he can't be said to be loyal.

"I'm a little worried." Min Hui raised her hand and said, "Cheng Qirang once threatened me twice, saying that the acquisition of Bai'an, Guanchao International is determined to win. Do you think the 132 million offer is enough?"

"Enough." Yan Chengli said, "AAR gave us an estimate of only 90 million."

"90 million? Too conservative?" Xu Guangjian said.

"Cheng Qirang is a very pragmatic man. He won't waste money and take advantage of it. Threatening you is just to make us retreat." Cao Mu said, "But to be on the safe side, maybe we can raise the price a little bit. "

"How much?"

"162 million, so there is a better chance of winning."

"With 30 million more, who should I go to?" Yan Chengli asked.

"Let's try BBG's Xin Qi first." Cao Mu said, "He has heard Min Hui's report and expressed interest. He has a lot of money, Min Hui, why don't you give him a call?"

Min Hui was embarrassed for a while, shrugged and said, "Sister Cao, we have already rejected him once, why are we embarrassed to go to him again?"

"He's a businessman and doesn't care about that."

"But"

"You try it first. If it doesn't work, I'll ask President Xie of Fenglin Capital to see if he can add a little more."

"I..." Min Hui lowered her head, "Okay."

After returning from Beijing, Min Hui and Xin Qi have been in a state of cold war.

No phone, no WeChat, and no video. She tried her best to spend time alone with Su Quan outdoors. Even when he went to sleep, he first coaxed Su Quan to fall asleep in his own bedroom, and then carried his sleeping son to the room with the camera to avoid "talking in the air" with Xin Qi.

Gradually, she found that her worries were superfluous. At the other end of the camera, Xin Qi's voice was never heard again.

After two weeks, she learned from a conversation with Yunlu that the BBG Asia-Pacific branch has begun to fully relocate from Beijing to Bincheng. All departments are recruiting troops, and Xin Qi himself has been living quietly. come over.

"Where does he live?" Min Hui asked curiously.

"Park Hyatt Hotel." Yun Lu said, "There have been a lot of things happening recently. He often runs between Beijing and Bencheng. He even went to Singapore and New York a few days ago."

"Um."

"Ethan misses Quanquan very much, and he often videotapes with him during the day. It's just that I've been too busy with work recently, and I haven't had time to come and see him in person."

So he is also trying to avoid her as much as possible...

The next morning, Min Hui called Xin Qi. After three calls, a cold voice came from there: "Hello."

"Xin Qi, I'm Min Hui."

"Hello."

"I heard from Yunlu that you have moved to Bencheng?"

"Um."

"You are welcome to come and visit Su Quan at any time."

"Um."

"I'm looking for you because of Bai'an."

"Say."

"Sister Cao Mu asked me to ask you, are you interested in investing 30 million in our Bai'an MBO? We are about to submit a proposal. Currently, the competition is fierce, and we are worried that the quotation is not high enough."

"Min Hui, last time I saw Mr. Cao, what did I say, you forgot?" Xin Qi said lightly.

"I have a bad memory, what did you say, tell me again?"

"I'll give you my final offer. And I said, if the offer is invalid, I won't consider it again in the future."

"Such a good business, why not consider it?"

"Because I speak my words."

"I'm just asking if you're interested. You don't need to talk harshly. It's your own regret that you don't invest."

"I have no regrets. Goodbye."

Min Hui was so angry that she scolded the microphone: "FXXK!"

"Hey, I haven't hung up yet." Xin Qi said coldly on the other end of the phone.

"I was teaching full English and he asked me how to say 'fork' and I said FORK."

"Please don't teach my son to speak foul language, he has his own English teacher, thank you."