Chapter 235: A Man with Ambition Is Destined for Great Things
"How's the food here? Does it suit your taste?" Li Tang asked casually as he ate.
"It's not bad. Actually, your company's meals are really good—better than what we have at Shenxia Group," Li Xinqi replied as she dug in, clearly enjoying herself.
"If you like it, come here more often. Shenxia Group is one of Zhongcheng Mining's biggest shareholders—we're all family."
Just as they were enjoying their meal, Li Tang spotted a figure sneaking by with an empty tray. He took a closer look—it was none other than his father, Li Zaiqiang.
"Dad!"
He called out, thinking his dad hadn't heard him, so he called again, "Dad, done eating?"
Zaiqiang had heard the first time, but when he realized that all four people at Li Tang's table were now looking at him, he panicked a little. He glanced up at the ceiling and pretended to be just another passerby with nothing to do.
He remembered Qin Jianshe's warning—not to interfere in his son's love life. After all, the two young people had only just met, and meddling parents could scare off a good match.
It was like fishing: just when the big fish was about to bite, you don't go diving into the water and ruin everything with a splash.
During lunch, he'd noticed that three young women were seated around his son, and he hadn't been sure which one was the potential daughter-in-law. Thanks to Qin's tip, he knew now—but the table was too far away to get a good look. So he pretended to wander through the area, hoping to steal a glance.
He thought that if he acted like he didn't know them, he wouldn't disrupt anything.
But Li Tang just had to call out! What kind of clueless son does that?
Now he couldn't pretend anymore. With his empty tray in hand and eyes still pointed at the ceiling like a blind man, he shuffled past their table.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Li Tang stood up and took his father's tray, noting that he hadn't wasted a single bite. "You're finished? Just put the tray by the sink at the entrance."
Zaiqiang obviously knew the routine—he ate here often. So why was he wandering deeper into the cafeteria like he couldn't find the exit? It was clearly a reconnaissance mission.
"Hello, Mr. Li. Enjoy your meal."
Feigning formality, Zaiqiang gave his son a look, pulled his arm free, and started to walk away.
"Hello, Uncle!"
Li Xinqi stood up and greeted him with a bright smile.
Xiao Xi followed suit politely.
Alice, already aware of the father-son relationship, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Uh-oh.
Zaiqiang froze. He realized he'd just blown his cover and interfered with his son's "moment."
He turned back awkwardly and forced a smile. "Hello."
"This is my dad," Li Tang said naturally, then introduced everyone at the table.
"She's the Assistant Finance Director at Shenxia Group, and this is her colleague. Shenxia Group is both a major shareholder and creditor of Zhongcheng Mining—they're here to audit our books."
"Ah, so it's a work thing?" Zaiqiang sounded disappointed.
"Of course it's work. What else would it be?" Li Tang chuckled.
Zaiqiang looked at Xinqi—fair-skinned and sweet-smiling. She'd make a wonderful daughter-in-law. How could this just be "work"?
Disappointed or not, he still played the role of a supportive elder.
"You young people shouldn't overwork yourselves. Remember to balance work and life. Who knows—sometimes work relationships turn into marriages…"
"Dad, go upstairs and take a nap," Li Tang interrupted quickly.
"The blanket in the office cabinet is for you. Use it. It's still cold—don't catch a chill. I'll come get you in the afternoon when we go shopping for supplies."
"Supplies?" Zaiqiang glanced at the girls.
"I've got plenty of staff for that. You don't need to go yourself."
He smiled kindly at Xinqi and waved to the others before exiting the cafeteria.
At the door, he ran into Qin Jianshe and couldn't help but shake his head.
"What happened? Why the long face?" Qin teased.
"Didn't like the daughter-in-law?"
"What daughter-in-law?!" Zaiqiang sighed.
"Li Tang just told me it's all work—she's here to collect debts."
"Have you lost your mind?" Qin laughed.
"She just met Li Tang yesterday and came here on her own today. Isn't that obvious?"
"What's the debt about?"
"That's just an excuse! She wouldn't show up for no reason."
Qin slung an arm around Zaiqiang and guided him into the elevator, explaining as they went.
"God, I'm so slow!" Zaiqiang smacked his forehead in realization.
"Would having her as your daughter-in-law be so bad?" Qin grinned.
"She's fair-skinned and clearly from a wealthy family." Zaiqiang sighed.
"She probably wouldn't be interested in my son."
"She's got a noble background—her father's Li Xingchao, General Manager of Shenxia Group. Of course she's well-groomed and raised with care. But don't sell your son short."
"You're right."
Zaiqiang still struggled a bit, mostly because he felt he hadn't provided a glamorous enough background for his son.
"I told you not to go over there, but you just had to take a peek!"
"If Li Tang hadn't called out to me and grabbed my arm, I would've slipped right by unnoticed!"
"You were walking right past him—how could he not see you?"
"If he had just pretended not to see me, I would've gotten away clean!"
"Old classmate, I don't even know what to say to you..."
…
After lunch, Li Tang returned upstairs and found his office empty. Normally his dad would nap there for about an hour, but today he'd probably gone out with Qin Jianshe.
He invited Xinqi into his office. After rinsing the fruit she'd brought, they sat down to snack and chat. When it was time to get back to work, Ren Qingqing arrived, having been informed ahead of time, and brought in all of Zhongcheng Mining's financial documents.
"Most of this is from last year. We already sent copies to each shareholder before the holiday," she explained, not knowing exactly who Xinqi was. She maintained a professional tone.
"This year's financial plan is straightforward. Since we're operating in Mengguo, most of the funds have been transferred to the South Wild Resources Company account."
"Looks good."
Xinqi skimmed through the documents seriously. She gave off the impression of doing a thorough audit, though she didn't raise any issues. She just looked through it carefully.
Satisfied, Ren Qingqing soon carried the files away.
Xinqi, however, wasn't really interested in the books. What intrigued her more was Li Tang himself.
As a shareholder representative, she leaned forward with a formal air.
"We at Shenxia Group are shareholders of Zhongcheng Mining. I'd like to know more about the company's outlook and your strategic vision for it."
"Sure. I'll walk you through it."
Li Tang wasn't sure whether she was really here for business or just to have some fun, but he wasn't about to treat it lightly.
"Zhongcheng Mining has already achieved key milestones. Our initial exploration investments have yielded expected results and met early goals."
"What about the future?"
"This year and next, we'll still be in the early exploration phase."
He did have a clear development plan, though he hadn't written it down yet.
"For the first three years, our goal is to find a major deposit. Then, over the following three years, we aim to secure a mining license and invest in developing the Talego Copper-Gold Mine. My goal is to build a world-class mine with an annual copper output exceeding 500,000 tons."
Hearing the passion in his voice, Xinqi asked curiously,
"500,000 tons—what does that mean in context?"
"It would place us in the top three worldwide," Li Tang replied simply.
"From what I understand, you've already invested over 300 million in exploration alone. How much do you expect to invest in developing a mine of that size?"
"Over 30 billion," Li Tang answered. He hadn't done a detailed budget, but based on memory, this was a conservative estimate.
"Thirty... billion?"
Xinqi was visibly shocked.
Working in the finance department of Shenxia Group, Li Xinqi was no stranger to the capital flow of mining companies across the country. She had a keen sense of the financial realities behind major projects.
If her father ever claimed he wanted to invest 30 billion yuan into a mine, she would absolutely call it unrealistic.
At least from what she knew of current domestic liquidity conditions, such a massive undertaking was just not feasible.
"I honestly don't think any domestic company right now has the capital to fund a project of that scale," she said, still holding some doubt about Li Tang's grand vision.
"We can't do it now simply because the motivation isn't there. Copper prices aren't high enough to drive people crazy yet—not at that 'no-cost-too-great' level of urgency," Li Tang replied calmly.
"In a few years, people will say: putting 30 billion into building a mine was a risk worth taking."
"Okay, I admit I don't really understand mine construction," Xinqi said, a bit lost in the technical talk.
If she didn't know that Li Tang was the man behind Zhongcheng Mining, she might've dismissed him as delusional—someone who talked in lofty ideas with little grounding.
"Of course, any business must be advanced step by step, with solid foundations. There are no shortcuts."
Li Tang got a bit passionate talking about work. Seeing that she was getting more confused the more he spoke, he switched topics and teased, "So, did you really come today to check the books?"
"Huh? Of course!" Xinqi laughed, glancing at Xiao Xi beside her. "We came to audit, right?"
"The finance director didn't give us any instructions. Just told us to drop by for a look around," Xiao Xi, ever the honest one, answered directly, having totally missed Xinqi's cue.
"Oh really?" Li Tang smiled in relief. "In that case, let me show you around and introduce you to each department."
He stood up and led them out, giving a quick tour of the office layout and team functions.
"This morning when we came, we thought the entire Yunding Building was yours. But the security guard downstairs didn't even know your name," Xiao Xi shared their earlier confusion.
"Yeah, I'm not a celebrity. It's normal that the guard doesn't know me."
Li Tang pointed to the open workspace.
"This half floor is ours. The rest isn't. Honestly, the real estate market isn't doing great right now. I bought this property two years ago, and even now, most other floors haven't been sold. If I had the money, I'd buy the whole building. Turn the entire Yunding Building into our headquarters. Then when you come back, the guard will definitely know who I am."
In recent years, housing prices in Yanjing hadn't risen much. With material and tax costs dropping, prices had even dipped slightly.
At present, Yunding Building's units were going for just 4,000 yuan per square meter—about the same as when Li Tang had bought in.
"How much would the whole building cost?" Xiao Xi asked, eyes sparkling.
"Going by current rates, probably 40 to 50 million yuan. Honestly, not too bad," Li Tang answered. He had been calculating this move for a long time but was limited by cash flow.
If he could get the capital, he'd buy several floors—either to expand office space as the company grew or as an investment, waiting for prices to rise.
Either way, it was a great deal.
"Forty or fifty million, and that's considered not expensive?" Xiao Xi now saw Li Tang as a living god of wealth—shimmering in golden light.
Li Tang turned to Xinqi and grinned.
"Assistant Li, ask your general manager—maybe you guys can give me another loan? Not much. Just 40 or 50 million to buy a building."
"You're serious?" Xinqi was surprised by the proposal.
"Dead serious!" Li Tang thumped his chest.
"Want me to dig out my heart to prove it?"
"Sure, dig it out. If I can see it, I'll beg my dad to approve the loan."
"Heh…" Li Tang gave a wry smile.
"You're going to kill me."
After a stroll through the office, they returned and chatted through the afternoon. Finally, it was time for the ladies to head out.
Li Tang saw them off at the elevator and waved.
"Come by anytime."
"We'll be back in a few days. That's our supervisor's assignment," Xiao Xi said, as blunt as ever.
"Your cafeteria meals are so good—we're actually looking forward to coming back," Xinqi added with a laugh.
"You're always welcome."
Li Tang smiled, but added honestly,
"I should mention—I'll probably be heading to Mengguo in a few days. I won't be around to host you."
"You're going abroad?" Xinqi's tone shifted slightly.
"Yeah. Can't help it. I've got to get the job done and live up to our shareholders' expectations."
"When do you leave?"
"Probably in the next day or two. Once the paperwork's done, I'll fly straight to Kuren City."
"Well, then I wish you a safe and smooth journey."
Waving goodbye, Xinqi got in her car, dropped Xiao Xi off at home, then drove herself back.
Just as she parked, her father, Li Xingchao, rushed over like a valet and opened the car door.
"Tough day at Zhongcheng Mining?" he asked with a grin.
"Not bad. Better than sitting in the office all day doing nothing."
Xinqi was starting to feel like her parents were being overly attentive lately.
"So, how was it?" he asked as they walked home.
"Nothing much. Reviewed some finance reports. Talked to Li Tang about the company's future plans."
She summarized her day briefly.
"That's it?"
Li Xingchao was skeptical.
"You only talked about work?"
Her mom, Zhou Muyun, chimed in, clearly disappointed that the interaction didn't yield romantic sparks.
"It was a work visit. What else would we talk about?" Xinqi rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what they were fishing for.
"Talking about work is good," her dad said, trying to salvage the moment.
"Li Tang's very career-driven. He might be a bit dense when it comes to emotions, but that's okay. Spend more time with him—you'll find more in common."
He still hadn't given up and pressed again:
"Did anything meaningful come out of today's visit?"
"Sure."
Xinqi took off her coat and sat down.
"What was it?"
Li Xingchao perked up.
"He told me, if you're willing, to loan him another 40 or 50 million."
"That's it?"
Zhou Muyun was dumbfounded.
"What's the loan for?"
Li Xingchao was confused.
"He wants to buy a building. He wants to buy Yunding Building where his company is based."
Xinqi casually relayed the message, not thinking her dad would take it seriously.
"Li Tang said that directly?"
Li Xingchao was stunned.
"He just straight up asked me for money?"
"I don't know if he's ambitious or just overly bold," Xinqi said as she picked up a grape from the table.
"But I have to admit—he's really serious about everything he does."
"A man who wants to do great things must have ambition."
Li Xingchao actually appreciated it. He took her hand.
"Set up a dinner soon—either at home or at a restaurant. If he wants to borrow money, he should come talk to me directly."
"He's about to go abroad. Probably won't have time right now."
"He's leaving the country?"
That made Li Xingchao nervous again. Just when something was starting to develop…
"Yes. For the Talego copper-gold project," Xinqi waved it off.
"He probably wasn't serious. Don't overthink it. Maybe he was just joking."
"I don't think he was joking," her dad replied.
He'd met Li Tang a few times and felt he had a good read on the young man's character.
"Alright, alright. Dad, Mom, it's like you can't wait to marry me off to Li Tang. I just got home and you haven't stopped talking about him."
Xinqi felt like she barely knew him—how could she be expected to feel anything for a stranger?
Hearing she was leaving soon made Li Xingchao even more anxious.
He had just started to see hope, and now it looked like everything might pause again.
"I've already looked into it. He's never had a girlfriend. He's been raised well. And as for his career—well, I don't need to say more. Spend some time with him and you'll see—he's an extraordinary guy!"
"Alright, alright. I get it. He's amazing."
Xinqi sighed, finally surrendering to her parents' relentless enthusiasm.
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