Chapter 30: The Meeting

The next day, Li Fengyu, Li Sen, and Lin Chu boarded the special train bound for Beijing. The atmosphere remained tense throughout the journey until Li Sen finally broke the silence.

“The weather is lovely today. There’s no need for everyone to be so nervous. Ah, what a beautiful view.”

Li Fengyu lay sprawled across the table, staring blankly at the scenery outside. Lin Chu, meanwhile, held a copy of *The Weaknesses of Human Nature* and read absentmindedly. The three of them, once inseparable friends, now found their friendship facing an immense trial.

*The world is unpredictable,* Li Fengyu thought. *There is no banquet that does not end. Are we truly destined to part ways in the end?*

Lin Chu’s brow was tightly furrowed, and both hands clutched the book. Ever since graduating from university, he had never encountered friends as close as Li Fengyu and Li Sen. They had helped him enormously, and his heart was filled with reluctance to part from them.

Li Sen could see the worry and sorrow weighing on both of them, but there was nothing he could do. The only thing he could pray for was that the train would arrive a little later, allowing their friendship to last just a while longer.

More than two hours later, the train finally reached its destination. Just as no feast lasts forever, the three of them stepped off the train one after another and gazed into the distance. None of them knew where life would take them next.

At that moment, Lin Chu took Li Fengyu and Li Sen by the hands and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. All your hard work and effort have been reduced to nothing because of me.”

Li Fengyu looked at him, tears filling his eyes, and said emotionally, “There’s no need to talk about who is to blame. Without you, we wouldn’t have come this far. We did everything we could, and none of us has any regrets. Heh.”

Seeing the scene, Li Sen hurriedly changed the subject. “Come on, let’s go eat. This may be our last meal together. Lin Chu, you have to pay.”

“No problem,” Lin Chu replied.

Li Fengyu wiped away his tears. “I want lobster—and abalone.”

Lin Chu burst out laughing. “No problem.”

For a brief moment, the friendship between the three of them seemed to return to the way it had been. Yet all three knew that, after what had happened, their friendship could never truly go back to the past.

That afternoon, after they finished eating, Lin Chu brought them to the Beijing headquarters of the Lin Group. The building was generally similar to that of the New People Group, but it possessed a far more imposing air. It was even more magnificent than the Huayu Group headquarters.

Li Fengyu swallowed nervously, while Li Sen felt as though his heart were about to leap from his chest. Li Fengyu knew there was little chance of success, but he was still determined to try.

Lin Chu led Li Fengyu and Li Sen through the main entrance and skillfully brought them to an imposing office. He knocked on the door and called out, “Chairman, are you there? Lin Miao has returned.”

Li Fengyu and Li Sen were puzzled. Wasn’t his name Lin Chu? Why had he suddenly become Lin Miao?

In fact, Lin Miao was his childhood nickname. His father had often called him Miao-Miao when he was young.

As soon as Lin Chu finished speaking, a deep, commanding voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Li Fengyu and Li Sen entered the room. Seated behind the desk was a man who looked almost exactly like Lin Chu. He was over forty, tall and powerfully built, dressed in a black suit, with regular features and a neatly trimmed mustache that lent him an air of authority.

The oppressive atmosphere made Li Sen and Li Fengyu feel as though they could hardly breathe. Li Fengyu stepped forward. He knew that, if he wanted to persuade this man, the first thing he absolutely could not do was allow himself to be intimidated.

The man behind the desk cast Li Fengyu a sidelong glance, as though he did not consider him worthy of his attention.