Chapter 266: The Resident of 2202

On the way back, Li Dong felt a bit drunk. 

He rested against his seat for a moment. After an unknown period of time, he heard Zhou Haidong's voice calling softly.

Li Dong opened his eyes and checked the time. It was already past ten o'clock.

With a concerned look, Zhou Haidong said, "Mr. Li, let me take you up."

Li Dong waved his hand and replied with a hoarse voice, "No need, you go back first."

He then added, "By the way, make sure the security is well taken care of. Reward them generously and don't worry about the cost. They worked hard tonight."

The security team had been responsible for safety outside during the annual meeting and had not entered the venue.

While Li Dong and the others were eating and drinking, these people were patrolling with empty stomachs.

Seeing that Li Dong was still thinking about the security staff despite his drunken state, Zhou Haidong was deeply moved and quickly said, "Don't worry, Mr. Li. I have it under control."

Li Dong nodded, got out of the car, and waved his hand, saying, "You should go back and get some rest."

Zhou Haidong responded affirmatively and waited until Li Dong entered the neighborhood before driving away slowly.

He wasn't worried about Li Dong having an accident in the neighborhood. Currently, Li Dong had full protection from the security team.

At Wanyuan Community, there was a security guard stationed at the gate who was sent by the security team, and there were also four security personnel providing full protection within the neighborhood.

These arrangements were made by Zhou Haidong, and Li Dong himself was unaware of them.

He knew there was protection, but he didn't bother to inquire further. After all, Zhou Haidong had been with him for such a long time, so he trusted him.

Staggering to Building 8, Li Dong had just entered the elevator when someone called out, "Wait a minute!"

Li Dong stepped aside, and a fragrant breeze passed by. Soon, a young woman in her late twenties appeared beside him.

In the middle of winter, the woman was dressed very lightly. 

Especially noticeable was the area around her chest, which was quite exposed and had turned a bit red from the cold.

Li Dong didn't recognize many people in the neighborhood, and he didn't know if this woman was from the same building. However, since she was just a stranger, Li Dong didn't pay her much attention and looked away after a glance.

The young woman also glanced at Li Dong and then smiled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After a moment of silence, the elevator doors closed, and the woman asked again, "You're going to the 22nd floor?"

"Yes."

"You live in 2201?"

Only then did Li Dong look at her with some uncertainty and ask, "Are you from 2202?"

Even though he had lived in Wanyuan for more than half a year, he didn't really know much about the mysterious resident next door.

Since moving in, Li Dong had never seen the neighbor. He didn't know if the person was male or female, or whether they were single or had a family.

He only knew that someone lived next door because sometimes he saw some household trash outside the door.

Hearing Li Dong's question, the woman nodded and said, "Yes, I live in 2202."

Li Dong then confirmed that she was indeed his neighbor.

The woman smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Su Rui. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Li Dong."

Li Dong responded, but his tone was not particularly warm.

If this woman really lived next door, there were only two possibilities: either she was renting, or the man she was with was wealthy.

Li Dong prided himself on his sharp eye and was pretty sure he wasn't mistaken.

The likelihood of this woman being a kept woman was over ninety percent. From her usual mysterious behavior to her current attire, she was probably someone's mistress.

Li Dong didn't look down on her. In today's world, everyone has their own needs.

However, there was no need to be too friendly; he was too lazy to stir up trouble.

Allowing a mistress to live in Wanyuan Building 8 indicated that the man she was with must be quite significant. Whether renting or owning, it showed that the person was extraordinary.

Li Dong had no special interests and found no reason to be bothered by this.

His tone remained flat, and Su Rui sensed it, her expression changing slightly before she fell silent.

The 22nd floor arrived quickly.

Li Dong exited the elevator without saying goodbye to Su Rui. He opened and closed his door swiftly, disappearing from her sight.

Su Rui's expression turned slightly sour and then somewhat dejected. She quietly opened her door and gently closed it behind her.

...

After taking a hot shower, Li Dong felt much better.

He turned on the TV and randomly watched a channel for a while before picking up his phone to call Qin Yuhan.

Li Dong asked, "When will you be home?"

Qin Yuhan replied, "Around tomorrow afternoon. I just finished up at the store today."

"Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Qin Yuhan said, "No need to pick me up. I'll go home first and then come find you."

Li Dong laughed, "It's fine. I can drop you off. It's the end of the year, and Qin Uncle and Auntie are busy and won't have time to look after you. Why don't you just come stay at Wanyuan?"

Qin Yuhan snorted, "No way!"

Li Dong laughed and didn't press the issue.

Although Qin Hai and Yang Yun had now accepted his relationship with Qin Yuhan, they rarely saw each other throughout the year, so naturally, parents would miss their daughter.

It made sense for Qin Yuhan to go home for a few days and spend time with her parents.

After chatting a bit more with Qin Yuhan, Li Dong was about to hang up when Qin Yuhan suddenly said, "Li Dong, do you think I should visit Dongping for the New Year?"

Li Dong didn't immediately understand her meaning and casually said, "Sure."

"Okay, then it's settled."

With that, Qin Yuhan hung up.

Li Dong scratched his head and took a while to understand Qin Yuhan's meaning before he couldn't help but laugh.

Was this a declaration of intent or something?

But Li Dong didn't mind. His parents had met Qin Yuhan before and had always said Li Dong should bring Qin Yuhan back to visit. Now that Qin Yuhan brought it up herself, Li Dong naturally wanted to fulfill her wish.

If Li Dong were still the old Li Dong, bringing his girlfriend home might seem a bit early.

But now, no one saw Li Dong as a student. As a big boss, it was normal for him to bring a girlfriend home.

...

As the year-end approached, there were many things to be done.

The next day, Li Dong got up early, preparing to handle some company matters.

Just as he stepped out, he happened to run into a neighbor he rarely saw.

As they lived next door, Li Dong smiled and greeted, "Hello, Miss Su. Going to work?"

Like yesterday, Su Rui was dressed lightly today, with only a thick winter skirt on her lower half.

Seeing Li Dong, Su Rui did not show any surprise. She nodded lightly and smiled, "I'm going out for a bit. Where are you headed, Mr. Li?"

"Just out to take care of some things."

Li Dong smiled and didn't elaborate further. When the elevator arrived, the two entered and made small talk before settling into silence.

As they went downstairs, Su Rui's pace was slightly slower than Li Dong's.

After Li Dong got into the car parked at the entrance of the neighborhood, Su Rui finally exited the neighborhood. She glanced at the vehicle Li Dong had left in, and a thoughtful expression appeared in her eyes.

After a while, a Volvo stopped in front of Su Rui.

The driver was a man in his forties, considered a mature handsome type. Seeing Su Rui standing there, the man leaned out and asked, "Xiao Su, what are you looking at?"

Su Rui snapped back to reality and shook her head lightly, "Nothing."

After Su Rui got into the passenger seat, the man continued, "I'm buying something for you today. Take it back to your uncle and aunt for the New Year. By the way, what does Xiao Yu like? Buy a gift for Xiao Yu too."

Su Rui smiled lightly, "Don't bother buying anything for Xiao Yu. For my parents, just some nutrition products will do. They wouldn't be comfortable with anything too expensive."

The man nodded and said no more.

As the car drove for a while, they encountered a red light. Su Rui glanced at a familiar-looking Mercedes-Benz and asked the man, "There seem to be quite a few wealthy people in Pingchuan these days. We often see Mercedes-Benz."

The man looked over and said thoughtfully, "The license plate looks familiar. I think I've seen it somewhere."

"You've seen it? What a coincidence?"

"Yes, I've seen it before, but it doesn't seem to be someone I know. Otherwise, I would remember."

The man, curious, accelerated as soon as the light turned green and drove alongside the Mercedes-Benz in front.

Ignoring the honking from behind, the man turned to look at Li Dong's car.

Soon, the man recognized Zhou Haidong, the driver, and his expression changed. He quickly accelerated and overtook Li Dong.

Seeing the man's change in demeanor, Su Rui feigned curiosity and asked, "Is it someone you know?"

"Know my ass. It's a newcomer with an inflated ego. He'll eventually fall hard!" The man cursed, losing his previous calm demeanor.

Su Rui was intrigued, as she rarely saw the man lose his composure.

She couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly is he?"

"The owner of Yuanfang Supermarket, a nouveau riche."

The man didn't care about Su Rui's reaction, snorted, and continued, "He's been very arrogant this year. He'll definitely end up in trouble."

Su Rui didn't pay much attention to the rest of his words, but she remembered Yuanfang Supermarket.

She knew about Yuanfang Supermarket and occasionally shopped there but didn't know much about it.

Given the man's reaction, it was clear that the supermarket and its owner were not simple.

Thinking of the young man, Li Dong, Su Rui momentarily spaced out.

...

On the way to the company, Li Dong was unaware of the criticism directed at him.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

In today's world, having money is often seen as a fault. Many people in Pingchuan criticized him, but could he attend to every single person?

A few days ago, when Yuanfang Supermarket restored its original prices, there were hundreds of people who criticized him. If he were to worry about all of them, he wouldn't be able to run his business.

Upon arriving at the company, Li Dong called Shen Qian into the office.

As soon as Shen Qian entered, Li Dong removed his coat and asked, "Have you taken care of the matter we discussed a few days ago?"

Shen Qian looked puzzled, "What matter? The preparations for the e-commerce department?"

"No, I meant the gifts for the government departments. Did you deliver them?"

Shen Qian rolled her eyes and replied, "No! Others used to send gifts to us, but now I have to personally deliver gifts to others. It's quite uncomfortable."

Li Dong almost spat out his drink. He didn't know how to respond to that.

He had asked Shen Qian to do it to leverage the company's influence, but it seemed Shen Qian hadn't gone.

Just as he was about to say something, Shen Qian added, "But don't worry. When they come to my house in a few days, I'll give them the gifts then."

Li Dong twitched his mouth and finally said, "Alright, let's do it that way."

Thinking about how those people would visit Shen Qian's house with gifts, only to receive gifts from her in return, Li Dong couldn't help but smile.

Of course, only a few people would visit Shen Qian's house.

Other minor figures still needed to be handled properly, but he wouldn't count on Shen Qian for that.

Li Dong didn't say more and decided to leave it to Sun Tao to handle.

After chatting a bit more with Shen Qian, Li Dong changed the subject, "Make sure to push forward with the e-commerce preparations. You can start recruiting ahead of time. There aren't many IT professionals in Pingchuan, so if possible, recruit from Shanghai or Beijing. I hope the staff will be in place by the end of February and the platform set up and operational before May."

Shen Qian thought for a moment and said, "I'll plan it out and start in early January. By the way, how much funding are you planning to invest?"

"Initially, we'll allocate ten million. Further funds will depend on the situation. If you can get it done, money won't be a problem."

Shen Qian relaxed a bit. Ten million should be enough for the startup.