Chapter 528

Chapter 528 I Can Make Your Life Better!

Just a pharmaceutical sales rep?

　　Nearly thirty years old and still stuck at the bottom rung of sales — this thought stirred a quiet contempt deep within Li Yongxing.

　　Back in his day, by twenty-five he was already the top trader at Ninghai Securities, and by thirty he had his own investment firm. Li Yongheng was no different — while still studying in the States, he had pulled in tens of millions in venture capital, making him the standout among all overseas students.

　　Compared to the two of them, Su Rui was nothing — not even close.

　　”I wonder, how were Mr. Su’s sales numbers this year?” Li Yongxing asked.

　　”So-so, nothing to write home about.”

　　Su Rui didn’t mention that he had just closed a twenty-million deal in a single contract. In front of Li Yongxing, that kind of money really meant nothing. Since the other party had already switched on snark mode, he’d just play it casual.

　　Hearing Su Rui’s answer, Li Yongxing let out a chuckle. Clearly, he took it as an excuse — for a man who had managed to attach himself to the Lin family’s eldest daughter, sales figures were meaningless no matter what they were. This guy had simply married into wealth.

　　”I wonder, does Mr. Su have any plans for the future? You’re young and talented — would you be interested in joining Li Group?”

　　”I’ll pass, thanks. I’m quite comfortable at Bikang Group. I appreciate the kind offer, Mr. Li.” Su Rui said with a smile, his expression perfectly sincere.

　　Li Yongxing had never really intended to recruit Su Rui. Seeing him take the easy way out was good enough. He gave a dismissive snort, decided not to press further, and patted Li Yongheng on the arm. “Yongheng, stay here and keep Aoxue company. I’m going to have a word with Old Qian and the others.”

　　Li Yongheng glanced at Su Rui with a slightly awkward look, then nodded.

　　It seemed this younger brother was genuinely more reserved — nowhere near as arrogant and overbearing as his older one.

　　Li Yongxing took a couple of steps, then stopped. “Oh right — the big boss of the European Alps Investment Bank will be coming by. We’re looking to discuss further cooperation, so you should get acquainted with him too.”

　　Even mentioning the head of Alps Investment Bank seemed to fill Li Yongxing — a regional tycoon in his own right — with a kind of reverence, as though simply knowing the man were some great honor.

　　”The big boss of Alps Investment Bank? Amaré?”

　　Li Yongheng repeated the name involuntarily, and his eyes went wide with shock.

　　Alps Investment Bank was a top-tier investment bank that dominated global financial markets. While it had been slightly overshadowed by the aggressively rising Gaoqi Bank in recent years, it was still in an entirely different league from most.

　　The bank had been around for a long time, but its head, Amaré, rarely appeared in public — and when he did, it was always to announce major strategic decisions for the firm. The fact that Li Yongxing had managed to bring this figure here was an extraordinary feat.

　　Because Li Yongxing’s voice wasn’t exactly quiet, low gasps of surprise had already begun rippling through the crowd nearby.

　　The financial market was booming these days — the index kept climbing, Li Group’s stock had hit the daily limit up for days in a row, and their assets had ballooned to a staggering scale. The vast majority of wealthy guests present had already been left far behind by Li Group in terms of total assets.

　　And now Li Yongxing was joining forces with Alps Investment Bank — a realization that left many in the room with a sudden, unsettling feeling.

　　Two financial titans joining hands — what kind of extraordinary outcome would that produce?

　　”The fact that Mr. Amaré is coming to China in person shows just how seriously he takes this market. Yongheng, you’d better make a good impression when the time comes — try to leave Mr. Amaré with a favorable one.”

　　”Aoxue, you’re welcome to join Yongheng and engage with Mr. Amaré as well. Learn from the experience — it would be tremendously beneficial for Bikang’s future development.”

　　It was clear that in saying all this, Li Yongxing had already cast himself in the role of a senior figure.

　　”Thank you for the advice, Mr. Li.” Lin Aoxue replied, her tone flat and noncommittal.

　　Honestly, she had never been particularly interested in financing. Otherwise she wouldn’t have stayed so calm and steady while everyone else was making money hand over fist in the stock market. She’d occasionally glance at Bikang’s stock, but couldn’t be bothered to buy anything else.

　　After finishing his remarks, Li Yongxing turned to Su Rui. “Mr. Su, I’ve heard that Alps Investment Bank has invested in two pharmaceutical companies here in China. If you’re looking to boost your numbers, you might want to have a chat with Mr. Amaré’s assistant — they might let something useful slip. If you can get in with that connection, becoming Bikang’s top salesperson should be a breeze.”

　　Li Yongxing’s words sounded well-meaning on the surface, but were laced with contempt and mockery from start to finish.

　　He told Li Yongheng to make a strong impression on Amaré, told Lin Aoxue to learn from Amaré’s experience — and then suggested Su Rui go pitch pharmaceutical products to Amaré’s assistant. If that wasn’t condescension, what was?

　　His whole aim was to belittle Su Rui in front of Lin Aoxue, hoping she’d lose respect for him and walk away on her own.

　　Lin Aoxue’s brow furrowed. In her eyes, Su Rui was a man of towering character — fearless in the face of any danger, a hero who could turn any crisis around, the person she had given her heart to.

　　How could someone she saw as a hero be treated with such contempt?

　　She stepped forward, ready to fire back — but Su Rui caught her by the arm.

　　She turned to look at him, and heard him say, “I appreciate Mr. Li’s kind words. I hope I’ll get a chance to connect with Mr. Amaré’s assistant — it would really be a great help for my future at Bikang.”

　　Li Yongxing nodded. “Mr. Su is young and capable. I’m sure you’ll become Bikang’s top salesperson.”

　　If it weren’t for wanting his brother Li Yongheng to find a good match, Li Yongxing wouldn’t have bothered giving Su Rui the time of day.

　　What he didn’t know was that during the financial summit, he had been abroad handling the separate listing of a subsidiary, and had missed that extraordinarily sensational financial dinner — the one where Gaoqi Bank’s CEO Smith had flown all the way from the United States in a frantic rush, arriving disheveled and stripped of all dignity, just to apologize to one young man.

　　That young man was Su Rui.

　　After Li Yongxing walked away, Lin Aoxue turned her face toward the window.

　　The gesture was completely at odds with the atmosphere of the cocktail party, and left Li Yongheng standing beside her with no idea what to do — this was a flat-out snub.

　　”I’ll take my leave as well.”

　　Li Yongheng said quietly and turned to go. With his perceptiveness, how could he not see how protectively Lin Aoxue felt toward Su Rui?

　　His older brother had only said a few mocking words, and she was already this upset — it left Li Yongheng feeling a deep, hollow ache.

　　Why — why wasn’t he Su Rui? Why wasn’t he the one she cared about?

　　Su Rui stood behind Lin Aoxue, quietly amused.

　　”Are you angry?”

　　”Yes.”

　　”Don’t bother with someone like him.”

　　”He went too far.”

　　”He’s just looking out for his brother.” Su Rui said with a smile, completely unbothered by Li Yongxing’s jabs. “You can tell — that Li Yongheng really likes you.”

　　Lin Aoxue remained unmoved. “So what?”

　　”He’s the most sought-after bachelor in all of Ninghai. You have no idea how many women are chasing after him.” Su Rui gestured toward the cluster of women nearby.

　　”Not my problem.” Lin Aoxue said.

　　”But I feel like he seems a lot more accomplished than me.” Su Rui said with a grin — was he playing hard to get?

　　Lin Aoxue turned to face him, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, “No one is more accomplished than you.”

　　Those words sent a wave of warmth rushing through Su Rui.

　　The ice queen really came through — her tone was still as cool as ever, but somehow it felt incredibly warm to hear.

　　Were all outwardly cold girls like this?

　　”There are plenty of people more accomplished than me.”

　　Su Rui said something humbly pointless, then looked up — and caught that venomous glare again.

　　The owner of that glare was naturally Li Chen, standing in a corner nursing his drink. The once-glorious son of a tycoon had been completely upstaged by his own uncle tonight, and was in a thoroughly foul mood.

　　He blamed it all on Su Rui. If it weren’t for this troublemaker turning Tian Xixi’s concert into a laughingstock, Chenhua Entertainment could have taken a major step forward and established itself as a leading force in the entertainment industry. Instead, not only did the concert fall apart, but Chenhua Entertainment’s credibility had hit rock bottom.

　　If not for him, tonight he would have been the center of attention — not stuck in a corner drinking alone while everyone who looked his way wore a mocking expression.

　　Of course, the logic here was simple enough: if Li Chen hadn’t gone out of his way to provoke Danielle Sharp, Su Rui would never have had any reason to retaliate. When all was said and done, he had brought it on himself.

　　”Wait here a moment — I see someone I know. I’m going to go say hello.”

　　Su Rui said softly to Lin Aoxue, then walked toward Li Chen.

　　For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, seeing this man heading his way sent a flicker of inexplicable panic through Li Chen.

　　He quickly reined in that venomous look and turned away, pretending to be absorbed in something else.

　　”What a coward.” Su Rui said with a cold laugh.

　　Hearing the footsteps drawing closer, Li Chen knew there was no escaping it — playing dumb wouldn’t help either. He steeled himself and turned around.

　　”What a coincidence — we parted ways at the hotel, and here we are running into each other again.” Su Rui said with a warm smile, as though greeting an old friend, radiating nothing but enthusiasm and familiarity.

　　Anyone who didn’t know the history between them would never have guessed they were enemies.

　　”Quite a coincidence.” Li Chen said, forcing the words out.

　　”How have you been lately?” Su Rui clapped Li Chen on the shoulder.

　　”I’ve been great.” Li Chen nearly stumbled at the question.

　　”Oh, is that so? I thought you might not be doing so well — guess I was overthinking it.” Su Rui’s words were like a series of blades — cheap ones, no, sharp ones — prying open wounds on Li Chen that had barely begun to heal, leaving them raw and bleeding all over again.

　　How could he possibly have been doing well these past few days? Chenhua Entertainment, which he had painstakingly built up, had become a joke — it had made entertainment headlines two days in a row. Tian Xixi still couldn’t show her face in public, and even after posting an explanation on Weibo, she was buried under an avalanche of abuse. As for him, the company’s boss, his phone had been ringing off the hook with reporters until he finally just switched it off.

　　On top of that, many of the artists under the company’s banner would rather pay the penalty fees than stay — they had already figured out that there was no future following a boss like this.

　　Li Chen finally lost control of that venomous look. He glared at Su Rui and said, “Since you want to know — I’ve been terrible. Absolutely terrible.”

　　”But I actually have a way to make things a little better for you. Want to hear it?”

　　A teasing smile spread across Su Rui’s face as he lowered his voice.