Li Dingshan watched Summer's back as he went downstairs, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Summer was mature beyond his years; although young, he was steady in his actions, always thinking of his interests, yet not lacking in courtesy and caution. Li Dingshan could find no faults with him. If he had to nitpick, the only thing that seemed lacking was Summer's ability to handle situations and react quickly. He seemed too mature and composed, almost like an elderly person who had been in the political world for years, far from the vibrant, energetic youth of someone in their twenties.
However, this flaw could also be seen as a strength. In the political world, such qualities were advantageous. Li Dingshan even felt fortunate to have Summer by his side. Not only had Summer uncovered the truth about Li Kailin's transfer, helping him extricate himself from a company dilemma, but he had also suggested the idea of taking a position in a remote and poor county to avoid High Chengsong's sharp edge. Such a mature and politically wise strategy could never have come from a mere 23-year-old.
Even Song Chaodu was greatly impressed by this idea and thought it was a sound plan. In these times, a reasonable retreat demonstrated political maturity. Song Chaodu even wanted to meet Summer, but Li Dingshan quickly deflected the suggestion. He feared that if Song Chaodu met him, he might ask Summer to help him, and given the current situation, Li Dingshan did not want Summer to leave his side. Jia He could serve as a driver, but he had no political acumen and was of little use. Wen Yang was untrustworthy. If Summer left him, Li Dingshan would be left alone without any useful assistants. It was not easy to find someone who could be trusted and put to good use.
Li Dingshan decided to keep Summer close for now and not let him meet Song Chaodu. However, it was fine for him to meet with Gao Hai, as he would not be able to come to the provincial capital often. In the future, if there were issues in the capital, Summer could meet Gao Hai directly.
Summer did not immediately give the approval letter to Wen Yang. After all, there was no rush. He returned to his seat and gazed out of the window, lost in thought. In just a few days, the grapes outside had grown from the size of rice grains to that of goji berries, each bunch hanging from the vines, a truly delightful sight.
Grapes... were Yang Bei's favorite fruit, and she had eyes like grapes—round, sparkling, and always twinkling. When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, and with her round face, she was incredibly adorable and lovable. She resembled the South Korean actress Jang Nara, and when Summer first entered university, she caught his eye. After much effort, he finally won her heart, standing out among many suitors.
Thinking of Yang Bei now still caused a faint pain in Summer's heart. When they broke up, she swore she would wait for him for three years. Summer also vowed to work hard for three years, build a future, and then bring her back from Ba County to settle down in Yan City. Unfortunately, the words were still fresh in his ears, yet she was already in someone else's arms, leaving only a casual goodbye.
In his first love, Summer had invested all his feelings. He once believed it could last forever, but after just six months apart, the love he thought would last could not withstand 180 days and a distance of more than 500 kilometers. Even though he had gained 12 years of experience, he still was unwilling to face the breakup with Yang Bei.
What he hadn't expected was that he was now going to Ba County, the hometown of Yang Bei, with Li Dingshan. After 12 years of life, having struggled to change his fate, would he inevitably meet Yang Bei again?
The beeping sound of his pager snapped him out of his reverie. Shaking his head to clear the unwanted thoughts, he saw that it was a call from Feng Xuguang.
When he called back, it was, as expected, about Wen Yang's phone call. Feng Xuguang didn't elaborate but simply told him not to worry about Wen Yang's attitude. "It's over. He and I were colleagues before. What he said today was out of line. Don't think that just because we're close, I'll fire my staff over a few words from him. Friends should know their boundaries... By the way, Summer, I bought you a phone. If you're too busy, I'll send someone to deliver it. Not having a phone is too inconvenient, so don't be polite. If we start being distant, it will feel cold."
If Feng Xuguang had scolded Wen Yang, Summer would have looked down on him, but instead, Feng Xuguang lightly brushed off the issue, expressing his stance and sending a phone to strengthen their relationship. His way of handling things clearly surpassed Wen Yang's.
In 1998, a mobile phone would cost at least three to four thousand yuan, a generous gift. Summer didn't think much about it. He had received many favors from Feng Xuguang, whether it was for the plan he helped with or the way he got Li Hongjiang to act swiftly through his connections. Without such gestures, Feng Xuguang would seem like he didn't know how to handle relationships.
He accepted the phone without any hesitation, knowing that later he would repay the favor to Cao Yongguo. Whether in his past life or now, Summer owed a deep gratitude to Cao Yongguo. It was thanks to him that he had stayed in Yan City, and Cao Yongguo had never asked for anything in return.
...
Every city usually has an international hotel, and Summer's dinner with Gao Hai was set at the Jingxin Pavilion on the tenth floor of the International Hotel. Summer initially thought it would just be with Gao Hai, but unexpectedly, Gao Hai brought a guest.
Gao Hai was short and chubby. When standing next to Li Dingshan, he was noticeably shorter. Perhaps because of their familiarity, Gao Hai's smile seemed quite genuine as he shook Summer's hand. "Summer, good name. Ding Shan said you're a good person. Young and promising."
Since it was a private gathering, Jia He also joined them. Gao Hai's friend looked like a southerner, tall but with a thin face, making his nose and eyes appear small. He had an air of cold, sharp intelligence. Summer learned his name was Chu Zigao, the owner of Chu Feng Lou.
Once seated, Chu Zigao busied himself, offering cigarettes and politely asking about everyone's preferences. Summer quickly realized that Chu Zigao was the one footing the bill, which made sense. Li Dingshan was the head of the provincial branch of a national newspaper, and Gao Hai was the deputy secretary of the city government. It was expected someone would step up to pay for their meal.
Li Dingshan and Gao Hai chatted and laughed, recounting past stories. Summer and the others just listened, while Jia He, knowing his place, took the water jug from Chu Zigao to refill everyone's glasses. Chu Zigao smiled gratefully at him and then made small talk with Summer.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively. Gao Hai raised his glass to Li Dingshan and said, "At critical moments, it's good to have old classmates who are reliable. This time, the promotion wouldn't have been possible without Ding Shan's guidance. I won't say too much, it's all in the drink." With that, he drank the entire glass.
Did Li Dingshan have connections in the city? Summer wondered, as the only person with whom he seemed closely connected was Gao Hai. Otherwise, how could something like land allocation take so long? He glanced at Li Dingshan with some confusion.
Li Dingshan readily drank a glass and waved his hand, saying, "Gao Hai, why are you being so polite? We're old friends. You're in the thick of things, while I can see things more clearly from the outside. Since Chen Feng took office, he's been making big changes to Yan City's traffic, opening up many blocked roads. Now that the roadwork is mostly finished, what's next is clear. It's real estate, which is in line with the national policy to develop the property market..."
Li Dingshan, during his time in Beijing, had seen an internal memo about the direction of future propaganda. He understood the national policy and, combining it with the situation in Yan City, and some hints from Song Chaodu, gave Gao Hai some advice. Gao Hai then took the opportunity to write up a report and submitted it to Chen Feng, who highly praised the proposal, helping Gao Hai secure the promotion.
Although the real estate boom in Hainan had already overheated by 1995, leading to a sharp market collapse, real estate still continued to grow vigorously in inland provinces like Yan Province. By 1998, real estate was beginning to rise, and the domestic property market was bubbling up, inevitably headed for a burst.