AWB Chapter 41 An unexpected encounter
Chapter 41 An unexpected encounter
The hangover headache felt like blunt instruments repeatedly pounding on his temples. As Lin Zhou struggled to sit up in the soft bed, sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting dappled patterns on the floor. He rubbed his throbbing forehead, his mind a complete blank. The clinking of glasses and the boisterous laughter of last night's dinner were now just blurry fragments, the only clear memory being the empty, unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He had vomited everything up last night, and now his stomach felt strangely empty.
He struggled out of bed, his bare feet sinking into the cool wooden floor. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The icy touch cleared his muddled mind somewhat. The young man in the mirror had faint bloodshot eyes, and his face was pale and bloodless, showing signs of being drunk. After washing up, Lin Zhou went to the dining table. He took out breakfast from his spatial storage, and the moment he opened it, steam mingled with the aroma of food, wafting out.
The food box contained the preserved egg and lean pork congee and several delicate side dishes that he had prepared in the space kitchen a few days ago, still warm from being freshly cooked. The soft, sticky rice slid into his stomach, soothing his empty intestines, and Lin Zhou finally felt himself recover. He sat at the dining table and ate slowly, his gaze fixed on the harbor view outside the window, but he felt something was missing, as if something important had been left in a corner of his memory, something he couldn't quite grasp.
After finishing his bowl of porridge, Lin Zhou put down his spoon, wiped his mouth, tidied the table, and sat down on the sofa in the living room. As his fingertips touched the phone on the table, the fog in his mind suddenly cleared. Yesterday afternoon! He had clearly made an appointment with Li Huiting from HSBC to go to the radio factory!
Lin Zhou slapped his forehead and sighed in frustration. He had specifically remembered this matter when he left HSBC yesterday afternoon. He had originally planned to just visit the security company and then leave, but when he ran into Zhao Jianjun, who was returning from Zhonghua Security, he completely forgot about his appointment with Li Huiting.
Lin Zhou glanced at the clock on the wall; it was just past eight o'clock. Thinking that Li Huiting probably hadn't arrived at work yet, he patiently paced around the living room waiting. He picked up a newspaper from the table and flipped through it, his eyes scanning the financial section's reports on Hong Kong's manufacturing industry. With the rapid development of Hong Kong's economy, the demand for home appliances was bound to increase.
Although many factories are going out of business, Lin Zhou knows they still lack innovation and their own patented products. How can they make money if they always follow others in making products? His air fryer is an innovative product, and it just so happens to be catching this wave.
Finally, at nine o'clock sharp, Lin Zhou immediately picked up the landline in the living room and dialed the number he remembered. The moment the call connected, he immediately adopted an apologetic tone: "Manager Li, this is Lin Zhou. I'm so sorry, I really apologize for yesterday!"
Li Huiting on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Mr. Lin, I thought you had some urgent business that delayed you."
"It was my oversight," Lin Zhou apologized sincerely. "I ran into a fellow villager yesterday afternoon, and we got so caught up in chatting that I lost track of time and completely forgot about our appointment. I'm so sorry to have made you wait."
"It's alright, it's not easy for fellow villagers to meet," Li Huiting said cheerfully. "I waited for you for a while yesterday but didn't see you, so I went back to the bank. Shall we reschedule?"
"Thank you for your help," Lin Zhou said quickly. "I'll set off now. It should take me about half an hour to get to the address you gave me. Is that alright?"
"No problem, I'm on my way there now. See you at the factory gate then." Li Huiting readily agreed.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhou didn't dare to delay any longer. He quickly went back to his room and changed into a clean and sharp light gray suit with a white shirt and a dark tie. Instantly, he shed his drunken slump and regained his usual calm and capable demeanor. He grabbed his car keys, went out, and took the elevator from the sixteenth floor directly to the parking lot below.
The Mustang gleamed with a cool metallic sheen in the sunlight. Lin Zhou opened the door, got in, started the engine, and the car smoothly drove out of the parking lot, merging into the bustling traffic of Hong Kong. The tall buildings lining the streets were arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. Vendors had already set up their stalls, their calls rising and falling, the air filled with the aroma of breakfast and a faint smell of the sea. This vibrant, lively scene made Lin Zhou appreciate the city's energy even more.
Following the address given by Li Huiting, Lin Zhou drove for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the radio factory located in the industrial zone. The factory gate was an old-fashioned iron gate, the blue paint on it already peeling and revealing the dark red rust underneath. Next to the gate hung a wooden plaque with the words "Su's Radio Factory" engraved on it, the characters already somewhat blurred.
As soon as the car came to a stop, several people were standing at the door, one of whom, a woman in a business suit, was Li Huiting. Seeing Lin Zhou's car, she immediately greeted him with a smile: "Mr. Lin, you've finally arrived!"
"Manager Li, I'm really sorry to have troubled you to make this trip again," Lin Zhou said apologetically after getting out of the car.
Li Huiting waved her hand: "Don't say that, this is all part of my job. Come, let me introduce you." She pointed to several men in suits beside her and said, "These are my colleagues from the HSBC liquidation team, who are in charge of the asset liquidation of Huasheng Radio Factory."
Lin Zhou immediately stepped forward and shook hands with each member of the liquidation team: "Gentlemen, I am so sorry that I was late for the appointment yesterday due to personal reasons. Please forgive me for keeping you waiting."
The members of the liquidation team didn't show much emotion on their faces, and simply responded politely. They were clearly somewhat dissatisfied with Lin Zhou's failure to show up yesterday, but they didn't dwell on it too much.
Just then, Lin Zhou's gaze was drawn to a young woman standing next to Li Huiting. The woman wore a simple white dress, her long hair tied back with a plain ribbon, revealing a smooth forehead and delicate features. Her skin was fair, and her features were exquisitely sculpted like jade, especially her eyes, which were clear and bright, carrying a hint of youthful shyness, yet also subtly revealing a stubbornness. Her slender figure made her stand out somewhat among the group of adults in formal attire, yet she was also remarkably eye-catching.
Lin Zhou was stunned for a moment, he really didn't expect that the person in charge of this radio factory would be such a young and beautiful girl.
Seemingly noticing Lin Zhou's gaze, Li Huiting smiled and introduced, "Mr. Lin, this is Ms. Su Wanqing, the current owner of Huasheng Radio Factory."
"Hello, Miss Su." Lin Zhou quickly looked away and politely extended his hand.
Su Wanqing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shyly reached out to shake hands with Lin Zhou. The touch of her fingertips was soft and slightly cool, and her voice was also gentle: "Hello, Boss Lin."
"Miss Su is so young, she is truly remarkable at such a young age," Lin Zhou exclaimed sincerely.
Li Huiting added from the side, "Mr. Lin, Wanqing is still in university. This is her final year, and she's studying business management. The reason she took over this factory is because her father was suddenly hospitalized with a serious illness a while ago, and there was really no one else at home to manage it, so she had to temporarily suspend her studies and come back to take over."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. A young woman still in university, with her father seriously ill, resolutely took on the heavy responsibility of managing the factory; such courage and commitment were truly rare. Looking at the faint weariness in Su Wanqing's eyes, his tone softened: "Miss Su, you've worked so hard, taking care of your father and managing the factory at the same time. It's truly not easy."
Su Wanqing gently shook her head, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes: "There's nothing we can do. This is the family business; we can't just let it collapse like this." Although her voice was soft, it carried an undeniable firmness.
After a brief introduction, Li Huiting said, "Mr. Lin, let's go inside the factory first. The liquidation team has already conducted a detailed assessment of the factory's assets. Let's discuss this further in the conference room."
"Okay." Lin Zhou nodded.