Chapter 117 The 117th Day of Not Running Away...

Chapter 117 The 117th Day of Not Running Away...

When the doorbell rang, Wen Chan was not surprised to see Philon and his group standing at the door of their villa.

Philon put one hand in his pocket, looked around with curiosity in his eyes, and said, "Your Particle Foundation must make a lot of money, living in a place like this is too shabby."

Li Yi and the others walked over.

Wen Chan stood at the door with one arm crossed over her chest: "Is there something you need?"

Philon raised an eyebrow, exchanged a glance with his colleague, and said to Wen Chan, "Aren't you curious how we found us?"

Wen Chan chuckled, her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth: "If people from Citibank don't even have this much ability, then I'm curious if you're imposters. If you're here to see May, then I can tell you, she's not here."

“Not here.” Philon pushed open the door and walked in, looking around. Although the house had been cleaned up, it was still an old house, and many places were dilapidated and hadn’t been cleaned.

"Back in New York," Wen Chan said.

Philon's gaze, which had been sweeping through the living room, abruptly shifted to Wen Chan: "You went back?!"

Wen Chan smiled and said, "Yes, didn't you know? We've already decided to cancel this collaboration."

Philon looked puzzled. "You've spent over a month on this case. Are you really willing to just give up like this?"

Wen Chan smiled and said, "You don't have to believe me, that's fine with you, but I can tell you that wasting your time and energy on us is completely unnecessary. You can leave now."

Philon gave Wen Chan a deep look before leaving with his men.

His colleagues looked back at the house, and Mascal said, "Is the Particle Foundation trying to scam us?"

Philon took out his phone: "I'll call home and ask. If they withdraw from the competition, that would be even better."

At the same time, Wen Chan also made a phone call to Tristan.

The other party was also surprised to learn that Particle Foundation had withdrawn and made the colleagues who were discussing the matter pause.

Everyone quieted down.

Tristan, holding the phone, said, "Today is not April Fool's Day."

Wen Chan smiled and said, "I know, but Philon from Citibank just came by. I thought that in order to help you compete fairly, you should at least know."

Tristan held a pen in his hand, drawing circles on the paper, his eyes narrowing: "Weren't we competitors before?"

Wen Chan said, "That's all in the past. Since we've withdrawn from the competition, it means we don't have any opposing stances. Besides, to be honest, we dislike Philon more than you. You know, May really hates her stepmother."

Tristan was certainly aware of this.

When vying for a cooperation opportunity, it is important to understand the partner you are going to cooperate with, and it is also important to understand your opponent.

Zhang Yurong is the owner of the Particle Foundation, so it's impossible for Tristan not to investigate.

He tapped his pen on the paper and said meaningfully, "May is going back? Could it be that something has happened to her father, Charlie?"

A subtle, almost imperceptible smile flickered across Wen Chan's face. "This is none of your business."

She smiled and said, "This information should be very helpful to you, so consider it a favor you owe us."

Tristan's lips twitched slightly, and his tone became more relaxed: "Of course, no problem. I'll treat you to dinner when we get back to New York."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Chan looked at the suitcase on the ground, pondering her next move.

A knocking sound came at the door. She turned her head to look and called out, "Come in."

Jiang Zihan walked in and looked at Wen Chan: "Sister Wen, are we really going back?"

Wen Chan plans to go back to China in the next few days and take Jiang Zihan with her. As for Fatty, he's almost become best friends with a group of black guys in New York, so Wen Chan is too lazy to ask him to come back with her.

"Yes, the plane tickets are all bought." Wen Chan said, "I bought you a flight back to Shanghai, an hour later. Go home and get some rest for a few days."

Don't let the seemingly easy job of an assistant fool you; Jiang Zihan had a lot to learn. She first learned English, and later she even learned some massage techniques from a hospital nurse.

After a few months abroad, Jiang Zihan has undergone a complete transformation. Perhaps she herself didn't even notice that her demeanor had changed.

"Are we really going to abandon this Walmart plan?"

Jiang Zihan asked in a low, cautious voice.

Wen Chan was about to hang up the phone when she heard this and looked at her thoughtfully: "What, you don't think so?"

Jiang Zihan subconsciously said, "Because it doesn't look like yours at all..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized what she had said, stared wide-eyed at Wen Chan, and covered her mouth, "So, it really was a lie!"

"All's fair in war," Wen Chan said with a smile. "Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are financial giants. They'll definitely come up with all sorts of tricks when they're at it. Particle Fund is too small. If we stay here, we're likely to be killed by them first and forced to leave. Rather than that, we'd better go from the open to the shadows and wait for the right opportunity to strike."

Jiang Zihan's mouth dropped open as she listened to Wen Chan's analysis, and a sudden realization dawned on her: "This...this is what Sun Tzu's Art of War refers to as 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass'?!"

Wen Chan laughed out loud: "You still read Sun Tzu's Art of War?"

Jiang Zihan scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "You have to learn something, otherwise you'll embarrass yourself when you go out."

"Good, that's promising." Wen Chan patted Jiang Zihan on the shoulder. "I'll give you a reading list. Find it and read it together later. By the way, when you go back to Shanghai this time, if you have the chance, find me a bodyguard. Preferably a woman, around 30-45 years old, and she has to be good at fighting. The monthly salary is 1,000 for the time being, with room and board included."

Jiang Zihan agreed.

Walmart only learned about Particle Fund's withdrawal from the competition three days later. Wen Chan specially took Jiang Zihan to see Old Sam to express their regret.

Old Sam said regretfully, "You're really leaving like this?"

Wen Chan shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. They're just too powerful. We have no choice."

Old Sam frowned: "Did they force you to leave?"

Wen Chan could smear Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, but she didn't intend to do so. Instead, she said with a wry smile, "Of course they wouldn't do something so crude, but how can small institutions like ours compete with them?"

Old Sam probed, "What will they do?"

Wen Chan was looking at the lake when he asked her that question. She was taken aback, turned around, frowned helplessly, and spread her hands: "I'm just a working person, I don't want to offend anyone."

"Okay, I understand." Old Sam was able to start from scratch, so he's definitely not some naive and innocent guy. Even though he fishes every day now and looks no different from a kind old white man, he's still no simple character.

He extended his hand and shook hands with Wen Chan and Jiang Zihan: "Thank you for your trust in Walmart. I believe we will definitely be able to cooperate again next time."

"I hope so too."

Wen Chan said.

It takes 12 hours to fly from the United States to China.

Wen Chan had called Chen Bozheng in advance. After boarding the plane, she went straight to bed and fell asleep. Wen Chan didn't skimp on herself at all and bought a first-class ticket.

On the other side...

"Xiao Lin, where did you and Dayong go? Dinner's ready, aren't you going to eat?" Wang Jianquan took off his helmet, wiped his sweat with the towel hanging around his neck, and said to Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin glanced outside and said, "My brother is going out to make a phone call."

Wang Quan laughed, "Hey, are you guys stupid? We have a phone in our sales office. It's so expensive for you to make calls outside. It costs two cents a minute."

Just then, Lin Dayong came in from outside.

Wang Jianquan called out to him, "Dayong, don't make phone calls outside next time, it's a waste of money."

"Yes, Brother Wang." Lin Dayong smiled憨厚ly, ran a few steps over, and then said to Wang Jianquan, "Brother Wang, I have something to do at home. I was thinking of finishing this today and then leaving."

"Let's go. What's wrong? Is something wrong at home?" Wang Jianquan asked with concern.

Lin Dayong felt a little guilty for being cared for. He and his apprentice had disguised their identities quite a bit, infiltrating various organizations and private enterprises, and had even worked in mines. But when it came to treating people well and showing them human kindness, this was the place to be.

Although the work here is a bit tiring, the construction site really doesn't withhold wages and even provides meals. The bosses often buy fruit to share with everyone. The fruit itself isn't worth much, but the kindness shown is priceless.

"It's nothing, we just have to go home to harvest the crops. There aren't many men in the family, and there's so much land to harvest. My brother and I both have to go back."

Lin Dayong said.

He didn't say anything, but Wang Jianquan had already finished his work. These past few months were the harvest season. He scratched his head and said, "Okay, let's talk about it after we eat. After we eat, we'll go to the sales office to settle our wages."

"Thank you, Brother Wang."

Lin Dayong bowed to Wang Jianquan and then pulled Xiao Lin to the cafeteria for a meal.

Wang Quanjian paused for a moment, then chuckled.

When Lin Dayong and his companion left, Wang Jianquan paid them an extra half-day's wages.

When the two returned, the apprentice Lin Xin felt quite uneasy. He swayed slightly as he stood on the bus.

They used to take taxis, but after working for the past few days, seeing their fellow workers scrimping and saving, wearing out their shoes but not throwing them away, and preferring to walk rather than take the bus, just to save a few dollars to send home, Lin Dayong and his apprentice gradually felt that taking a taxi was a luxury. Although they couldn't walk, taking the bus was just as good.

"Master, what if, what if we really find out something?"

The apprentice's face showed hesitation and reluctance.

He used to think that migrant workers were unreasonable and rude, but after getting to know them, he found that they were not bad people at all, and could even be described as warm-hearted.

They weren't rich, but if someone sent them food, they would generously share it with everyone.

A few days ago, a construction worker collapsed from appendicitis, vomiting and having diarrhea. The migrant workers, who were usually looked down upon, didn't mind that their coworker smelled bad and helped carry him to the hospital for treatment, even paying for it out of their own pockets.

If something is really found out and the construction site is rectified, what will happen to the workers and the bosses?

"Don't forget, we're journalists."

Lin Dayong gripped the handrail, his body swaying with the bike. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, but he still spoke firmly.