When Su Wantang pushed the door in, the New York night had already sunk to the Hudson River water.
She flew back from Boston overnight, and her windbreaker still carried the coolness of the Charles River side.
In one hand, he was dragging a silver-gray boarding suitcase, and in the other hand he was carrying a cup of hot Black Tea bought at the airport.
Zhao Chen stood up from the sofa in front of Floor-to-Ceiling Window, took her suitcase,
He put the cold teacup aside and poured her another cup of warm Pu'er.
"How about the forum?" He handed her the tea.
Su Wantang took the cup and took a sip, sat down on the sofa, kicked off his high heels, and stepped on the soft carpet.
"The scale is not large, but the specifications are very high. Several heads of the China area of International Philanthropic Foundation have arrived.
They were very interested in my previous execution report of Western Teacher Training Program and wanted to copy it to parts of Southeast Asia and Africa.
I said this is not my credit, it is the research funded by Henglong Charity Foundation and helped by Chen Xi and others, and I am only responsible for the execution."
She put Black Tea on the coffee table, turned her head and looked at Zhao Chen,
"But they asked me a question and stopped me.
They said - Ms. Su, your public welfare project funding sources all rely on the personal donations of Henglong Group and Mr. Zhao Chen. Is this model sustainable?"
"How did you answer?" Zhao Chen sat down next to her.
"I said, sustainability cannot be guaranteed by me alone.
Henglong Charity Foundation has completed the independent trust structure design this year.
Even if Mr. Zhao Chen and I no longer manage it directly in the future, Foundation can continue to operate in accordance with the terms of the trust.
They were surprised when they heard that, saying they did not expect that Foundation, which was established less than two years ago, had already completed these institutional arrangements."
She paused and looked away from the window,
"Xiao Chen, the biggest impression I had during this trip was not the conference itself, but the fact that many people's understanding of us was still the same as before last May -
They know that Era Vanguard is rich, and they know that you beat Short Sellers on US Stocks,
But we know almost nothing about what Henglong is doing in China and how our Philanthropic Foundation operates."
"That's not a bad thing."
Zhao Chen leaned on the back of the sofa and tapped his fingers on the armrest twice.
"Overseas knowledge can be replenished slowly, but domestic matters cannot wait any longer.
Before you come back, Chen Xi has already sent you your itinerary after returning to China."
He handed her his cell phone.
Su Wantang took the phone and saw a detailed itinerary on the screen, with more than a dozen rows in the form.
She read the form from beginning to end, raised her head, and the fatigue in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a familiar focus.
"Media meeting, follow-up disclosure of Henglong pledge financing, offline communication with Independent Directors, Zhengfa University alumni sharing, municipal government symposium--
There are also event invitations for the first anniversary of the world premiere of Bubble Mary Mololoy. All of these will be concentrated next month?"
She returned the phone to Zhao Chen,
"Chen Xi schedules her time so full because she knows that you will want to finish all these things once you return to China.
She asked me to remind you that the domestic media is just as interested in you as Bloomberg and CNBC.
Especially after your identity was exposed, those financial reporters have been waiting for you to return to China for your first press conference for more than half a year.
The meal you and Elon Musk had Huaiyang Cuisine made Bloomberg post a topic,
If you appear in person in front of domestic reporters, the WeChat index will probably overwhelm the server on the same day."
Zhao Chen took the phone and glanced at the itinerary on the screen.
The dozen or so matters listed by Chen Xi range from media meetings and communication with Board of Directors to sharing with alma maters and government discussions.
There is even an invitation to attend the first anniversary event of Bubble Mary Mololoy.
Each one was a matter that required his personal appearance to resolve - not a matter of money, but an issue of identity.
"Wall Street No matter how big the issue is, it is only about money.
Everything in the country is a matter of human nature."
He put his cell phone on the coffee table,
"SEC's inquiries can be answered with transaction records, and Short Sellers's hunting can be answered with position locks. These have clear rules and boundaries.
But domestic matters - the face of my alma mater must be given, the government's good intentions must be accepted, and the media's attention must be responded to.
There are favors beyond rules, and expectations beyond boundaries.
We've proven ourselves overseas, but our true roots are at home."
Su Wantang picked up the already cold cup of Black Tea. He didn't drink it, but slowly turned the cup around in his palm.
The lights on the Hudson River outside the window were clearly extinguished in the night.
She pushed an annual report of an international charity organization brought back from the forum in front of him.
Pointing to one of the comments, she said that the other party wanted her to serve as a consultant for a transnational education project next year.
But she needs to invest her own time outside Henglong.
Zhao Chen glanced at the comments in the annual report, and then scrolled down the itinerary listed by Chen Xi on the phone to the bottom--
There are also unread messages from Shen Zhiyi and Zhang Qingxue.
"Zhiyi, you haven't told me the result yet." Su Wantang's voice was very soft.
Zhao Chen turned the phone to the dialog box of Shen Zhiyi. The message was sent early this morning, with only one line--
"Yunnan Agriculture Group IPO's final round of due diligence passed.
Aunt Zhang Let me tell you, Henglong Legal Department The documents that need your signature have been piled up to the ceiling."
Below is a supplementary message from Zhang Qingxue, the wording is as concise as ever:
"Xiao Chen, please contact me as soon as possible after returning to China.
Three things:
1. The final disclosure announcement of pledge financing requires you to confirm the wording in person;
2. Independent Director we hope to hold an offline meeting after you return to China;
3. Zhengfa University's alumni mentor appointment letter is still with me, and you need to sign for it."
He read the two messages from beginning to end again, and then put the phone on the coffee table.
"When I go back and sign these documents, I want to take Zhiyi back to my alma mater.
Not as Henglong Chairman--but as an alumnus."
Su Wantang picked up the cup of Black Tea that had completely cooled down and drank it in one gulp.
Then he gently placed the cup on the coffee table, and the bottom of the cup hit the glass surface with a light and crisp sound.
"Then shall we fly Magic City or Shan City first? Isn't Zhou Bingcheng waiting for you to see the foundation of Ten-Thousand-Ton Line?
Green Energy Technology's matter cannot be postponed.
Then go back to Shan City and open Henglong Board of Directors, and handle the documents from Zhiyi together with the matters related to your alma mater.
The city government symposium and the Zhengfa University alumni mentor appointment letter are waiting there."
She has mentally arranged her schedule for the next three weeks to be more compact than the Chen Xi table, but without the Excel border lines.
Zhao Chen leaned back on the sofa, tapped his fingers slowly on the armrest for the last time, and then stopped.
"Go back to Shan City first."
The night he saw on his last night at New York was as dark as the night he saw when he stepped into the same Suite last November.
But the leaves of the Wutong tree outside the window have changed from dead branches to golden trees, and are blown one by one by the autumn wind on the footpath along the river.