The day after the media conference, the corridor on the top floor of Henglong Headquarters finally returned to its usual quiet state.
The group of reporters guarding the door of the Multi-Function Hall has been withdrawn, and the temporary interview area in the lobby has also been dismantled.
Only two sell-side analysts who had just flown in from Hong Kong were sitting in the corner of Cafe on the first floor.
They each argued endlessly over the valuation Model of Henglong on their laptops.
Su Wantang pushed open the door of Zhao Chen's office at two o'clock in the afternoon.
He was sitting behind his desk reading the latest progress report from Chen Xi on Green Energy Technology Mass-Production Line. The Pu'er tea at hand was already cold.
She walked over and took away the cup of herbal tea, replaced it with a hot cup and put it next to his hand, then sat down on the chair opposite the desk.
She wore a light gray cashmere cardigan today, with her hair tied back casually.
He looked completely different from the capable look he had when he was shielding reporters from reporters at the airport a few days ago.
But Zhao Chen knows that this is her most comfortable state.
"Did you read all the reports written by reporters at the press conference?"
Su Wantang Put the teapot on the table, lean on the back of the chair, and cross your hands on your knees.
Her tone was very casual, as if she was chatting about family matters,
But Zhao Chen could tell from the faint curve of the corner of her mouth that she didn't come here just to chat.
"I read a few articles.
Caijing Magazine's in-depth report was pretty good.
The transformation path of Henglong from real estate to investment is clearly sorted out."
He closed the Green Energy Technology report and took a sip of the newly brewed Pu'er.
"I'm not asking that." Su Wantang shook his head,
"I'm talking about your last sentence - 'Knowledge changes destiny, I have personally verified it'.
Did you know that this sentence was edited into a short video and posted on Douyin, and the views have exceeded 20 million?"
Zhao Chen put down the teacup, leaned on the back of the chair, and did not answer the call.
Of course he knows.
Liu Mingyu sent Public Sentiment Briefing to him yesterday--
The topic Henglong Charity Foundation has been on the Weibo hot search for a long time. The comment with the most likes is:
"He is not showing off his wealth, he is telling everyone that reading is really useful."
But Su Wantang is obviously not here to discuss traffic data with him.
"Xiao Chen,"
Her voice suddenly slowed down, no longer the chatty tone just now,
But with a certain kind of solemnity that can only be revealed when two people are alone,
"When others hear you say that, they hear a successful entrepreneur talking about his growth experience. But what I hear is different."
She picked up the teapot and refilled Zhao Chen's cup with hot tea.
The movements were exactly the same as what she had done for him on countless late nights at New York, and then she raised her eyes and looked at him.
"I remember you once said that when you were staying up late reading Zhengfa University Library in your freshman year,
There are always two stacks of books on the table - law on the left and economics and computers on the right.
At that time, you didn't have Henglong or Era Vanguard.
You soak in Library every night until it is closed, and your eyes will be red when you come back."
She paused and slowly moved her fingers around the edge of the tea cup.
"Today you told more than two hundred reporters on stage - 'Knowledge has given me the opportunity to change my destiny.'
They thought you were doing publicity. But I know,
You are talking about every late night you spent in Library.
So you are doing charity today not to prove that you are a good person.
Do you really believe that knowledge can change your destiny - because your own destiny is changed by knowledge.
I'm not complimenting you.
I'm telling you, I understand what you said."
Zhao Chen was silent for a long time.
The water Jialing River outside the window glows with tiny pieces of light in the afternoon sun,
It was exactly the same as the river outside the window when she stayed up late with him to prepare for Henglong to seize power.
He picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and then put it down.
"Wantang, I thought about many things in New York.
I have thought about what to do if Era Vanguard is liquidated, and what to do if the SEC does not accept the reply letter.
I have thought about what to do if Short Sellers continues to smash through two hundred US Dollar.
But what I think about the most is the days I spent reading at Library.
At that time, there was no media siege, no Regulatory Inquiry, no Short Sellers hunting, just a few books and a cup of cold tea.
When I said on stage, "Knowledge allows me to afford to lose," I wasn't being polite.
What knowledge gives me is not a guarantee of winning, but the confidence to face losing.
When I came back from New York, the airport was surrounded by the media.
The stock price of Henglong is hitting new highs every day, and Bloomberg added a bunch of titles to me--
But these are not what I need most.
What I need most is to be able to return to this room and have a cup of tea with you,
Being able to sit down and quietly think about what to do next."
Su Wantang has no answer.
She just reached out and moved the Green Energy Technology report in front of him, then stood up from the sofa and walked behind him.
She gently put her hands on his shoulders without squeezing them.
He just lay there quietly, the warmth from the cashmere sweater seeping into his shoulder blades little by little.
"You don't need to explain to the world who you are.
Those who understood you at the press conference already understand."
Her voice was very soft, as if she was talking to herself, or as if she was sealing a memory for him that had just been opened and was eagerly reprinted by the global media.
"Didn't you see? After you finished your last words, the audience applauded for a long time.
Those reporters, their usual applause is polite three claps and two claps - not that day."
He raised his hand and covered her hand on his shoulder.
The sunshine outside the window is passing through the office buildings of Jiangbeizui,
Casts a bright golden light on the desk.
The Green Energy Technology report is still open on the table. Zhou Bingcheng is marked with the line Fountain Pen handwritten in the margin of page 3--
"The product qualification rate continues to climb in the fourth quarter" - it is shining slightly under this sunshine.
Downstairs on Inner Ring Expressway, the traffic out of the city is slowly moving forward.
And the message about Nvidia Schedule 13D Amendment Filing that Lin Shicheng sent ten minutes ago,
Still Jingjing lying in the notification bar of Zhao Chen phone.
Su Wantang didn't say anything else. She suddenly remembered that late night in New York Suite years ago.
She tapped her knuckles twice on the wall to tell him she was still there.
At this moment, the sunset outside the window is Shan City, and inside the window are the years when she spent the longest time with him in the Henglong building.
She suddenly felt that there were some things that she no longer needed to say--
He was no longer the young man who would back down easily, and she no longer needed to serve him tea and water in any public place.
He just changed the tea when his voice became hoarse, and closed the door after the reporters left.
Let this Lounge room with only two people be as quiet as the thin wall many years ago.