On the way to the reception hall, Shen Fangzheng began introducing Building 18 to Li Yi!
“Building 18 of the State Guesthouse is a comprehensive reception facility. Its exterior mimics Ming-style architecture, exuding an antique charm and a distinct sense of historical elegance!”
“There are a total of 25 guest rooms in the building, including one ultra-luxurious presidential suite, one deluxe suite, and several standard rooms. Since many foreign heads of state or presidents visiting China are typically accommodated here in Building 18, it is also known as the ‘Presidential Building.’According to incomplete statistics, the State Guest House has hosted more than 900 heads of state, of whom approximately 600 have stayed in Building 18…”
Although Li Yi had been a billionaire and member of high society in his previous life, he was unaware of these secrets, so he listened with great interest.
Unfortunately, the distance from the banquet hall to the reception room was very short, and they arrived in just a few minutes.
Once they reached the entrance to the reception room, Shen Fangzheng stopped talking about these matters, leaving Li Yi feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
But when Shen Fangzheng opened the door, Li Yi was surprised to see Liang Bing sitting inside.
Seeing Li Yi and Shen Fangzheng enter together, Liang Bing immediately stood up, a hint of confusion and surprise flashing in her eyes.
But before she could speak, Shen Fangzheng cut in: “Comrade Liang Bing, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Li Yi, Senior Advisor to the State Planning Commission and our delegation’s representative. You will serve as Comrade Li Yi’s interpreter for the entire meeting!”
“Yes!” Liang Bing replied promptly.
Then, Shen Fangzheng turned to Li Yi again and said, “Comrade Li Yi, this is Comrade Liang Bing, the interpreter we’ve arranged for you. She will be accompanying you throughout the upcoming talks…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi smiled and said, “Director Shen, no introduction is necessary. Teacher Liang is my wife’s teacher; we’ve known each other before!”
“Hahaha, since you’re already acquainted, that makes things even easier!”
Shen Fangzheng then added, “Why don’t the two of you go ahead and discuss the details of the meeting? I’ll go out to welcome our foreign guests.”
“Alright, please go ahead!”
After Shen Fangzheng left, Li Yi and Liang Bing exchanged a glance, then both burst into laughter.
“What a coincidence! I never expected the interpreter the higher-ups assigned me would be you, Teacher Liang!”
Liang Bing smiled and replied, “You’re telling me. By the way, please stop calling me ‘Teacher Liang.’ It makes it sound like I’m so much older than you—it’s making me feel old.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“You’re Xue’er’s husband, and I’m older than you, so you can call me Sister Liang or Sister Bing!”
“Alright, then I’ll call you Sister Bing!”
“Good, that sounds more friendly!”
Liang Bing continued, “I heard that the people you’re meeting with today are the British Empire’s Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and a Vice Admiral. Is there anything you’d like me to remind you of during the meeting…”
Before she could finish, Li Yi shook his head and said, “No need. Just translate whatever they say. There’s nothing to be shy about!”
“Alright…”
At that moment, Li Yi changed the subject and asked, “By the way, Sister Bing, when are you and my brother-in-law planning to get married? Have you set a date yet?”
Liang Bing smiled and said, “Next summer, during the vacation. Why do you ask?”
Hearing this, Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat.
He remembered that in his previous life, Liang Bing and her husband had met with an accident while traveling in northern Henan next August.
According to the case report at the time, the couple had just gotten married, and their trip to northern Henan was specifically for their honeymoon.
A summer wedding, followed by a honeymoon in August—the timing matched perfectly.
If he didn’t step in to intervene, Liang Bing’s husband would likely meet his end.
With that in mind, Li Yi stared intently at Liang Bing, then said with a serious expression, “Sister Bing, if you trust me, you’d better move up your wedding date!”
“Move it up… why… why?” Liang Bing asked, looking completely puzzled.
“To be honest, I’ve done some studying of physiognomy. Judging by your facial features, Sister Bing, next year isn’t a good time for you to get married. If you force it, you might run into disaster!” Li Yi said earnestly.
Hearing this, Liang Bing was completely taken aback.
It wasn’t that she was scared; she just hadn’t quite processed it yet.
After a long moment, she finally said, “You… you still believe in that stuff?”
“I do. I wonder if you do, Sister Bing?”
Liang Bing smiled and said, “I don’t really believe in that sort of thing!”
As a university professor and a devout Party member, Liang Bing was a staunch atheist who didn’t believe in any of this talk of ghosts and spirits.
Li Yi didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he looked at her and said, “As the sages say, ‘Respect the spirits but keep your distance from them.’ It’s normal that you don’t believe in them, Sister Bing, but with some things, it’s better to err on the side of caution. I think you should go home and give this some serious thought!”
“I…”
Just as Liang Bing was about to speak, a series of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway outside, and immediately afterward, the door to the reception room swung open.
Under the watchful eyes of Li Yi and Liang Bing, four Caucasians—two men and two women—strided in from outside, followed by Shen Fangzheng.
Once they had entered the reception room, the middle-aged man who had accompanied them immediately introduced the others to Li Yi: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill, Vice Admiral Sand, Senior Vice President of the Royal Bank Lilia, and interpreter Delis.
At the same time, Li Yi learned the identity of the middle-aged man—Han Zhenqiang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After introducing everyone, the two groups sat down on opposite sides of the room, with Han Zhenqiang taking a seat next to Li Yi.
No sooner had they sat down than Bill looked at Li Yi and said, “Mr. Li Yi, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I never imagined that the financial genius who has achieved so many remarkable feats on the soil of the British Empire would be so young!”
After hearing Liang Bing’s translation, Li Yi immediately replied, “Mr. Bill, you were in such a hurry to meet me—surely you didn’t come here just to praise me? If that’s the case, I’m truly honored!”
Having risen to the position of Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bill’s competence was beyond question. He knew Li Yi was urging him to get to the point and not waste each other’s time with small talk.
With that in mind, he continued, “Mr. Li Yi, we’ve arranged this meeting today primarily to discuss two matters.”
“Please state those two matters,” Li Yi said calmly.
“The first matter concerns Sheffield United Steel Company. As you know, this company accounts for over 80% of the British Empire’s domestic steel production. This has already begun to affect our national defense security, so we intend to buy back the company’s shares. I wonder if you would be willing to part with them,” Bill said.
“Certainly!”
However, the smile on Bill’s face didn’t last more than a few seconds before it froze completely at Li Yi’s next words.
“Let’s talk business. As long as your country offers a price at a 150% premium to market value, I agree to transfer 95% of my shares to you!”
Li Yi continued, “Actually, it’s not that much—less than 20 billion pounds!”
The moment those words left his mouth, the smile on Bill’s face froze, while Lilia’s expression darkened instantly.
Only the general’s smile remained unchanged; in fact, a hint of an inexplicable emotion flickered in his eyes.
“Mr. Li Yi, 20 billion pounds is simply too high. We cannot possibly spend that much to buy back the shares of Sheffield Rail and Road Company!” Bill said.
“Two hundred billion is the bottom line. If you’re willing to buy, then buy; if not, let’s drop the matter and move on to the next topic!” Li Yi said with an air of authority.
He knew these people’s true objective had nothing to do with the steel company. For one thing, Sheffield Steel was nowhere near as crucial as they claimed—after all, the company was right on their turf, and if they truly needed it, reclaiming it would be as simple as a single word.
On the other hand, Li Yi knew that the British government was facing unprecedented financial difficulties. In the next year or two, the Iron Lady would spearhead economic reforms and keep the government afloat by selling off state-owned enterprises on a massive scale.
They were practically penniless—how could they possibly come up with 20 billion pounds to buy back a steel company?
He didn’t want to waste time haggling with these foreigners either. He simply quoted 20 billion to shut them down and move on to the real business.
Sure enough, upon hearing Li Yi’s words, the British representatives across the table immediately grew flustered…
……….