When the old leader heard this, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily. He said, “This is the first time I’ve seen you think so highly of someone. However, if the other party is Little Ming, it’s understandable. He’s a likable child. He’s naturally bright. His every move is difficult to ignore. Perhaps he hasn’t noticed this.”
Ah Qing stood at the side and quietly listened to the other party praise Lu Ming as if he was his protector. He did not know when, but waves had stirred in his heart. Recently, he had been astonished by what Lu Ming had done. Now that he saw his old leader like this, he was even more shocked.
It was rare to see someone who could make the old leader so protective!
Just as they were getting into this strange and harmonious mood, they heard clear footsteps. They instinctively turned their heads and saw Lu Ming approaching them in the evening light. Then Lu Ming happened to brush past Ah Qing. In that instant, he seemed to have sensed something and looked away.
This aura… Could he be a martial artist?
I’m certain that this martial strength is definitely not something that ordinary people could match, let alone a dabbler like me! Should I say that he’s indeed someone close to the old leader?
He did not think too much about this matter. He obediently sat cross-legged beside the old leader and said, “I have a few things to ask you this time. Godfather said that you should be quite free now, so he asked me to quickly look for you in case you get busy later.”
The old leader snorted and said, “In my opinion, Old Tang can’t wait for me to be busy all day. Where is he? Why didn’t he come with you? He can’t be afraid that I’ll bring up the past and find trouble with him because he snatched my tea leaves, right?”
Trouble could not be avoided since his tea leaves were treasures sent by others. He had only saved up a small collection after several years, but in the end, Tang Mingkun happened to see it and took half of it! If not for him protecting the remaining tea leaves like treasure, Tang Mingkun would have snatched up the last bit!
This is simply the behavior of a bandit! he thought.
Those few days after the incident, he was so angry that he could not even sleep. He thought that he would get back at Tang Mingkun one day!
Finally, he finally found an opportunity, but that old fellow didn’t come! The old leader clicked his tongue in his heart and thought to himself, He can hide for a while, but he can’t hide for a long time. I don’t believe this fellow can hide for the rest of his life. Even if something happens, I won’t ask him for help!
Just as he was deep in thought, Lu Ming immediately understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said, “Godfather is a little childish, so I hope you don’t take it to heart. In order to apologize, I specially brought the Da Hong Pao I collected last time, but it’s not a lot.”
However, this variety had always been produced in small quantities every year, and it grew in the cliffs. The harvesting process could be hazardous. In order to appease his old leader, he had spent a lot of money collecting this bit of tea leaves. After his godfather found out about this, he knew that he was in the wrong and expressed it in a few words.
As expected, the old leader beamed with obvious joy. He suppressed the excitement in his heart and caressed the bag of tea leaves lovingly. In fact, this was quite a lot. It was completely beyond his expectations! Even if he used this to write off the previous matter, he would have profited greatly!
Hence, his impression of Lu Ming became even more positive!
Look, Old Tang can’t compare to a junior who knows how to conduct himself! he thought. If only Lu Ming is my son, I’d be so happy that I will probably wake up laughing from my dreams. However, when he thought about how the likelihood of that happening was almost zero, he couldn’t help but sigh at his friend’s luck again. Why do all the good things happen to others?
“Also, Godfather sent me here today. It seems that a friend who specially came back from abroad wanted to catch up with him. It would be embarrassing to turn his friend down, so he asked me to apologize to you on his behalf for not being here. He definitely didn’t mean to hide from you. He just happened to be busy.”
Before he left, his adoptive father specially emphasized the second half of his sentence. He had a legitimate reason for not coming. Naturally, such a simple thought could not be hidden from Lu Ming. No one knew how much effort it took for him to not laugh out loud when he saw his godfather’s childish side.
The old leader raised his eyebrows and said, “As usual, he’s not good at finding excuses! He actually threw you out as a shield. Isn’t he afraid that I’ll poach you? If my children are half, no, a third the person you are, and know how to be smart and conduct themselves, I don’t have to worry all day.”
The reason why he said this was an excuse was because he had not heard of anyone from overseas coming to China. Moreover, their social circles overlapped. Coincidentally, he also knew those foreign friends, but their friendship with him was not as deep. However, at least they would inform him whenever they came here. But now, it was calm and quiet.
The old leader thought that Tang Mingkun was probably only entertaining foreign partners. If that was the case, it didn’t matter when the partners met. Why did he choose this time? Isn’t it obvious that he wants to hide from me for the time being? He couldn’t help but wonder, Do I look that fierce? It was just a few tea leaves.
With Lu Ming’s Da Hong Pao, his anger had long subsided!
“You flatter me, old leader.”
Lu Ming scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and said, “Previously, Godfather often told me that if you were in ancient times, you would definitely be a prime minister. That’s because a prime minister’s stomach can hold a boat. With your bearing and magnanimity, you won’t remember this little incident for long.”
“You have a way with words.”
The old leader was immediately in a much better mood after being praised by these few words. He thought, Lu Ming knows the ways of the world, but he’s not overly slick. Such a young man is the hope of China! He held the tea leaves and asked, “Is there something urgent that you’re here for? You look like you’re in a hurry. Did you encounter a problem?”
Lu Ming did not deny it and said frankly, “That’s true. It’s a little complicated. I’ll try my best to make it short…”
He immediately told him everything that had happened recently without hiding anything. From the moment he created This Place No. 1, the Drug Assessment Administration deliberately made things difficult for him. Along the way, he even discovered that Xingwei’s fake medicine had been causing deaths. In the end, the two sides were in a deadlock. After saying this, he felt his mouth go dry, but he still patiently told the old leader his purpose.
“This matter concerns the people, so we can’t be careless. I hope that you can stop the sale of the Xingwei Preventive Medicine and reorganize the Drug Assessment Administration so that the real preventive medicine made by This Place can be approved!”