26: Chapter 26 Container Strategy: Between Reality and Illusion

Shen Du pushed open the glass revolving door of the Meituan headquarters building.

The cold wind of early winter rushed in to meet him.

It whipped the hem of his black jacket, making it rustle.

He raised his collar with one hand.

With the other, he fished out his Nokia from his pocket, pulled up his contact list, and pressed the dial button.

The "beep" in the receiver sounded for half a second before the call connected.

"Something's come up, let's meet."

Shen Du didn't engage in small talk; his tone carried a sense of command.

On the other end of the line.

Red Phoenix's breathing was much heavier than usual, carrying a suppressed tremor.

Over the past few days, with the wild surge of zhengzhou cotton futures, the thirty million in principal she had invested had more than doubled in floating profit.

This kind of wealth shock had long since turned her into a believer in Shen Du.

"Zhu Shi Xuan."

Red Phoenix's voice was filled with eagerness: "It just so happens that I was wanting to see you too."

Hanging up the phone.

Shen Du walked to the street and hailed a Santana taxi.

"Jianguo West Road."

Half an hour later.

The car stopped in front of an alley lined with sycamore trees on both sides.

Shen Du paid the fare and pushed the door to get out.

What came into view was a three-story red-brick Republic-era villa wrapped in creeping ivy.

There were no neon signs, no noisy greeters.

In front of the mottled black lacquered iron gate stood a moss-covered hitching post.

Ordinary people passing by would only assume it was an old, dilapidated house.

Shen Du tightened his jacket zipper and didn't linger, striding over the fallen leaves.

He headed straight toward the hidden private courtyard at the back of the villa.

Passing through the blue-brick alleyway.

An old man wearing a grey-blue long gown waited by the courtyard gate.

Seeing Shen Du, the old man didn't question his identity or exchange pleasantries.

He simply folded his hands respectfully, bowed slightly, and then turned to lead the way.

Stepping inside the villa.

The hallway was covered with thick, handmade carpets that swallowed the sound of footsteps.

The air held only the scent of aged Pu'er tea mixed with golden nanmu wood.

Walking up to the second floor.

Shen Du stopped outside the private room door at the end of the hallway, which had a wooden sign reading "Jian Shan" hanging on it.

The wooden latticed window at the end of the hallway was half-open, letting in the cold wind.

Red Phoenix had changed into a low-key, dark purple high-neck silk dress, draped in a black overcoat.

She wasn't sitting in the main seat holding tea and putting on airs as usual.

Instead, she had been standing early at this chilly, wind-swept spot.

Shen Du's gaze swept over her.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, her fingers neatly trimmed.

Her signature bright red nail polish had been removed without a trace.

Hearing the slight rustle, Red Phoenix turned her head.

The moment she saw Shen Du clearly.

The arrogance that had once gripped people's lives in the underground money shops had long been crushed by the numbers in her account.

In its place was awe.

She took half a step forward to greet him but stopped at a respectful distance.

Then, this woman, notorious for her ferocity, bowed her back slightly.

She stepped aside and used both hands to push open the soundproof door to the private room.

"Young Master Shen, please come in."

Inside the room, a miniature waterfall water feature isolated the outside noise.

Shen Du sat down at the golden nanmu tea table.

Red Phoenix stepped forward, quietly washing and pouring the tea, and offered a cup of piping hot aged Pu'er to Shen Du with both hands.

Shen Du picked up the purple clay cup, took a light sip, and set it down.

He didn't waste words, pulling two folded red-headed official documents from his inner pocket.

With a "slap," he threw them on the table and pushed them toward Red Phoenix.

"These two documents involve quite a few people."

Shen Du leaned back in his chair: "Help me probe the bottom of this, find out what these two parties are intending at the grassroots level."

"So I can tailor my approach accordingly."

Red Phoenix looked down and glanced at the official seals.

If this had been half a month ago.

She would have avoided such a hot potato involving the power struggles of the City Hall.

But at this moment, there was no retreat in her eyes, only a flash of wild joy.

Being able to do things for someone with this kind of background meant she had obtained a ticket to climb into higher circles.

"Don't worry, Young Master Shen, leave it to me."

Red Phoenix nodded: "I will definitely find out the ins and outs of this underground matter for you."

Without hesitation, Red Phoenix picked up the documents with both hands, folded them carefully, and locked them into the inner compartment of her designer bag.

After putting the documents away, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Red Phoenix's breathing became a bit hurried.

Looking at Shen Du across from her, her awe of wealth was irrepressible.

She leaned forward slightly, her voice trembling slightly:

"Young Master Shen, the main contract for zhengzhou cotton futures you asked me to go all-in on... the floating profit in the account is already nearly forty million."

"Watching the red numbers surge these past few days, Phoenix really feels a bit panicked."

Shen Du twirled the purple clay cup in his hand without raising his eyelids.

Staring at the brown tea in the cup, he calmly played his trump card:

"Don't worry, I will notify you in advance on the day we close the position and sell."

Receiving this confirmation, a light ignited in Red Phoenix's eyes.

The anxiety over the nearly forty million weighing on her heart was lifted.

She didn't continue sitting across from him.

Accompanied by the slight rustle of her skirt, Red Phoenix stood up, walked around the tea table, and sat in the side seat right next to Shen Du.

The distance closed.

A scent mixed with the fragrance of Pu'er tea and high-end perfume rushed toward him.

Red Phoenix leaned in, lowering her voice.

Her trailing tone sounded clear in the room where only the sound of water could be heard:

"Young Master Shen, you said it yourself before..."

"You have already paid for this meal."

Facing this body pressed close to him, Shen Du's expression was indifferent.

His breathing rhythm didn't show the slightest disorder.

Shen Du withdrew his gaze, letting it fall back onto the purple clay cup, his tone devoid of fluctuation:

"Now is not the time."

"At the very least, we have to wait until the end of this year."

Feeling the rationality radiating from Shen Du, Red Phoenix's heart trembled, and she sobered up.

She keenly sensed the red line.

Not daring to overstep, she reined in her posture and retreated by one position.

...

Half an hour later, in the back seat of a taxi returning to Huahai University of Finance and Economics.

The car interior was dim, and the light and shadow of street lamps outside the window swept across Shen Du's profile from time to time.

The air in the car space was stifling.

The scent of the woman's perfume seemed to still linger on the tip of Shen Du's nose.

Shen Du didn't speak.

He stretched out his finger and pressed the window-down button on the door armrest.

"Hum —"

The glass slowly descended.

The cold wind poured into the car, hitting Shen Du's expressionless face.

The cold airflow completely blew away the residual cosmetic scent on his collar, along with the nascent romantic notions.

Late October, in a hidden reception room next to the inner courtyard of Yonglu.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The nib of a fountain pen moved rapidly across the bank's standard contract.

Wei Ziang's face flushed red as he signed the final stroke.

He pushed the contract to the account manager opposite him.

"President Wei, the procedures have been verified and are correct."

The manager stood up and took the document with both hands:

"With Young Master Qin providing the credit guarantee."

"This ten million in special corporate loans will be deposited into your technology company's public account within half an hour."

Hearing the words "President Wei" and "technology company."

Wei Ziang straightened his back.

He reached out to tug at his tie, vanity flashing in his eyes.

A few months ago, he was just a coal boss's son driving a Land Rover to blast through the streets below the dormitory building.