Chapter 92: As If It Were Fate
Curious, Li Tang stood up and peeked into the box. Inside was a beautifully crafted porcelain piece, intricately painted.
"An antique?" he asked.
"Something from an emperor's collection. Absolutely authentic!"
"Take it back," Li Tang said with a wave of his hand. "I don't know anything about antiques, and I'm not interested. Honestly, I prefer cash over this kind of thing."
"Uh…"
Xiao Yongyue was stunned for a moment before gesturing for his men to take the porcelain away.
Looking at Li Tang's calm, emotionless young face, Xiao found himself unable to grasp how this younger generation thought.
"There's no need to go to all this trouble, Boss Xiao. You've come looking for me several times now—surely it's because you want me to help you find a mine, right?" Li Tang went straight to the point.
"If we can work together, that would be best."
Xiao swirled his hand casually, the gemstones on his rings sparkling under the light. "To tell you the truth, our fertilizer company is doing pretty well. But if I want to grow bigger, Gaolumu City is just too small—there aren't enough mines for me to dig. I know you've got the skills. If you can help me find a mine, tell me what you want. Whatever it is—I'll make it happen."
"It's not that I don't like money,"
Li Tang chuckled. "The last time we met, you threw a million in cash at me. I almost passed out from the impact."
"Hahaha…"
Xiao roared with laughter. As long as someone liked money, they could find common ground.
"But I didn't dare take that money,"
Li Tang's gaze swept over the few burly men standing nearby. Then, quite frankly, he added, "If I had taken your money and failed to find a mine, you guys would probably toss me out on the steppe to feed the wolves."
His words were blunt but revealed a real concern for his own safety—and also served as a subtle warning to Xiao Yongyue not to take things too far.
He was laying everything on the table.
Xiao offered a bitter smile. "Brother Li Tang, you're one of us. We only help our own—we don't turn on them."
But Li Tang wasn't naïve.
He understood very well that anyone who could rise to the top of the mining world in this era had to be tough and ruthless. These were people forged through hardship, and when they decided to act, they were cold-blooded—devoid of sentiment.
Since the cards were on the table, he continued candidly.
"If you want me to help you find a mine, that's fine—it's my area of expertise. But I will only offer technical services. I won't accept any form of constraint. If I find a mine, you pay me. If I don't, you don't make things difficult for me."
"Of course! I'm a businessman, not a thug. Don't judge me by my appearance. In Gaolumu City, I'm known for my philanthropy. I've donated a lot to the community."
Xiao laughed bitterly. "When I travel, I like to bring more people with me. You know how desolate the northwest is—if something goes wrong, it's good to have people around. That's all. Nothing more."
Li Tang looked at the rugged men around him and still couldn't bring himself to fully believe Xiao's explanation.
In truth, his understanding of Xiao Yongyue's rise to power came only from scattered online rumors. The real story behind his success remained a mystery to outsiders.
But judging from public records, this fertilizer magnate hadn't done anything too outrageous.
If he had committed serious crimes, he wouldn't have been able to slip through when he was later investigated for misappropriating a listed company's funds.
After some thought, Li Tang concluded that now that Xiao was a successful businessman, he would likely stick to legal, business-focused methods. In that case, there wasn't much to worry about.
"What kind of mine are you hoping I'll help you find?" he asked.
Seeing the change in Li Tang's demeanor, Xiao realized the young man was now taking the discussion seriously. His face lit up with joy.
"If you can find me a copper mine as big as Qu Long, that would be the best."
Seriously? Did you already forget your 15-billion-yuan gamble on Qu Long that ended in total failure?
For a brief moment, Li Tang's thoughts blurred as memories from two timelines crossed in his mind. He stared at Xiao in surprise.
But he quickly pulled himself together and re-centered his thoughts.
In a way, his actions had already helped Xiao avoid the disastrous gamble on Qu Long.
And yet, fate seemed to have other plans. Xiao was still somehow drawn back to Tibet to search for minerals. Who knew what destiny had in store?
"That would be very difficult," Li Tang said, shaking his head. "There's only one Qu Long."
China had only ever discovered two super copper deposits with over ten million tons of reserves—Qu Long and Qinglong.
Qu Long was already under Wu Mining Group, a state-owned giant. No outsider could get their hands on it.
The other, larger one—Qinglong Copper Mine—was already part of Li Tang's agreement with Zise Mining.
There were no more large copper mines left to discover in China.
"Gold is fine too," Xiao said, clearly more interested in gold.
"If you find a large gold deposit, provincial authorities can't approve the mining rights. You'll need to apply in Yanjing. Regulations clearly state that only state-owned enterprises can mine large-scale gold deposits. Private companies basically don't stand a chance."
"As long as the mine is found, I'll find a way. Don't worry about that!"
"Alright then."
"So, when do we start looking?"
"Not anytime soon," Li Tang calculated mentally. He was completely tied up at the moment. "You'll have to wait until I finish what I'm working on. You know I'm still with Wu Mining Group."
"No problem. We're not in a rush. Here's my business card—call me anytime."
Just then, Liu Kaisheng knocked on the door and entered with several waiters carrying an assortment of dishes.
The dinner was lively. As the drinks flowed, Xiao and Liu were soon slapping each other's backs like long-lost brothers.
After the meal, Xiao arranged for a car to take Li Tang and Liu back to their hotel. Before the door closed, he discreetly took a thick gold chain off one of his men's necks and slipped it into Liu Kaisheng's pocket.
Perhaps he saw Li Tang as too cultured for such gestures—he didn't try to stuff anything into his pockets.
Back at the hotel, Liu Kaisheng—drunk and staggering but still lucid—turned to Li Tang.
"Li Tang, I took the liberty of bringing you to that dinner with Boss Xiao. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. I actually had a good time."
"How do you know Boss Xiao so well?" That was the real question Liu had been dying to ask.
Ever since Li Tang joined the company, it seemed like strange and remarkable things constantly happened around him.
"I've met him once before. We're not that close," Li Tang replied with a chuckle. "Just playing the part."
"Is that so?"
Liu Kaisheng walked away, only half convinced, and returned to his room.
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