Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 511

“Sister Xinyao? Are you still sleeping? If you don’t get up now, you’re going to be late!”

“Xiaomi, I know. I’m getting up now.”

Lu Xinyao wasn’t sure if Xu Xiuwen had locked the door, but luckily, Song Xiaomi hadn’t opened it.

Otherwise, if she saw Xu Xiuwen lying in her bed, even if Lu Xinyao had eight mouths, she wouldn’t be able to explain it clearly.

For now, she didn’t want a third person to know about her relationship with Xu Xiuwen.

Outside the door, upon hearing Lu Xinyao’s response, Song Xiaomi said, “Alright, Sister Xinyao.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

After dealing with Song Xiaomi, Lu Xinyao turned around and tried to push Xu Xiuwen away. “Stop sleeping! If you keep sleeping, I’m going to be late!”

Xu Xiuwen, eyes still closed, replied, “It’s fine, I’ll give you half a day off. I won’t dock your pay.”

“President Xu, don’t do this. Xiaomi is still waiting for me.”

“I just want to hold you and sleep in for a little while. Why is that so difficult?”

Though Xu Xiuwen grumbled, he still let go of Lu Xinyao.

Lu Xinyao saw the slight smirk on his lips and couldn’t help but smile herself.

Sometimes, President Xu could be pretty cute.

…

Two days later.

At Guangming Distillery.

They say a new official brings three fires*, and Ji Yan was no exception.

(*A Chinese idiom meaning that new leaders tend to implement significant changes or reforms when they take office.)

Relying on her years of experience at Shuanghe Distillery, Ji Yan implemented three major changes:

1. She further standardized the internal regulations of the distillery.

2. She streamlined the previously cumbersome procedures, making them simpler and more efficient.

3. She refined and reassigned some departmental tasks.

With these three fires burning, the distillery’s work efficiency was completely revitalized.

However, she also offended quite a few people in the process, causing a lot of dissatisfaction.

But since she was the deputy director personally appointed by Xu Xiuwen, no one dared to openly oppose her. They could only keep their grievances to themselves.

Unlike Ji Yan, who was making smooth progress, Xu Chengde, the factory director, had been keeping a low profile ever since his argument with Xu Xiuwen.

Meanwhile, Xu Qian, who had stormed out of the last meeting, seemed to have “fallen out of favor.”

A mistress rising to power, the legitimate wife losing favor—such a dramatic turn of events naturally became a hot topic among the employees.

On August 20th, Xu Xiuwen traveled to Beijing to meet with a liquor distributor.

This meeting was initiated by the distributor.

Since taking over Guangming Distillery, Xu Xiuwen had been steadily laying the groundwork.

Although he wanted Guangming’s new liquor to sell nationwide immediately, he knew that wasn’t realistic.

For now, Guangming’s primary market focus was within the province and Jiangsu.

The reputation of their aged original liquor was strong, and it had already established a foothold in the provincial market, securing a certain market share.

The Jiangsu market was still unopened, but he had entrusted Ji Yan with that task, so he wasn’t too concerned.

The liquor market in northern China was massive, especially in Beijing.

With countless restaurants, large and medium-sized supermarkets, convenience stores, chain stores, and liquor shops, the annual liquor sales there could rival those of an entire province.

Every liquor company wanted a piece of the pie.

But in such fierce competition, gaining a foothold required more than just high-quality liquor—it also depended on brand reputation and sufficient investment.

Xu Xiuwen was pragmatic. Guangming Distillery had only just gotten on track and couldn’t afford large-scale investments yet, so he had held off on making any major moves.

But now that a liquor distributor in Beijing had taken the initiative to reach out, Xu Xiuwen naturally had no reason to refuse.

As scheduled, he took a flight to Beijing.

The meeting was set to take place at a well-known restaurant in the city.

Beijing’s largest liquor distributor was a man named Peng Pu, who was nearing forty.

When they met, Peng Pu brought along two people, while Xu Xiuwen arrived alone.

Xu Xiuwen had expected a smooth and friendly discussion.

After all, since the other party had initiated contact with Guangming Distillery, they should have had a strong intention to collaborate.

However, from the very beginning, Peng Pu’s demeanor was cold and indifferent, as if he didn’t care whether the collaboration happened or not.

Moreover, instead of asking about Guangming Distillery or its products, Peng Pu’s first question was about Xu Xiuwen’s relationship with Li Xiangjun.

At that moment, Xu Xiuwen immediately realized that Peng Pu had reached out because of Li Xiangjun.

When he clarified that he and Li Xiangjun only knew each other in passing, Peng Pu’s attitude became even colder.

Then, Peng Pu proposed a collaboration model.

His company would create a new brand, take charge of pricing and sales, and decide the profit distribution.

Guangming Distillery, on the other hand, would only be responsible for producing the liquor.

In short, it was an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) arrangement—producing liquor under another company’s brand.

To be honest, this type of partnership might bring in some profit.

But how much? That was hard to say.

And since profit distribution would be entirely controlled by Peng Pu’s side, even if money was made, the majority of it would likely go to him.

Xu Xiuwen even suspected that Peng Pu wasn’t really interested in making money.

It felt more like he was being forced to collaborate with Guangming Distillery for some reason.

But at the same time, he had little regard for the distillery or its aged original liquor.

So, he deliberately proposed an offer that was hard for Xu Xiuwen to accept—perhaps hoping that he would back out on his own?

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t sure.

But without any hesitation, he rejected the proposal.

He wasn’t desperate to work with Peng Pu, nor was he fixated on selling his aged original liquor in Beijing.

In this type of deal, Guangming Distillery, as the supplier, would be in a completely passive position.

And Xu Xiuwen didn’t like that one bit.

Surprisingly, his refusal made Peng Pu see him in a new light.

Although Peng Pu had been cold and dismissive throughout their conversation, after Xu Xiuwen turned down the deal, he actually handed him a business card.

The meeting ended much sooner than expected.

They had arranged to meet at 5:00 PM.

By 5:30 PM, the negotiation had already fallen apart.

Peng Pu left quickly.

Before leaving, though, he told Xu Xiuwen that he could stay and finish the meal—the bill had already been paid.

Thinking it would be a waste not to eat, Xu Xiuwen sat alone in the now-empty private dining room, enjoying the lavish feast.

The scene had a certain ironic humor to it.

After eating his fill, Xu Xiuwen left the restaurant.

His only reason for coming to Beijing had been this meeting with Peng Pu.

Now that the deal had fallen through, he had no choice but to stay the night.

He had already checked into a hotel that afternoon.

Since he had just left the restaurant, he wasn’t in a hurry to go back.

He decided to take a stroll around Beijing and experience the city a little.

There was one place in Beijing that no visitor could miss—
Tiananmen Square.

Checking the time, Xu Xiuwen decided to head there for a look.

If he was lucky, he might even catch the flag-lowering ceremony.

Hailing a taxi, he made his way to Tiananmen Square.

And today, luck was on his side.

When he arrived, the red flag was still waving above Tiananmen.

The evening glow draped the Tiananmen Gate Tower in a golden hue.

For a moment, Xu Xiuwen almost felt as if he could see the great leaders of the past standing here.

…Alright.

That was a lie.

He didn’t actually feel anything like that.

Even though it was his first time visiting, he had an inexplicable emotional connection to this place.

Perhaps it was a sentiment shared by all Chinese people.

After a brief tour, it was time for the flag-lowering ceremony.

Today’s ceremony was scheduled for 7:03 PM.

There was quite a crowd gathered to watch.

Xu Xiuwen stood at a distance, observing from afar.

As the ceremony concluded, the sky gradually darkened.

At night, the Tiananmen Gate Tower was illuminated brightly, looking magnificent.

People were strolling everywhere, enjoying the evening.

Since the museums and memorial halls required reservations in advance, Xu Xiuwen had no plans to visit them.

Besides, it was getting late.

He decided to head back to his hotel and rest.

He hailed a cab and set off.

But as they passed a certain street, Xu Xiuwen caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

It looked like Aunt Gu!

The next second, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

That couldn’t be possible.

Aunt Gu had clearly gone to Mount Tai. Even if her trip was over, why would she suddenly be in Beijing?

Yet, five minutes later—

Xu Xiuwen got out of the taxi.

Standing on the street they had just passed, he looked around.

There was no sign of the familiar figure.

So… he had been mistaken after all?

Just as he was about to get back in the cab, he hesitated.

The woman he had glimpsed earlier—

Her body language seemed… off.

She looked dejected.

The taxi driver called out impatiently, “Hey, kid, are you going or not?”

“Sorry, sir, I’m staying here for now. How much is the fare?”

After paying, he watched as the taxi sped away without a moment’s pause.

Xu Xiuwen scanned his surroundings again, then picked a random direction and started walking.

He hadn’t gone far before he reached a park.

He was about to turn back when he suddenly heard faint sobbing.

The sound drifted from inside the park.

Following the crying, Xu Xiuwen soon spotted a woman sitting on a stone bench along a small park pathway, wiping her tears and sniffling.

She looked absolutely miserable.

Xu Xiuwen sighed.

From her figure and clothing, he was now certain—

The crying woman was indeed Aunt Gu.

He had no idea why she was in Beijing, let alone why she was crying.

He had always assumed that mature women, with their life experience, would handle difficulties independently rather than break down in tears.

But Aunt Gu had just proven him wrong.

Turns out, even a mature woman could cry like a little girl.

Xu Xiuwen let out a quiet sigh before slowly approaching.

When he was less than a meter away, he called out,

“Aunt Gu.”

The name still felt the most natural to say.

Gu Pandi was sobbing uncontrollably.

She felt absolutely wretched.

First, her husband cheated on her and wanted a divorce.

Then, while traveling, her suitcase, wallet, and phone were all stolen.

Why did all the bad luck have to happen to her?

Had she done something wrong?

Was the heavens punishing her?

Gu Pandi had never committed any major good deeds over the years, but she had done plenty of small ones. And she had never done anything to weigh on her conscience.

So why was she being punished?

Feeling utterly wronged, Gu Pandi couldn’t help but resent even the heavens.

She felt incredibly helpless right now.

Alone in Beijing, with her ID, phone, wallet—everything—stolen.

She had no idea what to do.

Just when she was at her lowest point, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

She thought she was hallucinating.

How could Xiao Xu possibly be here?

He was in Jinling, thousands of miles away from here.

“Aunt Gu?”

The voice came again.

Even though she knew it was impossible, Gu Pandi still turned her head.

A young man in a suit stood behind her.

It was Xu Xiuwen.

At that moment—

It was like a lost puppy finally finding its owner.

Gu Pandi was both shocked and overjoyed.

That feeling of seeing family again made her eyes well up with tears.

“Xiao Xu, what took you so long…”

The moment she spoke, all the grievances in her heart poured out at once.

She burst into tears.

Xu Xiuwen hadn’t expected her to cry even harder upon seeing him.

He was speechless.

He thought to himself, I didn’t even know you were in Beijing!

But now wasn’t the time for explanations.

He stepped forward and pulled Gu Pandi into a hug, gently patting her back.

“Alright, alright, I’m here now. Don’t be sad, okay?”

“Wuuu…”

Gu Pandi sobbed uncontrollably.

Even worse than that night in Jinling.

This didn’t look like a younger man comforting an elder—anyone watching might have thought Xu Xiuwen was the senior here.

Seeing that his words weren’t helping, Xu Xiuwen stopped talking.

He simply continued to pat her back, offering silent comfort.

After a long time, Gu Pandi’s sobbing finally began to subside.

Sniffling, she said, “I thought I’d never make it back… never see you all again.”

“You will. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Gu Pandi whimpered a little longer before finally quieting down.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of tissues, and handed them to her.

Gu Pandi took a tissue and wiped her tear-streaked face.

As she gradually calmed down, she instinctively leaned back, putting some space between them.

Then she apologized, “I’m sorry, Xiao Xu. I should’ve held it in.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Crying is a good thing. Do you feel better now?”

Gu Pandi looked up at Xu Xiuwen and nodded.

“So, what happened? How did you end up in Beijing? And why were you sitting here crying alone?”

Gu Pandi told him about her miserable day.

It turned out she had also come to Beijing, just like him.

But she was here for a vacation, hoping to clear her mind.

She had arrived this afternoon, and her first stop was also Tiananmen Square.

But while taking the bus, her phone and wallet were stolen.

She hadn’t even realized it at the time.

After getting off the bus, she went to the restroom.

And when she came out.

Her suitcase had also been taken.

That was everything that had happened to her that afternoon.

After listening to Gu Pandi’s story, Xu Xiuwen was at a loss for words.

If it had been someone else, he might have blurted out, “Why not just lose yourself while you’re at it?”

But considering her emotions—and their seniority difference—he held back.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Then why didn’t you call the police?”

“I don’t trust them.”

“You don’t trust the police? Then who do you trust?”

“I don’t know.”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head helplessly.

He knew Aunt Gu’s distrust stemmed from being deceived and hurt by Uncle Jiang.

Now, she simply resented everything related to him—including the police.

Gu Pandi observed Xu Xiuwen’s expression closely.

Suddenly, she asked, “Xiao Xu, can I trust you?”

Xu Xiuwen let out a wry smile. “What’s the point of trusting me? I’d still have to go to the police.”