Chapter 248: The Ugly Duckling Fairytale
Li Xingchao needed to return to Shenxia Group as soon as possible to deliver the decisions made here to the company's management. The next phase of implementation would require careful planning.
He hurried to the parking lot and was about to get into the car when he suddenly noticed his daughter opening the door on the other side.
"You don't need to come back with me," he said, changing his mind on the spot.
"But it's not even the end of the workday. I'm not going back to the office—do you mean I should just go home?" Li Xinqi was momentarily stunned, confused by what her father meant.
"You're staying here," Li Xingchao said, making an impromptu decision to assign his daughter to Zhongcheng Mining. "Just now, Director Chen from Zise Mining mentioned that Zhongcheng Mining is setting up an operations command center, and each company will station a liaison here for communication."
He made the decision on the spot. "You'll be Shenxia Group's liaison at Zhongcheng Mining. Starting today, you won't report to our company anymore. From now on, go straight here every morning."
"I still have financial work to do!" Li Xinqi couldn't believe how impulsive her father was being. "Besides, this kind of decision has to be approved by the finance director. He's my direct superior—I have to follow his arrangements!"
"You're right."
Li Xingchao immediately pulled out his phone and called the finance director. "I plan to assign Li Xinqi temporarily to Zhongcheng Mining. She won't report to her usual department for the time being and will instead work on-site at Zhongcheng."
Then he handed the phone to his daughter.
Xinqi held the phone and heard the director's voice: "Our finance department is responsible for reviewing Zhongcheng Mining's operations and finances. You're already our designated audit officer. For now, stay stationed there and act as the company liaison. I'll reassign your current work to someone else."
After the call, she returned the phone, feeling conflicted. "My car's still at the office."
"No big deal. I won't ask the driver to pick me up today—I'll drive your car back myself." With that, Li Xingchao waved and got in the car, slamming the door shut.
The black sedan quickly drove off.
Xiaoxi, who had stayed with her, looked around and said nervously, "Sister Qi, are we... are we employees of Zhongcheng Mining now?"
"Pretty much." Li Xinqi knew exactly what her father was thinking.
The image of Li Tang flashed through her mind.
His every movement, his serious face, the way he gestured when he spoke—like a scene from a film—played vividly in her head.
"I live next to our company. Coming here for work is out of the way now," Xiaoxi said, a bit concerned.
"I'll pick you up in the morning. It's on the way for me."
Despite being young, Li Xinqi was a responsible mentor, especially to Xiaoxi, who had just joined the company.
She waved for her to follow. "Come on, let's go see Li Tang and find out how he wants to arrange things."
Xiaoxi quickly jogged to catch up, nervously muttering, "Sister Qi, I think Li Tang is kind of scary."
"Scary? Why do you say that?" Xinqi asked, curious.
"Didn't you see him during the meeting? All the other company execs were so approachable, smiling and kind. He was the only one with that serious face and those piercing eyes."
Xiaoxi looked genuinely worried. "What if we mess up? Is he going to scold us harshly?"
"I don't know."
Xinqi thought about it seriously, then shook her head.
Yunding Tower had been built for years, but few tenants had moved in. Most floors hadn't even been sold.
As they stood by the elevator, the place was nearly deserted—no one else in sight.
"Li Tang isn't exactly handsome, but I think he's really attractive," Xiaoxi said. With no one else around, after criticizing him earlier, she now couldn't help but praise him.
There was even a hint of admiration in her expression.
A young girl's heart is always complicated.
"He's charmed you?" Xinqi teased, giving Xiaoxi a playful pinch on the ear.
They were close friends and often joked around outside of work.
"No way!"
Xiaoxi blushed furiously and waved her hands. "Trust me—I'm good at reading men. If a man is scary and strict at work, he's probably a gentle and thoughtful guy in private. Men are two-faced like that. The ones who act weak at work are often the aggressive ones at home."
"Wow, when did you become such an expert on men?" Xinqi teased. "How many guys did you 'study' to get that kind of insight?"
"None! I've never even dated!" Xiaoxi's face turned crimson.
"Then how do you know so much?"
"I read it. In romance novels."
She seemed to take those stories as gospel. "Li Tang's got everything—career, money—he's literally a male lead straight out of a novel! And you know how the story goes: this is the part where the rich, aloof guy meets a poor, plain 'ugly duckling.'"
"Ugly duckling?" Xinqi raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! At first he doesn't pay attention to her because she's not pretty. They miss their chance. Then, later on, by coincidence, they meet again—but now she's become a beautiful swan! And that's when he's stunned and falls head over heels for her…"
"You're not talking about yourself, are you?"
Xinqi immediately caught the not-so-subtle implication.
"No! I'm just telling you a classic romance plot, not talking about me," Xiaoxi said hurriedly, her face glowing red.
"So Li Tang is your dream guy?" Xinqi teased like she'd caught her red-handed.
"No no no! Absolutely not!" Xiaoxi buried her face in Xinqi's shoulder, utterly embarrassed.
"I'm no expert in romance novels," Xinqi said in mock seriousness, "but I do know that rich guys love tricking innocent girls like you."
"What would they even scam me for? I don't have any money."
"Oh, they'll scam something," Xinqi laughed, reaching over and pinching Xiaoxi's waist. "They'll scam your chubby little waist!"
"Stop! That tickles!"
Xiaoxi burst into giggles, twisting around as she cried out, "Come on, handsome rich guy—scam me! I'm scared!"
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
The two young women quickly straightened their clothes, adjusting their disheveled looks from their playful tussle. As they stepped out, they were the picture of professional office ladies.
But their cheeks were still flushed.
They stood in front of Li Tang, as if awaiting inspection.
Li Xinqi explained their presence. "Zhongcheng Mining has set up the mining license operations command center. We're here as Shenxia Group's liaisons. From now on, we'll be at your service, Director Li."
Li Tang didn't have anything urgent at the moment. The response to the trade standoff with Mongolia didn't require his personal involvement.
He was making tea, sipping slowly as he mulled over one question—who was the Western capital force targeting his mining rights?
Seeing Li Xinqi in front of him was a surprise.
He had noticed her earlier, sitting behind her father at the meeting.
It had been a while since they'd seen each other. They hadn't kept in touch—no real common ground between them.
Now standing face to face again, it felt a bit awkward.
"Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?" He flipped over two clean teacups and poured them each a cup.
Since they were from Shenxia Group, technically guests, he made an effort to be polite.
The moment Xiaoxi saw Li Tang, she immediately thought back to his stern expression during the meeting. She shrank into a corner of the couch, no longer daring to speak freely like before.
Now that the man was sitting right in front of her, even ten times the courage wouldn't make her repeat what she said earlier.
Li Xinqi, however, remained composed. She sat across from Li Tang and quietly studied him.
From this moment on, she suddenly felt as if she were seeing Li Tang in a completely new light.
Back in the meeting room, she hadn't expected someone like Li Tang—just one person—to project a presence that could influence an entire room.
"How have things been for you in Mongolia?" she asked casually.
"Not bad," Li Tang said, pointing to a nearby table. "That thermos you gave me has kept me drinking hot water anytime I want. I appreciate it."
"I've never been to Mongolia," she said, "but I heard it's all endless grasslands, full of cattle and sheep. People say the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the scenery is beautiful."
"Once you've been there, you'll find out the cattle and sheep turn into beef and mutton, the green grasslands are covered in animal dung, and the locals collect that dung, dry it, and use it as fuel," Li Tang replied matter-of-factly.
Xinqi frowned slightly. The romantic vision she had in mind was shattered by the blunt reality in his words. It wasn't quite so picturesque anymore.
"Well, after hearing that, I'm not exactly longing for the Mongolian grasslands anymore," she muttered.
"The lamb and beef there are pretty good though," Li Tang added with a slight smile.
"Let's talk business instead."
Strangely, Xinqi wasn't put off by Li Tang's bluntness. On the contrary, she found herself appreciating his straightforward personality.
It was an unusual response, even to herself.
She tried steering the conversation to a topic he would be more comfortable with. "About Zhongcheng Mining's mining license application—do you think this is just a probe by the Mongolian side? Or is there really Western capital pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"It's definitely Western capital trying to sabotage us," Li Tang said without hesitation.
"Which company do you think it is?"
"They'll reveal themselves soon enough. We don't need to look for them."
…
In Erenhot—a border city between Mongolia and China—stood the most important gateway connecting the two countries.
Nearly all of Mongolia's mineral exports passed through this border into China.
This was made possible by Mongolia's only north-south railway.
That railway was essentially Mongolia's main artery, stretching north to Russia and south to China.
It had been constructed in the 1940s and 50s by the Russians, built to the robust Soviet standards of the time.
The track gauge was 1520 mm—wider than the international standard of 1435 mm by a considerable margin.
This difference created logistical headaches for the ever-growing volume of trade between Mongolia and China.
Heavy train cars loaded with ore would reach Erenhot, and to enter China's rail network, they had to overcome the gauge difference.
There were two ways to do this: either unload the cargo and reload it into Chinese rail cars, or change the wheels of the train cars to ones compatible with China's standard-gauge tracks.
As a result, Erenhot became home to the largest bulk cargo yard and bogie exchange depot in all of Asia.
Every year, over six million tons of ore were handled here—some heading to China, some further on to Japan or South Korea.
Currently, the site was in peak season. The bulk yard was buzzing with people and machines, running in an orderly but frantic rhythm.
"Move it! We have to load this batch of copper ore today!"
A supervisor shouted instructions across the open yard. "Another train's coming tonight—thousands of tons of ore. If we don't clear this area, we're all getting fined!"
Loaders were working nonstop, moving the mineral piles into train cars bound for Chinese smelters.
Nearby, Mongolian trains were being unloaded.
After mechanical unloading, workers swept up the remaining debris by hand.
Then suddenly, someone ran over and shouted to the supervisor, "We just got word from higher-ups—don't load this batch!"
The supervisor, already worried about delays, was stunned. "We're on the clock here! If we don't move this batch, the next one won't even fit!"
"It's an order. Stop loading. Is this the iron ore destined for Wukuang Group's warehouse?"
"Yeah, it's theirs. They told me yesterday—make sure it gets loaded today!"
"Well, it's canceled. Starting today, all Wukuang shipments are suspended."
"What the hell? This is our busiest time! You want me to hold up the line? The whole yard's going to be jammed!"
"Hey, I don't know the details. I'm just passing on the message. If you load it anyway, no payment will be processed."
"You know how hard it is to transport this stuff once the cold season hits?"
"And by the way, which loads are from Zhengwei Trading?"
"They're right next to Wukuang's. Also under my supervision."
"Zhengwei's ore, and Wuxin Mining's too—don't touch any of it. Here's a list. Check if your batch is on it. All of these shipments are suspended."
"What the—this many companies?" The supervisor scanned the list and was floored. "What happened? Are we at war or something?"
…
At the bogie exchange depot, another train rolled in.
The heavy-duty jacks creaked and groaned. Metallic clangs echoed through the building.
Train wheels were being detached, one by one.
"Director Wang, thanks for your hard work. Sorry to keep you here working late." A staffer from Mongolia's Edente Copper Mine came jogging over and handed him a cigarette.
Director Wang took it and asked casually, "Where's this copper shipment headed?"
The Mongolian man lit the cigarette for him and nodded. "To the port, then shipped to Japan."
"You've got it rough. Coming all the way from northern Mongolia—almost a thousand kilometers. And these trains move slow. Once the wheels are swapped here, you've got to follow them another thousand kilometers to the coast. Must be exhausting. But we understand each other—my crew will get this done fast."
"Yes, yes, thank you so much, Director Wang."
"Once the wheels are changed, you can move fast and safely. That's all that matters."
"I'll come personally next time to thank you. You've helped us so much."
Just then, Director Wang's phone rang. He answered briefly and hung up quickly. His smile vanished, and he crushed his cigarette.
"Sorry. Just got an order—we're not working overtime tonight."
"What? Why?"
"No idea."
"When will the wheel change be finished?"
"Not anytime soon. Something's come up. Your shipment to the port—to Japan—it's not leaving Erenhot anytime soon."
Because they knew each other, Wang offered this much.
Then he turned to his assistant. "Notify the crew—no overtime tonight. Pack up and go home."
The announcement had barely been made when cheers erupted throughout the depot.
Who wanted to work overtime in the middle of the night anyway?
Mongolia's mineral exports had become a well-oiled process—a system that flowed like water, connecting mine to market across the border.
But now, nearly half that flow was suddenly halted.
Like turning off a valve—the pipeline dried up.
Mongolian logistics workers, train staff, and mining companies descended into chaos.
"What the hell is going on?"
"This is peak mining season, the smoothest time for shipping. Why did everything just stop?"
"Rail transport to the ports is suspended due to uncontrollable factors?"
"Why are all these problems happening at the same time?"
The Mongolians weren't yet treating this as a major crisis.
After speaking to the yard and depot managers, they received some vague reassurances and calmed down a bit.
After all, not all trade had ceased entirely.
On the surface, things didn't yet seem catastrophic.
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