Chapter 101: Transformation and Integration

"Well, I have finished outlining my five goals for the future. Is everyone satisfied?" Huang He asked with a smile.

Including Masayoshi Son, no one in the room wanted to speak. Did anyone admire the sheer scale of Huang He’s vision? No, they simply felt they had encountered a madman.

"This has been a truly interesting gathering. I shall remember this amusing day!" Masayoshi Son seemed to have lost all interest in continuing their "discussing heroes over wine" session.

"Mr. Ma, our agreement is confirmed. I will come to see you tomorrow to sign the contract," Masayoshi Son said with a smile.

"And you, Mr. Ma, I believe your QQ also has significant investment value. I can accept your offer. Perhaps you can come to see me in a few days. As long as the due diligence is clear, we can sign at any time."

"Hold on!" Just as Masayoshi Son was about to finalize everything, Huang He stood up and said, "Mr. Ma, and Mr. Ma, I believe I haven't yet stated the purpose of my visit!"

"Although it seems there is no longer a need to say it, I must mention it; after all, I cannot have come all this way for nothing!" Huang He said with a carefree smile. "Like Mr. Son, I am also here to invest in both of your companies. As for the investment amount and equity, I can match Mr. Son’s offer and guarantee that you all retain control of your companies."

"At the same time, if Mr. Ma has no objections, OO could merge with QQ in the future, and the equity can be recalculated then."

"As long as you agree, I guarantee that the future I described for you both will be realized. Furthermore, it will not be limited to the domestic market; both Tenda and Alibaba will become world-class enterprises!" Huang He said sincerely.

Although he felt that he had a 95% chance of being rejected, he couldn't leave empty-handed!

***

"Brother-in-law, why do I get the feeling that your objective is different from when we arrived?" On the way back, Leng Zhiruo whispered. Although the "Two Mas" had not explicitly rejected Huang He, their incredibly awkward expressions at the end made it clear that Huang He’s acquisition attempt had ended in a massive failure.

"How is it different?" Huang He laughed.

"Before you arrived, I felt you were determined to secure Alibaba, but later, you seemed to have lost all interest. Especially after that discussion over pineapple beer, it seemed like you completely gave up on those two companies!" Leng Zhiruo said. Although she didn’t have much talent for business expansion, her intuition was quite sharp—especially her talent for sensing changes in Huang He’s mood, which was exceptionally strong.

"Because I realized that if I invested in them and let them grow, they would eventually grow into something I don't like," Huang He said, looking at the Hangzhou of 2001 outside the window. "Besides, if I have those two as rivals, my life ahead should be much more interesting!"

"Brother-in-law, were those five small goals you mentioned just now real?" Also looking at the world outside the window, Leng Zhiruo couldn't help but ask. There was no helping it; to anyone, even to people from the year 2021 in another world, those five small goals sounded like the ravings of a madman—a massive red flag.

"What do you think?" Huang He countered.

"I think the truth or falsehood doesn't matter," Leng Zhiruo said earnestly. "The fundamental meaning of a goal is to give a person a position and a reason to keep moving forward. As long as you keep running toward that goal, brother-in-law, then even if we don't achieve it, or even if we die halfway there, as long as we die on that path, the goal has its meaning. It becomes real!"

"Good girl, Zhiruo!" Hearing her words and looking at her delicate, charming face, a surge of uncontrollable impulse suddenly rushed through Huang He.

This impulse was so immense—far greater than anything he had felt in that karaoke box back in the day—that Huang He could not control his body. He leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers.

Leng Zhiruo’s entire body went rigid for a moment, then gradually softened under his passionate kiss. She tightly wrapped her arms around his waist until the vehicle took a turn. Realizing what was happening, she shyly said, "Brother-in-law, the driver is still here..."

"Hmm." Huang He nodded and let her go. After that, both remained silent until the car stopped in front of the hotel. The driver, expressionless as if he had seen nothing, bid farewell to the two bosses. As they entered Leng Zhiruo’s room together, the atmosphere slowly turned ambiguous again.

"Zhiruo..." Huang He began.

"Brother-in-law, you don't need to say anything. I know it was unintentional, an accident, a misunderstanding. I won't blame you, and you don't need to take it to heart. Your room is right next door; please go back and rest!" Leng Zhiruo spoke at the speed of a machine gun, giving him absolutely no chance to respond.

Well, that was a textbook example of a "defeated heroine" speech. In a standard television drama, this would have been enough to stretch the romance plot for another forty episodes.

It was just a pity that Huang He didn't play by the rules.

"Let's get married," Huang He said quite bluntly.

"Ah?" Leng Zhiruo went completely rigid this time.

"Marriage?" She felt as if she had been dreaming. Ever since her brother-in-law’s five goals, everything had felt like a dream.

"Yes, let's get married," Huang He repeated firmly.

***

Huang He returned to Wenzhou alone. As for Leng Zhiruo, she had fled like a little rabbit. Huang He didn't pressure her; after all, hearing something like that, most people's normal reaction would be to run.

Huang He was not stupid, nor was he emotionally dense. He knew very well that Leng Zhiruo liked him—that she liked this brother-in-law.

The reason Huang He had never made his feelings clear to her was that he had always felt adrift. Since his rebirth, inheriting the identity of Huang He, inheriting his factories and debts, as well as his five sisters-in-law, Huang He had always felt like he was floating.

Everything was so real, yet everything felt so unreal. More terrifyingly, deep down, he didn't even know what he was living for.

How to put it? It felt like living inside a web novel. The story was well-written, and it had completely drawn him in, but in the dead of night, Huang He would occasionally wake up in a start, feeling like an observer. This sensation had always prevented him from settling down or truly integrating into this world.

Until today, after he set those five small goals, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment, a clarity of all things. He felt he had truly integrated into this world; he was no longer just a spectator.

Because Huang He had found his anchor and meaning in this world. From this moment on, the identity of a "transmigrator" could no longer constrain him; he was truly, fundamentally one with this world.

It was also at this moment that the love for his cute sister-in-law, Leng Zhiruo, surged uncontrollably from the depths of his heart—not only turning him into a wolf but leading him to propose and scare her off.

"This really is a real and beautiful world!" Stepping out of the car and looking up at the Wenzhou sky, Huang He sighed.