Chapter 190: I Feel So Small
Alice seemed not to notice Li Tang extending his hand. She stood up abruptly, pulled out her phone, and said with urgency, "I need to tell Joanna about this."
She walked out, leaving Li Tang with his hand still hanging in the air.
"I'll rent an apartment near the office for you as your company-provided accommodation," Li Tang called out with a smile. "We don't cut corners when it comes to talent!"
Alice stepped into the hallway, pulled up Joanna's number, and dialed.
"Alice, you're still alive?" came a dramatic shout from the other end as soon as the call connected.
"Joanna, I need to tell you something important. I'm leaving HighGain China."
"You finally came to your senses? You're quitting and heading home?"
"No. I'm staying in China."
"You're crazy! But… wow, that's so cool!"
"You're the crazy one. Your parents have always said you're like a husky—full of wild energy, breaking everything in the house."
"Don't start with me! I mean, I've done some dumb stuff, but you—going to China alone to work—now that's the craziest thing I've ever heard! But wait… you're leaving HighGain and staying in China? Why?"
"I'm joining a Chinese company."
"What?! Which joint venture is it?"
"It's not a joint venture. It's a local Chinese startup."
"You're the same old you. Not only did you go to China, but now you're joining a Chinese company! You know Dad pulled every string he had to get you into HighGain. If he finds out about this, he'll never let you back home. He'll go insane—maybe even hit you!"
"Don't tell Dad about this!"
"Someone at HighGain knows him. You won't be able to hide it forever!"
"Well, I've already made up my mind. This is my life."
"Then tell me—why are you leaving HighGain to join a Chinese company?"
"Because of a person."
"You're in love?! You fell for a Chinese guy?! That's amazing! I want a foreign boyfriend too, so I can show him off to my friends!"
"No! Don't go making things up! He's a remarkable man, incredibly respected in China's mining industry. He's always discovering giant mineral deposits…"
"Is he more capable than Dad?"
"You can't really compare them. Everyone has their strengths."
"I'm so bored at school. Should I come to China and visit you?"
"Don't come! You'd only cause trouble. And listen—my resignation from HighGain must be kept secret. You're the only one I've told. Don't breathe a word to Mom or Dad, or I'll never trust you again."
"Don't worry. I'll always be your most loyal sister!"
…
Li Tang called in He Runqi and the others into his office. Lin Xiaoshu and Ding Liuhui—the finance staff from Gongcun Gold Company—also arrived.
The office wasn't big. With eleven people squeezed in, it felt cramped.
"Since everyone's here, I want to hold an all-hands meeting and announce a major company decision," Li Tang began, skipping the formalities.
"Thanks to everyone's hard work these past few months—and to ensure that every employee treats this company as a long-term home—I've decided to set up an equity pool for Li Tang Shengshi Holdings and give free stock shares to all employees. We'll also reserve equity incentives for future talent."
Some employees looked confused, but others immediately brightened up and began whispering excitedly.
Li Tang pressed down with his hand to quiet them, then announced: "He Runqi, you're getting 2%. The rest of the founding team members each get 0.1%."
He glanced at Lin Xiaoshu and Ding Liuhui with a note of regret. "You two are officially employees of Gongcun Gold and technically report to Boss Xiao Yongyue. So, for now, you're not included in this round of incentives."
"Only 0.1%?"
"That seems pretty low."
"How much is that even worth?"
A few of the employees spoke openly.
Li Tang didn't mind the comments. He preferred transparency. "Don't underestimate that 0.1%. In the near future, I believe it'll be worth millions—or tens of millions. As our company grows, not everyone will get this kind of offer. Treasure it. And work hard to build something great together."
He Runqi, never one to doubt Li Tang's judgment, was visibly angry. He glared at the others and barked, "You've only been here a few months. You get good salaries and stock options, and you're still not satisfied?"
As Li Tang's classmate and vice president, he saw it as his job to defend Li Tang's authority.
"It's fine. Let everyone speak freely," Li Tang said, not bothered. With such a small team, honest discussion was healthy.
He turned to He Runqi and said, "There are a couple urgent tasks. First, go rent a good apartment—we're about to welcome an important new hire. Second, we need to formalize operations. That means social security, housing fund, and other benefits for all employees—get everything in place."
"I'll take care of it," He Runqi said without complaint.
"As for project assignments," Li Tang continued, "leave two people behind at Qinglong. Runqi, you take the others and continue exploration at Gongcun according to our plan."
"We're not going to Mengguo for the Taluge project?" He Runqi sounded a little disappointed—he'd been looking forward to seeing the open grasslands.
"No, I'll go myself," Li Tang replied.
He turned to Lin Xiaoshu and Ding Liuhui. "You two have been working hard lately. Salaries will still be paid by Gongcun Gold. If you run into any issues, talk to me directly."
Lin Xiaoshu, always shy, kept her head down. When Li Tang said her name, she looked up and sneaked a glance at him before nodding lightly. "Okay."
"You're not in Yanjing often, so take a few days to rest and explore. I've already spoken to Boss Xiao and Team Leader Dengba—they're fine with you returning to the site a bit later."
…
Xiao Yongyue arrived in Yanjing and stepped into Li Tang's office.
"Brother!"
He was visibly surprised to see how organized everything was. "You're really partnering with those big state-owned companies and heading to Mengguo for exploration?"
"Everything's ready. We leave in a few days."
Li Tang invited him to sit and spoke with a hint of guilt. "The Gongcun project is only halfway done. But I have to shift focus to Taluge for now."
Xiao had invested ¥25 million in Gongcun—a massive commitment.
Now that Li Tang had paused the project, it naturally made Xiao feel a little slighted.
To be fair, Li Tang had kept Xiao informed of every major decision by phone, but Xiao still felt uneasy and came to Yanjing in person.
"I understand why you're slowing down Gongcun," Xiao said. "You told me before—it'll take a year or two before the project's real value becomes clear. And that depends on gold market trends. But still…"
He was clearly here to express some dissatisfaction.
"I know you're upset I pledged all of Zhenguan Exploration's shares for a loan," Li Tang said candidly. "I had no choice."
"Ah…"
Xiao sighed deeply. He couldn't really blame Li Tang.
If it were anyone else, he'd have punched first and asked questions later.
But this was Li Tang.
Hurting him would ripple through more than just Gongcun. It might affect the entire mining industry.
People from Wukuang, or even the National Mining Administration, might come knocking—and that would be a disaster.
"I don't care that you took a loan. But pledging all the shares for ¥50 million? Now everyone thinks that's all our mining rights are worth."
Xiao looked a bit dejected. After all, he had just poured in ¥20 million of his own money. "My wife scolds me every day. At home, at the company—I can't explain it."
"That's it?" Li Tang looked surprised.
This muscle-bound man was distressed by his wife's nagging. It was almost funny.
"You don't know how annoying she can be when she gets going," Xiao said, but quickly added, "Still, I believe in you. I trust that Gongcun will be worth a fortune—like you said, once the gold market rises, the value of our license will soar!"
"I spoke with a foreign company—they offered $30 million to buy my shares."
"You didn't accept?"
"No. That's why I pledged the shares instead and got a loan from Huajin and Shenxia."
"So this license is still worth two or three hundred million yuan?"
"You put in ¥20 million for a 25% stake—it's already doubled in value."
Li Tang wasn't shy about stating the facts. "I paused Gongcun because the timing isn't right. Next year, or the year after, once the market heats up, people will be begging to throw money at us."
Xiao felt a little better, but he still had an ulterior motive. "I heard you've got some major state-owned companies backing you in Mengguo. Is there any way I could join in?"
"Why do you want to?"
Since meeting Xiao, Li Tang had always found him to be unconditionally supportive—almost too much so.
"Because the whole mining industry knows how capable you are," Xiao said. "I was one of the first to seek you out—back when Qulong was discovered."
He still regretted missing out on Qinglong.
"If only you'd come to me instead of Purple Mining for Qinglong… that would've been huge."
"Purple Mining made the decision fast—¥50 million in one go," Li Tang replied. "Honestly, I did consider giving you a portion of the east section. But Chen Jinhe's sincerity convinced me otherwise. Would you have put in ¥50 million?"
"I couldn't raise that much at once," Xiao admitted. Private companies couldn't match SOEs in that regard.
"Well then, you're not a good fit for the Taluge project," Li Tang said bluntly.
"Man… I really feel small now," Xiao muttered.
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