After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Then let's go together."

"Alright, Mr. Lu."

In the gym shower room, Lu Liang was drying his hair as he walked out and happened to meet Sun Yutao passing by. They agreed to head to the cafeteria next door.

At two in the afternoon, traders who had been working all night started waking up. The restaurant was crowded, and the two found a relatively quiet corner.

"Has Hilt contacted you recently?"

Lu Liang turned his head to look out at the cityscape beyond the window. The sunlight was blinding, and he couldn't help but squint his eyes.

Sun Yutao shook his head, "Ever since the last financing contract was signed, there hasn't been any contact."

"Is he still in Modu?" Lu Liang asked again.

"He should be. I saw him post on his moments yesterday."

Lu Liang pulled up Hilt's profile and suddenly said, "Help me arrange a meeting with him. Let's meet later."

He was recently contemplating a question.

It's said there's no thousand days of being a thief, nor a thousand days of guarding against one. Always being on the defensive doesn't seem right either.

But time and again, the already scarce trust has been completely worn out.

Unless he's willing to move with his family to the United States, it's already impossible for the Squid Clan to accept him again.

So Lu Liang was considering whether he could support a new force, even if it meant raising a tiger to be a threat someday.

At least before this tiger grows up and gains the ability to harm its master, it would just be a well-behaved and sensible tiger cub.

At just forty-seven, in the prime of life, and as a pureblood member of the Squid Clan, Hilt was a good target.

Sun Yutao furrowed his brows, "Is Hilt suitable?"

"Why not?"

Lu Liang laughed and countered, "You don't think being the head of State Street's Modu office is an easy job, do you?"

Sun Yutao quickly shook his head. The Modu office, while not a bad post, is also definitely not a cushy one.

State Street Group is very strong, with assets under management on Wall Street second only to BlackRock and Vanguard.

But East Country is not only a forbidden zone for mercenaries; it's also a graveyard for international financial institutions.

Trash-listed companies crowd in, T+1 trading mode, even BlackRock would get smacked twice before leaving.

Hilt being reassigned here was tantamount to being sent to the frontiers.

If it weren't for the cooperation in the past few years, his annual income wouldn't even exceed a million US dollars.

"He's very suitable, worth a try," Lu Liang said.

An edge person to the core of power within a group would probably dream of fighting their way back, let alone Hilt.

Because his upbringing is just like the recently popular term 'small-town quiz-taker.'

Born in the southernmost part of Israel, a poor small town with a permanent population of less than a hundred thousand.

Due to family poverty, he could only work part-time while studying, successfully entering Hebrew University, then going to the United States for study.

However, the year he graduated, he encountered the 1987 stock market crash, and as a graduate of finance and international economics, he ended up as a car washer.

Perhaps he thought it was due to insufficient education, so while washing cars, he continued his studies for a finance Ph.D. at New York University.

Until the Soviet Union dissolved, the Cold War crisis ended, the United States became the sole superpower, and the economy soared once more.

Wall Street's major institutions launched an all-out recruitment and started expanding into countries around the world.

It was during that time that Hilt became a finance Ph.D. holder from New York University and in the same year, joined State Street Group.

After years of struggle, he climbed from an ordinary employee to the position of department president, and then encountered the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.

Although he has somewhat built a network over the years, anyone reaching a management position in a group must have a network.

Obviously, Hilt's network isn't as strong as others', and the next year, he was transferred from the New York headquarters under the guise of developing overseas markets.

He successively went to France and Italy to develop markets, and in between, he got married and had two children.

In 2013, he came to Modu and settled long-term.

However, how could the domestic financial industry be allowed to be touched by outsiders? Perhaps it was marriage and children, or entering middle age, so his ambition faded away.

In recent years, Hilt's performance domestically could be considered ordinary, long past the ambition and drive he had in France and Italy.

"Mr. Lu, how about four-thirty?"

Sun Yutao stepped aside and called Hilt, arranging a meeting time for Lu Liang.

Lu Liang picked up a towel and wiped his mouth, "Let him come earlier; I'll wait for him at the downstairs COCO cafe." Con&te+n+t p*re&s$ent-ed by M%V+|@LE*M%P%|YR!.$

In this weather, just looking at it makes one feel hot.

Another night of staying up,

He truly had no appetite, got full after just a few bites.

Sun Yutao quickly acknowledged, as Lu Liang also got up to leave the restaurant, went back to the lounge to change clothes, and then headed to the cafe downstairs.

He had just arrived, ordered a cup of coffee, and before the staff could bring it to him, a blond, blue-eyed foreigner in a suit appeared at the door.

"Lu, I've missed you so much."

Hilt was all smiles, beaming like a flower, stretching out his arms from afar to give Lu Liang a warm hug.

"Hold on."

Lu Liang was suddenly flustered, hurriedly waving his hand in refusal.

It was very hot, and Hilt was still in a suit, and the pungent smell of his perfume could be smelled from afar.

White people have strong body odors, so they like to use perfume to cover it up, and if Lu Liang were to hug him, he feared he might throw up.

"I'm really hurt. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we at least haven't met for over half a year."

Hilt looked full of grievance, stopping in front of Lu Liang like a little wife abandoned by someone.

"I'm the one who's really hurt."

Lu Liang squinted, implying something more.

Hilt sensed something was off, gestured to call the waiter: "Hello, an iced Americano, please."

After staying in Modu for over five years, especially after cooperating with Tianxing, his spoken Chinese improved rapidly, and now daily communication is no problem.

He smiled and asked again, "Have you ordered?"

"Yes."

Lu Liang nodded slightly.

When the waiter left to prepare the order, he curled his lips into a sly smile: "Don't you have something you'd like to say to me?"

"Say what?"

Hilt looked completely puzzled, his acting was natural, with a slightly open mouth and a touch of confusion between his brows, just right.

Just then, the waiter came over with Lu Liang's coffee, and Hilt quickly said thank you and placed the coffee in front of Lu Liang.

Lu Liang chuckled, scooped a spoonful of sugar, gently sprinkled it on top, speaking to himself: "Three years ago, the company was just starting up, at that time Tianxing was not well-known and could only choose to cooperate with State Street."

"Time has passed, the company has developed rapidly, and now it is somewhat famous both domestically and overseas, there are many choices for partners, but I always remember the help you provided back then."

"Even if others offered lower rates, Tianxing always chose to work with you first every time."

Lu Liang stirred his coffee, then suddenly looked up, meeting Hilt's eyes directly again: "I think I've been pretty good to you, right?"

Hilt subdued his smile, this time not avoiding Lu Liang's gaze, just sighed and said: "Yes."

"So you really have nothing to say to me?" Lu Liang asked again.

"Say what?"

The same response, but Hilt's face no longer held confusion, it was full of complexity, choosing silence.

Lu Liang guessed it was about Lu Liang himself, but if he admitted it, it would mean he betrayed the company.

Lu Liang took a small sip of coffee, frowning: "Today's coffee seems especially bitter."

"Let's go, not drinking it anymore."

With that, he got up to leave.

As he passed by Hilt, he heard him say softly: "Last week, I submitted my resignation to the New York headquarters, estimating that by the end of the month someone from headquarters will be sent to take over."

"You could probably transfer back to the headquarters, right? Why resign?" Lu Liang asked, stopping in his tracks and returning to his seat.

"Maybe I'm just tired."

Hilt smiled, reached out, and said: "Maybe this is the last time we'll meet, it's been nice knowing you."

Lu Liang shook his hand, couldn't help but laugh: "Getting tired over such a small thing, how are you going to compete with others in the future?"

Hilt was silent for a long time.

There was a struggle and reluctance in his eyes, but eventually, it was replaced by a trace of relief: "I bought a farm in Texas, maybe in the future you can come over for tea and a chat, if there's a chance."

Success is just occasional,

but failure is the constant in life.

He wasn't getting any younger, and he'd also made a lot working with Tianxing over the years, it was time to live a stable and comfortable life.

The guilt he felt towards Lu Liang could only go with him to his grave.

"Just giving up like that?"

Lu Liang squinted, enunciating each word: "What if I say there's still a chance?"

Hilt was taken aback, looking up at Lu Liang, a glimmer of light flashed through his usually dim eyes.

"This coffee doesn't seem so bitter anymore." Lu Liang took another sip of the coffee he had just disdained.

He stood and left, brushing past Hilt, patting him on the shoulder: "Consider it carefully, contact me if you make up your mind before the end of the month."

Hilt remained silent, watching Lu Liang's retreating figure.

Until the shop door opened with a ding, did he come back to his senses.

Hilt twirled the coffee spoon in his hand, his reflection on the stainless steel surface.

He murmured to himself: "I'm not really that old, it's not like I can't keep going, right?"