Chapter 31
So, what's all this talk of
composure and calmness? Behind the scenes, aren't they secretly plotting to buy
a house and meet the parents?!
Also, if they're going to hire my
mother, why do they have to meet my grandparents too?
On the way to Wuxi over the
weekend, I posed this crucial question to Lin Yusen, to see what excuse he
could come up with.
However, I clearly underestimated
Mr. Lin's shamelessness. He calmly and without batting an eye replied, "Of
course, it's to conduct a background check on Ms. Jiang."
"...You win."
Lin Yusen smiled wryly. After
driving for a while, he suddenly said, "I wanted to see the place where
you grew up."
I turned to look at him.
“Also, eat that sesame seed cake
you bragged about.”
“I wasn’t bragged.” I tried to
suppress a smile. “It’s two yuan and fifty cents a piece, my treat.”
It’s not too far from Suzhou to
Wuxi; it only took a little over an hour to get to my house. Standing in the
elevator, I suddenly tensed up, racking my brains to remind him of some things
to be careful about.
“This house used to be bought by
my mom for my grandparents. They passed away after they got sick, and it’s been
empty ever since. We only moved here after my mom’s divorce. So there are a lot
of photos of my grandparents in the house. Don’t ask any questions if you see
them.”
Lin Yusen loosened his collar.
“Okay, anything else?”
“That’s all.” I reassured him.
“You don’t need to be too nervous. My mom doesn’t usually entertain guests
here. She has her own little club, where she usually goes. She had a very good
impression of you, which is why she let you come to our house directly. It’s
all thanks to me always putting in a good word for you.”
“Thank you. We’ll settle the
payment when we get back to Suzhou.”
Lin Yusen looked genuinely
nervous; he couldn’t even laugh at his own jokes anymore. However, as soon as
the elevator reached my house floor and he stepped out, he instantly relaxed,
becoming calm and composed.
I stared at him in surprise,
wondering if this was the legendary "exam-oriented" student.
I rang the doorbell, and
footsteps sounded quickly from inside. The door opened, and it was my mother
herself. She was clearly prepared today, her hair styled in a bun, wearing a
suit, and even makeup.
"Mom."
"Hello, Aunt Jiang."
Lin Yusen greeted my mother politely after I greeted her, placing the gift he
was carrying on the floor in the entryway.
My mother looked Lin Yusen up and
down, a slight smile appearing on her face. As a self-proclaimed
"appearance-obsessed" person, my mother clearly thought Lin Yusen's
looks were acceptable.
"Hello, Lin, right? Why are
you being so polite? Come in and have a seat."
My mother led us to the tea room
for tea. The tea room had a floor-to-ceiling window facing Lihu Lake, offering
a panoramic view of the lake and mountains. Several new potted plants had been
added to the room, their fresh, lush fragrance filling the air.
“Sit down,” Mom gestured for Lin
Yusen to sit. “I have Anji white tea, West Lake Longjing tea, and Yixing black
tea here. What would you like?”
“Thank you, Auntie. Black tea,
please. I don’t think I’ve ever had this before.”
Mom nodded, took out tea leaves,
and brewed the tea. Her movements were fluid and graceful, quite elegant. I
watched in astonishment, almost doubting my own eyes. Our tea room was usually
just for show; Mom brewed tea casually, just like me. How come she was suddenly
so skilled and methodical today? Had she learned it in the last couple of days?
“I’ll have black tea too,” I
said, afraid that if I chose another type, she would give herself away.
Mom, as expected, had no interest
in brewing anything else and started drinking black tea herself. Amidst the
fragrant tea, Mother gazed at Lin Yusen, as if searching for traces of an old
friend.
“More than twenty years ago, I
had the honor of meeting Miss Sheng once. Miss Sheng was exceptionally
beautiful; you bear a resemblance to her.”
Lin Yusen set down his teacup and
said respectfully, “When I first mentioned Xi Guang to her, Mother, she
mentioned auntie to me too.”
Mother was surprised: “Back then,
Xi Guang’s father and I were penniless. We only got in through connections. How
could your mother remember?”
Lin Yusen said, “She was deeply
impressed by Uncle and Aunt, saying they were well-dressed and neither servile
nor arrogant. A girl from such a family must be quite remarkable.”
Mother smiled immediately, then
sighed with emotion: “I heard she’s been living abroad. Is she doing well?”
“She’s gradually become more
relaxed and plump, but her charm remains.”
“That’s good. You only realize
this when you get old; inner peace is more important than anything else.”
Mother picked up the purple clay teapot to refill Lin Yusen’s teacup. Lin Yusen
didn’t dare refuse, gently lifting the teacup with both hands.
Setting down the teapot, Mom said
slowly, "There's something I wanted to ask you about."
"Auntie, please go
ahead."
"Xi Guang's father has an
old friend who has always relied on her father for care. This shouldn't concern
you, but a few days ago, I ran into Jiaqi, Xi Guang's godmother's son. He
suddenly came to me and said that you and he are good friends, and that
everything was that old friend's daughter's fault. He gave a vague explanation
and asked me to keep it from his mother. He seems to think I know something, so
I didn't press him. Today, I just wanted to ask you directly, what's going on?
How did you get involved with them?" Mom looked directly at Lin Yusen.
Lin Yusen looked at me upon
hearing this.
I silently gripped the cup
tightly with both hands. "I'm sorry, Mom, there's something I forgot to
tell you."
I then told Mom about Ma Nianyuan
impersonating my father's daughter and inviting him through Shao Jiaqi, and how
Lin Yusen was in a car accident and could no longer work as a surgeon.
The more Mom listened, the colder
her expression grew. Finally, with a hint of anger, she scolded me, "Why
didn't you tell me something so important right away?"
"I didn't want you to be
unhappy," I said, lowering my head. "Besides, I seem to care less and
less about what's going on with Dad, so I didn't really want to bring it
up."
"Nie Chengyuan is becoming
more and more of a scoundrel, I know," Mom said coldly.
After a moment, her expression
softened, and she looked at Lin Yusen. "I'm so sorry that our family's
affairs have caused you so much harm."
Lin Yusen chuckled. "Auntie,
this really has nothing to do with you and Xiguang. If we were to settle scores
like this, it would never end."
"You're a very perceptive
person," Mom nodded, then sighed. "You've seen it yourself; Xiguang
has always been this way—forgiving and gentle by nature. I've always been
undecided whether to let her live a stable and comfortable life or take over
the family business. That's why I sent her to Suzhou—a bit far, but not too
far—to see how she would develop. I didn't expect that under your influence,
she'd become a bit more career-minded."
Lin Yusen said, "Auntie,
you're too kind. I didn't do anything, and I certainly didn't take her with me.
It was her own idea."
Mom scrutinized him.
"Xiguang said she wanted me to go to Suzhou to help?"
I nodded, munching on nuts beside
her. I had already discussed this with my mom beforehand; otherwise, Lin
Yusen's sudden suggestion would have been too abrupt.
"It's not about helping,
it's about asking you, Auntie, to step in and take charge of the overall
situation, helping Guangxiu and Xiguang establish themselves," Lin Yusen
said sincerely.
"I've been retired for
several years, just a retiree who spends her days drinking tea with friends.
Why would you think of me?"
"Auntie is in her prime;
your retirement would be a loss to the Yangtze River Delta business
community."
Lin Yusen's compliment today was
more than I'd ever heard before. I secretly observed my mother's expression;
she seemed quite pleased. Hmm, everyone loves to hear nice things; I need to
learn this skill.
Lin Yusen continued, “Actually, I
heard my grandfather mention years ago that Auntie was the first to propose
investing in the photovoltaic industry. Unfortunately, Uncle Nie hesitated and
missed the initial boom years. By the time he entered the market, the best
opportunity had passed. Auntie's foresight far surpasses that of many men; I've
always admired her.”
“Since the best opportunity has
passed, why did you come to me?”
“It's just that the first wave of
the best opportunity has passed, but there's a broader future ahead. Recently,
the government has introduced a series of policies, and the direction is clear:
the government won't abandon its new energy development plan. The only
difference is where the products will be sold. The methods may differ, but the
direction won't change.”
Lin Yusen raised his hand and
poured tea for my mother. “Saying this in front of Auntie is like showing off
my limited skills. Of course, Auntie also has faith in Guangyu; otherwise, you
wouldn't have encouraged Xiguang to take over Uncle Nie's shares.”
My mother glanced at me: “You
just say everything.”
I awkwardly stuffed a piece of
fruit into my mouth.
Mother looked at Lin Yusen again:
"You're so optimistic about the photovoltaic industry, why don't you do it
yourself? Why give this future to someone else? If Guangyu grows and prospers
someday, won't you regret it?"
"Everyone can see the
future, but getting to that point involves countless hardships. How can I say
I'm giving it to someone else? Of course, I won't regret it."
A hint of surprise flashed across
Mother's face: "You're so young, yet you think so clearly. It's truly
remarkable."
"You flatter me. There's
another reason I asked you to come out of retirement, Auntie," Lin Yusen
said. "My original plan for the company was to build a management team,
and I would participate in major decisions, but not get too deeply involved in
practical matters. But now that Xiguang has really shown interest, things are
different. She currently needs someone to help her keep things in check.
Otherwise, people might change their minds, and if the core management team
isn't united, it will be detrimental to the future development of both Xiguang
and the company."
Lin Yusen was always thoughtful
and far-sighted, which wasn't surprising, but what did he mean by "now
that Xiguang has really shown interest"? Was he really joking when he said
he wanted me to support him?!
And I just walked right into that
trap?
I stared at him in disbelief. Lin
Yusen patted me reassuringly, "I just didn't want to put pressure on you.
I hope you develop according to your own wishes."
Me: "..."
...I'll settle the score with you
later.
Mom watched our back-and-forth, a
smile flickering in her eyes, but her expression remained indifferent.
"These things won't sway me."
"Of course." Lin Yusen
understood perfectly, pulling a document from a gift bag he'd brought into the
tea room. "These are the detailed cooperation terms and equity incentive
plan. Please take a look, Auntie."
I was dumbfounded. When did he
prepare this?
Mom took it calmly, looked down,
and quickly finished reading. Just as she was about to speak, she glanced at me
and said, "Xiguang, go to the kitchen and get some fruit."
I looked at the fruit on the
table. I hadn't eaten much. Was Mom being too obvious in dismissing me?
"Can't I listen in?"
"I'm afraid you'll side with
outsiders."
"...I won't."
That's what I said, but since Mom
had spoken, I obediently got up and went to the kitchen to cut fruit. In the
kitchen, the housekeeper was preparing lunch. I dawdled for quite a while
before finally taking the fruit back.
In the tea room, they seemed to
have finished their conversation. Neither of them was speaking; they were just
quietly drinking tea. But Mom looked reluctant, and Lin Yusen had a wry smile
on his face. They both seemed to have suffered a great loss…
Did the talks break down?
No, no, based on my understanding
of them, this is just acting, isn't it?
For a moment, I felt like I was
watching two cunning foxes, one big and one small, playing a psychological game
after their initial sparring. I put down the fruit plate speechlessly and asked
them, "Are you finished talking?"
"Finished."
Lin Yusen's expression turned
serious as he said to my mother, "From now on, Auntie will have to take
care of everything for Guangyu."
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