Chapter 17 A Thank You Gift

That noon, Xiao Wu and I had a few too many drinks, making me feel light-headed. Coupled with a cold, I slept soundly in my mom's office for half the afternoon, only waking up as night fell. I felt incredibly refreshed, and even my cold seemed to have improved.

I picked up my phone to check the time, and it was already past seven. I was curled up on the sofa, and before getting up, I habitually stretched my limbs. Outside the window, it was pitch black, a testament to how long I had been asleep.

Just as I was about to stand up, the phone rang. It was Lin Hai. I answered quickly, "A'Che, have you eaten?" Lin Hai's loud voice came through, indicating he was in a good mood.

"Not yet."

"It's so late, you need to pay attention to your eating habits."

"I'm at my mom's restaurant, I'll eat in a bit. What's up?"

"There's something I wanted to tell you this morning."

"What is it?"

"The new business I'm handling now is being supported by Lao Wang behind the scenes."

"Huh? You didn't know?" I was quite surprised to hear that.

"No, Li Jianwei told me today. Did you know?"

"How would I know?"

"This makes me feel pretty embarrassed."

Indeed, considering their past conflicts, it was clear that Lao Wang was very magnanimous. Even knowing that Lin Hai had wronged my mom, he was still willing to lend a hand. Not many people could do that.

"I'll go back and ask him about it."

"And thank him for me while you're at it." Lin Hai's tone was sincere.

"I understand."

"Then go eat, I'm still driving."

I didn't exchange any more pleasantries and ended the call directly.

I was tiptoeing around, looking for my shoes, when the lights suddenly came on. I immediately turned towards the source of the sound. It was my mom, her hand still on the switch. She looked at me and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Have you guys eaten?" I didn't answer directly.

"We're waiting for you to come down and eat."

"I've had a bit of a cold these past few days, and I drank some wine and passed out."

"I have some cold medicine here, do you want some?"

"No, it was pretty nice sleeping here, my cold is almost gone."

"Then shouldn't you thank me?" My mom's attitude had completely changed from noon.

"Are you going through that legendary menopause?" I asked, looking at her seriously.

"You're just asking for it. You can't handle it when I'm nice to you."

"You're wrong, your attitude at noon was what I couldn't handle. This is the normal you, at least in my impression."

"So, I have to maintain my image?" My mom walked over to me and straightened the back of my T-shirt.

"Do you know that Lao Wang is helping Lin Hai?" I asked while putting on my shoes.

"It's not helping him," my mom said, concerned about saving face.

"How is it not?"

"It's helping you. I told Lao Wang to give you a boost last time."

"You're helping the wrong person!"

"You're coming back from abroad to take over the business. Your family only has three bachelors left, old, middle-aged, and young."

"Don't insult me like that. I'm not even married yet, how am I already in the bachelor category?"

"Hurry down and eat. Lao Wang doesn't have any engagements tonight, I need to go home early."

"Still showing off your affection even though you're an old married couple."

"It's respect, and it's also a form of companionship. It's also the secret to a happy marriage."

I ignored her and walked downstairs on my own, understanding her intentions. She was indirectly telling me how to handle family relationships in the future.

The footsteps behind me were close. Without turning my head, I said, "I'll go back with you tonight. Lin Hai said he has to thank him."

"No need," my mom immediately refused.

"It's not thanking you, so your say doesn't matter."

"Suit yourself."

Hearing that, I immediately stopped and deliberately emphasized, "I'm going to Lao Wang's house."

"I'm the boss at home, your provocation won't work."

Seeing her confident demeanor, I blurted out, "I saw Lao Wang with a woman at a nightclub last time."

"I'll ask him about it face to face when we get back. If that's true, I'll voluntarily step aside."

"That's good too. If I remarry Lin Hai, I'll have a complete family." I deliberately teased her.

"Don't beat around the bush. I know Lao Wang's character very well."

I smiled and put my arm around her shoulder as we went to the first floor together. It was past the busiest time, and Xiao Wu was standing next to Wen Wen, seemingly chatting about something. They looked quite well-matched.

I walked directly to them, and just as I was about to speak, Wen Wen saw me first and respectfully greeted, "Brother Lin."

"Are you alright?" Xiao Wu then asked, looking at me.

"I'm fine, it's been a while since I've had such a good time drinking."

"Then let's continue tonight?"

"I have something to do tonight, I can't drink."

After finishing dinner with my mom, I immediately rushed to her house. On the way back, I bought Lao Wang a gift. It was only the second time I had bought something for him. This time, I bought precious ginseng, both as a gift and as a gesture of concern.

When I went inside, Lao Wang was sitting on the sofa. I immediately handed him the box and said, "I bought you some ginseng."

Lao Wang immediately revealed a warm smile and replied, "Come... come... come, sit down quickly. Our Lin Che is still filial."

After I sat down, he asked me, "Why did you suddenly run out to buy a gift?"

"No reason, it's just a ginseng root."

"My Wang Rui has never even bought ginseng whiskers."

"She's her, I'm me, she's been busy dating recently."

"Yeah, Shen Yi's parents are demanding they get married in the second half of the year, so we can finally send her off."

I knew it was Lao Wang's joke. If Wang Rui really got married and left this family, there would be much less joy, and he would also feel a great sense of reluctance.

At that moment, my mom came out of the bathroom and said in surprise when she saw me, "So fast, I just arrived."

"Different driving skills," I said matter-of-factly.

"Did you fly over here?"

"Pour Lin Che a cup of tea," Lao Wang interrupted our banter in a timely manner.

Only then did I seriously say, "Uncle Wang, thank you."

"What are you being so polite about?"

"My dad told me about his company's business today."

"Helping him is helping you. Aren't you my son too? Shouldn't I?"

"Those are two different things. My dad was very touched today and told me to thank you properly."

"No need for thanks. Helping each other in times of need is more important than anything. When you make money, you can give back to society."

"Yeah, I'll take over and support the company to give back in the future."

"Focus on running it well first. It's too early to talk about that. Giving back should also be based on not shaking the foundation. Supporting employees is the greatest way to give back to society."

Lao Wang's words today were quite meaningful. You had to carefully consider them to understand the meaning behind them. A company is only successful when it is profitable, and that is also a responsibility to the employees. I guess that's how it should be understood.