Chickens and dogs fly in chaos and rebirth

Chapter 31

Her words carried an unconscious air of superiority: "They're quite easy to raise—unlike my Xiao Bei, if you give him just one dish of food, he'll definitely give you a hard time! His grandparents spoiled him rotten since he was little!"

Zhang Hongwei just smiled amicably.

Things are different now. She is no longer the temporary female worker in the printing factory who earned nineteen yuan a month. She has seen a lot of the world and met many people of high status and power. She has had more than one dealing with people like this who think they are something special just because they have a little power in their family.

It's only somewhat useful now.

Thinking to herself, Shang Lin analyzed that the provincial food company's heyday wouldn't last many more years. With the rise of the commodity economy, the centralized distribution market was about to fade into history. She wasn't here just to buy creamer—where couldn't she buy creamer? Why bother them?

However, I just wanted to build another line to prepare for the future.

No parent dislikes praising their child in front of others, and she was no exception. But she couldn't say it; not only could she not say it, she had to keep it a secret.

Firstly, Shanglin wouldn't like it. Secondly, was she supposed to tell the other party that all the stationery her son loved was made by her daughter? That would be too shocking!

Qiu Shanglin never liked her parents comparing her and her brother to other people's children; there was simply no comparison! She and her brother were so smart and capable, why would they deliberately say such things to invite jealousy?

Zhang Hongwei repeatedly tried to bring her to banquets to show off, but to no avail, and thus his maternal love for her faded away.

The best stuff is hidden in the pot!

As they were exchanging pleasantries and laughter, the waiter opened the door to the private room to serve the food. Several people were coming upstairs under the attentive guidance of the lobby manager. She glanced over unintentionally, paused for a moment, and then the door closed behind her. She wasn't sure if she had misjudged the situation.

He shook his head inwardly, laughing at himself for being so busy he was hallucinating. How could they possibly be in the provincial capital!

A little while later, the section chief's son went to the restroom. He had only been gone a short while when he suddenly ran back in and threw himself into his mother's arms, pleading, "Mommy, Mommy, I don't want this outfit anymore, I want a new one!"

He embarrassed her so much in front of others, so she also frowned in front of others: "Nonsense! The clothes your Aunt Zhang bought you are so beautiful, none of the other kids at school have them!"

He wriggled and nuzzled, saying, "No, no, I want what the person outside is wearing!"

Zhang Hongwei smiled, stood up, and took his hand: "Come on, Auntie will go with you to take a look. Once you've seen it, we'll buy it later, okay?"

He burst into laughter through his tears, skipping and hopping as he dragged Zhang Hongwei toward the corridor. The child's mother sighed helplessly and got up to follow. The section chief, curious, remarked that his son was spoiled rotten and wanted to see what kind of clothes had caused his son's commotion.

The door to the private room opened, and he pointed to a child playing with his back to them in the corner: "That's him!"

The boy was wearing a well-fitting sailor uniform and light blue sneakers, looking incredibly neat and tidy.

He turned around at the sound, and both of them were stunned.

"Mom?" As soon as the boy in the sailor uniform spoke, Zhang Hongwei knew he hadn't mistaken the person for someone else!

"Xia Lin, what are you doing here?" Zhang Hongwei was even more surprised. School was starting tomorrow, so how did he manage to come here on his own?

Surprised and slightly annoyed, her friendly smile vanished, and she frowned as she walked forward: "What happened? Who brought you here? Where's your dad?"

She assumed that her husband had come to the provincial capital on business and had brought their son along for a visit.

Qiu Jianguo is really outrageous. This is the provincial capital, after all. How dare he let his son play outside alone? What if a child trafficker takes him away?

The door around the corner suddenly opened, and a clear voice called out, "Xia Lin, stop playing around and come in to eat something!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up and saw Zhang Hongwei, and was even more stunned: "Mom?"

Zhang Hongwei's brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito: "Shanglin? You're here too? Where's your father?"

The door to the private room opened a crack, and she peered inside. She saw a group of unfamiliar adults, but she didn't see her husband.

Shang Lin chuckled, feeling guilty: "Well, what a coincidence, Mom."

Zhang Hongwei's eyes were sharp: "Don't interrupt, where's your father?"

How dare he leave his two kids with a bunch of strangers! Just wait until we get home, I'll teach him a lesson!

Shang Lin smiled even more broadly, but also felt even more guilty: "My dad didn't come."

Zhang Hongwei's eyes widened, and he almost immediately erupted in anger, but fortunately he remembered that there were other people present, so he swallowed his rage and turned to explain to the puzzled section chief and his wife:

"These are my two good-for-nothing children!"

The section chief's son was in his mother's arms, his hand held tightly by her. His eyes were red and almost bloodshot as he stared intently at the toy in Xia Lin's hand—a Transformer. He recognized it!

The Bumblebee that can transform into a alloy vehicle is not yet sold in China. A student at their school has a relative in the United States who recently returned to China to visit relatives and brought him one, showing it off like crazy!

Since they've met, there's no reason for them to eat separately. Zhang Hongwei was keen to investigate the people his daughter associated with, and Shang Lin also felt that Xia Lin hadn't had a proper meal with his mother in a long time. After all, he was still a child and needed maternal love; no matter how much care he received, it couldn't compare to his own mother's.

As for her... do you think she doesn't have enough maternal love?

There were many people in the private room, and the food had just been served and no one had touched their chopsticks. She invited the other party to come over here, and the section chief did not refuse. He recognized one of the guests, a section chief from the Guangzhou Import and Export Company. Even if you went to Guangzhou specifically, you might not be able to meet him. Yet he had come to the province and was sitting in the restaurant chatting happily with a six-year-old girl!

Shanglin briefly introduced the two sides, and the section chief became increasingly nervous.

What's going on? Even Zhang Hongwei probably couldn't connect with these people, so why are they all smiling like Maitreya Buddhas, surrounding Zhang Hongwei's daughter?

Taking a moment to spare, Zhang Hongwei subtly approached his daughter, his voice barely moving as he asked, "What happened?"

The voice was eerie.

Shang Lin exchanged glances with the head of the advertising department of the provincial TV station across the street, nodded and smiled, without moving his lips: "It's nothing, just giving Maomao a little advertisement in the province."

Nothing much? Just an ad?

Zhang Hongwei was furious. His children had grown up and were no longer obedient to their parents, had they? Such a big thing, and they hadn't even discussed it with the family? The little brat's business was quite a mess, he'd even started advertising!

"No school tomorrow, no classes?" The voice was even more sinister.

Shang Lin shrank back, trying to ingratiate himself: "I didn't want to come, but Brother Hua specifically called to introduce me to people from the Guangzhou Import and Export Company, so it wouldn't be right not to come!"

Okay, she actually kept it a secret that the other person came specifically to see her.

"What's wrong with your brother?" It's one thing for you to run around everywhere, you're not a normal child, but your brother is different from you, he's my perfectly normal son.

“I told him to stay home, but he refused and insisted on coming.” I wanted to bring him along, didn’t I? He’s a baby who hasn’t been weaned yet. I’m here to talk business. What would it look like to bring a baby with me? She completely ignored the fact that she was only one year older than Qiu Xialin.

"Where is Changsheng?" At least there's someone left at home, Zhang Hongwei was relieved.

"He ate a bit too much and left it at the hotel." Shang Lin blurted out unintentionally, then immediately realized he'd let something slip. He was furious, wishing he could shut his mouth!

Sure enough, Zhang Hongwei's gaze could kill.

Hotel?

Three teenagers staying in a hotel?

Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice: "When did you arrive?"

Shanglin hesitated, not daring to speak.

No matter how capable she is, she's still her mother's daughter and has to obey her discipline. This time, she ran off to the provincial capital without telling her family and even abducted two children, which seems a bit excessive.

Zhang Hongwei was so angry his liver was trembling. Under the table, he pinched her thigh hard: "When?"

It hurt terribly, but I dared not cry out. With tears in my eyes, I looked at my mother with remorse: "The day before yesterday."

She laughed angrily: "The day before yesterday, fine, fine!"

That's great! They left home the day before yesterday, and my husband and I were still here. They sneaked away, and neither of us noticed! We parents are really struggling, and you children are really ruthless! Did they take my brother on a trip to Beijing and then sneak him back without us noticing?

It's so good to be rich! Money makes the world go round. With money, you can move to the provincial capital without anyone noticing, and your house will be completely safe! With money, you can stay in hotels, eat at restaurants, and be rich... that's what it means to be rich!

Zhang Hongwei decided to go home and hold a family meeting to first examine his own mistakes, then denounce Qiu Shanglin for his audacity, and at the same time confiscate his slush fund!

Money determines the superstructure. Without a treasury, who would dare to act so arrogantly?

She felt both hatred and fear. No matter how clever Shanglin was, he was still a child. What if he encountered bad people while staying in the provincial capital for three days? She dared not imagine it.

Both she and Qiu Jianguo were busy and hadn't been home for meals or sleep for a long time. They thought Shanglin could take good care of them, but this is how she took care of them!

I glanced at my son; his face was rosy and his clothes were neat. Okay, I admit you take better care of him than I do, but you can't just take him everywhere, especially since school starts tomorrow. It's your first time starting school, and I was full of anticipation, planning to rush back early today to give you a good talking-to tonight. But what happened? You two were having a great time, not nervous at all!

They whispered among themselves as the section chief had already established a friendly relationship with all the guests. After a few drinks, they were all flushed and practically befriending each other.

Originally, the two children weren't planning on drinking, but Shang Lin, being a very sensible person, immediately ordered the waiter to bring out the liquor—Moutai, the kind served at state banquets—as soon as he saw the two tables combined. The waiter was incredibly curious, but since this was a private room that the lobby manager had instructed to serve well, she didn't dare ask, no matter how curious she was about the two children's identities.

The section chief of the import-export company in Guangzhou and the section chief in the province used the same title, but the difference was significant. However, he showed no sign of it and quickly ascertained the identities of the other party and Zhang Hongwei in just a few words. He was completely baffled.

He came here specifically for Mocha Cat.

The company wanted to do a big deal with the Yin family and get close to their newly announced successor. They tried everything to get close to Yin Yeyao but couldn't. They overheard someone mention that Yin Yeyao had partnered with someone to register a company in the north that specialized in stationery. This company was developing rapidly under the care of Xu Mi and Yin Yeyao. After learning more about it, he felt that this was not only a good way to get close to Yin Yeyao, but Mocha Cat itself also had great development potential. Exporting stationery, which seemed worthless, was worth a hundred times more abroad because labor and materials were cheap in China, resulting in huge profit margins. He wanted to persuade Mocha Cat to export and secure a big order.

He had asked Hua Zi for help, and it was out of kindness that he pointed out that Yin Yeyao wouldn't be interested in such a small business, and he never directly interfered with Mocha Cat's operations. He suggested that Hua Zi go directly to the person in charge in the north.

When he was awakened, he was horrified and even frightened to discover that the founder and person in charge of Mocha Cat was actually a six-year-old girl—no wonder Hua Zi kept reminding him not to use the same methods he used on adults on her!

He had heard from people in the industry that the person in charge of Mocha Cat was not very old, but surely not this young!

After several encounters, they dared not underestimate the other party.

He speaks and acts with composure, possesses a clear understanding of his own situation, and has a well-defined plan for the company's future and development. He is neither overly ambitious nor self-deprecating. No wonder he has earned the favor of the Yin family heir.

The other party currently has no export plans; her immediate goal is to establish a foothold in the domestic market, and she believes the timing isn't right for the international market yet. However, even though the deal fell through, they maintained good relations. He was somewhat disappointed, but didn't want to give up and cut off all contact. Having more friends meant having more options, especially since she and Yin Yeyao had a special relationship.

With this selfish motive, he did not fly directly back to Guangzhou, but stayed here and toured nearby attractions with the reception staff of the other party's provincial capital office until he booked his return ticket for the next day and proposed to host a banquet for Qiu Shanglin.