Xu Guangyao entered the room, "How could this be?"
Most of the household servants had left, and now only three remain.
As soon as Xu Qingzhu entered the door, she asked, "Where's my mom?"
“The lady is in the Buddhist hall,” a servant replied.
Xu Qingzhu glanced up to the second floor, changed her shoes, and went inside. The aroma of food was already wafting through the air.
After returning home, Xu Guangyao took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Seeing that she looked preoccupied, he hesitated and asked, "What did you go home to see your mother about?"
Xu Qingzhu said, "I just chatted with my mom."
"You're not going to divorce Liang Shi, are you?" Xu Guangyao suddenly asked.
Xu Qingzhu paused, then smiled and said in the same tone as before, "How could that be?"
"You'll be promoted to general manager next week," Xu Guangyao said in a deep voice. "Since you want to do it, I'll give you the authority. I'm getting old and can't do it anymore. If Liang Shi has no objections, you can take it, but you have to take care of your health."
Xu Qingzhu pursed her lips, "Didn't we agree not to discuss business at home?"
"I was free anyway, so I thought I'd tell you," Xu Guangyao said. "You're not young anymore, and you know your own body. Don't always act recklessly and try to do everything, or you'll ruin your health in the end."
Xu Qingzhu knew that these words were for her own good, and nodded, saying, "I understand, I will be more careful in the future."
"You and Liang Shi haven't run into any problems, have you?" Xu Guangyao asked, still worried. "You didn't join Minghui because you wanted a divorce, did you?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu replied patiently, "there's no problem."
Suddenly, I felt relieved that her decision was right.
If she divorces Liang Shi, she will inevitably be interrogated in various ways when she returns home, which will also bring a heavy atmosphere to the family.
"Sigh." Xu Guangyao sighed, "Let's wait until next year. Once you've gotten the company business under control, I'm planning to retire. Your mother has been cooped up at home all these years, and I want to take her on a trip to relax."
"So sudden?" Xu Qingzhu asked in surprise, "Didn't you still want to..."
Realizing that her subsequent words had been hurtful, she quickly stopped herself from saying anything more.
Previously, Xu Guangyao had argued with her in the office, feeling that she was still young and unwilling to relinquish power.
She couldn't figure out at the time whether it was because they were worried about her health and wouldn't let her into the company, or whether Xu Guangyao was simply greedy for power.
It seems that the former is more common now.
"What am I thinking?" Xu Guangyao looked at her. "Do you think I'm planning to leave the company to Qingya?"
"No..." Xu Qingzhu denied.
She had never really thought about this, because for her, joining the company was about protecting the Sheng family's assets.
It's simply that I don't want Minghui to decline.
“Minghui is yours,” Xu Guangyao said. “It hasn’t changed over the years. It’s just that your health isn’t good, and I once thought about turning the situation around before handing Minghui over to you. But now it seems that you are more capable than I am.”
Xu Guangyao asked Xu Qingzhu to come with him to his study, took out his grandfather's medical order, and clearly wrote in the Minghui equity distribution column: Xu Qingzhu 36%, Xu Qingya 10%, Sheng Linlang 3%, Xu Guangyao 2%.
The combined shares of the other three family members don't even equal the amount she holds alone, and it's clearly stated that the agreement will be implemented after Xu Qingzhu graduates, with Xu Guangyao merely acting as interim manager.
Minghui has always belonged to Xu Qingzhu.
If one did not know her own background beforehand, seeing this will would seem unreasonable, but now that one knows, everything makes perfect sense.
Xu Guangyao didn't bring up her background, but simply said, "Your grandparents always loved you the most. When they passed away, Qingya was just born, and they didn't have much affection for her, so they left you the most. But after all these years... I really don't feel comfortable entrusting Minghui to you."
"I'm not afraid to tell you something funny, but I was sick several times when I first took over Minghui," Xu Guangyao said. "I had all-night meetings, business trips, and often stayed up all night. It was very, very difficult."
Xu Qingzhu finished reading the will before asking, "Why have you changed your mind now?"
Xu Guangyao stared at her. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
Before graduation, she had subtly expressed her desire to join the company, but it was still chilly in early spring. She caught a bad cold after a week of internship, so sick that she couldn't get out of bed. Xu Guangyao looked at her and said, "Why are you still going to work? Just stay home and rest."
Therefore, her internship experience was also fabricated by Xu Guangyao from his own company.
She barely worked more than a few days.
Xu Guangyao laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes particularly noticeable. "You weren't this well-behaved when you were calling me old-fashioned in the office."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She retorted, "I didn't insult you; I was just stating the facts."
“I know.” Xu Guangyao touched his hair, revealing a patch of white. He said in a deep voice, “You have a talent for this. You can do it. It’s just that I haven’t done a good job over the years. I almost ruined Minghui.”
"Did you do your best?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Xu Guangyao was taken aback, then smiled wryly, "I tried my best, but my abilities are limited."
Xu Qingzhu said, "That's fine. As long as you've done your best, you'll have a clear conscience."
Xu Guangyao stood in the study, remaining silent for a long time.
As Xu Qingzhu watched his retreating figure, she noticed that he had aged considerably and was no longer the tall figure she remembered.
"You must have been under a lot of pressure since I joined the company?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Xu Guangyao turned around and smiled, "I was afraid you'd get sick."
Xu Qingzhu shook her head, "Don't worry, I will take good care of myself."
After talking with Xu Guangyao in the study, Xu Qingzhu felt that something was not right.
But I couldn't quite put my finger on it; a vague unease lingered in my heart.
After they came out of the study, Sheng Linlang had not yet come out of the Buddhist hall.
Xu Qingzhu then said, "I'll go upstairs and call them."
Sheng Linlang has not been very sociable in recent years. She only appears in the public eye when she needs to attend banquets. She also doesn't like shopping and usually stays at home alone to copy Buddhist scriptures and chant sutras.
To make things more convenient for her, Xu Guangyao converted one of the bedrooms in his home into a Buddhist shrine, where a Buddha statue was brought from a particularly efficacious temple in the country.
The Buddha statue is small and made of pure gold.
Although Xu Qingzhu does not believe in gods or Buddhas, she respects Sheng Linlang's religious beliefs.
Besides, this is the only hobby Sheng Linlang has.
Xu Qingzhu went upstairs and gently knocked on the door. Not long after, Sheng Linlang opened the door. She was a little surprised to see Xu Qingzhu, but then smiled and said, "Why did you come back so suddenly? You didn't even call."
“I came back because I missed you.” Xu Qingzhu hugged her. “Have you finished reading? It’s time to come downstairs for dinner.”
Sheng Linlang put the beads she had been holding onto her fair wrist. "I'm just reciting them casually, nothing serious. I can stop anytime."
"Let's go eat then." Xu Qingzhu took her hand and went downstairs.
Sheng Linlang's hands were soft, but her steps were unsteady as she went downstairs. Xu Qingzhu glanced at her from the side and noticed that her chin was thin and pointed. She couldn't help but frown and say, "Have you not been eating properly lately? Why are you so thin?"
Sheng Linlang was taken aback, then smiled and said, "I ate, it's just that it's cold and I don't have a good appetite."
"Isn't it because the weather is hot and we don't have much of an appetite?" Xu Qingzhu said. "Winter is almost here, we need to stock up on fat for the winter."
"It'll be fine in a while," Sheng Linlang said dismissively.
Xu Qingzhu had doubts in her heart, but she didn't say anything.
After dinner, she called Sheng Linlang to her room, saying she had something to ask her.
Xu Qingzhu's room is the same as it was before she got married. It has always been cleaned, and everything is placed in its original position. No one has touched it.
Her room was decorated in a bright sky-blue tone, exactly in the style she liked.
Looking back, it seems that from childhood to adulthood, her parents always gave her whatever she wanted.
Therefore, she has always lived a very fulfilling and happy life.
Sheng Linlang sat down with her on the edge of the bed and suddenly asked, "Are you sleeping at home tonight?"
"Would you like me to stay and sleep here?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Sheng Linlang was taken aback, her expression immediately turning serious. "Did you and Liang Shi have a fight? What happened?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu denied again. "Liang Shi and I have nothing going on. I just have some other things I want to ask you."
Sheng Linlang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the two were alright.
"What is it about?" Sheng Linlang asked. "Is it related to Jia Ni? We haven't been in contact for many years."
“It has nothing to do with Yang Jiani,” Xu Qingzhu said.
She took a deep breath and remained silent for a moment before saying, "What I want to ask about is Su Yao."
"Su Yao?" Sheng Linlang's pupils suddenly contracted. "You... why are you asking about her?"
Xu Qingzhu didn't hide anything. She gave a wry smile and said, "I've met her."
Sheng Linlang's expression became very complicated, and her eyes were filled with too many emotions: shock, bewilderment, sadness, fear... too many things that Xu Qingzhu couldn't understand.
Sheng Linlang opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.
After a long while, Xu Qingzhu looked at her and asked, "Could you tell me about what happened twenty-three years ago?"
Sheng Linlang closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, and shook her head, saying, "How did you know?"
As she spoke, she twirled the prayer beads in her hand, and the speed increased.
Finally... the rope snapped, and the prayer beads scattered all over the ground.
Xu Qingzhu squatted down to pick them up, bending down to collect a few, but Sheng Linlang suddenly grabbed her hand, "Don't pick them up anymore, let Auntie clean them up later."
"Are you feeling better?" Xu Qingzhu asked. "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't listen."
"Besides Su Yao, have you seen anyone else?" Sheng Linlang asked.
After the initial shock, she was now quite calm. She didn't yell at Xu Qingzhu not to see Su Yao, nor did she slam the door and leave, nor did she forcefully tell Xu Qingzhu not to know about these things.
Sheng Linlang only sighed softly, as gentle as ever.
Like a pool of water, it can easily soothe a person's inner anxiety.
Perhaps it was related to her personality, but Xu Qingzhu had never seen Sheng Linlang lose her temper since she was a child. No matter what, she was always gentle and smiling, a typical lady from a well-to-do family.
Xu Qingzhu always felt that the noble ladies portrayed in TV dramas were not even one-thousandth as good as Sheng Linlang.
Whether it's appearance or temperament.