Xu Jingshu: "Speak like a human being."
“Okay,” Yan Shenyu said honestly, “If Dad asks me to go to the company again tonight, can you say a few words for me? Actually, my real dream is to become a comedian.”
“Uh…” Xu Jingshu sneered and said sarcastically, “I see you as a joke now.”
Yan Shenyu: "Did I make you happy?"
This time, Xu Jingshu seemed genuinely angry. She picked up her bag and left, not giving Yan Shenyu another second glance.
Sigh, he knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Watching the other person's departing figure, Yan Shenyu plopped back down and silently finished the rest of her food.
Just as he was considering whether to order more food, he looked up and suddenly saw a familiar figure.
"Secretary Lin?" Yan Shenyu was somewhat surprised. "Are you here for dinner?"
The latter walked towards him and said politely, "The president is here on business, and I'm here to buy lunch."
Seeing that the other person was quite busy, Yan Shenyu only exchanged a few pleasantries. It wasn't until a florist came over with a large bouquet of flowers that Yan Shenyu remembered, "I have another bouquet here. I originally wanted to please my mother, but she scolded me and left early. If you don't mind, you can take it back."
Without waiting for a reply, Yan Shenyu shoved the flowers into Secretary Lin's arms.
"Thank you, but no need..." Secretary Lin was caught off guard, but before he could finish speaking, Yan Shenyu had already turned and disappeared.
"Uh..." Ten minutes later, Secretary Lin returned to Language Capital carrying a takeout box and a bunch of sunflowers.
The company is not large, and the atmosphere among its employees is quite relaxed. It's lunch break now, and when they see him coming in with flowers, they all joke, "Secretary Lin is really amazing, he can even receive flowers while having lunch."
"Wow, she even sent sunflowers!" a male colleague exclaimed. "She must be a stunningly beautiful woman. I'm so envious!"
The girl next to him didn't understand: "Why does giving sunflowers make someone a hot and beautiful woman?"
"Read the first two words of 'sunflower' once."
"What? Xiang Ri... Xiang... Xiang? Xiang Ri... Holy crap, are you sick?! Why are you making such lewd jokes?"
"Are you the one who's sick? You don't understand, so you ask me, and when I explain it to you, you just yell at me!"
"Who told you to be so vulgar? I'm cursing you!"
There was a commotion outside the door. Secretary Lin carried the luggage into the partner's office.
Xie Siyan arrived this morning and spent the morning with Xiang Yu, who had just returned from abroad, reviewing business plans and then selecting the most worthwhile projects to invest in.
Hearing the familiar footsteps, Xie Siyan didn't even look up and said, "Go and call Ye Hua from Department One. I have a medical project that I need him to work on..."
Xie Siyan paused mid-sentence as a strong floral fragrance wafted into his nose. Looking up, he saw his secretary standing before him, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers, laboriously placing the lunchbox on the table.
Xie Siyan frowned, about to criticize his subordinate for bringing his personal life into his work.
Before he could even speak, the other person said, "President, these are sunflowers that Mr. Yan gave you!"
Xie Siyan was taken aback: "Yan Shenyu?"
“Yes,” Secretary Lin said without batting an eye, “I ran into him in the restaurant downstairs. He knew you were coming and asked me to bring you a bouquet of flowers.”
Xie Siyan looked up, her gaze falling on the orange-yellow bouquet dominated by sunflowers. The sunflowers clustered together, blooming vibrantly like a burning flame. It seemed as if there was someone there, just as fiery and passionate.
"Get to work first," Xie Siyan said calmly, his expression blank, as he pressed down the corners of his mouth. "Leave the flowers in my car when you leave."
Secretary Lin quickly agreed and was about to leave with the flowers when Xie Siyan stopped her again.
"Never mind, put the flowers in the office for now," Xie Siyan said with his usual cold expression, seemingly a little disgusted. "President Xiang's office is too plain; it needs some fresh flowers to decorate it."
Xiang Yu, who was suddenly called out, was speechless.
"The one who sent the flowers was Yan Shenyu?" The man opposite him curled his lips into a mocking smile. "Is that the one you told me was interested in investing in the ski resort?"
Xie Siyan: "It's him."
"They invested such a large sum of money in two herders they didn't even know," Xiang Yu commented. "They are quite kind-hearted."
Xie Siyan remained expressionless: "Just a pushover."
Xiang Yu smiled without saying a word, but the probing look in her eyes deepened.
When Secretary Lin brought in the investment team, Xiang Yu suggested, "Secretary Lin, could you ask Yan Shenyu if he's free tonight? Lao Xie and I would like to invite him to dinner to discuss the details of the ski resort investment."
Secretary Lin looked at Xie Siyan.
"You don't need to ask me about this," Xie Si said indifferently, as if he didn't care about the matter at all. "Just do as President Xiang says."
Secretary Lin: "..."
You didn't say that last time.
Secretary Lin remembered clearly that last time he did something on President Xiang's orders, Xie Siyan scolded him, "You're not Xiang Yu's secretary. Since you listen to him so much, why don't you go and be his secretary?"
Secretary Lin kept a low profile for a long time because of this.
This time, he specifically asked, and the person actually said, "You don't need to ask me about this kind of thing."
Ah, fickle men.
But he was just a lowly secretary, what could he do? He could only nod and agree, and then take the initiative to schedule a time for Yan Shenyu.
Chapter 12 The struggle for the necklace.
After lunch, Yan Shenyu returned to the Phoenix Foundation. From the moment he arrived, laughter filled the office, severely impacting everyone's work efficiency.
Xu Jingshu couldn't stand it anymore, so she asked her secretary to find him a computer to pass the time. After a while, she received a Word document from Yan Shenyu.
Xu Jingshu: [?]
Yan Shenyu: "Didn't you ask me to do it?"
Xu Jingshu then realized that her secretary had misunderstood her. She had said she wanted to find something for Yan Shenyu to do to pass the time so that he wouldn't bother everyone else, but she hadn't expected that her secretary would actually arrange work for him.
Xu Jingshu replied, "No need, you should go back first."
After a while, Yan Shenyu replied, "Okay, I'll go first then. Don't work too late."
Xu Jingshu dragged the Word document to the trash can, but regretted it afterward and found it again among the pile of trash.
Oh well, it's already written, let her just glance at it.
It wasn't that she insisted on seeing what her son had written; she just happened to be free.
The secretary sent Yan Shenyu a list of questions from netizens. In addition to offline support for women's projects, the Phoenix Foundation also accepts questions from netizens and provides women with free life advice, psychological counseling, and other services.
The question was asked by an urban white-collar worker with the ID "Platinum Star," who inquired about blind dating and how to handle the mother-daughter relationship.
"My relationship with my mom is actually okay, but we've argued a lot lately about blind dates. And as I get older, every time I go home I face a barrage of pressure from my whole family to get married. I really don't understand, it's 2022 already, and she still thinks women should be good wives and mothers, and that finding a great husband is more important than anything else?"
Last year during Chinese New Year, my mom kept bringing this up, and I couldn't take it anymore, so I left on the second day of the New Year. After returning home, I felt a little guilty; she even said she had prepared a lot of food for me, which I didn't take. Not long ago, it was my mom's birthday, so I took leave to go back and see her, but I didn't expect her to start again! Yes! She's pressuring me to get married again! She's even introducing me to all sorts of random blind dates!
This time I held back my outburst, but I'm truly disappointed. I don't know how they've become like this. I've explained to her countless times why I don't want to get married, but they've pressured me to marry her countless times. It's so painful; I don't even want to go home for Chinese New Year now.
My friend suggested I give her living expenses on time, and if I really can't stand it, I shouldn't go home. If she keeps making a scene, I should block her contact information. But aside from pressuring me to get married, my mom is actually quite good to me, and I can't bring myself to do it. Every time I go home, I'm exhausted. Do you have any good solutions?
Pressure to marry is a common intergenerational conflict in East Asian culture, especially in China where family ties are close, and this conflict is particularly pronounced.
Xu Jingshu was curious about Yan Shenyu's opinion, so she scrolled down and saw Yan Shenyu's reply.
System 001: "Ms. Bai, based on your description, I believe you have formed your own unique values and corresponding life plans. However, your mother does not support your life plans, which makes you feel very conflicted. I understand that you hope your mother understands your reasons for not getting married. Perhaps it's due to work pressure, the difficulty of raising children, the high cost of ending a marriage, or perhaps you simply haven't met your true love..."
You want your mother to understand you and reconcile with you. But I want to say that life isn't a movie; there aren't that many happy endings. If reconciliation isn't possible now, then the time isn't right.
If you're asking me if there's any way to get your mother to accept these views, then I'm sorry, I don't know how to change their minds. Because growing up, when she was your age, she was taught that "family is a woman's destiny" and "finding a capable husband is more important than anything else." No one told them that women can be independent, that they can live on their own strength, and that they don't need to rely on men.
You are luckier than them. You have taken a path different from that of women throughout the ages. Without a doubt, your choice is valuable and correct.
But it is precisely because it is right that it seems so difficult. You have to endure public opinion, family conflicts, and your own inner torment. But these are all normal. Life is not just about simple birth and preferences, but also about what beliefs you live for and how many obstacles you encounter on the path to pursuing those beliefs. ①
Finally, throughout this process, please don't forget that your mother is not your enemy; she is simply a woman born at the wrong time, less fortunate than you.
...
After reading this answer, Xu Jingshu remained silent for a very long time. She was very surprised that Yan Shenyu would write an answer in this style.
As a man, Yan Shenyu's consideration from a woman's perspective was already beyond her expectations. But what surprised her even more was his ability to treat the vulnerable with such gentleness.
However, what surprised her even more was that she found herself astonished that the answer came from Yan Shenyu's pen.
So that's what my son was thinking? I didn't know he had such a rich inner world?
Xu Jingshu sat quietly at the table, and after a long time she finally came to her senses. She sent the reply to her secretary and then pulled up Yan Shenyu's WeChat: "I get off work at five o'clock today. You can go home with me."
After sending the message, Xu Jingshu threw her phone on the table, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.
Yes, she made a compromise.
Without a doubt, this answer touched her.
She's willing to speak up for Yan Shenyu in front of Yan Zhengang tonight, regardless of whether he wants to be a comedian or a stripper.
A minute later, her phone vibrated, and Yan Shenyu replied.
Sorry, I have plans tonight. I'll pick you up from get off work tomorrow. -=3=
Xu Jingshu: "..."
Otherwise, let him get lost.
...
At the entrance of the private restaurant, after replying to Xu Jingshu's message, Yan Shenyu followed his secretary, Lin, who was there to meet him, into the private room.
When Secretary Lin contacted him, he said that the person in charge of the ski resort wanted to discuss investment details with him. Yan Shenyu thought it was someone under Xie Siyan, since such an investment of less than nine figures didn't require the big shot to show up.
Unexpectedly, when Secretary Lin opened the private room, he not only saw Xie Siyan, but also a young man wearing glasses and smiling.
Seeing his surprised expression, Secretary Lin took the initiative to introduce him: "The other one is Xiang Yu, a partner at Yanyu Capital."
"Xiang Yu?" Yan Shenyu was taken aback.
The man in front of me wore black-rimmed glasses, had a magnetic voice, a gentle demeanor, and exuded a scholarly air.
Seeing his surprised expression, the man smiled and said gently, "You know me?"
Yan Shenyu cleared his throat and nodded somewhat awkwardly: "I've heard of it."
The man's smile widened: "That's my honor."