Chapter 243: Chapter 176 Son vs. Father (1)
He knew from a young age that he was different from other children—he didn’t have a mommy or daddy in his life. He had sealed himself off in his own independent world, coming to understand the harshness of reality and losing the innocence of childhood prematurely—or perhaps, he never had it to begin with.
Until the year he turned fifteen, when he t her, just five years old.
He still rembered the way she looked on her first day in the small town, wearing a pretty princess dress, holding a lollipop in one hand, her glossy black eyes scanning everything around her with curiosity.
She ca from a single-parent family, living a less than affluent life with her frail, sickly mother.
But he had never seen a hint of despair in her eyes; every day all he saw was her playful smiles.
The fatherless girl was not lacking in confidence; she quickly befriended the other kids in town and even dominated their little circles.
That day, just like any other, he sat under a tree on the grass, book in hand, but his eyes were on that delightfully naive and adorable girl.
He hadn’t expected her to take notice of him.
Dropping the lump of clay she had been holding, she wiped her hands on her dress and ran straight toward him, then stood by his side, fearlessly looking up at him.
Her little face covered in dirt, her clothes sared with mud.
After looking at him for two seconds, she sat down beside him, tilted her head, and looked at him curiously: “Brother, you are really handso.”
Shen Hanxiu glanced at her, remaining silent, as she continued in her childish voice: “Will you be my prince? Mommy says I’m a little princess and that I’ll marry you when I grow up!”
Shen Hanxiu felt his ears turning red. Not good at socializing, he chose to flee from a five-year-old girl, hastily picking up his book and leaving.
He thought she would be scared off by his indifference, like the others who had tried to approach him before.
However, she didn’t. For a long ti, she followed him around, calling him “prince” at every turn.
She stopped playing with other kids and stuck to him all day long.
Later, hearing his grandfather call him “Han Zisheng,” she changed what she called him.
“Han Zisheng, why don’t you pay attention to ?”
“Han Zisheng, why don’t you play with us?”
“Han Zisheng, are you upset?” She took a lollipop out of her pocket: “Eat this, it’ll make the inside of your heart sweet and you won’t be unhappy anymore.”
Still, he turned and walked away. He walked fast, and the five-year-old girl ran after him.
Realizing she couldn’t catch up, she sat down on the ground: “Wah! I’ve fallen down!”
She was noisy, mischievous, shaless, and full of faults, yet she found her way into his heart.
If it hadn’t been for her, he might never have stepped out of his world.
“So, Mom, stop trying to match with all kinds of won. There’s only one woman I’ll marry in this life, and her na is Su Nian.”
Deng Tonglian looked distraught: “Mom didn’t know you and that girl Su Nian had such deep feelings, but son, stop being so infatuated. If Su Nian liked you, why would she drag on without getting married?”
“You’re not getting any younger, and Mom’s old. You’re my only child, so you should continue the Shen Family line. I have an idea—it’s a bit outlandish but not impossible…”
“If you think it’s outlandish, then maybe we shouldn’t talk about it.”
“Just hear out. Marry Yaoyao first, and let Yaoyao give our family a…”
Before Deng Tonglian could finish, Shen Hanxiu spoke of Ye Jiayao’s situation to stop her from bringing that crazy woman into it again: “Mom, Ye Jiayao can’t have children.”
As expected, Deng Tonglian imdiately backtracked: “Ah?! Then she won’t do! Mom will find soone reliable outside, even a surrogate is fine, but we must continue the family line…”
Shen Hanxiu smiled: “I have an even more outrageous idea, do you want to hear it?”
Thinking he had so clever plan, Deng Tonglian asked eagerly: “What’s the idea?”
“If you’re worried about the Shen Family’s lineage, why don’t you have another child?”
“That’s no way to talk!”
Shen Hanxiu stood up and straightened his clothes: “I have work at the company, I need to go back.”
Knowing he was busy, Deng Tonglian stood up to see him off: “Son, if Su Nian doesn’t have those feelings, don’t drag this out and move on.”
“It’s okay, I can wait until she’s ready.”
“I can’t wait even if you can! If you can’t bear to be without her, then Mom has no say. But I’m telling you, if sweetness doesn’t work, use force. Just find an opportunity to get her pregnant with your child.”
Shen Hanxiu laughed: “That’s not a bad idea, but if you really are eager for a grandchild, Su Zhen and Su Bao are your biological grandchildren.”
“Don’t brush off! If they’re not of Shen blood, I won’t let them into the family tree!”
Shen Hanxiu didn’t want to argue with her about this, and left in his car.
Arriving at the office, he purposely stopped on the 19th floor. He wanted to see the girl who had wanted to marry him when she was young and now acted like a stranger.
Peering through the slightly ajar door, he could only see half of Su Nian’s face.
She was silly and naive when she was a child, truly a woman transford after growing up.
Yet, the change seed to be sothing he had brought about. Had he not divorced her five years ago, perhaps she would still be that naïve girl who felt blissful with just a lollipop.
However, he had failed her, letting the bitterness of life temper her into a strong, independent woman. No matter how she changed, he watched her grow with satisfaction, his girl had grown up.
After watching quietly for a while, Shen Hanxiu walked upstairs.
Reaching his floor, a pile of docunts awaited his attention.
Yang Zichen entered, and Shen Hanxiu asked, “The new software we’re planning to develop, have you found a partner?”
Yang Zichen spread open a folder in front of him, “I’ve selected these few candidates, haven’t made a decision yet.”
“Which one do you have in mind?”
Yang Zichen pointed at one with the na “Future Technology” and said, “This is a newly listed software company but it’s doing booming business, cheaper than other established companies, and their coding is more innovative.”
Shen Hanxiu, upon hearing how formidable a newly listed company was, couldn’t help but take a second look.
Yang Zichen presented the data he had gathered: “This is the company’s information for the past two months.”
Shen Hanxiu looked it over and admired the person behind the company.
“Let’s try. You go contact them.”
“Okay.”
Elsewhere, high above in a towering office building, in a by-the-book office where about a dozen people were seated, nearly half of the seventy to eighty square-ters space was occupied by screens and machinery.
A Western man in a suit, after receiving a phone call, excitedly said to everyone in the office in less than perfect Chinese: “Our Future Technology is going to soar!”
A female colleague teased him: “Soaring to the sky to rub shoulders with the sun?”
The Western man, with exaggerated body language to match his voice, asked: “Do you guys know who just called?”
Everyone in the office, all listless with dark circles under their eyes, looked at him without a word.
The Western man answered his own question: “Sheng Han Group! Sheng Han has approached us for cooperation!”
The others imdiately beca as lively as if injected with an adrenaline shot, chatter erupting: “Sheng Han?”
“Is it the sa Sheng Han that belongs to Third Young Master Shen?”
“Wow, we’re heading for the stars!”
The Western man, eager to take credit, said: “Haha, I’ll call the Boss!”
Soone followed up: “Rember to tell the Boss to hire more people! We’re going to work ourselves to death at this rate!”
“Haha, now that we have money, we can employ so underlings to order around!”
Leaving behind his colleagues’ complaints, the man made a phone call.
In a kindergarten, it was nap ti.
Two boys sat opposite each other, each holding a mobile phone, busily doing their own thing.
As a ringtone sounded, Su Bao pressed a button on the edge of the phone to answer the call; a mature, deep voice ca through: “What is it?”
The excited reply ca from the other end: “Boss! We’ve got a big order!”
“What order?”
“Sheng Han Group wants to cooperate with us! Boss, will you go negotiate personally?”
Su Bao thought for a mont, Sheng Han Group? That man’s company.
“Tell them over the phone, we don’t take orders from Sheng Han.”
The Western man was dumbfounded: “What?! Boss, it’s Sheng Han! Third Young Master Shen’s company! And we already have an appointnt to talk this afternoon…”
“Just do as I say, refuse Sheng Han’s orders and pass the exact ssage.”
Although the Western man didn’t understand the Boss’s intention, he could only gloomily agree: “Yes, yes…”
…
In the afternoon, Shen Hanxiu was so engrossed in reading docunts that his vision started to blur, and Yang Zichen pushed open the door.
Shen Hanxiu looked at him with so surprise: “Weren’t you off to negotiate?”
“There’s sothing odd about this.”
Shen Hanxiu was puzzled and waited for him to continue, listening as he said: “The head of Future Technology said they won’t take orders from Sheng Han.”
“They specifically said they won’t take orders from Sheng Han?”
“Yes.”
Shen Hanxiu stroked his chin, looking intrigued. Who would be so ignorant of good fortune? A newly listed company, how big of a backing must it have to be so bold?
“Got it, you can go.”
“So… should we look for another company to cooperate with?”
Shen Hanxiu shook his head: “No need, I’ll handle this myself.” He was actually quite keen to et this wonder person.
Other companies would fall over themselves to cooperate upon receiving their call, groveling and eager—rejected for the first ti, and by an insignificant, small company at that!
After school, Su Bao directly went ho with Haohao, receiving another call from the Western man on the way.
“Boss, Third Young Master Sheng would like to et with you.”
This old man really is persistent.
“Fine, send the ti and place.” With a mature tone and a voice-changing phone, there’s no way the person on the other end could envision their Boss as a four-year-old child.
After arriving ho with Haohao and setting down his schoolbag, changing out of his school uniform into casual clothes.
“Haohao, I’ll bring you so tasty food later, you stay at ho and keep busy. Start on the cooperation project we got yesterday,”
“Okay.”
He took a taxi to the place arranged by Shen Hanxiu, an upscale restaurant.
Su Bao walked in without the slightest hint of intimidation.
Presenting the address, he was led by a waiter.
Shen Hanxiu hadn’t arrived yet, so Su Bao ordered plenty of food and drink without any hesitation, filling up his stomach and even rembering to take away an order for Li Yihao back ho.
Ten minutes later, a black Maybach pulled up at the hotel entrance, the man stepping out wore a black suit looking sharp and tall, exuding masculine charm.
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