Chapter 74: A Shift in Perspective
Facing Pan Qingfeng's words, Song Guangyuan took a sip of tea and then smiled lightly.
"To put it bluntly, no matter what, Liu Shang is just an employee, and I am his boss."
"Now that he's doing a good job, I'll give him a promotion and a raise. That's hardly being indifferent, is it?"
"You brothers, I think you praise this Liu Shang far too much. Your enthusiasm isn't normal."
After hearing Song Guangyuan's words, Pan Qingfeng became more certain of his earlier guess.
"Oh?"
"Are we too enthusiastic about Liu Shang?"
"Well, let me ask you this. Let's not even talk about Mr. Zhang and Mr. Shen from our oil production plant, or the oil production team captains below them."
"Even within your own company, in your eyes, don't Professor Xu and Director Zhong pay far too much attention and enthusiasm to Liu Shang?"
Seeing Song Guangyuan frown slightly, Pan Qingfeng smiled and asked, "So now we come to the problem."
"If all of us value and admire Liu Shang, and you, Song Guangyuan, are the only one who treats him with a cool indifference, then who do you think is in the wrong?"
"Oh, Guangyuan, let me be frank. From what I know of you, you've always been a man who cherishes talent. Your current attitude toward Liu Shang is absolutely abnormal."
"Tell me, brother, what's really going on?"
Having been pressed this far, Song Guangyuan had no choice but to express his worries, a rare moment of vulnerability with the elder brother he had been friends with for many years.
He admitted that the boy, Liu Shang, was remarkably strong in terms of technical skill and all-around ability, which had both impressed and shocked him.
However, he was more worried that Liu Shang was too scheming—that he had joined the company with the deliberate intention of getting close to his daughter, of pleasing him, all to find a shortcut to success.
After hearing Song Guangyuan's concerns, Pan Qingfeng on the other side almost cried with laughter.
"Haha..."
"Brother, I can't believe it! Is it because of this that you've always been so wary and indifferent to Liu Shang?"
Seeing Song Guangyuan nod, Pan Qingfeng chuckled for a while longer, then waved his hand and said earnestly:
"Oh, Guangyuan, it doesn't matter whether your hypothesis is true or not."
"Think about your daughter, Jiajia, and the kind of son-in-law she'll find for you in the future."
"Do you want to find a son-in-law like Liu Shang—born into an ordinary family, but smart, capable, humorous, mature, and stable, a young man who is valued and admired by so many of us?"
"Or are you looking for someone like my son, Pan Chen, who has some family assets and connections but is lazy, has high standards but low ability, and is completely idle?"
"Let me tell you, don't mind that Pan Chen is my son; I still much prefer a kid like Liu Shang!"
"If Pan Chen could achieve even half of what Liu Shang has, I'd probably wake up smiling from my dreams, I'd be so content!"
"But there's nothing I can do. It's my fault I wasn't as capable as Liu Shang's parents at raising a son."
"But you, Song Guangyuan, you're different. You have a beautiful and excellent daughter, and you have the hope of keeping a boy like Liu Shang by your side and making him your own son."
"To tell you the truth, if I were you, not only would I not obstruct these two young people, but I'd be pushing for them to get together and eventually get married!"
"Liu Shang is only a freshman now. If there are no major setbacks, his future achievements will definitely not be small!"
Hearing Pan Qingfeng's words, Song Guangyuan also sighed lightly and nodded slowly.
"Brother, what you said is right."
"I also admit that Liu Shang is truly outstanding, far better than other boys his age."
"However, Jiajia is my only precious daughter."
"I don't have high expectations for her. I just hope that she can find someone who is sincere and good to her. So that one day in the future, when her mother and I are gone, he will continue to take care of her for the rest of his life."
"So, no matter how good Liu Shang is, I'm not willing to risk Jiajia's future happiness."
Before he could finish, Pan Qingfeng waved his hand again.
"Guangyuan, I don't agree with your speculations and assumptions about Liu Shang at all!"
"Based on what I know of this kid, he is not the kind of person you imagine."
"Don't be fooled by his stability and maturity beyond his years; deep down in his bones, he is an extremely proud person."
"I think he would disdain to even covet your so-called shortcut to success!"
"And take a step back and think: me, Zhang Zhengmao, Shen Chengcheng, Xu Tiande, and Director Zhong—all five of us are optimistic about this young man at the same time!"
"Let's not talk about anyone else, but I, Pan Qingfeng, have a good eye for people, right?"
"And let's not even mention Director Zhong, who is famous throughout the entire oil field for his sharp, almost venomous judgment of character. That old man has never been wrong about anyone in his life."
"So, I think the problem still lies with you, Song Guangyuan."
"How does the saying go? Personal involvement clouds one's judgment. You're too close to this to see it clearly."
After hearing Pan Qingfeng's words, Song Guangyuan frowned and fell into a deep, inexplicable contemplation.
***
After that, Song Guangyuan rewarded Liu Shang without hesitation.
He was promoted from a technical engineer to a senior engineer, and his salary was raised to 7,500.
And to facilitate Liu Shang's travel, he was even assigned a special driver and car—an unprecedented perk—for his exclusive use.
However, in Song Guangyuan's heart, there was still an invisible barrier toward Liu Shang.
Even if he subconsciously knew that Pan Qingfeng's words were correct and that he should follow his suggestion, he still clung to his original idea.
On a weekend when this round of wells was nearing the end of construction, everyone at Huahai Company was still working overtime.
On this day, Song Jia came to the company for the first time in a while, passing the time by playing computer games or practicing driving in her father's chairman's office.
During lunch, in the small hall reserved for the leadership, Director Zhong laughed and teased Song Jia.
"I say, Miss Song, how long has it been since you last came to the company?"
"I'm not kidding, we really miss you."
"Just a few days ago, your Professor Xu was mentioning to me that he hadn't seen you for a while."
"Do you find us old men boring and dull?"
"Or has our young lady secretly found a boyfriend at school and forgotten all about us?"
Director Zhong's words made everyone laugh out loud, and Song Jia's face turned red from the teasing.
"Hey, Director Zhong, you make fun of me every time I come over, just for your own amusement!"
"Besides, even if I did get a boyfriend, there's nothing shameful about it."
"When the time comes, I'll definitely bring him to our company so Director Zhong can properly criticize and educate him!"
Just as Song Jia was talking and everyone was smiling, a young, tall, and handsome figure suddenly walked in through the door.
He very naturally found an empty seat close to Song Jia and sat down.
Unsurprisingly, this figure was Liu Shang, who had just rushed back from the site.
For some reason, as soon as Liu Shang appeared, Song Jia, who had been speaking so confidently, seemed to have had a mute button pressed. Her voice quickly dropped.
There was even a look of nervousness in her eyes that she couldn't conceal.
---
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