1Xiao Ming shook his head and sighed.
"I really regret letting you get involved in company management now. I should have just given you dividend rights.
Among the four shareholders of Ruiye, I only emphasized the importance of obedience to you, but what's the reality?
Siyi is just blindly loyal, Hanqing might grumble a bit, but it's only you who always argue with me nonstop, needing everything explained in great detail.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have..."
His words came to an abrupt halt because Yun Shi Yu's eyes were already reddening, a "I'm about to cry in front of you" look on her face.
"Oh, I was just teasing you! Don't take it seriously. If I were really dissatisfied with you, I wouldn't talk to you like this."
Yun Shi Yu sniffled, "Even if you're not dissatisfied with me yet, you must surely find me annoying."
Xiao Ming scratched his head, "Annoying, not exactly. It's just that we've known each other for less than a month, and you dared to invest a hundred million to go into business with me. Why do you still always seem so distrustful of me?"
Yun Shi Yu bowed her head, fell silent for quite a while before speaking, "I don't distrust you. It's just... it's just that I want to understand your way of doing things as much as possible to keep up with your pace.
I don't want to be like Siyi and Hanqing, just followers of yours. I want to stand at the same height as you and be regarded by you as an equal!"
That was a bit difficult to respond to.
The meaning in her words could be interpreted as admiration, or even fondness, but either way, it wasn't quite appropriate for either side of their relationship.
Although Xiao Ming never thought of himself as a good man, having been a scoundrel enough in his previous life, this life he wanted to love his wife for a lifetime, making up for the grave sins he had committed.
After pondering for a moment, he laughed and said, "And here I thought it was something serious. Wanting to realize your self-worth is easy. You're just too impatient.
At the moment, our company is just starting, and there aren't many things to do, so that's why you seem like subordinates.
Tell you what, when we grow and expand in the future, not only you, but Siyi and Hanqing as well will each have a big chunk of responsibilities.
By then, I'll make decisions on the grand scheme of things at most, the rest will have to be managed independently by you lot, and there'll be no opportunity to slack off, understand?"
Having said that, he didn't wait for Yun Shi Yu's response before getting up and heading for the door.
"Also, if you're really not at ease with Huang Xiushan, find a time to talk to her.
Don't ask those routine recruitment questions, ask her opinions on the investment market, the future financial trends, and which industries have greater potential for development.
Trust me, she will definitely give you answers that surprise you."
As his words trailed off, he was already outside the door. Yun Shi Yu opened her mouth as if to call him back but eventually gave up.
The timing was still too soon. If she were to pierce through the window paper now, it might mean they couldn't even remain friends anymore, and the company could fall apart.
Wait a little longer... No, that's wrong. I specifically called him to meet the senior managers.
This bastard, just by showing up, he's left everyone's heart in a mess, and I've forgotten the main issue.
Yun Shi Yu cursed under her breath and got up to follow him.
The girl had recruited three professional managers who would be taking over as heads of the legal affairs, finance, and administration departments respectively.
All experienced veterans in their fields, Xiao Ming also trusted Yun Shi Yu's judgment. After a brief chat with the three of them, he made the hiring decisions on the spot.
After all, the functions of the three departments were more supportive, unlikely to affect his habit of making unilateral decisions.
Next, Xiao Ming went to find Shen Siyi in the logistics department, which had the full complement of staff, chatted for a bit, made plans to drink with a bunch of dandies in a few days, and then planned to go home to cook dinner in preparation for the evening's drinking appointment with his father-in-law.
Just as he left the office building, his phone rang; the caller ID showed Zhou Jicang.
"Xiao Ming, are you free tonight? Sir Duan is hosting a dinner and specifically asked for your company."
"Ah, that's really unfortunate." Xiao Ming apologized, "The father-in-law has recently come to stay at our place, so tonight, as a son-in-law, I need to give a good performance."
Zhou Jicang laughed heartily, "What's the rush? You're not a newly welcomed son-in-law. Sir Duan is leaving the day after tomorrow; the opportunity is rare. If you really can't pass up the chance to impress, why not bring your father-in-law along?"
"Ah? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? It's just a casual meal and chat. He is about the same age as us; he shouldn't feel uncomfortable."
Xiao Ming still felt it wasn't right, and was about to refuse again when he suddenly remembered the purpose of Duan Hongqing's visit to Longyin, which his father-in-law might indeed be related to, so he agreed.
"Alright then. Give me an address, and I'll pick up my father-in-law. His workplace is quite far from mine, so we might make you wait a bit longer."
"Where does your father-in-law work?"
"At the Waterfront Bureau."
"That's not far from where we are dining. Here's what we'll do: Don't bother making the trip back and forth. I'll have my secretary pick him up; you just give a heads-up."
Xiao Ming thought it over and, without further ado, provided his father-in-law's name and then ended the call.
Jiang Yonghan, in his youth, worked on the docks carrying and unloading ships, commonly known as a port worker. After the dock reforms, he naturally transitioned into a waterfront worker.
He was somewhat pedantic and of a weak disposition, not skilled in networking. Diligently working for over twenty years, he had only managed to attain the position of a foreman.
It was only thanks to an underling whom he had once helped, who later became a leader, that he was transferred to an office in logistics.
Though it lacked lucrative perks, he didn't miss out on any benefits he was entitled to, and the younger clerks did most of the work, which was a rather decent arrangement before retirement.
The sunset light reflecting off the river shone through the window into Jiang Yonghan's eyes.
He glanced at the time, seeing it was almost time to get off work, he closed the report in his hands, took off his reading glasses, and began stretching.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was his son-in-law, and his mouth curved up subconsciously.
"Xiao Ming, I'm about to get off work. What's up?"
"Well, Dad," Xiao Ming said, "I suddenly got a dinner invitation, and the host is quite an important person, so I won't be able to cook for you tonight..."
Jiang Yonghan chuckled, "What's the big deal? You go ahead and do what you need to do. When can't we grab a drink? There's no rush."
"That's not something you can say; no one is more important than you! If Xue found out I ditched you for a drink with others, she would probably relegate me to the sofa for the night.
So, I decided to take you with me to the dinner. The host has already sent a car for you, just wait in your office."
Jiang Yonghan was initially pleased with the flattery from his son-in-law, but upon hearing the latter part, he immediately became anxious.
"Ah? A big shot invites you to dinner, and you want to bring this old man along? That's not right; it's nonsensical!"
"So what should we do? The secretary is already on the way; should I call them back? That would be even more inappropriate!"
Jiang Yonghan thought about it and realized Xiao Ming was right. It would be impolite and too much of a hassle to send them back, so he sighed, "You kid, why are you always so impulsive!"
Xiao Ming laughed, "If you want to scold me, you can do it when we see each other. That's how things are, just wait there with peace of mind."
"Don't hang up yet. Exactly who are we dining with?"
"They are senior business associates, roughly your age, so you don't need to worry about running out of topics to talk about. Right, one of them is Zhou Jicang, you know him."
"Zhou Jicang?"
Jiang Yonghan stood up in shock, causing the others in the office to lift their heads and look over at him.