Chapter 24.1 – Astray Youth (24)
Turning his head and seeing the person standing at the door of the office, Chen Luosong slowly let go of his rolled-up sleeves and asked, “How is the old master?”
Even at such a moment, his expression remained unchanged, with a faint smile on his face and his pupils showing no sign of fluctuation.
One hand still on the doorknob, his footsteps completely out of control, Yuan Yan walked back into the office.
“…Grandpa’s health has improved a lot. He can walk and run now.”
Placing the thermal lunchbox back on the table, he approached the person sitting on the sofa, finally bending down a bit at a distance, and asked, “What was that just now?”
His voice sounded lighter than usual, as if confirming something or fearing to hear something.
“That’s good.” Considering it a response to Old Master Yuan’s health, then Chen Luosong casually raised his hand and said, “This?”
“The child got drunk and took a bite.”
The bite mark was quite different from ordinary scratches, and he had no reason to lie, so he told the truth directly.
The long sleeves of the white shirt were already lowered, completely concealing the fleeting traces.
When the person on the sofa mentioned the child, Yuan Yan immediately thought of the person in the school uniform he had glanced at before, as well as the voice he had heard on the phone and the word “uncle.”
He had felt something was off when he made the call but thought he was just overthinking.
“He’s already an adult, right?” Yuan Yan leaned closer, supporting himself on the sofa, getting closer, suppressing the emotions surging back and forth in his chest, and said, “When you’re an adult, you have to act like one.”
Chen Luosong smiled, “Is that so?”
Yuan Yan’s fear was precisely this attitude. What he used to hate most was this person’s attitude, and now it’s what he fears most.
He didn’t believe a brash youngster who hadn’t even stepped into society could stir up much trouble, but this person’s indifferent and unrestrained attitude would certainly fuel the storm to grow.
The last time they spoke on the phone, the person on the other end only dared to complain, but this time, they dared to bite.
If there wasn’t someone enabling them from behind, they definitely wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.
—It seemed like this person was being too kind to the other.
Kind to a level that surpassed the affection for a friend’s younger brother. The person in front of him not only had their sleeves down but also had all the buttons on their shirt done up, indicating that it was more than just “taking a bite.”
“Tell me seriously,” Yuan Yan met the light colored pupils directly, asking, “Who is he?”
His change in attitude didn’t affect Secretary Chen. Glancing at the person beside him, Chen Luosong picked up the water on the table and took a sip, saying, “You’ll know when it’s time.”
He smiled, “Please also inform the old master that next month… or maybe in two weeks, I’ll bring someone to visit him.”
The absurd thought that had no basis in reality resurfaced in his mind. Yuan Yan slowly straightened up, looking at the person on the sofa, and said, “You should know what you’re doing.”
Chen Luosong gently put down the water glass in his hand, “I know.”
He was as clear-headed as ever.
In the end, Yuan Yan still left. He suddenly had more work on his hands, so he couldn’t stay any longer even if he wanted to.
The office door closed, and Chen Luosong returned to his desk. The phone on the desk lit up, receiving a message.
Unlocking the phone, he glanced at the message’s content, slightly lowering his eyes, then dialed the internal line and said, “Get in touch with the notary lawyer.”
*
After finishing breakfast, Zhou Kaiji went to see off the others.
Originally, he was only supposed to accompany them to the bus stop, but some of them quickly changed their minds, saying they were still in the mood to hang out. Li Hua also suggested going to buy the latest version of gashapon, “Gashapon 2.0,” while the crowd was still around.
This time, Gashapon 2.0 was available at various major toy stores, so they didn’t have to go to a specific mall.
Eventually, due to friendly exchanges with parents over the phone, a group of people decided to accompany Li Hua to buy the gashapons before heading home. They parted ways at the bus station near the mall.
As others left, Zhou Kaiji stood at the bus stop, watching the departing buses.
The traffic behind him was constant, and people were bustling around. When he found the bus he needed to take back home, he turned his head.
There was an extra figure beside him.
A woman with fine lines at the corners of her eyes, holding a pearl-studded hat in her hand, happened to look up and said, “Can we find a place to talk?”
She added, “About Secretary Chen and your father.”
The crowd kept moving, the bus arrived, people got off, and the front door of the bus opened and closed again.
No one boarded.
Zhou Kaiji and the woman found a quiet coffee shop nearby. He didn’t know this woman, but he recognized the hat, from the cemetery, on the evening of New Year’s Eve.
The woman asked him what he wanted to drink, and he declined, so she ordered him the cafe’s best-selling coffee instead.
Zhou Kaiji asked directly, “About Secretary Chen, what is it?”
The woman pushed her phone aside and added, “And also about your father.”
Introducing herself as Huang Li, she mentioned being a close friend of his parents when they were alive and even meeting him when he was a child. Now, she’s a shareholder and director at the company.
She took a while to get to the point, talking about past events involving her and the former chairman and his wife. Midway through, the waiter brought the coffee, which Zhou Kaiji accepted, thanking them politely.
“…After that incident, I didn’t give up and kept looking for you. Finally, I got some clues, but the information leaked, and others got ahead of me.”
As the woman spoke, she quickly glanced at the expression of the person sitting across from her. She continued, “You know that person too—it’s Secretary Chen.”
After saying this, the person sitting across from her didn’t jump up to refute her as expected. Quite unexpectedly, they just lowered their eyes and gave her a look devoid of any emotion.
—Perhaps his feelings towards Secretary Chen were even more indifferent than she imagined, which should be a good sign.
Despite nurturing for so long, they couldn’t cultivate familiarity. Indeed, poverty teaches what’s most important to oneself.
The woman paused for a moment and continued, “What I’m about to say may not align with your understanding, but I hope you’ll listen patiently.”
“I was a friend of your parents,” she reiterated, “and all this is for your own good.”
She explained that Secretary Chen bringing him back home, seemingly for his own good, was actually for greater control. Everyone in the villa had become part of his influence; once inside, it was challenging for others to reach him. With transportation arranged by car, his movements were completely controlled, and it facilitated the isolation of external information, creating a discourse system entirely advantageous to Secretary Chen.
She said, “Do you find yourself obeying him a lot now?”
Zhou Kaiji lowered his eyes slightly and murmured in agreement.
Things were progressing even more smoothly than imagined. The woman took a sip of coffee, the cup hiding the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
Apart from living arrangements, it also involved schooling. Secretary Chen had the capability to place him in a better class or school, but he left him in his current class. Even knowing that Zhou Kaiji had fallen behind in studies due to working, Secretary Chen didn’t arrange for tutoring but let him handle it himself.
Zhou Kaiji listened quietly as the woman spoke. In her narrative, everything had a different perspective.
The woman then discussed the company and social interactions. She mentioned that logically, he should inherit the company in the future, but Secretary Chen rarely allowed him to visit the company or interact with senior management. Networking was crucial in this circle, yet Secretary Chen never introduced him to others or integrated him into their circle. This, to some extent, revealed Secretary Chen’s intentions.
She said, “He wants to use you and has never considered handing over real power to you. All his kindness towards you is because it’s beneficial to him.”
Zhou Kaiji asked, “What do you suggest I do then?”
“He doesn’t just want money; he wants the entire company,” the woman replied. “If he asks you to sign any contracts, especially ones involving equity transfer or agency contracts, don’t sign them. Here’s my contact information. If he makes any moves, you can consult with me.”
She finished speaking, then looked down and pulled out her contact information from her bag. Along with the contact information, she handed over a pen, saying, “If you absolutely have to sign, use this pen to sign.”
Zhou Kaiji listened and after she finished speaking, he slightly lowered his head and said, “Can I ask one last question?”
The woman looked at him as he put away the contact information and pen, her smile widening, and said, “Of course.”
Zhou Kaiji asked, “If it’s for my own good, why didn’t you contact me earlier?”
Since he was brought back to the villa by Secretary Chen until now, it had been over half a year. During this time, although he spent most of it with Secretary Chen, he had gone out many times with Li Hua and others, as well as on his own, so there were plenty of opportunities for contact.
The woman was taken aback by his question, tactically took a sip of coffee, and then said, “Secretary Chen didn’t allow us to get close, and I took a risk coming here this time.”
Her response was half-truth, half-false; strictly speaking, it was also somewhat true.
Using the half-year as a time limit, if they made any moves within this period, they would be the directors removed at the next shareholders’ meeting.
Zhou Kaiji smiled and said he understood.
The woman watched him stand up and leave. His figure disappeared from the doorway, reappearing briefly outside the window, before disappearing completely from sight.
As soon as he was completely out of sight, the coffee shop door opened again, and a man in beach shorts walked in, taking a seat in the spot where the person who had just left was sitting.
After the man in beach shorts sat down, he glanced at the woman’s expression and asked, “What’s wrong, didn’t go smoothly?”
The person sitting across stared at a corner of emptiness, her pupils trembling slightly, more startled than smooth, as if something had given her a fright.
“It went smoothly,” the woman said. “It did, but it’s strange. He smiled when he left.”
The man in beach shorts attempted to light a cigarette but noticed the no-smoking sign on the table, furrowing his brow. He then put the cigarette back and remarked, “Doesn’t his smile mean it’s fine.”
The woman said, “…His smile was exactly like Secretary Chen’s.”
The hand of the man in beach shorts, about to light the cigarette, paused, and then he snorted, “After all, he’s an orphan; he can only learn from those around him.”
“All looks, no brains.”
Beside him, unnoticed by anyone, the coffee had cooled down untouched.
*
Leaving the coffee shop, Zhou Kaiji walked back towards the bus stop. Before reaching the bus stop, his phone buzzed twice.
It was a message from Secretary Chen, saying he hoped Zhou Kaiji could come to the company, offering to send a driver to pick him up instead of taking the bus if he shared his location with the driver.
Zhou Kaiji shared his location with the driver.
He wasn’t sure where the driver started from, but they arrived much earlier than expected. After boarding the car, they headed straight to the company.
He was familiar with the route from the company’s parking lot to the office. After getting on the elevator, he pressed the floor number.
By the time he arrived this time, lunch break was over, and people in the office had resumed work. Someone greeted him upon seeing him.
It had been too long, and he had started to forget some of these people, but they seemed to remember him, even calling him “Little Brother Chen.”
Secretary Chen’s younger brother, referred to as Little Brother Chen.
He didn’t remember everyone very well, but he still responded politely. After exchanging greetings, Zhou Kaiji entered the office.
This time, there wasn’t just one person in the office. As he entered, the first person he saw was Secretary Chen sitting behind the desk, and then he noticed another man standing near the sofa whom he didn’t recognize.
The man wore black-framed glasses and nodded in greeting when he saw Zhou Kaiji.
After finishing the last report, the person behind the desk stood up and looked towards them, saying, “This is Lawyer Ye.”
“There are some agreements over there that need your signature,” he picked up the recently signed documents from the desk and walked over, glancing at the time, and continued, “I have a meeting later, so if you have any questions, you can ask Lawyer Ye.”
He did seem quite busy; the office door hadn’t even closed, and his assistant was already outside with a notebook and documents in hand, waiting.
Zhou Kaiji watched as the person passed by and said, “Alright.”
Once the office door closed, only Zhou Kaiji and Lawyer Ye remained.
Lawyer Ye seemed like someone who took action quickly. As soon as the door closed, he sat on the sofa, took out stacks of documents from his briefcase, which seemed organized into different categories. Facing the gaze of the other person, he smiled and said, “I like to categorize everything neatly.”
Finally, after arranging all the documents neatly, Lawyer Ye stood up and leaned forward slightly, extending a pen.
“Hello, my surname is Ye, Ye Wen. I am mainly responsible for your father’s estate matters.”
Zhou Kaiji took the pen and looked down at the papers in front of him.
Clearly written on top was “Shareholding Proxy Agreement.” This was just the first agreement; there were many more documents to come.
Lawyer Ye sat back on the sofa and said, “For your own interests, please carefully read and review the contracts. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime.”
As the pen slowly circled in his hand, Zhou Kaiji asked, “What impact will it have on Brother Chen if I don’t sign?”
Lawyer Ye replied, “There is a shareholders’ meeting in a few days, and Secretary Chen may face some difficulties.”
Zhou Kaiji closed the pen and set it aside.
Lawyer Ye looked at him.
Zhou Kaiji said, “I’ll use a different pen to sign.”
Lawyer Ye responded, “Please go ahead.”
…
After an hour-long meeting, Chen Luosong returned to the office to find only one person remaining.
Zhou Kaiji had already left, saying that staying here would disrupt work. Lawyer Ye was still sitting on the sofa, with the documents neatly arranged, and he slightly shook his head upon noticing the person entering the office.
Chen Luosong placed the documents in his hand on the desk and responded with a nod.
