After ending my conversation with Yang Sisi, I sat alone on the sofa, gazing absently at the night view outside the window; this had become a very habitual action of mine, because sometimes when I was too tired, I especially needed to do this to relax my mind.

I thought for a moment about what to bring back for Lao Mi and my mom; then I suddenly felt that getting them a new house was the most practical thing to do, because the house they live in now is the one Lao Mi's work unit allocated when I was in elementary school. It's only about 70 square meters. At first, it was still livable, but ever since a taller building was built in front of it, the house has hardly any natural light, especially in winter, when it's dark and damp.

Housing prices in this small county town aren't high, so I planned to get them a larger apartment of about 120 square meters. Then, I took out the bank card that Lu Jia had given me and looked at it. There was enough money in it. To this day, I still can't believe that Lu Jia actually returned everything that she had taken from me.

I suddenly felt indebted to her because she gave me the most precious years of her youth, and she did her best to help me when Lao Mi was sick; moreover, she lent me some emergency funds when I was working on the "Jiulongju" project.

I never imagined that when we measure gains and losses in terms of material things, I would be the one who owes her something, even though she is clearly more materialistic than me!

Not only that, she also bought an investment product for Lao Mi and my mom. Now that she has returned the money from selling the house to me, the money spent on those two investment products must have been her own money...

At first, I didn't think about it much, but now, after carefully considering it, I realize how much I owe...

I felt really bad, so I stared blankly at the bank card in my hand for a long time... It turns out that I really only saw the surface of many things.

...

"Michael, are you in your room? I bought you a few bags of local specialties from Phuket. Take them back with you and give some to all your relatives."

"Yes, come in."

Ping Ge pushed open the door and came in, carrying several black bags. A fishy smell wafted from them, probably from dried fish. He placed the bags next to my suitcase, then sat down on the sofa and asked me, "When are you planning to come back?"

"I'll be back after the New Year... You might not believe it, but this is the fifth year I haven't spent the New Year at home!"

Brother Ping smiled and replied, "This time, I can finally go back with my head held high."

"You know what, people in small towns are quite materialistic and competitive, so I specifically asked Sisi to buy me a car in Shanghai so we can drive it back together."

"You're not very easygoing. Why do you care so much about what people think?"

“I really don’t care, I just want my parents to have face… Over the years, they have really suffered a lot of pressure because of me.”

"That's true. You can't really understand unless you're in their environment... When you get back, behave well and then..."

We'll make up for all the debts we owe over the years.

"Yes, that's what I'm thinking."

After a moment of silence, Brother Ping said to me in a consultative tone, "I have something to tell you. Today, a developer approached me, wanting us to represent their project. It's a high-quality project... So, I'd really like you to postpone your trip to Shanghai so we can work on another project together."

Without much thought, I replied, "I don't want to change the plan. You can do this project yourself."

"If I had your abilities, I wouldn't have brought this up with you."

“I’ve already established all the domestic channels… Our sales and renovation teams are also in place. In fact, you don’t need to worry about many things anymore. As long as you build this team well and handle these projects, there won’t be any problems at all.”

"Do you really want to quit?"

"Um."

"The situation is so good now, it's such a pity!"

"Everything has its gains and losses... I've already made my choice, so let's not bring this up again."

After a moment of contemplation, Brother Ping said, "I'll keep your shareholder status. If you don't achieve your expectations in Shanghai, at least you'll have a place to stay."

“I know you mean well, but I’ve never liked leaving myself a way out. I still want to sell these shares… Besides, it doesn’t really mean much for me to be a shareholder. Once I’m gone, I can’t be responsible for the company anymore, and I still have to take so many dividends from the company every year, which is not good for the company’s development… You might as well use this money to recruit talent. I think that’s the best strategic choice.”

“I know what you’re thinking. You want to sell your shares and get more money to invest in the OneClick Game project… That’s definitely a good thing, but I’m afraid Sisi’s dad won’t be sincere with you. If that happens, you’ll really lose everything.”

"Therefore, I need to firmly grasp the initiative in this project so that I won't be too passive."

"That's not a smart thing to do. Being too sharp and aggressive can easily make people dislike you."

I smiled and asked, "Then tell me, what's the safest approach?"

"Being his son-in-law... there's nothing safer than that!"

I paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "If I really had such high aspirations, why would I have worked so hard to develop the One-Click Game project? ... I would just wait for him to retire, sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor, and then happily accept all the results of his life's struggles... Anyway, he only has one daughter, Sisi, and he would never give her to anyone else."

"This is the highest level of strategic thinking: since there's no way to defeat him... then become his son!"

I glanced at Ping Ge, then said disdainfully, "It's because of people like you that there are so many bastards in this world... What does this have to do with selling your soul?"

the difference? "

"I'm asking you to be his son, not his grandson... You've misunderstood me!"

"We can't communicate anymore... You should go... I need to sleep."

I had to kick Ping Ge out of the room. He was just there to cause trouble and make fun of me... But the thought of meeting Yang Sisi tomorrow still makes me quite happy...

With these feelings in mind, I slept very soundly that night, so I woke up very early the next day...

After a quick breakfast, Ping Ge took me to the airport. I arrived in Shanghai at 2 PM, where Yang Sisi and Zhou San picked me up. We then had a meal together outside.

(End of Chapter)