Chapter 43

The next day at noon, Beijing West Airport.

Manager Zhao, who was originally scheduled to pick up the airport, became Guan Xiong.

"Old Guan, why are you here to pick me up? Where's Old Zhao?" Ever since Old Guan suffered a minor stroke half a year ago, his driving is not as smooth as before, so the job of picking up and dropping off Guan Ying at the airport was entrusted to Manager Zhao by Old Guan.

Guan Ying originally thought that there was no need to trouble her elders, she could just take a taxi by herself, but the old Guan was always worried about her going on a long trip with so many bags. In order to reassure the old Guan, Manager Zhao took the job regardless of the weather.

"You're so disrespectful! You're the one who called me Old Zhao?" Guan Xiong bent down, as usual, to take the bag from his daughter's hand. "Why are you back so soon?"

"Zheng Juyong and I have fallen out again!" Guan Ying only brought a light little handbag with him this time. Not wanting Old Guan to think he was useless just because he was sick, he let him take the bag. However, he still put his arm around his arm to help him share some of the weight. "Old Zhao is still young. If I call him Uncle Zhao, doesn't that make him old?"

It was over, so to speak. Guan Xiong didn't even want to mention Zheng Juyong now, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He only talked about Old Zhao: "Young? Old Zhao is almost at retirement age! Alas, your Uncle Zheng heard the report from Engineer Li and knew that the guy had been cheated and can't be relied on. He borrowed Old Zhao from me last night. Someone smart has to go to Shanghai and see if we can procure another fine desulfurization unit."

It seems that Uncle Zheng had already predicted that his son's mission would fail and had already started preparing a second plan.

"Why, Uncle Zheng isn't going to give up yet?" Guan Ying frowned. "Old Zhao doesn't understand the technology either. Why didn't you tell me earlier? I should have flown to Shanghai this morning so I could at least lend Old Zhao a hand."

"Come on, I'm actually hoping Old Zhao can't do it, so that your Uncle Zheng's endless thoughts can be completely put to rest. Doesn't he realize how old he is? I've got this problem, and I know what it means to be overwhelmed by illness. You can't refuse to accept old age! Alas, that kid can't take over, and there are only a few old guys left. What's the point of making such a fuss!"

Ever since Zheng Juyong publicly announced Qiao Qi's pregnancy at dinner that day, Lao Guan had been completely disillusioned and resigned after returning home, becoming even more determined to quit. Not only did he feel it was not worth it for his daughter, but he also didn't want to see her struggling to support the situation alone in the future. He would rather cut his losses on Xicheng Steel before the snowball got too big!

After getting in the car, Guan Ying took the initiative to be the driver, but before starting the car, she still felt strange: "That's not right. Since Uncle Zheng attaches so much importance to it, how could he not go to Shanghai with Lao Zhao? Uncle Zheng also knows that Lao Zhao only knows foreign trade, not technology..."

Guan Xiong had just fastened his seatbelt when he noticed something strange: "That's true..." Suddenly, remembering something, he slapped his thigh and said, "It's over, it's over!" He sighed and dialed the number. After a few beeps, the voice switched to an artificial one. He guessed it was Zheng Dongfang who had hung up the call for something. "Go to your Uncle Zheng's house first!"

"What's wrong?" Guan Ying started the car.

"Oh my! Your Uncle Zheng must have gone to sign a contract with the district government! He came to discuss it with me over the weekend, but I didn't agree. This stubborn old man must have gone on his own!"

"What contract?"

"It's a special loan of 150 million yuan approved by the district government."

Guan Ying had barely started the car when he pulled over to the side of the road and braked before he had even driven very far. "What 150 million?! Didn't Uncle Zheng just borrow over 10 million from the bank a while ago? Add that to the 10 million we recovered from Sabur, and it's more than enough to upgrade the steel mill's equipment!"

"Hey, who said it wasn't? I was wondering why your Uncle Zheng wanted to get two fine desulfurization systems, and he told me the truth over the weekend. One of them is to upgrade the existing pipe production line, and the other one is to be used to equip a new production line for high-end steel! A new production line requires a new factory site. Once the factory site is expanded, it becomes a large-scale industrial park. With a park, it's no longer a small workshop. The district government wants to achieve A-level performance, and the bank wants to invest in a new ecosystem, so it must be a green digital industrial park. The expenses are huge... 150 million is just the first installment, there will be a second and a third installment later... They say that businesses must grow bigger and stronger, but once they really grow bigger and stronger, can they still have the final say in the business? Then they will be unstoppable!"

At this point, Guan Xiong rested his right hand on the window sill, casually scratching the white hair beside his sunglasses. He glanced at himself in the car mirror and sighed, "Alas, if it weren't thirty years ago, even ten, I would have dared to work with your Uncle Zheng! But now, it's impossible... A new production line will take at least four or five years to pay back. Building an industrial park will take another ten or eight years. Can I still work until I'm seventy or eighty? I'm just an old man, and I can't just say I'm scrapped... How can I agree?"

Guan Ying was surprised to hear this, but she also felt that Uncle Zheng was capable of this. If Xicheng Steel didn't want to go bankrupt and liquidate, this was the only path they could take. However, she hadn't expected Uncle Zheng's move to be so earth-shattering. "Such a big deal, why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm thinking, if I don't agree, how can your Uncle Zheng do it alone? This thing will never work out!" Guan Xiong patted the car window with the back of his hand, getting excited. "But when you mentioned Lao Zhao just now, I was scared. Your Uncle Zheng is so stubborn. He values ​​the steel plant more than his life. Oh, if he gets provoked by that kid again, what if he really gets stubborn!"

Guan Ying restarted the car: "Uncle Zheng usually looks slow and indifferent, but I didn't expect him to be so decisive at the critical moment."

"Hey, you're about to retire, are you showing any courage?!" Guan Xiong finally had to mention Zheng Juyong. "I know your Uncle Zheng's life too well. As long as you don't push him, he will definitely be slow and steady, taking one step at a time. But once someone pushes him to the edge of the Yellow River, he will turn into an anxious Zhang Fei in the blink of an eye, not caring about life or death, and will jump down at the risk of his life! He has been pushed to the edge by that little bastard Zheng Juyong. Does he think that by doing this, he can win that bastard back? He has a wife and even forgets his mother, so how can he still remember his father! In the end, he will just win you back? You are my daughter, not his old Zheng family's daughter. He can't always rely on my daughter to cover for his son! You are 33 years old and still not married, but this boy is in a hurry to get married first. Is this acceptable, you conscienceless little bastard!"

Worried that Old Guan might be anxious, Guan Ying stepped on the accelerator and, to ease Old Guan's mood, made a joke: "I remember that Uncle Zheng is not a rabbit."

"Oh, you just laugh it off when I mention getting married! I mean, haven't you always wanted to study law? A few years ago, a lot of things at the company delayed you. Now that the guy is capable, it's time to teach him a lesson! I think it's a good time for you to study abroad. It would be best if you could find someone you like. Dad doesn't care whether he's a foreigner or not. As long as that person loves you, I'll be relieved."

It wasn't just Uncle Zheng who was provoked by Zheng Juyong; Old Guan was the same.

Guan Ying was silent for a moment, staring at the road ahead. She asked Lao Guan earnestly, "Lao Guan, you used to run around every day for Xicheng Steel, neglecting even me and my mom. How come you're just letting go of the steel mill now? You keep saying it's because of that illness you had six months ago, but you've actually recovered. You even drove to pick me up at the airport... You're really reluctant to leave, aren't you? You were also very excited when Uncle Zheng came to discuss this with you this weekend?"

The old steward was standing nearby, shifting the cushion nervously: "Your mother always says this cushion is uncomfortable to sit on. I think it's time to change it."

"Oh, Lao Guan, if only you and my mother had tried hard to give birth to a son for me." When Guan Ying said this, there was no other deep meaning. She just suddenly understood Lao Guan's painstaking efforts and knew that he was willing to give up Xicheng Steel, which he had been busy for all his life, because he couldn't bear to leave her.

The old steward pulled off the rolled-up butt cushion and threw it into the back seat. Turning back, he twisted her ear with one hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little bastard! Look how mad your Uncle Zheng is because of his son. I don't want a son!"

"Oh, it hurts, it hurts, I'm driving, Dad!" Guan Ying tilted her head and looked at the road ahead and begged for mercy.

"Calling me dad again now? I thought you wanted to be the Zheng family's daughter!" Guan Xiong turned his daughter's ear away and tapped her forehead jealously.

After a pause, Guan Ying turned around and said, "Old Guan, thank you, hehe."

Guan Xiong glared at her and said, "Thanks for nothing! I'll go to your Uncle Zheng's house later and pack up your things while I'm there. You'll move back home tonight! If you stay at Uncle Zheng's house every day, do you still remember who your mom and I are?"

There is no emotion between the father and daughter.

Guan Ying muttered, "Huihuihui~ Wasn't it you who asked me to stay and take care of Aunt Zheng? Now you blame me again... I mean, being your daughter is too hard... You should learn from my Uncle Zheng and stop getting anxious all the time. Just be more calm..."

"The light's yellow! It's almost yellow! Ouch!" Guan Xiong, sitting in the passenger seat, warned cautiously, but he still watched his daughter cross the line as the light turned from green to yellow. His warnings were useless. After they passed the intersection, he anxiously said, "Why can't you learn from your Uncle Zheng and drive steadily? How many times have I told you to drive slowly, drive slowly, don't run the light, don't run the light! You just don't listen. Otherwise, would I have come to pick you up with such concern?!"

"Two seconds is still a green light. I drive with discretion and I definitely won't run a red light. Don't look down on female drivers!"

"Heh! Look at the way you drive, you don't look like a female driver at all..."

"Then I'll let you do it. You drive like this, but why can't I do it when it's my turn? You still don't admit it, you are biased towards boys..."

"Wow! Whose daughter is as difficult to treat as you? No, no, I'm going to tell your Uncle Zheng later. You should learn from him!"

"Uncle Zheng is in his rebellious phase right now, and he's not very stable..."

"Hey..."