Chapter 16 The old man turned and glared at him, “…”
The old man turned and glared at him. "So you never intended for me to know from the beginning, was that it?"
Liu Duanhe tactfully avoided the question, saying, "What good would it do to tell you? It would only make you worry unnecessarily. You're not feeling well right now, so keeping a good mood is the most important thing. Since nothing serious has happened to me, it's fine not to talk about this."
Grandpa remained silent for a long while. As he approached the main hall, he suddenly sighed and said, "It's all my fault. When we were young, your grandmother and I didn't take care of your father's upbringing, which led him astray. After your grandmother passed away, I also neglected your upbringing."
Now that you're all grown up, you don't talk to me about anything anymore, and you treat almost everyone the same. Sometimes I even feel like I'm not your family anymore. Don't you think you're too much like your dad now?
Liu Duanhe was surprised for a moment, then pondered for a moment and said, "We are completely different. He can use everything as a bargaining chip, but I can't."
As for other less important things, of course, there's no gain without a price. He might give up his lover of four years just because she couldn't provide career assistance, but I might or might not be able to.
If you're still bothered by this, Grandpa, perhaps I can bring my girlfriend back for you to meet in a while. My initial intention was simply to avoid worrying you, and being out there was just the optimal solution to maximize my own interests, wasn't it?
The old man didn't believe the lover he spoke of existed. His gaze was filled with a complex mix of incomprehension and pity. His withered face wore a smile of happiness and regret. "You can never earn enough money. You only live once. Enough money is enough. Any more is meaningless. What truly matters are real people like us."
I only realized this after your grandmother passed away, but I don't want you to end up like me, buried up to your neck, regretting not spending more time with the people you truly cared about.
"I won't talk about your parents. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay with you for much longer. My only wish before I die is to see you make a choice from your heart, just for yourself, the self that was born naked and unburdened, without any worldly concepts."
Liu Duanhe smiled at his words, then frowned and replied, "As long as you take your medicine on time, get plenty of rest, and keep a happy mood, you will definitely live to ninety-nine."
The old man knew that Liu Duanhe was dismissive of the matter; no amount of reasoning could replace real-world problems. Liu Yi, having still come out for this trip, was also exhausted.
He shook his head, pulled his arm away from Liu Duanhe's hand, and couldn't say what he wanted to say. "I know you probably didn't listen. Since you haven't been feeling well lately, there's no need to rush things at the company. If you don't rest properly, you'll develop a chronic illness, and then you'll suffer."
Liu Duanhe took the old man's concern to heart. He had no masochistic tendencies and didn't want to leave any aftereffects. However, there was no need to stop working. He felt that his energy was fully capable of supporting his studies and work.
He sometimes doesn't say his refusal aloud, but says things like, "Secretary Wei has been keeping an eye on my follow-up appointments at the hospital. Don't worry, I won't ruin my health."
Liu Yi was still reassured about him in this respect. He inherited his parents' selfish genes, was cold-hearted but warm-hearted, ruthless but never allowed himself to suffer. There was basically no need to worry about him being taken advantage of in a subjective sense.
Thinking of Chen Xingdong, who had told him about Liu Duanhe's injury, the old man squinted at him and said, "That boy from the Chen family, you mustn't go and seek revenge on him after you leave."
Liu Duanhe smiled helplessly, "You're overthinking it. Do you think I'm such a petty person?"
He really is.
The old man chuckled coldly, "I won't bring up your past mistakes in front of so many people."
Secretary Wei, who was silently following behind them, nodded silently in his heart. If Young Master Liu didn't hold grudges, then there really wouldn't be anyone in the world who would.
Last year, at the engagement ceremony of the two companies he attended together, a clueless rich second-generation, whether out of jealousy or because he was provoked, deliberately spoke sarcastically to Liu Duanhe, and even deliberately cut off their car on the way back.
The next day at the company, Liu Duanhe stalled the process for the company that had contracted their project. It wasn't until the company's adults brought the contractor to apologize that Liu Duanhe, still smiling and looking puzzled, explained that he had been busy with business these past few days, which was why it had taken so long. After verifying that everything was correct, he immediately approved and signed off on the project. His attitude was so thorough that the contractor had no way to vent his anger and even began to wonder if it was just a misunderstanding and that he was overthinking things.
However, Secretary Wei, who conveyed the instructions, was well aware that Liu Duanhe was doing it on purpose.
As they walked and talked, they arrived at the dining room without realizing it. The old butler was very meticulous in his work. When they arrived, the food was already laid out. There were several home-style dishes, each of which was divided into four portions using plates and bowls, and they were still steaming hot.
The old man sat in the center first, with Liu Duanhe sitting beside him. He looked at Secretary Wei and invited, "Secretary Wei probably hasn't eaten yet, why don't you sit down and eat with us?"
Secretary Wei hesitated for a moment. Liu Duanhe was always extremely gentle and good-tempered outside of work, and would invite him to dinner if it was mealtime before. However, he still felt a bit pressured to sit together with him. He agreed apologetically, "Thank you, boss."
Before he could even reach out, the servants on both sides came forward to pull out a chair for Secretary Wei and presented him with a plate of sterilized, steaming hot towels.
Liu Duanhe and Liu Yi stopped talking and took the towel to carefully wipe their hands.
The old butler had already eaten, and now he was in the next room organizing the matters that the old man would be reviewing later.
Their family originally didn't have a rule about not talking while eating or sleeping. However, Liu Duanhe's obsession with cleanliness became more and more severe. Talking while eating would make him uncomfortable with the hygiene situation.
The old man didn't say it, but he actually cared about him a lot. After observing and discovering this situation, he stopped talking about things at the dinner table.
More than half an hour later, the plates were removed, and Liu Duanhe washed his hands and rinsed his mouth again before the group went to the study to discuss company affairs.
The old butler was incredibly versatile in his youth, fluent in multiple languages, and had passed several prestigious exams, including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, and the bar exam. Now, he is semi-retired, handling only the old man's personal affairs, some family fund business, and a small amount of secretarial work. Compared to his previous workload, it has been greatly reduced.
Originally, he was supposed to be fully retired and enjoy his grandchildren at home. However, he couldn't stand the emptiness of not working and not being needed. After a few years, the old housekeeper returned to the old man's side and continued to work as a housekeeper, earning an annual salary that was higher than the combined salaries of his son, daughter, and grandson, who were all in their prime.
Secretary Wei had also heard about the old butler's deeds, and his current goal is to earn half of the old butler's salary.
Judging from how much Young Master Liu values him, it's not far off. As long as he doesn't make any mistakes, Liu Duanhe is indeed an excellent boss. He rewards anyone who achieves results and doesn't practice nepotism; he only looks at ability.
Because he was satisfied with Secretary Wei's work ability, which had rarely caused any problems since he had been by his side, Liu Duanhe had promised some time ago that he would transfer him to a branch office for a period of training in the second half of the year, and if he did well, he would be transferred back to the head office for a promotion and a raise.
Thinking of this, Secretary Wei, who had started to feel sleepy after eating, suddenly perked up and became more energetic in his work reports. Liu Duanhe gave him a strange look.
The pen twirled between his slender fingers. After he finished speaking, Liu Duanhe gave his instructions with ease and then asked with a smile, "What were you thinking about just now? Your eyes suddenly lit up."
After Secretary Wei carefully noted down each point, he turned off the recorder and his phone, abruptly snapping out of his work mode. He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses sheepishly, knowing that although Liu Duanhe himself didn't like to speak his mind, he disliked others being evasive or deceptive. He honestly said, "I'm happy to think about what you said before, that you'd send me to the Fengcheng branch for training in the second half of the year."
Liu Duanhe took off the silver chain glasses and placed them on the table. He pressed his long, fair fingers against the alcohol gel on the desk and carefully rubbed his fingers. He blinked his phoenix eyes and, while doing so, relaxed and hinted, "Then you should have more happy things in the future. Work hard and prepare yourself mentally in advance. You will have everything you want."
With a gentle smile, his features were clear and bright, exuding confidence and unparalleled handsomeness.
Although Secretary Wei already knew Liu Duanhe's subtext, she couldn't help but be happy when she heard Liu Duanhe's almost explicit words. She was even more excited than when she checked her college entrance exam scores.
He felt a little dizzy, experiencing the charm of domineering CEO novels for the first time in his life. If the male protagonist in the novel was also like Young Master Liu, giving money, status, and resources so generously, no one, male or female, would be able to resist.
It was hard to tell whether it was the allure of money or the charm of Young Master Liu that made his heart pound so hard.
On his own turf, Liu Duanhe was much more relaxed. He leaned back in his chair, his shirt outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The deep purple silk shirt made his skin look as soft and delicate as pearls and jade. What was most captivating was his appearance, which was extremely handsome and deep enough to be described as voluptuous. He had enough to attract both men and women. However, he kept his collar buttoned up meticulously, which made him look elegant but not frivolous, and noble but not vulgar.
Seeing that his ears were red with joy, Liu Duanhe, curious and amused, teased, "I always thought Secretary Wei was a calm and steady person, comparable to the old butler. I never expected to see this side of Secretary Wei. It seems that the salary I paid Secretary Wei before was not enough."
Secretary Wei shook his head and said, "It's already a lot; it's just that people are always greedy."
After he finished speaking, Liu Duanhe denied it, saying, "It's not that I'm greedy. You have a strong work ability, and I plan to focus on training you. If you do a good job, you can imagine how high your salary will be in the future, because it's all possible." He didn't hold back his praise and affirmation.
Liu Duanhe was always like this; anyone could get emotional value from him, which was the least valuable thing to him. Secretary Wei felt almost completely drained and could only tell himself this.
A note from the author:
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