"Dad, on the surface it's Aunt Yang Jie who's using you, but in fact you're also using her, right?"

Shao Lin's expression was a little unnatural. "Is it obvious?"

"What do you think?"

Shao Lin was a little depressed. "Did your mother see it too? No wonder she didn't respond at all when I called her. She must think I'm childish."

"Dad, are you unwilling to accept the fact that Mom rejected you twice?"

"Of course not. I'm not such a petty man. I just wanted to see how she would react."

Shao Lin leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I've met a lot of women during this period, but after looking at them, none of them can compare to your mother. But I also know that your mother is a person of final say. If she says no, then it's no. No matter how hard I try, it's useless."

Shao Mo looked at the other person without saying anything.

In fact, she had a very complicated time.

Intellectually, it was understandable that Shao Lin would look for a woman at his age, but emotionally, she found that she really didn't want to have a stepmother or stepmother, even if the other party brought her stepchildren to live in the Shao family.

"Dad, nothing is difficult if you set your mind to it. If you really want to be with my mom, I have an idea."

"What is the solution?"

"As the old saying goes, a good woman is afraid of a clinging man, and a strong woman is afraid of an idle man."

“…”

He wanted to get entangled with her, but they lived in different places, thousands of miles apart. Even if he wanted to get entangled with her, he would be unable to do so. Could he just abandon the company and run to An City to chase women?

Thinking of this, Shao Lin remembered another thing.

"Momo, you are already a junior. You will graduate in a little over a year. What are your plans after graduation?"

Shao Mo said casually: "Professor Wu asked me a few days ago if I wanted to study for a master's degree. He just happened to have a quota. If I had the idea, he could reserve a place for me."

Shao Lin nodded, "Master's degree is not bad, Momo, then you should work hard."

"Um."

Shao Lin touched his forehead and said, "Well, I was thinking that if you are interested in joining the company, I will let you manage the company in the future."

Shao Mo declined the offer and said, "Forget it, Dad. I'm not interested in business management. You should find another successor."

"How about Xiao Ling?"

"not good."

"Why? You are my only daughter, and Xiao Ling is your husband. If he can take over the management of the company, you and the children will have someone to rely on for the rest of your life."

"Dad, that's true, but it's easier to build an empire than to keep it. No matter how much Ling Chuan does, he is still an outsider in the eyes of the Shao family. Not only will the people in the company not help him, but they will find ways to trip him up.

If things are done well, it's what he deserves. If things are not done well, all the gossip will be thrown at him, and I don't want him to suffer this."

"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. If he can't even bear this, then I have misjudged him."

"Whether you can handle pressure is a skill, whether you want to handle pressure is a choice. Dad, with Ling Chuan's ability and skills, his achievements and deeds in 20 years will not be inferior to those of the Shaw Group. But if he takes over your job, no matter how high his position is in this life, he will always be criticized for taking advantage of the Shao family. I don't want him to suffer such a humiliation."

"You have thought of everything for him, but he may not be unwilling."

"He listens to me."

“…”

Shao Mo spoke directly, interrupting Shao Lin's thoughts, "Dad, you should consider the successor as soon as possible. I think the Shao family's cousins ​​are all good. It's better to make a decision early and start training early, so that you can enjoy your old age sooner."

Shao Lin looked at her and said, "Then tell me, who do you think is the most suitable?"

"It doesn't matter who it is, they are all members of the Shao family after all."

The Shao family doesn't belong to him alone, so he doesn't want to have the headache alone.

—

After New Year's Day, Fak's health went from bad to worse. He rarely went out for a walk, and even rarely got up and walked around.

Most of the time, it always lies quietly in the doghouse, silently looking at the world outside the glass window, as if saying goodbye to the world.

When it hears someone calling it, it will turn its head slowly and gently wag its tail in response.

Although it is inconvenient for Fak to go out, Zeng Fang would often carry it downstairs to bask in the sun and breathe fresh air when the weather is good.

But despite the meticulous care, Fak's life could not be saved.

On the day Fak died, the sky was very gloomy, as if even God was mourning for him.

Zeng Fang drove with Shen Zhen to the suburbs and chose a Feng Shui site on a hill to hold a simple funeral for Fak.

After the funeral, the atmosphere on the way back to the city was sad and silent.

Looking at the fluffy snowflakes outside the car window, Zeng Fang felt extremely sad.

Even she, an outsider, was so sad. She couldn't imagine how Shen Zhen, the real owner, felt at this moment. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

But from Fak's death to the funeral, Shen Zhen didn't shed a single tear throughout the whole process. His face was just very gloomy, and the coldness on his body was even greater than the temperature outside the car window.

Zeng Fang wanted to say something to ease the sad atmosphere.

"Shen Zhen."

Hearing her shout, Shen Zhen tilted his head slightly but did not respond.

Zeng Fang didn't care. "You've graduated for more than a year. Have you thought about what you will do in the future?"

She was answered with endless silence.

"Once you're busy with work, you won't have much time to think about random things. Do you want to find a job or something?"

Shen Zhen pulled the corner of his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Why, are you worried that I will not be able to make it?"

Zeng Fang quickly shook her head, "No, I just think you should find something to do. You're not a child anymore, you can't just mess around like this."

Shen Zhen did not answer but asked, "What about you? What do you plan to do after graduation?"

"I plan to go back to my hometown and take the civil service exam or become a teacher."

Shen Zhen tilted his head to look at her, "You're not staying in the capital?"

"Of course not. My parents, relatives and friends are all in my hometown. Even if I want to stay in Beijing, they won't agree. It's already a favor to let me study in Beijing. If I stay in Beijing to work, my parents will come to Beijing immediately and take me back."

Shen Zhen curled his lips, "Your mother seems to love you very much, not like such a tyrannical person."

Zeng Fang looked at him in surprise, "You have seen my mother? When?"

Shen Zhen did not answer this question, but talked about something else, "Are you going back to school or home?"

Zeng Fang pursed her lower lips, "Shen Zhen, what about you? What are you going to do later?"

Shen Zhen glanced at her with a half-smile, "Let's go to the bar. Do you want to go?"

"Let's go. I haven't been to a bar in a long time."

Shen Zhen glanced at her and didn't say anything good or bad.

(End of this chapter)