Chapter 36 Dad
Zhou Yang knew this unexpected person; he was a hotel manager at the J City branch of Haining Hotel.
To be precise, Zhou Yang knows him, but he probably doesn't know Zhou Yang.
The manager's surname is Lu, and his given name is Lu Feng. Zhou Yang met him when he was seven years old. At that time, he was about the same age as Zhou Hai. Now he should be almost fifty years old.
The reason why Zhou Yang was so impressed by him was mainly because he was so face-blind.
When Zhou Yang was a child, he lived with his grandmother for a period of time and met her three times. Every time, it was his grandmother who took the initiative to greet him. The other party also mixed up the names, calling his grandmother "Aunt Zhang", "Aunt Wang" and "Aunt Li", and calling him "Little Bear", "Ergou" and "Xiaoxiao".
Generally, people with face blindness are not sensitive to sounds. Besides, Zhou Yang's baby voice has long been transformed into the clear voice of an adult man since he was a child. The difference is too big.
So Zhou Yang was almost certain that the other party definitely didn't remember him.
However, what Zhou Yang didn't understand was why he, a hotel manager, would contact a game designer.
Although he was puzzled, Zhou Yang couldn't give up the business he had in hand, so he decided to contact them first.
The other party's answer was quite reasonable.
Although Haining Hotel is well-known throughout the country, it is a national hotel chain after all, so if there is a little negligence, some small incident may make the news.
Especially in recent years, with the rise of new hotels, engaging in marketing and fighting public opinion wars, Haining Hotel no longer has the absolute advantage it had a few years ago among hotels of the same type.
Therefore, hotels across the country began to innovate, and Lu Feng thought of designing a more creative relaxation game unique to Haining Hotel.
People staying at the hotel can get an exclusive installation code and enjoy the game in the hotel.
Designing a small game does not cost very much. If the effect does not meet expectations, it can be sold to mobile phone brands. If the game is effective, it can also be used as a marketing gimmick later, so there is no loss no matter how you look at it.
After reaching a preliminary cooperation intention over the phone, the two people made an appointment to meet for a meeting.
In order to prevent Lu Feng from knowing his true identity, Zhou Yang did not tell him his real name, but told him that his name was Zhou Ming.
The next day, Zhou Yang and Song Xuhong went to contact Lu Feng together.
Lu Feng hasn't changed much since 18 years ago, and looks younger than he imagined. He must be very self-disciplined and pays great attention to maintenance, which is why he has such an effect.
Lu Feng didn't look very friendly, and his expression was a bit serious. But Zhou Yang knew that he didn't harbor any ill will, and even had a patience and fondness for the younger generation that many people didn't have.
"Uncle Lu... sir, hello." Although he hadn't seen him for many years, Zhou Yang felt very familiar when he looked at him. Perhaps from his eyes that were sometimes confused and sometimes shrewd, Zhou Yang seemed to see his grandmother.
Song Xuhong keenly noticed Zhou Yang's stiff movements, touched his shoulder imperceptibly, and the two of them stepped forward to shake hands with Lu Feng.
Lu Feng shook hands with everyone one by one, his expression unchanged, and there was no hesitation in his eyes. Zhou Yang thought that he must have forgotten him.
The three of them exchanged ideas and quickly settled on a basic plan. Strangely, for something so obviously time-consuming, Lu Feng was so eager to get it done that he even brought the contract. Since the contract required real names, Zhou Yang had Song Xuhong sign it.
"So, why did you use a fake name? Did you owe someone money? And did you have plastic surgery?" Song Xuhong asked curiously after Lu Feng left.
“…”
"Is it true? I was wondering how could there be such a good-looking person in this world!" Song Xuhong argued confidently.
Zhou Yang was amused by Song Xuhong's bizarre train of thought and said, "He's an elder I knew when I was a child. I haven't seen him in many years. I don't want him to tell my family about me."
This matter was complicated, but Song Xuhong was no fool. He could guess something from his tone and expression, and casually joked, "Maybe your family sent someone to help you. A hotel developing a mini-game is unheard of!"
Zhou Yang was stunned and shook his head: "Impossible!"
His father couldn't possibly know that he had opened a studio, couldn't possibly find someone to support his hobbies and career, and even less could he help him in this way.
In short, he never expected that Song Xuhong's words would come true.
*
When he returned to the hotel, the first thing Lu Feng did was to pick up his phone and call his boss.
Zhou Hai seemed to be waiting for this call and answered it almost immediately.
"Mr. Zhou, I saw Xiao Niu. He has lost a lot of weight, but he is in good spirits."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Well, my son's name is Zhou Yang, not Xiao Niu."
“…”
Lu Feng: "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou!"
"It's okay. Has the contract been signed?"
"I signed it, but Xiao Niu... Xiao Yang was probably too afraid that you would find out, so he didn't even dare to give his real name. He said his name was Zhou Ming, and the contract was also signed with his partner's name."
"Just sign it. He's short of money right now, so send him the down payment as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I've already informed the finance department. It's just a matter of the next two days." Lu Feng replied, paused for a moment, and then asked hesitantly, "Mr. Zhou, since you care so much about Xiaoyang, why don't you do it yourself or tell him about it?"
Lu Feng had heard a little about the Zhou family's story, but he didn't know much. He only knew that the son ran away on the day he returned home from studying abroad. This was revealed by the Zhou family's nanny when they went to the Zhou residence for a meeting.
Seeing Mr. Zhou silently devoting himself to Zhou Yang, Lu Feng secretly wondered if Zhou Yang was a little too naive. But when he looked at Zhou Yang, he felt that he was not the kind of person who was unfilial or disrespectful to his elders, so he was full of doubts.
The other side fell into silence. Just when Lu Feng thought he would not answer, Zhou Hai suddenly sighed and said slowly: "Because if it was me who did this, Xiaoyang would never accept it."
Zhou Hai and Lu Feng had known each other for a long time. They were not only superiors and subordinates, but also close friends. Lu Feng knew Zhou Hai's temper and did not interrupt him, but listened quietly to his statement.
"My relationship with Xiaoyang has always been bad, especially after I got sick. My temper has become more and more irritable, and I never have a good face towards him.
Thinking about it now, I feel really sorry for him. When he was young, I was busy with work, and his mother was the one who didn't care about anything. Apart from staying with my mother for a few days during the summer vacation, he never felt the care and concern of his elders.
When he said this, Lu Feng clearly felt a hint of sob in Zhou Hai's voice.
"He has been very sensible since he was little, never crying or making a fuss, and he is always at the top of his class. I don't think I have ever worried about him.
The hotel was the fruit of my father's and my labor, so I naturally assumed Xiaoyang would inherit my family business. After he filled out his college application during the summer break of his junior year, he suddenly told me he had changed his major from hotel management to game design, and that he wouldn't be inheriting my hotel.
I… I was so angry that I slapped him. It’s funny, I didn’t take care of my child since he was born. What right did I have to interfere in his life? What right did I have to hit him! He must have hated me so much at that time.
Lu Feng could hear how regretful Zhou Hai was in his voice, and he didn't know how to comfort him for a moment.
He said Zhou Yang would definitely forgive his father? As an outsider, he had no right to do so!
Should he just let the past be the past? Should he stop dwelling on the past? But he knew that the past was indeed over, but the trauma it left behind remained.
Zhou Hai took a deep breath and continued, "During college, I regularly topped up his card, and he never touched a cent. He went abroad in his junior year and later pursued graduate studies, relying solely on part-time work to complete his education. I heard he was an outstanding graduate of J University. Old Lu, do you think he's very talented?"
Lu Feng felt a pang of pain when he heard this. Regardless of the fact that the other party couldn't see his movements at all, he nodded vigorously: "Excellent, young man, very excellent."
Zhou Hai: "When he came home that day, I was actually happy. I don't know why, but we started arguing. Later, he said that his sexual orientation was men. I thought the Zhou family was going to be extinct, so I got even angrier and slapped him again.
You see, those two slaps tore apart our father-son bond, and my son ran away. At the time, I knew he had no money, but I still blocked all his credit cards, hoping to get him to give in. He was stubborn, and I pushed him like that. How could I be a father to someone like that? I'd be closer to my enemy. Old Lu, tell me, am I a complete jerk?"
Lu Feng felt bad, and he knew Zhou Hai felt even worse, but he still wanted to beat him up: "Yeah, you're such a bastard, if I were a little bitch, I would never recognize you in my life!"
A low sobbing sound immediately came from the other side.
Lu Feng had known Zhou Hai for decades. In his eyes, Zhou Hai was a man of steel, someone who shed blood but not tears, and who had never cried. He had never expected that Zhou Hai, who cared so much about his reputation, would actually burst into tears while talking on the phone.
"But weren't you sick? You have stomach cancer and need surgery. You didn't do it on purpose. You should make it up to me. Xiaoyang is very sensible. He will..." Lu Feng wanted to say that Zhou Yang would understand, but he couldn't say it out loud.
After a while, Zhou Hai on the other end of the phone managed to calm down and said, "Don't tell Xiaoyang about my illness. I'll go for surgery once his studio is back on track."
"Zhou Hai, if you really want your son's forgiveness, take good care of yourself. You can't delay your illness any longer, get the surgery right away!"
"Don't worry, I know my limits. I've already made an appointment with the doctor, and they say the surgery has a high success rate. Just in case, I mean just in case, I can't get off the operating table, I'll have to trouble you to take care of me."
"Zhou Hai, what nonsense are you talking about? Take care of yourself. Zhou Yang is your own child, you take care of him yourself!"
"I know you care about your child the most." Zhou Hai had been talking for so long that he was a little tired. He took a breath and said, "I'm most worried about his lifelong affairs now. Now that I think about it, homosexuality is nothing. The country has passed the marriage law, so why should I bother? Speaking of which, if Xiaoyang hadn't received any love from me and his mother since he was a child, he wouldn't have liked men.
My family doesn't have a throne to inherit, so it's best if he's happy. Old Lu, you have to check on him!"
Lu Feng paused: "Do you have any favorites?"
"There is one, the eldest son of the Lin family, Lin Qiyuan. He is in his thirties and still unmarried. I heard he is also gay. He is a first-class talent."
"But I think Xiaoyang has a good relationship with his partner. That guy named Song Xuhong seems to be quite caring towards him. I wonder if they are a couple."
"What? That's bad. I've already given the sample photo to Mrs. Lin!"
The author has something to say: The second update will be late, maybe around twelve o'clock, or maybe five or six o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't wait, read it tomorrow morning.
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