Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Family Matters
Lu Ming arrived at the Lu family mansion.
Without stopping, he went straight to the family's chess and card room. Sure enough, Lu Mingxiao was inside, playing chess with his older brother, Lu Haoxuan. The two were drinking tea, engrossed in their game, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Lu Ming raised his hand and knocked on the already open door.
Lu Mingxiao lifted his eyelids and glanced at him briefly, saying, "You're here."
Lu Ming walked in expressionlessly, nodded to the two men, and said, "Dad, Big Brother."
"Hmm." Lu Mingxiao responded casually, continuing to study the chessboard, and said to Lu Haoxuan, "Where did you learn this move? You completely fooled me!"
Lu Haoxuan didn't even glance at Lu Ming, casually nodded, and then chuckled as he flattered Lu Mingxiao: "Didn't you always say that my chess skills haven't improved? I specially asked an expert to give me some extra lessons, so whenever I have time, I come here to show off my limited skills and give you something new to see?"
Lu Mingxiao snorted, "Too cunning. But that's how it's supposed to be interesting; always winning means no progress."
After the other two finished speaking, Lu Ming asked calmly, "Is there something you wanted to do by calling me back?"
"Can't I call you back if there's nothing wrong? There's no need to dress so formally every day. Isn't it important to come back and visit me occasionally, go out with your older brothers, and stay connected with your family?"
Lu Ming sneered inwardly. Almost all of Baiyue's affairs were on his shoulders, and he needed to find time to handle them.
"I've been quite busy lately. I'll definitely go after I'm done with this."
Lu Haoxuan looked up and said with a forced smile, "It has indeed been a long time since I've seen you. How's the company doing lately? I heard the stock price has been rising. The year-end bonus should be quite high this time, right? I also heard that the higher-ups have released a project, and Xierui and Kemin are preparing to bid. I wonder how our preparations are going? Are we confident? If we win, then Baiyue can finally hold its head high."
Lu Ming walked to the sofa and sat down, asking casually, "If you're interested in this project, why not get involved yourself? I'll save you a spot."
Lu Haoxuan's words caught in his throat. He knew he had no business acumen, nor the inclination or energy to learn. He coughed, secretly glancing at Lu Mingxiao, afraid the other would scold him for being useless, and said deflatedly, "Then forget it. Third brother, the capable should do more, so I won't cause you any trouble. I just hope you can give it your all this time and try to win it."
Lu Mingxiao took a sip of tea and said, "I called you back mainly to ask about this matter. How's the negotiation with that company going? Why hasn't the contract been signed yet?"
Lu Ming answered truthfully, "It had already been agreed upon, but Xie Rui offered them better terms at the last minute. Not only did they not buy out the technology, but they also agreed to cooperate with their team in the long term and agreed to give them a 20% share."
Lu Mingxiao was shocked: "20%? Is the effect that powerful? That would make those old foxes from Xie Rui spend so much money?"
Lu Ming neither confirmed nor denied: "Yes, it should be number one in China at present. If it is put into use, it will indeed greatly improve the intelligence level of our company's products."
"What about Kemin? Any movement?" Lu Mingxiao put down the black chess piece he was holding, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"There has been no explicit indication that they will participate in the bidding."
“That’s his usual tactic.” The man with graying temples snorted coldly. “That old guy Wen Shiyang is always suspicious and keeps everything very secret. I’m more worried about what he might do to catch us off guard than Xie Rui.”
Lu Ming sat upright with his back straight and his hands naturally placed on his lap. He said expressionlessly, "The overall profit of this project is not very high. There is a certain risk in the early investment. Kemin has been trying to adjust its R&D direction since the year before last, so it may not participate."
"So we absolutely have to get that new technology developed by that little company? If we don't get it, we're doomed? A 20% share means we have no control, and we bear all the risks. It's not that easy! I have a bunch of people working for me. If I can't make something better than them, didn't you say you were going to make our own AI chip? It's been so long, and you still haven't made it?"
Before Lu Ming took over the company, the core technology R&D team followed Lu Mingxiao around, doing nothing but empty talk and perfunctory work. The company was already corrupt and on the verge of collapse.
The core technologies that Baiyue mastered ten years ago have long been obsolete due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence in recent years and are about to be replaced.
It wasn't until he graduated and staked everything on it that he convinced Lu Mingxiao to reorganize the company, lay off a large number of employees, start recruiting, and introduce new momentum. It was also he who selected the team, took the lead in upgrading the technology and products, made improvements to the smart chip he had developed in college, applied for patents, launched it on the market, and used his previously accumulated network of contacts to attract partners to promote it on a large scale. Only then were they able to regain their footing and steadily recover within just two years and avoid being truly eliminated.
It was because of this that his father, who had spent his whole life scheming, began to notice the value of his insignificant illegitimate son. In order to preserve his reputation for most of his life, maintain the prosperity of the Lu family, and dispel the rumors that he was like a withered mountain in his twilight years, he allowed him to take over the company, giving him certain real power and shares, and initiating reforms.
Even so, everything had to be under the other party's surveillance, for fear that he might have some ulterior motives.
He was the only one to bear the blame, but the responsibility was shared equally among everyone.
Lu Haoxuan may seem idle and unambitious, but he is actually very knowledgeable about the company's income and expenditure.
Now, Lu Mingxiao is asking him why he hasn't developed a core chip that can be used on a global scale—it's utterly ridiculous. Does he even consider him a human being? He's not omnipotent.
Lu Ming lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions in them, and said nothing else, only: "It's in progress, but a bottleneck has recently appeared, and we're still working on it. The document came down too suddenly, and I'm afraid we won't be able to wait until the new algorithm chip is developed."
Lu Mingxiao fell silent, seemingly dissatisfied with his answer, but he didn't want to appear too harsh. After all, he was their only source of income, and they needed to offer some emotional support to keep him working for the Lu family. He couldn't push them too hard. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Since that's how it is, then I'll take advantage of my birthday banquet tomorrow to find another opportunity to negotiate with that person and see if there's any room for discussion."
"knew."
Lu Mingxiao placed a piece on the chessboard, paused for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject: "I asked you to bring people with you. Where are they? Have you made contact with them?"
Lu Ming's eyes flickered, his expression darkening further: "Wen Xue doesn't have time to return to China for the time being."
"If she doesn't have time, there are other women! You have more than one woman in your life!"
Lu Ming said firmly, "I don't plan to bring anyone else besides her."
The teacup was slammed down on the coffee table, splashing some water. Lu Mingxiao said angrily, "Can you stop being so stubborn! What kind of future can you have if you spend all your time on that one woman! Doesn't Wen Shiyang's youngest daughter, Wen Chu, like you? Isn't she quite pretty and charming?"
Lu Haoxuan propped his head up and chimed in, "That's right, Third Brother. Why not look at the person right in front of you? Look at that woman who's studying abroad and never home. She's ambitious and hard to control. I've met the youngest daughter of the Wen family twice. She's simple-minded, cute all the time, and she likes you. I think she's perfect for marrying and settling down with. Besides, we both have the surname Wen, so we're the same!"
Lu Ming's gaze was deep and menacing as he glanced at Lu Haoxuan, his eyes filled with a chilling aura. "I won't trouble you with my private matters, elder brother."
Lu Haoxuan felt a shiver run through him from the stares, but with Lu Mingxiao present, he straightened his back and said, "I'm doing this for your own good! Look at me and your sister-in-law. At first, we weren't very close, but over time we developed feelings for each other, and now we're doing just fine, aren't we? Her family has been cooperating with us for years. When you were promoting that chip, would it have gone so smoothly without the support of my father-in-law and mother-in-law?"
Lu Ming's expression remained calm, and he gave a very slight smile. "Then I wish my elder brother and sister-in-law a harmonious relationship and that they have a son soon."
"You!" Lu Haoxuan almost exploded when he heard the last word.
Lu Haoxuan has been married for three years, but his wife has not conceived at all. The couple has argued about this many times. Lu Haoxuan always complains that his wife is not supportive enough. Lu Ming has witnessed this a few times, and the wife smashes things in a terrible way.
Later, Lu Haoxuan was caught cheating. After being caught, he said it was to carry on the Lu family line and complained that his wife couldn't have children and someone else had to. His wife cried and cursed him, and dragged him to the hospital for a checkup, only to find that Lu Haoxuan had oligospermia and had difficulty getting pregnant.
This became a shameful matter for the Lu family, and he forbade anyone to mention it. From then on, he treated his wife with great respect, fearing that she would talk about it outside and make him lose face in front of his friends.
Lu Mingxiao also felt ashamed of this matter, so he said sternly, "Alright! Now we're mainly talking about your matter, and you really should consider it."
Lu Ming composed himself. "I'm still young, and I'll focus on my work for now. I'm not considering marriage."
"Work is fine, but I'm not asking you to do nothing but work! Spending some time each day socializing with the girls around you won't take up much of your time. You're almost 27, not young anymore! If you keep wasting your time, are you trying to pick up what others have left over? If you marry Wen Chu, our two families will merge into one, and the boost to our family will be enormous. How could we not win this project? You won't need to bother negotiating with a small company."
Lu Ming remained seated, unmoved.
Seeing this, Lu Mingxiao continued, "That old man Wen Shiyang is a doting father. He's rejected so many people who wanted to set him up. You know Wen Chu is interested in you, but you're not taking advantage of it. You should go find her now and ask if she'd be your date! Take advantage of this banquet where all the important people will be there, make your stance clear, and don't let someone else beat you to it." Afraid that Lu Mingxiao wouldn't listen, he lowered his voice and said meaningfully, "Your mother will be happy to know you've settled down."
Lu Ming's hand clenched tighter and tighter, and finally he said coldly, "Fine."
"That's more like it!"
Lu Haoxuan, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, added fuel to the fire, saying, "Third brother, hurry up! Don't wait until they change their minds, or you'll lose your advantage and have nowhere to cry."
He made sarcastic remarks, hoping to establish a connection with the Wen family while simultaneously not wanting Lu Ming to snatch up this lucrative opportunity for no reason. If he were a few years younger and hadn't married so early, he would definitely have found a way to get close to the Wen family.
Fortunately, his younger brother is a stubborn and inflexible man who always wears an icy expression, making him unlikable. If he were a flatterer or had any sense of propriety, his status at home would be even lower.
Why do all the good things happen to her? Is there anything happier than marrying a rich, naive woman? He grumbled to himself.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Lu Ming stood up.
"It's rare for you to come back, have lunch before you leave." Seeing that his son didn't disobey him, and thinking that good news might come from the Wen family soon, Lu Mingxiao's expression improved a lot. He then pointed to the chessboard: "Take a look here, and play a game with me too."
“Yes, so you can try my mom’s cooking,” Lu Haoxuan said deliberately.
Lu Ming frowned for a moment, then relaxed and said, "Okay."
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