Chapter 2
In a house in a wealthy area in western Beijing, Zheng Dongfang, one of the founders of Xicheng Steel Plant, who is already in his sixties, is sitting on the sofa in the living room, smoking in a state of anxiety, with a furrowed wrinkle between his brows.
Normally, at this time of day, he would have been sitting in the factory cafeteria, enjoying his work lunch with his old buddies. But with all the drama at home today, how could he have the nerve to go to the factory and see his big brother, Guan Xiong? He never imagined that his son would actually propose to that red-haired girl one day!
Mrs. Zheng, always impetuous, had been berating him and his son for most of the day, practically overturning the dinner table. "Son, as long as I'm still alive, you'll just give up on this idea! Zheng Dongfang, are you still going to care?! I told you long ago that you should break them up sooner rather than later. Look, your son has learned to act first and ask for permission later. It's probably that red-haired woman who's been keeping your son hanging for over four years. How come just when the bank approved the loan and the machine turned, she suddenly changed her mind and agreed? How dare she have such thoughts? Does she think I can't see, or does she think I'm dead?!"
Zheng Dongfang exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a serious tone: "Talking about life and death, there is no taboo, it's not that serious."
Mrs. Zheng despised his vague and fatherly attitude the most. When it came to his son's affairs, he pretended to be a good guy and let her say all the bad things. Other matters were fine, but this one had exposed the Zheng family's scandal, and he was still like this, so don't blame her for getting angry: "Of course not! I'm making it clear today, unless I die, that red-haired man will never set foot in the Zheng family's threshold in his lifetime! If you two want to piss me off to death, go ahead and try!"
Zheng Juyong had anticipated what would happen today. Over the past four years, whenever he mentioned his pursuit of Qiao Qi, his mother would always look unhappy. Fortunately, his father understood him, but it would have been fine if his father hadn't interrupted him. Once he tried to smooth things over, his mother's anger would have doubled. In the end, small matters became big, and big matters exploded, and Zheng Juyong would not have gotten away with it.
"Mom, she has a name, Qiao Qi, not Hongmao. She dyed her hair red because the name of her new single released a while ago is "Fire". Her agent arranged it that way, and she has no choice." Zheng Juyong picked out a small matter.
Unexpectedly, the mother would not let go of even the smallest matter: "I called her Red Hair, not Little Gangster Sister, I was already saving your face! What's the point of talking about whether she's popular or not? If she could be popular, she would have been popular a long time ago. She knows this better than you do. If she thought she could be popular, would she agree to marry you? Don't think I'm some old-fashioned person. I watch the shows too. There are only three or two famous female rappers in China. If she wants to be popular, it depends on whether she has that one in hundreds of millions of luck! You're just stupid. You've been her backup for four years and you still treat her like a treasure. Why did I give birth to such a foolish son like you!"
His wife had a fiery temper, but Zheng Dongfang had been patient and tolerant his entire life. The son he had carefully raised was very much like himself. He was very obedient and sensible at a young age, and he grew up to be a well-mannered and good child. He had completely become his ideal son. Therefore, whenever his wife scolded him harshly at home, he felt sorry for his son and couldn't help but want to speak up for him: "I say, don't say that about our son. Ju Yong has been dating for four years and is planning to get married. This shows that he is down-to-earth, loyal, and responsible. He is much better than those other children who have romantic debts everywhere."
Mrs. Zheng laughed angrily. She flung a pillow from the sofa and threw it at her husband's head. "Okay, okay, if you don't care and you don't let me, I wonder how you'll ever face Old Brother Guan again! This can't be hidden. I've already called my sister-in-law. Guan Guan will be back soon. You were the one who arranged the two children's marriages! Guan Guan is just a girl, running around all these years. How could Old Brother Guan have less to worry about? And look at your son. You've spoiled him so much that he just follows Red Hair around every day. You're over sixty and still can't retire. Think about it!"
After cursing until her voice was hoarse, Mrs. Zheng turned around and went upstairs to her room to calm down.
Only a father and son were left in the living room downstairs, thinking silently.
Zheng Juyong thought he should try to break them down one by one: "Dad, what about you? Do you agree or not? Anyway, Qiao Qi doesn't want to live in the house after marriage. As long as they don't see each other, it's fine."
With his wife away, Zheng Dongfang had no choice but to assume his father's authority and extinguish the half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. "Juyong, you're not a child anymore. Starting a family is no small matter. You're too naive to think this way. Not only will it not solve the problem, it will also make your mother unable to live. If your mother doesn't live happily, your father and I won't have a good life either, and our family will fall apart."
Zheng Juyong didn't expect his father's attitude to be so firm: "Dad, haven't you always been open about Qiao Qi and me being together? Besides, Qiao Qi is not what you think. She is very kind. I believe you will accept her sooner or later."
Zheng Dongfang said with a stern face, "I don't object to you dating Qiao Qi. In fact, I don't object to you dating anyone, but you can't get married. You must marry Guan Ying. Your mother and I agree on this matter. There's no room for negotiation!"
Zheng Juyong said in disbelief, "Dad! What era is this? You're still talking about arranged marriages! Besides, Sister Guanguan has had boyfriends since she started college. I don't know how many she's had. How could it be possible for us? It's no use asking her to return home. She wouldn't marry me even if I asked her. Isn't this... just a fantasy?"
Zheng Dongfang lowered his head and rubbed the wrinkles between his eyebrows, blaming himself for never being willing to bring the pressure of the business world to his son. Although he raised his son to be gentle, elegant and well-educated, it was inevitable that he lacked some knowledge of the ways of the world. At the age of 28, some of his thoughts were still as clear and simple as those of a college student.
This was the first time he had a serious conversation with his son about relationships: "Juyong, you've grown up now. There are some things that don't require your father to tell you. You should think about them yourself. Guan Ying is five years older than you. Girls mature earlier. When she was in college, you were still in junior high school. Your mother and I can't force her to date an ignorant brother like you. So, she's in a free relationship outside. Your mother and I understand. We don't support it, but we can't object either. This is the same as our attitude towards you and Qiao Qi's relationship. In a sense, your uncle Guan and your aunt all agree that this is a fair deal."
Although his father's words were not as thunderous as his mother's, for Zheng Juyong who heard them for the first time, every word was like a bolt from the blue.
Zheng Juyong took a long time to react, neither laughing nor crying. "Dad, so you've always thought this way? Uncle Guan and Aunt Guan too... Haha, how could you think that? Sister Guan and I aren't objects, and your relationship isn't judged that way... This kind of thing can't be calculated like that. Isn't it ridiculous to say it like that? It's not that I'm immature, but Dad, don't treat me like a child. Even if Sister Guan heard me, she wouldn't understand."
Zheng Dongfang's eyes were sharp. "You don't understand because I, an old man, am still at the forefront, so the wind and rain can't reach you. But your Uncle Guan is older than me, and he can no longer work. In recent years, it's Guan Ying who has been supporting your Uncle Guan with foreign trade orders. She's much more mature than you. With Guan Ying's excellent conditions, how could every relationship she has have been short-lived? Have you ever thought about the reason behind this? It's because every time the critical moment comes, she will bring up your marriage with the other party. What man is willing to accompany her in obscurity for the rest of his life?"
Zheng Juyong was stunned. This was so different from the world he had known! Now his father suddenly told him that Sister Guanguan, who never looked him in the eye, was so condescending, had a temper even hotter than his mother, and who always ordered him around like a little brother, was planning to marry him one day? This was absolutely impossible. He absolutely didn't want to!
"Dad, this is all nonsense. I know Sister Guan Guan, it's impossible for her to do that! Anyway, I've already successfully proposed to Qiao Qi. I will marry her in this life, and she will marry me. The steel mill matter is separate and distinct. Don't get involved."
Zheng Dongfang didn't want to argue with his son, so he stood up, put on his coat, and asked the driver to go out. Before leaving, he put on his dignity and turned back to his son and said firmly, "Dating is your two children's private matter, but marriage is a matter of two families. It also concerns the livelihoods of more than a hundred workers behind the steel plant. It's not that simple. Think about it carefully and don't let us down!"
Zheng Juyong slumped back against the sofa, staring blankly at the gorgeous crystal chandelier, feeling despair. "Sister, aren't you known as the Little Bully of West City? How could a little bully surrender first?"
......
"A-choo! A-choo!!" Guan Ying, who was far away at Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates, sneezed loudly twice in quick succession for no apparent reason. Wiping the tip of her itchy nose, she asked curiously, "Hey, who's cursing me behind my back?"
Jiawei laughed and said, "Oh, do you still have a heart? Who else could it be except Brother Yan who you left on the side of the road? I wonder if he melted in the sun on the side of the road."
"That's enough, isn't it you who caused this? Forget it, Xiao Weiyan is so concerned about his reputation, it's better that he's not here, otherwise he'll try to stop me when I start fighting. When dealing with people like Sabur, can't we use courtesy first and then force?" Guan Ying hid behind a row of red containers and rubbed his hands together towards the workers who were unloading goods at the harbor.
Jiawei was a little nervous: "Hey, hey, hey, can you beat them? And they all look Chinese."
Guan Ying: "Are you stupid? Why would I hit my compatriots? Of course I'm saving them to beat up that old man Sabur. Those guys up there are Chinese workers hired to unload the cargo. Two of them are my former employees. Maybe they can help me out later."
Jiawei felt relieved: "Guan Guan, will old man Sabur really come?"
Guan Ying was confident: "Yes! He used to only purchase our steel pipes and steel because our prices were affordable and we provided a complete, one-stop service from quality and specifications to transportation and loading and unloading, so he didn't have to worry about anything. But now he's switched to a new supplier. Even if the quality, size, and diameter of their steel pipes are the same as ours, they're new to the container loading and unloading process, and their workers are unfamiliar with the process, so there will definitely be losses. Old man Sabur will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to cut his losses. His capital chain has been in trouble for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have to hide away with our 10 million yuan payment."
Khalifa Port, one of the world's largest and most automated deep-water ports, handles a vast number of containers from around the world daily. However, the number of containers shipped by Xicheng Steel has been decreasing in recent years. This is partly due to the fact that the era of Middle Eastern infrastructure growth has passed. To compete for market share amidst slowing growth, local UAE steel companies have pushed the government to increase non-trade barriers, such as those related to low-carbon production. This has led to a significant decline in Chinese steel exports to the region. Furthermore, the continuous decline in steel prices and the continuous increase in transportation costs have squeezed export profits to near zero. Yet, even under these difficult circumstances, Xicheng Steel continued to deliver every purchase order from its long-standing customer, Sabur. However, this same long-standing customer defaulted on one of their largest orders, triggering the company's worst financial crisis in its 30-year history.
Guan Xiong, one of the founders and responsible for import and export trade, was so angry about this that he suffered a minor stroke at home for half a year. This debt became a big worry for his daughter Guan Ying. She had been waiting for this day for too long!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
