Compared to Lin Xiao and Xiao Yu, who stayed in France to do hard labor, Yang Xile, who had returned to China, was much happier.
On the second night after he returned to China, he made an appointment to have dinner with Uncle Zhai.
Uncle Zhai is the chairman's secretary, the one who strongly suggested that his father send him to a prestigious business school in Paris.
Although he's called "uncle," he's only in his forties. His surname is Zhai. "Uncle Homebody" is a nickname given to him by Yang Xile because he prefers to stay at home most of the time, except when he's working.
The company secretary held a high position and earned a substantial salary, but unlike typical successful middle-aged men, he didn't indulge in extravagant lifestyles or even social interactions. In his spare time, he spent his time reading and playing video games. Yang Xile described him as likely being one of China's first generation of "homebodies."
The two, who are almost twice the age of each other, also became acquainted through games.
Before Yang Xile was sent abroad for junior high school, he started hanging out with a group of rich kids. Seeing that he was about to start smoking and drinking at such a young age, his father, Yang Kai, finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
So they started to discipline him strictly, keeping him at school or home, or taking him to the company, not letting him go anywhere alone, for fear that the child would be led astray.
So every day after school, Yang Xile would be picked up by the driver and taken to his father's company, where he would casually play video games in the chairman's office.
Yang Kai's success in building such a large business is due not only to his intelligence and opportunities, but also to his own hard work.
Like many entrepreneurs, he is a pure workaholic. Apart from occasionally being interested in women, nothing in the world is more interesting to him than working hard, expanding his business, and making more money.
So, it will take Yang Xile at least four or five hours after school to wait for his father to get off work at the company. During this boring time, it's impossible to expect him to concentrate on finishing his homework and studying diligently.
Yang Xile was very smart. Although his grades in junior high school were not outstanding, he could quickly finish his homework in all subjects and then start playing various games.
It was at this moment that Uncle Zhai saw him playing games and gave him a few pointers.
To be honest, this seemingly dull middle-aged man, who always wears a sharp suit, is actually quite proficient in all sorts of games. Just by hearing a few words from him, Yang Xile can improve very quickly.
He once joked, "Uncle Zhai, if my dad knew you loved playing games so much, he'd probably dock your pay, right?"
Uncle Zhai laughed, "Kid, your dad isn't as old-fashioned as you think. As long as we do our jobs well, he doesn't care what we do in our spare time. We don't play games during work hours either."
And so, over time, a tacit understanding, akin to that between friends of different ages, developed between the two.
Uncle Zhai said, "Xile, people only know that there is a way to play chess, but they don't know that playing games is the same."
Yang Xile raised her little head and asked him with her big, round eyes, "Then what is the way of playing games? The way of playing? The way of acting?"
"Haha," Uncle Zhai patted his little head, "Playing games is like any other thing; you can see a person through it. For example, some people get furious when they lose, while others are determined to turn the tide. In team battles, some people only care about themselves, while others consider others; some are hesitant and indecisive, while others are ruthless."
"Hmm, that's a bit advanced. Anyway, I'm not upset about losing. I can just play another round. What's there to be angry or anxious about?" Yang Xile said.
"So you're just like your dad. You have such a commanding presence at such a young age. Among children your age, there are very few as emotionally stable as you."
"Haha," Yang Xile laughed loudly, "Uncle Zhai, you're right. My dad says the same thing about me, that I have the 'demeanor of a great general'."
My mom said he had the demeanor of a great general, but he was shameless. Even when he was second to last in elementary school, he wasn't worried, saying there was always the last-place student to fall back on.
Uncle Zhai laughed heartily upon hearing this: "That's good, that's the kind of mindset you need to achieve great things in the future. Have you seen the news? A while ago, a junior high school student who didn't make it into the top ten in his grade committed suicide, saying that his grades were declining and he felt that life was meaningless."
Yang Xile nodded vigorously: "I saw it, I saw it, it's even in the news. My mom got really nervous after seeing it, and told me that it doesn't matter if my grades are bad, and I shouldn't do anything rash. She's completely different from how she used to nag me about my bad grades."
She added, "Anyway, my dad has plenty of money; he could buy me a degree from a top university. That's how my older brother got his degree."
"Then don't follow your older brother's example. You don't need anything else. Just put a third of the effort you put into playing games into studying, and you'll be able to get into a good university on your own."
"How about one-tenth? The game is just too good." Yang Xile said with a grin.
Uncle Zhai kicked his swivel chair, and he spun around several times.
Regardless, Yang Xile knew from a very young age who was on his side.
This ability to perceive things can be said to be innate, and it is probably a basic ability of successful businessmen. His father passed this on to him very well.
As he gets older and understands more, he will be more aware of the complex interpersonal relationships in the company and the necessity of taking sides.
Choosing the wrong side is certainly fatal, but it's impossible to remain neutral and never take sides. Otherwise, you might not even be able to protect your own basic foothold.
Just like in the struggle for the crown prince in various dynasties, some ministers actively and enthusiastically chose to support their favorite candidates, while others were forced to get involved in this royal dispute that could cost them their heads.
Although Yang Kai's Xiangyu Group operates under a board system, his personal shareholding is quite substantial, making it essentially no different from a one-man show.
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