Huayan arrived outside Gao Ruqing's office and saw the secretary running over. When the secretary noticed it was Huayan, she smiled and invited her in, as Huayan had already called Gao Ruqing beforehand.
Upon entering, both Gao Ruqing's and the secretary's computers were on, with documents spread out on the secretary's desk, indicating someone had been there recently.
"Mr. Gao… Mr. Gao?"
A rough response came from the inner room, and Huayan saw the weary-looking secretary come out.
"Huayan, you're here. Come inside and sit down," the secretary said with a smile.
"Mr. Gao? And you don't look as good as you did before. Don't let yourself get sick."
"Ever since that incident, I haven't had a good night's sleep, and now Mr. Gao is ill too." The secretary still hadn’t called Gao Ruqing 'Dad', indicating he hadn't fully come to terms with things. But with Gao Ruqing falling ill, it was worrying.
The secretary apologized and asked Huayan to chat with Gao Ruqing while he dealt with the company's increasing urgent matters: inquiries about the company's future goals, clients demanding goods, bank representatives eager to recover loans, employees jumping ship, and so on.
If Gao Ruqing were to fall now, the secretary, lacking a solid foundation, might be devoured by his other children. Because Huayan and the secretary were very close, she didn't want him to endure such harsh experiences. She also hoped that Mr. Gao would continue to be her close friend, occasionally coming over for a meal and joking around.
"Huayan, you finally came to see me," Gao Ruqing, weak and half-lying on the pristine white bed with an IV drip, said in a complaining tone.
"You and the secretary seem to be having a really hard time."
"It's a long story..." From this angle, Huayan could see that Gao Ruqing's once jet-black temples were now flecked with white hair. He didn't have the same vitality as before.
Wondering if "one night turning hair white" could be true, she felt a pang of sorrow and tried to cheer herself up. Jokingly, she said, "I'm here to see you, aren't I? I heard you divided the company among your children when I came in."
"Yes, but I feel sorry for him," Gao Ruqing said, looking out the window with guilt. Originally, he intended to leave the company entirely to the secretary.
However, faced with continuous threats and intimidation from family members towards the secretary, Gao Ruqing suddenly found himself powerless. Against enemies, he could ruthlessly fight back, but against family, no matter how despicable they were, he couldn't be harsh.
In the end, he divided Feise Carnival and other assets and investments equally among his children. The secretary received Feise Carnival Company, but the other children took away the jadeite raw materials and jadeite rough. Without replenishing these materials quickly, the secretary would be left with an empty shell of a company.
"What did you gain from this?"
"I agreed to their demands to give him a peaceful environment to work in."
"Can they be trusted?" Huayan asked worriedly.
Gao Ruqing raised an eyebrow, with a hint of fierceness, and said, "I despise untrustworthy people. If they dare to do anything, I won’t hold back."
"Will you be able to?"
"I gave them a chance... From now on, I live only to repay debts." Huayan couldn’t interfere with his family matters, but she could help with the company's issues.
"Aside from the shortage of jadeite raw materials, is there anything else urgent?"
"Are you a spy for selling information? How do you know so much?" Gao Ruqing looked at Huayan and asked with a smile.
Huayan pointed to her ears, waiting for Gao Ruqing to tell her what other difficulties they were facing.
"Do you remember the tricolor jadeite of 'Fu Lu Shou'?" Huayan nodded. Gao Ruqing continued, "It's all because of it. Someone wanted to buy it as a birthday gift for his eighty-year-old mother. But this piece of 'Fu Lu Shou' was taken by my other children. They deliberately held onto it and didn't sell it. The company signed a contract with that person, and the delivery time is almost here, but there's no solution in sight."
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"Would the piece of 'Fu Lu Shou' you gave me be enough?" Huayan herself didn't know. That piece of 'Fu Lu Shou' had already turned to stone.
"No, it's too small."
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Huayan reassured Gao Ruqing and went out to take a look.
It turned out that the customer who had ordered the 'Fu Lu Shou' somehow found out that Feise Carnival no longer had it and came angrily to demand an explanation. Judging by his attire and demeanor, he was a person of significance. Feise Carnival paying compensation was a minor issue, but delaying his matter was a major one. If that happened, Feise Carnival's reputation would take a further hit.
After listening to their conversation for a while and seeing the secretary apologizing like a grandson, Huayan couldn't take it anymore and interrupted. "Sir, you are overthinking. Although Feise Carnival no longer has the tricolor jadeite 'Fu Lu Shou,' we do have a four-color jadeite, which includes 'Fu Lu Shou Xi.'"
"Huayan!" The secretary, worried that Huayan was making things up, hurriedly tried to stop her.
However, the customer was delighted and said, "If you really have 'Fu Lu Shou Xi,' I don't mind paying extra."
"Alright," Huayan replied, then turned to the secretary, "The 'Fu Lu Shou Xi' is of better quality than 'Fu Lu Shou.' You handle the price increase." But the secretary was completely stunned and forgot to react. "Trust me!" Huayan firmly patted the secretary's shoulder.
Half an hour later, after the secretary saw the customer off, he came to the lounge to ask Huayan about the matter, only to find that she had already left.
"Does Huayan really have such a rare jadeite as 'Fu Lu Shou Xi'?"
"I also find it hard to believe, but since she said it, she must be confident. And there's another thing you don't need to worry about," Gao Ruqing, now in high spirits, said with a big smile, looking much healthier.
"What's that?" The company had numerous issues; which one did he mean?
"The issue of the company running out of jadeite raw materials. Huayan has a way to solve it."
"What? That's too..."
"Too unbelievable? Haha, she said she could source a batch of jadeite rough for Feise Carnival, all of guaranteed quality. This will pull Feise Carnival out of its crisis."
"Does Huayan have such capabilities? Besides, we don't have the funds to cover such an expense," the secretary said, both happy and helpless. To pull a company as large as Feise Carnival out of crisis would require over a billion in jadeite raw materials. But the current account only had a few million, which was needed to pay thousands of employees.
Gao Ruqing, looking decades younger, laughed heartily and said, "She has also thought of a solution for that."
"What solution?"
"She will invest this batch of jadeite rough as equity. She will hold 25% of the company's shares, making her a company owner as well."
"She really kept this under wraps. What a big move." The usually steady secretary actually jumped with joy. After all the recent turmoil, besides Gao Ruqing, he finally knew there was someone else who cared about him—Huayan, whom he had always seen as a little sister. A billion yuan was no small amount, and she was willing to trust him.
Moreover, she was willing to spend the effort and connections to procure such high-quality jadeite rough in a short time, something even Gao Ruqing, a legend in the jade trade, couldn't easily do.
"Yes, she said the jadeite rough would be in place within three months. Initially, she will buy some rough to keep the company running. Now you can go back and get some sleep, rest up for the big job ahead."
"I'll just sleep here," the secretary said, immediately lying down beside Gao Ruqing and closing his eyes. This was the first time they had been this close since they acknowledged each other as father and son.
After a while, when his breathing became steady, Gao Ruqing dared to look closely at the secretary's gaunt face. He adjusted the blanket and gently moved the hair from his forehead.
At this moment, Gao Ruqing was not the respected master of jade, not the chairman of a leading enterprise, but a father who loved his son, a father filled with guilt, and a father seeking redemption in his remaining years.
Hu Li was in a meeting when his phone vibrated on the table. He was about to turn it off, but when he saw the name, his lips curled up involuntarily. Everyone at the meeting wondered who could be calling to make their usually stoic boss melt so quickly.
"The meeting ends here for today. Everyone, you may leave," Hu Li said, taking the lead to leave in big strides. "Huayan..."
"Hu Li, do you have time now?"
"Yes."
"Then come to the tea room. I need to talk to you about something."
"Okay."
In no time, those who were paying attention to Hu Li's movements noticed that their boss hastily left via the private elevator. Some people were quite familiar with Hu Er, so they asked him about it, but unfortunately, he had no idea. After repeated inquiries, they could only rely on their own imaginations.
As he headed to the tea room, passing by the main square, Hu Li slowed down his pace and glanced at it several times. He remembered the information Hu Er had brought about Su Zuo. He was the young man who had been watching them in the crowd at the main square that night.
The situation was too coincidental, and he couldn't shake off the unease in his heart. Yet, even after having Hu Er investigate the relationship between Su Zuo and Hu Si, there was not a single clue. It seemed like their relationship was merely that of a doctor and patient.
"Can you source a batch of high-quality jadeite rough from Myanmar within three months?" Huayan was always straightforward with her own people.
Hu Li pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, but what do you need so much rough for?" Hu Li was very puzzled. She had clearly stated before that she didn't allow any big moves in the jadeite business.
"Feise Carnival is in trouble and needs a large amount of jadeite rough to tide over the crisis. They've always been good to me, so I want to help them!"
"Is it the company owned by the guy who hugged you last time?" Hu Li raised an eyebrow as he asked. At this moment, Hu Li's mood was uncertain, and Huayan couldn't quite read it, but she still nodded.