It was fast so fast it even caught Xu Qingfeng a bit by surprise.
It seemed he wasn’t busy right now. Then again, at such a late hour, it was time to rest, so why would he be busy? When that thought crossed his mind, Xu Qingfeng felt he was being a bit intrusive, but there was no longer any room to withdraw the message.
Who do you want to change?
This was a rare opportunity for a deep, long conversation. Over this past period, their daily messages had basically been a one-off exchange that ended immediately; they never chatted for long.
An opportunity to deepen their friendship!
But as Xu Qingfeng’s brain began to whir, he felt that this kind of family matter wasn’t quite suitable to expose to Huo Xiu. After all, he still wanted his “scumbag son” to be able to become friends with the man; it would be beneficial and harmless for the Gu family.
Adjusting his tone, he sent a voice message with a warm smile: “It’s nothing, just some reflections after watching a movie. Don’t mind it.”
Immediately following that, he remembered another matter.
“Right, when would you be free to help me go to a piano store to pick out a piano? I figured if I had a piano at home, I’d have more time to practice.”
What he said was indeed true, but on top of that, Xu Qingfeng hoped to see the other man again. It had been quite a while since the last concert…
At the same time, he wasn’t sure if the cool, distant Huo Xiu who seemed to stand behind an invisible wall would agree. He didn’t hold much hope.
See you Sunday.
!!
Xu Qingfeng’s heart, which had been slightly weighed down by Gu Tianze’s antics, surged back to its normal level because of those three words.
Things were not going to be smoothed over that easily. Money was the bottom line that Gu Tianze was most unwilling to concede. After all, he had been raised in luxury since childhood, living a life where he used banknotes to start fires for warmth; asking him to “economize” was equivalent to asking him to die.
When he received the text notification that his credit card was frozen, Gu Tianze nearly ground his back teeth to dust!
Without hesitation, he went to find his solid backer. He had to make Xu Qingfeng realize his place. No new car, and now a frozen credit card he couldn’t afford high-end consumption at all. Living like this was torture.
For the sake of his pride, he couldn’t tell his friends the truth. It was like “a mute eating bitter licorice” he could only suffer in silence. He even had to temporarily scrap the idea of buying a gift for An Yan. And whose fault was all of this?
Gu Tianze was extremely frustrated, and his backer naturally wasn’t going to let Xu Qingfeng off easy.
“Don’t worry, Xiao Ze. Grandpa will get justice for you. Take my card to use for now. If you run out of money in the future, just tell me, alright?”
The old man was as loving as could be toward Gu Tianze, but when facing Xu Qingfeng, he was incredibly difficult.
At that moment, Xu Qingfeng was still in a good mood because of the approaching Sunday.
As per usual, he was dressed rigorously: polished pointed leather shoes and a deep blue three-piece suit draped over his well-proportioned, upright frame. His raven-black hair was styled into an aesthetically pleasing slicked-back look.
Xu Qingfeng, whose vision wasn’t perfectly healthy, would wear glasses while working to help him complete his tasks better. The image of a mature man wearing glasses, immersed in work in front of a laptop, was exceptionally charming.
But the quiet of the room was soon shattered.
An uninvited guest stepped directly into the Chairman’s office without an appointment. Without a word of greeting, he acted as if he were the master of the house, leaning on a cane as he walked toward the visitor’s sofa and sat down, his aura fully unleashed.
Xu Qingfeng took off his glasses, his narrow eyes squinting slightly as he matched the person in his mind.
An old man who didn’t need an appointment and was this forceful there was no one else it could be.
Though the old man was aged, one could still catch glimpses of his handsome youth. Even if time had left its marks, it didn’t affect the powerful aura surrounding him. However, beneath his sharp gaze lay a hint of childishness, like an “old child” possessed by a streak of willfulness.
Xu Qingfeng stood up from his executive chair and said with a perfectly measured smile, “Father, why have you come so suddenly?”
This was the title the original owner used for his father-in-law. Even though he was respectful, the father-in-law had never looked down on this “live-in” son-in-law from the very beginning. In the old man’s heart, this son-in-law was both spineless and greedy; he had always despised him.
He naturally knew everything that had happened to his daughter.
In response to Xu Qingfeng’s politeness, the old man only let out a disdainful snort from his nose, directly ignoring the question as he spoke: “Where is the tea? I’ve made a rare trip here, and I don’t even get a cup of hot tea?”
He showed absolutely no apology for the fact that his sudden trip might have affected Xu Qingfeng’s schedule.
There was no helping it; the Gu Group had been founded by the old man himself, and the title was the “Gu” Group, not “Xu.” Based on the old man’s face alone, he had the best pass in this building he could go anywhere unimpeded.
Having just turned the tide from being a figurehead with no real power, Xu Qingfeng’s foundation was not yet stable. To put it bluntly, although the old man held no official position in the company, the board members and shareholders who favored him would still listen to him. There was still a possibility of being dismissed if he weren’t careful.
Xu Qingfeng scrutinized the old man’s expression, and his thoughts drifted in another direction…
The way Gu Tianze snorted was exactly like this old man; they truly were family. They say a daughter takes after her father and a son takes after his mother; according to that logic, it was normal for Gu Tianze to resemble his grandfather.
When it came down to it, Xu Qingfeng was the complete outsider in this family.
He could fully predict that Gu Tianze would complain to his grandfather, so he wasn’t panicked by the old man’s sudden visit; he already had a countermeasure in mind. He wasn’t afraid of the old man coming; he was afraid he wouldn’t come. If he didn’t come, how was Xu Qingfeng supposed to cut off all of Gu Tianze’s financial paths?
Xu Qingfeng didn’t call for anyone else to make the tea; instead, he used the tea set to brew it himself for the old man.
His movements were practiced and fluid; just watching him was a feast for the eyes. The old man didn’t have many hobbies, but drinking tea was a major one. Thus, as he watched the man demonstrate this flowing kung fu tea ceremony, the shrewd light in his eyes faded, and his gaze stalled slightly.
When he picked up the teacup and took a sip, the old man had to admit: the tea was good, and the brewing skill was superb, with excellent control over the timing. Even his deliberately stiff facial muscles relaxed.
Observing this subtle change, Xu Qingfeng picked up his own teacup to hide his widening smile. Of course, he knew the old man liked tea, so he had been practicing whenever he was free lately. Wasn’t it coming in handy now?
His learning ability was very strong; he could basically grasp most things instantly except for that… that was probably a natural lack of talent; he couldn’t learn it no matter what.
Because of this cup of tea, the old man’s complexion finally returned to normal, and he could carry out a conversation properly.
“Coming here specifically is there something you need my help with?” Xu Qingfeng knew the old man had already left the capital and found a city suitable for settlement where it was spring all year round, living a very comfortable life.
Willingness to take this specific flight was enough to show how much he valued Gu Tianze. This was likely the so-called “intergenerational bond,” which perhaps also included transferring the love he had for his daughter onto his grandson. Naturally, they were closer than close.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to fly over immediately to settle scores just because he heard Gu Tianze had been wronged.
The old man finished his tea in small sips. Watching Xu Qingfeng refill it to the two-thirds mark, a few more hints of satisfaction appeared in his expression. Only then did he state the purpose of his trip.
“I didn’t come looking for you for anything else, but for your son.”
The old man continued slowly, “Reasonably speaking, you spend so much time together and are father and son in name; you should have a harmonious relationship and deep father-son affection. If even you are scolding and punishing him, withholding living expenses so the child can’t eat or dress well, then that is your fault…”
When talking about Gu Tianze, the old man began to ramble with the typical traits of old age, the heartache in his eyes nearly overflowing. Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop.
Xu Qingfeng: “…”
He knew Gu Tianze would complain, but he hadn’t expected him to add so much “oil and vinegar” to the story; he was nearly laughed into a fit of anger.
Scolding? The one with the foul mouth was clearly that brat. Punishing? Was patting the dog’s head considered a beating now?
Fine, Gu Tianze, how dare you blacken his name behind his back like this? Those living expenses were definitely getting withheld now!
He couldn’t hold back his laughter and actually laughed out loud, his laughter interrupting the old man’s nagging.
The old man, not understanding that Xu Qingfeng was laughing out of sheer exasperation, immediately became displeased. He gripped his cane tightly and glared. “Is what I’m saying that funny?”
“Apologies, apologies.” Xu Qingfeng patted his chest to catch his breath. “The funny one is someone else. I think it’s necessary to explain to you why I did what I did. Once you hear it, you will understand my actions.”
The old man, after all, used to be a formidable figure in the business world; he wasn’t some unreasonable old codger. He gave Xu Qingfeng time to explain and listened patiently.
Only, after listening, he still said, “Fine, I understand, but I do not support you doing this.”
Xu Qingfeng could more or less guess that the old man’s doting attitude toward Gu Tianze wouldn’t be overturned so easily, nor would he be willing to hand over the full authority of educating Gu Tianze to him.
Thus, he activated the second plan.
“Then if you hear about this other matter, you will definitely support me.”
The word “definitely” was so certain that it successfully piqued the old man’s appetite. He stared at him with burning eyes, waiting for the rest.
Through Xu Qingfeng’s hands-on efforts, the company’s foundations stabilized, and his workload lightened considerably, making things easier.
That kid Gu Tianze was truly stubborn; he still hadn’t come home, even after receiving an “I can’t help you” answer from the old man. True, for someone so concerned with face, he would certainly feel that going home after listening to Xu Qingfeng would be like losing.
Xu Qingfeng knew that Gu Tianze would eventually come home at the moment his friends started wondering why he was overstaying his welcome or when he ran out of money to stay in high-end hotels… so he wasn’t in a hurry.
What he truly took seriously was Sunday.
This time, Xu Qingfeng rarely refrained from wearing formal attire. Instead, he changed into a camel-colored trench coat that made him look more casual. Even with such low-key dressing, he was still very eye-catching in a crowd.
Standing quietly at the entrance of the piano store recommended by Huo Xiu, he unexpectedly received an approach.
“Is Gege waiting for someone?” A clean-looking young boy wearing light makeup held a cup of milk tea as he looked up at him, his eyes enhanced by contact lenses sparkling with fine light. “Gege is really super handsome! If you’re single, can we exchange contact info?”