True enough, the woman who followed behind Duan Yarong as they walked out was Mu Tingfeng’s mother, Su Ruixin.
Ever since the last time Su Ruixin tagged along with Duan Yarong to pick up Joy, she had changed her lifestyle and came to the Zhao family daily. She called this an emotional interaction and communication with her grandson.
As such, Zhao Youlin was already so used to seeing Su Ruixin around at her house.
“Youlin, you’re back! Just now, Joy was playing with Sparta inside the house. As soon as he heard the sound of a car engine, he immediately dashed out. Your mother and I thought something had happened. Little did we know that it was you coming back home.” While Su Ruixin was speaking, she caressed Joy’s small head adoringly and lovingly.
“Urm… Yes, Joy recognized my car engine…” Looking at Su Ruixin’s smug face, the corners of Zhao Youlin’s lips unwittingly twitched.
“Really? Joy is truly a clever boy.”
Zhao Youlin fell speechless as she looked at Su Ruixin. She had long known that Su Ruixin frequently came out with the unexpected. When Zhao Youlin saw her interacting with Joy, she increasingly felt that something was wrong judging from the way she behaved.
Zhao Youlin was caught by surprise, and she felt goosebumps over her body as Su Ruixin worked to curry more favor with her. She decided to turn a blind eye to her. She faked a cough and said, “Mother, is Grandpa at home? I have something to ask him.”
Duan Yarong was stunned. “Your grandpa is resting upstairs. What’s the matter? Are there any problems with the company?”
Right after Duan Yarong spoke, Su Ruixin, who was paying attention to Joy and teasing him, looked up at Zhao Youlin worryingly.
“No, I have something at work which I don’t quite understand, so I want to consult Grandpa about it. After all, Grandpa has managed the company for many years. He should know more compared to others.”
After the two heard Zhao Youlin’s words, they felt more at ease. Duan Yarong smiled faintly and said, “So, that’s how it is. You better ask him now. You came back early today, dinner is not ready yet. After you two finished discussing, you could come down and have dinner just in time”
“Alright.” Zhao Youlin nodded. She bent her body and coaxed Joy, who was clinging to her thigh tightly and not letting go, “Joy, I have to look for Grandpa now. You could play with your two grandmas over here. Be a good boy, tomorrow I’ll take you to the outlet.”
The moment Joy heard that Zhao Youlin was going to take him to the outlet, his eyes sparkled. Going to the outlet was equivalent to getting to enjoy a lot of tasty food and drinks!
Joy liked to follow Zhao Youlin to the outlet. However, Zhao Youlin and Duan Yarong were worried that Joy would eat too much sweet stuff, which was bad for his teeth. Therefore, they rarely took him along.
This time, Zhao Youlin took the initiative to bring Joy over there. How could this little glutton not be in glee?
“Really?”
“Of course.” Zhao Youlin pinched Joy’s small nose and teased him, “Or, do you want to tell me that you don’t want to go there? If so, forget about it, then.”
“No, I want to go! I want to go! You couldn’t break your promise, Mommy!” The moment Joy heard Zhao Youlin was about to break her words, he got worked up. He exerted more force as he clung to Zhao Youlin’s thigh.
Looking at the little chipmunk who would do anything for food, Zhao Youlin rolled her eyes in resignation. She wondered who the child had inherited the genes from.
“Fine, fine, fine. I promised you, provided that you must be a good boy. Now, go in and play with Grandmas. I’ll look for Grandpa now.”
“Okay, okay.”
After comforting his son, Zhao Youlin went upstairs to the first floor. She coincidentally bumped into Uncle Zhao, who had come out with a tray of refreshments, in front of the former master’s room.
Uncle Zhao froze when he saw Zhao Youlin. Apparently, he had not expected Zhao Youlin to come back so early today. “Eldest Lady, you’re back.”
“Yes, Uncle Zhao. Has Grandpa woken up?”
“The former master woke up very early. He just finished a pot of tea. Eldest Lady, if you have something to tell him, you may go in now.”
“Alright, thank you, Uncle Zhao.”
“You’re welcome, Eldest Lady.”
After Zhao Youlin watched Uncle Zhao go downstairs, she sucked in a deep breath before she knocked on the former master’s room door.
“Who’s there?” The former master’s voice came out from the room. His voice carried a trace of majesty that neither Zhao Youlin nor others had.
“It’s me, Youlin.”
After the former master confirmed the identity of the person outside the door, he made a 180 degree turn to his attitude. His words carried the hint of a smile, “So, it’s you, Youlin. Come in.”
The moment Zhao Youlin pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of the former master’s mocking face. Creases appeared between her eyebrows.
“Youlin, why did you come back at this hour? You even came to me on purpose. Has anything happened to the company?”
When Zhao Youlin saw the former master’s annoyingly haggard face, she immediately recalled the time bomb currently staying inside the company. She narrowed her eyes and snorted, “Aren’t you clear of what is happening inside the company? Grandpa, if you continue to stay here and do nothing, you might not even know your company has been usurped by others.”
The former master grinned. He was so thick-skinned that she leaned close to Zhao Youlin and said, “Youlin, the company is under your father and your care, how could it be usurped by the outsiders all of a sudden?”
“Outsiders?” Zhao Youlin sneered, “If my dear young cousin, who has passionately expressed to the public how he has been longing for kinship, were to hear your words, I’m afraid he would cry to death inside the company.”
‘Heh, outsider? If he truly has been treated like an outsider, why would he make such an outrageous statement?’
The former master was a very clever man. How could he not understand the underlying meaning beneath Zhao Youlin’s words? His wrinkled face, as a result of smiling, had darkened, and inevitably looked aggressive and spirited.
“What happened? Has that kid schemed against you once he joined the company?”
“If he has managed to scheme against me, I would not be standing here and questioning his outsider status in front of you now.”
The former master heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that Zhao Youlin had not been fooled by a certain one. He said in a low voice, “If that’s the case, it seems like that kid could not hold back himself for long before acting against you as soon as he joined the company not long ago. He is definitely a dangerous man.”
“Grandpa!” The moment Zhao Youlin heard the former master’s words, she started boiling with rage. “Since you already knew about that guy, why did you still make him stay inside the company?! Do you really think the company is as impregnable as a fortress, impossible to bring down by any means, huh?!”
“If not for the fact that I had promised that kid by a slip of tongue, and be in a position where I could not take back my words, I wouldn’t…”
“So, what exactly have you promised him in exchange for this kind of condition?”
“Urm… that… that kid came to look for me, he said if he is able to get into the top 100 colleges in the world, I would promise him by arranging a job for him in Zhao Enterprise, a position which is above the vice ministry after he finishes his studies. If he fails, he’d willingly give up everything in the Zhao family and take his mother and elder sister along and leave the family.
