Novel Bin Chapter 26 - Old Ties
The office of the Chief Executive Officer was a minimalist kind of room that held nothing of extreme extravagance. It contained everything that a man like him needed to accomplish his role, along with other furniture to relax in and a few decorations to liven up the place. It was more than enough to host one-on-one talks with clients, business partners and colleagues and thankfully, the representative of the Wang Corporation agreed to hold the meeting here instead of the Heavenly Jade Pavilion.
Li Yang was aware that Granny Lanfen\'s great-granddaughter was on a break, the chances of meeting her again was slim, but his hesitance wasn\'t because of that. It was mostly because he wished to avoid going out and exposing himself towards his surroundings that he wished to stay under the safety of his office.
It didn\'t take too long for the grandson of Director Wang to come in, his secretary was prompt and quick to explain the situation. The CEO mentally prepared himself for this interaction from the moment they stepped in. Other tasks and duties were placed in the background as he exchanged a few words with the proxy.
"Thank you for having me at a short notice." The young man bowed to him.
Li Yang nodded, "It\'s not a problem, it\'s unfortunate that Director Wang is unable to come here, but it\'s also good to meet a future business colleague.." He assessed the young man quietly. This one was the old man\'s grandson? They seemed like a good kid.
He hoped that this conversation would take less than half an hour though.
"Ah, yes." A polite smile formed on Wang Liquin\'s face. "...I might be one of the possible people who\'ll take over my grandfather if things go well. He might have asked me to come here as a sign that I should prepare to take up the reins, huh?"
"Possibly," Li Yang nodded and motioned for the chair in front of his desk, "Please have a seat, Mister Wang. Would you like some refreshments?" The young man was much more talkative than he expected.
"I\'m fine… maybe a cup of water? I\'m feeling a bit parched." Once again, another smile formed on the guy\'s face. Other than that, there was no other indicator of any other significant body language to reveal other emotions privy to what they were showing Li Yang.
They managed to project a certain amount of confidence.
However they\'ve smiled enough times that Li Yang realized that perhaps smiling too much wouldn\'t exactly be taken that well. At least when one kept doing it in front of him, "Alright, if you have any more requests, please let me know." The CEO clicked his call button available on his desk and asked for the man\'s water, although— "Would you like iced water or just lukewarm?"
"...Uh, cold water is fine."
"Alright." Once he was finished with the order, he glanced at the young man once again. The grandson of Wang Haoran didn\'t have anything on him, no suitcase or even a folder for them to carry any documents. It was odd. "I believe you\'ve come here to discuss a business agreement between our companies?" Normally he wouldn\'t consider it, but the old personal ties between the Wang and Li Family was enough to bypass other rudiments.
"Yes. I\'ve sent the document to you over the email." Wang Liquin said and motioned to his laptop, "One of my suggestions for gra—Director was to go digital. It\'s much easier to edit the document and to sign it virtually, it\'ll lessen the paper expenditures while also helping the environment if properly implemented by a certain percentage."
"Ah, I see." Li Yang turned back to his laptop, and checked his email. He found the document and gave it a brief read, "Then we\'ll be looking over the contract for any amendments?"
Wang Liquin nodded, "I can edit it for you, if you wish. If you\'re not too used to it."
It made him blink and glance at the man once again. Did they assume he was too old for this kind of online transactions? Li Yang shook his head, "It\'s fine. I can manage."
.
.
.
Somehow, things managed to work out for the best. The man wasn\'t too difficult to converse with and they also happened to be straight to the point—Li Yang\'s initial slightly unfavorable impression on the young man diminished as their conversation drew to an end. Although his initial desire of it finishing it under thirty minutes wasn\'t accomplished, they were still able to thoroughly check the contract.
And yet it was one of those moments where he wanted to get home soon.
= = =
The city was hustling and bustling as usual, numerous cars and buses passed through the roads in Lujiazui District, also known as the Financial District in Pudong. The roads were riddled with a certain measure of traffic despite the blazing afternoon. Several crowds of people were moving along despite the heat, both young and old as they went about their own agendas and itineraries.
There were numerous skyscrapers, from the towering Shanghai World Financial Centre, Jin Mao Tower and even the Olympian Corp\'s Headquarters. But all of them were mere backdrops to a certain woman and her little girl.
"Mom, I want a teddy bear," A young girl frowned at her mother. She was no older than five, a cute child wearing her pants and shirt. She was carrying a small backpack and she was refusing to move from her spot until the woman listened to her demands.
The mother did not know where that trait came from.
Somehow, the woman\'s child hadn\'t stopped since last night about wanting a teddy bear—and the little girl was very specific. She wanted it to be a talking and walking teddy bear that was black and white.
Luo Ju Di inwardly sighed and patted her daughter\'s head, "Chunhua, I think you\'re talking about a panda? But let\'s see what mama can do in a bit, okay?" She managed a smile. At least the young girl was having fun with their daydreaming.
The woman clutched her little girl\'s hand and looked around the area with a frown. It had been around six years ago when she last went to the city, hoping for a better life but—she shook her head. There was no time to reminisce or think about the past. What mattered to the woman now was finding her child\'s father.
And once she did…