A Black Heart, Ruthless Hands, and a Thick Skin; Reading Faces to See into Hearts
"I'm not afraid of you firing me. I just came here in Young Master Zhong's car. You can fire me, Young Master Zhong. Does your company need any help? I can do everything, even sweeping and fetching water." After settling in, Song Tianyao deliberately looked at Chu Xiaozhong and said this.
Chu Xiaozhong paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Forget it, I don't want to end up like Ah Sin, where you don't give out reward money and just keep the photo under my butt."
After saying this, Chu Yaozong and his son Chu Xiaozhong almost simultaneously thought to themselves, "Song Tianyao, what a smart man!"
"You heard that? Even my eldest brother won't invite you. I'm the only one who took pity on you and took you in." Chu Xiaoxin and his Madam Chu's expressions changed slightly when Song Tianyao said those words, but their expressions returned to normal after Chu Xiaozhong answered Song Tianyao. Madam Chu reacted faster than the Second Young Master Chu, even secretly glanced at Chu Xiaozhong and then at Song Tianyao, and couldn't help but smile.
With the women of the Chu Family present at the dinner that evening, Chu Yaozong, Chu Xiaozhong, and Song Tianyao all maintained a relaxed atmosphere. As for the Second Young Master Chu, there was no need to worry about him; he was practically beaming with joy.
After dinner, Madam Chu did not rush back to the back hall. Instead, she personally sealed more than a dozen Red packet and distributed them to the servants, gardeners, and drivers in the house. When it was Song Tianyao's turn, she handed him a large Red packet envelope that was much thicker than usual. This caused Sister Hong, who was serving in the dining room, to glance at the Red packet in Song Tianyao's hand.
Song Tianyao took the Red packet, examined it closely in his hand, then looked at Chu Yaozong sitting in the main seat, and then at Madam Chu had handed him the Red packet: "So thick? It's not like mine, it's made of newspaper, is it? Never mind, I'll open it when no one's around, so it won't be embarrassing for Madam Chu if it really is newspaper. Thank you, Madam."
Madam Chu, Chu Xiaozhong's wife, Chu Xiaozhi, the third son of the Chu Family, were all amused by Song Tianyao's deliberately joking remark and left to their respective rooms. Once only Chu Yaozong, Chu Xiaozhong, Chu Xiaoxin, Song Tianyao remained in the dining room, the atmosphere suddenly cooled down without anyone needing to speak.
Chu Yaozong slowly began to speak, "Zhang Yujie called and said he'll be visiting me after dinner, so he should be having dinner at the Cai Family tonight."
"There was a little unexpected incident." Chu Xiaozhong recounted Zhang Yuliang's sudden appearance in Likang to meet with Song Tianyao, then looked at his father. "A-Yao believes Zhang Yuliang's words are true, and he might very well cancel the Zhang Family's agency rights. I, however, think it's unlikely. It's not that I underestimate Zhang Yuliang, but in these matters, the two sides have cooperated for a long time, and they won't easily terminate the contract because of so-called commercial bribery or the sale of embargoed goods."
"A-Yao, tell me about the current situation." Chu Yaozong didn't even glance at his Second Son, who was sitting upright and pretending to be serious. He knew that no matter how serious his expression was, he probably didn't know what the three of them were talking about. So he asked Song Tianyao directly.
Song Tianyao casually placed the Red packet on the table without even glancing at it. Gone was the greedy, playful, and silly expression he had shown when everyone was present. He said seriously, "Since Chairman Chu has said he wants to help the Zhang Family, this situation is much easier. I once told that Foreign Girl lawyer that the Britain are never wrong; the only ones who can be wrong are the China person. It all depends on Chairman Chu's decision on which side to choose."
"The Britain are never wrong; the only ones who can be wrong are the China person. That's a good saying. Zhang Yujie isn't old, but he's already as useless as us old folks." Chu Yaozong was silent for a moment, then said to Song Tianyao, "Zhang Yuqi's connections and vision are among the best of the young. Whether in the Five Counties, Dongguan, or Chiu Chow, there are many elders, and even I myself have a very good impression of this younger generation."
"Understood, Chairman Chu. I'll make the arrangements." Song Tianyao nodded to Chu Yaozong.
At this moment, Uncle Yan came in from outside and said to Chu Yaozong, "Sir, Zhang Yujie from the Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Association has come to visit you and brought gifts from Australia."
"Please go to the study, Yu Jie, and have some tea served. I'll go see him after I finish my meal," Chu Yaozong said without looking up.
"Okay." Uncle Yan said and left.
Chu Yaozong glanced at Chu Xiaozhong, then at Chu Xiaoxin, then at Song Tianyao, and finally fixed his gaze on Second Young Master Chu, who was listening attentively with a devout expression. Although he knew that his Second Son's face was devout but his mind was elsewhere, Chu Yaozong still couldn't help but want him to meet Zhang Yujie, a self-made young man, so that he could learn even a fraction of Zhang Yujie's skills.
"The three of you, come with me to see Zhang Yujie." Chu Yaozong finally didn't ignore Chu Xiaoxin and told the three of them to come with him to the study.
Then, he saw his Second Son's face, which was trying so hard to appear serious, twitch slightly, looking somewhat bitter.
Chapter 148 Ruthless, Thick-skinned, and perceptive.
"Uncle Chu." Zhang Yujie was sitting in the study, looking at the calligraphy and paintings that decorated the room. When he saw Chu Yaozong walk in, he stood up with a smile and greeted him.
When he saw Chu Xiaozhong, Chu Xiaoxin, and Song Tianyao following behind Chu Yaozong, he simply nodded slightly to the three of them without taking the initiative to speak. Instead, it was the two brothers, Chu Xiaoxin and Chu Xiaozhong, who greeted them first. Only then did Zhang Yujie reply. Although he was humble in front of Chu Yaozong, he was somewhat arrogant in front of the two brothers.
As for Song Tianyao, who came in last, Zhang Yujie glanced at Song Tianyao, but Song Tianyao didn't even deserve to be looked at properly.
"Please sit down, Jade Steps. What do you think of the scenery in Australia?" Chu Yaozong asked Zhang Yujie with a smile after they had taken their seats as host and Zhang Yujie.
Zhang Yujie looked up and chuckled, "The scenery in Australia is certainly beautiful, but before I could even finish admiring it, Yulin urgently called me back. Uncle Chu probably knows about those things too. Damn it, it was originally just Ah Sin and Yuliang playing a game, but those ungrateful bastards from the Pharmaceutical Association thought the time was ripe and wanted to cause trouble. So I came back to give them a warning, and after that, I came to visit Uncle Chu, and incidentally erase Ah Sin and Yuliang's little conflict like chalk writing."