Being able to rely on one's parents was a wonderful thing, whether you were a child or a parent.
Having a child depend on you, knowing they had a towering shelter to rely on, was a blessing.
"Compared to my memories from before I transmigrated, when I studied like crazy every day just to survive and stay away from Dad, this is like night and day."
Thinking back on those memories, even though so much time had passed, he still felt a lingering fear.
Xu Yifan was very satisfied with the family he had been reborn into.
According to his memories, the family got along well. Unless he had been especially naughty, his parents had almost never hit him. It was exactly the kind of parent-child relationship he had always dreamed of.
But ever since he had been reborn into this body, Xu Yifan hadn't gone to see his parents.
It wasn't that he didn't want to. He was just a little afraid of seeing them, afraid that his identity as a transmigrator might be exposed by some clue.
He had studied abroad for a long time, and his parents had been busy running their business, so most of the time they had left him in the care of a nanny.
When you thought about it, he had barely lived with them for any length of time since middle school. It was only natural that he had changed a little since he was a child.
Still, Xu Yifan was afraid.
"It's like a dream or a bubble, something you're scared to touch because it might burst in an instant..."
"I wonder if the original soul in this body disappeared, or if he and I switched bodies?"
"I transmigrated after falling asleep from exhaustion at work. He'd been looking over some documents, got tired, and dozed off. Maybe when he wakes up, he'll find himself in my rented apartment?"
"Heh, if that's what happened, it'd be kind of interesting. Going from a super-rich second-generation heir in a harmonious family to becoming an automotive engineer.
"Actually, it wouldn't be so bad if he transmigrated into my body right now.
"He wouldn't have to experience the belt, boiling water, iron rods, fruit knives, or all the other weapons firsthand.
"He's already left that home and that environment behind, and he's living on his own.
"He'd be alone, that's all. I've still got over a hundred thousand yuan in savings."
After some reflection, Xu Yifan finally stopped hesitating.
He pulled out his Nokia N97 and dialed the number he had carefully saved.
Dad!
Brring, brring—
The phone rang twice before the call was quickly answered.
In a conference room, a middle-aged man took the phone his secretary handed him and glanced at it before answering at once.
His stern meeting-room voice instantly softened into that of a kindly father. "Yifan, what is it? I'm in a meeting."
Xu Yifan sounded a little nervous over the phone. "Dad, um, I wanted to ask you for some investment!"
The middle-aged man laughed. "What, is the factory short on funds again?"
As he spoke, the man seated at the head of the conference table covered the phone's microphone, changed to a serious expression, and addressed the company's managers below.
"Let's pause the meeting for a moment. Take a look at the materials first."
Then he turned and headed for the door, pulling off a masterful change of expression as he listened attentively to his son on the phone.
Longing for the guidance of family members he had yearned for so many times, Xu Yifan told his father all about the problems he was facing.
"I've been running Jiuzhou Automobile for a little over three months. The factory is back on track and turning a profit. Right now, we can produce around twenty Jiuzhou Mini cars a day, and every one of them sells.
"After taxes, materials, employee wages, and all the other expenses, the profit is about two thousand yuan per car.
"Plus, the Jiuzhou Mini we're making is filling a completely untapped market. Demand is outstripping supply. Every car we build gets sold, and orders are already booked up for the next half month.
"Insufficient production capacity is our biggest problem right now. I've already ordered the factory to start hiring more workers. We should see some initial results in about half a month, and I expect we'll be able to double production.
"But this market is enormous, and even if our company expands capacity by another hundred percent and trains everyone into skilled workers, we'll only be able to make sixty or seventy cars a day at most.
"Compared to my estimate of a national market of around twenty million vehicles, that's still a drop in the bucket.
"The only solution I can think of is to have other automakers manufacture our products for us.
"But outsourcing production has its risks. I'm worried other factories will notice this untapped market.
"Only if we widen the gap between our factory and the others in terms of technology can we maintain our core competitiveness when they start paying attention to this market.
"So we'll need a large sum of money for research and development soon..."
After listening carefully to his son's concerns, the middle-aged man thought for a moment, then said, "All right. We agreed before that I'd invest around ninety million yuan in total.
"Buying Jiuzhou Automobile Factory cost fifty million. We spent another five million or so dealing with the factory's old problems and left a little over a million in its accounts.
"Then, when Jiuzhou Automobile Factory hired people and resumed production, I transferred another five million.
"This time, I'll just give you the remaining thirty million."
"Thanks, Dad!" Xu Yifan's voice over the phone was filled with excitement.
With such a large investment, he'd have many more options going forward.
Maybe he could unlock the new lithium iron phosphate battery technology soon!
Hearing how happy his son sounded, the middle-aged man smiled. "You don't have to be so polite with your dad. When you come home for the New Year, I'll have to give you a good scolding. My money will all be yours eventually anyway!"
After joking with his son, the middle-aged man continued in a serious tone.
"Actually, I've been keeping an eye on Jiuzhou Automobile Factory too. You've done an excellent job, far better than I expected.
"My original plan was to give you three to five years, investing little by little and letting you learn to manage the factory step by step. I figured you could afford to lose a little money and gain some experience.
"Well, the New Year is almost here. Bring a car back for me then.
"Over the New Year, I'll drive a car made by Jiuzhou Automobile Factory and take you to visit a few of your uncles in the provincial capital."
The conversation with his father put Xu Yifan at ease. He was no longer as nervous as he had been before making the call.
"Mm-hmm. Actually, the cars we're making now still aren't that impressive. They're a long way from the new-energy cars I have in mind.
"In a few years...
"Forget it. Let's focus on taking over the low-speed electric vehicle market first!"
The middle-aged man praised him fondly. "Very good. Just what I'd expect from my son!"
"Also, Dad, that batch of leather you gave me was excellent. From the feedback our sales team sent back, lots of customers are really pleased with the seats in our Jiuzhou Mini."
"Of course. High-grade faux leather isn't much worse than genuine leather. I gave it to you at cost..."
The two chatted for a while longer.
More than ten minutes later, the call ended. The middle-aged man handed his phone back to the waiting secretary and resumed his stern expression.
"Get in touch with my personal account manager at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China right away. I need to transfer thirty million yuan from my personal bank account. I'll take care of it after the meeting."
"Right away, boss." The secretary received the order and went to contact the bank's personal account manager.
The middle-aged man returned to the conference room and continued the meeting he had put on hold.
He sat back down in front of the dozens of regional managers from around the country and said solemnly, "Let's continue the meeting. As for this year's sales of leather goods..."
Before you continue