Chapter 1514: Chapter 1514: I Don’t Want You to Be in Any Danger
"After we get to the capital, the Xu Group’s situation will be hanging by a thread, and a lot of people are eyeing the seats you and I are sitting in. They’ll think of every possible way to hurt us. I don’t want you to be in any danger, do you understand?"
Hearing Xu Ke say this, Xiao Keyi finally understood: the man in front of her was doing all this so she wouldn’t suffer any harm. But since she’d chosen to face everything with him, she would protect herself, and she would also protect Xu Ke.
Her heart suddenly felt incredibly warm. So this is what a sense of security feels like—having someone by your side at any moment who can share the burden for you. She’d finally found the person her mother had always hoped she would.
"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t fail to protect myself. Besides, we haven’t even arrived at the Xu Group yet, right? And we’ve got Grandpa to testify for us. Anyway, I’ll trust you."
Seeing this little girl still trying to comfort him, Xu Ke couldn’t help but sigh. If the situation in the capital were something the old man could still suppress, he wouldn’t have come all the way here to find him. Unfortunately, things over there were already beyond what the old man could control, and now everything seemed to be heading in a bad direction.
That was why the old man was so anxious to go back. Otherwise he and Old Master Xiao would probably be like old friends who met too late; the two of them shared a lot of the same interests and hobbies.
Sure enough, once Old Master Xiao and Old Master Xu were together and discovered they liked all the same things, they even brewed a cup of tea and started chatting slowly and leisurely.
"Being able to meet you in this lifetime really is a case of ’regret meeting too late.’ It’s just that now it’s ultimately too late, and there’s way too much going on over there, I can’t get away. So we’ll probably have to head back soon. You might not see your granddaughter for a while. I wonder if this old guy here will hold a grudge in his heart."
It was a pretty obvious statement, and the fact that Old Master Xu actually said it out loud made Old Master Xiao feel he understood him a lot better. He wasn’t as ruthlessly decisive as the rumors said; when he was with friends, he made people feel very at ease.
"Of course I’ll hold a grudge. My granddaughter’s so good, and not only did you bunch snatch her away, you’re even making her go through all those storms with you. How can my heart not ache? But this kid is at the age to be tempered. When they make mistakes later, you’ll have to give the two of them more guidance. You can’t let them keep circling around in the same mistakes. Letting them take fewer detours is always a good thing."
Originally, Old Master Xiao had thought young people needed to be tempered anyway—just let them get knocked around a few more times and they’d be fine. But under these abnormal circumstances, they had to get up to speed quickly.
"Aiyo, I didn’t expect you old guy to be even more worried than me. I’m actually not that worried. Xu Ke’s abilities are stronger than mine were when I was young. Those old fellows in the capital—I think they might still try to bully him behind his back. What are you so worried about?"
Old Master Xu had already investigated Xu Ke’s situation here inside and out, and was even full of admiration. He hadn’t expected Xu Ke to be this capable.
Old Master Xiao was still a bit worried about his granddaughter, but he pressed it down. Xu Ke treated his granddaughter so well; he would definitely protect her. No matter what, worrying too much would only mess things up.
"Alright, alright, there’s no point in us saying anything more. Our Xiao Group might be a bit small, not as good as yours, but it still needs an heir someday, right? You can’t just let my company go completely under, can you?"
Thinking of this made Old Master Xiao a bit depressed. He’d been planning all this for so long just so the child would have a place to land in the future. He’d mapped out the Xiao Group’s future too, and now not only had someone basically snatched it away, he didn’t even know what to do anymore.
But Old Master Xu didn’t think any of this was a problem. He even started teasing him: "Aiyo, what’s there to worry about with your little rinky-dink company? Real estate hasn’t exactly been booming these last two years anyway. Besides, if these two kids can manage a Xu Group, your tiny company can just be turned into a subsidiary. It’s just a matter of convenience. I give you a pull up then, isn’t that great? What are you still fretting about?"
Old Master Xiao was so mad he could hardly stand it. He’d worked so hard to grow the Xiao Group to this size and of course didn’t want it to become a subsidiary. But right now this was the only way. With the Xu Group as a backing, the Xiao Group’s development could even expand into a lot of new areas.
"Alright, alright, I get it now. Doing business with you is basically never about letting others get the bigger share. The Xu Group needs people the most right now. But whatever happens, hurry up and sort out the mess in the capital. If that useless son of mine really does inherit this company, I’ll probably be angered to death. He barely has any ability at all."
Old Master Xiao was very clear about Xiao Zhen’s abilities. If he could at least keep the Xiao Group from regressing, that was already not bad. Over these years, the Xiao Group had already fallen behind other companies in real estate—naturally, that was Xiao Zhen’s "credit."
Xiao Zhen, listening on the side, felt baffled the whole time. Could his father at least say one nice thing about his own son in front of outsiders? If the people from the Xu Group heard this, they’d laugh him to death. But in front of the old man, Xiao Zhen didn’t have the courage to talk back. He could only curl his lips. Even if what he said was true, he’d just have to endure it.
Old Master Xu didn’t bother being polite either: "You’re right about that. Your son is a pro when it comes to romance—attracting bees and butterflies, flirting here and there. But when it comes to running a company, he’s not even as good as my grandson. Actually, even your granddaughter is better than him."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhen didn’t dare talk back to Old Master Xu either. Right now he was basically just a punching bag here. His job was to take it and stay quiet. Xiao Zhen was very clear about his position and just held it in.
"Didn’t expect you to notice that too. You really have an eye. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. You guys had better settle things over there quickly. I’m afraid my life’s work is all going to be ruined in this cowardly son’s hands."
Hearing Old Master Xiao’s words, Xiao Zhen finally couldn’t hold it in. He wasn’t that much of a coward. At least he’d been working hard at a lot of things. It was just that the market was too fierce and he wasn’t even in this field originally. After working this hard for so long, he really was a bit out of his depth. But did his father have to go this far? In front of outsiders, could he at least give him a little face?
"Um, Dad, can you stop already? If you keep talking, Old Master Xu is really going to laugh at me. Why don’t you find someone else to run things for a while? Aren’t you still relying on me these days? Just hold it in a bit, okay? If you let me step down now, I’d be more than happy, but you just won’t let me."
Comments