Chapter 34
[Current mission progress too low to display.]
The system was dumbfounded, then let out a piercing shriek.
Its year-end bonus was gone!
[Host! Tell me what happened! Don’t tell me you’ve been infected by the lovesick virus too?!]
The system clearly remembered Xia Wansheng’s profile stating he was a typical worker desperate for money, a proper money-grubber.
How could he have worked so hard, yet the mission progress remained stagnant?!
The system felt its own data stream’s mental state was in jeopardy.
“It’s complicated, let me explain.” Xia Wansheng covered his head, the system’s erratic and startling behavior was truly scary.
“The plot is progressing smoothly, it’s just that Yu Congyan’s character seems different from the one in the book,” Xia Wansheng tried to explain,
“Now, no matter what I do, he thinks I have some hidden agenda. The more I explain, the worse the misunderstanding becomes.”
And every time he was on the verge of going offline, Yu Congyan would appear like he had some sixth sense, saving him from danger.
[That shouldn’t be the case, he shouldn’t be aware of your little actions, unless he was suspicious of you from the beginning.] The system pulled up Yu Congyan’s character settings.
The book hadn’t mentioned the CEO having such unusual thought processes.
“Basically, his attitude towards me now is… quite friendly, but I feel like he’s already sensed something’s off, it’s only a matter of time before he discovers the truth.” Xia Wansheng sighed.
He thought he had played the role perfectly, but the progress hadn’t budged.
It was quite frustrating.
[It’s alright, host, just treat this as a vacation, we have everything here, we won’t lose out in the end.] The system shed two streams of data tears, but still professionally comforted its host.
As the two were lamenting their situation, a knock came from the bedroom door.
It must be dinner time.
Xia Wansheng opened the door to see Housekeeper Zhang looking around furtively, as if he had something to say.
Xia Wansheng: ???
Had Housekeeper Zhang finally decided to overthrow the Yu family and go solo?
Housekeeper Zhang set the stage for gossip, lowering his voice: “Mr. Xia, the lady downstairs is Young Master’s mother, but their relationship isn’t very good, so…”
“You want me to mediate?” Xia Wansheng was about to offer his services, maintaining superficial harmony was his specialty.
“No, no,” Housekeeper Zhang quickly shook his head, “I’m hoping you’ll side with Young Master.”
Don’t be swayed by any million-dollar checks.
“Why? Is there some misunderstanding between them?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
This wasn’t in the original book, but based on the standard logic of CEO novels, wouldn’t they eventually resolve their misunderstanding and reconcile?
Or the awful parents would come begging for forgiveness, only to be turned away at the CEO’s new company, left to rage outside, lamenting their past blindness.
“There’s no misunderstanding. Madam wasn’t very attentive to Young Master when he was young, and they grew distant. Gradually, their relationship became what it is now, arguing whenever they meet.” Housekeeper Zhang briefly explained the situation.
He didn’t have any opinions about wealthy families’ affairs, most of them only maintained superficial harmony, but he had been with Young Master for many years and naturally sided with Yu Congyan.
At least he didn’t want everyone to turn against him.
“I understand, some things are difficult for family members to say, it’s better for me to speak up.” Xia Wansheng said, as if suddenly realizing.
So he was supposed to be his boss’s mouthpiece!
Housekeeper Zhang nodded with satisfaction, it seemed Xia Wansheng understood his good intentions.
They reached a strange agreement.
But the system saw this as a lifeline, [Host, look, this is the CEO’s mother, what a great opportunity to go offline!]
“But if I go offline now, the reward calculation will be messed up, won’t it?” Xia Wansheng pondered.
He didn’t know how far he had progressed in the mission, wouldn’t it be a loss to simply go back now?
[True, but you can try, the worst outcome is just an immediate offline exit, and I’ll apply for compensation for you!] the system guaranteed.
Zhai Yan didn’t recognize Xia Wansheng at first glance.
In her memory, he was always heavily made-up. She had seen countless people like him in the entertainment industry.
But the current Xia Wansheng looked completely different, his attire simple and plain, his expression indifferent, like a pure and innocent white lotus.
Zhai Yan frowned, clicking her tongue.
Was her son’s taste this bad? Even as a CEO, he still liked this type of frail, innocent person?
“You…you’re rejecting the perfectly suitable Miss Li for him?” Zhai Yan’s tone was filled with disbelief and incomprehension. She turned to glare at Xia Wansheng,
“He practically has ‘gold digger’ written all over his face, our family’s money isn’t for charity.”
She bluntly exposed their relationship, subtly warning Xia Wansheng not to overstep his boundaries.
Before Xia Wansheng could process her words, Yu Congyan spoke:
“This is my house, don’t force me to expose your shady dealings at the family dinner.”
Then he turned and reluctantly introduced Xia Wansheng: “This is my mother.”
Then he fell silent.
Xia Wansheng nodded in acknowledgement.
This was his first time witnessing a real-life wealthy mother from a CEO novel.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like there would be a “take five million and leave Yu Aotian” scene.
The dinner was incredibly quiet, as if someone had pressed the mute button.
Xia Wansheng was tense, mentally rehearsing his lines, things like, “Auntie, we truly love each other, if you ask me to leave him for five million, I might as well die to prove my innocence!”
Why did it feel like he was misremembering the script?
While Xia Wansheng was still daydreaming, Zhai Yan, having barely eaten anything, started elegantly touching up her makeup, then casually said: “You were in the entertainment industry, weren’t you? So, you’ve found a faster way to make money?”
“You!” Yu Congyan couldn’t stand it anymore.
Just as he was about to ask Housekeeper Zhang to see her out and forbid her from ever entering the house again, he felt a weight on his shoulder.
Xia Wansheng placed his hand on his shoulder, signaling him to be quiet.
He could handle this himself.
Then he casually opened the series of voice messages Ji Yang had sent him, all urging him to stop wasting time playing games and focus on his career:
“My ancestor, when are you coming back? The company’s reputation is suffering, everyone thinks you’re inactive because we’re shelving you, I can’t handle this anymore, please, just accept a variety show offer!”
The voice message ended abruptly, but the words lingered, especially in Zhai Yan’s ears.
“I’m still in the industry, I’m just too busy, I’ve had to turn down many scripts.” Xia Wansheng sighed dramatically.
“…” Zhai Yan’s expression faltered.
She snapped her compact shut, trying to recover, “A little bit of fame in the entertainment industry is nothing, it’s insignificant compared to our world.”
She glanced at Xia Wansheng, who was silently scrolling through his phone, thinking she had finally gained the upper hand.
After all, a small-time celebrity, no matter how successful, couldn’t possibly enter the business world, could he?
He was no match for the Yu family.
Xia Wansheng then “accidentally” opened his chat with Old Man Feng, the kind voice coming through: “Disciple, have you considered the company investment I mentioned? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Li family is eager to collaborate with us, are you interested in meeting them?”
“…”
Zhai Yan almost snapped her lipstick in half.
This was a blatant show of force!
“By the way, you suddenly visited, may I ask what brings you here?” Xia Wansheng adopted the demeanor of a host, subtly implying she was an outsider.
As expected, Zhai Yan was instantly displeased: “Visited? I don’t need to ‘visit’ my own home!”
This was outrageous, he wasn’t this arrogant just now!
Xia Wansheng turned to Yu Congyan for confirmation: “She’s definitely not here for a friendly chat, she needs something from you, doesn’t she?”
Yu Congyan nodded, puzzled by this sudden question.
“The family dinner is approaching, she wants me to go and put on a show of family harmony for the old man.”
So that was it, a request made things easier.
Xia Wansheng cut to the chase: “If you want something, you should ask nicely, with this attitude, I don’t think this will be easy.”
He finally experienced the joy of being the one in power!
Zhai Yan was speechless, wondering how things had turned out this way.
Well, well, well, quite the sharp tongue.
Zhai Yan composed herself, taking a deep breath, not wanting to continue this humiliating conversation.
She abruptly stood up, grabbed her bag, and prepared to leave.
She didn’t want to stay here a second longer.
“You better not give me any leverage.” Zhai Yan threatened fiercely.
As she reached the entrance, Xia Wansheng’s voice came from behind:
“About that family dinner, I’ll definitely be there.”
Zhai Yan froze, realizing her plan had completely backfired.
She gritted her teeth and stormed out, the clicking of her high heels even louder now.
Housekeeper Zhang’s heart broke: Those were the floor tiles he had just meticulously polished!
