Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 50 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure
Edited by Alkonost
Chapter 50.3 Mother Xiao was very satisfied. What a shy child.
The recruitment of personnel was finally on the track. Deng Mai's greatest pleasure recently was to inquire and inform Lin Jingzhe of the stumbling blocks Qi Qing and Jiang Qiaqia would encounter during their business endeavors. Their poaching incident really offended many people. The most obvious manifestation was the bumpy encounters that Qiqing Real Estate has stumbled upon in many businesses that should have been smooth.
Their misery incited schadenfreude in Deng Mai. After all, Qiqing Real Estate had created a lot of trouble for them before. Lin Jingzhe acted rather indifferently, but Deng Mai was young and could not maintain his composure as earnestly.
"You should’ve seen Qi Qing's face when the CEO of Amaranthine Land Holdings completely disregarded him. I heard that they had a tough fight with Qi Kai recently, just because of the piece at the foot of Wubao Mountain Land. Qiqing Real Estate has been desperately trying to get a collateral loan recently, but unfortunately they only had 20% of the shares of that land. If Dominion Properties does not show up, who would lend anything to them? In order to avoid them, Qi Kai doesn't even go to the company now. Isn’t that hilarious? "
"Heh—" Lin Jingzhe tilted his head and only let out a lazy laugh. Although Qi Qing's current unfavorable situation was caused mostly by him alone, compared to the excited Deng Mai, he was far less interested.
He would rather never deal with that couple again in his life. He felt nothing whether the couple was doing well or not; there was no sense of pleasure when they were in misfortune. The best relief for him was to simply forget their existence.
Seeing that he had no interest, Deng Mai restrained his gloating smile. He sat down beside Lin Jingzhe and poured him a cup of hot tea.
Lin Jingzhe took a sip and asked, "How are Mao Dongqing and the others getting along with you?"
"Don't worry. We are getting along quite well. Sun Yiqing even invited me to have dinner with them on the weekend yesterday."
Although Deng Mai was a general manager in name, he was well aware of his shortcomings. Although he was eloquent and got along with the leaders socially, in terms of estate-related specialized knowledge, Deng Mai could not compare with Mao Dongqing and his team. Therefore, as soon as Lin Jingzhe proposed to let him form a good relationship with the company's newly established project group, Deng Mai quickly became friends with Mao Dongqing and his team members.
Although Mao Dongqing had a weird temper, he was actually quite easy to flatter. What's more, he was still young, so he was not as wary of outsiders. Moreover, the newly founded New Beginnings Real Estate did not contain many intrigues. Even if this group of youths had gone through many storms, it was also very easy to develop a good impression and feel a sense of comradery when they were all in the same trench.
Lin Jingzhe felt relieved when he heard Deng Mai's answer. In the past few days, he had read several editions of the proposal plans submitted by Mao Dongqing. Lin Jingzhe could not help but admire his keen vision and unconstrained creativity. Mao Dongqing’s future world-famous skills were already budding at this age. If everything goes to plan, Lin Jingzhe certainly wanted to tie this talent into his camp.
But the person he trusted most in the company was still Deng Mai. Even if he was thirsty for talents, Lin Jingzhe still did not forget to add a layer of insurance to this newly built cooperation.
Holding the teacup, Lin Jingzhe glanced at the fourth version of the ‘Triangular Plot Proposal Plan’ that Mao Dongqing had handed over in the morning. He could tell right away that the latter had put a lot of effort into it.
Mao Dongqing even boldly predicted in the plan that after the formation of the CBD in the future, Yan City might increase the nearby underground transportation routes, and derived a set of alternative ideas that made Lin Jingzhe very satisfied. Compared to most investors, and even Lin Jingzhe himself, Mao Dongqing’s economic forecasting encompassed at least one future decade.
Lin Jingzhe put down his teacup, closed the file, and carefully placed it on the coffee table.
"Put it in the safe later." Lin Jingzhe glanced at the time, stood up, and picked up the suit jacket draped over the back of the sofa. "It's getting late, I'm leaving first."
Deng Mai consented. He then suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Lin Jingzhe’s back and asked, "Brother Lin, are you going to your new home?"
After rushing for many days, Deng Mai finally cleaned up the house in Dongtai Community within the time limit specified by Lin Jingzhe. In the morning, Deng Mai officially handed over the key to its new owner.
Lin Jingzhe didn’t look back. Although he didn’t seem any different than usual, Deng Mai somehow sensed a trace of urgency from his departing back.
Before the door closed, a short "mhm" floated back.
Deng Mai withdrew his gaze. He scratched his head, but after some reconsideration, Deng Mai brushed it off thinking maybe he was just tired.
*****
Xiao Chi dusted off his coat and stepped out of the house. There was a sound of footsteps behind him; it was the crisp sound of small leather shoes hitting the floor. He quickly took out the car keys but was still a step too late.
Xiao Miao poked her head out. "It's almost time for dinner, where are you going?"
Xiao Chi turned his head to look at her. His expression was calm as he replied in an unhurried voice, "Something came up."
With no one around them, Xiao Miao's indifferent face immediately changed to a scrutinizing expression. She stared at Xiao Chi for a moment and then suddenly stepped forward. While Xiao Chi was caught off guard, she reached into his trouser pocket.
She grabbed the object in his pocket, took it out, opened it up, and her face turned red immediately——
"Oooo--"
Xiao Miao yelled towards the opened door, "Dad!!! Mom!!! Brother has a whole box of condoms in his pants pocket!!!!"
Xiao Chi: "=.="
When Xiao Shenxing and his wife heard their daughter's voice, they immediately appeared by the door like hungry dogs. Two pairs of sharp eyes hit Xiao Chi like a searchlight.
The sound of a walking cane came soon after; the couple were pushed aside by a wrinkled hand. Grandma Xiao came out with a string of beads in one hand and a crutch in the other. Smiling, she said to her granddaughter, "Oh, where? Let grandma see."
Xiao Chi wanted to snatch it with a cold face, but Xiao Miao quickly jumped out of his attack range and threw the box of condoms at Grandma.
The elderly grandma threw away her cane and accurately caught the box——
"Wow——" She looked at the pattern and text of the small box, and smiled more kindly. She then turned around and handed it to her son and daughter-in-law behind her. "You two, come take a look too."
The family carefully passed around Xiao Chi's box of condoms like it was some kind of treasure. When it finally landed in Mother Xiao's hands, she coughed, stepped forward, and handed the condoms to Xiao Chi, signaling her son to put them away.
Mother Xiao asked seriously, "Xiao Chi, tell me, are you in a relationship?"
Xiao Chi nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
The entire Xiao Family was shocked by this news. When Mother Xiao recovered from her initial shock, she immediately exchanged a surprised look with her husband.
Xiao Miao didn’t believe him. "No way, are there actually people who are willing to be in a relationship with you? Did you blackmail them?"
Xiao Chi raised his hand and pushed Xiao Miao on the forehead. There was no mercy in this push, it had almost sent her flying.
The wrinkles on Grandma Xiao's solemn face were even more distinct now that she was smiling so broadly. She quickly approached her grandson and asked excitedly, "What is the person like? Are they good-looking?"
"Beautiful, well-behaved, and smart." When Xiao Chi mentioned Lin Jingzhe, his eyes could not help but become more gentle.
"Oh! That's great!" Grandma Xiao became even happier when she saw her grandson's expression and heard all of the positive traits he had described the person to be. She quickly urged him, "Are you going to meet now? Don't delay, go quickly! I’ll pray to Bodhisattva now, to ensure your relationship is safe and secure!"
Grandma Xiao turned around to walk back inside but was supported by Mother Xiao, who had a serious expression on her face. She was a little surprised that her son, who had always been a wooden block when it came to relationships, would fall in love so quietly.
Her thoughts were a little more thorough as she asked, "Tell Mom the truth, how long have you been in this relationship?"
Xiao Chi replied, "It's been almost a year."
One year? Compared to youngsters nowadays, this was considered to be a lengthy relationship. Maybe he was taking it seriously. Mother Xiao let go of some of her worries as she stared at her son's smooth action of stuffing the box of condoms into his pocket, quickly feeling uneasy again. "You two already engaged in sexual activities?"
Xiao Chi frowned. "Why so many questions?"
A son will inevitably grow up and leave his mother’s embrace. Mother Xiao had never been able to control Xiao Chi’s ideas, so seeing his resistance, she could only sigh, “I’m just asking. I’m not against you having a relationship. I know the younger generation has different ideologies, but you still have to pay attention. You can be together, but you must take protective measures before getting married, so as not to cause any unexpected accidents."
"Even if it happened, there's nothing we can do." Father Xiao, who hadn't interrupted the conversation all this time, added sternly. "You are a man, don't learn from those bastards. You must not play with feelings! You must take responsibility, understand?"
Xiao Chi replied solemnly, "Don't worry, I'm serious."
Mother Xiao lamented. In the blink of an eye, her child had reached the age of marriage…Time really flies.
She trusted her son's character very much, so when she heard his words, she just stepped forward to tidy Xiao Chi's clothes. "Go. By the way, don't keep hiding them. When you both are free, bring them back so we can have a meal together."
Xiao Chi nodded. Thinking about the response he got after he proposed the invitation last time, he hesitated, "I mentioned it before, but they don't seem to be ready yet."
I see.
Mother Xiao thought with some satisfaction. What a shy child.
.
.
.
Note from Pure: So in Chinese, the pronouns for ‘he’ and ‘she’ are written differently, but pronounced the same. There’s some misunderstanding between the Xiao Family, but it’s hard to do this in English; I just used a non-binary pronoun [them], hopefully it still reads alright!
