Lack of Love

“Zhong Qiran took the plane and left.

Yan Hao sat in the car, watching the plane he boarded take off from the runway before instructing the driver to start the car.

The driver had a puzzled look on his face and double-checked, “President Yan, are you really going to the company?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?” Yan Hao found the driver’s question very strange. In the past, even if he had something to do or was on a business trip, he would always go to the company no matter how late it was. The driver should know that.

The driver sighed and didn’t say anything but obediently drove Yan Hao to the company.

When Yan Hao stepped into the company’s entrance, the receptionist’s smile froze for a moment. As he took the elevator upstairs, the employees lowered their heads and greeted him. When Yan Hao entered his own office, the tea that his secretary had in her mouth sprayed out unreservedly. During the morning meeting, the expressions of the senior executives were extremely unnatural. They wanted to glance at him though they didn’t dare to, but it seemed impolite not to look at the boss during a meeting,also it was hard not to notice the area around the boss’s eyes…

Yan Hao completed the meeting expressionlessly, as if he didn’t see the surprised gazes of these people. He did what he needed to do without any negligence in his work.

At noon, amidst his busy schedule, Yan’s father managed to call him and the first thing he asked was, “Your mother said what happened to your face was because of Zhong Qiran?”

Yan Hao replied, “It’s nothing.”

“Why are you causing trouble? You are the face of the company.” Yan’s father only mentioned a few sentences, and his tone wasn’t heavy, as if it wasn’t a big deal, just a bit of concern.

Compared to Yan’s mother, Yan’s father was relatively calm and objective. Business-minded people generally had more flexible minds, broader knowledge, and a more open mindset. Although he didn’t fully agree with his son coming out, he didn’t strongly oppose it either. He simply needed someone to support Yan’s mother, so he had to stand by her side. But at critical moments, Yan’s father would still shoulder the responsibility of the head of the family. Just like when Yan Hao was seriously ill, Yan’s father felt that Yan’s mother had gone too far by treating their son’s life as a game, so he asked her to let Zhong Qiran come back and see him.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have any clients to meet today.”

Yan’s father didn’t say anything further, just reminding him to be sensible.

After listening for a while, Yan Hao suddenly said, “As long as we can bring him back, it doesn’t matter even if he gets beaten up.”

Yan Hao intentionally said this. He wanted to know if his father’s attitude towards Zhong Qiran had changed after all that had happened. Opposition, neutrality, or acceptance would determine whether their path ahead was long or short.

Yan’s father laughed without sarcasm or praise and replied, “You both are really complicated.”

Back in country M, Li Qi learned about Zhong Qiran’s encounter on the phone and couldn’t help but ask, “So did you really beat him up?”

“No, I just drew a black circle around his eye with a marker,” Zhong Qiran found it funny himself, it was childish enough and enough to embarrass Yan Hao. “I made him go to work with it, not allowed to wash it off the whole day.”

Fighting was too troublesome and if he wasn’t careful, he would cause problems and provoke Yan’s mother again.

“Just that?. Are you that soft?” Li Qi looked somewhat disappointed and tried to provoke him, “And who knows, maybe he’ll wipe it off as soon as you leave.”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know?”

Zhong Qiran knew without thinking.

Not hearing a response from Zhong Qiran, Li Qi stopped joking around and said, “I’m a bit envious of you guys. But don’t spoil him too much, I’ll be jealous.”

Zhong Qiran laughed and suddenly asked, “I remember your ex, should he have already graduated from university?”

Li Qi paused for a moment and replied, “Yeah.”

“No contact?”

“No need. Since we broke up because of my studying abroad, why bother contacting each other now?”

Zhong Qiran sensed that there was some resentment in Li Qi’s words, “What about in the future?”

“We’ll see after I return to the country.”

In the next six months, both of them were busy with their own graduation theses and rarely met. Instead, the communication between Zhong Qiran and Yan Hao became more frequent, especially regarding his proposal.

Yan Hao often sent him materials to review and sought his opinion. Zhong Qiran would also inform him about the changing market demands based on the analysis results and adjust corresponding measures.

Yan Hao consolidated the opinions of various departments and made decisions. They had worked hard for nearly a year and finally turned losses into profits.

Yan Hao not only shared this good news with Zhong Qiran but also compiled a series of data for his father to review.

The Yan family has been engaged in business for several generations. The previous generations had worked hard to pave the way, hoping that future generations could have a smoother journey. Yan’s father, being deeply concerned for his son, would scold him so severely and urge him to take care of the business. However, for Yan Hao, this collaboration was not just a simple job. It would be a symbol, a process of starting anew with Zhong Qiran,  Moreover, it also involved the effort Zhong Qiran had put in, as he had been actively involved in building something from scratch.

The romance of businessmen is perhaps like this. They may not buy flowers or dine extravagantly to celebrate anniversaries, but they express their care for each other in their unique way. For example, some entrepreneurs name their companies after their children, or certain companies may have their own designated holidays. Similarly, Yan Hao, through a period of time or a process, witnessed the revival of their love.

That was the determination that Yan Hao wanted to express to his father.

In the end, Yan Hao was still the loving child raised by his father. But his father still asked, “What do you want to say?”

Yan Hao said, “You don’t have to like him just yet, but don’t join Mom in excluding him. He’s a good person, and you’ll understand in the future.”

Yan’s father chuckled and said “He hasn’t even returned to the country yet, and you’re already speaking up for him. The financial statements show that you still have a debt of 1.3 billion, but you’re getting cocky with a little achievement. The future is still long.”

“This debt will be repaid soon, it’s just a matter of time.”

Even so, Yan’s father still wanted to deflate his son’s confidence a bit. “Being overly confident is not a good thing.”

Yan Hao who rarely talked back said, “Being excessively soft is not a good thing either. You’ve been too accommodating to Mom, which is why she has become like this.”

Yan’s father thought for a moment and couldn’t find a rebuttal. He sighed and said, “What do you want to do then?”

“When he returns to the country, I want him to live with us.”

With this statement, Yan’s father understood Yan Hao’s plan for the future.  “You’ve really grown up.”