Uncle suddenly interjected, "Create a WeChat group and add your father-in-law, mother-in-law, dad, and mom. Let the elders from both families decide on a meeting date. When the time comes..."
Before Uncle could finish, Mom cut him off, "Let the kids arrange it themselves. They're adults now."
Uncle laughed, "You're right, they've grown up." Then he added, "Xiao Jiang, send me your father-in-law and mother-in-law's WeChat IDs. I'll chat with them and help you score some points."
Since Uncle had put it that way, Mom and Dad didn't echo his suggestion.
Jiang Yubai seemed thoughtful.
He ended the video call and typed a line on his keyboard: "Next Sunday at noon, Xijiao Restaurant. Let's have both families meet. Lin Zhixia's parents and brother should all be there."
Then he stood up from his seat, picked up his suit jacket, and draped it over his left arm. As he walked out of the study, he happened to run into Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia practically threw herself into his arms as if staging a fall. He instinctively held her tight, thinking to himself that she must have overheard his conversation with his parents. Yet she hadn't said or asked anything—her trust in him was self-evident.
He gently patted her back.
She asked again, "Are you going out?"
"To a meeting," he replied.
Lin Zhixia nodded, "I'll go with you. I want to head to the university."
It was Saturday, yet Lin Zhixia's work enthusiasm showed no signs of waning. Jiang Yubai couldn't help but ask, "Does Professor Lin work on Saturdays too?"
Professor Lin's tone was matter-of-fact, "Did I ever rest on Saturdays or Sundays during my PhD?"
Jiang Yubai was left speechless.
After having breakfast at home, they took the elevator directly to the underground parking garage. The array of luxury cars once again dazzled Lin Zhixia, and she revealed, "I want to learn how to drive. I've signed up for a driving school course."
Jiang Yubai casually remarked, "You'll definitely learn quickly."
"Not necessarily," Lin Zhixia said quite modestly, "Maybe I have no talent for driving."
Jiang Yubai offered no comment.
Lin Zhixia leaned closer to him, "If I can't learn, could Teacher Jiang teach me?"
Jiang Yubai stopped walking.
Lin Zhixia called him again, "Teacher Jiang?"
Jiang Yubai's gaze dropped to her left hand—she wasn't wearing her engagement ring because it was too flashy and didn't match her consistently low-key lifestyle. However, she was wearing the celestial sphere ring he had given her on her ring finger. Noticing his gaze, she immediately hid her left hand behind her back.
Jiang Yubai found every move and word of hers utterly adorable. He said, "Teacher Jiang will schedule lessons for you this weekend."
And so, Jiang Yubai was promoted from swimming coach to driving instructor.
Around 9 a.m., Jiang Yubai personally drove Lin Zhixia to the university gate.
Before getting out of the car, Lin Zhixia kissed him on the cheek, "See you tomorrow."
Holding the steering wheel, he responded, "See you tomorrow."
Watching Lin Zhixia's retreating figure, he remembered how during her undergraduate years, he would often wait outside her school for her to finish classes—that was four or five years ago. Time really flies.
On the broad road, vehicles streamed back and forth. Jiang Yubai changed lanes and headed straight for the company. He arrived at the conference room ten minutes early and saw Chai Yang as soon as he entered.This was a small conference room that could accommodate at most seven people. A round table stood in the center of the room, with no designated main or secondary seats—it was said that a "round-table meeting" represented an equal mode of dialogue. Chai Yang sat in a chair directly facing the door.
He raised his hand in greeting. "You're here? I just arrived."
Jiang Yubai asked him, "Where are the others?"
Chai Yang quickly stood up. "Let me explain first..."
In Chai Yang's team, there were only seven core members. Jiang Yubai had sent emails to four of them but had not informed Chai Yang. Clearly, at least one of those four had leaked the news of Jiang Yubai's secret meeting to Chai Yang.
Chai Yang's attitude was polite. "Over these five years of working with you, I've had many reflections. Thank heavens Jiangke Software has grown. In the first year of our startup, I scrimped and saved to upgrade servers, couldn't bring myself to spend five hundred yuan on rent, ate instant noodles during the day, and slept on the floor at night..."
Jiang Yubai joked with him, "That part would fit nicely in a resignation statement."
Chai Yang spoke as if chatting with a friend, his tone relaxed. "If you say so, I'll add it to my resignation statement."
Jiang Yubai got straight to the point. "You've endured many hardships for this company, and the brand is tied to your name. Why are you still resigning and taking the team with you?"
Jiang Yubai never took a seat.
Standing before Chai Yang, he exerted a subtle pressure—one that stirred irritation in Chai Yang. Chai Yang's words came faster. "I proposed a plan to you: Jiangke Software is just a subsidiary. For long-term considerations, you should spin it off for a separate listing... Also, technically speaking, I have several undergraduate classmates in Silicon Valley and a few in London. They're doing well in both technology and management. They connected me with a Chinese team from a tech startup in Silicon Valley. This group is willing to return to China and can handle R&D to ease the online burden on our products."
Jiang Yubai didn't respond. He pulled out a chair and finally sat down, close to Chai Yang.
Chai Yang said, "I submitted two proposals to you, and you rejected both. I'm not trying to blame you for anything..."
He coughed, hesitating to continue.
Jiang Yubai encouraged him, "If you have something to say, just say it. It's rare for us to have a chance to talk alone."
While Chai Yang was still hesitating, Jiang Yubai unexpectedly belittled himself. "I don't come from a technical background, never learned programming, and lack strategic vision. There's a lot I simply don't understand. I can only rely on others' PowerPoint presentations—whatever the slides show, that's what I think the product is like..."
Chai Yang's expression shifted slightly.
In the early years, Chai Yang had sacrificed regular meals and sleep for the startup, developing stomach problems from the strain. Whenever he felt tense, his stomach would ache—like now, when his discomfort was intense.
Everything Jiang Yubai had just said were actually Chai Yang's own words.
One night, Chai Yang had gathered with friends from his team for a drinking session. Everyone had a great time and drank heavily, with Chai Yang ending up completely drunk. At one point, someone asked Chai Yang about Jiang Yubai's leadership skills.
Chai Yang had vented his frustrations.
He never imagined Jiang Yubai would find out."That was something I posted last year," Chai Yang quickly explained, "it has nothing to do with this year's matters."
"I also found out about it last year," Jiang Yubai responded.
As Chai Yang reflected on Jiang Yubai's attitude toward him throughout the entire year, he realized he couldn't find a single fault. He had to admit that despite his youth, Jiang Yubai was already a remarkably tolerant leader. However, the management and operational model of Jiangke Software had long exhausted Chai Yang both mentally and physically. All Chai Yang wanted now was to part ways with Jiang Yubai on good terms.
Chai Yang took out an agreement and placed it before Jiang Yubai. He said, "Jiangke Software is like a child I've raised with my own hands. I won't waste words - President Jiang, please review the agreement. If there's anything you're unsatisfied with, we can revise it."
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