Shine on Me

I suppressed my excitement as I left the hospital.

Back in the business car, Dad raised the partition between us and the driver's cabin and asked, "Are you so eager to visit Grandpa Sheng because of that contract?"

"No," I denied outright. "I just wanted to see how Grandpa Sheng is doing."

"Tell me the truth."

Only then did I admit, "I just thought I’d mention it in passing."

"Why not come to me?"

As if I would.

I brushed it off, saying, "I don’t know what kind of interests are involved between you two. What if you outright refused and left no room for negotiation? Besides, making changes to an existing contract right after taking over would invite criticism. It’s not like I demanded it—Uncle Sheng wrongly accused me, and I only brought it up because I was angry."

Dad looked me up and down. "Aren’t you afraid Sheng Bokai will hold a grudge and make things difficult for you later?"

"To resolve this, he’ll be unhappy no matter what. Today was the most natural opportunity. As for the future, he has plenty of people to watch out for. We don’t have any core conflicts of interest with him—he wouldn’t waste his energy on us."

"How is there no conflict? That kid…" Dad reluctantly brought up.

I had no intention of telling him that "that kid" was planning to switch careers. "Then that’s his problem. We’ll deal with the future when it comes. Are we supposed to discuss long-term interests with Uncle Sheng? Of course, the present matters more."

As I spoke, Dad suddenly asked, "Did he teach you all these considerations?"

Why does everyone assume I can’t think for myself?

Irritated, I replied, "Do I need him to tell me something this simple? He doesn’t know anything about it. I’ll surprise him once it’s done."

Dad suddenly laughed, leaving me baffled.

"Whether it’s big or small, the principles of handling business are the same—seizing the right moment and dealing with people accordingly. My daughter figured it out without being taught. Must be my genes."

"...If anything, it’s Mom’s genes. Nothing to do with you."

Unfazed by my words, Dad was lost in his own thoughts. "Sheng Bokai will probably be upset for a while, but if his own son is useless, he can’t blame others. How do you plan to handle the contract?"

"Since Grandpa Sheng already knows, we won’t need litigation to terminate it. As for what comes next…" I pondered seriously. "The initiative is in our hands, and there’s room to offer goodwill and ease tensions."

Dad grew interested. "How so?"

"Their product quality has always been reliable, and their factory is close to us, keeping transportation costs low. If they’re willing to make concessions in other areas, we can still work together. The shares were yours in the past, and digging into that wouldn’t look good. But going forward…"

How could I secure benefits for the company?

My mind raced. Negotiating a price below market value would be tough, so…

"Payment terms!" My inner finance manager, Xiao Nie, kicked in. "Push for longer payment terms. With the Sheng family’s connection, they don’t have to worry about us running off. A longer payment period can be framed as support for us young entrepreneurs. Hmm, I’ll have Legal reach out first, then either I or Lin Yusheng can step in later…"

" Sigh! "

A heavy sigh cut me off. I snapped out of my thoughts and saw Dad wearing an amused, exasperated expression."My precious daughter..." He muttered something I couldn't quite catch, "Don't go back today. I'll be in Shanghai for a couple days with some banquets to attend—you'll come with me."

My first instinct was to refuse, but then I recalled that phone call with Mom last month and found myself hesitating.

Seeing my silence, Dad said, "Don't be ungrateful now. You can't just use people and toss them aside. That's no way to do things, President Nie."

I softened a bit but still insisted, "I need to ask Mom first."

With Mom's permission, I ended up accompanying Dad to his business dinner. Most guests were his business associates, along with two renowned collectors. My presence sparked curiosity, and familiar faces teased Dad about finally bringing out his well-hidden daughter.

Dad chuckled, "She's graduated now—time to enter the real world."

Being the youngest, no one pressured me to drink, so I relaxed, eating and occasionally texting Mom and Lin Yusen while making small talk. Dad downed nearly half a pound of Maotai, growing increasingly tipsy and chummy as the night wore on. Yet the moment we returned to the business car after dinner, he sobered up instantly.

...President Nie's acting skills are impressive.

Dad asked where I lived to drop me off. I gave my address and politely inquired where he was staying. He scowled, "A hotel. Your mother took all the Shanghai properties."

...Well played!

That's my mom for you!

As soon as we reached my neighborhood, I hopped out without inviting him in. Dad clearly looked disappointed but ultimately said nothing.

The car drove away.

I checked the time—almost 10 PM. What would I usually be doing now?

Maybe having late-night snacks, watching a movie, or working overtime at the office...

But definitely with Lin Yusen.

How strange. Even though we'd just spoken this afternoon, I missed him terribly now.

Maybe I shouldn't have refused his offer to fly back. After all, he only needs four or five hours of sleep—taking an early flight back to Chengdu tomorrow would've been perfectly reasonable...

This inconsiderate thought popped up, then inexplicably morphed into—what if I flew to Chengdu instead?

The idea startled me. I shook my head vigorously, trying to dislodge it, but it stubbornly took root, making my heartbeat quicken.

Reasons started tumbling out uncontrollably:

Didn't he ask me to think about May Day travel plans?

Chengdu has great food, fun sights, and pandas—isn't it the perfect holiday destination?

Plus, he's there negotiating production line deals—I could observe and learn.

The more I thought, the more sense it made. I even felt ready to board a plane right now.

Calm down.

I still have that D University collaboration meeting tomorrow, and there are probably no flights left tonight.

While rationally reasoning with myself, I walked faster. Back home, I immediately opened my laptop to check flights—thankfully, I'd brought it for work.

Shanghai → Chengdu.It was around May Day, and almost all flights were nearly sold out. The 1 PM flight tomorrow only had three tickets left. I had only intended to check the availability, but seeing how tight the tickets were, I went ahead and bought one.

Well…

Since it’s already bought…

Might as well pack my luggage too?

So I started packing again. In the middle of it, Lin Yusen called, but I brushed him off with a few words, afraid I might slip up.

After all that, I ended up waking up late the next day. I quickly freshened up, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and dashed out the door.

Only when I was in the elevator did I have time to reply to Lin Yusen’s good morning text.

“Overslept, might be late. Good thing the big boss isn’t around.”

The big boss replied instantly: “Even if the boss were here, he wouldn’t dare do anything to Xiao Nie.”

Liar. You totally would.

Some strange images involuntarily popped into my head…

Stop, stop. It’s too early for this.

Even though no one could see me, I quickly composed myself and sent him a follow-up text to confirm: “You said you’re coming back tomorrow, right? What time?”

“Flight at 11 AM.”

Good. That way, we wouldn’t end up in the tragic scenario where I flew to Chengdu while he returned to Shanghai. But what if it did happen?

I thought about it for a second and concluded—of course, he’d have to fly right back to Chengdu.

Director Lin could afford the hassle, but Xiao Nie wasn’t about to make a wasted trip.

The elevator doors opened. Having just indulged in a little mental theatrics, I held my phone and breezed through the lobby, humming as I skipped down the steps—only to freeze mid-step when I accidentally caught sight of someone at the bottom.

That person seemed to have noticed me long ago, his gaze locking directly onto mine.

After a moment, he said flatly, “No need to be so surprised. I live here—didn’t Jiang Rui tell you?”

There was nothing to say, so I gave him a brief nod and walked past him.

“Not curious why I ended up renting here?”

My steps slowed involuntarily.

“Because it’s too expensive,” came his light, drifting voice from behind. “That feeling of being so close yet out of reach keeps me painfully aware. It’s a constant reminder that if I don’t give it my all, I’ll forever endure this kind of suffering.”