Literary Master 1983

Chapter 394 You're just in time

Chen Xiaoxu is much more famous now than before! She played a major role in the TV series adaptation of Ba Jin's novel "Family Spring and Autumn", and is already a big star.

Now, however, he has to run around for Zhang Li, who is pregnant, to set up this foundation. Zhang Li feels particularly apologetic: "We agreed that I would do the business and you would pursue your dreams... but now I always have to ask you for help. Xiao Xu, I can't live without you."

Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li are like sisters. Upon hearing this, she immediately hugged her and said, "Your child is also my child. Our relationship will never change!"

Zhang Li then let Chen Xiaoxu handle the work.

She then discovered that Chen Xiaoxu actually had a great talent for business.

Chen Xiaoxu is usually an impatient person who loves to play pranks. But when it comes to getting things done, she's the complete opposite—decisive yet gentle, and especially skilled at remembering. Organizing a foundation involves encountering many people at every stage, and Chen Xiaoxu is able to remember them all.

Next time he comes, Chen Xiaoxu can still greet those people.

The Yuqie Foundation, tentatively named the Yuqie Foundation, focuses on providing subsidies to impoverished students in higher education. Since there are currently no relevant regulations, the Yuqie Foundation and the Children's Foundation have a cooperative relationship.

On the surface, the Yuqie Foundation is a private foundation that operates independently, affiliated with the Children and Teenagers' Foundation.

The 6,000 yuan royalties Yu Qie had just received became the foundation's initial capital. Coincidentally, his prize money from the Formentor Award also arrived, all converted into RMB. Yu Qie deposited it all into his personal foundation's account, making it a foundation with assets of 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.

In the 1980s, this was definitely not small.

When Mr. Mao Dun donated all of his royalties from his lifetime to establish a literary prize, it amounted to only 150,000 yuan. The Yuqie Foundation has made an excellent start.

“Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands… ten thousand! More than three hundred and seventy thousand!” Chen Xiaoxu counted the numbers in his bank account, his heart filled with shock.

So much money, it's really up to the two of us to keep an eye on it!
Because it is a personal foundation, there are no shareholders, only a president and a vice president, Zhang Li and Chen Xiaoxu respectively.

Yu Qie is the founder of the Yu Qie Foundation, but apart from donating that sum of money, he hardly participates in the day-to-day management.

They actually control this money.

They could pay themselves salaries and decide on their own investment projects. Zhang Li took the lead by accepting zero yuan, not wanting a single penny, but she paid Chen Xiaoxu a monthly salary of 120 yuan, equivalent to the salary of a university professor in Beijing at that time.

During this period, Chen Xiaoxu was actually running around a lot, which was very tiring.

Chen Xiaoxu refused.

One day in mid-October, Yu Qie drove to the Broadcasting Institute to pick up Zhang Li. On that day, the "Yu Qie Foundation" was officially established, taking less than a week in total.

Yu Qie said with great enthusiasm, "Our foundation has its own articles of association, verification certificates, and its own board of directors—just the three of us. We've also communicated with leaders in Beijing and the senior officials of the Children's Foundation four or five times. We have office space and accounts."

"It was processed in just one week!"

“Zhang Li, you really are a little genius. You’re so suited for business! After the baby is born, if you still want to do business, I’ll sponsor you some money. Go ahead and do it. Don’t worry if you lose money, just come to me for help.”

Yu Qie remembers: Zhang Li was originally a successful real estate businessman.

Building a house to sell involves countless procedures, both domestically and internationally. It's said that there are up to 290 procedures involved!
In a few years, Mr. Wang from Dalian will be founding Wanda! When he started his business, he was driven almost crazy by the procedures – no stamp was ever used in vain, he had to eat and drink, build relationships, and he couldn't leave empty-handed... Over time, it almost ruined Mr. Wang's health.

But Yu Qie's foundation was set up so quickly.

To be honest, if Yu Qie hadn't transmigrated, he would have suspected that Zhang Li and Chen Xiaoxu had also transmigrated.

Upon hearing Yu Qie's words, Zhang Li did not take credit, but instead said, "Actually, it was Xiao Xu who did it."

"She did it?"

Zhang Li nodded and repeated, "She handled it; I just left it to her."

Yu Qie didn't find it strange at all! Chen Xiaoxu originally ran an advertising company and worked as a film and television producer. This industry is also very troublesome and requires a very shrewd and adaptable person.

"That shows Chen Xiaoxu is good at business, and she's smart too. Didn't you two get the exact same intelligence score on your intelligence tests?"

He does not mean that.

After Zhang Li returned home, she kept thinking about these words in her heart.

She used to take it for granted that she would go into business and Chen Xiaoxu would go into acting. Perhaps Chen Xiaoxu could also do some business, but it couldn't be bigger than Zhang Li's, and preferably not related to media, because there had to be a hierarchy between them.

Now Zhang Li feels that she is quite selfish: Chen Xiaoxu is also very capable.

She had no business background, but she was naturally good at dealing with people.

Think about it, Chen Xiaoxu was the one who guided me when I was learning English and business. Now that Chen Xiaoxu has given up on all of that, doesn't she have any resentment?
Zhang Li tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The Yuqie Foundation is now affiliated with the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation. Not long after, Zhang Li and Chen Xiaoxu came to the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation again and happened to run into Mr. Kang, the honorary chairman of the foundation.

Old Kang had worked on the women's liberation front for a long time and was a veteran revolutionary. She had already recognized the two of them by now and said with a smile, "Welcome, welcome! Two big stars have arrived!"

“In June of this year, I was reading ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ at home when you two came out. My family kept saying, ‘It’s not as good as the book, it’s not as good as the book!’ I found it so annoying! I liked you two at first sight.”

"Fortunately, after a few episodes of the drama aired, the audience changed their opinions and started to think that you were a good fit. Now they've become your fans. Actually, I've been a fan of your drama for a long time."

Old Kang pulled the two women inside and inquired about their recent situation. He also asked them to give his regards to Yu Qie, hoping that Yu Qie could create more novels before the New Year.

“Zhang Li, now that you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be traveling so much. You have to go to school and run the foundation; I think you have too many things to do. And what about Yu Qie? Does he really let his wife work so hard?”

Zhang Li said, "After Brother Yu became a professor, he became extremely busy. He rarely had time during the day. He also often entertained friends, and they would chat until dawn."

Chen Xiaoxu added, "Many writers love to smoke. They can resist for a moment or two, but they definitely can't resist for a whole night! Brother Yu... Yu Qie! He was afraid of disturbing Zhang Li, so he recently stayed near Yenching University and only came back on weekends."

After saying this, Chen Xiaoxu's face turned bright red.

Old Kang remained calm, merely glancing at Chen Xiaoxu and giving him a smile.

Chen Xiaoxu suddenly realized: Old Kang must have known about the relationship between the two for a long time, but he didn't say anything.

Old Kang asked, "What brings you two here? What difficulties are you facing that we can work together to resolve?"

Zhang Li said, "We're a lone commander with no one under our command. We're here to recruit new members."

"You mean, recruiting new members through UNICEF?"

The Yuqie Foundation is still affiliated with the Children's Foundation, so how could it poach other people's staff?
Zhang Li waved her hands repeatedly: "We just want to advertise with the Children and Teenagers' Foundation to see if there are any other people willing to work for charity and join us. We have no intention of poaching anyone."

Old Kang laughed and said, "I'm not blaming you! I'm just worried that you'll be discouraged. I'm reminding you that almost all the staff at the Children and Teenagers' Foundation are on the payroll. You can't poach them even if you offer them several times the salary."

"Of course we know that!"

Chen Xiaoxu said, "Mr. Kang, we just wanted to advertise. There are always some people who have left the Children and Teenagers Foundation for various reasons, or who did not successfully join the Foundation, right? If they are still interested in charity, they can come and give us a try."

"That's fine then!"

The ad was up all day, but no one applied. This won't do!
How can we do charity if there's no one else?

The task Yu Qie entrusted to them, could it be that the two of them together couldn't handle it well?

Yu Qie thought it was amazing that the two of them could even register, but they felt that they were completely incapable of doing anything! Brother Yu had already transferred the money to their account, only asking them to set up a stall, but they hadn't been able to get it up and running for a long time.

At this time, Zhang Li was experiencing the most severe morning sickness during her pregnancy. One day, on her way home from school, she suddenly vomited in the car. Even after arriving home, she still felt quite unwell.

She dared not send her child to the hospital! Zhang Li was afraid that her child would be born with congenital diseases, so during her pregnancy, she refused to take even a single pill, not even traditional Chinese medicine.

She used to love oily and spicy food, but now she doesn't eat it anymore, and the whole family eats light meals.

Yu Qie was making brown sugar water for Zhang Li, but he was clumsy and forgot to use a pot of hot water to make it... In the end, Chen Xiaoxu came to help him make it.

Yu Qie brought in some brown sugar water, and Zhang Li smiled as soon as she saw it:

"Brother Yu, you've worked hard."

Chen Xiaoxu said, "He really worked hard. He's never done these things before. Our Brother Yu is a bit slow."

Yu Qie could only manage an awkward laugh.

She was openly criticizing Yu Qie, but in reality, she was adding to Yu Qie's glory.

Zhang Li understood, of course. She asked, "Who made the brown sugar water?"

“I’ll cut it off,” Chen Xiaoxu said.

Zhang Li blinked and didn't say anything more.

After staying there for a while, Yu Qie chatted with Chen Xiaoxu after they came out. Yu Qie then learned that the two of them had been busy with various things during this period, planning to get everything done in a week or two.

Yu Qie slapped his forehead: "I was just thinking of registering before the New Year, I didn't expect you guys to be recruiting! You guys shouldn't pay attention to this anymore, we can't touch it again."

Chen Xiaoxu said with a mix of helplessness and defense, "This is ultimately your business... You are the head of the family, how can we not do what you instructed us to do?"

Yu Qie didn't know how to comfort Chen Xiaoxu, so he just hugged her and said, "Xiaoxu, you've worked so hard!"

Chen Xiaoxu pretended to struggle a few times, then closed her eyes and remained quiet for a while.

Although Yu Qie and Chen Xiaoxu had talked things out, something was still strange. Despite having done everything together, Chen Xiaoxu was neither as inseparable from him as Zhang Li was, nor did she bicker with him like before.

The foundation, however, has become a resounding success for Chen Xiaoxu, and unexpectedly, she found her place in the industry.

Then Chen Xiaoxu suddenly broke free and pushed Yu Qie, saying, "Zhang Li has also worked very hard. Go and keep her company."

"Okay! I'll do as you say."

Yu Qie hadn't been in the room long when he started yelling and begging Chen Xiaoxu to come in.

All that was seen was Yu Qiedao:

"To commemorate this day, I think we should name the child. He is a child born for charity. I don't ask him to bring great honor to the family. I'll be satisfied if he can be a good rich man and a good second-generation rich kid, help some people, and avoid bad habits."

"I've done the math, and he must have been born in 1988, a member of the post-80s generation! His mother is an actress, his father is a writer, and they have more money than they can spend! His life is what I, his father, could only dream of. I really envy him!"

Yu Qie shouted loudly.

Rich man? Spoiled brat?
Chen Xiaoxu couldn't help but laugh: You're the only one in the world who can look forward to your son like this.

But being a rich kid is fine too; you can eat, drink, and have fun your whole life, as long as you don't hurt anyone. Yu Qie's child, he must have some talent, right?

Only Zhang Li didn't smile. Clearly, she still didn't want her child to be just a spoiled brat.

"What name should we give it?" Yu Qie muttered to himself.

Before they could speak, Yu Qie added, "The name should be a son's name, have a good omen, and preferably be related to charity."

"Yuji? Chonghan? Jinchong... not good enough. They seem like military leaders from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. They're too kind! It's almost sinister!"

Soon, Yu Qie fell into deep thought.

Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li held their breath, eagerly anticipating what name Yu Qie would come up with.

Finally, Yu Qie suddenly raised his head and said in an unyielding tone, "Let's name him Houqi. Hou means kind, and Qi means wise. This child is a kind and intelligent person, and that's my expectation. What do you think?"

This was, after all, Yu Qie's first son, and Yu Qie was the one who made the decisions in the Yu family, including his name. The two women were even more excited than Yu Qie: "Great! Let's call him Houqi! Yu Houqi!"

After that, the Yu family paid no attention to the foundation's recruitment. Zhang Li was kept under strict surveillance by Yu Qie and could only move between the school, the hospital, and home. Chen Xiaoxu would sometimes go to Jianguomen East Road to take a look, but she felt that the recruitment advertisement was poorly placed.

Why don't you hang it somewhere else? Hang it here at the UNICEF.

The job postings are either from people at the Children and Children's Foundation or related to them. When people hear that there's a job without a permanent position, and that everything is inferior to what the Foundation offers except for a slightly higher salary... everyone values ​​face and a permanent position, so who would take it?

But she felt that since she wasn't the "official president," she couldn't make any decisions.

It wasn't until late October, the day before Yu Qie was to leave the country, that things started to move. Three people came to register that day, all women, one of whom was actually a staff member of the Children and Teenagers' Foundation. Chen Xiaoxu collected the registration forms and happily hurried home.

Yu Qie is packing his things.

Large and small bags, several books, Yu Qie's own manuscripts... were all packed in the box.

Yu Qie didn't know where his clothes were; it was Zhang Li, half-lying on the bed, who directed him: "Go here!"
Where are you going!
where?
No, not there!
here!

Yes, that's right!

Upon seeing Chen Xiaoxu arrive, Zhang Li said, "Xiaoxu, you're here." Yu Qie simply raised his chin slightly, which was how he greeted her; he always did that.

"Are you leaving?" Chen Xiaoxu suddenly felt very lost.

"Yes, my flight is in the morning, and Qian Zhongshu is going with me."

"You're just leaving like this?" Chen Xiaoxu stepped forward and asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

You didn't even tell me! Did I come to the wrong place?!
It's a complete waste of my time setting up this foundation for you.

You left without even saying goodbye.

With the atmosphere set, Yu Qie put down his luggage, opened his arms, took Zhang Li's hand with one hand, and pointed to Chen Xiaoxu with the other: "You've come at the perfect time!"

(End of this chapter)