Rebirth of the Rich Second Generation's Growth Diary

Chapter 175 Tang Qiaoning's Thoughts
By the end of the month, the summer heat finally subsided. Tsinghua and Peking Universities experienced three consecutive heavy rains, each followed by a significant drop in temperature. Before long, the students on campus had all donned thicker clothing.

Autumn has arrived once again.

More than half a month has passed since the final of the entrepreneurship competition. Li Xu hasn't been idle during this time. Although he's still a university student, his status is now different from before.

To many, Li Xu's entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of legendary. A college graduate starting his first business and becoming a billionaire—the combination of these keywords creates a truly astonishing impression.

Of course, some people also found out that Li Xu's family background was not bad, so naturally there were some rumors that said: "Oh, that Li Xu from the School of Management, I know him. He is a rich second generation. I don't know how much his family helped him in starting his business. There are very few people who can truly rise from humble beginnings. Obviously, Li Xu is not one of them."

Such comments naturally exist. Of course, no one would dare say such things to Li Xu's face offline, so they would circulate online.

One day, Xia Xiaohe brought up this matter when she went shopping with Li Xu. Xia Xiaohe said with great dissatisfaction, "I had an argument with them online. I said they didn't understand this project at all. Actually, your family didn't participate much. It was entirely your own ability."

Li Xu smiled and said nonchalantly, "There's no need to pay attention to these comments."

Xia Xiaohe shook her head: "Never mind, I just don't want to hear things like that, it makes me unhappy."

Li Xu could only remain speechless; Xia Xiaohe would still occasionally display her uniquely domineering side.

With no sales business to conduct for the time being, Xia Xiaohe found herself with some free time. However, she felt a little embarrassed to be paid by Li Xu, so whenever she had free time, she would go to the company to help out with some tasks.

Recently, Xia Xiaohe and her family's house has been almost completely renovated. When the two of them take walks together, Xia Xiaohe will show Li Xu photos of the new house using her old Xiaomi phone from a few years ago.

As it was a self-built house in the countryside, and there weren't many people in the family, it naturally didn't need to be too big or luxurious. Li Xu looked at it and saw that it was just a two-story bungalow built from the original mud-brick and tile house, using brick and concrete building materials. The biggest difference was that the house was much brighter.

Xia Xiaohe said to Li Xu, "After the house was renovated, there are several more rooms, more than we can possibly live in. Next time you come to Xiyang Township, you can stay at home and there will be a room available. Also, there are more bathrooms now. Dad renovated the drainage system, so there are bathrooms upstairs and downstairs."

Xia Xiaohe kept rambling on about the changes to her house, and Li Xu listened patiently, nodding from time to time.

This scene made Xia Xiaohe feel happy.

In fact, she would later recall the scene when she told Li Xu about it.

She lived in her rural home for over a decade. From a very young age, she longed for a bright room with whitewashed walls and a living room with tiled floors—how wonderful that would be!

Now that her dream had come true, she couldn't wait to share it with others. But she also knew that her insignificant happiness might not mean much to Li Xu. Even so, when sharing it with Li Xu, Xia Xiaohe never thought there was anything wrong with it.

After the entrepreneurship competition ends, things actually get busier. Getting funding requires going through a series of complex processes, especially since the investor is the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which makes the approval procedures even more stringent.

However, the advantages are also obvious. In terms of the company's operation, state-owned enterprises are not like private enterprises, which like to interfere and have a lot of messy interference.

Li Xu chose to let state-owned assets take the lead because the data involved in their project came from students at the country's top universities, and this data absolutely could not be stolen by foreign forces.

In addition, as institutions closely linked to the state, universities should rightfully benefit from the government's involvement in this smart campus solution. With the government's backing, they can obtain policy approvals in many areas, making implementation much simpler.

The previous location naturally needed to be adjusted. As a startup, being in the startup incubation park of Tsinghua and Peking Universities was acceptable, but now, in terms of both asset size and management, it needs to develop further in a more professional direction. Therefore, the most urgent task is to change the office location of Sunrise Technology.

This matter is naturally not just Li Xu's problem. Every member of the team treats the company as their own home, and they all look forward to having a real office space that belongs to them.

While searching for a suitable location for the company, Li Xu noticed that Tang Qiaoning had become somewhat absent-minded these past few days. Normally, she would be extremely attentive to such matters, so Li Xu could easily tell that Tang Qiaoning was preoccupied with something.

One afternoon at a meeting, An Duoduo presented a plan for the company's expansion. After all, the next step was to secure funding, which would require further upgrades to both the company's system architecture and its hardware and software. Especially important was promoting the smart campus construction plan nationwide. Even with the support of state-owned capital, which would make negotiations much easier, subsequent construction, both in terms of personnel and products, would still require further expansion.

An Duoduo wasn't particularly good at this kind of thing, but through intensive study and working late into the night, she managed to come up with a preliminary plan. An Duoduo said, "In the future, we definitely can't just simply divide functions like we do now; we need to form different departments, each with its own responsibilities. I've divided the responsibilities of this plan into several major departments: Human Resources, Finance, Projects, Marketing, and Technology. Take a look, does anyone have any different opinions?"

Li Xu said to An Duoduo, "Thank you for your hard work. Everyone, please take a good look."

While reviewing the documents, Li Xu discovered many shortcomings, including flaws in the division of responsibilities and salary allocation. Human Resources, in particular, is a core department of the company, yet no one is currently qualified, and the project team lacks a suitable development plan. Fortunately, the funding hasn't arrived yet, so there's no rush; recruitment should be prioritized.

While Li Xu was browsing, he noticed that Tang Qiaoning was still in a daze. So he casually asked, "Xiaohe, Qiaoning, are you two okay with working in the marketing department for now, specifically in charge of solution sales?"

Xia Xiaohe smiled shyly and said, "I don't have any marketing work during this period, but I can do other work. It's okay, just let me know if there's anything else."

Tang Qiaoning was still in a daze. Everyone quieted down, and only then did they notice Tang Qiaoning.

Tang Qiaoning also snapped back to her senses in the next moment and quickly said, "I, I'm fine with anything."

Ultimately, the company's departmental divisions and the formulation of new systems are all extremely serious matters. Naturally, this meeting at this time cannot change anything immediately.

Anyone who has run a business knows that a plan cannot be finalized without multiple discussions and revisions. After the meeting, everyone took a copy home.

However, there was one thing everyone agreed on: the company was indeed short-staffed. Not only did it need to recruit senior executives, but it also needed to expand its staff according to demand.

Although Li Xu isn't someone who procrastinates, he hasn't yet figured out where to start with this matter. His plan is to find an opportunity to talk to his father about it when he gets back.

Let's leave it at that for now.

As the meeting was ending, Tang Qiaoning suddenly called out to him.

Li Xu turned his head, and Tang Qiaoning's face still held the same preoccupied expression as before. She gently bit her rosy lips and looked at Li Xu, saying, "Li Xu, are you free later?"

Li Xu blinked, his gaze sweeping intently over Tang Qiaoning's face. After a moment, he smiled and said, "I'm free."

Tang Qiaoning nodded, a smile instantly spreading across her face. She knew that even if Li Xu was busy, he would say he was free when she was preoccupied.

In autumn, Tsinghua and Peking Universities become very beautiful, with fallen leaves fluttering and swirling on the ground. Autumn is a colorful season, but its colors are different from the charm of spring; instead, they carry more poetry. Yellow and red fallen leaves and black asphalt roads form the initial background of this scene.

Li Xu stepped onto a withered yellow leaf, then looked down at it, silently following Tang Qiaoning beside him. They had been walking aimlessly for over ten minutes. Ahead lay the lakeside where Li Xu often strolled with An Duoduo, and Li Xu suddenly stopped.

Still in a daze, Tang Qiaoning didn't react and bumped into Li Xu. Tang Qiaoning blinked, somewhat bewildered.

Li Xu looked left and right, then pointed to the pavilion next door and said, "Let's go sit there for a while."

After the two sat down, Tang Qiaoning sighed from time to time.

Li Xu looked at Tang Qiaoning and found it somewhat amusing, so he said, "Tell me, how can I help you?"

Tang Qiaoning glanced at Li Xu, then lowered her head again, sighed, and said, "You probably can't help me, but I really can't think of anyone else to confide in about this."

Li Xu blinked and said slowly, "No rush, we have plenty of time. Think it over carefully, and tell me when you've made up your mind."

For a moment, Tang Qiaoning felt an inexplicable urge to cry. She pouted and looked at Li Xu, saying, "My mom is coming back."

Li Xu paused for a moment, then simply nodded and said, "Mm."

“My mother has always lived abroad, and for a long time, I lived with her.”

"My mom is very beautiful, really. You'll know if you meet her. I'm already a rare beauty, but she's even more beautiful than me. And many of her beautiful clothes are handmade by herself."

"Back then, my mom could turn curtains into fairy dresses. During parent-teacher meetings, the head of discipline would stare at her hand-drawn cherry blossom skirt for a long time... It's worth mentioning that our head of discipline wasn't the kind of head of discipline that many people in China think of as someone who doesn't care about anything. I remember that the high school I attended back then was very strict. Sometimes I felt that the America that others understood and the America I lived in were not the same country."

“In winter, she would hold me in her arms as we memorized vocabulary in the drafty apartment. Suddenly, she would slam the dictionary onto the radiator and say, ‘Let’s roast some marshmallows.’ As a result, the melted syrup dripped into my hot cocoa. She called this ‘Immigrant Special.’”

“Last week in the video she was showing off her new earrings, and I could tell at a glance that they were made from my lost school badge from when I was a child. This is called recycling aesthetics. She also ground the bottom of a broken ceramic cup into a pendant, and the cracks looked like glowing spider webs under the light.”

"Last year she forcibly took my ripped jeans to mend them, and ended up embroidering two cats looking at each other on the knee. She wore those jeans, and now every time I squat down, the tail of that gray cat gets right on my scar... The stitches are super neat."

"Actually, she looks beautiful when she cries. The day she received the news that her grandfather was critically ill, she held back her tears until she finished sewing the corsage for my graduation party. There are still two hardened tear stains inside that satin rose, like fossilized dewdrops hidden in the petals."

Tang Qiaoning became more and more engrossed in her story, rambling on and on about her mother. Li Xu remained silent, only nodding occasionally in agreement, and brushing away the fallen leaves that drifted down from her clothes and hat.

At this point, Tang Qiaoning suddenly clenched her fist, and a tear fell onto the back of her hand.

Li Xu sighed softly.

Li Xu, always a good listener, had probably already pieced together the whole story in his mind. It might sound a bit cliché… but it's basically about Tang's father, a wealthy man, finding a new lover for one reason or another, and the two getting a divorce, right?

Li Xu patted Tang Qiaoning on the shoulder and said, "I think I understand. You should try to forgive her."

Tang Qiaoning was stunned for a moment, and looked at Li Xu with some surprise, saying, "You...you guessed it?"

Li Xu nodded and said softly, "It's not something that's hard to guess."

Tang Qiaoning lowered her head deeply and said, "But how can I forgive her?"

Li Xu said earnestly, "We children should also respect our parents' right to pursue happiness."

Tang Qiaoning twitched her nose slightly and said, "Then my dad is so pitiful."

Just as Li Xu was about to speak, he suddenly paused for a moment: "Your dad is pitiful?" Although it was a bit of a brain teaser, Li Xu quickly realized what he meant and then blinked.

Before he could speak, Tang Qiaoning gritted her teeth and said, "Although my father is a bit ugly, not romantic, and has a bad temper, he has indeed not given my mother the emotional value she wants over the years, but she can't, she can't find someone like that."

Li Xu coughed and silently apologized in his heart: "Uncle Tang, I misunderstood you."

Tang Qiaoning wiped away her tears and said, "My mother came back to China this time to divorce my father. She's arriving in the capital tomorrow and wants to bring her boyfriend to meet me. I...I..." Tang Qiaoning's hands trembled slightly. She looked up at Li Xu, her nose twitched, and tears fell again. She asked in a sobbing voice, "What should I do?"

Li Xu didn't answer. He took out a tissue from his pocket, thought for a moment, and then wiped away Tang Qiaoning's tears. Afterward, he asked, "What are you thinking?"

Tang Qiaoning said, "I don't know if I should go see my mom, and I'm afraid I'll argue with her boyfriend." Then Tang Qiaoning looked at Li Xu and said, "Why don't you... you come with me, please."

Li Xu remained silent for a while. After thinking seriously for a moment, he asked, "What kind of effect do you hope to achieve?"

Tang Qiaoning shook her head: "I don't know either."

Li Xu sighed again. Logically speaking, this kind of thing is a family matter, and outsiders have no reason to interfere.

Just then, Tang Qiaoning suddenly grabbed his hands. Li Xu was taken aback. When he looked up, he saw Tang Qiaoning's two big, watery eyes staring at him helplessly.

Li Xu gently patted Tang Qiaoning's hand with his other free hand, pulling it away from her tight grip. Then he stood up, paused for a moment, and said, "How about this, I'll go with you to see your mother, but we need a reason, otherwise it'll be too strange for an outsider like me to get involved in your family's affairs."

Tang Qiaoning blinked and asked, "What pretext?"

Li Xu said in a serious tone, "Let's pretend to be boyfriends."

Tang Qiaoning's eyes widened.

Li Xu remained calm and said, "Let me take a look at what kind of person your mother's boyfriend is." After a pause, Li Xu said seriously, "But we also need to prepare for the worst." He looked into Tang Qiaoning's eyes and said earnestly, "If your mother really finds love, I think you, as her daughter, can only comfort your father."

(End of this chapter)