1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 224 Four years later, I can't wait to see you.
2004, October.

Gu Bin has achieved great success in his career. The Galaxy Curiosity Hunter Series 6 was successfully launched, his company went public, and his net worth exceeded 100 million yuan.

Little Rui Rui is 8 years old now, has started elementary school, and has grown into a smart and lively young boy.

After repeating a year of high school, Chen Xiaoyi is now entering his senior year and will soon face a major life choice.

He never forgot his dream of developing games. During his three years of high school, he secretly practiced drawing without telling his family, hoping to get into an art school and study game development.

Chen Xiulan had high hopes for her son and would never agree to him taking the entrance exam for an arts school.

In her mind, there are no good students in art schools; they are all poor students who cannot get into regular universities and therefore seek shortcuts to obtain a degree through art exams.

The mother and son disagreed, which led to a heated argument.

Chen Xiaoyi ran away from home in a fit of anger once again, taking a train to Shanghai alone. On a chilly morning, he appeared before Gu Bin and his wife.

-

It was winter break, and Lin Xiyu woke up a little late. Hearing the shrill doorbell, she muttered a couple of complaints, turned over, and wanted to continue sleeping.

"You sleep a little longer, I'll go open the door."

Gu Bin smiled indulgently, got up from the bed, and went downstairs to open the door.

A short while later, Lin Xiyu's phone rang again. It was Gu Bin calling, urging her to come downstairs quickly.

"Oh dear, you child, why didn't you say anything before running over here?"

When Lin Xiyu heard that her younger brother had arrived, she was quite startled. She rushed downstairs and saw Chen Xiaoyi looking dejected and extremely aggrieved. She couldn't help but feel both annoyed and amused.

"My mom won't let me apply to an arts school."

Chen Xiaoyi puffed out her cheeks and complained: "She's too domineering. She won't listen to my explanations at all. When I said I wanted to learn game development, she said I was neglecting my studies and that I was being led astray by her. I would talk back to her, hurt her feelings, and make her lose face in front of others."

"My mom has too much prejudice against the gaming industry."

Lin Xiyu sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Gu Bin is already worth hundreds of millions, but in her eyes he's still a good-for-nothing."

"Our mom is just being aloof."

Xu Yi knows his mother very well: "She thinks it's good to be a teacher. As long as you don't have a permanent position, the job is unstable, and no matter how much money you earn, it's all for nothing."

"I've been a teacher for four years now, and I still only make three or four thousand yuan a month. It's really stable, and I'm consistently poor."

Lin Xiyu joked, "What can you do with this little money in Shanghai? It's not even enough to support yourself. If it weren't for the summer and winter vacations that would give me more free time to spend with my family, I would have switched jobs like Wu Meng a long time ago."

"Sister Meng is doing well now."

Chen Xiaoyi looked on with envy: "She works as the finance manager in her brother-in-law's company; she must be making a lot of money."

"Mengmeng has made the right choice in this path."

Lin Xiyu agreed, and then flattered her husband: "With a boss as promising as your brother-in-law, how could you not have a good life? In her own words, counting money until your hands are sore is also a kind of trouble."

"Sister Meng is so funny."

Chen Xiaoyi joked with a smile, "I wish I had that kind of trouble too. I could count money for her every day without asking for payment."

"You should focus on getting into university first."

Lin Xiyu changed the subject, then smiled and scolded, "Even if Mom is wrong, you can't just run off to Shanghai without a word. Don't you think about how worried Grandma would be if you ran away from home?"

"I do not care."

Chen Xiaoyi stopped laughing and said defiantly, "If she doesn't agree to me going to art school, I won't go back. I'm 17 years old now, no longer a child who can be manipulated."

"Ugh."

Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly as she thought of her mother's domineering nature.

"Since you're here, let Xiaoyi stay at home for now."

Gu Bin truly deserves to be called a perfect husband; he is exceptionally tolerant of his brother-in-law.

"Brother-in-law."

Chen Xiaoyi's eyes lit up: "I want to go to the game company with you."

"Row."

Gu Bin readily agreed: "Interning at a game company for a while would be good, as it would allow you to accurately position yourself for your future career plans."

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

Chen Xiaoyi jumped up happily: "I knew my brother-in-law was the best, he would definitely support me."

"Alright, stop howling so early in the morning."

Lin Xiyu smiled and scolded, "Rui Rui and his great-grandmother haven't gotten up yet. Your shout woke them all up."

"hey-hey."

Chen Xiaoyi rubbed his nose sheepishly and fell silent.

-

After four years, Xingyao Changyou has grown from the initial 8 people to hundreds of people, with multiple leading and series products, as well as a large-scale R&D project with a research and development team of nearly 100 people.

Company veterans like Li Hao and Zhang Shan have been promoted to department executives with annual salaries of hundreds of thousands of yuan, while Wu Meng has risen from a lowly assistant holding multiple positions to the company's vice president and finance director.

Vice President Wu now exudes an air of sophistication, wearing sunglasses, driving a BMW, and living in a 170-square-meter luxury apartment. With both a car and a house, he has leaped into the ranks of Shanghai's high-income earners.

-

Good morning, Sister Meng.

Good morning, Vice President.

Early in the morning, Wu Meng arrived at the company, and the young new employees greeted her warmly.

"morning."

Wu Meng took off her sunglasses and gave everyone a gentle smile.

"Sister Meng."

Li Hao walked towards us, asking with a hint of resentment, "When will our new office building be finished? The current one is too small; the break room is already taken up, and I don't even have a place to sleep temporarily."

"almost."

Wu Meng gave him a casual, perfunctory answer, without providing a definite reply.

"Every time I ask you, you say it will be soon."

Li Hao was not satisfied with this answer and followed her into the office.

"If you want to know the specific progress, go ask Wang Fan."

Wu Meng took off her coat and gave him a helpless look: "Rushing me won't help, I'm not responsible for building the tower."

"If I could see him, would I still be asking you?"

Li Hao smiled wryly: "That guy flies all over the world. If it weren't for the fact that he's often in the newspapers or in the gossip, I wouldn't know what he's up to."

"He's expanded too much."

Wu Meng understood immediately: "If they continue to expand like this, and their cash flow dries up, they'll be in serious trouble."

Li Hao looked worried: "If something happens to him, won't it implicate us?"

"Won't."

Wu Meng was very confident: "Gu Bin had already told me that we cannot use our company's assets as collateral for him. There is no financial involvement. Even if he is a shareholder of the company, it will not affect us if something happens."

"That's good"

Reassured, Li Hao pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her desk.

"What else do you want?"

Wu Meng was puzzled when she saw him lingering there.

"are you free tomorrow?"

Li Hao rubbed his nose a few times, his expression slightly unnatural: "I have a business engagement at a cocktail party, and I need a female companion. Could you..."

"I'm busy." Wu Meng immediately rejected the idea: "Go find someone else. There are plenty of pretty girls in the customer service department. Pick any one you like."

"They are so naive."

Li Hao was unwilling to give up and continued to persuade: "You don't understand many business matters, and you'll only make people laugh when you open your mouth."

"You don't need to say anything."

Wu Meng's attitude was very firm: "I don't know anything about games, I'm only interested in financial statements, and those kinds of parties are not suitable for me."

"Fine, if you don't want to go, then forget it."

"Please close the door when you leave."

"You two have been living apart for so many years."

Li Hao felt a pang of sadness. Before leaving, he asked again, unwilling to give up, "Have you never felt lonely?"

"No."

Wu Meng's refusal was obvious; she pretended to look at the report and didn't look up at him again.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Li Hao's eyes as he opened the door and walked out.

"Ryoko."

The moment the door closed, Wu Meng turned halfway around in her chair, looked out the window through the glass, and said with anticipation in her eyes, "When are you coming to Shanghai? I can't wait to see you."

"Buzz."

The phone vibrated slightly, pulling her back to reality.

"Ryoko!"

Seeing that the caller ID showed Li Liang's number, she was overjoyed and quickly answered the call.

However, Li Liang's next words instantly plunged her into despair.

-

Chen Xiaoyi was new to Shanghai and unfamiliar with the bustling metropolis.

Gu Bin had to go out to discuss an important business deal in the morning. Lin Xiyu was worried about him going out alone, so she specially brought Xiao Rui Rui with her to the company.

Xiao Rui Rui has been here many times; everyone in the entire Xingyao Games company knows him.

Everyone knows that although he is not the president and his wife's son, they are closer to him than their own children.

Wow, the handsome young man is here again?!

"Let Auntie give me a hug and a kiss."

"Rui Rui is so cute! I wish I could have a son as cute as him."

“My daughter is 5 years old, about the same age as Rui Rui. Let’s arrange a marriage between our children and bring our son-in-law home first.”

"What are you dreaming about? Didn't you hear what Sister Meng said? She's already reserved her daughter to marry Rui Rui."

"Sister Meng doesn't have children yet, while Rui Rui is already 8 years old. It's too late to have one now, the age gap is too big."

“What’s wrong with being 8 years older? It’s good for boys to be older. They’re more stable, reliable, and ambitious. My husband is 8 years older than me, and we have a great relationship. He always gives in to me and doesn’t lose his temper easily. He’s much better than those immature 20-somethings.”

"You're an exception. Besides, we don't even know where Sister Meng's daughter is. The couple has been living apart for years. If they keep dragging it on, she'll be almost 30. Once she's past her prime childbearing age, she'll be like President Gu's wife, and it'll be hard for her to have a child."

"You can't just say things like that!"

"Who said his wife can't get pregnant? He just wants to enjoy his time as a couple and doesn't want to have children so early."

"You're kidding me. Only you would believe that."

"I've also heard that Mr. Gu often accompanies his wife to see doctors, apparently because she can't get pregnant."

"Shh, stop talking, they're coming."

-

There are many women in the customer service department, and where there are many women, there is bound to be gossip and idle chatter.

Lin Xiyu walked past the customer service department, pretending not to hear, and took her younger brother straight to the R&D department, handing the person over to the current supervisor, Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan was flattered and kept promising that he would personally teach Xiao Yi and treat him as his own apprentice.

Xiao Rui Rui was also very interested in the game. The uncle and nephew stayed in the R&D department, while Lin Xi Yu went back alone to Wu Meng's finance manager's office.

-

"Xi Yu, you've arrived."

When Wu Meng saw her, she had a long face and didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"What's wrong? What's going on?"

Lin Xiyu was a little puzzled: "Why are you so unhappy so early in the morning? Who upset you?"

Who else could it be?

Wu Meng was extremely frustrated: "Apart from Li Liang, who doesn't keep his word, no one can make me this magnanimous."

What happened to Li Liang?

Lin Xiyu carefully closed the door, not wanting outsiders to hear: "What did he do to offend you this time? Weren't you fine just a couple of days ago, talking on the phone for hours on end, having a very warm conversation?"

"He's not coming to Shanghai."

Wu Meng complained irritably, "I waited for him for so many years, and finally he graduated, but he said he wanted to stay in Jinan."

"what's up?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "Didn't you two agree on this? Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

“He said his mother had retired and his father had been transferred from the army. The family had finally reunited and didn’t want to be separated again.”

Wu Meng said with a long face, "He wants me to quit my job and go back to Jinan. He also said that his grandparents are getting old and hope to hold their great-grandchild soon. He doesn't want us to delay any longer."

"What do you think?"

Lin Xiyu pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, trying to soothe her emotions.

"My mind is a mess."

Wu Meng ruffled her hair in frustration: "You know, I earn 20,000 a month now. Even if I can find a job back in Jinan, I'll only make 2,000 or 3,000 a month at most. The difference is so huge, how am I going to pay off the loan? Just this apartment in Shanghai alone costs 5,000 a month to pay. Relying on Liangzi's salary is simply not enough."

"How about we discuss it with him again?"

Lin Xiyu tried to persuade him: "Li Liang is not an unreasonable person, he should be able to understand you."

"He can understand, but his parents might not."

Wu Meng was conflicted: "I'm afraid his family won't be happy with me and will interfere, driving a wedge between us."

"No way?"

Lin Xiyu continued to persuade, "Doesn't her grandmother like you very much?"

"His grandma does like me, that's for sure."

Wu Meng knew perfectly well: "That's because she thinks I'm a virtuous and family-oriented good wife. If I refused to go back to Jinan and didn't have children for her family, she wouldn't think that way."

"It's not your fault for not having children."

Lin Xiyu defended her friend: "You've been waiting for Li Liang all these years. They've seen all your efforts and should be grateful to you."

"What are you grateful for?"

Wu Meng gave a helpless, bitter smile: "In their eyes, isn't this all as it should be? After all, I was the one who initiated the kiss with Li Liang, so even if I have to wait a long time, I have to endure it."

"Mengmeng, you need to think this through."

Lin Xiyu analyzed it for her from a friend's perspective: "Whether you go back to Jinan or not has to be your own choice. You can't hold any resentment, otherwise it will plant a seed of hidden danger in your heart. Maybe one day, when you're not doing well, it will explode and affect your relationship."

"Ah."

Wu Meng's expression changed slightly; she took her words to heart.