Chapter 1074(END) (1/2)

Chapter 1074: The Dynamic Duo of the Fruitcase Empire and the Papa Trillionaire Chapter 1074: The Dynamic Duo of the Fruitcase Empire and the Papa Trillionaire In 2019, several executives of Fruitcase Group just left the board meeting, held in the landmark hundred-floor building in New Lane.

Soon, they were huddled around Nie Xiaoyu, asking about what just happened.

“Miss Nie, what’s gotten into the boss?

He seems cranky today…”

“Today?

He’s been cranky for a month!

Hell, he gave me one hell of a scolding over something forgettable just last week!”

“You’ve been with him the longest, Miss Dong.

Could he be having issues lately?”

“But the company’s been doing well in every front.

What’s got Mr.

Chen so upset?”

Those executives were all giants of their own specialties, but at that moment, they were all restless and apprehensive.

After all, they were profoundly fearful that there were actual issues with their work, which incurs the wrath of their boss Fruitcase Chen.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲοѵǥ0.сο

At that moment, Nie Xiaoyu adjusted her black-framed glasses and said with a slightly critical tone, “Just worry about your respective assignments.

Don’t worry about anything else.”

She used to work for Chen Hansheng as his secretary, but she was now thirty-five.

Still, she had since been promoted to board secretary of the nation’s greatest enterprise, and even her fashion tastes had grown composed and mature.

Her Chanel suit was tailored, and her heels were Yves Saint Laurent.

However, anyone with a sharper eye would notice the little badge on her lapel—a caricature of Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen.

As the saying goes: Once an otaku, always an otaku.

Still, Nie Xiaoyu was pensive after sending away the executives.

If they could notice that Chen Hansheng was behaving weirdly, she certainly could.

After all, she was one of Fruitcase Chen’s closest confidants, and one of few select individuals with clearance to take his three daughters on a joyride if she felt like it.

“If anything, Minister Chen was already acting strange since the start of 2019—he had obviously grown insecure,” Nie Xiaoyu mused to herself, inadvertently using a moniker she privately used for the man.

But what was the cause?

Business was booming for their enterprise at present, and the worse was behind them.

Fruitcase Chen was not having relationship issues either, and his three daughters—Chen Zijin, Chen Zipei and Chen Zining—were growing up healthily.

Mystified, Nie Xiaoyu whipped out her phone to tap on her Fruitchat app—a realtime chat software Fruitcase Group had introduced back in 2011.

She was going to ask Shen Youchu and Xiao Rongyu about Fruitcase Chen.

In the end, no matter how close she and Fruitcase Chen were as colleagues, those two were the women who warmed his bed.

However, she just finished the draft when she paused in hesitation, before deleting it.

A thought had struck her—what if neither of them noticed?

Wouldn’t she make them worry just by mentioning it?

Still, Nie Xiaoyu stood there pensively for a moment, before holding up her phone again and calling a number.

“Miss Zheng?

It’s Xiaoyu.

There’s something I’d like to discuss…”

Zheng Guanti, the owner of Xiaomi, was as sharp as she was smart, and a closer friend of Chen Hansheng’s as well.

They go way back, and there was a chance they might be more than friends.

***

After a while, in a certain man’s exceedingly spacious office, the smartphone on his desk started ringing.

[If you miss the train I’m on; You will know that I am gone; You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.]

Five Hundred Miles was Chen Hansheng’s favorite song before he transmigrated.

Somehow, it was 2019 again.

He allowed his phone to ring for a while, before walking over to pick it up.

The founder of Fruitshell Electronics stood, towering, his visage haughty as he stared at the caller ID.

Inhaling deeply, he spoke with his usual nonchalant tone, “Hey, Guanti.

Didn’t you just head abroad?

How do you always find time to tell me what to do?”

“Now, now.

Don’t be a stranger, Mr.

Chen!” Zheng Guanti shot back curtly from the other end, her heels clicking audibly in her wake.

She must have been heading somewhere, and called Chen Hansheng soon after Nie Xiaoyu called her.

Smiling, she said, “No work’s more important than you.

Fruitcase is the second largest shareholder in Xiaomi, so I must keep an eye on you constantly.”

In fact, Fruitcase and Xiaomi had long since built a cross-platform support, while their partnership extends across multiple fields.

Zheng Guanti is one of Fruitcase’s independent board members, and she could take over the board in a moment’s notice.

However, she was also too shrewd to just ask ‘What’s wrong with you’ directly.

She would stick to poking around, and then coming up with her own conclusions.

“Yes, we’ve always been tight,” Chen Hansheng agreed.

“You hold me in a little part of yourself, and it’s the same for me.

We must care for each other constantly.”

“Bleurgh…” Zheng Guanti retched under her breath before saying, “I’ve checked out the Fruitcase R&D facility over here at Silicon Valley.

I’m surprised you could be so subtle, just as I’m sure you have nothing else to achieve now.”

Her words left Chen Hansheng deafeningly silent for a moment, though she did not say anything else.

She stopped in her tracks, listening to him breathe for a long while…

Then, Chen Hansheng said quietly, “There’s nothing wrong with your employee management, Guanti.

It’s simply different from mine—you’re too demanding, and not everyone is perfect.

If anything, it’s the flawed employees who are easier to manage.

A beer mug without a handle is certainly harder to use.”

Zheng Guanti was actually surprised that he would suddenly discuss management styles.

Still, she patiently waited for him to finish before chuckling, “Thank you for the lesson, Mr.

Chen… But why would you suddenly mention that?

Could you be intending to have me take over management of Fruitcase?”

“Exactly!” Chen Hansheng replied, his tone ambiguous.

“Oh, forget it—there’s still a mess over here at Xiaomi,” Zheng Guanti laughed as she rejected him.

“I have a meeting soon, so I don’t have time to joke around.

Bye.”

She stood still for a while after she hung up, and suddenly turned to tell her secretary, “Put off everything on my schedule.

Arrange for a flight home right now.”

“But we still have a meeting—” The secretary began, but cut herself off halfway in fear when she saw the grim look on Miss Zheng’s face.

After all, Zheng Guanti the Wise has determined that something was wrong with Chen Hansheng.

She has nothing specific, but it can’t be good.

The conversation over the phone alone made her aware of how depressed Chen Hansheng was.

“No… I have to go back right now!” She exclaimed, suddenly noticing her hands shaking.

She wasn’t even this afraid back when her own family tried to misappropriate her fortune!

***

Chen Hansheng actually had an issue, but it was his psyche and not his career.

In his last life, he met an accident on the twentieth of July, 2019.

And it’s the eighteenth of July today.

As that fateful day loomed, Chen Hansheng remained worried that the timeline would repeat.

Or perhaps a bug would directly decide that he dies, or transmigrate him back to his original timeline.

He even invited several theoretical physicists who were famous in the country to discuss the potential scenarios.

Naturally, none of them had anything solid.

“If such things really are inevitable, dwelling on it is pointless,” Chen Hansheng sighed lengthily, before noticing that it was 4:30 pm.

“Whoops!”

Chen Hansheng rushed out of his office—school ended for his darling daughters at 5pm.

He might be a b*stard when it came to relatonships, but he was a slave to his daughters and would pick them up at school if he had the time.

Chen Zijin and Chen Zipei, both 13 this year, both studied in the middle school affiliated to Nanjing university, a prestigious school in Jianye.

Concerned that he wouldn’t make it in time, he called Xiao Rongu ahead of time.

“Sorry, Rongyu.

I was held back in the afternoon, so head over to if I couldn’t make it in time.

Don’t keep them waiting.”

“Got it,” Xiao Rongyu replied, but soon added, “They’re not kids now—they can wait a little.

You’re spoiling them too much, and it’s detrimental to their growth if you give them everything that they want.”

Her tone carried a lawyer’s composure, and yet she still retained a maiden’s sweetness.

But despite his wife’s lecturing, Chen Hansheng laughed it off as he usually did.

“Alright, I’ll be more careful next time.”

He arrived at the school gates in 40 minutes.

He still wasn’t used to being chauffeured around, or he would have got there quicker.

Xiao Rongyu was already waiting.

It was evening, and the air was scalding.

She wore a white shirt with short sleeves that bared her fair arms, knee-length jeans and a pair of platform sandals with 7cm heels.

She dropped her usual ponytail, spreading her hair over her shoulders.

Moreover, she was tall and slender, and her outfit—which accentuated her figure—made her stand out amongst the parents there to pick up their children.

Her smooth jawline remained pretty, and with her faint dimples, there was almost no sign of aging.

“Ten minutes late,” Chen Hansheng groaned as he walked up to her, checking the time.

“Where are the girls?”

“Over there,” Zheng Rongyu gestured with her bright red lips.

“They just reached the gates.”

Chen Hansheng looked up to see his two treasured daughters.

Despite being dressed in the same uniform and being almost the same height, the girls could not be more different.

Chen Zijin was obviously livelier, hopping a little as she headed towards the gates, pausing by the patio along the way to look at the flowers.

Her sweet dimples dangled just at the edge of her lips, and her bright eyes was filled with joy.

There were teachers who would wave at her, and she would return their greeting enthusiastically, her high ponytail swaying behind her head.

It was almost as if ponytails would never fade, even if inherited as a genetic trait.

Chen Zijin’s sister, Chen Zipei, was right beside her.

She walked slowly despite just as tall as her sister, and would have to jog to catch up when Chen Zijin hopped a little too quickly.

Once Chen Zijin’s stopped by the patio, she would quietly tag along, her little lips puckered, though she would be staring blankly at the ants beside the patio instead.

Curiously, the teachers would actually go out of their way to approach Chen Zipei, patting her little head and patting her on the shoulder affectionately.

Nonetheless, the girls eventually made it out of the school gates, and Chen Zijin was the first to notice their parents waiting under the shade.

“Mommy and Daddy came together!”

Chen Zijin exclaimed, taking Chen Zipei’s dainty hand by instinct and even telling her, “Hold on, Zipei.

Don’t let go!”

“Okay…” Zipei nodded firmly.

Chen Hansheng’s fatherly heart could melt as he watched the sisters run towards him.

Xiao Rongyu was beaming sweetly too, and gave each of them a peck on the check.

“Did you miss Mommy at school today?”

“We did, but Mom…” Chen Zijin groaned, glancing at her classmates nearby moodily.

“We’re in middle school now.

Could you not kiss me like we’re kids?”

“Ah, our baby girl’s getting pouty,” Xiao Rongyu pinched Zijin’s cheek, before turning to Zipei.

“Zipei, do you feel embarrassed when Mommy kisses you?”

Zipei stared at her, and then at her sister, eventually leveling a blank look at her dad.

“Oh, you’re so silly,” Chen Hansheng grinned as he carried both girls into the car.

Xiao Rongyu stayed in the backseat to help the girls with their homework, and it was a lively journey back to the mansion district of Zhongshan International Golf Course.

The mansion district was the best in Jianye, with Zijin Mountain looming as the backdrop.

When the place was first being built, Zhongshan International’s owner Lou Xiaojun personally visited Chen Hansheng, informing him that he set aside several mansions to Fruitcase Electronics for nothing in return except Hansheng’s friendship.

There was no way Chen Hansheng would owe a favor of such scale, however.

He bought six mansions at the standard price, although he did not renovate the mansions to make them joined.

Today, they returned to Shen Rongyu’s mansion.

They entered to find that in addition to Xiao Hongwei and Lu Yuqing, Chen Zhaojun and Liang Meijuan were also present.

Still, it made sense since the four geezers were keen to see their granddaughters.

They lived closed by anyway, and would usually have dinner together.

The surprise guest was therefore Shen Youchu, who was wearing her usual sleeping gown and had a cooking apron on.

A shrinking violet in her university days despite being known for her beauty, she was still just as beautiful now, even if she had been a wife and mother for years.

Her dazzling visage was tender, and her black hair was tied haphazardly with a rubber band and resting on her shoulder.

Her gaze was crystal clear, projecting calm and serenity.

Moreover, her figure was already perfect, and age only made her appear more curvaceous.

That being said, she was still very easily embarrassed, and averted her eyes shyly when she noticed her own husband staring.

“What?” Chen Hansheng teased.

“Why are you cooking?

Did you let the maid have the day off?”

“No…” Shen Youchu shook her head.

“Zijin was making a fuss because she wants Sichuan cuisine,” Lu Yuqing explained.

“The maid doesn’t cook it right, so we had to ask Youchu.”

Despite her demanding attitude, the way Lu Yuqing addressed Shen Youchu had changed over the years.

It started with Shen Youchu’s full name, and then ‘Xiao Shen’ before culminating with ‘Youchu’.

As if she was really family.

“I see,” Chen Hansheng chuckled just then, and turned towards Zijin.

“Why would you ask for Sichuan cuisine?

You can’t handle your spice.”

The girl would always poke her tongue out, gasping and asking for ice water whenever she had something spicy.

On the other hand, her sister was much better, finishing an entire plate of chilis before you know it.

Her lips would be flushed red, but as she looked innocently at her parents and grandparents, her tender gaze appeared to be bragging gleefully.

“Well, since it’s Sichuan cuisine, let’s call have Wang Yiyi come over,” Chen Hansheng said, whipping out his phone.

“We should have the girlie have a taste of worldly pleasures.”

Wang Zibo and Bian Shishi’s daughter Wang Yiyi was just a fifth grader—three years younger than Zijin and Zipei.

Soon, Wang Zibo’s family arrived.

He owned one of the six mansions, since it would be convenient if they had to give the children a lift.

Wang Zibo had clearly put on weight since university, with his belly starting to bulge.

Bian Shishi had her hair trimmed short, giving her a refreshing look.

After greeting the elders, she rolled up her sleeves and went to the kichen to help.

Hunan ladies were always diligent.

Still, Chen Hansheng could see the look on Bian Shishi’s face and asked Wang Zibo, “What the heck?

The missus is giving you the silent treatment.

Had a fight?”

“Yep,” Wang Zibo admitted with a sulking look, never one to lie.

“It’s about Yiyi’s education.

I believe we should prioritize her happiness instead of constant cram school, but Shishi refused to listen.

To make things worse, she’s been having Yiyi stay up past eleven lately for her homework.”

“That won’t do,” Chen Zhaojun said, making his way over to them.

“You need to tell her that no flower must be made to blossom.

Adults must never hurt their children’s health and growth for the sake of education—just look at Zijin and Zipin, I’d never push them to study.”

Such was the old man’s doctrine in education.

The tenets he maintained when he raised Chen Hansheng was independence and initiative… But in the case of his granddaughters, he loved them too much to educate them at all.

“That won’t do,” Laing Meijuan protested.

“Children are rarely self-aware.

We can’t be too hands off now that they start middle school, or their grades would start failing.”

She always regretted Chen Hansheng not making it into this first choice of university… Even though he has been making bank.

“I agree with Meijuan,” Lu Yuqing said beside her.

“Family background is one thing, but children need to be competitive to get good grades.

It’s high time we get Zijin and Zipei a tutor, but I will be keeping them company, cooking them supper if they get hungry.

Xiao Rongyu had always been Lu Yuqing’s source of pride, and she would like her granddaughters to carry on to make her proud.

“Oh, shove it.

Keeping them company with your failing health?” Xiao Hongwei snorted.

“Your blood pressure was found high when you had your checkup two days ago.

You’ll scare your granddaughters if you collapse.”

In Xiao Hongwei’s mind, his daughter fell for Chen Hansheng because the family pressured her too much to study.

Once she encountered Chen Hansheng, who was always so free-spirited and half-baked in studies, she fell for his sweet nothings out of envy.

That is why Xiao Hongwei refused to let that happen again—his granddaughters would grow up in the company of a loving, understanding family!

The four geezer’s argument reflected their respective personalities and life experience, which was interesting in itself.

They kept chatting, and dinner was ready before they knew it.