Chapter 451: Chapter 425: Turning the Tables (Thanks to Love Beyond Flowers and He Shi Bi for the extra +1 chapter)

As Xiaoqian was hugging Professor Liu and crying, Yu Minglang was also comforting his leader in his own way.

After leaving the hospital, Yu Minglang drove Liu Li home.

When Liu Li arrived at his doorstep, he sat in the car and didn’t get out immediately, but looked at his father, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Dad, should I just go back like this?” What he really wanted to ask was, can you stay with me for a while?

“You go back first. I’ll go see your mother later.”

Liu Li responded with disappointment as he watched Yu Minglang drive away.

Actually, at this moment, Yu Minglang could understand Liu Li’s feelings, because his own father was also a man who devoted most of his life to work.

“Uncle Liu, aren’t you going to stay with your son for a while?” Yu Minglang asked.

“I’ll wait until tomorrow. Let’s find a place for now.” Uncle Liu’s heart was troubled, as he was worried about Professor Liu but couldn’t go see her since they would fight upon meeting.

It had been a long time since he had seen his son, but his current mood was unstable and he didn’t want to pass on his irritability to his son.

When a man encounters a problem, he wants to find a quiet place or have a drink with someone who understands him. Yu Minglang was obviously a good choice.

“Come on, let me buy you a drink.” Yu Minglang drove past Liu Li, who was still standing in the same place, and planned to discuss Liu Li’s problem with Uncle Liu while having a drink later.

Yu Minglang already had a good idea in mind.

Liu Li returned home with a heavy heart.

His relationship with his father seemed to have grown more distant. Although he was his father’s son, he felt that his father had a better relationship with Brother Ming Lang and the others.

He must become a person like his father, an upright and independent man, to experience how his father acts when working, and perhaps his father will treat him the way he treats Brother Ming Lang.

Liu Li sat on the sofa, making up his mind. Suddenly, his gaze was caught by something on the table.

On the coffee table, there was a kraft paper bag.

It looked like Professor Liu’s materials. Liu Li picked up the bag intending to take it to his mother’s room, but the papers inside scattered all over the floor.

He bent down to pick them up but was intrigued by the bold and elegant handwriting on them.

Causes and manifestations of Manic Disorder

This was the academic paper Xiaoqian wrote for Professor Liu.

Liu Li was initially attracted by the beautiful writing. Once he realized it was written by Chen Xiaoqian, he looked at it more carefully.

Xiaoqian’s academic paper was highly professional, yet easy to understand. It captured one’s attention with its novel perspective, and Liu Li found himself engrossed in it.

Starting with the manifestations of manic disorder, the lengthy paper engaged Liu Li, who read it intently. Suddenly, he had an epiphany.

Maybe he could try that…

Both Uncle Liu and Yu Minglang were in a bad mood and didn’t want to drink in public, so Yu Minglang bought two bottles of Erguotou and some cold dishes from a restaurant. The two men found a random place and started drinking.

Uncle Liu wouldn’t share too much of his personal life with his junior. He just felt suffocated and wanted to drink to relax.

Yu Minglang noticed the dark circles under his eyes, knowing that he had taken time out of his busy schedule to be there. He didn’t rush to bring up the main topic, but chatted about work matters with his leader, discussing the work arrangements after the meeting.

After a while, Uncle Liu steered the conversation to the assessment the day after tomorrow.

“Ming Lang, what do you think of the two HR representatives you saw?”

“It seems fine for now, but we’ll have to wait until the assessment the day after tomorrow.”

The assessment was a small simulation to select the best candidates for the company based on their professional skills and ability to handle situations.

“The shareholders’ meeting is coming up soon, and it seems they want to establish an independent subsidiary. Your workload might get heavier.”

Uncle Liu stopped there, and Yu Minglang understood that those old guys were about to make a move.

Ever since Xiao Qiang joined the company, there had been a big reshuffle of personnel. Suitable employees stayed, while the unsuitable ones left. This iron-fisted approach had caused dissatisfaction among some shareholders whose interests were affected, and now they were going to fight back.

It sounded as if they wanted to set up a separate subsidiary, and their target was clearly Yu Minglang.

“I have an idea that I want to propose to you.”

“What is it?”

“About the selection this time, I want Liu Li to participate.”

“…Who?”

Uncle Liu thought he was hallucinating.

“Liu Li.”

Uncle Liu slammed the Erguotou bottle onto the table, his eyes wide.

“Yu Minglang, what are you up to?! This is an assessment, not child’s play! Liu Li isn’t even in this field. You want to show favoritism just because he’s my son? I’ll punish you for this! I’ll tell your dad!”

“…Uncle, I’m already grown up, and you’re still threatening to tattle? Besides, my dad is not well and doesn’t manage the company anymore. How can he control me?”

Yu Minglang changed the way he addressed him.

Uncle Liu wanted to punch him.

“I’ll ask Old Yu how he raised his child. Didn’t he always brag to me that his family was very strict? How did he raise a child who wants to take shortcuts? A father’s fault for not teaching his child!”

“Uncle, you’re wrong. Actually, you spent more time with me than my father did, so if there’s any problem at its root, it would be with you, not anyone else.”

Uncle Liu felt like he had been swindled by this cunning boy. He banged on the table, and Yu Minglang hurriedly covered the box of peanuts to prevent them from being wasted.

“When did I ever teach you these underhanded tactics? Let me tell you, since the day our company was established, the doors were only open to capable people. Even if he’s my son, it’s absolutely not allowed if he’s not capable. If I make an exception, what will those who struggled to get in think?!”

“Actually… aren’t you afraid that letting him in would make Aunt Liu scratch your face?” Yu Minglang hit the nail on the head.

Uncle Liu’s face instantly turned red, and he thought: this damn kid, why is he so smart?

Professor Liu didn’t want her son to become a businessman because she thought he wasn’t cut out for it.

Yu Minglang nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, Uncle, you’re right. Your beard is long, so whatever you say is right. Come on, let me blow on your beard for good luck!”

After saying that, he quickly moved away while protecting the peanuts, fearing that he would get beaten for real.

“I’m talking about something serious, don’t play around with me!” Uncle Liu was about to be driven mad.

“I am serious, too. What you said is exactly what I was thinking, but you misunderstood what I was going to do. I don’t want Liu Li to join our company. The rule that our company doesn’t accept employees based on connections was set by me. How could I go back on my word?”