The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chu Fanqing stood up, and perhaps because he had been sitting in one position for too long, his body swayed slightly.

Shang Yibo quickly stood up, took a step behind him, and reached out to help him.

Chu Fanqing waved his hand, revealing an awkward smile, "It's not that bad, it's not that bad, I'm not so old that I need your help."

Shang Yibo withdrew his hand and said casually, "Of course I'm not old. You're so handsome, who would dare say you're old? My mom would be the first to object. You haven't been exercising lately, have you? Shouldn't you go play some ball? When spring comes and the weather warms up, I'll go play ball with you. Or next week, I'll go to Macau with you to play ball."

Chu Fanqing did not reply. He walked to the French windows and looked out with a solemn expression.

After a moment, he said seriously, "Yibo, come back to work at Rushang Group. Rushang needs you now."

Shang Yibo replied, "This is what I'm planning. Yan Ruo has already told me about Ru Shang's situation, but I don't know if I can help you."

"It's not about helping me, it's something you have to face, it's for your own sake," Chu Fanqing said slowly. "I'm sorry to your grandfather, I'm about to squander the family fortune he left behind."

"Dad, don't say that. Everyone knows that what Grandpa left behind was just a small company with about a hundred people. Without your Rushang Group, how could it have developed to the point where it has assets of over 10 billion and tens of thousands of employees?

“I had planned to work hard for a few more years to build up Rushang’s overseas market. By then, you would be mature and sensible, and I would hand Rushang over to you, which would be fulfilling my promise to your grandfather. Alas, things are unpredictable. Rushang is now in a precarious situation, and I have broken my promise.”

"Dad, don't blame yourself. The business world is like a battlefield; victory and defeat are common occurrences. Besides, we haven't lost yet."

Chu Fanqing turned around and saw Shang Yibo's young face, yet he spoke such mature and steady words. She felt both gratified and somewhat guilty.

What's gratifying is that the child has grown up and can now view things objectively, express his attitude calmly, and even comfort adults; what's guilt-inducing is that at the age of twenty, Shang Yibo should still be in university and should be a simple student, but due to family changes, he has prematurely experienced the pressure from the adult world.

Seeing that Chu Fanqing was looking at him without saying anything, Shang Yibo thought that he had said something wrong, so he quickly explained, "What I mean is, Ru Shang is in crisis, but it is far from being defeated."

Chu Fanqing didn't follow up on Shang Yibo's words, but went straight to the point, "The matter at Yuehai isn't finished yet, so it's not convenient for me to go to the company at this time. After thinking it over, I can only feel at ease if I hand it over to you."

Shang Yibo asked with some concern, "Will I be in charge of managing and operating the entire Rushang Group?"

Chu Fanqing sat back down on the sofa and pointed to the sofa opposite her. "Come sit down, we should have a good talk."

Shang Yibo obediently sat back down opposite Chu Fanqing.

Chu Fanqing did not answer Shang Yibo's question, but instead began to introduce the situation of Rushang Group without any preamble. "Rushang has many veteran employees, especially several in management. They were all people who worked for your grandfather back then. It is true that they contributed value to Rushang in the past, but in recent years they have been complacent and have become out of touch with the market environment. They have been with the company for a long time and have become senior executives. They are all less capable than newcomers, but they rely on their seniority and hinder new employees at every turn."

"A few years ago, I conducted a talent inventory at the company, intending to optimize personnel and bring in some external talent. However, we encountered significant resistance from HR, and ultimately, the plan couldn't be implemented. Veteran employees, some people with nepotism, and retired directors gradually formed cliques. These people colluded and created a chaotic mess at Rushan. I bear the primary responsibility for this atmosphere within Rushan. Since I took over Rushan, I have continued your grandfather's policy of treating people kindly and using both kindness and strictness in company governance. Of course, I personally do not have the same prestige as your grandfather among the employees. I have been generous with 'kindness,' but I have failed to establish 'authority.' Out of consideration for the hardships your grandfather's subordinates endured back then, I couldn't bring myself to be ruthless, nor did I stoop to using underhanded tactics. Over time, it has become what it is today."

"In those years, the economic environment was good, and the policies were favorable, which allowed Rushang to develop rapidly and grow larger and larger. During the period of rapid development, some problems did not become apparent. Even if problems were seen, there was simply no time to solve them, because there were more important things to do every day. The cost of neglecting these problems was that they accumulated and became chronic and difficult to resolve. Now, Rushang's large ship can no longer be dragged, and it has reached the point where it must be addressed."

Shang Yibo listened quietly to Chu Fanqing's narration, and some images floated before his eyes.

When he was little, Chu Fanqing liked to take him to work. When he held meetings with the company's management, Xiao Yibo would sit in the meeting room with him, sometimes reading books, sometimes playing games on his father's phone. He remembered seeing the uncles who were in meetings with his father arguing with Chu Fanqing many times. He couldn't understand what they were arguing about, but a child could sense the atmosphere, and it felt very scary.

Now that Chu Fanqing has said it, it all makes sense.

Shang Yibo looked up at Chu Fanqing. Perhaps because he had just returned and hadn't had time to get a haircut, Chu Fanqing's hair had grown out of shape. The white hairs growing at her temples were sticking up very clearly, and a strand of gray hair was hanging down in front of her forehead. This was completely different from her father, who always styled his hair with hair wax and was always neat and tidy.

Shang Yibo finally realized: "My family needs me."

As soon as Chu Fanqing finished speaking, Shang Yibo immediately replied, "Dad, I'll listen to you and go back to work at Rushang."

Chu Fanqing looked at Shang Yibo with loving eyes, "You have more to do than just a job. If I can't go to the company these days, and Ru Shang falls into the hands of those people, the consequences will be very serious. You will have to take over the operation of the entire Ru Shang Group for the time being."

He looked away, let out a long breath, and said earnestly, "You are a kind child, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Just as Shang Yibo was about to reply, Fang Xichen and Zhou Yanruo walked over from the back of the restaurant, one after the other.

As Fang Xichen sat down, he asked, "How did your talks go?" This question seemed to be directed at both Chu Fanqing and Shang Yibo.

Chu Fanqing replied, "Yibo is going to work at Rushang."

Fang Xichen smiled indulgently at Shang Yibo and said, "Okay, you've finally figured it out."