The CEO's wife, suffering from terminal cancer, is filled with regret!

I stared at Xu Mei in a daze, and after a moment I hesitated and asked, "Auntie, do you know the real reason why Changping dropped out of school?"

Xu Mei nodded with tears in her eyes, "He is my son. How could I, as his mother, not know what he thinks and does?"

"This child has been like this since he was little. He is so sensible that it breaks your heart, but at the same time, his stubbornness is very frustrating."

Xu Mei looked at me, then smiled, "Nan Chen, I'm entrusting this child to you from now on."

"Don't worry, Auntie, his future will be even better than it is now."

I helped Xu Mei prepare the vegetables and cook lunch. We quickly finished the meal. Although it wasn't particularly lavish, it was still the highest standard an ordinary family could offer to guests.

I've never been one to crave lavish meals. I can accept either wealth or poverty. On the contrary, I feel fortunate to have met such a gentle elder as Xu Mei.

The four of us sat together for a meal. During the meal, I learned from Song Qingqing that Li Changping had an extremely high talent in his professional knowledge, which might be related to his love of programming.

However, design requires concepts and active thinking, which can only be cultivated later in life. Li Changping can only improve his basic professional skills at present.

After the meal, Xu Mei was busy clearing the dishes. I wanted to help, but she firmly refused, telling me to focus on my business and not to let her cause any delays.

Subsequently, I used Li Changping's computer to completely create the design drafts, which became the decoration plan for the fifth floor of the Pingteng Building.

As the saying goes, time is money. After finishing the design drafts, I didn't rest. Instead, I took Song Qingqing and Li Changping out and, with Li Changping's guidance, found a good decoration company in the old city of Shinan. After agreeing on the price, we entrusted the entire decoration task to them.

"Brother Ji, is the renovation company I found a bit too small?"

After leaving the renovation company, Li Changping, who was driving, couldn't help but ask about his concerns. Renovating a 1,200-square-meter building area, and starting from a semi-finished state, was not only a huge workload, but also required a very high level of skill from the renovation team.

Faced with Li Changping's question, I smiled faintly and said, "In this world, it's not just those well-known large decoration companies that are reliable."

"Sometimes, because some decoration companies are too famous, various additional costs will increase."

"In comparison, although these ordinary small home decoration companies are less resourceful, they don't have as many hidden tricks. On the contrary, they will do their best when faced with such large orders."

"Imagine you've always been earning a monthly salary of 3,000, and suddenly one day it becomes 10,000. Would you cherish this new job?"

Upon hearing my words, Li Changping suddenly realized that although he was intelligent, he was inexperienced and had much to learn.

Fortunately, having him by my side can effectively make up for his shortcomings.

As for the question of whether a small renovation company could handle such a large order, I also explained it to Li Changping.

"The renovation industry is a 'white' industry; the personal profits that can be made from it, such as kickbacks, are very obvious to those in the industry."

“We run a design company, so we often deal with the renovation industry. Small renovation companies aren’t incapable of handling big projects, they just can’t get them.”

"Working with small renovation companies is fine as long as you make sure the boss isn't a wicked or cunning person. They'll have a way to handle big orders perfectly."

Li Changping nodded emphatically, "I understand, Brother Ji."

Then he asked, "Brother Ji, where are we going next?"

Let's find a place to have a drink and rest.

I smiled slightly and said, "After Mr. Yang finishes his on-site inspection of the renovation site and makes a detailed price list, it will probably be tomorrow. Before that, we can have a good rest."

Hearing my words, Li Changping's eyes lit up. "Brother Ji, Sister Qing, I know a really good beverage shop in the old town. Although it's supposed to be old and run-down, the taste is truly amazing. Do you want to try it?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingqing became interested. "Really?"

Seeing this, I couldn't help but tease, "See, Changping? Girls have no resistance to delicious drinks."

Song Qingqing blushed slightly. It's understandable; in this era, girls' love for all kinds of drinks has become a major consumer trend.

Some people drink two or three cups a day as drinking water, while others drink one cup a week as a reward for themselves.

Upon hearing this, Li Changping chuckled and then stepped on the gas, speeding off to his destination.

The old town's development feels similar to that of urban villages; to put it simply, it's somewhat like the shantytowns in the north of the city, except that they are the most underdeveloped areas in their respective urban districts.

There were few vehicles in the old city of Shinan, and the roads were relatively narrow. Li Changping drove around the streets and alleys. Luckily, I don't have paranoia, otherwise I would have suspected that Li Changping was going to take me and Song Qingqing somewhere to sell us.

After driving for a while, I was so confused that I couldn't even remember the route I had just taken.

Ahead, a narrow alley, barely two meters wide, exudes a sense of history. It looks like it's over a hundred years old, and cars simply can't pass through.

We parked the car at the entrance of the alley, and Song Qingqing and I went inside, led by Li Changping.

The alley was long enough, and the roads inside were winding and rugged. The road surface was not even an asphalt or brick road, but a dirt road, which is very common in poor rural areas.

The kind that gets muddy as soon as it rains.

"Changping, are you sure there are shops in here?"

As they walked along, Song Qingqing couldn't help but ask questions. It was not surprising that people could live here, but as for opening a shop, perhaps only a small store could survive.

"Don't worry, Sister Qing, I wouldn't dare to cheat you or Brother Ji!"

Li Changping smiled confidently, then stopped and pointed to the red-gate courtyard in front of him. "This is it."

I looked up and saw that inside the red double iron gate was a somewhat desolate courtyard. It was not large, overgrown with weeds, and only a brick path led into the depths.

I walked into the courtyard out of curiosity and saw a house facing south.

The door was tightly closed, and the windows were shut.

Seeing this, I looked at Li Changping with suspicion. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Brother Ji, that's just how he is. Whether he's open for business or not depends entirely on his mood."

After saying that, Li Changping strode forward and then pounded on the door.

"Old man, get up and make some money!"

Li Changping took pictures for a long time, and just as Song Qingqing and I were about to leave in disappointment, the window suddenly opened, revealing an old and disheveled face.

The old man was about sixty or seventy years old, with a stubble beard, a thin face, and an expression that clearly showed impatience.

"You little brat, trying to call back your soul!"