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ALSS Chapter 39

After three rounds of drinks, the Wan Zhu Annual Meeting reached a small climax as the “Haystack Poets” band took the stage.

When the band appeared, the venue had just wrapped up an exciting raffle, and everyone was sitting, eating, and drinking. With the rapid beat of the drums, all eyes turned to the stage. As soon as the Haystack Poets made their appearance, they were met with cheers.

In past Wan Zhu Annual Meetings, there were performances by singers, some of whom were famous stars, but this was the first time a band, especially such a young band, had performed. The four attractive members of the band really caught the audience’s attention under the spotlight. Many of the younger staff members at the back tables even stood up, raising their phones to record what they anticipated would be an exciting performance.

Only He Zhao at the main table frowned when he heard the host mention “the band.” He almost immediately turned his head towards the stage and saw He Jianchuan adjusting the microphone in the center. Despite being so close to the stage, He Jianchuan seemed not to notice him, his gaze fixed firmly on something beyond the audience, and then he raised his hand and shouted.

“Good evening everyone! We are—Haystack Poets!!!”

“Ohhhhh—” the venue erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Lin Hui watched He Jianchuan on stage, noticing his knack for energizing the crowd. To those unaware, they might have mistaken it for a concert of a major star. Lin Hui hadn’t seen He Jianchuan all day; he had thought they would greet each other during dinner, but He Jianchuan hadn’t approached, and then he heard others asking He Zhao why the second son wasn’t there. He Zhao’s response was that he had his own matters to attend to.

Lin Hui understood then. He Jianchuan hadn’t told his father about his planned performance at the annual meeting; he was aiming to present a fait accompli. He looked up at He Jian Shan, who was toasting with others, then tried to catch He Zhao’s expression but accidentally met eyes with Jiang Qing instead. Jiang Qing slightly furrowed her brow and shook her head at him, causing Lin Hui to pause.

On stage, He Jianchuan was full of energy as he began singing. The Haystack Poets had prepared two songs for the day, one lively to lift the spirits and another, “The Answer,” which Lin Hui had heard before. He Jianchuan was indeed captivating on stage, embodying the cliché that some people are born for the spotlight. While he sang the first song with a cheerful expression, Zhao Fenglin next to He Zhao asked, “Old He, that’s Xiao Chuan on stage, isn’t it?”

He Zhao paused, then forced a smile, “Yes, fooling around.”

The other person laughed immediately, “Oh, don’t be harsh. Look at Xiao Chuan, he’s like a big star. These days, it’s common for rich kids to become stars. I think it’s great!”

Someone nearby nodded in agreement, “He sings really well. Xiao Chuan has really made something of himself.”

He Zhao chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

Many at the table had watched He Jianchuan grow up, and they cheerfully pulled out their phones to capture his earnest singing. He Zhao kept his head down, drinking, until someone by his side joked, “Old He, I’ve noticed that your family really has a connection with—”

Before the person could finish saying “fate,” they suddenly realized something, coughed lightly, and stopped talking.

He Zhao’s face turned very sour, and Jiang Qing sighed deeply to herself. Only He Jianchuan on stage remained oblivious, his smile and sweat unguarded in the midst of the cheers.

He Jianchuan’s performance received the loudest cheers of the evening. However, He Zhao did not smile again until the end of the annual meeting. Lin Hui stayed behind to help Annie with some follow-up tasks while looking around. Employees gradually left, starting their three-day holiday; He Jian Shan was still discussing with some project leaders; He Zhao and his family were nowhere to be seen…

The building gradually quieted down.

When almost everyone had left, Lin Hui returned to the 12th floor, only to hear He Zhao’s voice from He Jian Shan’s office.

“He Jianchuan, what did you tell me last time? Do you need me to remind you? You said you disbanded the band. Is this what you call disbanding?”

He Zhao’s voice was unusually loud at night, echoing through the empty building with a buzzing resonance. Lin Hui tiptoed closer, hearing He Jianchuan’s voice from behind the slightly ajar door, sounding dejected on the sofa, while He Zhao looked at him angrily.

“Wan Zhu invited us, and I… I’ve never performed in front of so many people before… I…” After a pause, He Jianchuan finally spoke.

He Zhao nodded, “Okay, you performed today. How was it? Happy?”

He Jianchuan, a bit defiant, suddenly straightened his neck, “Happy, yes… we sang really well.”

“I raised you to sing and dance for people? You’re not a child anymore; you’re graduating next year. Can’t you settle down and learn the business with your brother?”

“I’ve said it many times, I don’t understand these things, I can’t do it, I don’t want to learn.”

He Zhao scoffed, “Then tell me, what can you do? Write songs? Sing? Run a band? Tell me, other than using the family’s money to support the band, what else can you do?”

He Jianchuan became agitated, “I haven’t taken family money to support the band; we have gigs, we make money!”

“Gigs? Wan Zhu’s gig? How much did Wan Zhu pay to have you? Do you think your band is worth that without the ‘He Jianchuan’ name? Do you think Wan Zhu would hire a band without it?”

He Jianchuan’s eyes reddened, and he breathed heavily, visibly upset. The tension between father and son was palpable, worsening the atmosphere. Lin Hui felt a pang of anxiety and, steeling himself, knocked and slowly pushed the door open, saying softly, “President He, it was I who asked Annie to contact young President He.”

Lin Hui’s words broke the stifling atmosphere like a stone into a lake. He Zhao glanced at Lin Hui without a word, and He Jianchuan walked out without looking back.

Only two people remained in the room.

Lin Hui, seeming not to notice He Zhao’s ugly expression, continued, “I happened to hear young President He perform live once before and thought it was fantastic. With many newcomers at Wan Zhu this year, I thought bringing in something fresh would be good, so I took the initiative to have Annie invite the band.”

“I was thinking we could just follow the normal business process, pay what’s due, but young President He refused to take a single penny, saying it was an honor to sing for Wan Zhu’s staff, too honored to take money.”

“At the venue, I heard several employees discussing young President He’s songs, saying they were good, really fantastic, and asking where they could download them. Some even wondered if they were some kind of stars and thought about getting autographs.”

He Zhao coldly said, “Are you suggesting that I’m making a mountain out of a molehill?”

Lin Hui chuckled, “President He, you misunderstood. I meant to say that everyone was praising young President He, saying ‘like father, like son,’ which shows how well you’ve raised him.”

He Zhao seemed to find this ridiculously funny, almost incredulously looking at Lin Hui, “Lin Hui, do you know what you’re talking about?”

Lin Hui was taken aback, his expression confused.

“Like father, like son? I, He Zhao, absolutely would never have a son who learns to sing and dance.”

He Zhao almost bit these words out, his tone containing an unbearable resentment that startled Lin Hui. He instinctively stepped back as He Zhao’s gaze seemed to pierce, leaving Lin Hui both confused and distressed.

“Are you going to get a paternity test done for He Jianchuan too?”

Before Lin Hui could recover from He Zhao’s words, He Jian Shan’s voice suddenly came from behind. Lin Hui turned around to find He Jian Shan standing at the door, calmly watching He Zhao; and He Zhao, suddenly teary-eyed, whether from anger or sorrow, was at a loss for words.

The room filled with an odd atmosphere, thick, fragile, stirring everyone’s hearts yet unable to dissipate.

Lin Hui realized that perhaps it was not appropriate for him to be present during the next father-son conversation. He murmured softly, “President He, President He Zhao, I’ll go check on young President He, you two talk.”

After he spoke, he walked towards the door, brushing past He Jian Shan. Lin Hui couldn’t help but slightly move his fingers, quickly grasping He Jian Shan’s hand, then hurriedly letting go. He Jian Shan nodded slightly, and Lin Hui exhaled deeply, stepping out quickly, leaving the father and son with their heavy thoughts.

Lin Hui found He Jianchuan in the lobby on the first floor.

At that time, the air conditioning was already off, and He Jianchuan was sitting in the lounge area, appearing somewhat dejected. Lin Hui opened the small reception room on the first floor and called out, “Young President He, it’s cold outside, come to the conference room, there’s air conditioning here.” He Jianchuan looked up and obediently walked into the room. Lin Hui poured him a cup of hot tea and sat down across from him.

For a moment, neither knew what to say.

Finally, He Jianchuan spoke, “Brother, thank you for today. I know it was you who had Sister Annie invite me.”

Lin Hui didn’t know what to say, only sincerely praising him, “You sang really well, I heard many girls screaming continuously.”

He Jianchuan smiled briefly, then lowered his head. Whether it was the cold or something else, his hands were tightly clasping the cup.

“Annie told me you didn’t want a fee. That’s fine for you, but the team members should be paid; it’s a normal commercial performance, you can’t let people work for free.”

“I know, Sister Annie gave them red envelopes.”

As the temperature of the air conditioner gradually rose, perhaps it wasn’t so cold anymore, and He Jianchuan seemed a bit more relaxed, “Brother, do you know why my dad dislikes me being involved in music, but I can still stick with it under his nose?”

Lin Hui shook his head.

He Jianchuan smiled and gave a surprising answer, “Because of my brother.”

“I first played with music when I was three years old. I was running around the house and ended up in the storeroom, where I found an electronic keyboard. I instantly fell in love with it and kept pressing it nonstop. I later learned that the keyboard was a birthday gift for my brother when he was little.”

Lin Hui couldn’t help but laugh, “Pressing a keyboard counts as playing music?”

“Don’t laugh, brother. Anyway, my mom said I really liked it back then, playing it all day, which was my introduction to music. Later, when I was five or six, my mom took me to visit her friend who worked at a piano store. Someone there said I had a good sense of music and insisted on taking me as a student, wanting to teach me piano. Actually, that person was the store owner, but my dad didn’t agree.”

He Jianchuan’s memory of being five or six years old wouldn’t be so clear; these were things Jiang Qing must have told him later. Lin Hui grew curious, “Then what happened?”

“My brother said, ‘If you want to learn, learn,’ and then my dad stopped talking.”

“Isn’t it amazing? It seems like my dad is afraid of my brother.”

Lin Hui thought to himself, back then, He Jian Shan was probably about He Jianchuan’s age now, and to have such authority at that age, there must be a reason—not fear, perhaps, but some debt, which made him compromise.

“Then I learned off and on until I started a band in college.”

Lin Hui thought for a moment, “Do you know why your dad forbids you from pursuing music?”

He Jianchuan shook his head, “I only know it has something to do with my brother’s mom, but I don’t know the specific reason.”

“Do you want to enter the entertainment industry? Or to seriously pursue this path? Honestly, with your brother’s status, it wouldn’t be hard to set up a company just to promote you.”

For Wan Zhu, nothing was easier than spending money. If He Jianchuan wanted, the He family could definitely leverage the industry’s best resources for him.

Lin Hui expected He Jianchuan to nod excitedly, but he was silent for a long time before saying, “I don’t know.”

“Singing is fun, writing songs is fun, being in a band is fun, but for now, these are just hobbies. I don’t know if I’d still be happy if I made them my career, or even if I could keep it up.” He Jianchuan looked at Lin Hui, his expression uncertain, “Brother, am I useless? It’s bad enough I can’t measure up to my brother, but even with music, it seems like I’m only enthusiastic on the surface, not knowing how deep my passion really goes.”

“It’s very normal. Everyone has times when they can’t see the road ahead. When I was your age, I was also confused.”

Back then, he had lost the most important and only relative in his life. When he realized he no longer had a home, he felt like he was standing at a crossroads on an unfamiliar street. Although there were paths in every direction, he had no idea which way to go.

“What about you later?”

“Later?” Lin Hui smiled, looking at the tea in front of him that had gradually cooled, feeling a warmth in his heart, “Later, I came to Wan Zhu and met your brother.”

After sending He Jianchuan off, Lin Hui returned to He Jian Shan’s office.

The door to the office was wide open, and He Zhao had already left at some point. He Jian Shan stood by the window as he had on any other day. Today was New Year’s Eve, and the lights outside were more brilliant and lively than usual. Many buildings had turned on their façade lights, tirelessly changing lines and colors, dazzlingly making Lin Hui’s eyes spin.

Lin Hui stood at the door quietly watching He Jian Shan for a while, then suddenly spoke, “Ah, I’m dead tired, don’t know where I can recharge.”

He Jian Shan turned and smiled at him, then opened his arms, “Come.”

Lin Hui also smiled, quickly took a few steps, and jumped into his arms, starting to imitate the sound of electricity, “Zzzz————charged to 70%, this charger is amazing.”

He Jian Shan hugged him a bit tighter, “Now?”

“Zzzz————80% now.”

He Jian Shan couldn’t help but kiss him, “Let’s see how much now?”

“Zzzz————90%, keep going.”

He Jian Shan kissed him again—

“Ding—100%!”

He Jian Shan couldn’t stop laughing, “Wan Zhu’s first assistant turned from thirty years old to three years old.”

Lin Hui tightly hugged He Jian Shan.

After a while, He Jian Shan spoke softly, “Lin Assistant…”

“Hmm.”

After a long pause, He Jian Shan said, “I’m a bit tired.”

Since Lin Hui had been the General Manager’s Assistant, this was the first time He Jian Shan had told him he was tired.

Lin Hui closed his eyes and hugged He Jian Shan tighter, his voice hoarse:

“Hmm, I know.”


Author’s Note:

Even a mature and dominant 35-year-old needs his lover to pamper him.

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