"No," Wei Qian said uncertainly, "Brother Xiong, you... slow down, what do you mean? Don't scare people with this, okay?"

Lao Xiong did not respond. He just stood up, took the project proposal, and placed it in front of Wei Qian. "Take this back and have a look. This is the material for the meeting tomorrow."

Wei Qian had never succeeded in reading Lao Xiong's eyes - of course, in addition to the fact that Lao Xiong was more cunning, it was also because his eyes were too small, and it was impossible to see where his eyeballs were without looking closely.

But Lao Xiong has always been cheerful and easy to get along with. I think most businessmen travel far and wide, and except for people like Mr. Zhang who have a good family background, there are few who have particularly strange personalities.

However, at this moment, Wei Qian felt for the first time the rejection that was about to permeate the air from him. Lao Xiong sat back on the sofa cushion on the ground, crossed his legs with some difficulty, and made the sign of the cross in front of the Buddhist scriptures on the wall.

He seemed to be trying to make himself seem unreasonable, trying to make himself seem a little crazy.

Sometimes, it's okay to be crazy.

Wei Qian hesitated for a moment, said nothing more, picked up the proposal, stood up and left.

The business proposal was full of gimmicks and might impress others, but it couldn't impress Wei Qian.

Because they didn't have that many people on their early projects, Sanpang had low academic qualifications and poor writing skills, and Laoxiong was responsible for both raising money and negotiating, so work like making proposals and feasibility reports was most likely done by Wei Qian.

He knew exactly how these smokeless things were blown out.

But apart from the gimmicks, this is just an ordinary villa project, and Wei Qian really can't say what's wrong with it.

On the way back, he held the project plan in his hand and thought all the way - Wei Qian's mind would always appear the day when the three of them followed Mr. Zhang to climb the hill and looked down at the economic forest below.

What was wrong with that situation? Wei Qian thought about it carefully several times, but couldn't figure it out.

After all, he is still young and his experience is too limited.

In the end, there was only a shallow shadow in Wei Qian's heart. He couldn't tell where the shadow was, but he had a kind of resistance in his heart, thinking that it would be best not to do this project if possible.

But the old bear...

Before going out the next morning, Wei Qian finally succeeded in stopping Sanpang, and Sanpang took his car to go to the company together.

"Well, don't mention it." Sanpang waved his hands in annoyance, and every crevice of his fat was filled with annoyance.

"You were in a hurry to leave, so you left a message asking me to stop him, but you didn't explain clearly how to stop him. I don't usually deal with business too much, and you just quit without a bang, leaving me with such a big task. I was almost stunned. Yes, I stopped him, but when Brother Xiong asked, I couldn't give a clear answer, and I couldn't stop him at all. I thought it wouldn't work, so I came up with a trick. I called my sister-in-law. I thought, this would have the same effect as going to heaven to ask for help from the Buddha, but as soon as the phone rang, I had just explained the cause and effect of the matter, and the other end started crying."

Wei Qian: "Who? Is my sister-in-law crying?"

Sanpang nodded with a grin: "That's right, our sister Chen Lu is a master of the Tathagata Palm, okay, she's crying? When I heard that, it was like the sky was falling, I was scared, so I asked what was going on, and the result... well, it really was..."

Wei Qian stopped the car and waited for the red light, then asked slowly, "What's wrong with her?"

"So you know it?"

Wei Qian: "I heard a sound, but Lao Xiong didn't explain it to me clearly."

Sanpang sighed, "They have been married for so many years, but they still don't have children. It's not that they don't want to have children, but my sister-in-law has never been able to get pregnant. It might be her nature. She has had a tumor in her stomach since she was very young - the place where children are born, you know? She had two or three operations, but they couldn't stop the recurrence. The safest way is of course to remove it, but she disagrees and still wants to have a child."

No wonder……

"Didn't my sister-in-law used to be a dancer? It looks easy for them to do that, but it's actually very physically demanding. She's the type who's always striving for success, so she had to quit when her body couldn't take it anymore. Brother Xiong said at the time that it was no big deal, so he asked her to have a cesarean section, but she refused. In the end, they agreed to keep the baby for two years, and if she could have a child, that would be the best. If not, it would be their fate, so they decided not to have one, and asked her to have the surgery. But when she went to the hospital for a checkup before the New Year, the doctor said it was over, and it might have become cancer."

After the red light passed, the car behind honked impatiently. Wei Qian came to his senses and drove out: "Has it been confirmed?"

"It's confirmed. Otherwise, why did Lao Xiong cry like a real bear that day?" Sanpang's voice lowered. He paused for a long time before continuing, "For this disease, some people will not die for 20 or 30 years after contracting it, just like they don't have it. For others, the disease may spread in a month or two. Chen Lu is one of those people who... has bad luck. Qian'er, anyway, that's it. What do you say? This project will be reviewed soon. Will you sign it or not?"

Wei Qian knew that he had no reason not to sign.

Losing one's father in youth, losing one's wife in middle age, and losing one's son in old age - the three great sorrows. Wei Qian himself experienced one, Ma Zi's mother experienced one, and it seems that Lao Xiong may soon experience another.

Is it that life is hard, or is it that their fate is hard? Wei Qian really doesn't want to know the answer.

When he was a child, he thought that he could not live without his parents. If he lost even this little emotional support, he might as well die.

After a few years, he thought that he couldn't live without money. If he didn't even have the basic security of life, he might as well die.

Later, he thought that he could not live without dignity. If everyone looked down on him, he might as well die.

However, he lost them one by one, some of them were found again later, and some of them could never be found again, but he was still alive.

Maybe the atmosphere in the car was too depressing. Sanpang glanced at him, trying to liven up the atmosphere, and said, "A few days ago, I heard Mr. Zhang, the big liar, talking to me about pseudoscience. He said there is a rumor that people with low body temperature are more likely to get cancer, and people with high body temperature are more likely to get cardiovascular disease. These are the two major killers of mankind, and sooner or later we will have to fall into the arms of one of them. When I heard this, I thought that this rumor is not true in principle, but it is true in theory. As long as we are alive without disasters and diseases, we should all think more positively - is your old lady okay?"

Wei Qian did not answer. After a while, he said something irrelevant: "If I ever have such a day, I will go to a place where no one can find me and wait for death. No treatment is needed."

Sanpang didn't take it seriously and laughed: "Of course you say that now."

"It will be the same in the future." Wei Qian smoothly slid his car into the company garage. "The two children will grow up in the future. It's time for them to get married and work. Why should I bother them? I can put an end to all the troubles in my lifetime."

Sanpang turned his head to look at him. In the dim garage, he felt that Wei Qian's face was filled with some deep self-mockery.

Wei Qian parked the car, turned off the engine, and sighed: "But that's a matter for the future. Now I have to make money for them."

Sanpang suddenly felt that there was something wrong with what he said. He had considered that his younger brothers and sisters would start their own families in the future, but he had pulled himself out of the picture, leaving himself in a position of being a bystander, alone. It seemed that he had never thought subconsciously that he would marry a wife and have a child.

"Qian'er," Sanpang couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't you also consider starting a family, or at least finding a girlfriend?"

Wei Qian was stunned.

"You can't always be single. Xiaobao and Xiaoyuan are growing up soon, and you don't have much burden now. Isn't it time to find someone? Besides, your old lady is like that. She will need more people to help take care of her in the future."

Wei Qian frowned quickly, still feeling somewhat resistant psychologically, but then he thought, this is true.

Everyone has to have a home, right?

You can't be the only one at home, right?

The meeting went smoothly that day. Wei Qian's silent connivance cleared the last obstacle for Lao Xiong, and Lao Xiong's proposal was quickly passed.

Lao Xiong pushed forward the project with great force. Within half a month, he signed a framework agreement and a cooperation agreement with Mr. Zhang. One month later, the project company and the operation management team were formally established, and the preliminary work such as exploration, planning, and land acquisition were all carried out in an orderly manner.

Things are getting busy in City C. There are too many places that need people to be in charge in the early stages of the project. Sanpang doesn't interfere much in general operational matters. It's all Lao Xiong and Wei Qian who are running the show. At the moment, neither of them is better than the other. Each of them has a patient at home, so they have to take turns running between the two places.

Fortunately for Lao Xiong, his wife Xiong is willing to hire a nanny, and fortunately for Wei Qian, he has Wei Zhiyuan.

On the day Mrs. Song was discharged from the hospital, Wei Qian rushed back from a meeting and saw a taxi parked downstairs. Xiaoyuan carried Mrs. Song on his back, while Xiaobao carried things behind him and called for the elevator to open the door for them.

From a distance, they all look like adults.

Lian Xiaobao did what he said and really tried to take care of Old Mrs. Song. Although she was clumsy at first, she gradually gained experience over time.

Where is Xiaoyuan?

Xiaoyuan always seemed to have endless energy. Wei Qian didn't know whether he got enough sleep or whether his normal schooling was affected. But from an outsider's perspective, it seemed that Xiaoyuan managed everything at home, outside, Wei Zhiyuan's studies, and the family's life with both hands. At least in Wei Qian's eyes, Wei Zhiyuan was able to handle everything with ease.

After another long negotiation and tug-of-war with the local government, Wei Qian returned home after a business trip of more than two months.

It seemed that both children had gone to school, and Old Mrs. Song was taking a nap in the house.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Wei Qian threw his suitcase at the door and started washing vegetables and cooking. Before he finished cutting the vegetables, Wei Zhiyuan came back.

He walked in and said, "Brother, I'm here."

Wei Qian: "It's okay, let me do it. I just happened to be back today, so you can take a day off."

Wei Zhiyuan did not argue with him. He stood behind him for a while, and then found an opportunity, reached out from behind him unexpectedly, grabbed his elbow, grasped the back of the kitchen knife, and snatched it away.

Wei Qian: “…”

Wei Zhiyuan leaned close to his ear and complained in a low voice: "I told you I'd do it."

Perhaps because they were too close, the sound went straight into Wei Qian's ears. He couldn't help but shudder and quickly turned his head away uncomfortably.

Wei Qian walked around for a few circles and compromised, "You can come if you want. Do you have any eggs? I'll make some egg soup for you... Damn it, Wei Zhiyuan, are you going to rebel?"

Wei Zhiyuan hugged him from behind, shook him so that his feet were off the ground, and then, as if he was moving a large piece of furniture, he led him out of the kitchen without saying a word.

"I was planning to usurp the throne." Wei Zhiyuan put him down and said with a bit of pride, "Let's start with the imperial kitchen."

This was not like Wei Zhiyuan's usual tone of voice. Wei Qian was stunned and leaned against the door to look at him.

After he came back from the business trip, there seemed to be some unspeakable changes in Wei Zhiyuan. Wei Qian discovered that during the time when he was away from home, this kid, who should have been tired as a dog, seemed to have regained some kind of vitality.

He was not like before, always seeming to have something on his mind. Although his face showed that Wei Zhiyuan was sleep deprived, he was in good spirits and even became a little cheerful.

"I think it's better to hire a part-time worker so that grandma won't see you. She can just cook for you and clean up every day." Wei Qian paused and asked, "How about school? Is it busy?"

"Not bad." Wei Zhiyuan said in a good mood, "Our club is currently working on some commonly used gadgets, and we got sponsorship last week."

"Sponsorship?" Wei Qian was stunned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Wei Zhiyuan turned around and glanced at him: "And then asked you for money?"

Wei Qian felt that what he said was too blunt, so he coughed dryly and said in a reserved manner: "That's not the case. It depends on whether what you make is worth investing in."

Wei Zhiyuan poured the chopped vegetables into the pot. Amid the sizzling sound of the oil, he said, "No matter how capable you are, I can't always rely on you. A man has to go out and explore on his own."

Otherwise, how can I take care of you in the future?

Of course, Wei Zhiyuan swallowed the second half of the sentence.

"Come on, kid, you're panting when I tell you you're fat." Wei Qian laughed, "Tell me, how did you find the sponsor?"

Wei Zhiyuan happily told him: "We tried advertising at first, but later found that the advertising cost was too high and the effect was not very good, so we stopped. Then we tracked the contact information of the target investors on the Internet and sent the advertisements directly to their email addresses. We also made unscheduled calls for a while, but unfortunately the emails were often blocked and the unscheduled calls were mostly intercepted by the reception desk. This didn't work either, so we finally went door to door one by one."

Wei Qian couldn't laugh anymore - if a few college students rashly went to people's homes to promote their team and ask for sponsorship, how many cold stares would they get?

Not to mention the big bosses, even if it was him himself, if he encountered such a thing, he would probably not even bother to raise his head and would just let people block him out.

"It's hard to ask for help." Wei Zhiyuan said, "But at least the result is good. I finally got it."

Wei Zhiyuan took all the experiences lightly and did not describe his feelings. He has always been an outstanding top student. He may have a high IQ, but his adversity quotient has always been low. He is much smarter and calmer than his peers, but his ability to withstand setbacks does not match all this - in this regard, he is not even as good as Xiaobao, who was scolded by his elder brother since he was a child.

Wei Zhiyuan hated the feeling of powerlessness. The long days of going door to door with the same stuff and talking his mouth off to sell it to seek investment almost reminded him of his wandering childhood that was buried deep in his memory.

He was isolated and helpless, but he didn't tell anyone, and he stayed there like a headless fly for nearly a year. During this time, their club activities had to be suspended due to various difficulties, and many people left one after another. Wei Zhiyuan bore the pressure alone. At the same time, he had a patient, Mrs. Song, at home who needed care.

He also had to be careful not to reveal any clues in front of his elder brother - as long as he asked, Wei Qian would definitely give the sponsorship, and Wei Zhiyuan knew it very well.

But what's the point?

When all the negative emotions were aroused and piled heavily in his heart, Wei Zhiyuan wanted to give up several times. For the first time, he realized that bearing this seemingly cowardly attitude was no easier than anything else.

But hasn’t elder brother been enduring it all those years?

During those days, Wei Zhiyuan barely survived by relying on the yellowed old photo of Wei Qian's youth in his wallet.

Wei Qian felt indescribably distressed, just like the first time he saw Xiaobao washing the urinal for Old Lady Song.

But he couldn't express it. He was silent for a long time, and then he could only praise Wei Zhiyuan in a very obscure way, just like he praised Xiaobao, without any creativity: "You...if you are willing to find a girlfriend, I can rest in peace now."

Wei Zhiyuan said calmly: "That's impossible."

"No hope at all?" Wei Qian looked at him almost expectantly.

Wei Zhiyuan avoided his gaze, added salt and seasoning, but his tone was firm: "Well, it's impossible at all."

"For your male fox..." Wei Qian paused, then awkwardly changed the topic and said, "Male... sweetheart? Don't think it's very difficult to get sponsorship now. If you really want to go this route, it will be much more difficult than getting sponsorship."

Wei Zhiyuan seemed to find the term "male sweetheart" very interesting. He didn't know what he was thinking of, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but slightly raised: "I know, this is the beginning."

Wei Qian paused and changed his perspective: "Will they accept you?"

Wei Zhiyuan glanced at him and said hesitantly, "I don't know yet. Maybe... maybe it's a little unacceptable, right?"

Wei Qian seemed to have found a breakthrough immediately. He slowed down his tone and put on a patient persuasion posture: "When a man reaches a certain age, he will want to marry a woman. Even if you don't want to, others will. You are still young and don't think so far ahead. If the person you like gets married in the future, what will you do?"

Wei Zhiyuan stopped all his movements and remained in a stalemate for a while. He said in a low voice in loneliness: "Brother, can you please stop digging my heart?"

Wei Qian looked at the unmoved Wei Zhiyuan helplessly, and remembered what Lao Xiong had said to him - this is like a turtle eating a weight, it is determined.

He couldn't help but think of Sister Xiong. Two months ago, Wei Qian found an opportunity and took Xiaobao to visit her.

Mrs. Xiong refused to undergo chemotherapy, but she somehow managed to convince Old Xiong, and Old Xiong just sat there and let it go.

Mrs. Xiong was finally satisfied to hear Xiaobao calling her "godmother". When she looked at Xiaobao, she couldn't help but imagine, if she could have a child, if she could live a few more years, would she be able to see her child grow up to be as old as Xiaobao?

Looking at this heartless little girl, she couldn't help but imagine her own illusory future.

Before leaving, Sister Xiong said to Wei Qian, "Some children are born to love beauty, while others are born not to care. This is all human nature, just like cats eat fish and dogs eat meat. You force a child who loves beauty to get her hair cut just based on your own preferences, which is the same as forcing a child who doesn't love beauty to get up an hour earlier every day to put on makeup - you strangle other people's nature. You think you are right, but do you know how cruel you are?"

Wei Qian knew that these were her true feelings.

Ms. Chen Lu also has a natural love for beauty, art, her work, her family and children, and life. However, halfway through her journey, everything was forcibly interrupted and came to a halt.

When she said this to Wei Qian, her eyes were clearly red.

Is it Xiaoyuan's nature to love a man like this and never give up even if she hits the wall?

Wei Qian didn't know, but his emotions fluctuated several times, and finally he reached his bottom line and gave Wei Zhiyuan a step back, which was humiliating and detrimental to the country.

He sadly discovered that his bottom line was like a pair of pants, which would be stripped off by these little bastards one day until nothing was left.

Wei Qian said, "Love is okay, I don't care about you anymore, I've said everything I need to say, don't regret it later. Your... that someone - well, let's just say that someone, you know what I mean, I don't know if he smells good or not, let me see him if there's a chance."

Wei Zhiyuan immediately understood his concession, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, he didn't know whether he should be happy or not. He struggled for a long time and finally responded with a "Hey."

Wei Qian wanted to say more, but at this moment, his topic was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Wei Qian responded and opened the door, only to see a strange middle-aged woman standing outside. She had short, burnt yellow curls that looked like a moving chicken coop. Her eyes were cloudy and there were fine lines around her eyes, showing that she was quite old. She was wearing a floral fir dress that didn't suit her age and looked a bit gaudy, and she was carrying a fake brand-name bag that you can find everywhere.

Wei Qian asked: "Who are you looking for?"

When the other party saw him, he was also stunned for a moment, and then immediately said: "Oh... I may have knocked on the wrong door. So, does Wang Xiuhong live in this building?"

"Wang Xiuhong" is Ma Zi's mother's name. Wei Qian frowned: "What do you want to see her for?"