06: FAMILY AFFAIRS

[PAST]

LONG FAMILY

"He wants to buy the company?" Long Liu Wei asks the woman sitting beside Li Jun on his left side. They are eating dinner when the man raises his concern about Elric Exelon and the CEO's private conversation.

"Yes, uncle." Wang Xiu replies, she calls the former CEO "uncle" when they are at their house. Formalities are dropped at home but they are strictly required outside to establish their professional principles.

"That's all?" Long Liu Wei inquires, the coy smile on his face tells that he wants to learn about the conversation further than her niece has shared with them.

"Uncle, there's nothing more to tell." Wang Xiu answers, focusing on the meal in front of her. The dishes are all made by her father's younger sister who is known as a culinary chef and expert, owning restaurants all over the city.

Her aunt, Long Ming Zhu served everyone's favorite, sweet and sour pork. A traditional dish from Shanghai where her father and aunt are from. The perfect blend of flavors and the soft meat is a pleasurable meal after a hard day at work. There is also a roasted Peking Duck sliced and served with honey. Fried rice with vegetables like green onions and to add more flavor her aunt put green peppers.

It is the family's tradition to eat dinner together at the Long Mansion every first day of the week. It signifies the importance of family for Long Liu Wei, spending quality time with his loved ones after a busy day. It is also a way for the former CEO to relieve his stress from work and the habit continues after the old man's retirement.

"Dear, what do you want to hear from Wang Xiu to say? That Mr. Exelon asks her for a date?" Long Ming Zhu comments, teasing her husband for pushing their niece to start dating again.

"What???" Li Jun almost chokes on his food hearing about the proud billionaire asking Wang Xiu to go out on a date. He turns his face to the woman beside her, quietly chewing a piece of pork in her mouth.

"He didn't ask me, besides he's the kind of man I don't want to date." Wang Xiu responds pursing her lips, remembering the man's overly confident smile that irritates her most.

"You are not young anymore—" Long Li Wei, Li Jun, and Wang Xiu all say at the same time, making everyone laugh after mocking the former CEO's sermon again.

"I'm serious this time, Wang Xiu. If you start dating again, the rumors about you will stop." Long Liu Wei lets out his concern before taking a piece of meat into his mouth.

"Those are only gossips, Pa. Don't mind them." Li Jun defends his cousin, flashing a quick smile on his face. He turns to Wang Xiu who nods at him as a way to say thank you.

"Pa, aren't you going to ask me to start dating again?" Li Jun asks jokingly to lighten the mood of the old man.

"Be careful not to get every girl you date pregnant. I'm not good at remembering the names of all the grandchildren I will have to give ampao to." Long Liu Wei replies with a wide smile and a little chuckle.

"I don't mind how many grandchildren you make Li Jun, as long as you find a wife that cares for you." Long Ming Zhu says with a sweet smile on her lips.

"I will, Mama." Li Jun replies nodding his head and continues eating the meal served by his mother.

The dinner ended with Li Jun boasting about a fan sending various gifts to his apartment, from flowers, towels, sunglasses, and food to eat. As a sign of appreciation, he would post them to social media to let them know how grateful he is for having sweet fans but his mother feels concerned about it. News of obsessive fans stalking their idols and relatives has been rising and his mother advises Li Jun to move out or stay with them for a while to be safe.

Li Jun's father and Wang Xiu agreed to Mrs. Long Ming Zhu's suggestion. Having a bodyguard with him doesn't mean he's going to be safe every time especially at home where his bodyguard is away.

Before going back to their apartments, Long Ming Zhu pleaded with Li Jun and Wang Xiu to greet their grandfather who is in the study room. The old Long still has the strength to walk around the house yet too weak to join them for dinner.

Wang Xiu wants to refuse her aunt's request but Li Jun insisted that she should present herself as the new CEO to give respect to the founder. 

Wang Xiu and Li Jun walk to the side of the mansion where the old man dwells, inside his old office that now became a study room for the founder. The loud sound of the television can be heard outside the door. The old CEO likes to watch the news to keep himself updated with the new world that has forgotten his existence. Yet, the founder still has power over the company, a significant share that he wields to make everyone comply with his wishes.

Li Jun knocks at the door of the study room and introduces himself. He asked for permission to enter and didn't include Wang Xiu's name or that the woman is right beside him. The old man detests Wang Xiu from the beginning since they were children, reminding them every time that she will never take hold of the company he built, she will never be the CEO of LCDC.

"Grandpa will curse you for letting me take the position of CEO." Wang Xiu whispers in Li Jun's ear, leaning forward as the man stood in front of her.

"Stay behind me and he won't see you." Li Jun replies, curving his lips in a coy smile. He makes fun of the founder's difficulty in seeing yet they know the man's nose is like a hound, and he can smell Wang Xiu's reflected detest clearer than his sight.

"Come in, Sūn zi." The old man yells at the door. His voice is louder than the television that plays the current news in the country but the gurgling noise of old age is noticeable in his voice.

Li Jun opens the door and sees the old Long Bao Qing is sitting in front of the fifty inches television hanging on the wall. His wooden brown chair has velvet red cushions paired with a velvet red footstool. A cane is resting in the left armchair and the old man is holding a remote control in his left hand. The founder still has full hair on his head, all white like his eyebrow and beard. His puffy cheeks are rounded like his face and his eyes are smaller than it used to be. Their grandfather has pale white skin but not grayish and brown spots on his forehead and under the eyes from old age.

"Sūn zi, how's the company?" The old man asks, smiling at the man who bows gently in front of him.

"It's fine, Yeye. Xiu Sheng is taking good care of it for me." Li Jun replies with a low voice. 

Wang Xiu standing behind Li Jun steps in front and bows slowly to the old man who immediately sneers seeing her face.

"So you have taken the position of my grandson?" The founder inquires with a loud voice, his tone is full of resentment towards the woman.

"I'm taking good care of the company, Yeye." Wang Xiu answers politely to the old CEO.

"I'd rather sell the company than let you continue to be a CEO. Now go away, I don't want to see you." The old man yells and pouts his lips looking away at the woman and focuses his eyes on the television.

Wang Xiu looks down and bows her head again, as a sign of respect, and goes out of the room leaving Li Jun with the old man.

"You are the CEO, from now on you have to be careful about your decisions." Aunt Ming Zhu says looking at her with a blank face.

The old woman is standing in the hallway near the study room opposite the kitchen. Her aunt's black hair with white streaks is properly styled in a traditional bun with her elongated face and thin eyebrows, she looks strict compared to what she is at the dinner table.

"I'm always careful about my decisions, Auntie." Wang Xiu answers, flashing a smirk on her face. Unlike the old man who shows his resentment with her directly, her aunt does it when no one is around them.

"You are too aggressive, just like your mother." Mrs. Long comments, stepping closer to her.

"Is that bad or is that good, Auntie?" Wang Xiu inquires and continues to scoff at the concern that the woman in front of her tries to convey.

"The company has the best reputation until your scandalous stunt in Macau. If that doesn't fade out, I think you will have to step down." The old woman explains, stepping closer and closer to her until they are almost an inch away.

"Thank you for the early warning, Auntie." Wang Xiu responds with her lips wide with a smile.

"It's not a warning. The old man already knows, my dear." Long Ming Zhu confesses and turns around to step away from Wang Xiu who's face becomes dim as she knows that the old CEO will do anything to kick her off the position.

Long Li Jun decided to drive Wang Xiu back to her apartment and let his driver take his Ferrari. They live in the same building in the City while the former CEO stays in the Long Mansion under a private land they own on the outskirts.

The drive back to the city takes an hour depends on the traffic and to pass time, Li Jun begins a conversation with Wang Xiu who stares at her tablet to review documents and contracts.

"Don't worry about the rumors, Xiu Sheng. It will fade in time." The man says staring at the dark road leading back to the city.

"Let the rumors stay." The woman replies without giving the man a glimpse and continues to focus on the screen of her tablet.

"What do you mean?" Li Jun asks, peering at the woman beside him. His brows furrow at the woman's reaction.

"I'm using the rumors to make our competitors fear me. After we closed our deal in Macau, we have been getting better deals in Hong Kong and after that international projects will be coming our way." Wang Xiu explains, lifting her head and staring at the man with both of his hands on the wheels.

The car suddenly stops in the middle of the road. Wang Xiu drops her tablet on her feet and almost hits the windshield with her face. She looks at the man at the driver's seat clutching the steering wheel tightly. 

"What the FUCK is wrong with you???" Wang Xiu screams at the man with wide eyes. 

"Tell me the truth??? did you sleep with CEO Kang in Macau to get that deal?!?!" Li Jun inquires with his eyes furiously glaring at the woman with a clenched jaw and crumpled forehead.

"That's none of your business!!!" The woman shouts, protesting the stare reflecting from Li Jun's eyes.

"It's my business because you made that deal to save the company for me!!!" The man yells back, pointing his finger to his chest.

"You are not the CEO anymore, I am. I will do whatever I need to do for this company from now on!!!" Wang Xiu exclaim, mimicking the man's gesture of pointing her index finger at the man in the driver's seat.

"And that includes sleeping with clients???" Li Jun asks, yelling at the woman.