Chapter 5 - Like father not like son.

H

uang Fan touched the photo of Liqin with a furrowed brow and responded, "It was the thirtieth wedding anniversary soiree of Li Enlai and Li Diu, that had awakened his inner suppressed feelings for her, and made both of them realize, that they could not live without the company of each other."

"Yes. On your thirtieth wedding anniversary, when you had officially handed over the reins of the business empire to my two lovely grandsons, your plan to discuss the possibility of a union of Bao and Jia triggered it all. The question that you posed to Jia regarding the possibility of a union, triggered Liqin, to start taking his feelings for her seriously."

"Both of them had been trained since childhood, by Enlai on the ground rules of the business world. With age, he nurtured them and involved them in major business decisions. My son had left no stone unturned, to nurture an heir to his empire. You truly deserve the award."

Huang Fan stood up, walked to him, hugged him, and said, "Congratulations. I forgot about it as I immersed myself with those lovely pictures."

"Thank you. I hope that our children will reach better peaks than us. I would not hand over my ruthlessly built empire to an incapable leader to be ruined. Would I dad?"

"Of course, you shouldn't, son!"

"I had envisaged the handover long ago and nurtured them long before they would be ready for the handover. Their completion of a master's in business management from a prestigious institution abroad only adds a feather in their capability to handle the empire successfully. A master's degree was only an added advantage as I had premediated that I would hand over the reins, only if they would successfully prove their abilities on their return."

Huang Fan interrupted and asked, "Didn't they prove their capabilities? They did exceptionally well."

"They sure did. I completely agree with it."

"Bao like his father is very diligent, shrewd, and calculative in business. He is a man of strong principles. He never allows people to bully him, has sound judgment, and has an analytical mind. He can see through the thoughts of a person crystal-clear, and is a master psychologist."

Li Bai adjusted her spectacles and said, "But his upbringing by his mother has fallen short of making him into a ruthless business wolf, that Enlai is. He knows to balance business with compassion. His ability to hold the fort calmly is his strength."

"Business deals cannot be handled with compassion. Can you also tell me, since when was I a wolf in your eyes, mom?"

Huang Fan burst into laughter and interrupted, "A loving family wolf though."

"Yes, of course, and a leader of the pack." Li Bai shoved her hands and concluded proudly.

"I am relieved though with your wolf-cum-lamb combination of cubs, that have been thoroughly bred though mom." Li Enlai approved.

Huang Fan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"In the months, after his joining the business emporium, he bought about unity in the warring factors, among the board of directors. He won discussions, and not arguments. He always says, that discussions are always about what is right, whereas arguments are about who is right."

"His vision encompassed the way ahead for the conglomerate, that we built. The company trusted him and respected him to the core, not because of fear, but in awe of his capabilities, and sincerity. Moreover, he has a trusted aide in Chang Liqin. They together are the future of the Li Empire." Enlai concluded.

Li Bai turned the page of the album and said, "There's one thing, that I do not understand, though. He somehow has sound Christian values embedded into him. I do not know where he got that from though. He sometimes sounds like Abigail, your classmate, the daughter of that pastor who studied with you."

Li Enlai not happy, with that reference, pressed his lips together, rolled his eyes together, and said, "Maybe it's because of some friends, who studied with him abroad."

Understanding the gravity of where the discussion, could lead to, Li Delun interrupted, "As the young generation has now taken charge of the business empire, the elders can find more time at their hand, for their families, which was earlier not available, due to their busy schedules."

As they were discussing Li Diu fiddled with her fingers, her brows arched in tension, and pondered, "Is the influence becoming more and more obvious. Did I overexpose him to Roulan? In his growing ages, he was influenced by the teachings of Roulan, whose sound Christian values were slowly and steadily getting engraved onto his heart. Li Enlai's efforts to convert him into a ruthless wolf had not paid off fully, as Li Bao was a blend of business ethics and shrewdness. He was innocent like a dove, along with being shrewd as a serpent."

Her thoughts were interrupted by Li Enlai's question, "What were you thinking?"

"Well I was just thinking about our wedding anniversary celebration, and whether any girl in that banquet hall caught Bao's attention."

"Don't worry, if he doesn't find love, love will eventually find its way unto him."

"I think we can have a grand celebration like that, every year to compensate for all those years, that you lost." Enlai bent toward her and whispered.

Li Diu smiled, at the thought of it, and pondered, "Years of patience, have finally started paying off."

Huang Fan held Huang Sying by the shoulder, pointed to Li Enlai, and said, "I thought your son got married, but you two, look like the honeymoon couple these days."

That was the last straw, that Li Diu could take, and she got up, and said, "I will check up on uncle, and come back."

"We were discussing the anniversary celebration." Li Enlai defended.

"Really!" Huang Fan responded, and they all burst into laughter.