Do You Want to Be My Adopted Grandson? Part II

“Bai Zhe, let me be frank. Are you interested in being my adopted grandson?” Xi Lua decided to say it out loud. He wanted this kind of grandson. If Xi Mo did not inherit his business, Bai Zhe would be the most suitable choice for the chairman position in the future. Still, he needed some years to observe the boy’s behaviour.

“I wouldn’t suit, sir,” Bai Zhe answered politely.

“What do you think makes you not unsuitable? Look at the money in your account and your age. They show that you are suitable, both in terms of your status and your capability,” said Xi Lua.

“What about your children and your grandchildren? What would they think if they knew about this?” asked Bai Zhe.

“I will not tell them now. I believe in my sense that you will be famous in the near future. When that time arrives, I’ll tell them. They would not have any problems if you can prove yourself and make people accept you,” the old man explained.

“If you say I am, Grandfather, I would be honoured.” Bai Zhe smiled. Xi Lua got up from his seat and then pulled him into a hug.

“Good. From now on, you are my grandson, Xiao Zhe. If you meet Xi Mo, you can call him Brother Mo, understand?” said Xi Lua, feeling strangely like he was complete.

“Uhm, Xi Mo calls me Master Bai,” said Bai Zhe, making the old man guffaw. That was because Xi Mo respected Bai Zhe’s talent, so he called the boy ‘Master Bai’ as his grandfather did.

“Well, you can just call him Xi Mo. I’ll tell him that I’ve allowed you to call me Grandpa,” said Xi Lua.

They talked about many topics after that and had dinner together. Bai Zhe ate just to be polite. In his stomach right now, qi was dissolved and separating out unnecessary dirty components. He secretly spit them out into his napkin the moment he wiped his mouth. Then, the boy asked to go home. Xi Lua had his driver drive Bai Zhe home.

Xan Long Publishing Company

Wu Jia, the owner of this publishing company and a member of the calligraphy painting enthusiast club, was Xi Lua's friend who had been asked personally by him to consider a novel.

Wu Jia accepted it as a matter of courtesy. He gave the novel manuscript he had gotten from Xi Lua to all the necessary people for evaluation. He himself went to his lounge. which was next to his office to nap. The relevant people took the manuscript, read it, and discussed the novel by themselves privately.

“This is so long. Is it going to be any good?”

“The president said we should consider it just as we normally do when someone sends us a manuscript to consider.”

“The president is really respectable. Though they are friends, business is business.”

“Of course. Who’s going to invest if they know they will lose money?”

After their chit-chat, the employees went to their desks and started to read the novel.

“Hmm.”

“Wait, or is it…?”

“It is like this then.”

Their interjections sporadically slipped from their mouths. Nobody talked or exchanged their opinions. The novel was very addictive. It was around 5 in the morning when they finished reading it.

“I-I couldn’t stop reading,” said one of them, leaning back against his chair and closing his eyes.

“I agree. This is very addictive. I might have gone crazy if I hadn’t read it all in one go,” a middle-aged woman said.

“I'm going to excuse myself to take a shower and come back to sleep a little. President Wu will probably call us for a meeting at 9 a.m.,” said another man.

“Me, too. I’ll set an alarm.” Another young man brought out his smartphone to set an alarm before walking to a sofa and going to sleep.

The other staff who had also stayed up all night reading the novel went their separate ways to take showers and naps before their meeting at 9 a.m. as well.

A meeting room, Xan Long Publishing Company

In Xan Long Publishing’s meeting room, at 9 a.m., Wu Jia was sitting at the head of the table. His ten staff members were still sleepy. However, they were much better after taking a nap.

“Any comments after reading it?” asked Wu Jia.

“It shouldn’t be called a novel,” said one of the male staff members. Wu Jia closed his eyes. He had a feeling it would turn out like this. Why did Xi Lua not screen it first? How could his friend embarrass him in front of his employees like this?

“It should be called a literary masterpiece, to be accurate,” the same man continued. Wu Jia’s eyes opened. Had he heard it correctly? Why did the staff member call it a literary masterpiece?

“What did you just say?” he asked the man again.

“I said it should be called a literary masterpiece. The diction is excellent. The writing is superior. Also, his handwriting is very beautiful. If it was changed from a pen to a brush, it would feel like we are reading ancient literature.” He praised the novel he took all night to read passionately.

“Are you exaggerating?” asked Wu Jia.

“No exaggeration, sir.” This time, all ten staff members sprang up, talking to him all at the same time.

“President Wu, you need to read it yourself,” a middle-aged staff member handed him a USB drive. Wu Jia took it, opened it up, and started to read the novel. It was not long before he was immersed in the world of the novel. What was this enjoyment and uncontrollable need to keep on reading? He could not stop exploring the fictional world. Still, it had pauses for the readers to catch their breaths. Wu Jia did not know how long he had read the novel. Before he could click to the next chapter, a hand stopped him.

“President Wu, you need to calm down. We were like you when we read it,” the middle-aged male staff member said. Wu Jia finally understood why his staff and his friend, Xi Lua, spoke so highly of this novel.

“Let’s have a vote. Raise your hand if we should buy this. If we should not buy this, stay still,” said Wu Jia. All the staff raised their hands.

“So, we buy it. Next is the contract that the writer…hmm?” Wu Jia had just noticed the pen name of the writer. The members of the club and he himself would never forget this name. It was the name of the artist who bestowed upon them calligraphy paintings that had already become national treasures.

“Are you all right, President Wu?” one of the staff members could not help but ask when he saw Wu Jia go still.

“Do you know the name of the artist of the two calligraphy paintings that just got promoted to be national treasures?”

“A moment, sir.” They instantly searched for the information with their smartphones, before their expressions turned to shock and they compared the name on their phones to the pen name.

“D...does that mean…?” The middle-aged male member’s hands shook with excitement. He knew that if they bought the novel, the artist of the national treasures would come to their office.

“There is a high possibility. My friend, Xi Lua, is the owner of one of the paintings. He might know this master. So, in the contract, he wants us to pay him 50% of the profits we gain per book. But if we give him 60% and we take 40%, he will sell us his new novel when he has one. What do you think?” Wu Jia explained the details of the contract immediately.

“If is really that Master, I think a 60/40 deal will gain us long-term profits.” One staff member voiced his opinion, which was agreed to by his colleagues.

“Deal. His share is at 60% of the profit. I will make an appointment with him to sign the contract. Have the legal department prepare the contract. The meeting’s over.” The others went back to work while Wu Jia called Xi Lua to tell him that he had decided to buy the copyright on this novel.

“All right, thank you, Wu Jia.” Xi Lua thanked his friend with a smile on his face because Wu Jia had called the novel ‘a literary masterpiece’, which he agreed with.

“Lua, hang on. On the day we sign the contract, can the master give me a chance to buy him a meal?” said Wu Jia with excitement. He was thrilled to meet this master because he had had to work on the day of the calligraphy painting display event. Therefore, he did not attend it. Moreover, no photography had been allowed at that event, so he had missed a chance to see the master whom everyone talked about.

“Sure, I will ask him. Wait a second… All right, he will definitely be there. Goodbye and thank you so much.” Xi Lua hung up. He was wondering what Wu Jia would do when he discovered that Bai Zhe was the famous Master. Then, he hooted with laughter.