CH 101

Luo Bei laughed and went up to hug him, comforting him: “Don’t worry, without you, there wouldn’t be today’s business. I won’t kick you out. Although the profit of this business might not worth anything to you.”

However, Gu Qianyan shook his head and whispered: “Although I made fun of him, I do agree with the old man’s advice… Beibei, if you want to succeed in this industry in the long run, sometimes you have to put your own interests first. The old man is not wrong. If it were me, I would also give the same advice because the businesses under your name have good prospects and will grow bigger in the future. So, you should first slowly buy back the shares.”

Luo Bei was taken aback and asked: “If you were in charge of these businesses today, would you kick me out?”

“Of course not,” Gu Qianyan replied without hesitation.

“I know that doing so would maximize my personal interests, but I can’t bring myself to do it. If you hadn’t pulled me into the business, I might still be working as an assistant to the female boss. Call me emotional or irrational, but I just don’t want to do it. Maybe my thoughts will change in a few years or decades, but for now, I want to share this journey with you.”

Luo Bei’s idea was actually very simple. She believed that without Gu Qianyan, the current situation would not exist. Everything was attributed to his hard work and efforts. Perhaps she would become a successful businesswoman in the future, but for now, she just wanted to follow her heart.

lthough interests are certainly important, and everyone would defend them, she couldn’t accept the idea of putting them above everything else.

Gu Qianyan was touched by her words and said: “I can’t control your decisions. As a businessperson, the most important thing is to be independent. Since you have made your decision, I won’t persuade you anymore.”

Luo Bei rubbed against his clothes and said, “Why are you like this? It’s obviously related to your interests, yet you’re considering me instead.”

“You’re the same, aren’t you?” Gu Qianyan smiled wryly. “Basically, all my conscience is used on you, which is also good.”

When Luo Bei told Grandpa Gu about her decision, he was reading the newspaper and drinking tea. He didn’t even lift his head and said, “Beibei, you’re really naive. It’s such a good opportunity, of course he would have no objection, huh.”

She refilled Grandpa Gu’s tea, “If you and Grandma Gu did business together back then, would you have taken back Grandma Gu’s shares later?”

Grandpa Gu was taken aback and replied, “…Only if I don’t want to live anymore.”

“Although you said it as if you were afraid of Grandma Gu, you actually care about her and are willing to share with her. It’s the same for me.” Luo Bei smiled.

Grandpa Gu was silent for a moment, “But if you want to start another business in the future, it’s your own thing. The car beauty shop and the unmanned store are half his, that’s unquestionable. But you can’t do it like this in the future.”

Luo Bei made a sound of agreement, “I’ve already discussed this with him. The unmanned stores, online shops, and car beauty shops that we privately signed contracts with will all have his share of the business, but he won’t participate in the tea business I’m currently running or any other business in the future.”

Hearing her words, Grandpa Gu was relieved.

With Grandpa Gu’s guidance, the profits of any business they engaged in soared. Perhaps inspired by Grandpa Gu, the apprentice asked Luo Bei for six months of salary in advance and borrowed some money from the master to make a down payment on a basic car. He was full of energy and said he wanted to save up for a down payment on a small house before he turned forty…

As for the master, who already had excellent skills in this industry, under Grandpa Gu’s suggestion, he even went to take a course with the ambition of becoming the best craftsman in the car detailing industry.

As for the newly hired employees, they washed cars with great enthusiasm every day. Even the online store customer service girl, who used to go home and lie around after work, went to take a Japanese language course.

Luo Bei couldn’t help but think that the most powerful tool of the Grandpa-grandson Gu was their brainwashing skills…

Gu Qianyan had a sharp tongue and always said things that made people blush. He always felt that if you didn’t work hard and live a positive life, it was a waste of life and a shameful expression. Grandpa Gu, on the other hand, always smiled and spoke in a very gentle manner. But if you thought about it carefully, you couldn’t help feeling guilty about your own decadence.

If these two people joined a pyramid scheme, they would definitely be at the top level.

However, no matter what, looking at everyone in the store being full of energy and vitality, Luo Bei was also encouraged.

Of course, Luo Bei was also curious about how Father and Mother Gu got along with such a father and son… After all, even though she had only seen Father and Mother Gu once, she could tell that they were the kind of people that Gu Qianyan and Grandpa Gu despised the most.

A few days later, Mother Gu, who had just returned from attending a friend’s birthday party in New York, invited Luo Bei to have a beauty treatment and afternoon tea together. Of course, this was after she consulted her son’s opinion.

Under Mother Gu’s name, there is also a beauty salon, but she usually doesn’t go there herself. Today, surprisingly, she brought Luo Bei to her beauty salon. The employees were all shocked because the boss rarely comes, and this time she brought a young girl with her. The Chinese people’s imagination is very rich, and they immediately thought that Luo Bei must be the future daughter-in-law of the boss!

“Beibei, have you ever had a beauty treatment before?” Mother Gu asked.

Luo Bei shook her head, “No, I just do face masks at home…”

Looking at Luo Bei’s fair skin, Mother Gu envied her and said, “When I was your age, I didn’t go to the beauty salon often. Being young is good. Just applying a hydrating mask can make your skin instantly tender and moist…”

She really wants to go back to the skin state of her early twenties!

“But you look young too,” Luo Bei said, and she wasn’t just flattering. In the past, when she watched TV dramas, she often criticized the mothers of male leads for looking like sisters with the female lead, which was unrealistic. When she saw Mother Gu, she realized that this kind of situation really exists. Mother Gu and Gu Qianyan standing together don’t look like mother and son, but more like elder sister and younger brother.

Just like today, Mother Gu wore a white suit with a skirt above her knees and a pair of high heels on her feet, making her legs look straight and slender. She looked like her body had no excess fat and her makeup was also delicate. In short, she looked really good. It was clear that she spent most of her time on herself.

Mother Gu was amused by Luo Bei’s words. For women, receiving compliments from other women is often more pleasing to the mind and body than compliments from men. “I look young, but I worked hard for it. I swim and exercise every day and even do body shaping. Qianyan’s father used to say I was unreasonable, but since last year when an old classmate said I looked like I was thirty and he looked like he was fifty, he has changed his mind too.”

“How do you take care of yourself so well?” Previously, Luo Bei was not good at chatting with strangers, but now that she is in business, she has become more talkative. Besides, she had been taught by Gu Qianyan before that all she had to do when talking to Mother Gu was to praise and praise her.

Mother Gu really became chatterbox and said, “First of all, it is essential to go to bed early and get up early. No matter how busy my schedule is, I always make sure to go to sleep before eleven o’clock and eat breakfast at seven in the morning. Of course, I don’t eat too much or too greasy during normal meals. I won’t eat anything after six in the evening…In addition, swimming, exercising, and beauty skincare are also necessary. Look…” She raised her head and let Luo Bei see her neck. “Do you see that I don’t have any neck wrinkles!”

Luo Bei sincerely complimented her, “Wow, that’s amazing!”

“Of course, the most important thing is to have a young and confident mentality,” Mother Gu added. “I have a few friends who always think they are already fifty and cannot wear clothes that young girls wear. Why not? Anyway, I don’t accept clothes that are supposed to be worn by fifty-year-old women. They don’t have any fashion sense and don’t even have a waistline. I won’t let myself gain weight just so I can wear beautiful clothes.”

Mother Gu looked at Luo Bei, touched her waist, and then looked at her chest. Luo Bei felt embarrassed, but Mother Gu remained calm. “Although you are young now, you cannot slack off, Bei Bei. I know you are doing well in business, which is good because you have your own career. I can’t do that, I don’t like to worry about things that don’t interest me. Today I have to tell you something, don’t listen to others who say you have to balance family and career. As a woman, you have to balance career and beauty, and focus your thoughts and time on yourself.”

Luo Bei did not know what to say. She really had no concept of these things yet.

“When a woman loves herself with all her heart, that is when she is most beautiful,” Mother Gu continued. “Let me tell you, when you are rich, beautiful, and have a good figure, the world is yours.”

Luo Bei nodded, “Yeah!”

“I am not a good mother, nor a good wife. As I’ve said before, fortunately, our child is intelligent and capable, and he has always been taught by his grandfather. I don’t have to take care of his daily life since we have maids and aunties at home. However, I still remember when I attended the parent-teacher conference with my son when he was in first grade. He told me that I was the most beautiful mother compared to his classmates’ mothers,” said Mother Gu with a smile on her face. “Although I may not be a good mother, I am definitely the most beautiful mother in his heart, and that is enough for me.

“I used to be afraid of getting old. I even told Qianyan’s father that I would commit suicide when I turned thirty,” Mother Gu continued with a bit of embarrassment. “But now I am not afraid of aging anymore. It is just a number for me. Instead, I have a bigger challenge, which is how to live like I am still in my thirties.”

Luo Bei suddenly understood why people like Gu Qianyan and Grandpa Gu could live harmoniously with Mother and Father Gu, who are both hedonists.

She did not know much about Father Gu, but after listening to Mother Gu’s words today, she thought that Mother Gu, who lives so wholeheartedly for herself, has a unique charm as a woman. She is confident and proud, and full of energy. Regardless of whether she is a good mother or a good wife, at least she is the best version of herself.

She would not judge Mother Gu’s way of life. As Grandpa Gu said, everyone has their own way of living. However, it must be said that being able to live beautifully, exquisitely, and splendidly is enough to make people envious.