Chapter 102: President Shou’s Big Bodyguard
A smile appeared on Shou Jiaxun’s face again.
Actually, strictly speaking from a business perspective, he should regroup, let go of his burdens, and raise the battle flag once more.
Just as Xiao Zhiheng said, although “Fanrong” had acquired more than half the shares of “Guoran Trading,” “Fanrong” itself was also a joint-stock enterprise.
As long as Shou Jiaxun and Uncle Guo remained united, firmly controlled the company’s operating rights, held on to the position of president, and waited for an opportunity, they would surely have a chance to take back what belonged to them.
It was just like business being about bargaining; earning more or less was still earning. Even if one deal couldn’t be made, it didn’t mean the next one couldn’t be negotiated harmoniously again.
But feelings were different. Sometimes the wound in a relationship doesn’t need to be very large to make love fester until it dies.
What Shou Jiaxun truly rejected deep down was Liang Bo—the person who should now be called Liang Taotao.
Liang Taotao hadn’t just concealed his identity; he had also “pulled the rug from under him” at the very moment his company needed to consolidate its foundation the most.
To be “backstabbed” by the person you intended to spend the rest of your life with—that kind of piercing pain is doubled, and it also has a delayed effect.
What Shou Jiaxun was currently experiencing was this kind of delayed pain.
He was like someone who had undergone a failed appendectomy; the diseased part could be easily separated from him, yet the pain remained like a shadow.
Liang Bo, Liang Taotao, Little Liang—they had completely become symbols that triggered his stress-induced abdominal pain.
For the first time in two lives, Shou Jiaxun had wanted to marry someone, form a family, give birth, and be an Omega. And yet…
This was the result.
Shou Jiaxun had suffered the hardships of starting a business, but he was never afraid of “starting from scratch”; in his past life, he hadn’t been afraid even without a “buff.”
What he feared was facing Liang Taotao again, even just as a colleague.
And the words Xiao Zhiheng spoke to him now perfectly soothed the unease caused by that “shameful fear.”
Shou Jiaxun nodded with a smile, acting as if he were being guided by a senior. He raised a hand to call the attendant for two glasses of red wine and raised his glass with a beaming smile. “May my journey be smooth and may I achieve new heights.”
Xiao Zhiheng smiled heartily, his eyes full of admiration as he clinked glasses with him. “I have a lecture in Hanseong tonight on equity thinking; interested in coming to listen?”
“Yes, of course.” President Shou raised his brows with a self-deprecating laugh, his joy apparent. “It seems that ‘feeling one’s way through the dark’ might still lead to a fortuitous encounter.”
He wasn’t the type of person to just lie flat after a fall. If he couldn’t get up in the original spot, he would change places and continue to struggle.
Xiao Zhiheng gave a soft laugh. “You aren’t a blind man; your eyes hide the brightest starlight I’ve ever seen in my life.
I’ve already begun to feel pity for that person; he must be very regretful.”
Shou Jiaxun ignored the latter half of his sentence speculating on Liang Taotao’s feelings. He bent his index and middle fingers and gestured in front of his eyes, only joking about the first part: “Are you saying I’m that… Zzzz—Flying Celestial Welder?”
“Hahaha!” Xiao Zhiheng laughed even louder this time. Fortunately, the seats in first class were spaced out, so it didn’t draw curious stares from others.
The two of them talked about business and management philosophies, and the flight of less than three hours to the destination passed in an instant.
After landing, President Shou left his new phone number for the other man. Since Xiao Zhiheng was on a short business trip and had only brought a carry-on suitcase, the two of them parted ways before even leaving the airport.
However, they made an appointment to meet at the place where Teacher Xiao was giving his lecture in the evening. Afterward, Shou Jiaxun turned off to the baggage carousel to pick up his checked luggage.
Passengers from first class left the plane earlier. Shou Jiaxun retrieved his luggage and went to the airport passenger lounge to look for the travel agency’s shuttle bus.
The local guide for Hanseong was a Chinese expat living in Korea in his forties, a male Beta. Seeing Shou Jiaxun come out alone, he was full of confusion and checked his identity information twice before letting him onto the bus.
He asked with a curious face, “How did you come out so early?”
Shou Jiaxun found a single window seat in the bus and responded casually, “I paid for a first-class upgrade, so I got off the plane faster.”
The guide was even more surprised. “Wow! It was only two hours or so, and you still paid for a first-class upgrade? You’re a rich person.”
Seeing his exaggerated expression, Shou Jiaxun hurriedly humbled himself, “I happened to meet a friend; it was the friend’s treat.”
The guide raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “We Chinese have an old saying: ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ Your friend is rich, so you must not be simple either. When we check into the hotel later, do you have an ‘upgrade’ requirement here?”
Shou Jiaxun was amused by his sly look. “I didn’t at first, but after you asked, I suddenly do. Help me open a separate room; I’ll transfer the fee to you right now.”
Then, while transferring the money, he added an extra two hundred in tip. “My health hasn’t been good lately. I’ll stay in the hotel to rest this afternoon and rejoin you tomorrow morning.”
The guide immediately agreed. “Sure, no problem. Just don’t wander off on your own. Although the security here in Hanseong is quite good, overcharging is serious, and there are many scammers.”
Shou Jiaxun nodded repeatedly. “Right, right, I’ll remember.”
Once he had cleared everything with the local guide and they were almost out of topics, the other members of the group finally wandered over in a loose formation.
The elderly gentleman named Wang was still looking around as he walked, frowning and complaining, “Where exactly did Little Shou go! I didn’t see him at the carousel either. Who has his number? He couldn’t have gotten lost, could he?”
His wife said impatiently, “The guide has his number; the guide will contact him!”
The three young influencers were walking very fast now, leaving the elderly people seven or eight meters behind, each of them striding like the wind while dragging two large suitcases.
The young Alpha named Miao, who was particularly young, knew full well that Shou Jiaxun would be ahead of them because he was in first class, but he couldn’t be bothered to explain a single word to the old gentleman behind them.
Seeing the group approaching from a distance, the guide got off the bus ahead of time to greet them, checking everyone’s identity before inviting the people and their luggage into the bus.
Elder Wang was incredibly surprised to see Shou Jiaxun already sitting in the bus. “Oh my, how are you so fast? I was just looking for you everywhere.”
Shou Jiaxun turned and smiled at him. “I walk fast.”
The handsome young man named Miao once again chose a seat near President Shou, but he didn’t rashly strike up a conversation this time.
Forty minutes later, the bus parked in the parking lot of a four-star hotel. The local guide collected everyone’s passports to handle the check-in collectively at the front desk.
Although a group tour meant accommodating the physical speed of companions, it always highlighted its advantages in terms of saving time and brainpower.
While the guide was handling the procedures at the front desk, the eight group members happened to take this opportunity to get to know each other.
Elder Wang and his male Omega husband were the oldest, one sixty-five and one sixty-two. The other elderly couple was slightly younger; the male Alpha was sixty, and his partner was a fifty-year-old female Omega.
The oldest of the three influencers was the long-haired male Omega, twenty-six. The guide who saw them off in the capital had called his name: Miao Jing.
Miao Jing’s Alpha boyfriend was surnamed Tong, twenty-four, a recent university graduate.
Speaking of which, President Shou’s biological age was also this old, but he currently claimed to be thirty-four. His passport and ID card both stated this age, which had been changed several years ago.
He also preferred to identify himself as a middle-aged man.
The youngest Alpha was the long-haired Omega’s younger brother, named Miao Jia, only seventeen.
When he announced his age, the four elderly people asked in unison, “Why aren’t you in school?! Eighty days—more than half a semester will be wasted.”
Elder Wang spoke most bluntly: “You have to take the National College Entrance Exam next year, right? If you don’t pass, you’ll just stop studying? I’m telling you, young man, this is not right.”
Miao Jia’s face suddenly turned red, and he gave a massive eye-roll. “Grandpa, what era is this! Who still squeezes onto the ‘single-plank bridge’ of the National Exam? I already applied to a famous foreign university long ago.”
The old man curled his lip. “What’s wrong with the National Exam? If you can’t pass, just say so. Does going to a famous university mean you don’t have to study?”
His wife was so angry she slapped his arm. “Stop talking, you’re so annoying.”
On the surface, Shou Jiaxun looked on at the spectacle with folded arms, but in reality, his head was buzzing, and he had no idea what they were arguing about.
It wasn’t until he saw Xiao Zhiheng walking through the door with a light stride out of the corner of his eye that his brain started functioning again. He slowly stood up and looked toward the other man.
Xiao Zhiheng immediately met his gaze.
Shou Jiaxun was incredibly surprised, taking the initiative to go over and ask, “Are you also staying at this hotel?”
“I wasn’t originally.” The corners of Xiao Zhiheng’s mouth turned up, showing a playful smile that didn’t quite match his age. He informed him in a low voice, “I wasn’t comfortable with you going out alone at night, so I came over to act as your bodyguard.”
“Ha!” Shou Jiaxun gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Alright, thank you so much. I’ve saved on another taxi fare.”
Xiao Zhiheng handed his passport to the driver behind him who was carrying his luggage and told him in English to open two guest rooms. Then he gestured for Shou Jiaxun to sit down and talk in the lounge area with him.
As they walked, Shou Jiaxun asked curiously, “Why did you book two rooms?”
Xiao Zhiheng stated seriously, “Jiaxun, let me tell you, a group tour is fine, but you can’t just share a room with a stranger, especially at the first stop. You have to spend a few days with them first, get to know them, then decide if you want to continue booking a separate room.”
“Haha, right, right…” Shou Jiaxun nodded repeatedly. “I’ve already opened a separate room myself; hurry and have your assistant cancel the extra room.”
Xiao Zhiheng was momentarily stunned, then raised his eyebrows with a smile. “It seems that older people all love to worry needlessly.”
Then he turned to stop his assistant and told him in English to just book one room.
Shou Jiaxun asked with a chuckle, “Who arranged the assistant for you? Why didn’t they find someone who understands Chinese?”
“He’s a temporary secretary arranged by the conference organizer here. He knows a bit of Chinese, but his English is better, and I don’t want to make things difficult for him.”
As soon as Xiao Zhiheng finished speaking, the local guide for Shou Jiaxun’s tour came walking over quickly.
He handed the passport along with a room card to Shou Jiaxun. “This card is for the power; just return it when you check out. The hotel room has a digital lock; the code has been sent to your phone.”
Shou Jiaxun thanked him while taking back his documents.
The guide continued to remind him, “It’s still early for lunch. We’ll drop off the luggage first and go to the scenic area to eat there.
We’ll be back here around six, and we’ll have dinner at the hotel tonight. I’ll send a notification in the WeChat group; if you find it convenient, come down and eat with us…”
Shou Jiaxun nodded earnestly out of politeness. “Alright, we’ll see.”
The guide smiled at him. “One last thing: the room is still being cleaned and won’t be ready for check-in until after one o’clock. For now, you can only rest in the lobby or leave your luggage at the front desk and go to the restaurant to pass some time.”
President Shou nodded out of habit. “Alright.”
Having dealt with the long-winded guide and watching him lead his group members away, President Shou felt his mind clear up instantly.
Xiao Zhiheng looked at the departing tourists with him and couldn’t help but frown. “What kind of tour group did you sign up for exactly?”
Shou Jiaxun gave a helpless laugh. “Sunset Red.”
Xiao Zhiheng was speechless for a moment, then let out a soft laugh after pondering. “There are young people too.”
President Shou raised his eyebrows with a tease. “Grandparents and grandchildren… Sunset Red.”
Uncle Guo had signed him up for this tour, his original intention being to help him adjust his gloomy mood.
But if he hadn’t happened to meet Brother Xiao, with whom he shared such a rapport, President Shou would likely have moved from “gloomy” to “depressed.”
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