"For now, I'm interested in game programming."
Li Chuanmo went after Li Yuchen, planning to discuss about his interests and offer his support.
"Why programming?" Li Chuanmo asked.
"Because it's interesting, and I like it."
Li Chuanmo folded his arms, thinking. He then asked, "what do you know about it?"
"Well, I've been taking courses on programming and learning how to code. For now I can only write simple codes, but I'm a fast learner." Li Yuchen bragged.
Li Chuanmo nodded, impressed.
"I plan to write cheat codes first for my favorite games....only for practice, I promise." He quickly clarified when he saw Li Chuanmo's gaze darken.
"Alright then. If you need help, you can ask me."
"Thanks Dad. Speaking of which, are you going to the company tomorrow? can I come along?"
"Sure. But I'll be busy, so you will have to entertain yourself."
"No problem. I just want to see your work environment."
"And please, stay out of trouble." Li Chuanmo said seriously.
"Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not a troublemaker."
Li Chuanmo just gave him a look and walked towards the door.
"If you, Li Yuchen aren't a troublemaker, then hackers are angels in disguise"
Li Yuchen: "...."
That was so random!
*****
Unfortunately, Li Yuchen was unable to go to the company because he woke up sick on Sunday morning. He had a headache, fever, stuffy nose and muscle aches. Li Chuanmo asked their family doctor to make a home visit. The doctor collected some samples and gave Li Yuchen an IV drip. He soon fell asleep again. The doctor prescribed some drugs and left.
Li Chuanmo sat beside him, a bit worried. The doctor had assured him that he would be fine with bed-rest and the drugs that had been prescribed, but he just had this sliver of worry in him that something bad would happen. He knew he was just been paranoid, but he couldn't bear to lose his son. What if it was a disease that the doctor couldn't detect?
Doctor: "....."
You're thinking too much, Chairman Li.
So Pei Yueran received a call when she was already at the office that he wouldn't be coming in anymore, because his son fell sick. She sympathized with him and told him not to worry. She knew how it felt to watch your child suffer from ill health and be unable to take the discomfort away.
They both agreed to complete the assignment the next day. Pei Yueran volunteered to draft the proposal, and they would modify it accordingly.
*****
Wednesday came pretty quickly. The were seated in Li Qianye's study exchanging pleasantries. Zhang Heying was around this time, and she came to personally serve them drinks.
"Here's Jasmine tea for you, Dear", She said as she placed a steaming cup in front of Li Qianye. He smiled dotingly, "Thank you Honey."
"Black coffee for you, Son", Li Chuanmo was noncommittal as he accepted the coffee cup.
"And a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for Ran'er", Zhang Heying smiled as she handed Pei Yueran the glass, who smiled and said, "thank you Auntie."
Li Qianye beamed, while Li Chuanmo raised a brow. "Ran'er? Since when?"
Pei Yueran blushed.
"Well, we got closer over the weekend. Auntie is a wonderful host", Pei Yueran explained.
Li Chuanmo's brow went up higher. There was so much information in that sentence. Auntie? They were on first name basis then. So she actually came for the promised visit last weekend? She had become close with his mother? His mother liked her? Interesting!
His mother was an amazing lady, but a person she didn't like would not be able to, against their conscience, call her a wonderful host. She would take charge of course, but the person will be sent away so fast that their butt will not even have time to warm the seat.
And she would do this politely, of course.
"You don't need to explain anything to him, Ran'er. If only he came home often, he would not be so ignorant of what's going on."
Pei Yueran wisely chose not to say anything, while Li Chuanmo just said, "Mother."
"Alright alright, I'm leaving. Enjoy your discussion then. And I'll see you before you leave Ran'er."
"Alright Auntie."
They spent the rest of the morning discussing the assignment and the proposal they had come up with.
".....In conclusion, the two major points we propose are: One, to set up a department that looks into reasons for reduction in performance and sends the report to the headquarters. The department would include representatives of a hospital and law firm, for their professional opinions.
Two, to update the company's medical provision to include health problems that may be mental in nature."
Li Qianye was impressed, but he knew their proposal would not be so easy to pass. The Board of Directors had always fought against his management style, and the only reason why he sat so stably as the Chairman was because his management policies — though expensive for the company— has won them favourable response from the government and the employees themselves over the years.
Nevertheless, including more policies that would be very beneficial to the employees and remove more money from their pockets was going to ruffle their feathers. He wanted to hear Li Chuanmo's opinion on how to deal with that.
Pei Yueran spoke first, "I'm sure the Board of Directors would not be very happy with this, after all it will take more money out of their pockets. To put it bluntly, they want the glory but are unwilling to pay the price. But we could appeal to their love for fame. We would announce that the Board of Directors "specially" agreed to this policy update because they have the interest of their employees at heart." Even Pei Yueran herself rolled her eyes as she said this.
"That's a thought. We could also make it a two-pronged approach by emphasizing on the long-term benefits. In the short-term, it would look like a loss, but it will eventually lead to renewed vigor among the employees and increased loyalty, which will have increased productivity as a positive consequence." Li Chuanmo added.
Both of them looked at themselves, pleased at their tacit understanding.
Li Qianye was watching them excitedly. Under the table, he typed a message to Zhang Heying, "At this rate, it won't be long before they get a room!"
Zhang Heying: "....."
"You're so dirty-minded!"