Xu Chengde sneered and was about to say something.
Xu Qian had already understood the situation from her father's words.
She directly said to her father with a cold face, "Dad, how could Mr. Xu be lying? The company is indeed run by the money he earned."
Xu Chengde looked at Xu Qian and said, "How old is he? Tell me, how did he earn that money?"
Xu Qian immediately said, "Dad, have you been drinking? Mr. Xu is an actor, a big star. He earned money from acting and then started the company. He's not a fraud. Even if you don't believe him, you should believe me. Do you think I'm so stupid to bring a fraud home?"
Xu Xiuwen, seeing Xu Qian defending him, didn't say anything.
Hearing his daughter's words, Xu Chengde hesitated for a moment.
His daughter's serious expression seemed to say that she was telling the truth.
Xu Chengde asked, "You say he is an actor, a big star?"
Xu Qian nodded, "Dad, do you remember the TV series I watched every night a while ago? Mr. Xu is the male lead in it!"
"The one with the weird name you kept talking about, something temple(Si)?"
"Dao Ming Si! That's the role Mr. Xu played."
Xu Chengde was still a bit skeptical.
At this moment, a well-maintained middle-aged woman with a great figure walked in from outside.
Xu Qian's eyes flashed with joy when she saw the woman.
She immediately shouted, "Mom, you're back just in time. Do you remember the TV series 'Boys Over Flowers' we watched together at night? The male lead, isn't he Mr. Xu?"
Xu Qian, excited, pulled Xu Xiuwen in front of the middle-aged woman.
This middle-aged woman was Xu Qian's mother.
She looked at Xu Xiuwen, was stunned for a second, and then nodded, "It's him!"
Xu Chengde was shocked by what he heard!
His wife wouldn't lie to him!
Could it be that this young man in front of him really is an actor, a big star?
If so, he couldn't possibly be a fraud.
Does that mean he was wrong?
How embarrassing!
He gave his daughter's boss a hard time and even suspected him of being a fraud.
With such a misunderstanding, even if his daughter isn't fired, her future won't be easy.
Now he could only hope that his wife was mistaken.
Then his wife's next words forced him to believe that he had misjudged.
His wife said, "What's going on here? Why is a big star visiting our house? Qianqian, who is this Mr. Xu you mentioned?"
Xu Qian then introduced Xu Xiuwen to her mother and quickly introduced her mother to Xu Xiuwen, "Mr. Xu, this is my mom, Zheng Jinyun."
Xu Xiuwen took the initiative to extend his hand to Xu Qian's mother, Zheng Jinyun.
With a friendly smile, he said, "Hello, Aunt Zheng. I'm Xu Xiuwen."
Zheng Jinyun, carrying a bag of groceries, was surprised that the big star was her daughter's boss.
She put down the plastic bag, shook hands with Xu Xiuwen, and said calmly, "Hello, I'm Xu Qian's mother. Thank you for giving our Qianqian a job. We enjoy watching your TV series."
She then asked, "Mr. Xu, why are you standing? It's not appropriate to let a guest stand and chat."
Xu Qian snorted coldly and gave her father a sideways glance, saying, "Mom, Dad thought Mr. Xu was a fraud and gave him a hard time just now."
Zheng Jinyun, being a well-experienced middle-aged woman, quickly grasped the situation and came up with a way to address it.
She "scolded" her husband, "Old Xu, you haven't been sleeping well these days, and now you're talking nonsense. I've told you to worry less about the factory, but you didn't listen. Now there's a misunderstanding. How do you expect Mr. Xu to think of us? He might think we did it on purpose."
Her words seemed to scold her husband but actually provided him an excuse.
Xu Chengde, being sensible, immediately took the out.
With an apologetic look at Xu Xiuwen, he explained, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xu. I've been losing sleep over the factory lately, so I'm not in my right mind and tend to speak nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."
Xu Xiuwen wasn't angry; he could understand Xu Chengde's distrust.
After all, he was very young.
Xu Xiuwen followed up, "It's alright. Uncle Xu was just concerned about Xu Qian. I understand."
Previously, when he thought Xu Xiuwen was a fraud, Xu Chengde was uncomfortable with him calling him "Uncle Xu."
Now, hearing him call him "Uncle Xu," Xu Chengde was delighted.
He felt Xu Xiuwen was down-to-earth and approachable, unlike some young people who become arrogant after a little success and disrespect their elders.
Instantly, he felt quite fond of Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Chengde quickly invited Xu Xiuwen to sit down.
Xu Xiuwen then sat down at the large table.
Zheng Jinyun said, "Mr. Xu, please sit down for a while. I'll go make you a cup of tea."
Xu Xiuwen quickly waved his hand and said, "Aunt Zheng, there's no need to go through so much trouble. And since you're my elder, there's no need to call me Mr. Xu. You can just call me Xiao Xu. You too, Uncle Xu."
Xu Xiuwen was so affable that the couple was very pleased and found him increasingly likable.
Soon after, Zheng Jinyun called Xu Qian to the kitchen to prepare the tea.
Xu Chengde then asked, "Xiao Xu, where are you from?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "Uncle Xu, I'm from Langya."
"You're from Langya?"
Xu Chengde was quite surprised.
Xu Xiuwen nodded with a smile.
Xu Chengde laughed and said, "That's quite a coincidence."
"Yes, I noticed Xu Qian and I are from the same hometown and that she shares a surname similar to mine, which is why I hired her. Of course, her skills were also a factor."
Xu Chengde laughed heartily, "Xiao Xu, there's no need to praise Qianqian. She just graduated and has no experience, so her skills are not yet evident. I should be thanking you for giving her a chance."
"Uncle Xu, that's not fair to Xu Qian. Let me defend her a bit. The day I went to the job market to recruit, I didn't have a recruitment poster. She went home that evening and made one for me. Thanks to her poster, I had a successful recruitment the next day. She has a keen eye and a proactive attitude. She's definitely not as incapable as you say."
Although Xu Xiuwen was contradicting him, Xu Chengde laughed even more happily.
Just then, Xu Qian came into the living room with two cups of tea.
Hearing her father's laughter, she curiously asked, "Mr. Xu, what are you and my dad talking about? I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled without saying a word.
Instead, Xu Chengde recounted Xu Xiuwen's praises for her.
Xu Qian blushed slightly, "Mr. Xu, I just happened to think of it."
Xu Xiuwen complimented her, "That shows you have great observational skills."
Both father and daughter were pleased by his words.
After some light conversation, they got down to business.
Xu Chengde asked, "Xiao Xu, Qianqian told me you want to buy the distillery. Is that true?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "I do have that idea, but I'm not familiar with the distillery's situation. I came here because Xu Qian said you are an old employee of the distillery."
Xu Chengde asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Anything you can tell me, Uncle Xu. I'm all ears."
Xu Chengde fell silent for a moment.
He seemed to recall the distillery's glorious past but then remembered something that made him look dejected.
Xu Xiuwen wasn't in a hurry and took a sip of tea.
Then, Xu Chengde began to talk about the changes at the distillery over the years.
He explained how the distillery had gradually declined, eventually leading to bankruptcy and restructuring.
The situation was largely as Xu Qian had described.
Xu Chengde concluded, "The distillery is basically bankrupt now. Those with skills and connections have left, even the director hasn't shown up for months. The distillery only has a few hundred people left, mostly old workers who are emotionally attached to the place and still hopeful about the government's support. But everyone needs to make a living, including me. If the distillery doesn't turn around, I'll have to find another job. Xiao Xu, to be honest, the remaining workers are the backbone of the distillery. As long as they're here, there's still hope."
After listening to Xu Chengde, Xu Xiuwen asked, "Uncle Xu, do you think it would be feasible for me to buy the distillery?"
Xu Chengde looked tense, his hands unconsciously clenching.
He asked, "Xiao Xu, are you serious? Do you really want to buy the distillery?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "I really want to. After hearing about the distillery's situation, I'm even more determined. But I have to be honest with you, I don't have that much money."
When Xu Chengde heard Xu Xiuwen say he didn't have much money, he thought it was a small shortfall, maybe a million short. He didn't realize that Xu Xiuwen only had less than 20 million, far from enough.
Xu Chengde said, "I know Vice Mayor Yang Guang and have talked to him about the distillery many times. I can introduce you to him."
Xu Xiuwen was greatly surprised.
"Uncle Xu, you know the vice mayor?"
Xu Chengde nodded, "Vice Mayor Yang Guang came to the distillery to understand the situation before, so we got to know each other. He's very approachable and easy to talk to, quite different from other leaders."
Xu Xiuwen said, "Alright, Uncle Xu, please arrange a meeting as soon as possible."
Xu Chengde said, "No need to wait. I'll call Yang Guang now. He should be at home these days."
With that, Xu Chengde went to the bedroom and used the landline to call Vice Mayor Yang Guang.
Before long, Xu Chengde returned to the living room.
He wore a smile on his face and said excitedly, "Xiao Xu, Yang Guang is free right now and agreed to meet you. He even said we could go to his house to find him."
Xu Xiuwen wasn't one to dawdle, so he said, "Let's go meet him now. Uncle Xu, could you accompany me?"
Xu Chengde laughed, "Even if you didn't ask, I would go with you. The future of the distillery is at stake."
"Alright, let's go then. I'll drive."
As they spoke, they walked towards the yard.
Xu Xiuwen got into the driver's seat, Xu Chengde into the passenger seat, and Xu Qian opened the back door and got in as well.
Seeing Xu Qian get into the car, Xu Chengde immediately said, "Qianqian, you shouldn't come with us. We're going to discuss business."
Xu Qian pouted, "Dad, don't treat me like a child, okay? Besides, I'm not going with you; I'm going with President Xu. I'm his secretary."
Xu Chengde was left speechless.
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "Uncle Xu, let Xu Qian come along. She really is my secretary."
As the saying goes, if there's work, the secretary handles it; if not...
In short, Xu Chengde agreed.
Yang Guang's house wasn't far from Xu Qian's.
He lived in Guangming Happiness Community.
After a ten-minute drive, Xu Xiuwen arrived at the community.
It wasn't a big community and was quite old.
For someone like Yang Guang, the deputy mayor, to live here, it showed his integrity.
Otherwise, if he had been involved in any shady dealings, he wouldn't be living in such an old neighborhood.
Even though Guangming wasn't very prosperous, there were still many new communities.
Parking the car steadily, the three got out.
Xu Qian followed closely behind Xu Xiuwen, acting very obediently, just like a secretary.
Her behavior amused Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Chengde, seeing this, felt quite helpless about his daughter.
Deputy Mayor Yang Guang lived on the third floor.
The three of them took the stairs to the third floor.
Standing outside the iron door of 302.
Xu Qian stepped forward and knocked.
After knocking, the three waited patiently at the door.
Heavy footsteps were heard from behind the door, and soon the red-painted wooden door inside the iron door opened, revealing an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
The man didn't look like the righteous public servant often portrayed in TV dramas. Instead, he was quite unremarkable and not very tall.
If Xu Xiuwen didn't know in advance that he was the deputy mayor, he would have believed he was just an ordinary worker at the distillery.
The man opened the iron door and said, "No need to take off your shoes, just come in."
The three walked into the house.
After entering, Yang Guang first invited them to sit on the sofa in the living room.
Then Yang Guang asked Xu Chengde, "Where is President Xu, the one who wants to buy the distillery? Didn't you say he was coming with you?"
As soon as he said this.
Xu Qian stifled a laugh.
Xu Chengde looked embarrassed.
Xu Xiuwen didn't say a word.
Yang Guang, being astute, quickly guessed what was going on from their expressions.
At this moment, Xu Chengde pointed to Xu Xiuwen and said, "Yang Guang, this is President Xu I mentioned."
Yang Guang looked Xu Xiuwen up and down, then turned to Xu Chengde, his face falling, "Old Xu, I thought you were a steady person. I didn't expect you to do something so rash. How old is he?"
Xu Chengde hurriedly explained.
After listening to his explanation, Yang Guang believed most of it.
Because he knew Xu Chengde well, his character was not one to speak carelessly.
And most importantly, there were no major logical flaws.
He couldn't help but wonder, could this young man, who looked so immature, really be so capable? A big star, a President, and now wanting to buy the distillery.
Guangming Distillery was once the pride of Guangming City and even Anhui Province. It was a major taxpayer and directly or indirectly provided jobs for thousands, boosting the local economy.
But that was in the past. Now, Guangming Distillery was a burden on the government, a tumor that they couldn't get rid of.
Most importantly, it couldn't be ignored.
The government had tried various ways to revive the distillery, even allocating funds multiple times.
Unfortunately, it hadn't reversed the decline, and the distillery's condition continued to deteriorate, always losing money, like a bottomless pit that never improved no matter how much money was poured into it.