Receiving her affirmative response, Josie looked down, hesitating for a few seconds before making a request.
Liang Weining was startled upon hearing this and turned her gaze toward the book on the small table.
It was a collection of poetry.
The page that was open was indeed a representative work of the "Immortal Poet" Li Bai, "Bringing in the Wine·Don't You See".
Not only did it require fluent recitation but also understanding the meaning of the verses, which was somewhat difficult for a ten-year-old child from the Hong Kong Region.
Liang Weining couldn't help asking, "Did your teacher ask this of you?"
Josie shook her head.
With a little thought, one could guess what was going on.
Without asking further, Liang Weining reached out for the collection of poetry and read it from beginning to end, having a rough idea in her mind.
Her mother was a high school Chinese language teacher, and Teacher Xie's greatest wish in life was to raise her daughter to be 'full of poise and grace due to the literature in her belly'.
And the result?
Liang Weining had strayed irretrievably down the path of 'outside shiny, inside shabby'.
In colloquial terms, it was 'having all her education go to waste'.
Now, faced with the boy's modest and sincere gaze, she couldn't bear to refuse, nor could she find it in herself to do so.
At twenty-two, having gone through the devastating college entrance exam, how could she be stumped by a mere poem?
Liang Weining cleared her throat.
Her pronunciation was standard, sonorous and rounded, her emotional rhythm was lively and undulating - it was the most pleasant recitation Josie had ever heard.
In the dense nightfall, the rear door of the extended Pullman was left slightly ajar, not fully closed, so that the girl's soft, lingering voice trickled out, causing the man outside to silently stand still, with no immediate intention of approaching.
The boss listened intently, while Xu Zhou did not interrupt.
He sighed to himself, not expecting that Secretary Liang, with her background in finance, would have such a good grasp of cultural studies.
To help Josie understand the meaning of the poem, Liang Weining suddenly became enthusiastic and began to tell the boy about the story of the poet Li Bai.
But Li Bai's life was long, and time was limited, so she could only give a brief overview.
Josie had a head full of questions, occasionally coming up with a few odd thoughts, waiting for Liang Weining to answer them for him.
For instance, why wasn't someone as talented as Li Bai valued by the emperor - was the emperor blind?
And another, why become a live-in son-in-law when his family faced catastrophe - could a live-in son-in-law provide a meal?
...
Liang Weining patiently explained to him Li Bai's desperate straits, the impossibility of serving his country, and the involuntary nature behind those choices.
The boy listened attentively and nodded as if he understood, then fell into silence.
Seeing this, Liang Weining let down her guard.
Before she could relax for a moment, unexpectedly, Josie posed one final question, "Secretary Liang, what exactly is a live-in son-in-law?"
"That's a stay-at-home son-in-law who pays the bride's family," she explained numbly.
Oh.
Josie muttered softly, "I wonder if daddy would ever be a stay-at-home son-in-law."
Hearing him say that, Liang Weining's mouth moved faster than her brain, and blurted out, "If your daddy goes bankrupt one day, it's not impossible."
Outside the car door.
A short laugh suddenly sounded.
The one caught off guard was Liang Weining.
She stopped breathing halfway, suddenly becoming mute.
The car door was slowly opened, Liang Weining turned her head, and slowly saw her boss's deep and cold face come into view.
What had she just said...
Their eyes met, and the air fell silent.
Standing behind Chen Jingyuan, Xu Zhou silently gave her a thumbs up and then, holding back his laughter, went around to the front passenger side in a not so respectable manner.
Liang Weining quickly looked away, mechanically shifting inward, stiff as a statue.
The spacious back seat, due to the man's arrival, felt 'cramped', and the oppressive proximity, as if right over her head.
Chen Jingyuan's brooding gaze swept over the girl's face, lingering for just a short two seconds, not staying long, but heavy with weight.
Liang Weining's heart thumped loudly.
For some reason, she felt that tonight she might well follow in Li Bai's footsteps.
Silence filled the carriage.
Josie put down her book, sat up straight, and called out politely, "Daddy."
"Hmm," Chen Jingyuan responded in a low voice as he took his seat, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt and looked toward his adopted son, his facial features unconsciously softened, "Did you enjoy the winter camp?"
After two weeks apart, Mr. Chen's opening line was very 'fatherly'.
At least at this moment, in the eyes of an outsider like Liang Weining, it felt very warm.
As the head of a listed group, Chen Jingyuan was usually busy with schedules and seldom had time to sit down and talk about homework and school life with his child.
There's not a child in the world who doesn't crave paternal love, even if it's from an adoptive father with no blood ties.
Therefore, Josie showed her first smile of the evening.
From Liang Weining's perspective, under the soft white light, the boy's cheeks revealed shallow dimples, which looked utterly healing.
She contained her thoughts, musing that Josie's natural parents must have had their difficulties too.
After all, she herself would truly find it hard to abandon a child.
The car drove on, with Liang Weining sitting quietly like air between the father and son, listening to Josie talk about all sorts of fun encounters at the winter camp in fluent Cantonese.
Chen Jingyuan was an excellent listener; he showed no impatience, nor did he interrupt Josie's stories when he received a work call.
Josie lowered his voice as much as he could, trying not to disturb his father's work, and softly asked Liang Weining, "Are there any fun places in the Mainland?"
Lots.
Liang Weining gave an example, "Have you been to Chengdu?"
The boy shook his head.
"That's my hometown. It's got beautiful mountains, water, and people. You should definitely visit when you get the chance."
Josie asked earnestly, "If it's that great, why didn't you stay in your hometown instead of coming to the Hong Kong Region?"
She: ...
Successfully stumped.
After some thought, Liang Weining said, "Probably because I was tired of staying at home and wanted a change of environment."
"What if you grow tired of the Hong Kong Region too?"
"That won't happen anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"The salary is high."
"..."
Chen Jingyuan finished the call and looked over at the pair opposite him—a big and a small one—chatting away quite animatedly.
Josie generally wouldn't talk so much upon first meeting a stranger.
Tonight was clearly an exception.
The call ended, and the car quieted down, and in an instant, Liang Weining fell silent as well.
It was only when Chen Jingyuan spoke in a low voice, instructing her to contact the auction organizer the next day to have the white jade carved inkstone delivered directly to Pok Fu Lam, that she belatedly realized she might have forgotten something.
Meeting the man's gaze, she apologized with guilt, "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, for making you waste thirty million."
"Tell me, how was it a waste?"
Chen Jingyuan sat with his legs crossed, his complexion somber as he leaned against the seatback, one hand casually resting on his knee, his voice cool in the night.
In a soft voice, Liang Weining said, "I presumed that Mr. Chen was invited to the auction to select a birthday gift for the chairman, but it turned out contrary to expectation—it was disappointing."
"What do you think would constitute a satisfactory outcome?" asked Chen Jingyuan.
She averted her gaze and fell silent.
Though she made no sound, her thoughts were plainly exposed for all to see.
In truth, Liang Weining had also considered that, with Chen Jingyuan's meticulous nature, how could he have been unaware of Chen Shao'an going to the auction with the same intention?
Perhaps at that moment in the elevator when he allowed her to make decisions based on her own preferences, tonight's auction had already lost its original significance.
Earlier, it wasn't self-reproach she felt, but rather concern that as a secretary, she often couldn't divine the 'imperial will' in time.
Liang Weining didn't understand—did the study in Pok Fu Lam really lack such an inkstone?
Forget it.
A man's heart is as inscrutable as the sea bottom.
Better not think about it, it's brain-burning.