Time flew by, and it was almost the end of November. He Yue’s second surgery had been completed several days ago and was quite successful. Dr. Bart had already returned to A Country. Gu Li stayed behind, planning to remain until He Yue’s rehabilitation was complete before deciding whether to stay in Haicheng.
However, Gu Li didn’t spend all his time at the Yan Residence. Occasionally, he would accompany Zhen Han to the pet hospital. There’s a saying that education should be inclusive, but in the medical profession, it’s more about saving lives without discrimination. The lives of cats and dogs are just as valuable as humans’, and there’s no such thing as waste.
The Yan Corporation’s new project was much more successful than expected. New servers were constantly being opened, and the ninth floor of the Yan Corporation building was operating in 24-hour shifts, brightly lit even at night. Yan Sui was generous, offering reasonable salaries and commissions, which greatly boosted the employees’ enthusiasm.
Yan Sui was busiest during the period before and after the game’s launch. Now that things were stabilizing, he only needed to have the responsible personnel keep an eye on things and report to him daily. He took a car to pick up Meng Ting, but not from the laboratory—instead, he went to the perfume factory in Lijia Village.
Meng Ting and Yan Mingya had gone there in the morning, with Yan Sui arranging a car and bodyguards for them before allowing it. Now that his tasks were mostly handled, he also went over to bring the person back.
The three perfumes produced by Tingya Perfume Company had received excellent feedback, but recently, one batch hadn’t performed as well. Yan Mingya invited Meng Ting to investigate the issue. Meng Ting was highly familiar with perfumes, and his judgment was much faster than their conventional step-by-step inspections.
Sure enough, after walking around the factory, Meng Ting identified the problem: the seasonal variations in the raw materials’ quality. The materials already procured didn’t need to be wasted, as Meng Ting immediately adjusted the formula.
“In the future, send every batch of raw materials to me first each time they come in, and I’ll take a look.”
“Okay,” Yan Mingya nodded in agreement. He looked at Meng Ting and couldn’t help but praise, “Little Aunt is so amazing.”
Before they came, they had also asked the factory’s resident perfume production testers to check the materials, but they hadn’t checked anything else. Raw materials were definitely the first thing they checked, but they still hadn’t found the real issue.
The few testers thought Meng Ting was a bit too young. They found the previously kept raw materials and the current batch, and after analyzing them in the testing room, they indeed found differences.
After dealing with the perfume production issues, Meng Ting thought that since he was already in Lijia Village, he might as well go and visit Li Lan’s grandfather, Li Fu.
Li Fu had recovered from his illness, but he was getting on in years. His land had been leased out, and the contracts hadn’t expired. Even if he could still work as a flower farmer, there was no land available.
Yan Mingya hired him as a consultant, offering a salary that, while not exceptionally high, was enough to cover his and Li Lan’s daily expenses. Grateful, Li Fu often visited the factory during the day, strolling around to see if there was anything he could help with.
Meng Ting and Yan Mingya hadn’t walked far from the perfume factory when they saw Li Lan and his grandfather walking towards them, one after the other.
Li Lan would call Meng Ting once or twice a week. Seeing Meng Ting from afar, he sprinted over excitedly.
“Big Boss, you’re here!” Li Lan called out to Meng Ting. After learning that Meng Ting held the majority stake in the perfume factory, Li Lan started calling him ‘Big Boss’, following his grandfather’s lead, while Yan Mingya was referred to as ‘Second Boss’.
Meng Ting had corrected Li Lan several times, but seeing that he wouldn’t change, he stopped bothering.
“Are you done with school?”
“Mm,” Li Lan nodded, then scratched his head, looking a bit reserved. When they talked on the phone, he hadn’t feel much, but now that he saw the person in front of him, he suddenly felt a bit nervous.
“Big Boss, why are you here?” Li Lan immediately asked. It had been a while since they started the factory, and he and his grandfather came to check on it almost every day, but this was the first time he had seen Meng Ting visit the perfume factory.
“There’s a bit of a problem with the raw materials. Mingya and I came to check it out,” Meng Ting replied, not feeling the need to hide anything from Li Lan. Li Lan was born in a flower village and often visited the factory, so he probably knew more than his grandfather.
“What kind of problem?” Li Lan asked again, but as soon as he finished, he realized it might not be appropriate. “Hehe, I’m just asking. If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to tell me.”
Meng Ting didn’t find it inconvenient at all and continued to explain the issue with the raw materials to Li Lan.
The two of them, one speaking earnestly and the other listening intently, ended up leaving Li Lan’s grandfather and Yan Mingya aside. Li Lan’s grandfather naturally didn’t dare to have any objections. Seeing Meng Ting willing to talk to his grandson about these things, he was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
Li Lan used to skip classes and get into fights—he was a real troublemaker. But after meeting Meng Ting and Yan Sui, his transformation could be described as earth-shattering. In just three months, his grades had gone from the bottom of the class to the middle. Li Lan’s homeroom teacher would call every now and then to praise Li Lan, whereas before, her calls were almost always about Li Lan skipping class or getting into trouble again.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here too. How has Grandpa’s health been lately?” Yan Mingya asked Li Fu, then followed Meng Ting’s steps.
Not far behind them, Zhao Bing and another bodyguard followed. Since Yan Sui couldn’t accompany Meng Ting personally, he had sent Zhao Bing instead.
“I’m fine, just a bit bored. Occasionally, I come to check on the factory for you. I’m not educated, so I can’t do much else.”
Li Fu said with a sigh. His family used to be quite well-off, but his wife had passed away early, and he hadn’t disciplined his son well, leading to increasing poverty. His daughter-in-law had run away, and his son had also left.
Moreover, he was well aware that the so-called consultant job Yan Mingya had given him was mainly because of Meng Ting and Yan Sui’s connection with Li Lan. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse, and he only hoped that his grandson would truly become successful in the future and repay their kindness.
“Don’t say that, Grandpa. You’ve helped us a lot too.”
Yan Mingya continued to chat with Li Fu as they walked back to Li Lan’s house.
Meanwhile, Meng Ting and Li Lan talked the whole way. Meng Ting explained things in detail, and he answered whatever Li Lan asked.
“It’s actually quite interesting…” It was the first time Li Lan learned what perfumery was, and it felt like the door to a new world had opened up to him. His eyes sparkled, and his cheeks flushed slightly. “I really like flowers too. Their scent helps me sleep.”
He had only ever said this to Meng Ting. Not even his grandfather knew, as he always felt it was a bit strange for a man to like flowers. But since Meng Ting liked them too, it didn’t seem strange anymore. Besides, these pleasant scents could even make money.
Meng Ting nodded upon hearing this, hesitated slightly, and then said, “Focus on your studies for now. Later, I’ll have someone send you a few books to read. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask me.”
Throughout their conversation, Meng Ting had noticed that Li Lan seemed to have quite a talent for perfumery. But what truly prompted him to make this offer was Li Lan’s last sentence about liking flowers. Meng Ting had always believed that only genuine love for the craft could produce truly fine fragrances—talent alone wasn’t enough without that devotion.
“Really? Thank you, Big Boss!”
Li Lan had one flaw—when he got too excited, his voice would get quite loud. Even Yan Sui, who had just stepped out of the car, heard him clearly.
However, when Yan Sui’s gaze swept over, the first person he saw was still Meng Ting.
As if sensing something, Meng Ting turned his head. His previously calm eyes suddenly brightened, and his entire demeanor transformed. He was no longer just a master perfumer, simply a man overjoyed to see the person he loved.
“Yan Sui!”
Meng Ting called out, his steps quickening. Yan Sui hadn’t mentioned coming beforehand, so this counted as a pleasant surprise.
Meng Ting stopped a step away from Yan Sui, but was immediately pulled into his embrace.
Meng Ting blinked, and his hands also wrapped around Yan Sui’s waist. “Why did you come? Aren’t you busy today?”
“Not busy anymore,” Yan Sui knew he had been too busy these past few days and hadn’t been able to spend much time with Meng Ting. He had specially come to pick him up today for this reason as well. When busy, he was busy, but when he relaxed, he should also spend quality time with Meng Ting.
As for Yán Yunsheng, his initial misstep had led to compounding errors. The Yán family’s erasure from Licheng would happen far sooner than anyone anticipated.
Naturally, Meng Ting was delighted to see Yan Sui, but noticing his tired expression, he felt a bit distressed, “Then you should have gone home to rest instead of coming all this way.”
“I can rest in the car, it doesn’t matter,” Yan Sui held Meng Ting for a while before letting go, then took his hand and asked, “Aren’t you done yet?”
Meng Ting shook his head upon hearing this. “We already found the problem. We were just planning to go to Li Lan’s house…”
He broke off mid-sentence, realizing he’d forgotten his original purpose for visiting Li Lan’s home—to check on Li Fu’s health. But having already seen the person, there was no need to go to his house anymore.
Realizing this, Meng Ting’s expression became somewhat blank. He turned his head to look at Li Fu, then asked earnestly, “Grandpa Li, are you completely recovered from your illness?”
“Yes, yes,” Li Fu answered hastily. Everyone had tactfully kept their distance when Yan Sui arrived, but now they approached again at Meng Ting’s question. “Thank you for your concern, Boss.”
Meng Ting nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Yan Sui. “Everything’s settled. We can go home now.”
He had come to see Li Fu just to ask this question. Now that he confirmed he was well, the purpose of his trip had been achieved. For the remaining time, he wanted to spend it with Yan Sui.
Meng Ting’s words were too straightforward, and everyone present was stunned. Those who didn’t understand him would probably think he was being too perfunctory in his concern.
Yan Mingya couldn’t help but smile faintly. He looked at Meng Ting and Yan Sui. “Ninth Uncle, why don’t you take Little Aunt back? I still have some things to do here.”
Yan Sui nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Li Lan and his grandfather, then led Meng Ting back to the car.
The driver was now Zhao Bing, whom Meng Ting was relatively more familiar with, so he didn’t feel as restrained. He immediately nestled into Yan Sui’s embrace, holding onto him for quite some time before speaking. “Is there good news today too?”
Yan Sui thought for a moment and actually nodded. “Yes.”
“Made a lot of money today,” Yan Sui chose his words carefully. Saying it this way was something Meng Ting could understand; anything too complicated would go over his head.
Meng Ting nodded in agreement, finding this very satisfactory. “That’s good news. I’ve also made a lot of money recently.”
While Yan Sui was busy, Meng Ting hadn’t slack off either. He worked hard at formulating perfumes, but as soon as a batch hit the market, it would sell out completely within half a day. Yan Mingya wasn’t satisfied with just the Xia Country perfume market. He made several trips to A Country, where the sales department had already been established.
Branch offices in other countries would follow one after another.
Meng Ting had already thought about what birthday gift he would give Yan Sui next year. He wanted to give Yan Sui the bank card containing all the money he’d earned. He hoped that by Yan Sui’s next birthday, the amount would be substantial, the more digits the better.
Yan Sui watched Meng Ting’s appearance, as if he had fallen into a pile of money and was completely lost in it, and couldn’t help but lean over and kiss his forehead.
“You must be tired today. Lean on me and rest for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Meng Ting wasn’t particularly sleepy, but since Yan Sui suggested it, he comfortably lay down on Yan Sui’s lap without any hesitation.
Thinking of birthday gifts reminded Meng Ting of Ning Zhou’s birthday—December 20th, which was actually coming up very soon.
“Mom’s birthday is next month…”
He mentioned this to Yan Sui not because he was uncertain about gift choices, but rather, “I wonder if Grandpa will allow me to go for just one day.”
Hearing Meng Ting’s concern, Yan Sui smiled helplessly. It seemed Old Master Xiao had really frightened Meng Ting last time—not the man himself, but the overly rational side of a family patriarch.
“Should I call and ask?”
Meng Ting really wanted to go celebrate Ning Zhou’s birthday. If he went, Yan Sui would definitely go too, and when Yan Sui returned, he would also return.
“No need to ask. They’re your parents—not even Grandpa can stop you from visiting them.”
Meng Ting nodded upon hearing this. “That’s good…”
He was actually quite afraid of encountering that same awkward situation again. It made him felt uncomfortable and Ning Zhou and the others also felt hurt. If Old Master Xiao didn’t permit it, he’d just send a gift to avoid dampening everyone’s spirits.
Yan Sui raised his hand and gently rubbed Meng Ting’s hair. He understood Meng Ting’s thoughts but couldn’t persuade him otherwise.
Changing Meng Ting’s mindset wasn’t something he needed to do—it something for the Xiao family to address. Moreover, Yan Sui himself also believed that when parental affection truly wasn’t there, not forcing it would prevent further hurt.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 081.2″]
有教無類 (yǒu jiào wú lèi): to provide education for all and without class discriminations; education for everyone, irrespective of background; make no social distinctions in teaching; teach without discrimination; education without discrimination; provide education for all people without distinction; there is no distinction between high and low in education; education is impartial and treats everyone equally. From the Analects, Book 15 (《論語·衞靈公》): 子曰：「有教無類。」, The Master said, “In teaching there should be no distinction of classes.”
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