Chapter 63

In Jiang Luo’s mind, it didn’t matter what Wang Junwei and the others did, as long as it wasn’t too grueling.

After all, both he and Wang Chuang were earning money now.

He changed his phrasing: “You see, anything is fine—you can try anything, whatever you like.”

“Or you could even come work at the company, all together.”

Bai Ting replied, “We’ll think about it.”

Wang Junwei added, “Yeah, we’ll think. It’s not urgent—we’re not leaving the factory tomorrow, so there’s time to really consider it.” Then he added, “We know you’re busy. You do your work, we’ll handle ourselves. The two of us can manage.”

Meanwhile, Zhao Mingshi returned to school. At the security booth, he borrowed the landline and called Zhao Shuo’s cell phone.

Instead of asking directly, he circled around, mentioning that today he had seen Jiang Luo driving a Mercedes.

Zhao Mingshi added, “I thought it might be a new car you bought, brother.”

Zhao Shuo was stunned. “Jiang Luo driving? You saw him? Are you sure it was him? How could he have a car?”

And such an expensive Mercedes, at that.

Zhao Mingshi probed further: “Could it be that Mom and Dad bought it to make up for him?”

“Of course not,” Zhao Shuo immediately denied. “Mom and Dad have been too busy recently. They can’t even keep track of where Jiang Luo is, let alone spend tens of thousands buying him a car.”

“Ah, I see.” Zhao Mingshi felt immediately relieved.

Zhao Shuo pressed, “Where did you see Jiang Luo?”

“At the silk factory dormitory—I went there for lunch today.”

After hanging up and thanking the security guard, Zhao Mingshi left feeling happy—so at least it wasn’t from their parents.

But after a few steps, he paused again in thought: if not from Mom and Dad or my brother, then where did Jiang Luo get the car?

Stolen?

Zhao Mingshi imagined the worst. He saw Jiang Luo as a delinquent, so the car had to have come through some shady way.

Once his brother knew, their parents would too. Knowing Jiang Luo hadn’t changed, they would likely be even more disappointed and dislike him more.

He huffed, walking happily toward the dorm.

What Zhao Mingshi didn’t know was that after hearing about the car, Zhao Shuo had called Zhao Guangyuan to figure out whether Zhao Guangyuan had given it.

Zhao Guangyuan, a seasoned leader, had perspective and patience. Upon hearing that Jiang Luo somehow had a car, he thought, “If he can rent a truck, of course he can rent a car. Nothing unusual.”

“Since your brother is doing business now, he needs a car to make an impression—having one is normal.”

Zhao Shuo thought that made sense.

Zhao Mingshi felt reassured: “As long as he runs his business properly, it’s fine. Mom and I have been too busy to look after him.”

“When I’m less busy, I’ll find him, apologize, explain everything, and give him some startup capital and connections—he’ll understand and forgive us.”

Zhao Shuo asked, “Since he’s doing business, he must have registered a company, right?”

“I’ll ask my friends at the Bureau of Commerce to check what company he set up.”

Zhao Guangyuan nodded. “Yes, we need to know. Otherwise, we won’t feel at ease.”

That evening, Zhao Guangyuan mentioned Zhao Shuo’s call to Su Lan.

In good spirits, he said, “Big brother is a business genius. Zhao Shuo’s municipal projects have gone well. Now Jiang Luo is doing business too, even driving a car—nothing for us to worry about. Clearly, our Zhao family has business talent in its blood.”

“Mercedes, huh?” Su Lan was surprised. “That car must be more expensive than Zhao Shuo’s.”

“You’re right—Jiang Luo probably couldn’t afford it. It’s likely rented.”

Su Lan sighed. “We’ve been too busy lately. We couldn’t watch over Jiang Luo, and he refuses to come home—he’s been alone outside.”

Zhao Guangyuan comforted her, “It’s fine. He’s grown, a man now. It’s good for him to experience life on his own.”

“When I’m less busy, I’ll go talk to him and apologize properly.”

“Doing business requires money. We can support him a bit.”

“Once he sees our intentions, he should forgive us.”

“That’s all we can do.”

Su Lan nodded, then asked, “How much are you planning to give Jiang Luo?”

Zhao Guangyuan had clearly thought it through. “When Zhao Shuo started, Big Brother gave a million, and we gave 200,000. For Jiang Luo, it can’t be less than 200,000.”

“I’ve considered it—even just to make up for all these years apart, we should give more.”

“Let’s give 500,000. If he thinks it’s not enough, we’ll add more.”

“I’ve spoken to Big Brother recently. He said he’ll contribute too. He gave a million to Zhao Shuo before—he’ll give the same to Jiang Luo.”

“You know Big Brother—he has no children, so our kids are like his own. He’ll treat them equally.”

Su Lan thought of Zhao Mingshi. “Do you think he’ll be upset?”

This annoyed Zhao Guangyuan slightly. “He’s not our biological child. We owe him nothing. Loving him, giving him something, that’s voluntary. If he thinks he’s owed it, that’s not right.”

“He’s still a student. He doesn’t need so much money. If he wants to start a business in the future, we can consider it then.”

“But Big Brother has said his money is only for Zhao bloodline members—you, me, no one else.”

“Does Big Brother still care about the switched-at-birth incident?” Su Lan asked.

Zhao Guangyuan sighed gently. “Yes, he does. When he learned about it as a child, he noticed Mingming didn’t resemble us. He regrets not paying attention then, otherwise we could have found Jiang Luo sooner.”

“Does he dislike Mingming now?”

“Not exactly. Big Brother values bloodlines. When he realized the child was switched, he was more anxious than we were, pushing us to find the child quickly.”

Zhao Guangyuan continued: “Big Brother said something I agree with. Over the years, we treated Mingming well because we thought he was our child. If we’d known from the start, would we have loved him so? Essentially, we loved him because he was ours by blood.”

Su Lan frowned. “But we raised Mingming for so many years. Surely that counts for something.”

Zhao Guangyuan countered, “If we hadn’t raised Jiang Luo, would you have no affection for him?”

“Of course there is—he’s my biological son.”

Su Lan wanted to argue, “As parents, we love a person, not just a label.”

Zhao Guangyuan ignored her, insisting: “I agree with Big Brother. My money and love can only go to my biological son.”

“Mingming may be wonderful, but he’s not my blood.”

“I have feelings for Mingming, but they can never outweigh my love for my own son.”

“Anything I give Mingming in the future won’t exceed what I give Jiang Luo—unless Jiang Luo truly disappoints me to the point I’d rather have no son at all.”

Su Lan’s expression was conflicted. She recognized the logic in Zhao Guangyuan and Big Brother’s words, but in her heart, her emotional bond with the child she raised, Zhao Mingshi, was equal to that with her biological child, Jiang Luo. After all, she had loved Zhao Mingshi for eighteen years.

Meanwhile, Vilanido’s business continued booming. Within days, Jiang Luo decisively moved the workshop to a proper factory—large enough for machines, a sufficient number of employees, and even a dedicated warehouse area.

Renting the space was no issue; the company’s account had ample cash flow.

The workshop immediately began relocating. Employees of all genders moved machines, materials, and clothing. Jiang Luo even hired townspeople to speed up the process, personally helping and working up a sweat.

At the new factory, it was a cacophony of activity as people moved items back and forth.

Jiang Luo and Zhang Ningfu stood in a corner. Zhang Ningfu flipped through a notebook, discussing with Jiang Luo the recent best-selling items, new hires, necessary machine purchases, and whether they should employ someone to cook. Since the new factory was in a more remote part of town, many workers lived far away. With three shifts, it might be difficult for them to go home for lunch or dinner.