I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

In a villa next to Shichahai Lake, in an office that has been converted, there is a very large solid wood table, which is wide and big, exuding a domineering aura.

A telephone and various documents lay on the table, but these were purely decorative; there were none that Li Jing'an needed to approve yet. Li Jing'an was currently sitting in the chair behind him, smoking a cigarette and feigning sleep with his eyes closed. The occasional clanging and banging sounds from outside indicated that some renovations inside the mansion were still unfinished.

On the sofa opposite, Secretary Ivy was clipping her nails with nail clippers, her legs crossed.

"Clang clang."

"Brother Li, Sister Zhou Yufei is here." Qin Jingru opened the door from the outside and said to Li Jing'an behind the desk. Then she saw Zhou Yufei walk over from behind her.

Li Jing'an opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Yufei, then nodded, "Okay, I understand." He then glanced at Ivy on the sofa, frowned, and said, "Can't you see there are guests? Go out and pour some tea."

"Have a seat," Li Jing'an then said to Zhou Yufei.

Zhou Yufei didn't sit down. Instead, she walked to the desk and, across its large surface, said, "Li Shuo is your son, but isn't my son your son too?"

These words left Li Jing'an completely bewildered. He frowned and said, "What do you mean? Are you crazy?"

"Hmph, don't think I don't know. Did you get Li Shuo into the Ministry of Metallurgy these past few days? And he even became a senior engineer. You're being way too biased." Zhou Yufei angrily slammed her bag onto the desk.

Li Jing'an was amused by this: "What's wrong with you? I sent Li Shuo to the Ministry of Metallurgy, what's it to you? Besides, what haven't I done? Wasn't it me who got your son's Tsinghua University targeted training quota? Didn't he get into the Ministry of Metallurgy after graduation? Why are you so jealous and upset?"

"How can yours be the same? I've found out everything. Li Shuo was directly recruited as a high-tech overseas talent and was immediately appointed as a senior engineer, with a salary and benefits equivalent to a deputy director level. Even if my son graduated from Tsinghua University, he wouldn't even be qualified as a section chief."

Li Jing'an was helpless; there was nothing he could do. After all, Li Shuo had studied metallurgy at a foreign university, giving him the qualifications to be easily manipulated. Zhou Yufei's son, however, was different. Li Jing'an first arranged for him to work as a laborer in a steel rolling mill, and then, as an outstanding worker, he was recommended by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry for admission to Tsinghua University through a targeted program. Even after graduating from Tsinghua, he would still have to start from the bottom, just like other university graduates.

"What do you mean? If you feel it's unfair, fine, after he graduates, I'll send him abroad for a trip, okay?" Li Jing'an said.

"You're kidding me. He'll be so old after graduation. Going abroad would just waste a lot of his time. If he falls behind at one step, he'll fall behind at every step." Zhou Yufei clearly disagreed.

"So what exactly do you want to do?" Li Jing'an frowned, his tone also unfriendly.

"You've set up a company to start a business, right? Why don't you have him come and help you? After all, people say that brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons go to war together." Zhou Yufei's true intentions were revealed; this was all part of her plan.

Li Jing'an is putting on quite a show of power and influence. She's afraid her son won't get any benefits from Li Jing'an in the future, that he won't have any official status, and that all the benefits will go to Li Shuo. Fearing her son will suffer, she's thinking of quickly sending him to Li Jing'an's side to secure a place for him first.

Li Jing'an snorted and laughed, "Hmph, I thought it was something special? You think I'm stupid with your little schemes?"

Zhou Yufei stopped pretending and asked directly, "Then just tell me if it's okay or not, give me a straight answer."

"Okay, okay, but not now," Li Jing'an said casually. "Once I've finished dealing with these things here and the company's business is running smoothly, I'll set up another pharmaceutical company, and then I'll let him manage it."

After getting the result she wanted, Zhou Yufei didn't stay long and went back.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair helplessly. Zhou Yufei wasn't the first to come to him; his sister had come before, and her child had already secured a position with him. His sister even wanted to work for him, but Li Jing'an didn't agree. However, he did add her name to the company and give her a salary.

After all, Li Jing'an's parents are getting old and need his sister's care. Although there is a nanny, Li Hongying still needs to come and look after them from time to time. This amount of money is nothing compared to Li Hongying's contributions, and Li Jing'an can afford it.

He then stood up and went to the window, looking at the villa's garden. Qin Jingru was directing several people to tidy up and clean the garden. The original flower beds and ponds had been replaced with ornamental trees, and the ground had been paved. There would definitely be more people coming and going in the future, so they needed to add more parking spaces.

"Clang clang."

"Come in."

"Brother Li, I'm back." Xu Damao squeezed in from outside the door.

"Da Mao, did you get it done?"

"It's done, Brother Li. This is the contract I signed with the pharmaceutical company." Xu Damao took out a contract from his briefcase and placed it on the table.

"What, they agreed?" Li Jing'an casually picked it up and flipped through it.

"How could they disagree? After the pharmaceutical company cancelled their orders, they even had trouble paying their employees' salaries. We took the initiative to cooperate with them, so they can only rely on our orders," Xu Damao said with a smile.

"Hmph, what, don't they think the processing fee is too low?"

"Hehe, we're so broke we can't even get a pot of water. As long as we have something to eat, we're happy. They have no room for negotiation anymore," Xu Damao replied.

"Hmph, that's more like it. They complain about the food even though they have it." Li Jing'an threw the contract on the table. "Keep a close eye on that pharmaceutical factory from now on. Now that the contract is signed, for the next few years, they must primarily produce for us. Don't let them secretly take on other jobs or produce other products. Once they have other sources of income, they'll easily develop other ideas."

"Yes, yes, Brother Li, I'll keep a close eye on them."

"By the way, have the deals with the radio and television stations been finalized?"

"It's all settled, I've already made the deal. But we're already using GG before the product is even manufactured, isn't that a waste of money?" Xu Damao said with a puzzled look, clearly a little distressed. Nationwide distribution of GG is no small expense. Although GG is still relatively new and the fee is relatively cheap, the sheer volume and daily looping of playback means that even at the lowest price, it adds up to a considerable sum.

"What do you know? It's about planning ahead, leaving an impression in people's minds, and establishing their perception. The more they want to buy but can't, the more they'll be intrigued. The more they do this, the more discussion they'll generate. Once the goods are stocked, the results will naturally follow. What's a little money? We can't just focus on short-term gains; we need to think long-term."

As Li Jing'an spoke, his gaze fell on Qin Jingru outside the window, and he sighed inwardly. The Qin sisters were truly blessed; even though they were older, they possessed a remarkable mature charm. If Qin Jingru weren't so old now, he would really like to relive those past feelings.

After all, Qin Huairu had asked Qin Jingru to express her desire to come here and contribute her remaining energy to Li Jing'an, but Li Jing'an flatly refused.

These old fogies don't even realize how old they are, still trying to get close to Li Jing'an.