On New Year's Eve, the children of the Bao family gathered together.
The six-meter-long Western-style dining table is basically only used once a year, and it is full of people at that time.
Everyone stood around the dining table, waiting for Bao Yugang to take the main seat first before they took their seats.
Bao Yugang glanced at the seats. The first person on the left was Su Haiwen, and the first person on the right was Zheng Yaoyang.
Under normal circumstances, after he dies, Su Haiwen will sit in his place and become the backbone and talker of this big family.
"Let's do something different this year."
Bao Yugang showed a smile on his face and looked at Su Haiwen and Zheng Yaoyang: "Haiwen, give up your seat. Yaoyang, you sit here."
Su Haiwen smiled and gave up his position. Bao Yugang discussed it with him and he agreed with his father-in-law's proposal.
The Bao family's property has been allocated a long time ago. If he is allowed to sit in this position, it will fall apart in a few years.
All four members of the Bao family have family businesses. Everyone is the chairman of the board and controls one or even several companies. Why should we listen to him?
Although he serves as a director of HSBC, he has little power and Global Shipping cannot help them.
But Zheng Yaoyang is different. Especially when he raised US$18.9 billion to open a bank, his influence reached its peak, and even HSBC was afraid of it.
And due to the particularity of banks, they can play an important role in almost all industries.
If he is allowed to sit in this position, even if Bao Yugang dies of illness in the future, this big family will not be separated.
Everyone present looked at Zheng Yaoyang. It would be beneficial to everyone if he became the next talkative person of the Bao family.
Bao Peihui scolded: "Dad, Yangyang is still a child, what are you doing sitting here with adults and meddling in it?"
She is naive, but not stupid. Sitting there means she will bear a heavy responsibility.
She doesn't care what the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Zheng Yaoyang is so young, it's not his turn, and it's not like the elders in the family are not here, so why should he bear the burden?
"Grandpa knows he cares about me, so it's easy to sit here and pick up the food. Everyone, please sit down. I'm already hungry after procrastinating for so long."
Zheng Yaoyang glanced at his mother to reassure her, and helped his grandfather to take the main seat, while also sitting in the seat that should have belonged to Su Haiwen.
His mother's worries were purely unfounded. No matter where he sat, it would not have the slightest impact on him.
Generally speaking, things will be difficult for everyone in a big family, mainly because they worry about the feelings of their relatives, but he has no such worries.
In addition to his parents and grandfather, he only has some affection for the other three relatives, but not much.
The second phase of the Woodpecker project has brought together a total of 178 investors, and now there are just a few more.
Grandpa didn't know what Zheng Yaoyang was thinking, so he smiled happily: "Everyone, please sit down and serve the food."
The teachings of the past few years have finally paid off, and Zheng Yaoyang has finally transformed from a lone ranger into a talker who can shoulder the responsibilities of a large family.
The whole family was very happy, but Bao Peihui was sulking alone and didn't say a word the whole time.
Zheng Weijian took one look and couldn't help but sigh.
He knew his son better than his father, and he knew very well what kind of character Zheng Yaoyang was, and his father-in-law's expectations were destined to be disappointed.
After the meal, Bao Yugang asked Zheng Yaoyang to push him outside for a walk and asked: "Yaoyang, do you blame grandpa for his decision?"
Zheng Yaoyang smiled bitterly: "You should discuss this with me in advance. I almost couldn't react just now."
This was probably the only thing that made him dissatisfied, but facing his grandfather, he really couldn't afford to be angry.
"I'm worried that you won't agree."
Bao Yugang knew that his time was running out and his family only got together once a year. If he missed this time, he didn't know if his body would be able to survive until next time.
Zheng Yaoyang was silent for a long time and said slowly: "I will try my best to protect this big family, but I will use my own method."
Bao Yugang smiled bitterly: "As long as you agree, grandpa probably won't be able to see it in any way."
He could also guess what methods Zheng Yaoyang would use, and he would probably put himself on the opposite side of everyone.
A team needs external threats to be united, and the same is true for a big family.
In doing so, he may feel sorry for Zheng Yaoyang, but it is the best choice to maintain harmony in the big family.
Zheng Yaoyang sighed and didn't know what to say. He could understand that a person who had been selfless all his life would be selfish once before his death.
Grandpa has been of great help to him in the past few years, and he treats him with all his heart.
Based on this alone, he has no right to blame.
The grandfather and grandson walked around the middle of the mountain until the sky thundered and lightning flashed, and Zheng Yaoyang pushed his grandfather home.
Grandpa went upstairs to rest, and Zheng Yaoyang saw his father, lingering at the door, as if waiting for him to appear.
Zheng Yaoyang asked curiously: "Dad, is something wrong?"
Zheng Weijian was embarrassed and explained that Bao Peihui felt that the whole family was bullying Zheng Yaoyang just now.
He remained silent again, as if he was a father in vain. After returning to his room, he became more and more angry and planned to run away from home.
"???"
Zheng Yaoyang looked confused. He didn't want to care about someone his age still playing this trick.
Zheng Weijian held him back: "Don't leave. Go over and put out the fire first. Only you can persuade her."
This mother and son have a relationship of mutual restraint. In the past, if he made his wife angry, he would ask Zheng Yaoyang to persuade her, and the price would be a large sum of pocket money.
His father's move also reminded Zheng Yaoyang of his childhood, and a smile appeared on his face: "Then I'll go over and give it a try."
He came to the bedroom where his parents lived and found that Bao Peihui was really packing his luggage.
Zheng Yaoyang sat aside and asked with a smile: "Mom, the Chinese New Year is almost here, are you going on a long trip?"
"You are also heartless."
Bao Peihui was very unhappy, glared at him, and continued packing her luggage.
Zheng Yaoyang saw his sister in the second bedroom, leaning against the crib, looking at him with her big round eyes.
Suddenly he had a plan in mind. He walked over and hugged his sister, pointed at his mother's behavior and explained: "Sister, I am very familiar with this plot."
"Let me tell you, they will get divorced next, and then they will keep asking you whether you want to stay with your mother or your father."
"Brother didn't have a choice before, but you're lucky. I'll give you a choice again. Just follow me from now on."
Bao Peihui rushed over and covered her daughter's ears, feeling ashamed and angry: "Don't tell your sister those messy things."
Zheng Yaoyang smiled with a smile on his face: "Isn't what I said the truth?"
Bao Peihui laughed in anger, and most of his anger disappeared: "Tell me, why did you agree just now?"
"What do you agree to? Change seats? That place will indeed be better for picking up food."
"Don't be so playful, I'm asking you to be serious."
The smile on Zheng Yaoyang's face did not diminish: "Grandpa wanted me to agree, so I agreed."
He put his arm around his mother's shoulders and said earnestly: "Perhaps in your eyes, I will always be the child who never grows up, but others don't think so, including myself."
"Don't worry, they can't do anything to me. You don't want grandpa to die with regrets."
Bao Peihui was silent for a long time, wanting to say something heartfelt, when she saw Zheng Yaoyang deliberately teasing his daughter with his fingers, as if he would not stop until he made her cry.
The child couldn't bear the teasing at all. His mouth dropped, and the energy in his dantian reached his throat, ready to make a sound at any time.
When Bao Peihui saw this scene, she suddenly became angry and waved her hand away: "Hurry up and leave. I won't bother to care about your business anymore. It's up to you to do whatever you want."