Chapter 184
It took Shen Huaichu several days to break free from the nightmare of 'being taken care of by Jing Zeqian,' and he also learned about Jing Zejun's qualification news. As Jing Yi's boyfriend now, he naturally needed to prepare a congratulatory gift right away.
"Help me prepare a gift to be sent to the Jing family," Shen Huaichu instructed his assistant.
Gu Lin sat on the nearby sofa, drinking coffee and watching the scene with amusement. "Brother, you're really taking your role as a future brother-in-law seriously."
Shen Huaichu ignored Gu Lin's teasing and carefully instructed his assistant about what kind of gift to prepare.
Shen Huaichu's current demeanor was quite a curiosity to Gu Lin, who kept staring at the person behind the desk even after the assistant left.
He looked at him as if he were some rare species.
Shen Huaichu glanced at him, "If you're that bored, I can have you start the second phase of your internship sooner." He had originally planned to give Gu Lin more time to rest and catch his breath.
But now it seemed unnecessary.
"No! I'm sorry!"
Gu Lin immediately begged for mercy. He had just managed to temporarily escape from Huarui Group, and having barely rested for a few days, how could he possibly start another departmental internship so soon?
Seeing that Shen Huaichu wasn't going to pursue the matter, Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief, took a sip of coffee, and secretly glanced at Shen Huaichu who continued working.
Wasn't his brother supposed to have become more good-tempered after falling in love? He hadn't improved much at all! What was Little Wang thinking? Were they still fishing buddies or not? How could he deceive him just because he was the boss's relative?
Shen Huaichu casually lifted his eyelids as Gu Lin sat dazed on the sofa, his expression complex, lost in thought.
"If you have nothing to do, go keep Aunt company." Having him hovering around was really distracting.
Gu Lin snapped back to reality, hearing Shen Huaichu's attempt to dismiss him. He lounged lazily on the sofa and said shamelessly, "I need to lay low for a while."
While Shen Tu was overjoyed about Shen Huaichu dating Jing Yi, it had caused quite a bit of trouble for him.
Previously, when they were both single young men, with his brother taking the lead, Gu Lin could easily handle his mother's marriage pressure. But now that his brother had a girlfriend, he had lost that excuse.
"So, brother, give me a place to stay?" He planned to hide out at Shen Huaichu's villa to avoid the pressure.
Shen Huaichu rejected him without a second thought.
"No."
Gu Lin looked over in confusion. Something wasn't right - his brother used to never care about these things, typically just answering, "Whatever."
What was going on? Had the villa gotten a new mistress?
Gu Lin's gaze became increasingly direct until Shen Huaichu looked back at him, causing him to quickly avert his eyes.
Shen Huaichu withdrew his intimidating gaze. While the villa didn't have a mistress yet, it would eventually, and it would be inconvenient if Gu Lin was there when Jing Yi wanted to visit him.
How times have changed.
Gu Lin shook his head helplessly. Some people get a girlfriend and won't even spare a room for their brother anymore.
Gu Lin stole another glance at Shen Huaichu and muttered under his breath, "The villa has so many rooms, what's wrong with leaving one for me?" Shen Huaichu ignored him.
Gu Lin pouted. Fine, he was interrupting the CEO's work.
But still, his brother's girlfriend was a race car driver - was that really okay?
Looking at Shen Huaichu working, a barely noticeable hint of worry flashed across Gu Lin's eyes. While he was happy for Shen Huaichu, he couldn't ignore the concern in his heart.
He forced a smile, trying to appear more natural.
"By the way, brother, Mom's annual physical check-up is coming up soon. Why don't you accompany her this year?" Shen Huaichu's hand paused imperceptibly as he looked up calmly at Gu Lin. "You've gone every year, why suddenly ask me to go?"
Gu Lin picked up his coffee again, avoiding Shen Huaichu's gaze. "She's been nagging me about finding a girlfriend lately. I just want to avoid it for as long as I can."
Shen Huaichu stared deeply at Gu Lin until the latter became uncomfortable, then returned to his previous working state.
"Gu Lin, since when did you start beating around the bush with me?"
Gu Lin sighed. How he wished he could speak directly to Shen Huaichu, but...
"Brother..."
Shen Huaichu continued staring at his computer screen, though the atmosphere around him had grown colder.
"It's just seeing a psychologist, what's so hard to say about that?"
Gu Lin's nose stung as he quietly lowered his head.
After the car accident, Shen Huaichu became extremely averse to fast-moving vehicles and couldn't bear the sound of cars speeding by.
It wasn't just dislike - it was fear, a fear from the depths of his soul.
Shen Huaichu had tried to fight fire with fire, but most attempts ended with him waking up in the hospital. The current situation was already somewhat better.
He had tried such cruel methods, so why wouldn't he be willing to completely resolve this issue?
Gu Lin looked at Shen Huaichu and asked hopefully, "So will you go?" Shen Huaichu's cold voice replied, "No."
Gu Lin had misunderstood - his attempts to fight fire with fire were never about overcoming the fear, but about facing it.
Those methods from back then were to remind himself never to forget his parents' vendetta, never to forget that moment of death. Only by remembering it over and over could he engrave this hatred in his heart.
Otherwise, how did Gu Lin think he had gotten through these twenty years?
Gu Lin stared at him blankly, disappointment in his eyes. Another failure...
"You're barely in your twenties, why worry about so much?" Gu Lin kept his head down without speaking. "Didn't you want a virtual gaming prototype machine? I had one set prepared for you."
Gu Lin's mood remained low, and Shen Huaichu's words only made him feel worse.
Shen Huaichu let out a light sigh and stopped his work, wondering how his uncle had raised such a sensitive child.
What kind of heir was this?
"Don't want it? If not, I'll have it returned."
Gu Lin quickly raised his head, "Don't return it! It takes forever to get an appointment on the official website." Not to mention this was a complete set.
This prototype machine was new equipment launched by Hengjing Group, with functions far beyond just gaming. Gu Lin had tried it before and was completely won over by its immersive experience and comfort.
A hint of amusement flashed in Shen Huaichu's eyes - this kid was still so easy to deal with. "One condition: you start your position in the investment department earlier."
"What?!"
Gu Lin's voice was full of reluctance, but Shen Huaichu wouldn't let him escape.
He had realized that Gu Lin needed to master not just how to manage a company, but also all the abilities a leader should possess, which he hadn't yet grasped.
Gu Lin collapsed helplessly on the sofa, silently mourning his lost leisure time. He had ended up losing more than he gained - he hadn't successfully fooled his brother, lost his vacation, and his only consolation was getting the equipment he wanted.
Was this really worth it?