Chapter 734
So it was her?
Xu Bo'an almost laughed when he heard his aunt say that. If his aunt hadn't gone so far, Xu Bo'an might have given them face out of consideration for their kinship and not told them the truth.
But since his aunt had already said such hurtful things in front of so many people, he shouldn't blame Xu Bo'an for telling the truth and embarrassing her.
Xu Bo'an looked at his aunt and deliberately raised his voice so that all the relatives at the table could hear him, saying, "Aunt, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew by lying through your teeth? If your precious son Tang Zhijie is really working as diligently as you say, and the company treats him unfairly, I will definitely step in to resolve the matter."
But I'm afraid you don't know that the reason your son Tang Zhijie couldn't continue his business is because he always cut corners and used counterfeit materials in the sand and gravel business. In the end, almost half of the sand and gravel in a truckload was adulterated. The project team consists of skilled workers; if they receive counterfeit and substandard products, how can the project proceed? Instead of looking for the cause within themselves, they're blaming me. You guys really have the nerve to do that!
What kind of person is Tang Zhijie? As a mother, Wang Caiying knows very well. Although she heard that what Xu Bo'an said was probably true, she was very embarrassed. But how could she admit it in front of so many relatives? If she did, wouldn't that be like slapping herself in the face?
Wang Caiying harbored deep resentment towards Xu Bo'an for not giving her face. She looked at Xu Bo'an and said, "Xu Bo'an, please get your manners right. I am your aunt, your elder. How can a junior like you speak to an elder like that? Don't you even know the most basic manners?"
Xu Bo'an looked at his aunt and said, "It's true that I'm a junior, but how did you, as an elder, treat me, a junior? From the moment I sat down, you started to mock me and say sarcastic things. I originally wanted to save face for you and didn't want to talk about this, but under your pressure, I had no choice but to tell you the truth! Who can I blame?"
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, Tang Zhijie hurriedly said, "Xu Bo'an, you're talking nonsense! I didn't do any of those fraudulent things at all. Don't make false accusations. It's just that others saw you resign, so they fired me. You're the one who's useless, yet you have the nerve to criticize me!"
Most of the relatives present were unaware that Xu Bo'an had resigned. When Tang Zhijie announced it, the shock was even greater than the news about Tang Zhijie's adulterated sand and gravel. Xu Bo'an was a leader, and more importantly, the top leader—a position that many people could never reach in their entire lives. At least among Xu Bo'an's mother Tang Rongzhi's relatives, none had a higher status than Xu Bo'an.
Especially for the older generation, hearing that Xu Bo'an, such a high-ranking leader, had resigned was a complete shock to their worldview!
Before Xu Bo'an could even speak after hearing Tang Zhijie's words, his other uncles and aunts looked at him and said all at once, "No way, Bo'an, is what Zhijie said true? You're the most successful one in our family, you already have such a high position and you're still not satisfied? You actually resigned?"
"Elder sister, brother-in-law, you must have known about this for a long time! Why didn't you try to persuade Bo'an?"
"Yes, jobs are so hard to find these days, how can you just quit like that!"
"I don't know what young people are thinking these days. They always think the grass is greener on the other side! Can't they just focus on doing things properly?"
In an instant, all the so-called educational words from his aunts and uncles flooded into Xu Bo'an's mind!
Xu Bo'an knew before he came that attending such a family gathering meant he would inevitably be influenced by the elders.
Previously, Xu Bo'an actually disliked this style of art and hated family gatherings from the bottom of his heart because being with elders always led to topics that you didn't like.
They often act as if they've been there, criticizing you, but these are all meaningless words that don't help you at all. Nobody likes to hear them, and people are even disgusted by them.
However, with his increased strength, Xu Bo'an is now incredibly powerful and doesn't take their words to heart at all. When he hears them "educating" him like this, he doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable as before. Instead, he laughs at their lack of self-awareness.
Although Xu Bo'an wasn't upset, his parents, Tang Rongzhi and Xu Jiancheng, were very unhappy. Even relatives shouldn't be allowed to speak so recklessly. Tang Rongzhi said directly, "Look at what you're saying! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were their parents. I know my son very well. He's always been steady in his actions, and his resignation must have been a well-thought-out decision. You don't need to worry about it. If you have any extra energy, you should focus it on your own children!"
Tang Rongzhi emphasized her last sentence when speaking to Xu Bo'an's aunt, Wang Caiying. Needless to say, everyone knew that Tang Rongzhi's words were a direct warning to Wang Caiying.
No one would believe Xu Bo'an's resignation, and Tang Rongzhi didn't quite understand her son's actions either. However, he was her son, and she didn't want others to judge him, especially with such unpleasant comments. Tang Rongzhi was even less likely to allow them to do so.
Tang Zhijie looked at Tang Rongzhi and said, "Oh dear, Aunt, what you're saying makes it sound like Cousin Bo'an resigned voluntarily, as if he were some kind of hero. But think about it, who would be foolish enough to resign voluntarily when they're in charge of a company? Cousin Bo'an must have done something wrong, and he was forced to resign! Everyone, think carefully about whether what I'm saying makes sense!"
After hearing Tang Zhijie's words, Wang Caiying quickly chimed in, "That's right, my son is absolutely right!"
The reason this mother and son are acting in concert is because Tang Zhijie was fired from Dongjiang No. 2 Construction Company. Later, he went to Xu Bo'an, but Xu Bo'an did not help them. They held a grudge. Since you won't help me, then I'll humiliate you and make you lose face in front of your relatives.
We often encounter this kind of person in life. When others help them, they don't say anything, but once others stop helping them, they start finding fault with others without ever looking at their own shortcomings.
Tang Muyang, the son of Xu Bo'an's second uncle, who was sitting to the side, had been there for a while. Now he had heard the whole story of how Tang Zhijie had belittled Xu Bo'an. He really couldn't stand his uncle's family belittling his cousin like this.
Tang Muyang said to Tang Zhijie, "Brother, we're all family. How can you talk about Cousin Bo'an like that? Cousin Bo'an has helped you a lot. You've made a lot of money over the years, buying houses and cars, all thanks to his help! Because you went too far, his company fired you. How can you blame Cousin Bo'an for that? You're really biting the hand that feeds you!"
Tang Zhijie was immediately displeased upon hearing Tang Muyang's words and said to him, "What do you know, you fresh graduate? Don't interrupt us!"
Tang Muyang said, "Brother, we should all know how to be grateful. Before Cousin Bo'an helped you, what kind of life were you living? You were just wandering around aimlessly, barely making any money at the end of the year. If it were anyone else, would Cousin Bo'an have helped them find a job? You were given a job, but you still did illegal and disorderly things. I advise you to reflect on yourself. Also, Cousin Bo'an's job wasn't something he was forced to leave as you said. He had greater abilities and wanted to do bigger things, so he voluntarily left. Besides, he took early retirement and still receives a monthly salary. Last time I went to Dongjiang, I personally saw a big boss treat Cousin Bo'an with great respect and even gave him an entire office building. Cousin Bo'an's influence is beyond your imagination. Your claim that Cousin Bo'an couldn't continue and was forced to leave is pure nonsense!"
Upon hearing Tang Muyang's words, everyone sitting at the table instantly showed expressions of surprise. They knew that Xu Bo'an was already living in a large villa, which they considered quite remarkable. They never expected that a big boss would give away an office building for free. They couldn't even imagine what kind of person would receive such treatment.
Tang Zhijie was quite shocked by Tang Muyang's words, but after the shock came disbelief. Tang Zhijie said to Tang Muyang, "Muyang, there are so many people here. What you're saying is a bit of an exaggeration. If Bo'an really has such strength, how come he can't even help me with a small matter?"
Tang Muyang looked at Tang Zhijie impatiently and said, "If you keep harping on this issue, don't blame me for being blunt. Look at yourself, always doing nothing. How can anyone help you? They can't just give you money for free every day! And you're so eager for Bo'an to help you, have you racked up gambling debts again?"
Tang Muyang's words struck a nerve with Tang Zhijie. Indeed, Tang Zhijie had accumulated a lot of gambling debts recently, and he thought he could easily earn them back by delivering a few batches of adulterated sand and gravel. However, he never expected that this business would be suddenly suspended.
Tang Zhijie suddenly lost his source of funds. Debtors had been urging him to pay several times. He really had no money on hand, so he borrowed some from his parents under other pretexts and took out a loan at high interest rates for the rest.
Unexpectedly, the high-interest loan compounded, and the consequences would be severe if he couldn't repay it by the due date. Tang Zhijie was terrified, so he called Xu Bo'an repeatedly, hoping that Xu Bo'an could help him.
He wouldn't answer his calls, so now that he'd finally met Xu Bo'an, he had to have a good talk with him about this. If he could help him, that would be great; if not, he could at least vent his anger by beating him up. So, as soon as Xu Bo'an arrived, he started targeting him!
Half an hour had passed while they chatted, and at noon, Bai Jingshu's coming-of-age ceremony officially began.
Just as Tang Zhijie was about to speak again, the host's voice rang out from the stage, "Please be quiet, everyone. Miss Bai Jingshu's eighteenth birthday ceremony is now officially beginning!"
Upon hearing the host's words, everyone in the audience fell silent instantly, and everyone looked towards the stage. As soon as the host finished speaking, Xu Bo'an's aunt's family appeared. Then, the aunt's family spoke, talking about their cousin's growth experiences. After that, photos of their cousin Bai Jingshu growing up were shown on the big screen, followed by a series of performances.
When Xu Bo'an heard that his cousin Bai Jingshu had been admitted to Kyoto University of Finance and Economics in this year's college entrance examination, he was quite shocked. This school is the top university for finance and economics. Xu Bo'an had heard that his cousin was very good at studying before, but he did not expect her to be this good.
After the ceremony on stage ended, the guests began to eat, and it was time for my aunt and her family to toast the guests.
There were three empty seats next to Xu Bo'an, and after his aunt and her family finished toasting, they came over and sat down next to Xu Bo'an.
Of all the people present, Xu Bo'an disliked his aunt and Tang Zhijie the most. The other relatives were all normal people, and they had a pretty good relationship in the past. However, Xu Bo'an was most affectionate towards his aunt's family, so he chatted with them.
The family raised their glasses and drank together. Tang Zhijie, who loves to drink, was clearly a bit drunk after a few rounds and went to the bathroom.
A moment later, Tang Zhijie rushed in in a panic, followed closely by two men in uniforms who looked quite fierce. When Tang Zhijie reached Xu Bo'an's table, he hid behind the crowd and said to the two menacing men, "These are all our own people sitting here. You can't do anything reckless! If you dare to touch me, my family won't let you get away with it."
The two burly men said, "Stop talking nonsense and hand over what you stole, or we won't let you go!"
After saying that, she walked towards Tang Zhijie, and the other relatives and friends were also startled by the sudden appearance of the two.
Today is my cousin's coming-of-age ceremony, which is of great significance to my aunt's family. Xu Bo'an doesn't want anyone to interfere, and besides, he's not someone who's afraid of trouble.
Seeing this, he immediately stood up and asked the two men, "What's going on?"
The two men in uniforms said, "He stole a set of jewelry from our boss, Mr. Wang, and ran away. That's why we chased after him."
Upon hearing this, Xu Bo'an turned to Tang Zhijie and asked, "Is what they said true? If it is, hand it over to them right away!"
Just as Tang Zhijie was about to speak, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind Xu Bo'an. Xu Bo'an turned around and immediately recognized the person—it was her, whom he had only met once before! What a coincidence! (End of Chapter)