Chapter 595: Hot Pot Must Be Spicy! (2)
Before long, Xiao Lao grasped the situation and regarded Zhou Chao with irritation. “Sky-faring aircraft carriers, space cruisers? Do you realize how few aircraft carriers we possess at the moment? We only have two!”
Zhou Chao smiled awkwardly. Indeed, with the current manufacturing technology in China, things like sky-faring aircraft carriers were still far from reality.
Xiao Lao lifted his teacup and took a sip. “But the Southern Gate Project you mentioned docs sound much better than the Phoenix Project. I’ll mention it to the higher-ups.”
Zhou Chao knew it was time to change the subject. He glanced around and said, “Old Master, you didn’t call me here just to discuss these matters, did you?”
“Why, aren’t these matters important?” Xiao Lao glanced at Zhou Chao calmly.
Zhou Chao was about to say they weren’t important when he saw Xiao Lao’s sharp gaze fixed on him.
Swallowing nervously, he quickly retracted his words. “Important, definitely important!”
“That’s right!” Xiao Lao then set down his teacup, turned on the antique radio, and resumed listening to Beijing Opera.
Seeing this, Zhou Chao also set down his teacup and stood up. “Old Master, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave!”
Xiao Lao waved his hand, and Zhou Chao headed towards the exit.
After taking a few steps, Zhou Chao heard Xiao Lao say, “Take it slow, watch your step!”
Zhou Chao halted, turned around, and smiled at the old man who was still resting with his eyes closed. “Understood, Old Master!”
With that, Zhou Chao briskly left the quadrangle. The old man, who had closed his eyes again, opened them and watched Zhou Chao’s departing figure with a satisfied expression.
Compared to when he arrived in a hurry, he seemed much more relaxed on his way back.
As Zhou Chao strolled out of the old alley, he pondered over the purpose of Xiao Lao’s summons. Surely it wasn’t just to discuss those trivial matters, as they weren’t worth the old man personally calling him over.
Recalling Xiao Lao’s last words as he left, urging him to take it slow, was it a hint for him not to expand his businesses too quickly, to develop steadily?
However, he thought the development of the conglomerate under his leadership was already pretty slow.
Unable to figure it out for the moment, Zhou Chao sighed lightly. “Ah, nowadays, the elderly don’t speak straightforwardly; everything is so roundabout!”
With a sigh, he pushed the thoughts aside and focused on driving home.
By the time he reached home, it was already four o’clock in the afternoon. Zhou Chao stepped out of the elevator, wearing a gloomy expression.
Two hours of driving and twenty minutes of chatting; anyone would feel frustrated.
Jiang Li sat on the sofa, curiously looking at Zhou Chao. “What’s wrong, Brother Chao? You look so troubled. Did you run into trouble with Grandpa?”
“Not really. We just chatted for a bit, and then I came back. I thought there was something important, but it turned out to be nothing!” Zhou Chao replied, sitting down beside Jiang Li and gently placing his left hand on her bulging belly.
Jiang Li leaned against Zhou Chao’s shoulder and whispered, “Brother Chao, when are you planning to return to Fog City? Do you want me to go back with you?”
“Do you want to come back with me to meet those ciders?” Zhou Chao lightly kissed Jiang Li’s head and said.
“I’d love to come back with you!” Jiang Li exclaimed, her eyes shining with a mixture of surprise and excitement.
“Okay, since you want to, let’s go back together tomorrow!”
“Mm!”
The next morning, the two of them got up early.
“Brother Chao, how many sets of clothes should I bring? One suitcase or two?” Jiang Li stood in front of the wardrobe, feeling a bit conflicted.
“What are you thinking? We’ll only stay for two or three days. After we finish our business, we’ll come back. There’s no need to bring too many clothes!”
“I’m just thinking about dressing a bit more formally when meeting your elders, to give you some face!”
Zhou Chao chuckled and pinched Jiang Li’s nose. “You’re such a clever little fox. As for boosting my ego, forget about it. Your husband here isn’t that vain of a person!”
“Okay!” Jiang Li stopped fretting after hearing that, casually picking out a few slightly more formal clothes. They filled up a small suitcase along with Zhou Chao’s clothes.
After packing up, Zhou Chao carried the suitcase downstairs. He saw Aunt Kuang and a few others cleaning. Zhou Chao briefly instructed Aunt Kuang, telling her that he and Jiang Li were preparing to go back to Fog City for a few days and asked them to take turns to have their breaks.
As they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw two Rolls-Royces parked at the gate, each accompanied by two men in suits.
“Boss, good morning!” The men in suits greeted in unison. These were the bodyguards who had returned with Zhou Chao from Russia.
Initially, Zhou Chao didn’t want to bring these bodyguards back, but he thought that in case something happened, it would be useful to have someone reliable around. So, he arranged for them to accompany him back to Fog City.
One of the apparent leaders among them quickly stepped forward and took the suitcase from Zhou Chao’s hand.
Zhou Chao held Jiang Li’s hand and got into the backseat of the second Rolls-Royce. With many onlookers’ gazes on them, the two Rolls-Royces merged into the traffic.
The morning in Jingdu was always bustling. It took them a full hour and a half to reach the airport from home, weaving through the traffic.
“If only we had left a bit later, we wouldn’t have been stuck in traffic for so long,” Jiang Li lamented as soon as she got out of the car..