Chapter 180: Mall Opening

"Mom, I'm not buttering you up; I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart."

Su Xin wore a serious expression.

Zhang Chunhua felt a bit embarrassed, so she quickly changed the subject and asked again:

"Alright, enough of that. The New Year is almost here, and you haven't been home all year. Do you want to take a break and come back early?"

Su Xin thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "I can do that. It just so happens that the projects I have on hand aren't at a critical stage, so I'll head back a few days early."

"That's good. Tell us your train information ahead of time, and I'll go to the train station to pick you up."

Zhang Chunhua smiled even more happily.

After the two chatted for a while, the topic gradually shifted to the shopping mall their parents were opening.

Zhang Chunhua introduced it efficiently:

"After a year of renovations and preparations, all the preparatory work for the mall is complete, and we are just waiting for the grand opening."

"After discussion, we have set the opening date for the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is January 9th."

"That is exactly when families start buying their New Year goods one after another. If we hold our opening event then, we might just make a big splash."

"January 9th? Isn't that four days from now?"

Su Xin asked in surprise.

Zhang Chunhua laughed: "That's right. I told you to come back early so you might catch our opening event and see if you can offer us some advice."

Su Xin waved his hands repeatedly: "I know absolutely nothing about the mall business, so how could I have any advice? You two should just decide these things yourselves."

Zhang Chunhua didn't press him further and said with a smile: "Whether you have advice or not, it's good for you to come back early and hang out for a few days. Of course, that's assuming it doesn't delay your company's important business."

Su Xin pondered for a moment.

His parents had started looking forward to this last year and had spent another year meticulously preparing for it; they were eager to achieve something and even more eager to receive his approval, so he certainly couldn't let his parents down.

In any case, his various projects were currently in a transitional phase, so there was no rush.

It would be perfect to just go back and hang out for a few more days.

Thinking of this, Su Xin said:

"I'll arrange my company work over the next two days and try my best to head back the day after tomorrow or the day after that."

"Good!"

Zhang Chunhua nodded with a beaming smile, then looked at the environment behind Su Xin in the video and asked: "Are you still at the company?"

"Yes."

"Then after you get home later, remember to discuss it with Liu Xuewei too, and see if she wants to take an early break in a few days so you can come back together."

After Su Xin went to Liu Xuewei's home last year, their relationship was considered settled, and both sets of parents knew they were living together.

Su Xin said: "I'll ask her."

"By the way, where is Dad?"

"He went on a business trip yesterday and hasn't returned yet. There was a problem with one of the suppliers, so he went to check it out."

"Are the bodyguards still following him?"

"Don't worry, they are with him the whole time."

"It's good that they are following him. I've been in the spotlight too much this year and have affected the interests of many people, so there are countless people looking for opportunities to deal with me every day. You all must never be careless."

"Alright, you should also pay attention to your own safety."

Zhang Chunhua nodded earnestly.

Over the past year, she and Su Zhengming had followed Fei Jiajie around to handle the preparations for the mall, seeing and experiencing much; they deeply understood the principle that interests can corrupt the heart, and naturally knew how many vested interests their son Su Xin would offend by earning so much money over the past year.

If it were the old her, she might have earnestly tried to persuade Su Xin to keep a low profile, telling her son to prioritize safety, even if it meant giving up his career.

But the current her, precisely because she had seen so much and her character had grown, would not use her status as a mother to forcibly interfere in her son's life.

She understood that Su Xin's character was mature enough, his way of handling things was perhaps even steadier than hers, and he had his own grand career pursuits and a fairly clear plan for his life.

He was definitely not someone who could be swayed by anyone's few words, even those of his mother.

Therefore, rather than saying things that seemed like concern but were actually annoying, it was better to encourage him.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and hung up the phone.

Su Xin put on a thick trench coat, walked out of the Laboratory, and took a car back to his residential complex.

Just as he got out of the car.

Su Xin couldn't help but shiver.

Winter in Tianjing was already much colder than in Su Xin's hometown of Baohe City, and on top of that, he had just stepped out of the warm, air-conditioned car, so his whole body was instantly enveloped by the bone-chilling wind.

This intense temperature difference made Su Xin's young body unable to handle it for a moment, so he quickly wrapped his coat tighter, hunched his shoulders, bid farewell to Wang Zhao and the other, and hurried toward his building.

"Whew! It seems I need to buy a villa, preferably one where I can go directly from the garage into the house."

"Also, I've stopped exercising for a long time. Starting next year, I must resume exercising when I have time, otherwise my body will only get worse."

In the biting cold wind, Su Xin walked quickly while various thoughts swirled in his mind.

Many times, this world is fair to everyone; no matter how rich one is, one must face the ultimate problems of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and must also face the trials of extreme cold or heat.

Of course, it is easier for the rich to face them.

After returning home, the warmth rushing toward him made Su Xin feel comfortable all over.

Having spoken to Su Xin on the phone earlier and knowing he was coming home, Liu Xuewei was cooking in the kitchen and greeted him after hearing the door open.

"A-Xin, you're back."

"It's me... Mmm, it smells so good!"

Su Xin changed into his slippers, sniffed the faint aroma permeating the room, and said with a smile.

"I made corn and pork rib soup, and I also fried some of those crispy pork strips you like. You just came back from outside, so drink a bowl of soup to warm yourself up first."

Liu Xuewei responded from the kitchen.

Su Xin took off his windbreaker and coat, hung them casually on the coat rack in the cloakroom, spent a while being affectionate with Liu Xuewei in the kitchen, then ladled a bowl of soup and sat down in the dining room.

With one mouthful of the fragrant and delicious pork rib soup down, Su Xin felt completely relaxed, and a warm current quickly dispelled the remaining chill in his body.

Not long after, Liu Xuewei brought two plates of dishes into the dining room and sat down as well.

The two of them chatted while they ate.

At one moment, Su Xin asked, "I'm going home the day after tomorrow. We agreed before that you'd go to my place this year; do you want to take leave early and go back with me?"

Liu Xuewei was stunned, looking at him in confusion: "Why are you suddenly going back early? You didn't mention it before."

Su Xin briefly explained the matter of the shopping mall opening, and Liu Xuewei hesitated:

"It's still too early now. There are twenty-one days left until the holiday. As a member of management, it really wouldn't be good for me to take leave that early; it would have a bad influence."

"How about this: you go back first, and it won't be too late for me to head over once the company goes on holiday."

Su Xin thought for a moment and said:

"Don't you have a few days of annual leave you haven't taken? Why not arrange a few days of annual leave for yourself first, accompany me back, and then return to the company when the annual leave ends."

"Then when the New Year arrives, you can just arrange your holiday as normal. What do you think?"