NOVEL NEXT Chapter 260: Big Brother
The "big brother" that Liu Huaming mentioned was a middle-aged man who appeared to be over fifty, dressed in loose, traditional Chinese loungewear, with dark blue fabric that exuded a subtle quality. Though he had shed the seriousness of formal attire, his broad stature still commanded respect.
His facial features were rugged, and his deep eyes betrayed no emotion. Just a single glance at Li Jing made Li Jing's heart tremble, overpowered by the man's aura.
"President Li is much younger than I anticipated, truly an admirable young talent."
The middle-aged man only said this indifferently without revealing any other expression, making it impossible to decipher his inner thoughts.
"President Li, this is the big brother I've mentioned to you, also my benefactor."
Liu Huaming seized the opportunity to introduce, "You know my big brother's identity, he..."
"Just call me Teacher Hu."
Hu Yongbo accepted the teacup handed by Xu Yingning, took a sip, and slowly said, "I used to be a teacher when I was young, and I still like others to call me Teacher Hu."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing didn't overthink and respectfully called him "Teacher Hu" directly.
Returning the teacup to Xu Yingning, Hu Yongbo inexplicably grinned, revealing a hint of a smile:
"In the past, I told people to call me Teacher Hu.
Some still insisted on calling me by my job title, and some cleverly called me Professor.
But only President Li, you, directly called me Teacher Hu."
Li Jing was taken aback, not realizing there were so many intricacies and couldn't help but ask, "Is there a problem with me addressing you this way?"
Seeing Li Jing's straightforward manner, Liu Huaming felt a twinge inside and quickly glanced at Hu Yongbo beside him.
Even Hu Yongbo didn't expect Li Jing to counter-question him. After a brief pause, he smiled even more: "Hehe, no problem, of course not.
If I want you to call me that, and there's still a problem, wouldn't that mean the problem is with me?"
Xu Yingning took the opportunity to interject, "Don't keep such a stern face; President Li is just like your son, a young person, who wouldn't understand all these intricacies."
As she spoke, she led Li Jing towards the dining room: "Let's eat first, everything's ready. Letting it sit will make it cold. It's President Li's first time; we can't let the guest eat cold dishes."
Seeing this, Hu Yongbo shook his head and looked at Liu Huaming: "See, your sister-in-law likes to interact with young people. The moment they met, she already sides with outsiders."
Liu Huaming immediately laughed and concurred, "You're still young, big brother. Just a moment ago, your energy in handling those plants is far better than mine."
"You've just spent too much time in the office. I've told you to exercise more."
Hu Yongbo seemed pleased with Liu Huaming's compliment on his stamina: "Look at me, I go for a morning run every day, much healthier than Lao Liu from the city committee."
"Exercise is essential. If I don't exercise, I feel stiff, so I make sure to exercise for at least half an hour daily now."
Talking about fitness, Li Jing chimed in.
Hu Yongbo nodded in agreement: "Hua Ming, look, even President Li, being so young, knows the importance of exercise, you should take it seriously."
"Big brother is right; last time during the medical check-up, I found quite a few issues. I really should think about exercising."
Seeing Liu Huaming accept his suggestion, Hu Yongbo walked towards the dining room, saying: "That's better. At our age, you'll know the importance of health.
Especially since you're about to be reassigned to the city bureau, there are many more years ahead, so you must take care of yourself."
"Captain Liu, you've been promoted?" Li Jing was surprised.
"Hehe, Captain Liu is no longer addressed as Captain Liu now." Hu Yongbo smiled lightly, "President Li, from now on, you're to call him Director Liu."
Just as he finished speaking, Liu Huaming quickly added, "Mainly it's because I've learned a lot from big brother, which gave me the opportunity to advance further. Just the teachings from big brother over the years would take me half a lifetime to learn."
"I did teach you a few things, but it's also because you've performed excellently at work."
Hu Yongbo sat at the head of the dining table: "I have only a few years left until retirement, and you'll have to walk the path ahead yourself."
He then looked at everyone and gestured, "Alright, don't just stand there, have a seat."
...
The meal didn't last long.
Compared to Li Jing's usual high-end restaurant visits that typically last over an hour, this meal concluded in about forty minutes.
To Li Jing's surprise, they didn't discuss work-related matters at the table.
On the contrary, Hu Yongbo mostly chatted with Liu Huaming about trivial life matters and plants, while Xu Yingning occasionally took the initiative to ask Li Jing questions about personal views and opinions.
From beginning to end, Hu Yongbo didn't actively question Li Jing, instead, it was Xu Yingning who conversed more with Li Jing.
Although Hu Yongbo seemed not to engage with Li Jing, whenever Xu Yingning communicated with Li Jing, Hu Yongbo would halt his conversation with Liu Huaming and listen to Li Jing's responses.
After the meal, everyone chatted casually over tea for a while.
Noticing that Hu Yongbo had other matters to attend to, Liu Huaming took the initiative to leave with Li Jing.
As the two walked out of that well-secured building, even after returning to Liu Huaming's car, Li Jing still couldn't tell whether his performance was good or bad.
"Captain Liu... no, Director Liu."
Once the car exited the neighborhood, Li Jing couldn't help but ask, perplexed, "What was the purpose of our meal?"
Originally, Li Jing thought that by inviting him over, Hu Yongbo would have some request or desire for collaboration.
But after the meal, there was no mention of any such request, and Hu Yongbo hardly spoke to him. Most of the time, he chatted with Liu Huaming.
While he mainly engaged in small talk with Xu Yingning.
"There wasn't a specific purpose."
Liu Huaming smiled, "Big brother just wanted to see you."
"See me?" Li Jing frowned, "So is he agreeable with me, or not?"
"Well..."
Liu Huaming shook his head, "I don't know, I can't read big brother's mind, only from his future attitude towards you can you see any hint."
Pausing to think for a moment, he continued, "But you don't need to worry too much. Since big brother let you into his home, it shows that he has basically accepted you.
I've mentioned you to him multiple times, he likely already formed an opinion and just wanted to see you in person today.
Besides, don't assume that big sister-in-law is just an ordinary professor, her judgment of people is even more accurate than big brother's. So, I suspect big brother wanted her to see your character."
Hearing this, Li Jing recalled his conversation with Xu Yingning and had a sudden realization.
Liu Huaming glanced at Li Jing, carefully choosing his words before speaking again:
"Big brother is an ambitious person who loves to support young people.
If you are truly recognized, in the future, as long as it's for the right reasons, if you encounter any problems...
In Tianhai, they won't be an issue anymore."
Interpreting the implication of his words, Li Jing's expression slightly changed, unexpectedly looking at Liu Huaming.
But Liu Huaming said no more, continuing to drive as if that previous statement hadn't come from him at all.
Li Jing fell into thought, turning his gaze towards the night scene outside the window.
He vaguely felt that he had gained a powerful resource in Tianhai.