Chapter 743 What A Blessing
As there was sufficient time to apply for permission to fly this time, Nan Chen and his family took a private plane back to Flower City.
When they arrived at the gates of Commoner Residence, Nan Zhengde and Feng Wan were already waiting there. They hadn’t seen their great-grandchildren in a long time, so they missed the children beyond words.
Erbao flew over to Feng Wan and kissed her on the cheek repeatedly. “I missed you so much, Great-Grandma! I missed you to the moon and back!”
“Ahem…” Nan Zhengde cleared his throat at the side. Upon hearing that, Erbao hastily added, “I also missed you greatly, Great-Grandpa! I even dreamed of you last night!”
At her words, Nan Zhengde guffawed. “What dream did you have of me?” “I dreamed that you were doing Tai Chi like this…” Erbao complemented it with a demonstration.
Amused by her antics, everyone laughed. “Quick, let’s go in to eat! I prepared lots of delicious food for you,” Feng Wan urged. At once, Erbao cheered, “Yay! Delicious food!”
After lunch, Nan Chen and Nan Zhengde had a talk in the study room. They didn’t shoot the breeze but mainly spoke of business.
Nan Zhengde needed to speak to Nan Chen face to face regarding Nan Xing masquerading as Nan Chen at the press conference and cursing at someone two days ago.
In truth, Nan Chen knew what his grandfather wanted to say. He had already understood the man’s meaning when they spoke on the phone.
Therefore, he voluntarily started, “Grandpa, I was planning to come back that day. At that time, Erbao was exceedingly sleepy, but she refused to sleep because she was worried I’d be gone when she woke up. The previous incident whereby something happened to me and Ning Ran caused great psychological trauma to Dabao and Erbao. Although they’re strong, some wounds still take time to heal. Thus, I want to spend more time with them these days so that they can recover from the trauma as soon as possible. When I saw Erbao in such a condition then, my heart softened, and I spontaneously decided to have Nan Xing return to Flower City to attend the event on my behalf. I never expected that things would turn out like this. But it wasn’t his fault either since someone deliberately wanted to make trouble. On the whole, I’m to blame regarding this matter. I’ll willing to bear any and all responsibility.”
Picking up the teacup, Nan Zhengde took a sip of tea before putting it back down.
“I understand your actions in this matter since the kids are equally important. But that aside, I still think you can’t do the same in the future. This time, Nan Xing merely caused a minor incident, but if it were a major incident, an apology wouldn’t work. You’re the head of Nanshi Corporation, so your actions determine the company’s future. It’s possible that some minor negligence and mistake on your part will be infinitely magnified, leading to the company’s downfall in the end,” Nan Zhengde stated solemnly.
Nan Chen nodded fervently, for he knew that it wasn’t an exaggeration but the truth.
“Hence, I promise such a situation will never happen again in the future. Don’t worry, Grandpa.”
“Did Ning Ran not dissuade you back then?” Nan Zhengde asked out of the blue.
“She did, but she couldn’t change my mind. As you know, I’ve always been stubborn and rarely listen to others.”
“That won’t do. The woman standing by your side must be able to advise you at critical moments. On top of that, her suggestions have to be reasonable by looking at the bigger picture. If she merely obeys you without being able to advise you, she isn’t suitable for you.”
Nan Chen said nothing, for he could discern the criticism in his grandfather’s remark.
“Grandpa, my father is easily amenable to my mother’s advice,” Nan Chen commented placidly.
“That’s different. One can’t listen to his woman completely because she might give the wrong advice. But the woman by your side is closest to you, thus easiest to influence you. Naturally, she’ll also need to have the ability to give advice and not merely follow your lead. If you’re an ordinary person, you can simply marry a woman who’s beautiful and can give you children. However, you’re Nan Chen. You’re standing at the top of the ladder, so there will be times when you miss something. At that time, the woman by your side has to play her part and give you some reasonable and accurate advice. She must have such a capability to be your wife.”
Nan Zhengde spoke emphatically, his tone as resolute as ever.
The atmosphere in the study room seemingly grew tense, no longer as relaxed as before.
Needless to say, there was some truth to Nan Zhengde’s statement.
When emperors of the past selected their concubines, they could be perfunctory. But when it came to deciding on their empresses, they were exceedingly meticulous.
After all, not only did an empress need to fulfill the obligations of a wife, but she also had to rule over the kingdom and assist the emperor in managing the harem and various other matters.
It wasn’t a position one could qualify for solely by looks. Instead, it necessitated immense capability and even the backing of an influential background sometimes.
For Nan Chen, he was the king of the business empire that was Nanshi Corporation. Consequently, the woman standing by his side must also have the capability of being his “queen,” not merely eye candy.
It went without saying that Nan Chen was aware of that principle—a wife’s character often determined the height of a man’s career.
If a man’s wife was petty, it was almost impossible for him to attain anything great.
People influenced each other, so one would take after the person he was with. Even if it wasn’t a complete change, he would become the same type of person.
Therefore, Nan Zhengde’s topic that day was very much crucial.
“Grandpa, I don’t think Ning Ran lacks the capability to advise me. In reality, she gave me a lot of reasonable and effective advice. Unfortunately, I’m obstinate, so I turned a deaf ear to it all. You can’t lay the blame at her door, for it lies on me. I’ll communicate more with her in the future and listen to her advice more, committing fewer mistakes,” Nan Chen vowed.
From that, Nan Zhengde could tell that his grandson was determined to defend Ning Ran, and there was virtually no room for negotiation.
It’s rare that he’s defending a woman so resolutely. This makes it evident that she’s very important to him. Well, this is a good thing. Only when one has an emotional attachment can he devote himself wholeheartedly to work.
It was also the reason people in the ancient days started a family before pursuing a career. It was because one could only concentrate on building a career after having a family and home as a safe harbor.
Of course, that was only the common saying. There were also those who started a family yet didn’t bother building a career, and ended up spending their lives in mediocracy.
On the flip side, there were also those whose careers flourished despite having no families. The key still lay in one’s character and ambition.
Nevertheless, Nan Zhengde was up in years, so he was naturally inclined toward the more traditional point of view.
“If you think she’s capable of being your wife, you can consider marrying her. While status isn’t important to many people, there’s still quite a number who care about it. You’ve got to take responsibility toward her,” he urged.
“I’ll discuss this with her.”
Nan Chen was over the moon, for he hadn’t expected his grandfather to say that.
What a blessing to have an open-minded and sensible elder!
“If you’re sure you want to marry her, I’ll demand even more of her. What’s her highest level of academic qualifications now?” Nan Zhengde questioned.
Shock flooded Nan Chen. Huh? Grandpa is even asking about her academic qualifications? Although I’ve never asked her about it, I don’t think it’s all that high. Compared to me, who graduated from a prestigious university, she can almost be considered illiterate!
