Chapter 137 JOVE

Chapter 137 JOVE

Back in Suzhou, Jiang Luo's state of mind was profoundly different this time.

In the past, when he visited Suzhou with Huo Zongzhuo, it was simply a city he liked, nothing more.

Now, Suzhou had become a second home, for it was where his beloved lived, Huo Zongzhuo's ancestral home, and where Huo Zongzhuo's cherished mother resided.

"Mom~~ Mom~~"

Entering the old house, Jiang Luo was his usual self, arms outstretched, deliberately drawing out his words to charm his mother.

Naturally, his mother was delighted to see him and embraced him warmly.

After a hug, Jiang Luo suddenly declared, "Mom, check this out."

Releasing her, he turned to embrace Huo Zongzhuo, planting a quick kiss on the man's cheek.

His mother looked on, utterly astonished.

Jiang Luo turned back, smiling, and asked, "Understand now?"

Of course, she understood—surprised and overjoyed, she nodded eagerly, "Good, good, that's wonderful."

Jiang Luo hugged his mother again, and while still in her embrace, said, "From now on, we truly are family."

Overwhelmed with joy and emotion, tears welled in his mother's eyes: "That's wonderful, truly wonderful."

Huo Zongzhuo stepped forward, joining the embrace of his mother and Jiang Luo.

Soon, the overjoyed mother was bustling around the living room downstairs—one moment fetching snacks and fruits, the next lamenting that she wished she'd known earlier to prepare a grand red envelope.

"Mom."

Huo Zongzhuo subtly gestured that it wasn't necessary, then took his mother's hand, guiding her to sit.

Only then did she settle down, asking with concern, "When did this happen?"

"Just these past few days."

Jiang Luo was once again stroking the white cat.

In a playful, almost petulant tone, he complained, "Mom, you don't even know—he gave me a factory, and it made me so flustered. Then, before I knew it, he swept me off my feet."

"It's all his fault!"

Both his mother and Huo Zongzhuo chuckled.

His mother played along: "It is his fault. He's a naughty one."

"If he ever bullies you, come back and tell me. I'll set him straight."

Now it was Jiang Luo's turn to laugh.

Jiang Luo exchanged a glance with Huo Zongzhuo, whose eyes twinkled with amusement, and replied to his mother, "If only he would bully me—it's always me bullying him."

"You don't need to set him straight; set me straight."

The old house once again echoed with joyful laughter.

Later, while Huo Zongzhuo cooked in the kitchen, Jiang Luo hopped around like a rabbit, helping out.

After the meal, as Huo Zongzhuo washed dishes at the sink, Jiang Luo leaned against him as usual, eating fruit and chatting.

His mother stood outside the door, watching them, her eyes filled with joy and contentment.

But later, when Huo Zongzhuo went upstairs to his mother's bedroom to get the bedding for the night, and they were alone, just mother and son, his mother couldn't help but ask, "Did you force that child?"

Huo Zongzhuo understood her meaning and explained, "With others, perhaps, but with him, it wouldn't come to coercion or enticement."

His mother nodded, relieved: "Treat him well, and get along. He's still young, after all—cut him some slack."

Jiang Luo poked his head through the doorway: "Mom, he really can't give me any more."

"He's already given me a factory and a villa. If he gives me any more, everything he owns will be mine."

His mother, sitting on the edge of the bed, turned her head at the sound and said with a smile, "If he gives it to you, take it."

"You don't need to feel sorry for him."

"He started making money when he was sixteen."

"He may not have much else, but he has money to spare."

Jiang Luo immediately looked at Huo Zongzhuo: "Did you hear that?"

Huo Zongzhuo, carrying the comforter, walked out: "I heard. It's all yours."

Jiang Luo playfully winked at his mother in the room: "We'll split it fifty-fifty then."

His mother found it amusing and truly adored Jiang Luo, loving his personality.

That night, Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhuo squeezed onto the 1.5-meter-wide bed.

"Squeezed" because Jiang Luo snuggled up especially close to Huo Zongzhuo, holding him tightly.

The two chatted endlessly, covering all sorts of topics, laughing and joking.

At one point, Huo Zongzhuo asked Jiang Luo if he particularly liked Hong Kong. Jiang Luo, unaware that he had mentioned it when he was drunk in Changsha, was surprised Huo Zongzhuo knew, and explained, "Yes, I really like Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour, Central, Tsim Sha Tsui—I love them all."

"I love the skyscrapers there and the bustle."

"Especially the night view—when the lights come on, it's incredibly beautiful."

"But eventually, cities here will be like that too. It's only a matter of time. Then I'll also love Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou."

In essence, what Jiang Luo loved was the word "prosperity."

"Hmm."

Huo Zongzhuo tilted his head and pressed his lips to Jiang Luo’s forehead, saying tenderly, "Since you like it there, let's get a place in Hong Kong later. You can stay there when we visit."

Jiang Luo instinctively replied, "Hong Kong apartments are pricey, huh?"

"Are they so expensive that I couldn't afford one?"

Huo Zongzhuo’s hand, resting on Jiang Luo’s shoulder, stroked his arm up and down calmly: "Anywhere you like, we'll buy. I'll get it for you. Pick whatever you like."

Jiang Luo lifted his head: "Wow~~ Are you building a golden nest for your darling again?"

Huo Zongzhuo was amused, lying there with his eyes closed and smiling, like a contented lion.

Jiang Luo rested his head on his chest, clearly hearing the heartbeat—thump-thump—which made him feel particularly at ease.

After chatting for a while longer, Jiang Luo looked up and asked, "Is this wooden bed of yours comfortable?"

Huo Zongzhuo immediately understood what "comfortable" implied.

He didn't say anything, just looked at Jiang Luo with his dark gaze.

Jiang Luo moved closer, kissed his lips, then slid downward, disappearing beneath the blankets, causing a distinct bulge to form.

A moment later, Huo Zongzhuo slowly drew a sharp breath, his eyes half-closed, looking even more like a big lion.

His hand also slipped under the covers, his broad palm cupping Jiang Luo’s shifting, tousled head.

Jiang Luo was a bit inexperienced—it was his first time, and he didn't quite know what he was doing. By the end, he even choked slightly, coughing as he clambered back up.

Huo Zongzhuo reached for tissues from the bedside to wipe Jiang Luo’s face and mouth, then kissed him with a contented expression, not holding back his praise: "Good boy."

Jiang Luo lowered his head and shared a long, deep kiss with the man. When they parted, he asked, "Get a taste of yourself?"

Huo Zongzhuo chuckled: "You should have let me taste you."

Jiang Luo didn’t need telling twice. He immediately got up, swung a leg over, and straddled Huo Zongzhuo’s torso: "Come on."

After returning from Suzhou, Jiang Luo was in such high spirits that, before flying to Shenzhen, he not only spent as much time as possible with Huo Zongzhuo but also called Wang Chuang and Zheng Bin to go out and have fun.

That day, while they were singing karaoke, Zheng Bin made a point to come over: "Hey, remember that hefty guy I told you about who works with computers?"

"The one we both saw at the chamber dinner."

"Remember?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Luo certainly remembered, and also recalled that Zheng Bin had mentioned wanting his input on a project. He said, "I have half a day free before flying to Shenzhen. Bring him by in the afternoon."

"At your factory?" Zheng Bin asked.

Jiang Luo: "Or you can pick a coffee shop in the city."

Zheng Bin didn’t skip a beat: "Then let's go with a café. Your factory is too far."

"I'll call you once I've booked a place."

Zheng Bin chose his sister’s new café on Huangpu Road, scheduling it for 2 p.m.

A few minutes before two o'clock, Jiang Luo arrived. He went up to the second floor of the café and stepped out onto the terrace, where he saw Zheng Bin sitting at a table with a view of the river, waving him over.

As Jiang Luo approached, the two other people at Zheng Bin’s table turned to look at him. One was the portly man from the chamber dinner, and the other was a young woman.

Both stood up as Jiang Luo drew near.

The portly man enthusiastically extended his hand to Jiang Luo, even bowing slightly with particular deference: "Hello, President Jiang, hello. The name's Ou. Please, call me Xiao Ou."

The young woman beside him also extended her hand to Jiang Luo, but her demeanor was much more poised without being overly familiar: "President Jiang."

Jiang Luo saw her, reached out to shake her hand, and though his expression remained neutral, he was inwardly taken aback: *Why is she here?*

After sitting down, Zheng Bin took the lead: "Let's chat."

"President Jiang, have a listen. Xiao Chen, you two fill in President Jiang."

The young woman called "Xiao Chen" formally handed over a few pages: "President Jiang, this is an introduction to our company. You can take a look first."

"Our company is in computers."

"In simple terms, we’ve registered a brand."

"We manage this brand. For the hardware and components of the computers, our company selects the best materials from abroad."

"On this paper are our company’s suppliers and brands—almost all are foreign. You can take a look."

Jiang Luo glanced over it and, combined with what "Xiao Chen" had said, understood what President Ou’s computer company did.

In short, it was a white-label computer company.

Apart from their own brand, every part of the computer, inside and out, was sourced from brand-name components and assembled.

The brand name was "Jiayu," with the English name "JOVE."

JOVE?

Jiang Luo knew JOVE. In his previous life, many of this brand’s computers were used in banks, postal services, and other state-owned enterprises—it was quite famous.

In this life, coming across JOVE, which hadn’t yet developed, was truly surprising.

But no matter how surprised Jiang Luo was, it was nothing compared to the astonishment brought by the "Xiao Chen" sitting diagonally across the table.

*What was she doing here?*

*She was called "Xiao Chen"?*

*Why was her surname Chen?*

*Shouldn't she be called An Qiao?*

An Qiao—in his previous life, Zhao Mingshi’s wife.

Across the table, President Ou and "Xiao Chen" took turns describing JOVE’s current situation and their vision for the future of the computer market.

Jiang Luo listened calmly, occasionally glancing at the papers Xiao Chen had handed over, feeling somewhat puzzled: The young woman with a mole above the corner of her eyebrow—he was sure he hadn’t mistaken her. She was An Qiao, Zhao Mingshi’s wife in his previous life.

*Why was she here?*

*Even if she had already graduated from university by now, shouldn't she be working at the planning bureau?*

*She was a Fudan University graduate, Zhao Mingshi’s senior.*

Across the table, "Xiao Chen" looked serious as she handed a few more pages to Jiang Luo and continued, "In the future, computers will have very wide-ranging uses."

"They’ll handle a lot of work."

"Computers will also enter ordinary households for entertainment."

"President Jiang, look—this is the ARPANET computer network."

"Meaning, several computers can be connected to each other."

"This is a trend in computer development..."

"Xiao Chen" was professional and capable, with clear thinking and excellent communication skills, able to translate complex computer terminology into concepts that an average person could understand.

Compared to her, the man called President Ou seemed less like a boss and more like an assistant. While "Xiao Chen" spoke, he chimed in from time to time like a straight man, saying, "Yes, that's exactly it."

Jiang Luo listened. Even setting aside what he already knew about the future prospects of computers, just hearing what "Xiao Chen" said made him feel this was a solid project.

After the discussion ended, "Xiao Chen" and President Ou gathered their things and left first. Jiang Luo and Zheng Bin stayed on the terrace, drinking coffee.

Once everyone was gone and only the two of them remained, Zheng Bin couldn’t wait: "So, what do you think? Pretty good, huh?"

Jiang Luo took a sip of coffee, glanced out at the river, then turned back: "Where did you find this project?"

"At the chamber of commerce dinner."

Zheng Bin: "You were in Shenzhen that time and didn’t go, but I did. That fat guy was there again, handing out business cards to everyone, including me."

"I’ve always wanted to invest in something and make money passively."

"So I thought of him, called him up, and got in touch."

Zheng Bin: "So, is it good? What’s your take?"

"Personally, I think it sounds pretty promising. It could make money in the future."

Jiang Luo: "Yeah, it does seem pretty good."

"Right?!"

Zheng Bin was happy.

He asked again: "Are you going to invest?"

"If you invest, I’ll invest too."

"However much you put in, I’ll put in the same amount."

Then he immediately slipped up: "My sister said I should follow your lead. If you invest, she’ll help me ask our dad for money."

"If you don’t invest, she won’t agree."

Jiang Luo laughed: "Am I your son? Your sister wants you to do everything I say?"

"No other choice."

Zheng Bin: "You’re just that good."

"My sister insists I follow your lead now."

"She’ll only agree to give me money if you invest."

"So, what do you say? Are you in?"

Zheng Bin was eager.

Jiang Luo found it amusing: "We just met with them. Do we have to decide so quickly?"

Zheng Bin: "Whether to invest or not is just your call."

"You must have already made up your mind, right?"

Jiang Luo didn’t answer whether he would invest or not. Instead, he said to Zheng Bin: "First, go find out more about that 'Xiao Chen.' Figure out her background."

"What’s up with her?"

Zheng Bin was puzzled.

"Nothing much."

Jiang Luo: "When you’re making an investment, don’t you usually look into the people behind the project?"

"Oh, right."

Zheng Bin immediately said: "Got it, I’ll look into it."

Jiang Luo: "What’s her full name?"

Zheng Bin thought for a moment: "Chen Xin, yeah, Chen Xin. 'Xin' as in new life."