"Certainly," Xia Qingtian felt Xia Honglang's arrangement was quite good. "Then I'll take it back."
"Mm," Xia Honglang looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "Now it's truly become a complete family business."
"Yes," Xia Qingtian smiled at Xia Honglang, then suddenly remembered something. "Right, the press conference for Professor Xiang's research institute this afternoon, are you going?"
"No, although the board meeting is over for today, there's still a lot of follow-up work to handle. I've sent some gifts over. My intentions are conveyed, and I wasn't planning to cooperate anyway."
It's better to part on good terms even if a deal falls through, especially with Xia Qingyu involved, he didn't want to fall out with Xiang Xueyuan completely.
After all, the man had good intentions, and humans naturally admire strength.
Xia Honglang quite admired academic geniuses like Xiang Xueyuan.
Having gone through recent events, Xia Honglang had come to a more open perspective. At his age, his life was already set; it couldn't get much worse or much better.
Compared to people his age, Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu were more vibrant and possessed infinite possibilities.
Ultimately, the future belonged to the youth, and he was already struggling to keep up with them.
However, he wouldn't give up.
Last time Xiang Xueyuan mentioned his fondness for youth culture, he assumed his gift would be a pleasant surprise for Xiang Xueyuan and sufficient to express his sentiments.
Xia Honglang mused briefly before taking a deep breath and sincerely saying to Xia Qingtian, "With all the trouble stirred up at the board meeting this time, I'm glad I had you. When can you officially take over from me? Please help me out as soon as possible."
"Still a long way off! Blech~" Xia Qingtian stuck out her tongue and turned to leave.
Watching Xia Qingtian depart, Xia Honglang chuckled, then shook his head and continued with his work.
As for Xiang Xueyuan, he had already extended his highest regards, which should be sufficient.
Even though there was no business partnership, he still greatly respected talented individuals like Xiang Xueyuan.
Meanwhile, on the other side, just before Xiang Xueyuan's press conference was to begin, after all the guests had arrived, he received reports about the Xia Group's affairs.
"Useless," Xiang Xueyuan frowned slightly, very displeased with the arrogance and stupidity of the Xia Group's board members.
However, he didn't have time to intervene in the Xia Group's matters now; he had to hold the press conference first.
At that moment, someone delivered a rolled-up banner and said, "Professor, this is from the Xia Group."
"Oh? Where is President Xia?" Xiang Xueyuan adjusted his suit and asked, "Has he arrived?"
"N-no," the person coughed dryly and said, "The person who delivered the banner brought President Xia's regards, saying he was busy with work and couldn't come."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xiang Xueyuan's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes turned considerably colder. "When the press conference starts later, remember to bring the banner onto the stage."
He knew how to teach an unappreciative person a proper lesson.
"I want to thank President Xia publicly."
Upon hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words, a hint of schadenfreude flickered in Xifu's eyes.
Anyone associated with that wretched Xia Qingyu deserved to die!
The press conference was conducted through a combination of live streaming and broadcast.
Xiang Xueyuan's decision to return to China for development had already caused a stir in the academic community. This live broadcast, amplified by official pre-event hype and media promotion, had already garnered hundreds of thousands of online viewers before it officially began.
When the press conference commenced, Xiang Xueyuan's entrance elicited gasps of admiration from everyone.
Dressed in a white suit, with his salt-and-pepper hair tied back, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, his refined and amiable face bore the charm of age, a testament to time.
What a sophisticated and elegant scholar.
Especially with his achievements, his looks were a bonus, and his voice was a bonus.
Within ten minutes of the live stream starting, he was already being hailed by everyone as the epitome of an intellectually attractive man.
Someone casually captured a few screenshots and posted them on social media, attracting a surge of viewers purely for his looks to the live stream.
The hundreds of thousands of online viewers quickly ballooned into millions.
The comment section was a deluge, making it impossible to read; a single screenshot could make one blush, prompting the urge to utter, "Sisters, put some pants on!"
The interaction during the press conference was also relaxed, with all questions pre-approved and everything under control.
When a reporter inquired about the research direction of the institute, where the responsible personnel would normally be coy and brief, Xiang Xueyuan leaned forward slightly and answered the question himself: "Upon my return, I primarily wish to develop China's new energy industry."
【Wow! His voice is so nice! Please say more!】
【Professor Xiang's return is truly a blessing for the Chinese people!】
【How can there be such a perfect man!】
【You were born before me, I was born when you were already old. Had we met at the same time, I would have cherished you every day!】
Whether it was by chance or design, one sister's heartfelt sentiment was followed by a string of "You were born before me..."
As everyone flooded the chat, Xiang Xueyuan continued his speech, not holding back, clearly stating his intended research direction.
After he finished speaking, the frenzied scrolling in the comments section momentarily subsided.
Then, a different voice finally emerged.
【Holy crap? Isn't that overlapping with the Xia Group's research!】
【Yeah! Gu Group Entertainment and the Xia Group are collaborating on new energy, right?】
【Oh dear! Am I being forced to choose between Mr. Gu and Professor Xiang? Oh my! Who should I support?】
【This is killing me, Mr. Gu is my ultimate bias! But Professor Xiang is so outstanding, even if he's a bit older...】
【Wake up, upstairs. Whether it's Mr. Gu or Professor Xiang, neither of them is for you!】
【Mr. Gu already belongs to Xia Qingtian. Should the women who pine for Mr. Gu perhaps find a mirror nearby and take a peek?】
【Professor Xiang is so old, he must be married with a wife, right?】
【Wow, neither of the two heartthrobs is mine, is that right? I'm so angry! In my youth, I shouldn't have met people who would stun me for a lifetime! And two of them appeared at once! How am I supposed to live my life now!】
【You guys fight it out! One faction goes for Mr. Gu, the other for Professor Xiang. I'm different; I want Daddy Xia! Who wouldn't want a tsundere father who throws money around and urges his daughter to come home and inherit the family business!】
【I'd say Xia Qingtian is truly a winner in life! Daddy Xia and Mr. Gu, she, as one woman, has both!】
【This woman is quite something...】
【Can you all snap out of it? Is this about men and women now? Aren't the stocks of the Xia Group and Gu Group about to crash...?】