Chapter 17

The next day, after Zhao Yazhi went to work, Wu Cheng spent some time writing at home, then picked up the clothing design sketches he had drawn the night before, left a note, and went out to handle some business.

In Hong Kong, most clothing stores still relied on manual sewing, as most clothes were custom-made at sewing shops during this period, unlike in the future when clothing stores of all sizes could be found everywhere.

However, even so, there were still hundreds of sewing shops of various sizes in Hong Kong.

Wu Cheng visited several shops in succession but was not very satisfied. It wasn't that they couldn't make the clothes he had designed, but rather that they couldn't reach a consensus on cooperation with Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng was very clear that if this attempt to lead the fashion trend succeeded, these styles of clothing would definitely sell out. The purchasing power of Hong Kong residents was still quite strong.

If Wu Cheng wanted to make more money, he couldn't simply make a few pieces of clothing and be done with it. He needed to be prepared and do everything he could to seize this opportunity to lead the fashion trend and make a fortune. Even launching a clothing brand was not out of the question.

Unfortunately, his age made people doubt him. Some people didn't even give him a chance to speak, outright refusing him with an indifferent attitude.

From around nine in the morning until noon, Wu Cheng's confidence gradually waned, and he became listless and dispirited.

Thinking about meeting his uncle in the afternoon, he directly took a taxi to the Urban Entertainment Newspaper office.

They had originally agreed to meet in the afternoon, but when he arrived at the office, he found that his uncle was already there.

His uncle, Wu Mingquan, was about the same age as his grandfather. This wasn't unusual, as some people were even born into the "grandfather" generation.

With white hair and a not very tall stature, his back was slightly hunched, and his face was deeply lined. He didn't look very well, probably due to a recent illness or the stress from the Wu family. In any case, Wu Cheng felt that he looked like he was on the verge of passing away.

However, Wu Cheng could still see that the uncle in front of him was the young uncle he had seen in photos from his hometown.

"Are you that brat from Mingzhong's family?"

His uncle's words made Wu Cheng's lips twitch. Indeed, they had the same style as his grandfather and father. It seemed that people who weren't from the same family didn't enter the same door, even their speaking styles were similar.

"Yes, Uncle, I am Wu Zhicheng, now called Wu Cheng!"

"When did you come to Hong Kong? How did you find Shulan without coming to see this old man?"

Wu Cheng glanced at Wu Shulan, who rolled her eyes. Wu Cheng understood that the old man was just being moody, indeed, he had a bit of a childlike nature.

"Don't blame me, Uncle. I just found a girl I like and wanted to find a niece-in-law for you, the old man!" Wu Cheng said with a grin, shamelessly.

Wu Shulan's eyes widened in surprise, but Wu Mingquan burst out laughing, pointing at Wu Cheng and scolding, "Just like your father and grandfather, brave and daring, but shameless!"

"Thank you, Uncle, for your praise!" Wu Cheng said, taking the opportunity to flatter him.

In fact, if he didn't know Wu Mingquan's character, he wouldn't have spoken in such a way.

Wu Mingquan nodded and sighed, "I know everything about you. Your grandfather passed away early, and I was prepared for it, as he was seriously injured in the war. But I didn't expect your father and mother to pass away so early. I never even met your mother, but your father mentioned in his letters that you look a bit like her... Indeed, how could your father, who was so small, have a son as handsome and smart as you?"

He paused and continued, "I also had someone investigate that Miss Zhao. She comes from a good family and has a nice personality, but she is much older than you..."

"Uncle, please let me make my own decisions about such matters!" Wu Cheng quickly interrupted, not wanting his personal life to be influenced by his relatives, even if they were his elders.

Wu Mingquan nodded and sighed, "I didn't expect you to be so mature! And you have a good mind. It's hard to imagine that everything the newspaper has achieved is due to your planning and guidance. You are much better than your father, who only knew how to practice martial arts!"

Wu Cheng smiled, noticing that his uncle seemed a bit listless, and walked behind him, gently massaging his shoulders. "Don't worry about me, Uncle! I can take care of myself, and I have Sister Zhi to look after me! You, being older, shouldn't worry so much. Your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. If you always protect them like a big tree, how will they experience the storms of life? Without experiencing the storms, how can they see the rainbow?"

Wu Mingquan laughed, "At my age, I've lived in vain. I can't even see things as clearly as you. Fine, fine, I'll retire tomorrow and let them do as they please. It's better for them to sort things out now than to wait until I'm gone and they fall apart."

"Grandpa!" Wu Shulan scolded, giving Wu Cheng a glare for his careless words.

Wu Cheng chuckled and said seriously, "Actually, the current situation of the Wu family isn't unsolvable, it just depends on whether Uncle has the courage to do it!"

"Really? You have a solution? Tell me!" Wu Mingquan became interested.

"Uncle, I'm hungry. How about we eat while we talk?"

"Xiao Lan, go order some food. We'll eat here!" Wu Mingquan instructed.

After Wu Shulan left, Wu Mingquan smiled, "Why did you send Xiao Lan away? Is there something you can't say in front of her?"

"Uncle, you misunderstood. I'm really hungry. I originally planned to come here to freeload a meal, but I didn't expect you to come so early. But I'm happy to have a meal with you!" Wu Cheng smiled, "As for the current problems of the Wu family, I don't think they are big problems, and Xiao Lan has told me about them."

Wu Mingquan sighed, "My current sons are all mediocre, not even as capable as Xiao Lan, but they all have high ambitions. With my days numbered, they are all eyeing the family assets. It's really..."

Wu Mingquan sighed and shook his head, the feeling of having no successor was something outsiders couldn't understand.

"If this were in the mainland, it would be a typical case of family division!" Wu Cheng said with a smile.

"Yes! They all think they are grown up and capable!" Wu Mingquan agreed.

"If they want to divide the family, let them!" Wu Cheng said with a smile, "Don't worry, Uncle. The division I'm talking about isn't a real division of the Wu family's assets, but a consolidation of the assets and then dividing them into shares... Of course, they won't have the right to buy or sell these shares, only the right to dividends. As for management, we can hire professional managers. This is already very common abroad, and there's nothing wrong with it."

"Hiring managers is something I've thought about, but I'm worried that if we're not careful, we might hire a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the Wu family would be left with nothing," Wu Mingquan said worriedly. "But the idea of asset consolidation and only giving dividend rights is good!"

"Uncle, don't worry. There's also Xiao Lan, and Awen and Awu!" Wu Cheng said with a smile. "Although Xiao Lan is a woman and will eventually marry, she is still a member of the Wu family. She wouldn't stand by and let the Wu family be taken away. Awen and Awu are also good, according to Xiao Lan, but their current experience isn't enough to command respect from their fathers. Given time, they will definitely be able to support the Wu family."

"I think having you around would be more reliable!" Wu Mingquan said with a smile. "Xiao Lan told me that you, at twelve, can write novels and plan the newspaper's redesign. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do!"

Wu Mingquan paused and continued, "How about, Xiao Cheng, you take over the Wu family? That way, I can die in peace!"

Wu Cheng laughed, "Uncle, you're joking. You still have many years to live! Besides, I'm only twelve and can't command respect from my cousins."

"Ran Luo became a prime minister at twelve, managing a country. You're twelve, managing a company, what's the big deal?"

Wu Cheng shook his head and smiled, "Uncle, don't make things difficult for me. First, I don't want my involvement to make the Wu family more chaotic or to be seen as an enemy. Second, my ambitions lie elsewhere. I plan to enter the entertainment industry, which I believe will flourish in the next one or two decades. I want to get a foothold now. Third, we need to give Awen and Awu a stage to grow and experience some challenges so they can be useful in the future."

"Having a grandson like you, and a son like you, they can rest in peace!" Wu Mingquan said after a long pause.

Wu Cheng smiled and didn't say more, just using the energy within him to gently massage his uncle's body, making him feel better.

When Wu Shulan returned with the food, she saw her grandfather lying on the sofa, and Wu Cheng's hands gently massaging him. Seeing Wu Shulan, Wu Cheng whispered, "Be quiet, Uncle is sleeping. I'm helping him relax, let him sleep a bit longer."

"Little Uncle, you know how to do this? Is it qigong?" Wu Shulan asked in surprise.

"Learned it from my great-uncle when I was young, I know a bit," Wu Cheng nodded. "Uncle's body is very weak. He needs to rest and take care of himself. Tell your father and the others that if they want Uncle to live longer, they should stop causing trouble!"

"Okay, I will!" Wu Shulan nodded.