171 The Old Master’s Favorite
Qiao Xuan said that to warn the others against saying anything that could upset the old master.
Seeing Qiao Jing and Qiao Ze’s silent concurrence, the old master’s rising anger dissipated.
Qiao Yi was the first to protest, “Dad, even if you favor Qiao Yue, you can’t do this. Which descendent of the Qiao family didn’t get exposure to the family business until after graduation? What do you mean when you give Qiao Yue exposure just like that?”
“Dad, second brother is right. Although you like Qiao Yue, you can’t do this!” The first madam chimed in, unaware of Qiao Ren’s frown when she said that.
The old master looked at the two of them with an unfriendly expression. The first madam felt a little guilty under his gaze and turned her head away, avoiding his eyes. In fact, her two sons were already of age, so it wasn’t her place to meddled in this matter. However, she couldn’t stand watching Qiao Yue get whatever he wanted.
Before the old master could speak, Qiao Jing, who had been silent all this while, spoke up, “Mom, I have no opinion on this matter. The company belongs to Grandpa, and it’s his decision to let whoever he wants join the company. If Xiao Yue joins the company, Grandpa can let him work under me first.”
It was rare for Qiao Jing to utter such a long sentence. On the surface, it looked like he was being submissive to the old master, but in fact, he was protecting Qiao Yue.
Qiao Xuan echoed Qiao Jing’s sentiment with a smile. “That’s right! Mom, Xiao Jing is right. Besides, Xiao Jing and I both have our own careers. Why do you have to meddle in this?”
The two brothers spoke one after another until the first lady couldn’t get a word in and their father staring at them.
The old master was quite happy with his grandsons’ reaction. He tapped the ground with his walking stick and said, “Qiao Yi, Xiao Ze also has his own career and is hardly home. I’ve made the same offer to Xiao Ze before, but he declined. Let me ask Xiao Ze again if he wants to work at the company.”
Qiao Ze shook his head like a rattle-drum when he heard his grandfather turn his attention to him.
“Grandpa, you still don’t know me? I’ve never liked doing business. Besides, I’m so busy that I’m hardly home, so I don’t have time to manage the company.”
Qiao Yi glared at Qiao Ze, but the latter pretended not to see him. Qiao Ze didn’t get along with Qiao Jing purely because he didn’t like him. Besides, their parents were always fighting each other for the family inheritance. As for the company, he really couldn’t be bothered.
Seeing that Qiao Ze had failed to live up to his expectations, Qiao Yi continued, “Dad, no matter what, isn’t it a little too much for you to favor Qiao Yue like this? Qiao Yue hasn’t been here for long, and you’re already prepared to expose him to the Qiao family business. Do you expect us to work for him in future?”
Qiao Yi’s words weren’t polite at all, directly exposing the old master’s intentions. It was true that the old master didn’t bring Qiao Yue over just for an inspection. If possible, he would very much like to give Qiao Yue a job, so that he could learn the ropes of the family business.
The old master looked at his disappointing son, feeling resentful that he had failed to live up to his expectations. Why did he have cash flow problem? Why did his own son refuse to give him any financial aid? Didn’t he already know? If the Qiao family business were to be handed over to him, he would probably squander it away in less than two years!
Before the old master could refute, the third family’s husband and wife looked at each other. Qiao Li said, “Dad, how about this? Let’s call Xiao Yu, Xin’er, Ying’er, and the rest over. We’ll go to the company together and let them see what it’s like inside.”
Qiao Yue raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard this. The third family really resented her. But looking at the current situation, her grandfather had indeed favored her.
Qiao Yue smiled and gave the old master a playful look before turning to Qiao Yi. “Second uncle, third brother has his own career and can’t take care of the family. Why do you have to force him? As for fourth brother, he’s in school now. His results are excellent and he’s the president of the student council. You know Harvey better than me. If we reduce his time at school and force him to spend time at the company, his relationships with his classmates will become estranged and he will lose his connections. Isn’t it worse off for him?”
Qiao Yi looked at Qiao Yue with disdain. “Xiao Jing and Xiao Yu don’t have the time, but I can take over. It’s better than the old master handing the company to an outsider like you.”
As soon as Qiao Yi said this, the old master’s face darkened. He never let his family mention that Qiao Qing was adopted. His third son had really spoken without thinking this time.