NOVPUBChapter 729 -510: Please Give Me Five Minutes (Part 2) Chapter 729 -510: Please Give Me Five Minutes (Part 2) 鈥淚f your father and uncle had respected Grandfather鈥檚 last wishes, there wouldn鈥檛 be today鈥檚 situation.
Since even you Zhou family members don鈥檛 respect Grandfather, what makes you think I, an outsider, should respect him鈥
Find another reason.
I will, for Grandfather鈥檚 sake, give you two more minutes.
If you can鈥檛 convince me in two minutes, you may leave!鈥
Now, the timing starts.鈥
As Chu Mo鈥檚 words fell, the pupils of the woman in red shrank suddenly.
She had originally thought that Chu Mo and the late Grandfather Zhou Shixing had a deep personal relationship.
After all, Zhou Shixing鈥檚 prestige was really high during his lifetime.
...
But now it seemed, this was just her wishful thinking.
Although she had only two minutes, Zhou Ruyi wasn鈥檛 anxious.
She gracefully straightened her skirt and then gently stood up, walking to the bookshelf in two steps.
She extended her delicate fingers, lightly skimming over the rows of books, and quickly found a book titled 鈥淐hu Mo鈥檚 Short Essays Collection鈥 at the very front of the top shelf.
Holding the selected essay collection, she gently flipped through the pages.
潡堭潣凁潡答潟?co
Then, with a trace of nostalgia in her eyes, the woman鈥檚 voice lightheartedly said:
鈥淐ompared with the sequels, I actually prefer Mr.
Chu鈥檚 first volume.
This 鈥楥hu Mo鈥檚 Short Essays Collection 1鈥 contains a total of two hundred and seventy-five short essays, many of which are about school life and reflections on life.
The one I like the most is about the depiction of a father and son.
The father and son of childhood, is the warmth of a large hand leading a small one.
As adults, the father and son share a silent concern.
What struck me about this article is, at some point, fathers and sons no longer hold hands!
Mr.
Chu, when were you writing this article?鈥
The woman in red had a touch of curiosity in her eyes, as if she wasn鈥檛 here for the rise and fall of the Zhou family but merely to discuss books with Chu Mo.
Chu Mo, who had just opened his laptop at the desk, turned back to the woman.
She had once again defied his expectations.
If she had used these two minutes to try to persuade him, no matter what conditions she offered, she would surely have ended in failure.
But now, she wasn鈥檛 talking about the Zhou family鈥檚 matters but had shifted the topic to his books.
If there was anything in the world that Chu Mo cared about, it certainly wasn鈥檛 money.
With his unlimited bank card, he could withdraw countless amounts of money; the least of his concerns was wealth.
Aside from his family, the only thing that Chu Mo would really invest his effort in was his books.
鈥淐hu Mo鈥檚 Short Essays Collection鈥 had two volumes; the first volume sold only a little over three thousand copies due to the lack of promotion, while the second volume, heavily advertised by many big stars, had a spectacular performance, selling nearly a million copies.
Strangely, despite only selling three thousand copies of the first volume, Chu Mo was very interested in those readers鈥 comments and feedback.
However, due to the small number of readers, there were even fewer comments.
As for the second volume, its sales rivaled those of top famous authors.
There were numerous comments and feedback, but Chu Mo found that he didn鈥檛 care much about the reactions to the second volume.
There were many reasons for this, one being that the second volume鈥檚 sales owed much to celebrity endorsements.
The fans bought the book not because they liked it, but to support their idols.
So after buying it, they just let the book gather dust in a corner.
Furthermore, the first volume contained the best quality works selected from all Chu Mo鈥檚 collections, which could be considered his magnum opus from start to finish.
In contrast, the second volume was a selection from the remaining collections and of much lower quality, so Chu Mo didn鈥檛 pay much attention to readers鈥 reactions to the second part.
In reality, Chu Mo seldom encountered anyone who initiated a conversation with him about his books.
Even if they did, it was only to flatter him and curry favor.
Therefore, he had little interest in it.
Now, meeting Zhou Ruyi unexpectedly, not only had she read his books, but she had also posed questions.
Chu Mo was almost certain that this woman must have spent a lot of effort on him for today鈥檚 meeting.
Nevertheless, 鈥淐hu Mo Short Stories Collection 1鈥 was indeed a piece he took pride in.
Now that it was rare for someone to appreciate it, regardless of their motives, Chu Mo was somewhat interested.
Leaning back in the soft seat, a relaxed Chu Mo spoke softly,
鈥淵ou鈥檙e talking about Page Seventy-Three, 鈥楩ather and Son.鈥 When I wrote that piece, I had already graduated from college. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
Then one day, I passed by an elementary school.
It just so happened to be when the school was letting out, and I saw many fathers holding their children鈥檚 tiny hands.
That鈥檚 when I started to reflect on how long it had been since I last held hands and walked with my father.
When exactly?
It seems like it was back in elementary school, probably after the fifth grade鈥
No, maybe since junior high, I never took the initiative to hold my father鈥檚 hand again.
Moved by that thought, I wrote 鈥楩ather and Son,鈥 but I don鈥檛 have children.
It鈥檚 written more from the son鈥檚 perspective.
Perhaps, once I have children, I might understand it from a father鈥檚 point of view!鈥
There was a touch of melancholy in Chu Mo鈥檚 eyes.
Meanwhile, the lady in red across from him flipped the book to the title page, her eyes curving happily, and yearningly she said,
鈥淎ctually, compared to 鈥楩ather and Son,鈥 I prefer the first story, 鈥楢 Letter to a Girl.鈥 It must be a letter Mr.
Chu wrote to his secret crush.
I can feel Mr.
Chu鈥檚 affection for that girl who sat next to him in class.
By the way, Mr.
Chu, did you ever confess to her in the end?
Did you end up together?鈥
Zhou Ruyi, with curiosity in her eyes, spoke in a light tone.
She seemed to have forgotten the purpose of her visit, as if she was truly there just to seek guidance from Chu Mo, the author.
Chu Mo was suddenly taken back to his trip home two months ago, where he indeed encountered that girl he sat next to in middle school.
She was now married, running a flower shop, living a simple and happy life.
With a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, Chu Mo said slowly,
鈥淲e never got together, not even the words of confession were spoken.
When I last visited my hometown, I saw her.
She mentioned she had read that confession letter, but鈥︹€
鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, Mr.
Chu, the two-minute limit you stipulated has passed.
Although I would like to hear about your romantic love story, I don鈥檛 dare to violate your rules鈥︹€
The lady in the red dress interrupted Chu Mo, her eyes filled with regret and reluctance, seemingly saddened by her inability to hear Chu Mo鈥檚 story.
Chu Mo, who had just been aroused with interest, opened his mouth slightly, then remembered he had indeed given her only two minutes to persuade him.
Now that time was up.
Yet, letting her leave like this, Chu Mo suddenly felt an odd sensation stirring within him.
The lady in red bowed slightly, then turned and started walking towards the door of the study.
Her steps were slow, as if each one waited for a summons from Chu Mo.
As she was about to step out of the study, Chu Mo, with a feeling akin to a cat scratching at his heart, suddenly spoke up,
鈥淢iss Zhou鈥
It鈥檚 getting late.
If you don鈥檛 mind, stay for dinner.鈥
At that, the woman in red halted her steps.
She turned briskly, her beautiful hair flying like a waterfall in the breeze.
Then, looking straight at Chu Mo, the sincere woman softly said,
鈥淢r.
Chu, you see, rules are so easily broken!
Even the ones you set yourself.
As long as you鈥檙e willing, they can be easily discarded.
Now, on behalf of the entire Zhou family, I would like to have a proper talk with you, Mr.
Chu.
This time, please give me five minutes.鈥
