Shi Wangyue paused slightly, then closed his eyes again, "Anyway, everyone says that I have a body of iron and steel, a heart of stone, and nothing can break me."

Shi Wangyue’s words were sharp, but his tone was low, as if filled with sadness.

Listening to this, Ze Wu felt his heart tremble.

His inner guilt wasn’t just a little by now, but rather, he felt as if he was being overwhelmed by a surging sea of guilt.

"How can you say such things about yourself? You know what people outside think."

He walked a few steps behind Shi Wangyue, reached out to hold his shoulder, and with his fingers began to knead it randomly, "Someone who rarely gets angry usually has more aces in their hand. Conversely, if a person easily loses their temper, it means their hand is already devoid of aces, leaving only temper as their capability. People become emotionally agitated and lose their temper because it’s a helpless act. As rulers, we should be magnanimous and forgive these bronzes."

When Assistant Jin entered again, he saw that the previously upset Mr. Yun had suddenly lost his temper and was even speaking kindly to his boss.

"Little Jin is here." His attitude was friendly.

"Mr. Yun." Assistant Jin couldn’t make sense of the scene before him.

"Did you pull up our vacation records?" Shi Wangyue, leaning on the balcony office chair, still with his eyes closed, was being carefully attended to by Ze Wu.

Ze Wu’s hand paused, and his intellect briefly returned, "Little Jin, your boss is tired. Report tomorrow."

"Say it now." Shi Wangyue opened his eyes and smiled at Ze Wu, "Below my left hand aches a bit."

This is how it should be spoken!

Darn, really treating me like a massage girl!

"My hand is sore." Ze Wu withdrew his hand and pretended to exercise his wrist.

Shi Wangyue glanced at Assistant Jin, who immediately spoke up, "Mr. Shi, we have pulled up the records you requested. In the past six months, you’ve taken eighteen days off and worked eight hundred overtime hours, without any long leave. Mr. Yun took a total of forty-five days off, worked three hundred overtime hours, and had one seven-day long leave."

"..." Ze Wu’s wrist immediately became limp, "Little Jin, socializing outside is also overtime work. My working time can’t be calculated like this."

After saying this, he didn’t wait for Assistant Jin to explain and continued to move behind Shi Wangyue to help him knead his shoulders. "The reason I mentioned rest time is that rest can relieve stress. I realized now that after thirty-one, the body really isn’t the same as in your twenties. In your twenties, with strong willpower, you can maintain a high-tension work state for long periods; not so at thirty. When working under prolonged high pressure, issues arise throughout the body, often discomfort here or there."

—"At your young age, I had no concept of rest. Yet, as I age, regardless of whether my mind wants it, my body rebels."

He spoke sincerely and with deep sentiment.

The notorious corporate slave Mr. Yun from Starlight Investment Fund, really does everything he can for vacation.

Assistant Jin was rendered speechless.

The little calculations in Assistant Jin’s mind were not perceivable by Ze Wu.

He was wholeheartedly excusing himself.

Despite saying so many words kindly, his good partner’s expression hadn’t changed a bit—

After Shi Wangyue’s eyes shifted slightly, he leaned down and continued, "Currently, we are unmarried, and working like this merely leads to fatigue, otherwise no further impact. Yet once we have a family, and our efficiency system focuses solely on work, then it’s undesirable..."

...

"Previously, I read in a book, ’One’s influence on others is very minimal. Many people claim to be influenced, but that’s merely a brief touch; eventually, they return to their former lives. Emotion lasts only for moments, cannot endure. Whoever you truly influence, you invest substantial time in, those genuinely connected to you."

Ning Youguang and Gu Xi stood at the alley’s entrance, quietly gazing at the sky until the burning clouds completely disappeared into the deep blue, resuming their walk and picking up their earlier conversation.

"Your father shares his daily life with you every day. Perhaps he intends to set an example for you."

Gu Xi reacted slightly upon hearing this, "So, you think my dad is deliberately doing this for me to see?"

"Not necessarily." Ning Youguang laughed, "I’m saying it’s possible, otherwise you could ask your father."

Gu Xi paused briefly and said, "My dad is quite reserved, rarely talks deeply with me."

Ning Youguang laughed, "People change, especially men. When your dad was young, busy with work and reserved, not speaking much upon returning home was normal, but now facing retirement, the situation differs from before."

"What’s different?" Gu Xi was confused, "My dad is still my dad, he wouldn’t suddenly become lively just because he’s old."

"Not that your dad’s personality will become lively with age." Ning Youguang shook his head and chuckled, "I mean, where a person focuses their attention indicates where their mental energy is. Typically, a man busy with work in his younger years places attention on work, thus his mental energy concentrates there. People with mental energy focused on work don’t need emotional reliance from others. But once they age and retire, their mental energy retracts from work. So where does this retracted energy shift?"

"To family." Gu Xi replied.

"Yes, to family." Ning Youguang nodded, "When someone’s mental energy centers around family, don’t you think they need interactions and emotional connections with family members?"

"When you explain it like that, I do kind of understand." Gu Xi said, "No wonder my dad sends things to the family group often these past two years. He didn’t use to do that."

"Exactly." Ning Youguang smiled, "He’s sending signals that he’s present, wanting communication and interaction with you."

"I understand now." Gu Xi nodded, "You mean to suggest that I should pay more attention to my dad and communicate frequently, right?"

"Yes." Ning Youguang said, "Many retirees, without other social circles post-workplace, feel uneasy and need significant family care." 1314