Adkins walked up to his dad, a little panda in his arms. "Dad, can we assume the responsibility to raise pandas?"
"No," Matthew refused directly.
Boswell asked in confusion, "Dad, the man over there said all we need is money. A lot. So why not?"
"Because you don't have any money," Matthew replied bluntly.
The brothers looked at each other. Adkins said, "I can give you an IOU. It's only a million. C'mon, say yes! I'll pay you back double!" They had asked the staff member. He said that if they wanted to raise a panda, they needed to pay a million dollars upfront. That ensured they could keep the panda, and not have to surrender it when it got old.
Their father shook his head vigorously. "When you can earn your own money, then you can save up for a panda." Erica advised Matthew to set aside some funds for their sons to marry. So, he couldn't waste money now.
At this moment, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a baby panda munching on some bamboo, Colman came over. "Hey Boswell. What are you talking about?"
"We want to raise a panda. Dad said no, because we don't have the money," Boswell explained.
A disdainful smile appeared on Colman's face. "I see. That's not hard, you know? It's just money. We don't need him! We can make money on our own!"
Matthew was too rich. The boys thought it was better to spend more time with their grandparents and there was no need for them to make money. But now it seemed they had to.
Colman called Damian over. "Damian, come here. We got something to talk about!"
Matthew raised his eyebrows and sat next to them, listening to his kids discussing how to make enough money to get a panda.
Colman spoke first. He told his brothers casually, "I'm not worried. I can make tons of cash. Uncle Sheffield taught me. He makes tens of millions for a few lines of code. I can do that. It can't be that hard, right?"
Boswell let go of the panda and rubbed his chin. The panda ran off to go play. "I spent my allowance money on stocks. They shot up in value since then. If I sell now, I'll have enough for two pandas."
Pandas were endangered, thanks to humans destroying their habitat. So one was probably enough.
Crossing his arms across his chest, Adkins smiled mysteriously. "I have some ideas too!"
Looking at his three brothers and the panda in his arms, Damian nodded as well.
The other three boys thought Damian meant he had his own way to make money too, so they clapped their hands in approbation. "Okay! That's settled."
They'd have money to adopt pandas soon enough!
This time, everyone was gobsmacked—Matthew, the staff members of the Panda House, absolutely everyone. Never in his wildest dreams had it occurred to him these kids might be able to make millions so quickly. When he was their age, he was able to make only a little money.
That night, the four brothers began to put their plans in motion. Boswell sold one of his stocks, which netted him eight million.
On the weekend, Colman started coding an app on his laptop at home and called Sheffield to ask him questions from time to time.
Sheffield really treated Colman like his own kid. He taught him everything he knew, and Colman was an eager learner. Sheffield was even more patient than when he taught his own son to learn Chinese herbs.
While Colman and Boswell were working with their computers at home, Adkins had his own schemes. He snuck into the offices of ZL Group. He asked Paige for a phone number. When Matthew was away from his office, the boy dialed the number with his father's office phone. "Hello, is this Aunt Jennifer? I'm Matthew's kid, Adkins Huo. You free for dinner?"
Jennifer Zheng had a thing for Matthew. She was the general manager of Season Group, and thought she'd mix business with pleasure. Getting together with Matthew would provide benefits for her company as well as for herself.
Adkins knew her secret because Matthew once took him to a dinner party and he sat next to her. He could see Jennifer Zheng flirting with his dad. She'd place her hand on the table near him, smile incessantly, laugh a little too hard at his jokes. Meanwhile, she'd shower him with flattery.
'Matthew's eldest son just invited me to dinner?'
Jennifer Zheng stood up from the chair excitedly, but she quickly got control of herself. The boy had only met her once. Why was he asking her to dinner?
She smiled and asked tentatively, "I'm flattered, but why are you doing this? I mean, is there anything I can help you with, Adkins?"
Sitting cross-legged on Matthew's chair, Adkins answered, "Nothing. Dad and Mom are too busy. I'm bored here and need to talk to somebody."
'He's bored, but he thought of me? Why? That's too weird.' Although she knew there was something fishy, Jennifer Zheng was still very excited. "Okay, Adkins. What do you want to eat? I'll take you there." 'Maybe if his kid likes me, that's my "in" with Matthew. Get close to his son, get close to him. If only...' she thought happily.
"I'm not picky. How about the nearest restaurant, the one on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building?"
"Sounds good. But you know, it's not easy to get a table there. Are you sure..." Jennifer Zheng and her associates had to reserve a table at least two weeks in advance. Otherwise, they had to choose some other place to eat, instead of the restaurant in the Alioth building.
That rule had never changed since the restaurant opened.
Adkins promised, "I'll take care of it. We'll get a booth. I'll have someone let you know which one."
"Okay! See you tonight, little Mr. Huo!"
"Bye, Aunt Jennifer," replied Adkins in a sweet voice.
The voice made the woman's heart melt.
No matter how mature the boy was ordinarily, he was still a child, and his voice was sweet and lovely when he played cute.
Besides, Adkins was not an ordinary child. If it was necessary, he could change personalities at the drop of a hat. Like here, he had pretended he was cute and innocent.
Because he had to ask for a favor, his silent personality had completely disappeared, replaced by the cuteness of a three-year-old child.
On the fifth floor of the Alioth Building
It was dinner time. Adkins asked the bodyguards to wait at the door. He pushed the door open and entered the VIP private room.
Jennifer Zheng had been there for more than ten minutes, and seven or eight cold dishes already adorned the table.
Watching the boy walk in, Jennifer Zheng was astonished. For a moment, she almost thought she was really looking at Matthew! When she came to her senses, she stood up and greeted him with a smile, "Hi, Adkins. How are you?"
The boy nodded politely, "Good evening, Aunt Jennifer! I'm happy."
She sighed in her mind, 'He's definitely a Huo. He's got the looks, and really is a polite little gentleman.' "Good evening, sweetie. Come and sit down!"
Without hesitation, Adkins sat down next to her.
She smiled and asked, "Adkins, would you like anything to drink?"
"Lime honey water, please." He ordered this every time he came to this restaurant.
"Okay."
During the meal, Jennifer Zheng took good care of him. She picked fish bones out of his bowl for him, picked up food, and asked him about school.
Finally, he was full, his little belly bulging. He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. Chin in his hands, he looked at the woman gloomily. "Aunt Jennifer, can I ask you a question?"
She put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth elegantly with a tissue. "Sure!"
"Do you know how much it costs to raise a panda?"