Chapter 1063: Chapter 1065: Why Be Someone Else’s Stepping Stone

Cai Meina knew that her daughter had been going through a tough time lately, but she was helpless too.

"Ni Zi, can we talk?"

Looking at her mother’s conflicted expression, Gong Ruini was quite baffled. What was going on now?

"Ni Zi, I’d like to discuss something with you." Although it was difficult to start the conversation, she had to speak up. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It must be serious, Gong Ruini was really surprised. Was her mother about to do something she would oppose?

Other than the Cai Family, there didn’t seem to be anything else she would oppose.

"Go ahead." Gong Ruini put down what she was holding and looked up at Cai Meina.

Cai Meina leaned over to take a look and saw what her daughter had written,

suddenly hesitating whether it was the right time to bring this up, since these were things her daughter had painstakingly written.

What happened, nothing more after she glanced at her notes?

Could it be related to the things she wrote, or did someone ask her for teaching tips?

What to do, Gong Ruini was not petty, but she wasn’t overly generous either.

Passing this knowledge on could only bring trouble for herself.

"Mom, some things are my livelihood."

"If I open up this time, there’s no stopping it in the future."

Maybe the first person to ask wasn’t thinking too far ahead, but eventually, others would start asking, and she couldn’t oppose.

"But didn’t you tutor those college students?" Cai Meina got a bit unhappy.

Although she said she’d ask her daughter, she really didn’t expect her to object.

"Yes, I tutor them, but they pay me."

"Will your friends pay me?" Gong Ruini also had a bit of anger.

Initially, she wanted to speak nicely and not ruin the atmosphere.

But she couldn’t help it when Cai Meina’s words became quite unpleasant.

"Mom, can you guarantee they won’t turn around and spread those tips?"

"What if they start a tutoring class too?" Some teachers she hired were taken away by others before.

At worst, a few teachers directly recruited students themselves or banded together to start a tutoring class.

What could Gong Ruini say? Luckily, it was a minority, so later she drafted a contract, offering a generous salary, but they needed to work for a few years, or they’d have to compensate financially.

If people who left started making money, it would definitely upset the teachers who stayed at the tutoring school, and she’d be beside herself with worry.

Even though talent should be mobile, Gong Ruini wasn’t afraid of these challenges, but she couldn’t do nothing, as some people would go crazy trying to poach.

"If they want me to conduct training, they’ll have to sign a contract." Gong Ruini straightforwardly answered.

Cai Meina knew her daughter had been worrying about this, not eating well for days, "Okay."

"Mom, I know you find it difficult to refuse, but it’s better than having them repeatedly taking advantage of your goodwill."

"I need to make money too, or how will I grow the school."

"We need to build a reputation; it will make it easier for my brother to develop his career."

Gong Ruini described to Cai Meina a vision where once the school expanded nationally, they could support Gong Ruwen wherever he went.

"Really?" Cai Meina got quite excited, as initially she was embarrassed to refuse because some people had connections, and it would be great if they could help someday.

She hadn’t expected her daughter could solve such a big problem for her son without their help.

"Of course, it’s true, and we can earn more ourselves."

"Mom, wouldn’t you prefer your brother to have money on hand, making everything easier?"

"Gift-giving to leaders or supporting a family would be simple." These days a bureaucrat’s salary isn’t much.

It couldn’t compare to the money he could possibly inherit from the Gong family business.

"Yes, yes, Ni Zi, you really think far ahead." Cai Meina wasn’t foolish. After her daughter pointed it out, she immediately understood.

The so-called people who acknowledged her wouldn’t genuinely help, would they really support Gong Ruwen?

Certainly not, they were looking to earn more benefits.

The more Cai Meina thought about it, the angrier she got. "I even considered them friends."

"Friends? Mom, do you think they genuinely consider you a friend?" Gong Ruini scoffed.

Several people who were close to Cai Meina were either looking for advantage or trying to pull strings through her.

It was a good thing her father was firm in his resolve; even if Cai Meina occasionally whispered in his ear, at least he wasn’t swayed by her.

Her daughter’s question stumped Cai Meina. How aren’t they friends?

"Mom, how many benefits have they taken using your name?"

"And there’s a lot going on in their families, right? You always gave generous gifts, didn’t you?"

"When we have needs, they’ll surely return the favor, won’t they?" Even as Cai Meina said this, she found it hard to believe it herself.

Previously, she hadn’t calculated, and Gong Tao noticed it, but he didn’t care about such a small amount of money.

It’s pointless if a little money causes unhappiness among everyone.

But Gong Ruini didn’t care; initially, she was indifferent, but she couldn’t stand those people becoming increasingly excessive.

"Now they have their eye on my business, what’s next, Dad’s factory?"

"The furniture sells well, and not only do they want a bargain, but they also want inside access to large furniture; ultimately, they want to have their people learn skills and poach the master craftsmen."

Although Cai Meina came up tough in Northeast, she might have been too well-protected by Gong Tao, giving her a naive or overly kind outlook.

Gong Ruini knew her father truly sheltered her mother well, as without her uncle’s persuasion, she might’ve done something foolish.

Confronted by her daughter’s gaze, Cai Meina couldn’t look her in the eye, her gaze kept darting away.

Gong Ruini understood perfectly, but these were concerns for her father, she didn’t need to fret over them.

Just as Gong Ruwen said, the family wealth allowed her to go on like this.

"Mom, gifting things is fine, as long as it makes you happy, but don’t let it affect our foundation."

Cai Meina nodded, her mouth opened slightly. People thought she wanted to hear kind words from them, but that wasn’t the case.

There was nothing more she could explain, it would be pointless.

"Mom, I know you’re doing it for big brother, but as I’ve always said, they don’t have enough resources; there’s no need to cater to them."

Gong Ruini remembered the Peach Blossom Wine she had given previously, "They used the wine you gave them as leverage. Mom, why make them look good?"

It was fine if we drank it ourselves, but Gong Ruini really didn’t care about the wine, it’s their using it to play the good guy that she couldn’t stand.

Oh no, could it be? Cai Meina was really hearing this for the first time, she was shocked.

See, that’s how naive her mother was. "Mom, don’t fall out with them."

"I know." It was truly the first time Cai Meina heard it from her daughter’s mouth; she felt all fuzzy inside, she needed to go back and think it over carefully.