"So it's about marriage issues!" Boss Huang's smile became somewhat stiff; this was the most troublesome problem.
In fact, Tong He's marital issues were no secret. On the contrary, everyone in the research center knew that their director might remain single his entire life.
Tong He was already over 40 years old. By rights, his children should be attending primary school, or even middle school. But he still didn't even have a girlfriend, let alone any children.
This finally broke his parents' resolve. They went to his workplace to find him, resulting in a huge argument that attracted Boss Huang.
Tong He was actually quite filial. Having been director for so long, he had accumulated tens of billions of yuan in wealth. However, he didn't keep a cent for himself, handing it all over to his parents to manage.
But Tong He's parents weren't happy despite their immense wealth. On the contrary, they became increasingly distressed and desperate. In their eyes, what was the point of having so much wealth if they couldn't pass it down, if they had no descendants to leave it to upon their death?
Moreover, no matter how much Tong He gave them, in their eyes, it was probably not as precious as the neighbor's young grandson.
Tong He's parents had been trying to persuade him for nearly 20 years with no success. The previous few days marked their last attempt. It was rumored that Tong He's father had even brought a knife, but it still had no effect. This was because the knife was confiscated by the research center's security personnel before he could even see Tong He. Consequently, this father-son meeting began with the assistance of dozens of security guards.
It would be a miracle if any conclusion could be reached.
Now, all their hopes rested on Boss Huang.
They knew that their son respected Boss Huang the most. Therefore, if Huang He were to speak, it might have an effect.
What else could Boss Huang say? So he personally went to chat with Tong He.
"I just don't understand how you've gotten through these past 20 years. Do you have no desires at all? Are you even a man?" Boss Huang forcibly pulled Tong He away from his workstation into his private lounge and directly asked.
"Of course, I'm a man. It's just that physiological desire is the lowest form of desire, and it can be easily resolved!" Tong He, now in his forties, was very mature.
He took out a set of cups from a drawer in the lounge and told Huang He, "These cups are made from a special material discovered by chance in the laboratory. This material is softer and more comfortable than real skin, with a slight gripping sensation. It provides several times the pleasure of real skin!"
"Furthermore, it's equipped with a full set of electric servo motors, capable of performing many actions that real people simply cannot. With this cup, why would I need a girlfriend? Even a hundred girlfriends combined can't compare to this single cup!" Tong He said proudly, leaving Liu Xu speechless.
The most crucial point was that Boss Huang couldn't refute him; instead, he wanted to get a similar set of cups for himself.
Good heavens, such a marvel existed, and he didn't even know about it!
"Don't you need someone for companionship?" Boss Huang said, exasperated. "Besides, the emotional value a girlfriend brings is something this cup can't replace, right?"
Hearing Liu Xu's words, Tong He hesitated for a moment, then opened a small room in his lounge. Boss Huang walked in and was stunned.
Because this room was filled with lifelike dolls, some resembling real people, and many designed after anime or game characters.
For example, Liu Xu saw the 3D model Tifa and a full set of adult female dolls from their own "Genshin Impact."
"I spent a lot of money to have these custom-made by the top private doll designer in Qu Shui. Each doll costs about 2 million yuan, and their appearances are top-notch."
"They also have built-in AI units, which I specially commissioned our company's AI center to develop for me privately for tens of millions. Each character has a different personality and speaks wonderfully. Oh, and that cup I mentioned earlier can be attached to them."
"Each doll can provide me with the emotional value equivalent to a girlfriend. So why would I need a girlfriend?" Tong He's words once again broke Boss Huang.
"But these dolls are inanimate, while girlfriends are alive!" Huang He tried to persuade him.
"Precisely because girlfriends are alive, that's the most troublesome part!" Tong He said. "While a girlfriend can bring me emotional value, I should also bring emotional value to my girlfriend."
"In that case, not only do I need to accompany them shopping, watch movies with them, and indulge in dining and entertainment, but the most terrifying thing is that they will demand my constant presence. If I fail to meet even one of their demands, they will accuse me of being heartless, say I don't love them, and then nag me until I have to apologize first. Just thinking about it makes me tremble."
"As you know, I'm someone who is never home. Spending half an afternoon a month accompanying them shopping is my utmost effort, considering I only have one day a year to spend with my parents. But if I only give them half a day each month, I'll probably be scolded mercilessly!"
"Besides, as I said before, the value of a boyfriend and girlfriend lies in mutually providing emotional value to each other. If I cannot meet their emotional needs, then I am tormenting them, and there's no need to do such a thing."
"..." Boss Huang was speechless again. He thought of his own sisters-in-law, who constantly caused him trouble over various issues, and felt a great sense of solidarity.
However, Boss Huang still tried to say, "But your situation is different. You are the director of the Jiangnan Research Center, earning tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, per month. Your girlfriend would definitely understand you."
"Then would they understand my difficulties, or my wealth?" Tong He sighed. "What if one of them couldn't stand the loneliness and cheated on me? Then, Boss, I would truly want to kill someone."
"Ahem, don't worry, I can assign someone to keep an eye on your wife... Alright, forget I said anything!" Seeing Tong He's murderous glare, Liu Xu immediately shut his mouth.
"Wife? A wife is the most headache-inducing!" Tong He seemed to have completely opened up under Boss Huang's prompting and continued without pause, "During the Spring Festival this year, I went home to accompany my parents and watched the Spring Festival Gala for the first time in a while."
"I was actually looking forward to the skits in the gala, but this year's gala stunned me. There were five skits, and four of them featured couples."
"And among these four couples, excluding one elderly couple, the remaining three couples completely dumbfounded me."
"The wives in these three couples did nothing but point their fingers at people, as if they were pointing at my nose through the television, startling me."
"Of course, they were pointing at their husbands, but from the beginning of the skits, they never called them by any pleasant name, only 'Sun,' 'Liu,' 'Wang.' These wives seemed to have forgotten their husbands' full names."
"It was only at the end, through a series of twists proving that the husbands were not wrong, but rather the foolish wives themselves, that they called out 'husband' and then everything was fine. Shouldn't they have knelt down to apologize like their husbands?"
"Even more infuriating is that these women seem to believe it's a man's inherent duty to hand over all the money they earn to them. Even keeping one or two hundred yuan on themselves is considered an unforgivable offense."
"Even more terrifying is that the men in these skits naturally believe they should hand over all their wages. And if they keep one or two hundred yuan, they have to hide it by any means necessary."
"I just don't understand. Why should these men in the skits, who work tirelessly outside, sacrificing their dignity and health to earn money, act like thieves just for keeping one or two hundred yuan? Even they themselves think they are acting like thieves. It's simply ridiculous!"
"Especially when I saw those women point their fingers, and the men immediately knelt down to apologize, even saying, 'My mistake is my mistake, and your mistake is also my mistake. My wife is never wrong.' At that moment, I was filled with immense fear."
"Anyway, after watching these skits, I have absolutely no interest in getting married. My current solitary life is very comfortable. Why should I deliberately add a woman to disrupt my life?"
"And this woman would then boss me around, ride roughshod over me, and act as my master who is never wrong. I don't know which nerve in my brain is twisted that would make me want to marry such a wife!" Tong He's words rendered Boss Huang speechless.
"Then are you content for all the wealth you've spent your life creating, everything you've gained, to be unrelated to you after your death, with no one to inherit it?" Boss Huang asked after a moment, and Tong He fell silent.
"Oh, and it might not be entirely unrelated to you. Your parents will definitely have their own siblings, and even if they don't, they'll have cousins. In any case, you'll likely find some relatives."
"And regardless of your relationship with these relatives during your lifetime, whether close or distant, some might even be people you detest the most. But after your death, these people can legitimately come forward to claim your assets. And according to the law, your property must be divided among them. Do you think this is the outcome you desire?"
This time, Tong He was truly rendered speechless by Huang He.