"I remember you should have met her."
Taylor Smith looked towards Ruffy gently, like a piece of smooth jade.
Ruffy turned his head, the corner of his lips curling slightly: "I forgot."
Taylor Smith didn't pursue further, simply saying, "Then all you need to know is that Ellen Young has something we need. You have to get her to agree to a collaboration with us before anyone else does. I believe you can do it."
Ruffy scoffed derisively, "If it's so important, why don't you go?"
Taylor Smith said, "She knows what I do, and if I were to go, she might not be willing to talk. You're not young anymore. I can let you take over the family business later, but you have to fulfill your responsibilities on this matter. You are my son, Taylor Smith. Do you understand? Most importantly, you're only four years older than her."
Ruffy as if he had heard something ludicrous: "You want me to seduce her? Are you insane?"
Had he, Ruffy Smith, fallen to such a level?
Taylor Smith was gracefully composed: "If you can seduce her, then you would really be capable."
Having said this, to avoid a pointless argument with his son, he promptly left.
Ruffy: "..."
He glanced at the departing Taylor Smith, thought about what he had said, and couldn't help but laugh coldly.
***
Ellen Young managed to find some time to go into the city and buy some things.
Additionally, her house needed to undergo comprehensive renovation in the coming days, so she couldn't stay there for the time being.
She was planning to live there for a while, and indeed the old house was rather ramshackle. It needed to be renovated, no question about it.
Cradling a cardboard box, the black-clad person beside Ellen Young said respectfully, "Miss Young, are you sure you don't need us to handle everything for you?"
Ellen Young: "I like to do my own things myself."
The black-clad person nodded and didn't speak any further.
Ellen Young temporarily stayed in a house in the city, and just after moving in, she received a phone call.
The voice on the other end was somewhat ethereal: "BOSS, they're saying you're retired, and as your second-in-command, I only find this out now. Shouldn't you come back to the company the moment you retire?"
Ellen Young lightly curled her lips: "The company has you, and that gives me peace of mind."
The other end: "...Can you speak like a normal person?"
Ellen Young: "Isn't the salary I pay high enough?"
The caller took a deep breath, then an outpouring of words followed: "Is this about salary? BOSS, you need to understand, I am a human being! I'm human!! Not an immortal like you who can multitask without pressure. I have to deal with so much every day, busy as a spinning top, and even bringing in waves of management staff isn't enough. I was hoping your retirement would solve my problem, but even with all this money, I need to be alive to enjoy it! Tell me, what's your reason for not coming back to the company?!"
Ellen Young's smile was light, her voice crisp: "Keep busy for another year; I've got to focus on something else for a year. Once it's nearly done, I'll come back and give you a long vacation. How about that?"
The other side, skeptical: "Really?"
Ellen Young: "Yes."
Hearing about the long vacation, the caller felt much better and smacked his lips: "Alright, I'll keep busy for another year."
After a while, he puzzled: "If you retired, doesn't that mean your research is finished? Or is there a new challenge this time?"
Aside from this, he couldn't think of any other reason for Ellen Young not returning to the company.
Ellen Young: "Sort of. I've gone back to the countryside, thinking about farming."
The other side: "..."
???????
You seem to be joking with me.