Was this possibly the reason her father was busy during the time she was in the hospital? Lena felt a sharp pain in her heart. The father must have suffered a lot during that time. She was busy working her own problems that she missed the subtle cues from her parents.
"How bad is it?" Lena curiously asked.
"It was only one area when you were in the hospital. So far, we got information back that it had infected two more farms. It is not just our farms but if it spread more, the company will have a big loss."
"They already had a small loss when I caused trouble. The company had just gotten back up and now this."
Secretary Han can feel the worry and sadness from Lena"s voice. He continued to focus on driving through.
"Don"t worry too much. I will be heading out tomorrow with the best biologists to figure out a solution. Every company will have some fallbacks. And only the strong ones can get back up from it and become more successful. The Shen family business has been thriving for so long, this is just a small setback compared to its history."
"You"re right. The Shen Family is fortunate to have someone as competent as you with us. Your father would be very proud of you."
"That"s too big of a compliment."
"Says the person who will probably be the next CEO."
Secretary Han scoffed. "Don"t you want to be the next CEO? The position is rightfully yours."
"That is a death wish. I am barely keeping up with my work for something small like SHYNE, I would faint over with something as big as Shen Wine Industry."
"Your husband can take over the business."
This time it was Lena"s turn to scoff. "I believe that those who work hard deserve it. No matter how better my future husband may be at running a company, our Shen family business has always been about the heart and value. Money had always been second."
Secretary Han just smiled and continued driving. It was only a while more when they reached the mansion. Lena and Secretary Han entered the mansion.
Like usually, they could already smell the strong delicious aura of the food. Madam Li popped out of the kitchen to greet them.
"You guys are finally home! Lena, take Henry and you both go sit down first, the food will be out soon." Shen Milli said.
Secretary Han"s first name was Henry. Usually, in a casual setting, Shen Mao and Shen Milli just address him like family. Lena and Henry entered the dining room.
They washed their hands in the bowl of water and sat down on the same side. Shen Mao was already chilling at the end of the table.
"You have just gotten the partners.h.i.+p, do not start working too much." Shen Mao spoke.
"I know." Lena replied.
Aunt Mary and Shen Milli started setting the table full of food. Lena spotted roasted duck curry, chicken legs, several crab and shrimp dishes. Shen Milli was mostly a home mom. She came from a family of successful farmers and spent most of her time in the countryside.
Her parents met in the countryside and fell in love. The spent a few years in the countryside, had Lena, and then moved back to the city. Over the years, Shen Milli had learned successfully how to manage Shen Jewelry, but she spent a good amount being a good mother. She balanced her family life well with her work.
This was one reason why Lena does not overwork herself too. She wanted to be someone like her mother. The Shen mansion only has a few workers. Most of the cooking is done my Shen Milli and Aunt Mary. One can say that Lena"s skill from cooking came from her mother.
Shen Milli had always wanted a big family, but Lena heard that she was very sick after giving birth to her. This weakened her body a lot and thus having more children was difficult. Lena had promised herself that when she has her own family, she will give her mom lots of grandchildren.
"They look very delicious, Mom."
"When am I going to see you cooking for me? You should come home more often to do that."
Shen Milli sat down and after Shen Mao taking the first bite, everyone dug in. Henry was being helpful and dis.h.i.+ng some stuff that was further away from Lena. Lena smiled as a thankful gesture.
"Henry, don"t dish too much meat for her. She needs to eat her vegetables." Shen Milli spoke.
Lena"s face turned a bit shy. She was a woman who loves to eat… but prefer meat over vegetables. In the past, she only preserved through her green eating habits because Andy was a healthy eater.
However, lately she had been hanging out by herself or with Gary, and they are both carnivores.
"I can eat them myself." Lena replied to which both her parents laughed a bit.