Tommy's Woes

Tommy had been quite happy these past few days without Thea's harassment. His relationship with Laurel was progressing rapidly, transitioning from physical to emotional intimacy. That's how things were in the Western world—physical connection first, then emotional. It's like buying a computer: you check the hardware first, then the software. Software can be modified later, but if the hardware isn't up to par, it's a lost cause.

However, life is never all sunshine and rainbows. Tommy, too, had his own troubles. His own father seemed to have lost his mind, constantly bothering him, calling him, and even going so far as to send him a text message telling him to join his company! What was this about competing with Thea? What competition did he have with her? If it were about Tommy joining Queen Enterprises or Thea joining Merlyn Group, it might make some sense. But now that they've each gone their separate ways, what competition was there to talk about? After reading the message, Tommy was even more convinced that his father was suffering from late-stage delusions, unable to grasp basic logical relationships.

One day, after Tommy and Laurel finished their dinner, Tommy confidently handed over his credit card to pay. However, the waiter returned and politely requested cash instead.

"What's wrong? I've been dining here all along. Why do you need cash today?" Despite feeling a bit embarrassed in front of his girlfriend, Tommy remained calm and asked gently.

The waiter didn't dare offend such a frequent customer. "Your credit card has been declined. Could you please use another one?"

Tommy tried three different cards, but none of them worked. It was clear they had all been blocked. Tommy knew it must have been his father's doing. He could only pay with his face and promised to settle the bill next time.

After dropping Laurel off at her apartment, Tommy was in no mood for exercise. He instructed her to do yoga on her own and stormed back to his own home. It was the first time in a month that he had returned to this house.

At that moment, Malcolm, dressed like a wise old warrior, sat on the floor in front of a small table with two teacups and a teapot. Behind him was a large character "禅" (Zen) written on the wall. He hoped his demeanor would help Tommy calm down and listen patiently to his stories from the past.

However, it turned out to be a futile attempt. Tommy, who hadn't even finished school and dropped out with Oliver to compete in nightclubs, couldn't even recognize all the English words, let alone such a complex Chinese character like "禅." It was impossible for him to understand it!

Seeing his father sitting there silently with his eyes closed, Tommy was frightened. He thought his father might have died and reached out to feel his breath, trying to decide whether to call a doctor or a lawyer.

Understanding his intention, Malcolm was so infuriated by Tommy's actions that he lost all interest in telling stories. "Go to Merlyn Group tomorrow!", he said sternly. Ignoring Tommy's strong protests, he brushed past him and left.

Realizing that he couldn't win against his father, Tommy knew he had no choice. His relationship with Laurel was just starting to heat up, and while the financial loss wouldn't affect their relationship much, Laurel was ambitiously planning her own law firm. With his limited education, the only way he could contribute was with money.

Despite mentally preparing himself and hoping to perform well to restore his father's pocket money, Tommy overslept the next day. After much fuss, he finally arrived at Merlyn Group at ten o'clock. Nightlife had taken its toll on him, and he didn't have the habit of working in the morning.

Malcolm didn't make any excessive demands. Similar to Queen Enterprises, he gave Tommy a position as a CEO's assistant. Normally, given that Tommy was six years older than Thea, he would have been given a lower-ranking position to make it fair. But Malcolm didn't care anymore.

The insider information revealed that within just three days, Thea had almost fully understood the middle and high-level personnel of the company. She could remember everyone's name, hometown, and alma mater, and could chat about topics that interested them. Yesterday was the birthday of a middle-level cadre, and she even sent a gift on behalf of the company. Today, she proposed a suggestion about humanized office management, which almost no one could oppose because there was no reason to. The real-time video sent to Malcolm showed that everyone, no matter whose person they were, expressed their support for this proposal.

Malcolm's several human resources management experts, unaware of Thea's background, all gave her high marks. Her only weakness at the moment was her young age. As for her educational background, it did have some influence, but not significant. In the West, there are many entrepreneurs who dropped out of college to start their own companies. Just look at Tommy, who didn't even finish school but still managed to get a job. Compared to him, Thea's high school education was considered relatively high!

Looking at the evaluations given by his subordinates, describing Thea as clever, resourceful, and adept at leveraging her strengths, there were almost no negative comments.

Malcolm was both proud of his daughter's excellence and frustrated with his son's incompetence. He pulled up the company's surveillance footage, wanting to see what his son was up to. It took him ten minutes to find Tommy, who was happily chatting with the receptionist!

Furious, Malcolm quickly took out some heart medication and muttered curses at Oliver, who seemed dead but was actually alive. He blamed Oliver for leading his son astray when he was young!

He had informants in Queen Enterprises, and Moira had her own sources in the Merlyn Group. Tommy's performance on the first day was reported directly to her desk, and compared to her daughter who was in a video conference with several branch managers outside the CEO's office, Moira felt she had already won this competition without a doubt. Watching Tommy's extravagant behavior, she automatically assumed that Tommy was the one who led Oliver astray and reminisced about how well-behaved Oliver used to be.

Meanwhile, on Lian Yu Island in the North China Sea, Oliver sneezed loudly.

"Focus, you need to learn to survive, understand?" Yao Fei, with his long beard and messy hair, was guiding Oliver through the jungle. The two had been together for over a month, and Yao Fei had started to communicate with him in English.

It's unclear what got into Yao Fei's head, but he vowed to correct Oliver's spoiled habits and groom him as his successor. His teaching method was primitive; he simply beat Oliver when he didn't comply. Most of the Green Arrow's combat skills were muscle memory, acquired through being beaten by friends and foes alike. Whether he was tied to a chair or pressed against a table, the time spent on systematic learning was minimal.

After circling around for a while and catching a bird for breakfast, Yao Fei continued to teach Oliver archery. However, Oliver felt it was ridiculous for a modern man like himself to learn archery and resisted it mentally. Although he didn't directly refuse to learn, he was too afraid to try, so the learning process was futile.

Yao Fei, who had never encountered such a stubborn person as his daughter was very obedient, didn't know what to do for a while. He could only continue beating Oliver with a stick until he learned.