Chapter 191: Moving into the Headquarters

“The headquarters of Legion Ant Company was fully completed.”

Zhao Min contacted Chen Mo.

It was the fourth day of the new year. During these days, Chen Mo had been wholeheartedly accompanying his parents on outings. The holiday was almost over.

There was nothing surprising about Zhao Min contacting him now.

“Before the new year, we had people working overtime to finish the construction. I should have informed you earlier, but you and Xiaoyu had already left the company by then. I did not want to disturb you, and a few more days did not matter, so I am telling you now,” Zhao Min said.

“Okay, Xiaoyu and I will return tomorrow,” Chen Mo replied.

“It is not convenient to discuss over the phone. I will talk to you in detail about the move after you come back. Happy New Year,” Zhao Min said.

“Happy New Year.”

After hanging up, Chen Mo looked at his mother, who was playing with a small dog. It was a little golden retriever. Getting this pet had been Xiaoyu’s idea.

After they went back to work, no one would be at home to keep his parents company. Having a pet would at least prevent them from feeling too lonely. In their free time, they could play with the pet, go out for walks, or take the dog for a stroll.

Chen Mo had asked them to move to Binhai City, but they were unwilling. They had lived in this city their whole lives and never left. Asking them to move away, with no friends or relatives to talk to, would only make them more uncomfortable.

He did not insist. After all, returning home would only take a few hours. He could come back to have meals with his family and chat.

“Mom, I have to go back to the company tomorrow afternoon.”

As soon as Chen Mo spoke, Mother Chen’s smile faded. Her hand, which had been playing with the dog, stopped, and a look of reluctance flashed in her eyes. It felt like he had just returned, and now he was leaving again.

Her son had his own career and could not stay by her side all the time.

“Yes,” Mother Chen nodded and looked at Xiaoyu. “Xiaoyu, take good care of Chen Mo over there. Chen Mo usually does not pay attention to his daily life. With you around, I feel at ease.”

“Understood, Mom,” Xiaoyu replied with a smile. She was gradually getting used to her role as the future daughter-in-law. “We will come back often on weekends or during holidays.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Mother Chen’s face brightened with a smile.

“Chen Mo, your uncle came to see us yesterday,” Father Chen said hesitantly from the side. Both of them looked at Chen Mo. Now that their son was the one in charge, hiding things from him would not be right.

“Your cousin needs funds for his business and wants to borrow five hundred thousand,” Mother Chen added. She did not mention whether they had lent the money or not.

Sitting on the sofa, Chen Mo remained calm and nodded gently. “Then lend it to him.”

“Okay, good,” Mother Chen’s face lit up with a smile. She had been worried that her son would mind, especially since there had been unpleasantness in the past, and Chen Mo remembered it.

“Your father and I are going to bed now. We need to prepare breakfast for you tomorrow,” Mother Chen said, handing the golden retriever to Xiaoyu. “After you finish watching TV, go to bed early too. You have to travel tomorrow.”

After watching his parents enter their room, Chen Mo leaned back on the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” Xiaoyu asked.

“Eighteen years ago, the boss of my father’s company took the money and fled abroad. The unpaid wages were never given, and my father lost his job. We had nowhere to live. We borrowed twenty thousand from my uncle to build a small house in our hometown and get through that difficult time.

My father still had no stable job and took on odd jobs. During the new year, my aunt, worried that our family could not repay the money, pressured my mother to return it in front of many relatives. That was the first time I saw my mother cry. We really had no money and could not pay it back.”

Chen Mo’s voice was calm, without much emotion. The incident had happened over a decade ago, and he had been just a young child at the time.

“Later, my uncle, who had earned some money from his fishing boat, lent it to us to repay the debt. Our family fell out with my uncle’s family, and we had no contact for over ten years. I did not expect them to reach out now.”

Xiaoyu sat quietly, listening.

“My uncle is a decent person, but my aunt has ulterior motives. Given my mother’s personality, she has probably already lent the money. No matter what, my uncle helped our family through the toughest times back then. Plus, he is my mother’s brother—blood is thicker than water.”

Chen Mo did not object because he did not want to make things difficult for his mother. After all, they were family. After more than a decade of estrangement, now that there was a chance to reconcile, if Chen Mo opposed it, his mother would not be happy.

After so many years, his parents had let go of the past. Chen Mo did not hold any hatred.

“Don’t think about it anymore,” Xiaoyu said. “Let’s go to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

The next morning, Mother Chen prepared luggage for Chen Mo. It was full of food, as if she were afraid he would go hungry.

She had always done this when he went to school. This time, Chen Mo did not refuse and put all the prepared items into the car.

“Mom, Dad, you can go back now. There’s no need to see us off.”

After saying goodbye to his parents, Chen Mo asked Wang Hai to drive them to Binhai City.

After the new year, Wang Hai had taken over the position of bodyguard and driver from Black Eagle. Black Eagle had taken two days off to visit his family.

Zhao Min, dressed in sharp professional attire, walked into Chen Mo’s office, the sound of her high heels tapping rhythmically on the floor. She placed the documents in her hand on Chen Mo’s desk.

“During the new year holiday, we received thirty-eight additional orders for the Seismograph. They are from the Philippines, Iran, and Nepal,” Zhao Min said leisurely as she sat opposite Chen Mo.

“Not a bad harvest.”

Chen Mo flipped through the files.

The first document was about the Seismograph orders, and the second was the cost statistics for the company headquarters.

“Due to the rush to meet the deadline, the construction cost of the headquarters was relatively high,” Zhao Min said.

The total construction cost of the headquarters campus exceeded seven billion. It was a very high amount, but fortunately, the company had the funds.

It was now fully completed and ready for occupancy.

Their current office headquarters was rented, and they urgently needed a real headquarters. Since the headquarters construction plan was approved, they had been pushing the construction team to meet tight deadlines. Coupled with the purchase of various high-end experimental equipment, the costs were relatively high.

“Let’s arrange a time to move in. Preferably within this week. It’s a new year, and it’s the perfect time to move into a new headquarters,” Chen Mo said.

His time was more valuable than money. To him, money was just a number now, which was why he had pushed for the headquarters to be completed quickly. The sooner they could move into the company headquarters, the better.

The equipment in the headquarters Laboratory was more advanced. Research projects like chip manufacturing and Superconducting Computer development required those facilities and labs.

The new Laboratory was more secure and had more space, allowing him to conduct research freely. The development cycle for new technologies would shorten.

With the normal pace of development, even ten lifetimes would not be enough to complete all the technological advancements in the Science and Technology Library. To achieve a qualitative leap, he needed to unleash the productivity of technology.

His goal was to master all the technologies in the Library.

“Okay,” Zhao Min agreed. “Let’s do it next Monday. Everything there has been prepared long ago, and we can move in anytime. I will notify everyone about the company headquarters relocation. This will be the first major event of the new year.”

The news about moving into the headquarters brought joy to the employees who had just returned to the company. Having a headquarters gave them a true sense of belonging.

Online, people referred to Legion Ant Company employees as “Ant People.” They were the Ant People, and the headquarters was their Ant Nest. Finally being able to move into the Ant Nest was a cause for celebration.

When Monday arrived, the grand moving-in ceremony began.