Page 25 of Worth Fighting For

“That’s not uncommon. Actually, I would say that most of the businesses we acquire have similar issues of stagnation, whether it be the management or the production. Whatever it is, I’m confident that our firm has the expertise to shake things up.”

“Great,” Shang says. “Well, I like change. You might have to work a little harder to convince the rest of my family, though.”

“Yeah, I get that. What’s it like working for family?”

Is it my imagination or does Shang grip the wheel a little harder? “It’s a mixed bag,” he says finally.

I wait to see if he’ll say more, but a few moments crawl by, and it becomes clear that this topic has come to a close. After a while, he reaches over and taps at the control screen. “I’ll start it back at the beginning.” He hits play, and the audiobook begins.

The Water Outlawsis as riveting as Shang promised, and as I listen to the epic tale of women in ancient China who, through bad luck or bad decisions, find themselves seeking refuge at Liangshan, my curiosity deepens. I can see Shang reading hard-boiled detective thrillers, with some grizzled, chain-smoking ex-addict as the protagonist. At a push, I could also see Shang reading some action spy thriller, with an ultra-buff killing machine as the protagonist. But here he is, listening to what is probably the most feminist story I’ve heard in years.

I give myself a little shake, trying to focus on the task at hand. The acquisition relies on me getting to the heart of the Li family. And Shang, being the CEO, is the one I need to win over most of all. But the way he clammed up when I asked him about the family company tells me that there’s plenty underneath the surface, like land mines that I need to get good at avoiding.

For the next hour or so, we ride in silence, lost in the lush narration of the audiobook. It’s easy to be completely immersed in the rich tapestry that Huang has woven, and when Shang’s phone rings, I jerk up in my seat with surprise. Shang taps answer, and his mother’s voice floats through the speaker.

“We want to break for lunch,” she says.

“Okay, Ma. Next exit?”

“Okay. We go to Little Chang’s.”

“See you.”

Shang turns off the audiobook and begins to switch lanes. “What do you think so far?”

I blink at him. It takes a second for me to leave the beautiful yet heart-wrenching tale of Lin Chong and her sworn sisters. “Brutal” is all I’m able to come up with.

“Yeah, it’s pretty heavy stuff, sorry.”

“No, I think it’s great. I’m going to buy a copy for my dad, actually. I’ll play it to him at the ho—” I stop myself in time. Oh my god, I can’t believe I almost let that slip, what is wrong with me? “At home,” I say quickly.

“Cool. You guys close?”

“Yeah, we are, actually. I’m close to both my parents, but I take after my dad, so he and I have always had this understanding.”

The corner of Shang’s mouth twitches into a small smile. “Sounds like me and my mom.”

“Are you a mama’s boy?” I tease.

“Yeah, totally,” he says, unabashed. “My dad passed away when I was ten, so it’s just been the two of us since.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. My mom’s the only daughter in her family—”

“So your uncles and aunts are from your mom’s side of the family?”

“Yup. I’m what they call the ‘outside nephew.’”

I wince. In Chinese culture, a child that is related to the family through their father is called the “inside child,” meaning they are “closer” to the family. And a child who is related through their mother is called the “outside child,” because traditionally, when women get married, they are considered to belong to their husband’s family. My own parents don’t behave that way, but it’s a stark reminder that outside of my nuclear family, plenty of families still uphold this tradition.

“Do they treat you very differently?”

Shang shrugs. “Eh. You’ll see, I guess.”

“How come they voted you in as CEO?”

“Through a lack of choices,” Shang says with a rueful smile. “None of my cousins are interested in managing the company. James studied economics in school and is our marketing head, Christopher oversees distribution, Ryan is in accounting…I’m the only one who actually wanted to oversee everything.”

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