After taking a shower, David Thompson began to handle some company matters first, because it was still too early to reply to calls from family and friends at home.

First, he replied to emails from several partner travel websites and companies, then checked on the status of several RVs rented out through their company. Some people only rent RVs to go to certain places and don’t make round trips, so it’s necessary to cooperate with local travel companies.

Next, he responded to inquiries from some potential clients, answering various questions about travel routes, prices, and so on.

By the time he finished all this, it was already past eight o’clock, and only then did David Thompson call home.

As soon as the call connected, his mother Linda Cooper’s loud voice didn’t give him a chance to speak at all.

“You brat, have you forgotten the rules your mother set for you? Are you out fooling around again?”

“You’ve already graduated, and it’s fine if you don’t take the civil service exam, but even if you’re running your own travel company, you’re still laying the foundation now. You don’t even have a girlfriend, and you haven’t made much money. Don’t be out there messing around all day.”

“The chubby kid next door is getting married this October, and look how smug his mom is. I’m telling you, this year you must bring a girlfriend home for the New Year, or you’re not allowed to come back for the holiday…”

…………

His mother’s concern came through the phone loud and clear. In the past, she worried he’d go astray and made sure he ate and drank well. Now, she nags him every day to make money and find a girlfriend.

After letting his mom go on for a few minutes, David Thompson knew that if he let her continue, even an hour or half an hour wouldn’t be enough.

“By the way, Mom, where’s Dad? I came across a crystal chessboard this time…”

David Thompson knew very well that at this time, his dad should have already come back from grocery shopping. If he wasn’t back yet, he was definitely secretly playing chess with someone by the roadside.

His father Daniel Thompson used to be a chef at a state-owned enterprise. After the company restructured, his parents opened a small restaurant together. When business was good, they’d hire a waiter, and his dad would take on an apprentice in the kitchen. When business was bad, his dad would be in the kitchen and his mom would be busy out front.

Life wasn’t wealthy, but it was manageable.

His dad had three main hobbies in life: playing chess, drinking, and bragging and chatting with people after drinking.

“You’re still buying him chess sets? Then he’ll never be home. It’s almost nine o’clock, and he still hasn’t come back from the morning market. He must have gone off to play chess with someone again…”

On the other end, David Thompson could already hear his mom putting things down and heading out.

Successfully diverting his mom’s attention, David Thompson silently prayed for his dad, quickly found a chance to say he was safe, and hung up the phone.

With his mom’s fiery personality, David Thompson was long used to escaping unscathed under her barrage—by offering up his dad as a distraction.

After calling his mom, David Thompson dialed Brian Carter’s number again. He’d already tried several times yesterday, but the phone was still off.

“You’re not taking care of the company at all. Your old man got sick a few days ago and still had to handle company matters. If you keep ignoring the company, it’s going to go under. Stop messing around outside. So what if you broke up? Hurry up and get back here.”

David Thompson had a lot of suspicions in his heart. His own changes were definitely related to Brian Carter. If that was the case, then what about Brian Carter?

A few months ago, he suddenly broke up with Julia Harris, and then his behavior became very strange. At the time, David Thompson was holding up the company alone and didn’t have time to think about it. Looking back now, there were too many things that didn’t add up.

But for now, David Thompson could only keep these thoughts to himself.

After that, David Thompson spent another half hour replying to voice messages and texts, then took a few contracts to discuss the previously scheduled vehicles.

Before heading out, David Thompson also stopped by the Jianghai University basketball team to chat with the current team captain, learned about Ethan Clark’s situation, and reminded him to keep an eye on Ethan Clark and let him know when Ethan Clark returned.

Anyone would risk their life for their family in that kind of situation, and David Thompson could understand. But Grace Miller was right too—right now, Ethan Clark facing the The Foster Family was like an ant against an elephant. He needed to understand that he couldn’t throw his life away for nothing.

For now, that was all he could do. Then David Thompson hurried to meet the clients and quickly handled the matters delayed by his days of unconsciousness.

He needed to let the clients know their operating procedures, explain the return on investment, and gain their trust.

The peak travel season was coming soon. The more RVs they signed and rented out, the more both sides could earn.

Although business wasn’t good now and he’d even thought about closing the company, after all, this was the company he and Brian Carter built together. Before Brian Carter came back, David Thompson felt he should do his best with what they had.

Even if one day Brian Carter came back and decided to sell the company, the more they did now, the more they could sell for.

In one day, he talked to three companies, signed with one, and the other two were still considering.

The one he signed with happened because David Thompson happened to meet a client who wanted to rent an RV for a trip in late September, returning after the October holiday—a trip of more than twenty days.

During the October peak season in Jianghai, a four-bed RV could go for as much as three thousand a day at the height of demand, but in the off-season, it ranged from a couple hundred to two thousand. Because this trip spanned the October peak, the average daily rate was about eighteen hundred.

With this order, it was especially easy to close the deal for this vehicle.