Huaisang's quivers start to return as the silence goes on a little too long, his insecurities starting to rise, but he keeps his mouth shut and waits. He's provided all the information that he has to offer, and he trusts that Hands needs time to process it. Huaisang won't be surprised if Hands declines to make an immediate decision, though he trusts that if Hands puts him off, he will offer solutions for the interim.
"Which part, I suppose," Huaisang says, lifting his eyes again, letting Hands see that he's earnest but scared. "But I don't think you're asking about the performance part of this. I think you're asking for my business assessment. As I said, I'm no good at most of the aspects of business, but I am very good at people, and I am very good at ... noticing how things move. How pieces fit together."
Gaining a little bit of confidence again as he talks, as his mind slips into analytics separate from emotions, Huaisang lifts his chin and meets Hands' eyes straight on. "Neither you nor I operate in the slightest bit the way my father nor my brother do. Did. I understand that I'm offering you near total control of my company with almost no oversight. I understand that I'm putting an immense amount of trust in someone I barely know. I understand that your modes of operation and your morals are nothing like how the Nie Corporation has traditionally been run. But I'm familiar with your track record with my family, your reliability and results, and I think I'm more aware than either of them ever were that despite the fact that I believe you are a man of your word and that you would always honor a deal, you are not what I would describe as ... let's say above-board."
Finally looking away again, Huaisang drops his eyes as his topic shifts from Hands to himself. "I understand that I am in a situation that I am ill-equipped to handle, which I am only now realizing is far more dangerous than I previously suspected. I ... I ... It's possible that I could do this myself. I know who in that company I trust enough that I'd push them into this role, but none of them are capable of handling the manipulation and backstabbing of Meng Yao and-or Lan Xichen. I'd have to do that myself, and rely upon my people for the bureaucratic aspects of running the company for me. I think ... I might have the ability to survive that. But I don't ... I don't think I have the emotional stability to survive it. I think I'd break. I don't think I could survive more than a couple of months before I just lock myself in my room and can't manage to care enough to keep going, or before I lose and they kill me. Probably both. I break down, they arrange to make my death look like suicide."
Tears start spilling as he finishes this speech. Eyes averted, Huaisang picks up his glass and rises, going to the decanter of whisky and pouring for himself. He knows it's rude to do it without asking, but he already feels like he's only barely holding back the border between quiet tears and helpless sobbing. So he pours. Takes a drink. Gathers himself for a moment before he can manage to speak, eyes unfocused in the direction of his glass. "What else do I need to understand, Mr. Hands?" It's a genuine question, quietly earnest. If he's missed something, Hands will tell him.
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"Which part, I suppose," Huaisang says, lifting his eyes again, letting Hands see that he's earnest but scared. "But I don't think you're asking about the performance part of this. I think you're asking for my business assessment. As I said, I'm no good at most of the aspects of business, but I am very good at people, and I am very good at ... noticing how things move. How pieces fit together."
Gaining a little bit of confidence again as he talks, as his mind slips into analytics separate from emotions, Huaisang lifts his chin and meets Hands' eyes straight on. "Neither you nor I operate in the slightest bit the way my father nor my brother do. Did. I understand that I'm offering you near total control of my company with almost no oversight. I understand that I'm putting an immense amount of trust in someone I barely know. I understand that your modes of operation and your morals are nothing like how the Nie Corporation has traditionally been run. But I'm familiar with your track record with my family, your reliability and results, and I think I'm more aware than either of them ever were that despite the fact that I believe you are a man of your word and that you would always honor a deal, you are not what I would describe as ... let's say above-board."
Finally looking away again, Huaisang drops his eyes as his topic shifts from Hands to himself. "I understand that I am in a situation that I am ill-equipped to handle, which I am only now realizing is far more dangerous than I previously suspected. I ... I ... It's possible that I could do this myself. I know who in that company I trust enough that I'd push them into this role, but none of them are capable of handling the manipulation and backstabbing of Meng Yao and-or Lan Xichen. I'd have to do that myself, and rely upon my people for the bureaucratic aspects of running the company for me. I think ... I might have the ability to survive that. But I don't ... I don't think I have the emotional stability to survive it. I think I'd break. I don't think I could survive more than a couple of months before I just lock myself in my room and can't manage to care enough to keep going, or before I lose and they kill me. Probably both. I break down, they arrange to make my death look like suicide."
Tears start spilling as he finishes this speech. Eyes averted, Huaisang picks up his glass and rises, going to the decanter of whisky and pouring for himself. He knows it's rude to do it without asking, but he already feels like he's only barely holding back the border between quiet tears and helpless sobbing. So he pours. Takes a drink. Gathers himself for a moment before he can manage to speak, eyes unfocused in the direction of his glass. "What else do I need to understand, Mr. Hands?" It's a genuine question, quietly earnest. If he's missed something, Hands will tell him.