Zhu Suizhou remained silent.
Sheng Xuan’s obsession with catching Xia Xiaolan’s illegal operations was destined for disappointment.
Money – Xia Xiaolan had indeed made quite a lot.
Including the three development projects by Qihang in Ye City, despite Xia Xiaolan’s attempts to restrain her greed, she still profited over 800 million yuan from the Qiong Island real estate bubble.
Liu Yong had initially invested 5 million, then added another 5 million. From 1987 to 1991, his 10 million investment had earned him over 100 million yuan.
His niece had unexpectedly led him to the pinnacle of success, though having assets worth hundreds of millions still felt unreal.
Xia Xiaolan’s 800 million yuan profit was after deducting Uncle Liu Yong’s share, as she had two profit streams: Qihang Real Estate and Qihang Capital.
The money was so much it was almost terrifying to Xia Xiaolan!
While Sheng Xuan believed she wouldn’t come to a good end, Xia Xiaolan was determined to create one for herself.
With 800 million in cash, her first move was to repay Du Zhaohui’s loan, which he didn’t refuse this time.
Second, Xia Xiaolan began giving back to society.
She added 100 million yuan to the “Fledgling Qihang” project.
Donated 20 million yuan to her alma mater, Huaqing University.
Donated 5 million yuan to her high school alma mater, Anqing County First High School.
Donated 5 million yuan to the Chinese Architecture Association.
Invested 20 million in Anqing County to help her hometown people escape poverty.
Established the ‘Fledgling Scholarship with 50 million yuan, upgrading it to the ‘Fledgling Education Foundation’.
After repaying Du Zhaohui’s 100 million, Xia Xiaolan donated 200 million at once. Of her 800 million profit, only 500 million remained – and only then could she sleep soundly at night.
Liu Yong followed her example. Having no alma mater to donate to, he funded the construction of a cement road from Anqing County to Qijing Village. “To get rich, build roads first” was a simple motto. Liu Yong couldn’t articulate grand theories, but road construction couldn’t be wrong.
Once completed, this road would benefit not just Qijing Village, but all villages and towns along its route.
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t the only one who made hundreds of millions on Qiong Island; Du Zhaohui had also profited considerably.
With Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong donating frantically, Du Zhaohui wasn’t foolish either. He knew he couldn’t keep all the money for himself, so he also donated over 100 million to several universities. The “Chengrong Scholarship” became increasingly renowned. Du Zhaohui privately complained to Xia Xiaolan that this benefited his worthless dead father – despite being a scoundrel, Du Zhaohui’s desperate donations were practically whitewashing the old man’s reputation.
Xia Xiaolan could only console him: “Chengrong Group belongs to you now. You’re not whitewashing Chairman Du’s reputation, but Chengrong Group’s. Think of it this way – if you feel wronged, who can Du Zhaoqi complain to?”
Du Zhaohui immediately cheered up.
“That loser Zhaoqi is like a mad dog now. Ever since his former assistant Ye Xiaoqiong visited him in prison, he’s been unstable. He’s trying to get his sentence reduced and has Second Madam investigating Ye Xiaoqiong.”
Second Madam’s methods were sloppy, and Du Zhaohui easily got information from her people.
Ye Xiaoqiong had been pregnant with Du Zhaoqi’s child but had terminated the pregnancy after leaving his employment.
Du Zhaoqi didn’t believe it, convinced that Ye Xiaoqiong was raising the child somewhere. His prison frenzy was about finding that child… After much futile investigation, Du Zhaohui discovered that Ye Xiaoqiong had indeed undergone an abortion at a clinic.
Back then, when that loser Zhaoqi hadn’t yet fallen from grace and could have been the Du family heir, Ye Xiaoqiong must have harbored a deep hatred for him, wanting no connection whatsoever, hence terminating the pregnancy immediately.
Usually, when couples break up and discover a pregnancy, reconciliation often follows naturally…
There was only one possibility: Ye Xiaoqiong’s pregnancy had been non-consensual. Once she escaped Du Zhaoqi, she decisively terminated it.
Du Zhaohui smiled coldly to himself. That loser Zhaoqi wasn’t destined to be a father. Even Liu Keying’s pregnancy was suspicious – bloodlines not obtained properly indeed couldn’t be preserved!
He wouldn’t share these thoughts with Xia Xiaolan. Though the Du family had no good people, what that loser Zhaoqi did was so tasteless that Du Zhaohui didn’t want to acknowledge him as family.
…
Sheng Xuan believed Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t peacefully enjoy her Qiong Island profits, but Xia Xiaolan’s string of donations left her dizzy.
Second Madam Song felt some pity for Sheng Xuan: “If Axuan had listened to me and withdrawn from Qiong Island earlier, she wouldn’t be in massive debt now, having lost her banking job. How will she and Zhu Suizhou live?”
Song Zhicheng sneered: “If Zhu Suizhou were man enough, he should have divorced Sheng Xuan when things turned south. With the same debt, he could have transferred it all to his name and protected her.”
After all, it was an astronomical sum they couldn’t repay anyway – what difference did a bit more or less make?
Hearing his wife pity Sheng Xuan’s job loss, Song Zhicheng was so delighted he wanted to set off firecrackers in celebration.
Losing her job was for the best – no longer working at the bank meant she couldn’t implicate the Song family anymore. Sheng Xuan was too reckless; Song Zhicheng would have avoided such a sister-in-law even if she were blood-related, let alone just a cousin-in-law!
Last year, when they told Sheng Xuan and Zhu Suizhou to withdraw from Qiong Island, the couple ignored them.
Early this year, the old master extraordinarily called Song Zhicheng to his study to discuss Qiong Island matters.
Song Zhicheng unhesitatingly sold out the couple completely.
The old master was naturally displeased with the second branch, but Song Zhicheng stood firm, saying he hadn’t been corrupted by sugar-coated bullets. After failing to persuade Sheng Xuan and her husband to stop, he returned all their gifts, completely severing ties with them.
The old master said nothing more.
Leaving the study, Song Zhicheng knew things weren’t good in Qiong Island, but he kept this to himself, telling no one, not even his wife.
Thus, nobody warned Sheng Xuan and Zhu Suizhou.
Song Zhicheng deliberately wanted to see them fall.
It wasn’t petty revenge for their ignoring his advice – Sheng Xuan, an outsider, had been recklessly exploiting the Song family’s influence. Song Zhicheng couldn’t tolerate it anymore and had to take this chance to defuse this time bomb!
In retrospect, the “Sixteen Regulations” must have been taking shape when the old master questioned him.
The old master hadn’t told anyone about this information, not even his grandson. Zhu Suizhou wasn’t the only one who suffered heavy losses in Qiong Island – even Dongfeng Holdings, where Huo Chenzhou worked, was hit hard. It was the first major setback in his previously smooth career, resulting in a three-level demotion… Song Nanzhen didn’t even dare show his face in the capital anymore, staying quietly in Shanghai recently.
So how had Xia Xiaolan judged the timing correctly and escaped unscathed?
This would remain a mystery.
Perhaps in one or two decades, when the Qiong Island real estate bubble becomes distant history, Xia Xiaolan’s submitted research report would finally be made public.