Xia Xiaolan didn’t fall from grace.

Many people were destined to be disappointed.

Song Nanzhen couldn’t understand why the old master had allowed her son Huo Chenzhou to take such a hard fall.

She suspected Xia Xiaolan had received advance information, but Huo Chenzhou said that was impossible.

“This time, I was too greedy. Grandfather had no obligation to warn me.”

Qihang Capital had withdrawn unscathed, and Dongfeng Holdings, with its 10% stake in Qihang Capital, had made some profit. However, Dongfeng Holdings’ operations in Qiong Island suffered huge losses, partly due to Huo Chenzhou and partly due to the overall aggressive approach of Dongfeng Holdings’ senior leadership.

After the Qiong Island real estate market collapsed, Dongfeng Holdings’ leadership couldn’t save face and believed Huo Chenzhou had seriously neglected his duties… If Dongfeng Holdings had held a larger stake in Qihang Capital, they would have known Qihang Capital’s movements and withdrawn from Qiong Island in time, or at least offset their losses with profits from Qihang Capital.

Instead, Qihang Real Estate escaped, Qihang Capital escaped, but Dongfeng Holdings didn’t – this was Huo Chenzhou’s failure!

Earlier, Dongfeng Holdings had requested to increase their shareholding in Qihang Capital, but Huo Chenzhou hadn’t actively pursued this.

When people are determined to find fault, they’ll always find a way. Huo Chenzhou felt exhausted and didn’t want to manage anymore.

A demotion was fine – it would give him time to rest and think about plans.

Song Nanzhen didn’t understand Old Master Song’s good intentions.

The old master’s strict requirements for family members were a form of protection.

Though he might not have had time to spend with family, he cared about the younger generation. Huo Chenzhou had been too successful, managing vast capital at such a young age – what was wrong with a young person taking a big fall? Without setbacks in youth, one doesn’t learn lessons; facing similar situations in old age, one might not be able to recover.

The summer of 1991 passed quickly, and the Qiong Island real estate bubble burst, gradually cooling down.

The burst left behind abandoned construction projects, caused many real estate companies to go bankrupt, and created serious banking crises… but all this was still within controllable limits.

Because Xia Xiaolan had burst this bubble two years early, the aftereffects weren’t as severe as in her previous life.

After all, in Xia Xiaolan’s memory, land prices in Qiong Island had once reached over 6 million yuan per mu.

She had no trouble sleeping – she’d made money, donated money, and reduced the real estate bubble’s damage.

The chief culprit behind the real estate bubble wasn’t Xia Xiaolan, but “greed.”

Xia Xiaolan ate and slept well, in good spirits. During the 1991 National Day holiday, she found herself violently sick at a seafood feast. After having suspicions and symptoms, a hospital check finally confirmed her pregnancy.

Then Liu Fen ordered her to rest at home and nurture the pregnancy because the hospital had discovered she was carrying twins!

Neither the Zhou family nor the Liu family, nor even the estranged Xia family, had any history of twins in the previous generation. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t understand how this had happened.

“This perfectly circumvents the family planning policy!” Xia Xiaolan joked.

After the initial excitement, both sets of parents became concerned – a twin pregnancy required extra care, but Xia Xiaolan herself was relaxed.

Having two at once, regardless of their gender, meant they could look after each other in the future. It didn’t violate national policy – what could be better?

Xia Xiaolan felt Zhou Cheng should be involved in the pregnancy process. After a stable three-month period, she stayed in Qiong Island to nurture the pregnancy. The children needed to bond with their father even in the womb – if Zhou Cheng wasn’t involved from start to finish, how would he adapt to being a “father”?

Xia Xiaolan also slightly reduced her workload, moving directly into Zhou Cheng’s work unit family quarters.

With his wife pregnant with twins, Zhou Cheng received daily congratulations from those in the know.

Though happy, he couldn’t just keep grinning foolishly. He was going to be a father – he needed to learn how to care for a pregnant woman, then a new mother, and finally how to raise children. Zhou Cheng’s schedule was packed!

During her pregnancy, Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to be completely idle. Having just made several hundred million, she wasn’t in a hurry for other investments – the Pudong New Area would need at least two years. What could she do in the meantime?

The company could operate normally, so what should she do during her pregnancy? After much thought, Xia Xiaolan decided to pursue a graduate degree.

Comrade Zhou Cheng, with his college diploma, felt great pressure.

If his wife was pursuing further education, he didn’t want to be left behind.

So he decided to apply for further studies too.

Thus, Xia Xiaolan returned to school for graduate studies, and Zhou Cheng went to Beijing for training. Guan Hue’e was overjoyed – she could take care of her daughter-in-law up close!

The loving couple studied together. The Huaqing Architecture Department naturally welcomed Xia Xiaolan’s graduate studies, not minding her pregnancy and even taking special care of her.

Perhaps only Professor McCarthy, the “big demon king” in America, was unhappy.

Professor McCarthy had thought Xia Xiaolan would come to America for advanced studies, but she chose to study while pregnant – he could hardly expect her to come to America with a pregnant belly!

…

When Xia Xiaolan married, Du Zhaohui’s first hope was for her divorce.

His second hope was for her to become a widow.

Neither wish came true, and A-Hua felt bad for Du Zhaohui.

Successful in business but unsuccessful in love, Du Zhaohui had made several hundred million in Qiong Island, but soon came news of Xia Xiaolan’s pregnancy – surely the boss would give up now?

Du Zhaohui couldn’t deceive himself anymore.

Xia Xiaolan probably wouldn’t divorce.

That’s just how she was.

Even in business, she had comprehensive strategies – how could she not be equally careful about marriage, such an important matter for women?

Du Zhaohui had been avoiding this point, but now had to accept it.

But he didn’t plan to compromise.

Whether Xia Xiaolan divorced or not couldn’t stop his feelings. He wouldn’t compromise like Tang Yuanyue, marrying an unloved woman just for alliance and heirs.

Someone as impressive as him didn’t need marriage alliances!

As for continuing the family line… that was a problem to solve.

This wasn’t the first time Du Zhaohui had considered this, but previously he’d always thought about being with Xia Xiaolan and didn’t want a child affecting his chances. Now that Xia Xiaolan was pregnant, Du Zhaohui prepared to create his heir.

This showed how different his thinking was from others. A-Hua thought he’d had an epiphany and would start dating proper ladies, but while Du Zhaohui did start collecting information on women, it didn’t seem to be for dating.

“Don’t want stupid ones.”

“Don’t want ugly ones either.”

“Must have the best education and looks, and personality too – I don’t like women with bad tempers!”

“Can’t be those without ambition.”

“Also can’t be from too good a background, I’m afraid they’ll fight me for the child in the future.”

Du Zhaohui listed many requirements, leaving A-Hua increasingly confused.

These strict conditions aside, was he understanding correctly – did the boss only want the child, not the mother?

Could it be done that way?!