Hmph, they only met twice at the Song family’s place with Tang Hongen, yet they claim it was love at first sight.

If Tang Hongen hadn’t been favored by the Old Master, and if he wasn’t good-looking himself, how could a young woman in her twenties fall in love with him at first sight? Song Nanzhen understood it all clearly – some people remain foolish their whole lives, while others eagerly pursue power. For daughters from ordinary families, marrying Tang Hongen would be like ascending to heaven. If their families had any ambition, they wouldn’t miss the chance to marry into the Tang family.

Song Nanzhen smiled mockingly, thoroughly despising her second sister-in-law. She had spread rumors early on about her cousin falling in love with Tang Hongen at first sight, playing the devoted lover card for years, thinking the Old Master would take notice. If the Old Master had spoken up, Tang Hongen would certainly have listened. Unfortunately, the Old Master had misjudged when matchmaking before and probably felt guilty about Tang Hongen, so he wouldn’t interfere at all!

A woman in her twenties who remained unmarried until thirty – Song Nanzhen thought her second sister-in-law must be more anxious than herself.

Huo Chenzhou thought about Xia Xiaolan and felt quite troubled:

“I’ve never met Mayor Tang’s new wife, but I’ve met her daughter. Though young, she’s quite formidable. I don’t recommend approaching from this angle. If it succeeds, fine, but if it fails, we’ll not only offend Mayor Tang but also make enemies… Mayor Tang’s meaning is clear – if I want to develop in Pengcheng, I can’t bypass his future stepdaughter.”

Xia Xiaolan’s capability wasn’t in her studies but in her accurate reading of the Hong Kong merchants’ mindset during the Nanhai Hotel project. She could independently develop residential properties. While Tang Hongen could help with some aspects, turning a 3 million yuan plot into 15 million in just half a month wasn’t something he could assist with. At least during that half-month period, the Pengcheng city government hadn’t announced any favorable policies to drive this – it was all Xia Xiaolan’s property speculation.

Xia Xiaolan got something for nothing, using Dongfeng Holdings’ construction payments for residential development. Huo Chenzhou was very unhappy about this but couldn’t help admiring her abilities. He shouldn’t view her as a student – she was a shrewd businesswoman.

The shrewd Xia Xiaolan, wanting long-term development in Pengcheng, would surely hold tight to Mayor Tang as her backing. If she learned someone was trying to take away her support, she would likely fight desperately.

Though Huo Chenzhou didn’t want to build others up while diminishing himself, he still had to remind his mother: “Mayor Tang’s stepdaughter is called Xia Xiaolan. She’s very difficult to deal with, cunning as a fox. Don’t underestimate her because of her age. If you investigate her carefully, you’ll find this family has risen very quickly!”

Normal people would take many years to break free from their original social class. Since Huo Chenzhou wanted to use Yuanhui, he naturally investigated their background. Liu Yong was just a farmer from rural Yunan Province, and as Xia Xiaolan’s uncle, she naturally came from the same background. Yet in just a year or two, the Liu family was now associating with mayors. This family probably didn’t have a single person who was easy to deal with. Some people rise through luck alone, but without ability, how could they seize lucky opportunities when they come? Huo Chenzhou feared his mother would underestimate the opposition and take a big fall.

Song Nanzhen nodded:

“You think I’m that foolish, to be used as someone else’s pawn? Something happened just this morning, and by evening I’d received news. Guess who deliberately wanted me to take the lead?”

Such actions could only come from Ji Ya. She had looked down on Ji Ya since they were young. The Ji family wasn’t anything special – what right did Ji Ya have to call herself the “Zhenzhu of Beijing”? If Ji Ya was a pearl, were others just fish eyes and broken stones? It was just that the Song family was low-key, and Song Nanzhen didn’t need to compete for such empty titles.

Ji Ya was a fool with only looks, her head full of useless knowledge. Song Nanzhen couldn’t stand Ji Ya because she had abandoned Tang Hongen at a crucial moment. That wasn’t just abandoning Tang Hongen – it showed the Ji family’s fence-sitting nature, not believing the Old Master could make a comeback… Hmph, what judgment.

Song Nanzhen had it all figured out and didn’t take Huo Chenzhou’s warnings about the formidable stepdaughter too seriously. Chenzhou was still young – how many formidable people could he have met to be so wary of a young girl? A person’s skill and ability come half from family education and half from experience. What could that young girl Xia Xiaolan possibly have?

After returning to Beijing from Ji Ya’s wedding, Liu Fen changed somewhat. When Chief Ma started hovering around her again, Liu Fen tactfully told him about her relationship with Tang Hongen.

Chief Ma often wore a stern expression, with his fleshy face looking quite intimidating when silent. He didn’t seem too surprised, just looked rather dejected:

“Seems you’ve made up your mind. Comrade Tang working in Pengcheng must not be a simple person either. I won’t be able to look after you anymore, Comrade Liu Fen. Take care of yourself. If you get married, remember to invite me to the wedding. I still hope you can have a good life!”

Chief Ma was understanding, making Liu Fen feel quite embarrassed. Perhaps she should have found the courage to reject him earlier, to avoid wasting so much of Chief Ma’s time. She had no feelings for Chief Ma, but with Tang Hongen, she had interest from the start yet lacked confidence, leading to this drawn-out situation. Since Chief Ma took it well, Liu Fen felt even more guilty.

She thought she only had to deal with Chief Ma, not yet realizing how many waves going public with Tang Hongen would cause. For instance, her future in-laws, Zhou Guobin and Guan Huie, were currently at home, listening intently to Xia Xiaolan.

“So, Mayor Tang and your mother… you accompanied Mayor Tang to attend the wedding?”

Though the Zhou family didn’t attend Ji Ya’s wedding due to Ji Ya’s previous conflict with Xia Xiaolan, Guan Huie had been following the matter. There were quite a few mutual acquaintances, and a female guest who had met Guan Huie and Xia Xiaolan at a social gathering – Xia Xiaolan’s face was unforgettable after just one meeting.

When someone came back and mentioned it, Guan Huie naturally found out. The Zhou family hadn’t heard any wind of this beforehand.

Xia Xiaolan was brought to the Zhou house for “questioning,” and while Guan Huie asked tactfully, Xia Xiaolan saw no need to hide anymore: “They are indeed getting to know each other, but nothing’s been settled. That’s why I’m telling you and Uncle Zhou.”

Guan Huie shook her head, “I’m not blaming you. This is your mother’s business – does she need to announce it to the world with a loudspeaker? Your Uncle Zhou and I almost misunderstood Mayor Tang. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, it’s fine!”

She and old Zhou had seen how well Tang Hongen treated Xiaolan and thought he was interested in her as a daughter-in-law. The couple had been thinking about how to protect their son’s potential wife while he was away at the academy, only to now realize it was all a misunderstanding.

Tang Hongen wasn’t pursuing Xiaolan – he was showing favor by extension. Guan Huie didn’t care who became Xia Xiaolan’s “stepfather.” Having Tang Hongen’s background didn’t mean they would approve of Xia Xiaolan more – what made the Zhou family acknowledge her was always her comprehensive qualities.

Guan Huie suddenly paused:

“…We’ve received news about Zhou Yi.”