Chen Xiliang was startled.

Xia Xiaolan had never shown interest in his personal life before.

“Miss, has someone been causing you trouble again?”

It hadn’t been long since he gave that money to his ex-wife, and her younger brother had already squandered it all.

His ex-wife was showing signs of wanting to reconcile, but how could Chen Xiliang agree? Though could Miss Xia notice such small matters from Beijing?

“Nobody’s causing trouble. I just think that as our business keeps growing, you should consider your personal life. Finding a good woman to take care of your daily life wouldn’t be bad – you could focus on business without worries.”

Once bitten twice shy – if he found another woman like his ex-wife, Chen Xiliang would jump from a building.

But Xia Xiaolan’s words still stirred something in him.

Having someone caring and attentive would indeed be nice, and if he remarried, it would prevent his ex-wife from continuing to pester him.

“You’re right. I should give this serious thought.”

Indeed, he should consider it carefully. Wait slowly for true love? Nonsense – what if the tragedy from his previous life repeated itself? Life was more important than true love. With life, anything was possible; when dead, all talk of love becomes meaningless.

If Chen Xiliang didn’t take it seriously, Xia Xiaolan would mention it every time she saw him, until he questioned his life choices and surrendered to the power of Xia’s constant reminders!

Kang Wei had arrived in Pengcheng two days before Xia Xiaolan. He seemed to have found a suitable location for the furniture factory and was handling the paperwork.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t need to worry about this – Kang Wei had enough capability to handle it, after all, it was his own business, and she had no intention of interfering. This time in Pengcheng, she didn’t head straight to Jinsha Chi but went to see her Uncle Liu Yong.

Upon seeing her, Liu Yong complained:

“You’re even busier than me, girl. It’s not easy to see you nowadays.”

“Uncle, I don’t want to be this busy either, but I need to handle everything here properly before going abroad.”

Xia Xiaolan said while examining the South Sea Hotel.

Unlike its previous bare main building, after intense construction, the South Sea Hotel now had the grandeur of a five-star hotel.

“Do you think it will pass inspection?”

Outside, people were still working overtime planting trees and clearing construction debris.

Liu Yong smiled, “We finished our work long ago – we deliver what we’re paid for. If it doesn’t pass inspection, that’s Huajian’s problem. Huo Chenzhou rushed so urgently, I can tell Huajian’s people are quite upset.”

Yuanhui only did a quarter of the project, but Liu Yong had dozens of workers on site – how could the renovation take several months and still not be finished?

The people finishing up on site were all Huajian’s workers. Huo Chenzhou demanded early completion inspection, and Huajian had been working night shifts for the past half month. State-owned enterprises’ bonuses weren’t as generous as Yuanhui’s, and when Huajian’s workers talked privately with Yuanhui’s workers, learning about the wage gap, how could they not curse?

Liu Yong had arranged overtime work in the early stages, preferring to complete early rather than drag things out.

Huo Chenzhou’s demands hardly troubled Yuanhui.

The tables had turned, and finally, it was Yuanhui’s turn to watch Huajian’s predicament.

“Uncle, you’re confident about Yuanhui’s performance this time.”

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help teasing. Liu Yong rubbed his head, “That’s thanks to Teacher Mao. With him visiting, I felt more at ease, and the two engineers we hired were also compliant. I see Teacher Mao has been watching over your project – you should thank him.”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Of course. After Jinsha Chi’s residences are built, I plan to give a unit to Teacher Mao and Sister-in-law Song. If they’re willing, they can retire in Pengcheng.”

Pengcheng was Xia Xiaolan’s focus for development. Even after graduation, her business center would be here.

Liu Yong nodded, “Go ahead and give it – you’re generous like me, girl!”

Liu Yong was praising himself while praising her, but Xia Xiaolan didn’t object – wasn’t it normal for nieces to take after their uncles? She and Liu Yong got along well. Having missed being uncle and niece in the previous life, they would make up for it double in this one.

“I’ve also reserved a unit for you. You probably can’t live in your Beijing courtyard house for now, and if you stay in Pengcheng, Aunt, and Taotao will eventually join you – they can’t stay in the commercial city forever.”

Liu Yong laughed heartily, “Whatever you say, but as your uncle, I won’t take advantage – tell me the price and I’ll buy it!”

Liu Yong wasn’t just talking big. Although the final payment for the South Sea Hotel hadn’t been made, Yuanhui had completed the work, and Liu Yong was calculating costs. After deducting labor and materials, and splitting the profits in half, he would still have several hundred thousand left even after paying off loans.

No matter how expensive the Jinsha Chi properties were, he should be able to afford one.

Even if Xia Xiaolan hadn’t mentioned giving him a unit, Liu Yong had planned to buy one.

Not just for the property, but for the Pengcheng household registration that came with it!

The Jinsha Chi residences coming with Pengcheng household registration wasn’t just a rumor Xia Xiaolan spread – it was true. However, each property came with two household registration slots, not three.

Including the upcoming project payment, Liu Yong was now a boss with assets worth millions.

But he had his own worries, even obsessions – he, his wife Li Fengmei, and their son Liu Zitao all had rural household registrations. To become urban residents, to wash off the yellow mud from their trouser legs, there was now a good opportunity.

For this reason alone, Liu Yong would buy a Jinsha Chi property.

Xia Xiaolan could roughly guess her uncle’s thoughts, “Don’t rush the household registration transfer. Wait a bit – Beijing might also relax related policies.”

Pengcheng was developing rapidly.

But Beijing would remain China’s political, economic, and cultural center, and for many years to come, the top educational resources would still be in Beijing.

Liu Yong was planning for his son, and Xia Xiaolan also wanted her cousin Taotao to have the best educational opportunities.

In the 1980s, Pengcheng certainly couldn’t compare to Beijing. Taotao was only in primary school now, with at least ten more years of education ahead – there was no rush to settle in Pengcheng.

Of course, if her uncle wanted to settle here, that was fine too. It wasn’t like they were counting on Liu Zitao to become a top scholar. As long as Liu Yong and her businesses didn’t fail, Liu Zitao’s future was quite secure… They needed to cultivate his ability to manage the family business, not his ability to score high on tests.

Thinking about it this way, growing up beside Uncle Liu Yong would indeed be more helpful.

Just as Xia Xiaolan was about to speak, several cars arrived at the South Sea Hotel. She watched as Huo Chenzhou got out, along with Tang Yuanyue and others.

While Tang Yuanyue could justify his presence as a South Sea Hotel shareholder making the inspection legitimate, Du Zhaohui just seemed to show up wherever there was excitement, with no clear purpose. Seeing him made Xia Xiaolan uncomfortable. Huajian’s manager bypassed her and Liu Yong, rushing to receive the investors:

“Manager Huo, Chairman Tang, the schedule was extremely tight, but we haven’t let you down. We’ve worked overtime to complete the project. Shall I show you around?”

Tang Yuanyue was amused – workers were still planting trees outside, and they called this complete.

While Huajian’s manager was trying to claim credit, Yuanhui, who had completed their portion early, remained composed. Seeing Xia Xiaolan standing at a measured distance, Tang Yuanyue couldn’t help walking over.