“Just because he wants to ask, does everyone have to answer? Who does he think he is!”
Du Zhaohui was the first to jump out in opposition. Du Chengrong suddenly felt an itch in his hands to grab something and hit someone. He noticed the paperweight closest to his hand on the desk.
This was an antique from the Song Dynasty – if he broke a son, he still had other children, but if he broke this paperweight, he’d never find another exactly like it.
“Shut up! If you don’t want to listen, get out now!”
As Du Zhaohui’s face and neck reddened, looking ready to fight with Du Chengrong, Xia Xiaolan mediated:
“There’s nothing that can’t be discussed. As long as Second Young Master isn’t asking about my company’s trade secrets, everything else is fine.”
She had thick skin.
Qihang Real Estate has only completed one successful project so far. Compared to the Cheng Rong Group, it was like comparing an infant to a grown adult. What trade secrets could they possibly have that would interest the Second Young Master of Cheng Rong Group?
Du Zhaohui snorted, “Some people just don’t know their place. What if he wants to ask about your trade secrets? Don’t let your guard down just because he looks refined. What’s that term… right, a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
It’s something that you managed to get that idiom right.
Xia Xiaolan knew Du Zhaohui was protecting her, so she just smiled without arguing.
Du Zhaoqi remained completely unfazed. He had prepared what he wanted to ask:
“Miss Xia is the founder of Pengcheng Qihang Real Estate. Although Qihang hasn’t been established for long, it has an impressive residential project named ‘Golden Sand Pool.’ This was developed by Miss Xia’s company, correct? I remember the advertisements even reaching Hong Kong. Last year, Qihang acquired another plot of land. From what I understand, Miss Xia intends to develop high-rise residential buildings this time. Is my information accurate?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Second Young Master pays quite a bit of attention to a small company like Qihang. You’re correct, though ‘impressive’ is too high praise – you’re too kind!”
“Are you flattering or taking a census?”
Du Zhaohui shouted.
Du Zhaoqi completely ignored his interruption and placed a document on the table:
“I’m not being too kind at all. Miss Xia’s company launched a popular project right after its establishment. This shows Miss Xia’s extraordinary talent in real estate. Last February, I discovered that my brother transferred money to Miss Xia’s account. May I ask if this is true, Miss Xia?”
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t nearsighted; she could see the transfer records Du Zhaoqi had placed on the table.
So she admitted straightforwardly:
“‘Extraordinary talent’ is too much praise, but the money transfer from Elder Young Master Du is true… Though I’m not sure how this concerns Second Young Master. Do you think your brother and I are collaborating in money laundering? Did his transfer to my account violate Hong Kong law?”
While Xia Xiaolan spoke casually, Du Chengrong’s expression wasn’t good:
“Zhaoqi, if you want to ask something, be direct. Don’t waste Miss Xia’s time beating around the bush.”
Du Chengrong looked at the transfer records without surprise.
When it came to spending money, his eldest son Du Zhaohui was truly generous – over 1 million US dollars, which at last year’s exchange rate was exactly 10 million Hong Kong dollars.
This wasn’t just Du Chengrong’s perception; it was a well-known fact throughout Hong Kong that Du Zhaohui previously spent half his annual allowance on himself and half on his “girlfriends.”
However, none of those girlfriends had ever received such a large gift at once, probably because Du Zhaohui spent money carelessly and likely never had a balance of over 10 million Hong Kong dollars in his account!
Du Chengrong already knew what his second son wanted to ask.
But he felt there was no need to ask because this money was the most worthwhile expenditure Du Zhaohui had made in his twenty-plus years!
Du Zhaoqi either couldn’t grasp his father’s meaning or was pretending not to understand. He took Du Chengrong’s reluctance to let him continue questioning as favoritism toward Du Zhaohui.
“It’s certainly not about breaking the law. I just want to confirm with Miss Xia why my brother suddenly transferred such a large sum to you. You two aren’t in a romantic relationship. As far as I know, Miss Xia has a deeply committed boyfriend in mainland China, correct?”
As Du Zhaoqi said this, he looked at Xia Xiaolan’s hand.
That diamond ring spoke volumes.
Xia Xiaolan raised her hand, “Second Young Master Du knows quite a lot. My boyfriend and I aren’t just deeply committed – we’re engaged. We’re now fiancés. So I wouldn’t accept large transfers from your brother without reason. Second Young Master has taken such a roundabout way just to ask why I accepted this money – it was your brother’s ‘consulting fee.’ He wanted to build Cheng Rong Plaza but felt unfamiliar with the field, so he hired me to help.”
Xia Xiaolan admitted it frankly!
Du Zhaohui added sarcastically: “What, do I need your approval even for hiring consultants now? We both received 20 million Hong Kong dollars in startup capital, and there were no restrictions on hiring consultants.”
Du Zhaohui emphasized “20 million Hong Kong dollars” particularly strongly.
If Du Zhaoqi was dissatisfied, didn’t he have reason to be too?
They both received 20 million Hong Kong dollars, but Du Zhaoqi had someone providing funds behind the scenes. He also wanted more funding but could only sell his house and car, being mocked by Hong Kong media for months!
Later, he could only borrow money from the old man because the land for Cheng Rong Plaza had been approved, and the old man saw the project’s profit potential before being so generous with his support.
“Zhaoqi, I gave you brothers the same amount of money to start your businesses. I don’t care about your other funding sources, nor do I care that your brother sold his house and car to increase his investment. This is just how business works. Having 20 million Hong Kong dollars in capital doesn’t mean you can only do 20 million worth of business. Regardless of where you find additional funding, whether banks or others are willing to lend you money, there’s only one reason – they see profit potential in your chosen projects! I don’t question how you raise funds, nor will I interfere with whether your brother hires consultants. The 10 million Hong Kong dollars he spent is a lot, but it hasn’t caused his project to lose money, so he spent it well. Knowing how to use people is also an essential skill for being a boss. When you’re not good at something, let those who are handle it. Choosing the right people is crucial…”
Du Chengrong might as well have said that Du Zhaohui’s 10 million Hong Kong dollars was extremely well spent.
How could Du Chengrong not know that Xia Xiaolan played a major role in Cheng Rong Plaza’s success?
If Du Zhaoqi could find this out, it would be strange if Du Chengrong didn’t know!
But Du Chengrong hadn’t used this to directly judge Du Zhaohui as losing the competition.
As he said, a big boss doesn’t need to know everything, but at least must have an eye for talent, putting the most appropriate people in the most suitable positions to maximize their effectiveness!
From this perspective, Du Zhaohui had both good judgment and luck in choosing people. He immediately grabbed hold of a talent like Xia Xiaolan. If Xia Xiaolan were willing to join Cheng Rong Group, Du Chengrong would gladly make her a vice president.