Indeed, Asia was initially his project.

Compared to a stable, predictable life within the system, Zhu Suizhou sensitively detected the social changes following the Reform and Opening Up. During his bicycle commute past Erqi Square, he noticed the plaza was crowded with people, yet had too much space!

How could such a prime location remain vacant?

Some low-rise residential houses were messily scattered around Erqi Square – this wouldn’t do.

It needed to be replaced with more impressive, valuable buildings.

This thought suddenly struck him. During his off-hours, he visited every existing department store in the commercial district, finding each one unsatisfactory.

He could create something different!

Once this idea took root, it became impossible to suppress.

Subsequently, he made an extremely important life decision – resignation!

His superiors regretted his departure.

His family was heartbroken and disappointed.

Nobody understood.

It didn’t matter; once he truly succeeded in his venture, others would understand.

Zhu Suizhou recalled the months of struggling to raise funds after his resignation.

For him, becoming a “ten-thousand yuan household” was easy – he earned that much within a month of quitting his job.

He believed making money required opportunity and intelligence.

Ten thousand yuan was easy; a hundred thousand was achievable through time and accumulation.

A million was more challenging.

But even being a comfortable millionaire in current times wasn’t enough for development.

He had his eye on that plot in Erqi Square, wanting to transform it according to his vision. This made Zhu Suizhou unwilling to wait for gradual success – if he waited until he had accumulated tens of millions before developing that land, the opportunity would have been lost.

Without personal funds, he had to find ways to raise capital.

But others weren’t fools either – no matter how much they admired him, they wouldn’t easily hand over millions…Zhu Suizhou snapped out of his memories:

“You’re right, Asia was my project, not just in the past, but now and must be in the future.”

Nobody could force him out.

He had originally been wary of Xia Xiaolan.

Now it seemed Du Zhaoji was equally dismissive of others.

Sheng Xuan completely lost interest in packing:

“Then what will you do?”

Zhu Suizhou muttered: “One is a wolf, one is a tiger, and I’m the diligent ox in their eyes. What do you think I can do?”

Sheng Xuan thought for a moment, her lips curving upward:

“Let the tiger and wolf fight each other. Support whoever is weaker – don’t let either side gain a complete advantage.”

If one side easily defeated the other, Zhu Suizhou would still be at a disadvantage.

But if both sides remained locked in conflict, depleting each other while Zhu Suizhou preserved his strength, he could ultimately control the situation. Sheng Xuan felt that neither Du Zhaoji nor Xia Xiaolan took Zhu Suizhou seriously.

…

If Xia Xiaolan knew Sheng Xuan’s thoughts, she would have spat in her face.

Why would she invest in Shangdu Asia if she didn’t take Zhu Suizhou seriously?

There were plenty of profitable projects, but she fixated on Asia precisely because of Zhu Suizhou. Though he had been aggressive in expanding Asia, he was undoubtedly capable – Xia Xiaolan had never doubted this.

As soon as Xia Xiaolan got in the car, Yu Li handed her an envelope:

“Manager Xia, this was delivered from Ye Xiaoqiong.”

“Delivered while I was dining with Du Zhaoji?”

Xia Xiaolan shook the envelope, “Ye Xiaoqiong is quite bold, not afraid of being caught by Du Zhaoji again…well, with Du Chengrong having spoken up, Du Zhaoji has to at least put on a show and won’t dare confine Ye Xiaoqiong anymore.”

Opening the envelope revealed a farewell letter from Ye Xiaoqiong.

The Yuan Han family had met with great misfortune.

Ye Xiaoqiong counter-sued Yuan Han for stealing and selling family heirloom paintings and calligraphy. Whether they were worth a million Hong Kong dollars was difficult for the police to assess. The items had been sold to Manager Ding, who had closed his shop and couldn’t be found as a witness – Manager Ding wasn’t foolish enough to testify and implicate himself.

But the theft and sale were real, and even if they couldn’t repay a million, they had to compensate Ye Xiaoqiong as much as possible.

Yuan Han was already imprisoned, but his mother and three sisters remained free.

Ye Xiaoqiong had no intention of sending them to prison.

Wasn’t letting them live miserably outside another form of revenge?

The Yuan women had already emptied their savings, and to compensate Ye Xiaoqiong, they could only go to Beijing to sell the household appliances and furniture bought when Yuan Han married. How could year-old items sell for their original price?

They only managed to gather a few thousand yuan.

Ye Xiaoqiong accepted the money without complaint but made them sign an IOU.

The Yuan sisters refused, so Ye Xiaoqiong threatened to pursue Yuan Han’s case relentlessly – what could have been a shorter sentence for bribery would become several years longer. Mother Yuan, unable to bear her son’s suffering, knelt and begged, but Ye Xiaoqiong avoided her.

Mother Yuan could only desperately plead with her two daughters.

The IOU for the paintings Yuan Han sold bore the Yuan sisters’ names…Were they worthy of sympathy? No, he was the Yuan family’s only son, their sole male heir!

Mother Yuan lost her house and had no income; at her age, she had to take odd jobs.

Ye Xiaoqiong made sure to spread the news about Yuan Han’s imprisonment in their hometown, causing the Yuan sisters’ in-laws to learn the truth.

They had claimed the money was for helping Yuan Han advance his career, but now the lie was exposed. With their brother’s nude photos widely circulated and him a criminal, the Yuan sisters’ marriages fell into chaos.

According to Ye Xiaoqiong’s letter, both families were pursuing divorce; their lives would never be the same.

“…With matters settled here, I must depart to seek my new life. If we meet again someday, without all these entanglements, I truly wish to be your sincere friend. I hope by then, I will have been reborn anew, worthy of your friendship. Xiaolan, take care!”

Xia Xiaolan folded the letter.

“Little Yu, please help me deposit some items in the bank.”

“Yes, Manager Xia!”

Xia Xiaolan wanted to store Ye Xiaoqiong’s family heirloom paintings, calligraphy, and seals.

Ye Xiaoqiong would surely return, determined to rightfully buy back these items – she wouldn’t give up trying.

This was good – people need clear goals they’re willing to strive for to keep improving.

Xia Xiaolan needn’t concern herself with Yuan Han’s case anymore. He was ultimately charged with actively soliciting bribes, a significant amount, with severe consequences – at least ten years sentence! With Zhou Wenbang watching, he couldn’t expect early release; he’d serve his full term. His most deceptive asset – his face – was ruined, and upon release in over a decade, Yuan Han would be in his forties.

With a criminal record and no solid skills, this middle-aged ex-convict’s future was destined for hardship.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know Yuan Han had contracted a disease.

Even if he didn’t die, the illness would torture him between life and death – this was Ye Xiaoqiong’s greatest “parting gift.”

Although Xia Xiaolan had intended to return home, remembering Grandmother Yu alone in the hotel, she returned to the Nanhai Hotel instead.

At the hotel entrance, she encountered Old Ivan.

Old Ivan initiated the conversation:

“The DNA test results for Tina are out, did you know?”

“Yes, it’s as I expected – she is indeed a member of the Xu family. Now, Mrs. Wilson needn’t worry about Tina any more. She will eventually return to her family’s embrace, don’t you agree, Mr. Ivan?”